Historic St. Peter s Episcopal Church Broad Street + Altavista VA

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1 St. Peter s.net Historic St. Peter s Episcopal Church Broad Street + Altavista VA Facebook page St. Peter s Episcopal Church in Altavista VA Volume 2 + Issue #8 November 2012 Welcoming our 6 th Bishop (and bidding a fond farewell to our 5 th and his wife) Plans are well underway for the selection of the 6 th Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Virginia. With the nomination deadline behind us, over 40 nominations have been received. And, because WE (including both you and me) are the diocese, we are encouraged to participate in this selection by attending the Meet the Candidates forum in our convocation (or in another if you are unable to make the date we meet. We encourage you then to give your feedback to your delegates and/or rector. (That would be either Jo Kelley or Aubrey Rosser) Here are the dates to put on your calendars now: Saturday, March 2 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet the Candidates in Lynchburg (place to be determined) On the following Saturday, March 9, Jo, Aubrey and Karen will travel to Roanoke for the official election of the new Bishop. This gives you a week to share your thoughts and feelings with us about the candidates. Bishop Powell s Retirement Celebration(s) The Transition Committee invites us to attend all three! But, the Celebration in our area will be Saturday, June 1 at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista. (Perhaps we can car pool for the occasion.) Others will be at Phoebe Needles, Callaway on Saturday, June 15, and at Hemlock Haven in Marion on June 22. Consecration of New Bishop This is one of the most beautiful, holy, and exciting services you may ever attend. Saturday, July 20, Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. Please plan to attend!! More details will be forthcoming. 1

2 Rector s Corner Looking toward the future Last Sunday I had the privilege of serving as a supply priest for Trinity in Arrington. They are in the discernment process and are about to hear from three candidates to serve their parish in conjunction with Grace, Massie s Mill. A member of the search committee recommended to me a book that might be helpful as St. Peter s discerns it s future. I went online to Amazon.com and found that used copies are going for as little as 19! (Of course, shipping is $3.99.) The title of the book is Can our church survive? by Episcopal priest, Alice Mann. I have already recommended this book to our vestry members and suggested that they share it with members of the congregation. However, if you would like to read it in advance, please fell to free to order your own copy. It should help in the task that lies ahead. And as I write this, we are in the throes of Hurricane Sandy. Thus far, we have been spared. Thanks be to God. Let us remember to reach out to those in need in the aftermath of this most devastating storm. Wherever you are as the storm continues for the next few days, stay safe and warm. My prayers continue for all in harm s way. On another note, please review the opportunities for service between now and Christmas and see how you would like to be involved. I think caroling in front of the Nativity scene would be great fun! Let me know what you think! And thanks to all who helped us raise $350+ at the Altavista Garage Sale! Blessings, Karen+ Senior Warden s Message This past month has been such a busy one. It s hard to believe that, by the time this goes to print, thirty-one scarecrows will have come and gone in downtown Altavista. Altavista on Track sponsors this event for the Town, and had great entries again this year for the 4 th Annual Scarecrow Stroll. I always enjoy watching local citizens and town visitors strolling to see the scarecrows, taking pictures and shopping in stores along the way. People put a lot of creativity into their entries each year, and their efforts help this Town be interesting and fun. It s a great community event. We ll also have had our 1 st Annual Town Wide Yard Sale. Over 50 individuals and community groups set up sale booths at the downtown Trade Lot, including St. Peter s. Parishioners have been collecting their sale items, and pricing and storing them in the parish hall for over a month. This particular event, also sponsored by Altavista on Track, seems to be of particular interest to people from all over the region. Lots of visitors are anticipated to enjoy our great town for part of a beautiful fall Saturday, and, hopefully, also enjoy the stores, parks and other amenities we offer. These activities are primarily community builders, and it s great when St. Peter s chooses to participate. Our activities with Frannie s House, Second Helping, the Backpack program, community religious services, recent work with the Presbyterian Church on home renovation projects, music events in previous years at the Church, and now the Yard Sale, provide wonderful service to our Town, as well as help make our Church more visible and known in the community. Though small in number, we are generous in our giving, spirit and time. As we go forward in our planning for the future of St Peter s, let s remember the value of our good work and purpose in our community, and within our own church family. Peace, Jo 2

3 Diocesan Resolution 8 work continues In order to join in God s mission in this time and place, the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia will be a household of congregations in which each parish will make known its blessings and challenges and desires of the heart, and diocesan leaders will respond tangible through direct consultative services, and building bridges between parishes and resources. Since our Council last January, the Executive Board of the Diocese has been hard at work on the general recommendations that have come out of the study and the survey of all churches willing to participate within the Diocese. Briefly, those recommended actions to be considered at the upcoming Council to be held the last weekend in January are as follows: The expansion of a Diocesan Human and Parish Resource Database which gives parishes an opportunity to share gifts and talents of members with one another as needed. The possibility of hiring two Canon Missioners who would be responsible for networking, consultation, new models of ministry, and conflict mediation. Changing the formula for Voluntary Proportionate Giving (VPG) from 10% (with larger churches giving 14%) to 10% (with larger churches giving 10%) Diocesan Property o Caperton House sell house but retain property. o Canterbury House, Radford sell the property o Emmanuel, Eagle Rock Accept St. Mark s proposal, which includes a discernment process for the ultimate disposition of the property. o Evans House (Diocesan headquarters) Keep the property which includes rearranging the space to more efficiently meet current and future needs. o TAP Building (formerly St. Luke s, Roanoke) Sell the property. o Grace House Keep the ministry o Phoebe Needles Keep the property Unrestricted Funds o Separate operating funds form designated funds o Invest proceeds from sale of St. Barnabas in Lynchburg o $160,000 for funding new initiatives o Identify costs of new initiatives for new Bishop. New line item Communications to cover all forms of communication. Please note: While there are certain initiatives that will be forthcoming from the new Bishop, the Executive Board is aware that there are also steps that can be put into place as a framework for the new call. This work has been recognized nationally for its pioneering of a new way to explore ministry. Council delegates (Jo and Aubrey) are encouraged to foster discussion of these issues with the congregation and to elicit feedback on the recommendations for voting at Council in January. If you have thoughts, ideas and/or questions, please do not hesitate to contact them. Remember, we ARE (all of us together) the Diocese! Prayer for new Bishop Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 3

4 Opportunities for giving during the holidays Several opportunities have arisen in the past few weeks that we need to share with you before Christmas. Empty Bowls for REAP Thursday, December 6 from 11-2 or 4-7 p.m. Ruritan Club in Rustburg This is a fundraiser through the Campbell County Department of Recreation to raise funds for the REAP (Rural Emergency Assistance Program) Food Pantry. Bowls are created by Jenna Brubaker, local potter and several others and are used to serve you all you can eat bread and soup. Here s what we can do: 1. Attend! $10 or more contribution and/or 2. Make soup to be served that evening. Contact Karen ( or karenjoykelly@verizon.net if you are interested. Campbell County Social Services Food Boxes donations Thanksgiving boxes Cash contributions of goods or store purchases (no homemade please) of turkey or turkey breast, stuffing, canned green beans, corn, yams, rolls, canned cranberry sauce pie, 2 liter drink and paper products. (due at Social Services by 11/15 between 7:30 and 8 a.m.) Christmas boxes Cash contributions for purchase of goods or ham, canned green beans, corn, yams, rolls, instant potatoes, fruits (apples, oranges, etc), pie or cake (no homemade please), Jell-O, coffee, tea, 2 liter drink and paper products. Due December 10 thru 14 th. Angel Tree Again this year, St. Peter s will participate in the angel tree by taking the names of children from Altavista schools to purchase a clothing item and a toy. Mitten Tree St. Peter s is purchasing a new pre-lit tree for the sanctuary. As in the past, we are making it a Mitten (mittens, scarves and hats) Tree to give to those who need winter warmth. Please consider helping us decorate with any of these items for either children or adults. Thanks! 4

5 Frannie s House Update Number of women and children served by Frannie s House in the past month. 7 Number of women and children served since the program began. 104 Total number of bed nights Volunteer Needs - Someone to do transportation on an as needed basis (40 hours of training required). Facility Needs - Refrigerator. Supplies needed - bus passes, gift cards (Walmart, Food Lion, Vista). Activities scheduled (past month or upcoming) - None at this time Frannie's House Wish List Cleaning supplies Paper towels Toilet paper Freezer bags New bras and underwear Plastic storage bins Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D) Nonperishable food items Journals Sewing kits Portable radio w/ CD player Gift cards (Walmart, Food Lion, Vista Foods, Apple Market, Sheets) Alarm clocks Prayer for St. Peter s Gracious God, from whom all good things come to us, we, the members of St. Peter s, ask for your guidance as we seek to reorganize ourselves for the future. We ask that you send forth the Holy Spirit to help us in our deliberations and to send to us a faithful pastor to guide our future efforts. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Caroling, caroling! Last year, through the Altavista Area Ministerial Association a public crèche was put up. St. Peter s, along with several other churches in the area contributed toward its purchase. This year, we are invited to offer our voices for an afternoon (or evening of caroling). The dates available at this time are Sundays (during Advent, beginning on December 2) from 1-1:30 or 7:730 and on Saturdays following from 2-2:30. If you are interested, please let Karen+ know. Garden anyone? In thinking ahead to possibilities for fun and fund raising, Georgia Stromer has suggested that, on her brother s property in we begin a garden from which we could not only pick and prepare vegetables to sell at the Trade Lot once a month, but that the leftovers from any sale could be donated to DAWN. Hence we could be helping the church budget as well as providing community service. While Georgia is working up a more formal proposal to be presented to the Vestery, we thought we d like to take a poll to see if anyone were interested in such a project. Please contact Georgia at gstromer@msn.com if you are interested. Thanks! Seeking new treasurer! After many years of faithful service to St. Peter s, Paula Whittier is planning to step down from this position as her part-time position has expanded to full-time. As a result, we are seeking a new volunteer treasurer. If you have the skills (and Paula will help train you) please step forward. We need you! In the meantime, please express your appreciation for the work Paula has done for us the past several years. 5

6 Our own Dr. Dunk a boo! All Saints Day Prayer (Nov 1) Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. Altavista Medical Center s contribution to the Scare Crow Contest. Watch out, the sign read. Don t let Dr. Dunk a boo get you! Rest in Peace The Reverend Louis Fischer Who served as rector of St. Peter s for 12 years St. Peter s.net Please send your news items to The Rev Karen Joy Kelly, Editor karenjoykelly@verizon.net (434) Facebook: St. Peter s Episcopal Church in Altavista VA 6