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Life at Saint Peter's
May 4, 2017
In This Issue
Upcoming Sunday Readings
A Message from Our Interim Rector
Sunday School
Labyrinth Walk, this Saturday, May 6
"Life After Life" Forum, After 10am Service this Sunday, 5/7
VBS Craft Night, Monday, 5/8
The OpShop
SPY Car Wash on April 30
Communion Class will start in May
Street Fair is Coming!
Street Fair Tricky Tray Baskets Needed
Street Fair Poster
Between the Sundays
Coffee Hour
Blood Pressure Screening on June 4
Food Pantry Needs
Pay Your Pledge Online
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
Amazon Program Benefits Saint Peter's
Pastoral Counseling
Piano Lessons
Voice Lessons
Worship
Quick Links
Upcoming Sunday Readings 
You can look ahead at the readings for this Sunday by connecting to the Lectionary Page.
 
This Sunday, May 7, is the Fourth Sunday of Easter!
Our Staff
Join Our List
A Message from Our Interim Rector


"Hearing Christ's Voice--Really?"  

Does God really speak to people today?  Jesus tells us very definitely that "my sheep know my voice"--but how? Our unconscious mind sends us regular message that appear as thoughts,  ideas, images, daydreams or feelings, but how could we tell if the Holy Spirit "got a word in edgewise" by planting something in our thoughts? Millions of reasonably sane people do feel inspired or guided by God, so how does that work? 

Christian tradition has developed some "rules of the road" to sift the wheat of the Spirit from the chaff of our mind-chatter. The chief signature of a word from God is this: does it lead to real good? Does it increase love? This Sunday, we'll explore the reality of God's voice today. 

Our remaining Easter Season sermons will explore ways the eyes and ears of our faith can be opened wider to see God at work among us. 

Sunday, May 14:
Jesus Praying: For Us, In Us, Through Us

Sunday, May 21:
Commandments and Companionship

Sunday, May 28:
Ascension/Rogation Sunday
Split the Wood, and I am There

Confirmation

Congratulations to our Confirmation Class and 
thank-you to Father Anthony for leading them in faith and preparation over the past months! 

The Confirmands celebrated with Bishop Mark Beckwith after the ceremony Saturday, April 29 



Top row left to right:
Harry Butterfield, Donte Chance, Emma Veffer, Katelyn Wescott, Bishop Beckwith, Aidan Torok, Father Anthony 

Bottom row:
Ryan Webber, Graham Webber, Colby Livingston, Connor Egan, Abigail Boggier, Anna Torok, Vanessa Borg and Emily Blake
Sunday School
Sunday School:
Only one month left of Sunday School!! Time flies! This past week in the 1st-3rd grade we found a way to blend The Temple with The Upper Room to make something new. It's a really great lesson with more wonderful responses and discussion from the children! Some of the best lessons are yet to come so please make a point of getting your children to church! Sunday School continues this week, May 7th, then FAMILY CHURCH on May 14th!

Please reach out if your child can help with Family Church or you'd like to talk about  Sunday School!

With Faith & Love,
Dana Leach
Labyrinth Walk, May 6

Labyrinth Walk
Saturday, May 6
10 am - 3pm

The quiet and meditative path of the Labyrinth (not a maze) allows heart and mind of mull over and meditate on a chosen theme (such as things to be grateful for, or my relationship to God, or answers to a particular issue I'm facing). The path of the Labyrinth always leads to the "God-center" at its center, but the winding path mirrors the winding paths of our mind, and of our journey though time.

A portable Labyrinth will be spread in the Upper Room on  Saturday, May 6, 10 am - 3 pm, with quiet music playing in the background. You'll be given a brief set of suggestions for a labyrinth walk, and the Chapel will be open if you wish some time for prayer afterwards. 

"Life After Life" Forum, May 7

"Life After Life" Forum
Sunday, May 7
11:30 am - 12:30 pm

After the  10 am Eucharist on Sunday, May 7, Fr. Morris will give a special presentation on Christian teachings and insights about life after physical death, and the meaning of "eternal life" for Christians. He will also draw on present-day experiences of "near-death experiences," both from the literature, and people he has known personally.

"The human race may know more about what happens at the threshold of death than we realize," says Fr. Morris. Come with your own ideas and questions for this informative session. 

VBS Craft Night, Monday, May 8

We will hold HERO CENTRAL VBS on August 7-11!

Registration has opened and we are already scheduling our first craft and decorating night! 

Please join us on Monday, May 8 at 7:30pm in the Upper Room to get a head start on craft preparation for this "SUPER" event!
The OpShop
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Featured Items this Week a t OpShop

Floral Artwork, Wood Furniture, China, 
Two Matching Upholstered Chairs, 
Pastel Tops & Dresses

Also Select Men's Pants Now $1

Open today, 1-4 PM!

    

Our regular hours are
Thursday, 1 - 4 pm
Saturday, 10am - 2pm

Like us on Facebook
SPY Car Wash Thank-You

Thank you to all who supported our car wash fundraiser! Monies raised will help fund our SPY Youth Mission trip to Blue Knob, PA in July .


Communion Class


Youth Holy Communion Class

All children in second grade or older are welcome to learn about  Holy Communion and be recognized in a special celebration on  Sunday, May 14, at the 10am service.

Communion classes will take place on Saturday, May 6 from 9- 10:30 and Saturday, May 13 from 9-12 in the undercroft.  The children will discuss the Last Supper, learn the basics of Holy  Communion, and bake the bread to be part of the Sunday  celebration on May 14.

Since the Episcopal Church professes full inclusion in the Church  at Baptism, including in the partaking of Holy Communion, this  class is simply a formal way for children to learn more about Holy  Communion and celebrate with our St. Peter's community in a  unique and fun way.

Please RSVP by email to Serena Watkinson if your  child is interested in participating.

Street Fair is Coming!!
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Street Fair - June 9th & 10th!
 
IT'S GETTING CLOSER!!
PLEASE HELP!!


A reminder of contact information:

* Game Booths, especially need face painters and brave souls for china smash needed
Dana Leach,  973-364-7544 or  [email protected]

* Snack Bar
Danielle & Peter Torok

* Chicken Dinner
June & Dave Cowell

*Set-up, June 3rd & Break-down, June 11th - 
Ed Kamper

Things we could use :)

BOOKS, gently used, especially children's books, best sellers, hardcovers, and cookbooks, all of which sell well. Although we are appreciative of ALL donations, please donate books you think someone would like to buy. We probably can't resell your college World Lit textbook, for instance :)  and sadly many "how to" books have been replaced by Google :)

Strawberries & Shortcake -  We need many quarts of strawberries for our YUMMY chicken dinner (washed, sliced, with a little bit of sugar). Are you a baker?  We need people to bake the shortcake (Bisquick and recipe will be provided)! Keep an eye out for sign-ups or contact June Cowell (phone  973-226-1733).

Sliced Watermelon - new item to the fair! Contact Dana Leach, 973-364-7544 or [email protected]

And of course, please see the article below to support the Tricky Tray, one of our most popular features!
Street Fair Tricky Tray
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Street Fair - June 9th & 10th
Tricky Tray

The Saint Peter's Street Fair is quickly approaching and we are in need of some donations of baskets for our Tricky Tray. This was such a success last year so please consider donating a full basket or grab a friend and create one together. If you would rather give a monetary donation, big or small, we can combine donations to create a fabulous basket for you.

There will be a sign-up board at coffee hour after church. If you are unable to sign up, you can call Stephanie Kent at  973-461-3243 or email Quinn Egan at  [email protected] and let us know what type of basket or donation you want to make. Baskets should be worth $40 or more.  Baskets should be dropped off in the church office by May 26th.   We will wrap the baskets if you are not able to.
 
Some basket theme ideas...
Spirits, Spa, Gift cards, Sports, Cooking, Children, Teen, Home Goods.

Thank you so much for considering making a donation. 

Peace and Love,
Stephanie and Quinn

Street Fair, Friday, 6/9 & Saturday, 6/10
Between the Sundays

Communicating Good News at Saint Peter's

Have you noticed the attractive signs around the Church campus promoting Easter  Sunday, the Men's Cinco de Mayo  Dinner, and other events? The graphic design talent behind them is Pat Aliotta, a member of our Communication Committee as well as Pledge Recorder.  

With a degree in  Visual Communications, and a decade of experience as the Promotion Creative Director at Ladies' Home Journal some years ago, Pat has experience in the kind of "branding" that churches these days need to adopt in order to communicate more effectively with people both in and beyond the congregation. From her own experience of how worship, sermons, youth programs, and other activities have helped her and her own family, Pat is dedicated to helping Saint Peter's communicate our programs and ministries throughout the parish to engage parishioners to help them find their ministry here. 

As we go forward, there will be improvements to our website, and other effective communications, to help Saint Peter's share the Good News more broadly.
Coffee Hour: Mutual Give and Take in Action
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Mutuality is at the heart of Christian practice, and the heart-beat of Saint Peter's is mutual support: some prepare the altar for the rest of us, others read so we may hear. Some take flowers to the sick and shut-in, others greet us warmly as we enter for worship. Church School teachers educate children from any family of the parish and OpShop Volunteers touch the lives of people in the larger community. 

Likewise, our after-service coffee hours are a kind of "rotating pot-luck" offering of members to members: each week a different family hosts the coffee hour for all who come. The rules are simple (and posted in the Upper Room): make the coffee (easy), bring some goodies (doesn't have to be fancy!), and tidy up the space when finished. You are invited to "join the mutuality" by signing up for hosting one week this season. The sign up sheet is on the bulletin board in the Upper Room. 

Help us help make Saint Peter's
a welcoming space for all! 
Blood Pressure Screening, 6/4
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The Health & Healing Ministry is offering a Blood Pressure Screening on Sunday, June 4. Visit our nurse's table for an evaluation during Coffee Hour after the 10am service.
Please Help Our Local Food Pantry



The need is great, your donation makes a difference!!

The next time you are shopping, please simply buy a double for one or two of your regular items. That's it! Don't worry about whether it's "this month's" item, it doesn't even need to be edible (a little bit of mascara could be a real treat for someone!). Please just bring an item or two each week when you can, and think of what a difference it will make!


Thank you for your generosity! 

Pay Your Pledge Online
Saint Peter's On the Web


Did you know that Saint Peter's has our own YouTube channel? We include the Gospel reading with the sermon for your reference, and try to highlight special music by our Combined Choirs as well as the Cherub Choir. 

Please
subscribe to our channel to be notified when new videos are posted!
Amazon Smiles



Ple ase keep Saint Peter's in mind 
when you shop online

If you follow our Saint Peter's link to get to Amazon.com, we receive a percentage back in advertising revenue, and we are currently earning 6.5%! The more clicks and purchases we receive, the greater this percentage.

In addition, when you shop at smile.amazon.com, you may select Saint Peter's as your charity of choice and Amazon will donate a portion (0.5%) of the purchase price to Saint Peter's.

Please note that you are not charged any additional fees by shopping using these links, and you may change your charity of choice at any time. Amazon Smiles is a one-time sign-up; and earnings are in addition to those from the advertising program.

To shop using our link, please click above or use the link on the home page of our web site.

Thank you!

Pastoral Counseling



Our Pastoral Assistant, Vince Corso, is available to Saint Peter's parishioners for advice and counseling--especially around issues of grief and loss.

If additional counseling is desired, you may engage with him through his private practice.

compassion identity

Piano Lessons


 

John Pivarnik is currently offering piano lessons for beginners through adults, with or without prior musical training.  

 

Please contact John at 973-377-9068 or  by e-mail for scheduling and more details.

 

Voice Lessons


 

We are a proud Member of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. 
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Contact information:
 
Website:  www.stpeters-essexfells.org
Parish Office: 973-226-6500   Fax:  973-226-5477

If you have information you'd like to see included in our next email newsletter, 
please send it to us at [email protected] or simply reply to this email!