Ministries at St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Ministries to Support Our Worship
In the Catechism response to “Who are the ministers of the church?” the first people listed are
lay persons (before bishops, priests, and deacons). There are several ways for the laity to support our
worship services. These provide opportunities to discover and use our God-given talents so that we may deepen our spiritual journey.
Altar Guild
The St. Peter’s Altar Guild has a long and proud history of faithful and competent service. Worship is enhanced because they do their job so well: preparing the sanctuary for each service; selecting and laying out the proper vestments; maintaining the brass and silver, the linens, the candles; and much more. It is the Altar Guild that prepares the beautiful flower arrangements that adorn the altar each Sunday and for other festal services.
Ministry of Music
The adult choir is ably led by our organist/choir director. Together they create a meaningful background for worship, setting the tone for celebration or more contemplative services according to the occasion. Other instrumentalists (even a bagpiper on Palm Sunday) enhance the worship for selected services.
In addition, the children’s choir, led by another talented
director, often adds to the worship. They sing with smiles on their faces, with vibrant and clear pronunciation, and without using printed music.
Lay Eucharistic Ministers and Acolytes
Youth and adults work side-by-side at the altar assisting the priest as Acolytes and Lay Eucharistic Ministers. Acolytes carrying the processional cross and lighting the candles or Lay Eucharistic Ministers administering the chalice and leading the Prayers of the People are all serving the congregation, the clergy, and the Lord.
Lectors
At St. Peter’s lectors read the lessons during the service. They are chosen from adult members and the youth of the congregation. Lectors practice reading the lesson ahead of time and assure their understanding of the Scripture so that the congregation can comprehend the message that is being presented.
Presenters
At the 10 a.m. service people are chosen from the congregation to bring the gifts of bread and wine to the altar for presentation at the Offertory. This symbolizes all of us as we offer ourselves to God.
Ushers
The duties of the ushers begin at the entrance of the church, where they greet both friend and stranger. They give assistance as needed seating people and during the service they count those present, take up the offering, pace the flow of participants to Communion, and generally take care of any needs that might arise.
Ministries to Support Our Parish
Dedicated and willing efforts of many St. Peter’s members under gird the ministries that guide the administrative and lay pastoral activities of the Parish.
Vestry
The nine-member Vestry, along with the Rector, is the Board of Directors of the incorporated parish and prayerfully governs all business affairs of the parish. The Vestry appoints the following ministries to focus on important elements of parish life and operations. In accordance with the Parish By-Laws a member of the Vestry chairs the Buildings and Grounds, Finance, Stewardship and Outreach Ministries. All other ministries have a Vestry member providing liaison.
Buildings and Grounds Ministry
This ministry is responsible for determining needed capital improvements and for replacement, maintenance and repair of the church facilities. Periodic “work days” help keep the outside and the inside clean and repaired, and simultaneously provide a time of fellowship.
Finance Ministry
The Finance Ministry assists the Vestry in being effective stewards of the parish resources. They are responsible for preparing the budget, monitoring and analyzing the monthly financial reports, arranging the annual audit, and advising the Vestry on any important financial matters.
Stewardship Ministry
The Stewardship Ministry seeks to engage members of the parish to reflect on God’s gifts to each of us, to encourage the sharing of our individual gifts, and to assume active roles as stewards of those resources.
Communications Ministry
Every member looks forward each month to receiving the Keys. This parish newsletter reports on our activities, announces and promotes coming events, and provides a platform for teaching and exhortation. It is a window into our parish community life. St. Peter’s web site provides communication within and outside the Parish.
Parish Care Ministry
This ministry is embodied in a Pastoral Care Team (currently eight members) that helps members, who cannot regularly come to services or other parish functions, to remain connected with their church. That is done by periodic contact through personal visits, phone calls, cards, etc.
The team works closely with some of the Lay Eucharistic Ministers who have been appointed and trained to provide Home Communion to the shut-ins. The team, augmented by others in the congregation, delivers plants to the homebound at Christmas and Easter.
Another dimension to the Pastoral Care Ministry is the Prayer Chain. Communicating via email, this faithful group has dedicated themselves to pray for those with urgent or long-term needs.
Youth Education Assistance Program (YEAP)
In the 1990’s a fund was created to provide scholarships for deserving youth from the congregation. Today that fund has grown to over $160,000 and generously assists the college education financial needs of our young people who have served the parish faithfully during their pre-college years. To date eight of St. Peter’s youth have benefited from the scholarship program.
Diocesan Delegates
St. Peter’s Parish is part of the Diocese of Los Angeles and part of Deanery One. As the most northern parish, it has always been important that we are faithful in our attendance at the deanery meetings and diocesan conventions. The delegates are elected by the congregation to represent St. Peter’s.
Ministries to Foster Faith and Fellowship
Each person at St. Peter’s is on a spiritual journey. The Church, as the Body of Christ, nurtures each one along that journey. There is nurturing of our faith through spiritual education and the nurturing of our relationships through fellowship with one another.
Christian Education Ministry
St. Peter’s offers Christian education opportunities for everyone from the toddlers to the seniors. At present, the major emphasis is on the children and youth. Adult education is presently limited to one or two weekly Bible study classes, but the congregational response from the Profile report process has clearly shown a desire for a more comprehensive adult Christian Education program.
Some members of St. Peter’s have participated in the Education for Ministry program (EFM), which is a theological education extension from the School of Theology Programs Center at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. EFM classes have been held at St. Peter’s but are now at St. James Church in Paso Robles.
Church School
Sunday school classes meet during the time of the 10am church service. An average of 25 students participates in classes at the primary level and the junior high/senior high level. The program is lead by a Diocesan-trained, paid director.
“Living the Good News” is the Episcopal curriculum used for all levels. It is lectionary-based and addresses all stages of spiritual growth and explores everyday Christian living for young people. Each year a theme is adopted for the Sunday school, and monthly they all join together to discuss the theme and how it affects their lives.
The Church School program further includes such special features as Lenten studies for children in conjunction with the weekly soup suppers, craft projects to make gifts for shut-ins, and occasional singing for local nursing homes. In addition there is a nursery for child care, and the two who provide this child care ministry teach even the youngest of the young at a level appropriate for them.
Two teachers have been trained in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, an approach to the religious formation of young people that is firmly rooted in scripture, liturgy, and educational principles of Maria Montessori. With two trained leaders (each level requires two years of training) St. Peter’s has the capability and the materials to have two levels of the Catechesis. For the past four years St. Peter’s has had a Vacation Bible School program in the summer. This past year it was an evening program that included the adults and was very successful.
Youth Ministry
The “Youth Group” program or youth ministry at St. Peter’s is built around the Journey to Adulthood (J2A). There are two basic precepts which define the Journey to Adulthood. While manhood and womanhood are freely given, adulthood must be earned and proven. Adulthood is skills-based, requiring the acquisition and demonstration of certain skills in order to earn the new status in the community. These skills are learned in the light of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. The Journey to Adulthood program is broken into three, 2-year sections:
Rite-13 (a name based on a liturgical celebration integral to the program) celebrates the gift of gender and provides a foundation for the remainder of the program. The young people enter Rite-13 when they are anywhere from 11 to 13 years old. When they turn 13, this event is celebrated in the church with a service loosely modeled on the Jewish bar mitzvah.
J2A (Journey to Adulthood) builds on Rite-13 by training young people in six necessary skills of adulthood: Listening, Assertion, Negotiation, Research and Information Management, Partnership and Leadership. At the end of this 2-year section the young people make a holy pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is not a sightseeing expedition, nor is it a mission trip or a service opportunity. Young people go on pilgrimage for one reason, to seek and to find Christ.
YAC (Young Adults in the Church) follows their return from pilgrimage. The young people are re-introduced to the congregation as Young Adults in the Church. From this point on they are in charge of their own program. Their advisors are there to assist them in Bible Study, development of service projects, outreach and ministry. They participate regularly in the worship and gener-ally take an active part in the life of the congregation.
Parish Life Ministry
Fellowship within the Parish is vital to our life together as a church family. Opportunities for fellowship come through such occasions as the Sunday coffee hours, an annual Eucharist in the Park followed by a BBQ picnic, Shrove Tuesday pancake supper set in a Mardi Gras theme, Lenten soup suppers, and Oktoberfest. In the past we have had a Break Bread Together program in which groups of members shared a meal together once a month. There is interest in reviving that program at St. Peter‘s.
Women of St. Peter’s
St. Peter's ECW (Episcopal Church Women) is called the
Women of St. Peter's. They have been active over the decades in many leadership roles. Currently, you will find our ladies serving in many lay ministry roles such as the LEMs, Lectors, Care Sup-port, Altar Guild, Ushers, Choir, and Vestry. Let us not forget the leadership they have among the children and their various church programs. The women get together as an occasion warrants a meeting which might be every quarter. They have given money to special church projects such as a substantial donation toward the purchase of a new carpet for Parke Hall. The Women of St. Peter‘s sponsors the tract rack in the back of the church. They pay yearly Deanery One ECW dues and contribute an amount to the Diocesan ECW Fair Share account.
Men’s fellowship
Each third Saturday there is a men‘s fellowship starting with Morning Prayer followed by a delicious breakfast and a time of lively discussion. You will find the men serving in many lay ministry roles such as LEMs, Lectors, Ushers, Choir and Vestry.
Please Contact Us
if you have any questions about St. Peter's Episcopal Church.
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