We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

Weekful of Saints

June 29 – Feast of Peter and Paul

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul commemorates the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles St. Peter and Paul of Tarsus, observed on June 29. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being either the anniversary of their martyrdom in 67AD or of the translation of their relics. They had been imprisoned in the famous Mamertine Prison of Rome and both had foreseen their approaching death. Saint Peter was crucified; Saint Paul, a Roman citizen, was slain by the sword.  Together they represent two different Christian traditions.

Why do we remember them ? Peter is pictured on the left with the keys – the keys to the kingdom. In Matthew 16, Christ says ” And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” They keys since then have been symbols of Papal power.  Peter represents that part of the Church which gives it stability: its traditions handed down in an unbroken way from the very beginnings, the structures which help to preserve and conserve those traditions, the structure which also gives consistency and unity to the Church, spread as it is through so many races, cultures, traditions, and geographical diversity

Paul is pictured with the Bible. He, on the other hand, represents the prophetic and missionary role in the Church. It is that part of the Church which constantly works on the edge, pushing the boundaries of the Church further out, not only in a geographical sense but also pushing the concerns of the Church into neglected areas of social concern and creatively developing new ways of communicating the Christian message. This is the Church which is constantly renewed, a Church which needs to be constantly renewed 

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Sunday Links, June 23, 2024

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost June 23, 11am

  • Web site
  • YouTube St. Peter’s Page for viewing services
  • Facebook St. Peter’s Page
  • Instagram St. Peter’s Page
  • Location – 823 Water Street, P. O. Box 399, Port Royal, Virginia 22535
  • Staff and Vestry
  • Servers, June 23, 11am
    Lector: Cookie Davis
    Chalice Bearer:Andrea Pogue
    Altar Clean up:BJ Anderson
  • Wed., June 19, Juneteenth
  • Wed., June 19, Cleo Coleman performs “Harriet Tubman” in Market Square, Fredericksburg, 2:30pm
  • Wed., June 19, Village Harvest food distribution, 3pm-4pm Call Andrea (540) 847-9002 to volunteer. All help is welcome for this vital St Peter’s ministry. Time of food pick up and unloading of food to be announced for earlier in the week and help will be needed
  • Thurs., June 20, World Refugee Day
  • Thurs., June 20, Summer Solstice, 4:50pm
  • Tues., June 25, Chancellor Village Eucharist, 1pm
  • Wed., June 26, Ecumenical Bible Study, Parish House, 10am-12pm  Reading Lectionary for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, June 30, Track 2
  • May newsletter
  • All articles for Sunday, June 23, 2024
  • Episcopal General Convention 81

    The General Convention is the governing and legislative body of The Episcopal Church. Every three years it meets as a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops, composed of deputies and bishops from each diocese.

    The 81st General Convention will take place June 23 – 28, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Link

    This General Convention marks the conclusion of Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry’s primacy and the election of his successor, the 28th presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church. There are 5 nominees

    What is the main work of the convention? Work on the resolutions that come before the convention make up much of its work. Resolutions arise from four different sources: 1) “A” resolutions from interim bodies whose work is collected in what is referred to as the “Blue Book” 2) “B” resolutions which come from Bishops 3) “C” resolutions which come from diocesan conventions and 4) “D” resolutions which originate from Deputies. Each properly submitted resolution is referred to a convention committee which makes its recommendation to the House. When one house has acted on the resolution it is sent to the other house for consideration.

    Who is going to be there? Deputies from each of our 110 dioceses in the United States and abroad, lay leadership and diocesan bishops, as well as members of the Episcopal Church Women, and other visitors.

    Youth. This is the General Convention Official Youth Presence (GCOYP.) This group was established by a resolution at General Convention in 1982 and has been further defined at subsequent conventions, with legislation passed as recently as 2000. Up to two youth from each of the church’s nine provinces will be selected to participate in the Official Youth Presence The GCOYP have seat and voice on the floor of the House of Deputies and can testify at hearings held before and during General Convention.

    Special topics:
    1. The Blue Book Reports by each standing committee, the Executive Council, the House of Deputies, and the House of Bishops. This is the way to follow the path of the resolutions.
    2. Calendar of the Convention – What happens each day, including the election of the next presiding bishop
    3. Organization chart
    4. The Virtual Binder. This system replaced reams of paper in 2018. It enables users to track the progress of convention resolutions. It also includes each house’s daily agendas, calendars for each day and journals (a list of messages sent between the houses informing the other of actions taken), committee calendars and reports. It contains tabs for checking on current action and floor amendments in each house.
    5. Media Hub This has live video from the two houses as well as video clips, photos and press conferences.
    6. Event App. A. Search for the “Cvent Events” app on the iOS Apple App Store or Google Play Store. B. Upon opening the app search for “The 81st General Convention,” and download the event to the app.

    Recent Articles, June 23, 2024, The Fifth Sunday after the Pentecost

    Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, June 23
    Photos
    Videos
    Bulletin
    Sermon
    Lectionary, June 23, 11am service
    Commentary
    Voices of Mark’s Gospel
    Chaos in the Gospel
    Visual lectionary from Vanderbilt
    So, What is an Epistle?


    World Refugee Day, June 20
    Connection between Juneteenth and World Refugee Day
    Why we should welcome refugees?


    Anything but Ordinary! Ordinary Time
    Celebrating Midsummer’s Night
    A Weekful of Saints


    St. Peter’s Wildflowers
    Celebrating the Rappahannock River

    General Convention
    All About General Convention
    Bishop Harris on General Convention

    Ministries

    Special – May, June


    Cleo as Harriet Tubman, June 19
    Shred-it results from June 12
    Shred-it Gallery
    Words, Pictures 2010-2024
    Some Favorite Pictures
    Thy Kingdom Come
    St. Peter’s Anniversary

    Chancellor’s Village


    Chancellor Village Photos and sermon, May 14
    Chancellor’s Village Sermon, April 23

    Sacred Ground


    Foundations of an African-American Community
    Sacred Ground, May, 2024
    Sacred Ground, Feb., 2024
    Sacred Ground, Jan., 2024

    Season of Creation


    St. Peter’s and the Earth
    Team Up to clean up event, April 20

    Episcopal Church Men


    ECM Maintenance, May 11

    Newsletters


    June newsletter
    May newsletter

    Episcopal Church Women


    ECW Chair change
    ECW Spring meeting, April 9

    Jamaica


    Breakfast program in Jamaica

    Performance


    Portland Guitar Duo at St. Peter’s, April 19, 2024

    Village Harvest


    Summer meals
    Village Harvest, May 2024
    Village Harvest, April, 2024
    Village Harvest, March, 2024
    Village Harvest, Feb., 2024

    Education


    Creeds class notes 5 sessions- Conclusion
    God’s Garden collection

    Card of thanks to Elizabeth & Jim Heinbach

    Catherine read the anniversary prayer to Elizabeth who is celebrating her 56th anniversary to Jim. Both are moving to Fredericksburg within the month. So it was a time of thanks and best wishes and as well as sadness.

    Johnny then presented a card from the Vestry:

    “Members of St Peter’s Church greatly appreciates your service during your years in Port Royal. Jim has been a faithful Treasurer keeping accurate records weekly while Elizabeth has been a leader in the ECW women and vestry serving as registrar for the church supporting all meetings. We hope you had a wonderful anniversary with love and appreciation.” St. Peter’s Vestry

    Videos, June 23, 2024

    01 Opening Hymn – “Shall we gather at the river”

    01 Opening Hymn – “Shall we gather at the river” – Congregational level

    02 Hymn of Praise -“Eternal Father, strong to save”

    03 Readings

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