O God, you have called the people of this parish to be the Body of Christ in this place, and witnesses of your presence in the world. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, we pray. Send down the fire of your Love upon us, that we may draw others to you, as you have sent us to do. Anoint us with a deep compassion for those who do not yet know your love. Send revival on your church in this place, that all may come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Welcome:
WeŐre glad that you stopped by our web site today and hope that you will spend a few minutes to find out who we are and what we are about.
Our mission is to be a vibrant, Christ-centered community, actively reaching out to help and bring others to Christ as the Light of Christ in the City – to know Christ, to make Christ known, and to serve others in Christ. We do this by reaching out, inviting, welcoming, and providing opportunities for GodŐs people to grow in faith, hope, and love through a variety of activities and ministries, including:
Worship – Because we believe that we were created by God as part of his wondrous creation, we gather to worship him every Sunday morning. We humble ourselves before Him, sing praises to Him, lift our concerns to HIM, and celebrate together the Holy Eucharist of thanksgiving, breaking bread and sharing the cup, as Jesus told his friends to do. Our worship style is based upon the Episcopal/Anglican Book of Common Prayer, with a blend of traditional and contemporary worship and musical styles.
Learning – Through various programs and classes for children, youth and adults, we seek to learn more about God and His will for us as revealed in Jesus Christ.
Fellowship – We believe that humans are social beings created to interact and enjoy each otherŐs company. As such, St. PeterŐs provides a variety of opportunities for people to meet and make friends.
Service – We believe that we are called to make a difference in other peopleŐs lives in the world around us, especially in the lives of those less privileged than we are. Through a variety of outreach initiatives, we give everyone an opportunity to make a difference in another personŐs life.
It has been our experience that the more we participate in worship, learning, fellowship and service, the more we grow -- in our understanding of God and other people, in our gratitude for the blessings in our lives, and in our commitment to serve others. God is transforming lives here as we continue our walk with Jesus and grow in faith, hope, and love.
If you live in the Ashtabula area and have no other place to grow in faith, hope, and love, please know that you are always welcome at St. PeterŐs Church. Come grow with us!
Our Ministries:
As a participatory congregation, everything we do at St. PeterŐs Church is considered a ministry. Ministry, as we understand it, is something one does to meet the need of another person. We believe that GodŐs will for every human being is complete wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. We also believe that God has given each one of us uniquely individual gifts for ministry and called us to partner with Him in making things well. Our ministries, therefore, are opportunities for people to be blessed and be a blessing.
Our ministries at St. PeterŐs include Worship & Pastoral Care, Hospitality & Fellowship, Children & Youth, Adult Christian Formation & Renewal, Evangelism & Social Outreach, Stewardship, and Communication.
Worship is our response to God. Knowing what we know about GodŐs love and his good plans for us is what compels us to worship Him, not only in our homes, but together at St. PeterŐs as a community of faith. We gather to sing praises to God, listen to his Word, lift our concerns to Him in prayer, and break bread and share the cup in Communion. Opportunities for worship at St. PeterŐs include Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. for the Holy Eucharist (Sundays at 9:00 a.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day) and the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. for Prayer and Praise.
Pastoral Care is our response to members of our congregation and others who come to our attention who are not well in body, mind, or spirit. We lift them to God in prayer, we encourage them, and we visit them at home, in the hospital, or in the nursing home. Pastoral Care at St. PeterŐs in not the sole responsibility of our clergy, but of everyone who cares. And because we care, we seek to be instruments of healing and hope.
Hospitality is our response to all who come through our red doors. We love having guests and it is our goal to make everyone feel welcomed. When you visit St. PeterŐs, there will be someone to greet you, show you a place to sit, invite you to Coffee Hour, help you to meet other people, and answer any questions you may have.
Fellowship is our response to the need each one of us has for strong and lasting friendships. Those friendships are built over time as people meet and get to know one another. This is why we create opportunities for people to spend time together becoming and being friends.
Opportunities for fellowship at St. PeterŐs include:
á Weekly Sunday morning breakfasts (8:45-9:45 a.m.) and coffee hour (11:15 a.m.).
á Monthly game nights for adult members.
á Annual parish picnic.
á Annual May Mother-Daughter-Friend Banquet.
á Annual youth group Shrove Tuesday pancake supper.
á Annual St. PatrickŐs Day corned beef and cabbage dinner.
á RectorŐs annual Christmas open house.
á Annual 1789 Prayer Book Evensong at historic Blakeslee Log Cabin, our first home.
Children & Youth are valued members of our church family. Our responsibility is to love them as God loves them and to provide them with the spiritual and material tools they need to grow in their knowledge and love of God and participate in every aspect of church life, including liturgical ministry as acolytes.
St. PeterŐs offers a childrenŐs Sunday School program. Child care is available for young children and babies, on request, during the 10:00 a.m. service and other occasions. And our Youth program, including the Youth Group, brings together junior and senior high school youth for fellowship, study, and service.
Adult Christian Formation and Renewal programs reflect our belief that there is no graduation in the Christian faith. We believe that not of us has reached the point where we need to be in our knowledge and love of God. We are yet to become the kind of people God intended us to be. ThatŐs why we are committed to providing opportunities to learn more about God, ourselves, and GodŐs will for us in the world. Such opportunities at St. PeterŐs include Sunday morning adult Bible study, Lenten study programs, baptism and confirmation classes, special formation and renewal opportunities, and inquirerŐs classes for newcomers.
Evangelism and Social Outreach programs reflect our emphasis on being a mission-minded church. At St. PeterŐs, we understand our calling is to move beyond the walls of our church, seeking to share the Good News of God with others in our community and beyond in both word and deed. Social Outreach opportunities at St. PeterŐs include parish-based outreach programs, as well as outreach partnerships with other churches and community organizations.
Stewardship ministry is based out of our understanding that we and everything that we have are gifts from God and that it is our responsibility to make good use of these gifts. Our Stewardship Ministry, therefore, is about educating, encouraging and challenging each other to use our individual and corporate resources of time, talent and money in ways that bring honor to God and bless his people.
Stewardship activities at St. PeterŐs include:
á The proper maintenance of our land and facilities.
á Financial transparency and accountability.
á Stewardship education on pledging, proportionate giving, planned giving, special gifts, etc.
á Long-term planning and development.
á Fundraising.
á Budgeting.
á Donor recognition and celebration of achievements.
á Volunteer recruitment and appreciation.
Communication Ministries are the glue that keeps our members, friends, and community informed about what is happening at St. PeterŐs.
Communication activities include:
á Weekly worship bulletins.
á Our monthly Epistle newsletter.
á Our www.stpetersashtabula.org website.
á Regularly updated parish directories.
á The design and publication of informational materials for Visitor Information Packets and local media promotion and advertising materials publicizing parish events.