September Spire

Fall Programs; Refugee Resettlement; Response to Hunger; October Retreat; and more

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Journey of Faith this Fall

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over and another program year is beginning. I hope that you had the chance for some rest and refreshment this summer—time to reconnect with yourself and others. Over the summer, Sean, Kate, Darryl, Lauri, Colin, and I did a lot of praying, thinking, and planning of opportunities for connection and spiritual formation in the year ahead. There are some old favorites and some new offerings, some things that are one time experiences, and some that offer the possibility for deeper connections. I hope you will participate as you are able—engaging with each other and with the God who created you and who loves you.

You recently received a letter from me announcing that KieranTimberlake will be our architects for a new building. Over the next few months you will be seeing and hearing a lot about that, and this winter, you will see what our building, should we choose to build, would look like—truly an exciting moment in the life of this church community.

There are various opportunities in the next weeks and months for learning and faith formation. Our Faith Matters series has a diverse range of offerings during the 10-10:50 time slot on Sunday mornings. In addition I will be offering Episcopal Way, a crash course in all things Episcopal on September 25 and October 9 at 12:30 p.m. This course is for anyone with questions about the Episcopal Church whether you have been here for 20 years or 2 weeks. It is necessary for any adult interested in baptism, confirmation, or reception into the Episcopal Church. Our new Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Daniel Gutierrez will be with us on Dec. 4 to baptize, confirm and receive. Bishop Gutierrez is a person of great warmth, vision, and energy—it is an exciting time to be part of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. He will have the floor for Faith Matters on December 4, both talking about his vision for the diocese and answering your questions.

New this fall, I will be leading a 6-week series called Discipleship in Community (Sundays 10 a.m. Sept. 25, Oct. 2, 9, 23, 30 & Nov. 6). This is an opportunity to explore our own spiritual journey and relationship with Christ. We will develop a personal Rule of Life, discuss faith, Jesus Christ, the Bible, what Christian love and justice mean, and more. During these sessions we will reflect on our faith and our experience. And we will build a small group that grows together in trust and faith. People who have been Christians for years and people who have just come through the door are encouraged to participate. As with Episcopal Way, adults who want to be baptized, confirmed, or received, are especially encouraged to participate. Space is limited, and to participate you must sign up and commit to being present. For more information or to sign up please contact me.

Finally, coming this fall to St. Peter’s is an opportunity that both Sean and I experienced early in our lives and which helped form our faith, that is the “house church”. House Church is a chance to come together in someone’s home, share Eucharist (in a more intimate way than in church), then share a meal (potluck) and conversation together. We will offer 3 different House Church opportunities—and then see where that leads us. Stay tuned for dates and locations.

I look forward to walking the journey of faith with you this fall...and beyond.
In Christ,
Claire

St. Peter’s To Assist Resettling Refugee Family

A message from the Rev. Sean Lanigan

If you'd like to learn more about St. Peter's co-sponsorship of a refugee family, please join us for a meeting at 10 a.m. Sunday, September 11.

Toward the end of 2015, as the civil war in Syria escalated, a number of St. Peter’s parishioners began asking whether our church might play some role in helping families who were fleeing this violent conflict. A group of more than 20 parishioners gathered to consider various ways that our parish could get involved in supporting refugee families. After learning more about the global refugee crisis, we decided that we were open to supporting refugees from anywhere in the world and from any religious background, since there are over 65 million forcibly displaced persons from all around the world. We also decided that we wanted to do more than just collect supplies or volunteer our time individually; we decided that we want to build a deeper relationship between our congregation and a particular refugee family by supporting them through the entire resettlement process and their acclimation to life in the United States. This kind of relationship is known as co-sponsorship. Read more>>

A Response to Hunger in Philadelphia

A message from the Rev. Sean Lanigan

As Christians, Jesus calls us to feed the hungry, but it can sometimes be hard to know where to begin. For several weeks in September and October, Faith Matters (our 10 AM Sunday Adult Education Forum) will be focused on an array of issues relating to the hunger crisis in our community. Come learn from some wonderful guest speakers and explore how you might get involved in making a difference.

In addition to opportunities to learn more about hunger, we’ll be seeking to raise awareness in other ways, too. Beginning on September 7, when you pass through the Pine Street gate, you’ll find yourself walking under a canopy of forks. There will be 774 forks overhead, each one representing 100 hungry children in Philadelphia. We’re installing this temporary installation to help all of us focus our minds and hearts on how we can act collectively to make a real impact on hunger in our community.

One way that we can all begin to make an impact is to take some time to serve at the St. Peter’s Food Cupboard. This year, we’re inviting every member of St. Peter’s to consider serving at the Cupboard on at least one Saturday morning (from 8-10 AM), and we’re calling this campaign EveryOne EveryYear. Learn more>>

A Fall Overnight Retreat: Cultivating Sabbath

Has life been feeling stressful to you lately? Have you been struggling to find adequate space and time to deeply connect with God and with yourself? A little over an hour from Philadelphia, at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay, sits a beautiful property owned by the Diocese of Pennsylvania where this kind of deep relaxation is possible.

You're invited to come spend a prayerful weekend (October 28-30) in nature and in the company of others who are seeking deeper peace in their lives. The theme of our weekend will be "Cultivating Sabbath," and we'll be exploring a range of ways to live more spaciously and restfully, consciously embracing God's sabbath rhythms. We'll also begin to dismantle some of the barriers that prevent us from regularly keeping sabbath and from caring for our spiritual needs with attention and love. Learn more>>

Baptism, Confirmation, and Reception with Bishop Gutierrez

A message from the Rev. Sean Lanigan

Bishop Gutierrez will be visiting St. Peter's on Sunday, December 4. He will baptize, confirm, and receive people into the Episcopal Church during the 11 AM service that day. What is baptism, confirmation, and reception? And who can participate? Click here to learn more.

Those who wish to be baptized, confirmed, and/or received will participate in 4 learning and preparation sessions during the fall. All of these classes will be held at 12:30 on Sundays on the 2nd floor of 313 Pine Street.

The Episcopal Way: September 25 and October 9 at 12:30 with Claire
Confirmation Preparation: October 23 and November 13 at 12:30 with Sean

To sign-up for classes and to indicate your intention to be baptized, confirmed, and/or received, please email Rev. Sean at lanigan@stpetersphila.org. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

History Insights: Unexpected Link

The St. Peter’s History Committee is pleased to offer insights into the history of our church and churchyard so we learn about the people who came before us a

nd brought us to where we are today. This article was submitted by Libby Browne.

In the fall of 2014, I was watching “Finding Your Roots,” the PBS series hosted and created by eminent scholar Henry Louis Gates in which he investigates the ancestry of a variety of people, mostly celebrities. On this occasion he had film-maker Ken Burns as one of his three subject guests. He had discovered that Ken Burns had a direct ancestor in the Colonial/American Revolutionary period named Gerardus Clarkson from New York, but showed a document signed by Clarkson relating to Pennsylvania Hospital. I nearly jumped out of my seat because I recognized Clarkson’s name as being buried in St. Peter’s Churchyard! Read more>>

Announcements

Welcome Recent Visitors:

Sharon Wallace; Kelsey Thomas; Courtney Sarah White; Chris & Allison Berena w/ Beatrice; Allison Vail; Pat & Kim w/ Leo & Emerson

School Supply Drive

We will be collecting school items to help students in Philadelphia. You can purchase the items online through an Amazon wish list accessible at: http://amzn.to/2av6Onp. (And if you don’t already, please use AmazonSmile.com and select St. Peter’s Choir, Philadelphia as your charity). Or you can pick up a notecard with a list of needed items at church on Sunday and drop off the supplies at the Parish House. Donations must be received by Sunday, September 11.

Saying Farewell to Barbara Tobin and Francesca Kotey

This September, Barbara Tobin and Francesca Kotey—both candidates for ordination to the diaconate—will begin year-long ministry internships at other parishes in our Diocese. Barbara will be serving at St. Simon of Cyrenian (in Point Breeze) and Francesca will be serving at St. Gabriel's (in Feltonville). We wish both Barbara and Francesca many blessings as they move onward in their journey toward ordination, which is expected in June of 2017. After ordination, Bishop Gutierrez will assign Barbara and Francesca to other parishes in the Diocese, where they will fulfill their diaconal call "to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world," while exercising a ministry of servanthood on behalf of "the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely" (Book of Common Prayer, page 549). Godspeed, Barbara and Francesca!

Baptisms:

We recently celebrated two baptisms: Titus Alexander Schultz on August 14 and Christian Thomas Ippolito on July 17.

Thank You:

On behalf of the choir, Darryl Roland would like to extend his heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the many volunteers who helped wash, organize and fit choir robes as well as those who helped to organize choir music during the summer, including: Nora Adelmann, Peggy Hatch, Gail Hauptfuhrer, Christine Magne, Sue Perry, Leslie Ross. Sheila Jamison-Schwartz, and Matt Boatmon
Christy Santos for joining the altar guild
Terry Champion, Joe Fanelli, Jill Minick, Rob Taglieri and Kathleen Stephenson for helping at Cappy Hurst’s funeral service
Phillip Bennett for preaching and celebrating at the August 7 services
Michelle & Tim Julet for hosting the dinner & meeting about the choir trip to England
Marilyn MacGregor who is helping to plan the trip
Peggy Hatch & Pat Fusco for their pastoral visit
Yuhong Gardner, Nora Adelmann, Peggy Hatch, Sheila Jamison-Schwartz and Gail Hauptfuhrer for their help with various music ministry needs

Birthdays:

Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays in September:
1 - Rufus Abbott
5 - Tennyson Betten
8 - Bob Wright
8 - Alice Duffy
10 - Henry Kwiecinski
11 - Hal Kellogg
14 - Torben Hsu
24 -Matthew Pidgeon
27 - Marilyn MacGregor
28 - Joya Nath
30 - Grayson Wade

Did we miss your birthday? Email Kate Randall to add your birthday to the list.

What's Going On

Upcoming Events

Churchyard Gardeners
10 a.m.-Noon Saturday, September 10

Refugee Resettlement Meeting
10 a.m. Sunday, September 11

Welcome Back Picnic
12:30 p.m. Sunday, September 11

Knitting Group
5 p.m. Tuesday, September 13

On Being
12:15 p.m. Sunday, September 18

Social Justice Meeting
12:30 p.m. Sunday, September 18

Youth Group
12:30 p.m. Sunday, September 18

Candlelit Compline Service
7 p.m. Sunday, September 18

Sages Gathering
12:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 21

Disciples in Community
10 a.m. Sunday, September 25

The Episcopal Way
12:30 p.m. Sunday, September 25

Liturgical Ministry Fair
After all services, Sunday, September 25

Click here to view our full calendar.

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St. Peter's is a church on a mission: To embody the love of God as Christ's heart, mind, and hands.

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