Once a month, St. Peter's Sunday School hosts Noisy Sunday! Parishioners are encouraged to bring their loose change as a donation. The Sunday School children collect the change in tin cans and buckets, making a joyful noise to the Lord.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; With the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet Make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: Let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; For he cometh to judge the earth: With righteousness shall he judge the world, And the people with equity. 

Psalms 98:4-9 KJV

With beautiful fall weather, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi was held this morning under the shade trees on St. Peter's Green. Present among the blessed were 12 dogs, including one who tried to escape, and 2 cats. One horse and one dog were blessed remotely, making a total of 16 animals blessed.

Franciscan spirituality is characterized by an attitude of reverence for God in all things and a deep appreciation of the goodness of creation as a reflection of God's love. All creatures are worthy of our respect as sisters and brothers. https://www.episcopalchurch.org/.../franciscan-spirituality/

In addition to fun and fellowship at Ice House Brewery, over $800 was raised for the rebuilding and restoration of St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Many thanks to the folks at Ice House for making this fundraiser possible, and to all in attendance from the parish and local community. Also, a special "thank you" to Julie Burks, Fundraising Committee Chair, for coordinating this event.

On Sunday, April 14th, 250 ticket holders gathered in the beautiful courtyard at Ingleside Vineyards to enjoy a great concert by the Tyler Nichols Band. Delicious food was provided by Denson's Farm to Table, and the award-winning Ingleside wine was flowing.

Deepest appreciation goes to the generous donation of time, treasure and proceeds to help rebuild and restore St. Peter's by tireless volunteers, Ingleside Vineyards, Tyler Nichols Band and Denson's Farm to Table.

Click here for video clips from the concert: Tyler Nichols Band Concert 4/14/2024 

A special presentation honoring Wanda Mason and her 25 years of service as the  treasurer for St. Peter's took place during Sunday Services on April 7, 2024.

Wanda, a long time business woman, resident and parishioner, graciously agreed to assume the Treasurer duties only temporarily in January, 1998. She did so to allow Mary Lou Gouldman, who had served as Treasurer for many years, to care for her son, Eugene, diagnosed with a brain tumor. Eugene died just a few months later. Sadly, Mary Lou also passed away from cancer that same year.

The St. Peter's community is forever grateful that Wanda was willing to accept the Treasurer position permanently, and continue to serve faithfully for these past 25 years.

The Vestry thanked her with a formal resolution and plaque presented by the Senior Warden, Scott Mitchell.

For the first time on Easter Sunday morning, March 31st, the St. Peter's congregation adopted the tradition of flowering a cross. This ancient Easter tradition dates back to in the sixth century and symbolizes resurrection, new life, and celebrates Jesus' resurrection from the dead.

Congregants gathered Spring flowers, wildflowers and greens, brought them along to the Easter Sunday Service, and attached them to the cross that greeted them on the sidewalk in front of the Pavilion at Ingleside Vineyards. 

Following the Easter service, the cross was relocated and placed in front of the remains of St. Peter's Church in Oak Grove, currently in the process of being rebuilt after the December 2023 fire.

A very special thanks to Bill Doerken for creating the beautiful cross for Easter Sunday. 

For Christians, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. This year, since St. Peter's is in the process of rebuilding its church building, Ashes-to-Go were offered in the parking lot, just in front of the original, fire damaged structure. The Very Rev. Rod Gordon  blessed forty of the faithful with a traditional prayer and a cross of ashes on the forehead. The ashes, typically created from the previous year’s Palm Sunday palms, retrace the Baptismal Cross on the forehead as a reminder of the promises Christians made at Baptism: to participate in the full life of the Body of Christ; to ask forgiveness when we violate our relationships with God and all others; to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ by word and example; to seek and serve Christ in all persons; to strive for justice and peace for all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.

Christmas was in the air at St. Peter's when Soundwaves, a 12 member group directed by Ben Swanson, performed, "Behold, a New Joy!". The show included a number of ancient…holy….and fun songs.  

David Kim was the pianist and Arlene McKenzie was the oboist.

Soundwaves dedicated this season's Christmas shows to Tommy Feltner who earlier this year.

“Tommy was a pillar of our community, known for his athletic prowess, dedication to family, artistic talents, and passion for craftsmanship,” noted Swanson. “Our performances are dedicated to his memory, and we hope that the music we share may be a fitting tribute to a life well-lived.”

At the joint Trunk or Treat and Community Meal, costumed trick-or-treaters collected plenty of candy from volunteers with decorated vehicles while enjoying games, hot dogs, chips and water.

October 1, 2023

The annual fall service, Blessing of the Animals, was held on St. Peter’s Green, Oak Grove, Virginia.  This was the first service held on “The Green” celebrating creation!

Excerpt from Stories of the Diocese

The Episcopal Church of Virginia:

The Very Rev. Rod Gordon was celebrating his 30th year in ordained ministry when he took a big leap. He decided to offer weekly prayers on TikTok.  Rector of St. Peter’s in Oak Grove, Father Rod was inspired to venture into this unfamiliar territory when he attended a workshop on digital ministry for evangelism at The Episcopal Church’s It’s All about Love Festival in Baltimore this summer. Read the article in it's entirety HERE.

The people of St. Peter's, Oak Grove, joined by church leaders from across the Northern Neck of Virginia, celebrated the installation of  The Very Reverend Rodney E. Gordon as 19th Rector. 

The Very Rev. Gary Barker, Rector of Kingston Parish, Mathews Archdean of the Diocese of Virginia, and Dean of the Upper Tidewater Region, was the Officiant for the service.

An upbeat and lively sermon was preached by The Very Rev. Mark S. Delcuze, Rector of Christ Church Parish, Kent Island, and Dean for the Middle Convocation of the Diocese of Easton.

The Rev. Deacon Salli Hartman, St. Mary's, Colonial Beach assisted as the Litanist and Gospeler. The guest organist, Betsy Ficklin from Cople Parish, played beautiful hymns to accompany the service.

Following the celebration, all enjoyed a delicious feast organized by St. Peter's Care Committee, with food donated by members of the congregation.

To learn more about the Form for this special Celebration of New Ministry service, Click Here.

The Free Community Meal, held on the last Friday of each month, is an outreach ministry of St. Peter's.  On this Friday, 300 to-go means were served by these faithful volunteers.  The meal is free, and supported by proceeds from the St. Peter's Thrift Shop.