Our Ministries Mission Statement

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all of the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. . . .”  (1 Corinthians 12: 12)

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A common misunderstanding of ministry is that it is solely the responsibility of the ordained. In fact, the task of ministry is not reserved to any one office or person.

It is  the work and responsibility of all people. We minister to each other  through the sharing of Christian love. For we are the body of Christ. We must care for the body in order for the body to be nourished, strengthened, and sustained.  As Charles Price and Louis Weil (P&W) state:

“Ministry is the activity of the Body of Christ, Each person has a special ministry, shaped to fit the given reality of the person’s life. An individual or a parish or a diocese may be called upon to minister in unexpected ways, since ministry is always a response to a given situation. Ministry is the way in which communities or individuals respond to the persons or situations in which they find themselves, in obedience to the command proclaimed by the liturgy: to love one another as Christ loved them.

Ministry is not to another person in another time. It is here and now. It is not what we would do if we had greater resources or if the situation were somehow different. Ministry is what is done with existing resources in obedience to Christ the Lord.” (Liturgy for Living, Morehouse Publishing, 1979, pg 40).

We gather in worship to confess our faith, renew our baptismal promise, and feed our hearts and minds through Word and Sacrament. Afterward, we reenter the world to “love and serve with gladness and singleness of heart”.

Our doors are open for you to come and discover the possibilities for ministry at St. Peter’s!

Promoting Faithful StewardShip

Stewardship is defined as “what I do, with all that I have, after I say, I believe” and “using the gifts that God has given to us, to do the work God is calling us to do.” Participating in activities to help promote a complete understanding of how the church develops its resources is an essential means to promote faith and strengthen witness.

Where Ministry Begins

Ministry begins in the liturgy. The word liturgy, from the Latin word leitourgia, means “the work of the people”. We experience the “liturgy” in worship through the forms of service contained in The Book of Common Prayer.

In worship, we gather to strengthen our Christian understanding and promote peace and reconciliation so as to return to the world to exercise “the liturgy after the liturgy” — ministering to others, spreading the Good News. “Liturgy leads to the ministry of the entire people of God in the world. Liturgy expresses the mutual ministry” (P&W, 40).

Where Ministry Occurs

Ministry is organized in many ways in which the people of God can express their Christian witness. It could be as simple as sitting in the nave and helping a fellow parishioner with the service bulletin, the hymnal, or in greeting others during the Peace.

For others, it may involve participating in various activities within the church itself. Some may feel empowered to express their Christian love through care and of the church’s physical infrastructure.

For people with commitment to the social gospel, ministry may be expressed in liturgy and theology but delivered outside of the church buildings through the church’s social witness.

Ministry actualizes our skills and talents to the glory of God”. It calls us to express our Christian faith and witness.

How is God calling you in service to others so that all may share in his promise?