Announcements
St. Peter’s Newsletter Has Officially Gone “Green”! The first electronic edition of our brand new newsletter “The Epistle/La Epistola” was distributed last week via e-mail to over 150 recipients! This edition is full of news, photos, and other information. Please be sure to check your e-mail if you have not already seen it. Addressed copies for those who do not have e-mail are available at the back of the church. If you do have an e-mail address, please send it to stpeters2@verizon.net and we will add you to our list.
ECW Dinner/Meeting: The ECW (Episcopal Church Women) will hold their first meeting of the new season on Wednesday, September 8th at 6:30 p.m. in the Nassif Hall. It will be a pot-luck supper. Please bring a dish to share. Please speak with Heidi Milman to let her know if you are coming. She needs to know how many women will attend so that she can set up the tables and chairs. Remember, all women of the church are invited to the ECW meetings.
Sunday School Registration: Sunday School classes begin on Sunday, September 12th at 10:00 a.m. Registration Forms are available on the table at the back of the church, or you can call the church office to have one mailed out to you. These forms must be completed and returned by September 5th. Please mail them back to the office to the attention of Michele Grimes. Also, we are looking for parents to volunteer with Sunday School, once a month. If you can volunteer, or if you have any questions, please speak with Michele Grimes.
Church Fair Meeting: On Tuesday, September 21st at 7:00 p.m., there will be a meeting at Norma Kolesnikoff’s home at 11 Church St. Unit 520 in Salem to help finalize the plans for the church fair. Anyone interested in helping or with ideas for the fair is welcome to attend. For more information, please speak with Wendy Spoto or Robert McHugh.
An Evening in “La Bella Roma”: Dinner – Entertainment – Raffles! This fundraiser will take place on Saturday, September 25th from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Parish Hall. Cost for Adults is $8.00, children 12 years & under $4.00. Relax in the “Roma Lounge” located in the Balch Room at the Church. Menu: Appetizers…Spaghetti & Meatballs or Lasagna (Meat or Vegetarian)…Garden Salad with Italian Dressing…Garlic Bread or Dinner Roll…Dessert Tray. Beverage: Coffee, Tea, Soda, Water, or Juice. We are looking for food donations and would appreciate your help! If you are able to help, please speak with Robert McHugh, Michele Grimes, Wendy Spoto, or call the church office at 978-745-2291. We hope to see you there!
Diocesan Resource Day: Eastern Massachusetts Episcopal Diocesan Resource Day will be held on Saturday, September 25th at Bentley University. Workshop and courses are from 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Additional information can be found on their website: www.diomass.org or you can contact Spencer Felder, Convention Delegate.
The 225th Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts Convention will be held (1 day) on November 6, 2010 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Lynn, MA starting from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Register online at www.diomass.com or contact Spencer Felder, Convention Delegate.
Taizé Service: Please Join Us on Wednesday, October 6th at 7:00 p.m., in the chapel, for our next monthly Taizé Service. Taizé is a small town in France where refugees from Nazi Germany found safe harbor during World War II. Jews, Gypsies, intellectuals, and homosexuals were among those singled out for persecution at the time. Brother Roger founded this special place of refuge for those who were looking for sanity, silence and prayer at a time when the rest of the world seemed to be going crazy with violence and hatred. So here we are now, 60 years and more later, and half a world away, still singing the songs of God and making room in our hearts for the Spirit. Come and pray with us.
The Christmas Fair will be held on November 13th at 8:00 a.m. This will be an all-day event. As this is the largest fundraiser for the church year, many hands are needed to make it a huge success! There will be several tables including a gift table, children’s items, jewelry, holiday items, baked goods, a silent auction, Grandpa’s attic, and a café. In addition, there will be several raffles. Donations for the tables and raffles are needed. For information on donating, please speak with Wendy Spoto, Robert McHugh, or any member of the fair committee.
Annual Parish Retreat: The 2011 Parish Retreat will be held on May 20th – May 22nd at the Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center in Greenfield, NH. Single rooms are $220 and double rooms are $153 per person. With limited rooms available, a $50 deposit is required for a reservation. For additional information, please speak with Spencer Felder, Convention Delegate or you can email him at spencer141@hotmail.com.
A whole new look! Many of you will notice that we have a new sign on the front of the Church in Spanish in addition to the one we have in English. The effect on the front of the Church is yet another touch to the beautification of this "House of Prayer". The Tower has also received a new touch with improved light fixtures that make the lighting of the tower at night take on a new and striking effect. And beginning on July 4th we will have a new bulletin format at all services which should be easier to follow AND save paper. The previous incarnation of our Sunday bulletin was becoming unwieldy and cumbersome. This too is a work in progress.
Restoration Project Underway: Recent storms have done serious damage to the church tower, organ, ceiling and electrical circuitry. The tower work is now complete and the roof on the tower is in place. The electrical circuits for the side aisles are now completely repaired. The painting of the ceilings that were damaged at the back of the church and down both side aisles is also complete. We have paid for the work as we have gone along and are now current. In August, the next major project is the restoration of the Pipe Organ. We are well along on the way to paying for that too, but if you have not yet contributed to this major undertaking, now is the time to do so. You can help by using the "contribute" button on the "Home" page. And Thank you!
A Note from your Pledge Secretary: Many thanks to all of those parishioners who have kept up your pledges so far this year. Please remember, expenses go on in the summer. We need you to continue your financial support over the summer months as there are still bills to be paid. Thank you. Jinny Lavoie
Christening Afghans: For the past several years, as part of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, we have given white afghans to the babies when they are baptized. For many years, I have made all of these afghans. Last year Jackie Langlois made several to help out with this ministry. She is now unable to knit due to problems with her shoulder. I can no longer continue to keep making these by myself, as I also knit for other charities. I would also like to have the time to knit for my family and friends as I used to do. Therefore, I am looking for volunteers to help knit or crochet white afghans. It can be any pattern as long as it is in multiples of 3 stitches (to represent the Trinity). If I could get 6 or 7 volunteers, we could each make 1 afghan a year to continue this ministry. Please speak with me if you would like to help. Thank you. Heidi Milman
The Open Door: The doors of St. Peter’s Church are now open to our visitors and tourists. Please help us share the history of our beautiful, beloved church. We are still looking for volunteers to open the doors on Saturdays through September, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. You will only have to serve once every 6 or 7 weeks (depending on how many people sign up). You and one other person will meet people from all over the world. It is fun and rewarding. Just greet and answer any questions that they may have. If you would like to volunteer, or if you have any questions, please call Phyllis Caliri at 781-599-0790.
Reminder - Social Concerns Committee: If anyone is interested in being involved in the development of a Social Concerns Committee, please speak with Bill Conway in person or call him at 978-335-9847.
Knit your Prayers into a Shawl: Imagine if you could be literally clothed in love and prayers during a time of despair. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets at church to share company, prayers, stories, and laughter as we knit our prayers and love into shawls that will be given to those who need our prayers - be it a time of illness or personal struggle, or be it to honor a Baptism. We are taking a break during the summer months, but look forward to meeting weekly once more at the end of August. This is a bilingual group and seeks to bring together both English and Spanish-speaking members of St. Peter’s. No knitting experience is necessary, although seasoned knitters are warmly welcomed! If you are interested in joining this group, please email Laura Quayle at laura.quayle@gmail.com to express your interest and list the days and times that would be best for you to meet.
It's Here! Our "Contribute" Button is now on the website: You will see a "Donate Now" button on the Home Page and on the "Contribute Now" page of this website. So for all of you fine folks out there who want to support the work of an urban church that takes seriously its mandate to be a "House of Prayer for ALL people", this "contribute/donate" button will be a great convenience. Also there are those members of the church who would rather contribute from the convenience of their own homes when physically coming to the church may prove to be an inconvenience.
Got Books? We now have a container in the parking lot behind the Parish Hall for people to dispose of books, videos, CDs, and DVDs. When it is full, the company will come and empty it. They will pay us $.05 a pound for the contents. We can receive up to $200 every time it is emptied. Anyone in the community can dispose of these items, so please tell your friends and family about it. Hopefully this will help St. Peter's to raise money. Text Books and Encyclopedias are NOT accepted. If you have any questions, please speak with Heidi Milman or call the Parish Office.
Tower Lighting Fund: We continue to accept memorial donations to the Tower Lighting Fund. We list those memorials in the weekly bulletins as well as the monthly Epistle Newsletter. If you wish to have the Tower lit in memory of an individual or family, you may call the office at 978-745-2291, send a note to the office, put a note in the offering plate, or call Jinny Lavoie. There are forms available at the parish office or from Jinny. The cost is now $30 for one month's lighting. Please make checks payable to St. Peter's Church Tower Lighting Fund. Donations will be acknowledged to the donor, and where applicable, to the family of the person memorialized. (Please give the name and address of the family to be notified).