Readings from the Second Sunday of Easter
ST. PETE’S WEEKLY
Welcome! Whatever your religious background, and however you have come to be here, we’re glad to have you join in our praises of God today. We hope you will feel comfortable here and fulfilled and strengthened spiritually to meet the challenges of your daily life.
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING:
- For Mark, our Bishop
- For Tom, our Rector
- In our Parish Cycle of Prayer, for our Mount Cavalry Women’s Guild
- In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, for The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean
- In the Diocesan Cycle of prayer, for Buck Mountain Church, Earlysville; Good Shepherd Church, Bluemont; St. Paul’s Church, Alexandria; and St. Paul’s Memorial Church, Charlottesville
- For Persecuted Christians in Eritrea
- For our President, Donald, Congress, and Judges
- For our Governor, Glenn
- In our Community Cycle of Prayer, for our Hospital Employees
- For U.S. troops throughout the world, our foreign service personnel and contractors
- For those who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts and are suffering from posttraumatic stress
- For our Federal, State, & Local Police Officers and Loudoun Valley Fire and Rescue Departments
- For the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially Stuart Auld; Jake Cathers; Gary Cogle; Nancy Dillon; Ken Foreman; Matthew Forys; Mel Hanzel; Gwen Hill; Jennifer House; Don Hummerston; Gail Hunt; Steve Koss; The Landstrom Family; Becky Loker; Mike Muihlbauer; Marsha Price; Martha Ramirez; Chris Short; Randy Stoutenburgh; Karen Stunkel; Erica Wanis; Sarah & Dick Webster; Kevin; Lucas; Reid; Sean & Libby; Stephen; Vanessa; and all those who suffer from any grief or trouble.
PRAYER NEEDS: Individuals and families may choose to have their names placed on the public and/or private prayer lists. The names on the public prayer list are included during the Prayers of the People during worship on Sunday and in the bulletin. St. Peter’s Prayer Quilt members spquilt@stpetes.net pray for the people on the private list. Names are listed for four weeks. If you would like someone to remain on our list, please send us an update every 4 weeks.
NEW WAYS TO PRAY! We have been doing a lot of praying in new ways this year. Consider joining us or making use of any, or all, of the opportunities below –
- Sweet Hour of Prayer every Wednesday at 10:30 with seven of us regularly gathering.
- Using our new Prayer Cards on the first Sunday during prayers of the people.
- Turning the altar in the Chapel into our Prayer Altar, covered with new prayer requests.
- The Vestry is incorporating praying together into our Strategic Plan and into Vestry meetings.
- And the latest: Gathering an intercessor team to pray for people in-person after church on Sundays. Once the crowd has left the Nave, they’d be happy to meet with you discreetly one-on-one to pray with you.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BULLETIN DEADLINE – Please submit all announcements for the Sunday Bulletin by noon on Wednesday to ensure inclusion in the upcoming bulletin. Send announcements to office@stpetes.net.
POLICE WEEK – May 11, 2025, is the beginning of Police Week. Each working day officers rise and go to work to protect and serve the folks in our town. I asked what they need as far as a Thank You goes and heard that they always appreciate healthy snacks and drinks. Shorthanded they get tied up on cases, writing reports and assisting citizens and often cannot stop for meals. Turnaround time is short so please bring snacks and thank you notes before May 11, 2025. There’s a large box in the Narthex for items to be dropped off. If we collect enough, we can deliver a box to the fire house too!
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, MAY 1, 2025 – The National Day of Prayer annual observance is designated by the U.S. Congress and held on the 1st Thursday of May. People of all faiths are asked to come together and pray for our nation. Mt. Calvary Guild is advertising this wonderful event at St. Peter’s. This year we will be Praying ‘Round the Cross at 5:30pm. Bring a friend and come meet with us out front: on your way home from work, after or before supper, whatever you are doing at 5:30. Take a few minutes out of your day to thank God for the blessings of America and ask his protecting hand over our country.
18TH ANNUAL BIBLE READING MARATHON, APRIL 26 – MAY 1, 2025 – 6am to 12midnite each day. This event takes place on the Court house lawn in Leesburg. Anyone and everyone is welcome. This event is sponsored by Loudoun Awakening. The Mt. Calvary Guild is excited to reintroduce this event to St. Peter’s. The Bible will be read in its entirety under a tent ( rain or shine.) Members of Mt. Calvary Guild will be reading between 12:30-1:30 on Wed. April 30. If you would like to join us, sign up in McCray Hall or contact Charlene Lane 540 454-2101. If you would like to sign up to participate on another day or time visit www.loudunawakening.org. If you need help or have questions, contact Charlene. It will be a fun experience sharing God’s word.
2025 VESTRY ELECTIONS – will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2025, after the 9:30 a.m. service. The Eligible Voter list will be posted on the bulletin board in McCray Hall. Nominations are open. Contact Rob Smith, Sr. Warden or Deana Czaban, Jr. Warden if interested.
MEN’S BREAKFAST FELLOWSHIP GROUP MEETING – Saturday, May 3rd, 2025. The Men’s Breakfast Group meets at 7:00 AM for breakfast and fellowship at St Peter’s; and at 7:30 AM a time of presentation and discussion amongst those in attendance. This month Bart Heldreth will lead a discussion on John, Son of Thunder, Apostle of Love. We’ll end promptly at 8:30 AM and have you on your way. Come and bring a friend for company!
MT. CALVARY WOMEN’S GUILD MEETING – Our next meeting is on Monday, May 19, 2025, at 10:00 AM, at St. Peter’s in McCray Hall. The readings that we will discuss are Leviticus 17-27; Numbers 1-15, Mark 8-14; Psalm 42-54; & Proverbs 14-15. Please join us.
BOOK TALK: CALLED TO FREEDOM, BY BRAD LITTLEJOHN, Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 4:00pm – “For you were called to freedom, brothers,” writes St. Paul. “Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Today, we live in a time and place where “freedom” is constantly invoked as an opportunity for the flesh, where autonomy is prized above all, and any exercise of moral judgment is dismissed even among Christians as “legalism.” And yet freedom is central to our heritage not only as Americans, but as Protestant Christians, as a people brought out of slavery to sin and set free to follow Christ.
What does it mean to be “free” and how can we use our freedom well? Does “gospel freedom” or “Christian liberty” have anything to do with political freedom? How do we distinguish “freedom of conscience” from mere relativism? Is the “free market” a Christian ideal or an American idol? And what about technology, which promises to free us from the constraints of nature but often shackles us in new forms of slavery?
In his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License, scholar and writer Brad Littlejohn explores all these questions and more, distilling insights from a career at the intersection of the church, academy, and public policy. Join us for an exploration of the true meaning of freedom as he shares key concepts from his book and answers your questions about Christian liberty.
LEARNING
Sunday School – The program year runs from Sunday September 8, 2024, through June 1, 2025. We will continue to use a variety of curriculums, including Weaving God’s Promises, Kids Sunday School and the Children’s Chapel Workshop during the program year. The elementary Sunday School group will meet from 9:30 -10 AM on Sunday mornings. The Middle & High School kids will be meeting from 9 AM – 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings in room #202.
Nursery: If needed, Nursery care is available during our 9:30 am service. The Nursery is located on the lower level. We are always looking for a few more volunteers to help staff the nursery from 9:30 – 10:45 am. If you have any questions, you can contact Kathleen Voss at (703) 409-2314 or katvoss1970@gmail.com
JOIN US FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL – SUMMER 2025 – June 16-20, 2025 • 9AM – Noon. Small class sizes, fun activities, snacks and games! Sign up at https://stpetes.net/vbs/
Fight for Souls: Sharing the Word
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
“Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning” I, the Lord – with the first of them and with the last – I Am He.” Is. 41: 4
“Then He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.’” Luke 24:45-48
“God calls us to represent Him in this fallen world not because we are able but because He is.” -Paul David Tripp
The next meeting will be held at 5:00 p.m. on May 11, 2025 at the Novak House.