ACOLYTES:
In 2008, six young people trained as Acolytes in addition to one adult who transferred from another parish.  There are now 19 Acolytes serving at Saint Peter's.

In the fall of 2008, one acolyte left for college.
Acolytes are trained to perform important functions in the worship service, assisting clergy in the preparation of the Eucharist and leading the congregation in worship.

Usually acolytes begin serving when they reach the sixth grade, or about age 11.  However, we do have acolytes that are younger.
These dedicated folks generally serve in more than one facet of life at St. Peter's.

ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY:
St. Peter's has been involved with the Adopt-A Highway Program since 1995.  The familiar blue and gold signs can be seen marking our adopted section of Freeman Highway and Cape Henlopen Drive.  Clean-ups are supposed to be held in the spring and fall.  Currently, we have no one organizing this ministry.  If you are interested, please call the office.

ADULT EDUCATION:
This year a variety of offerings in Adult Education have been available:  The ongoing Tuesday Bible Study Program,  Education for  Mission and Ministry, a monthly film discussion group, a monthly  spirituality group, the Adult Forum from January to June on Sunday  Mornings, in the Fall a nine week discussion on Faith and Ethics, and  several short courses.

The major addition to Adult Education offerings this year was done by SEEKERS in their Thursday Night Series.  This excellent program offered a context where seekers as well as parish members could take part in discussions on a wide range of topics related to spirituality.  The Adult Education offerings arise out of the interests expressed by parishioners and the talents of many more.  We are blessed at St. Peter's to have parish members whose teaching abilities are offered to all of us.

ALTAR GUILD:
Serving as a member of the Altar guild is a wonderful way to contribute to our community. 

Through seldom seen, this group is responsible for preparing the altar for our worship services and maintaining the sacred vessels and vestments used in the Church.  Open to both men and women, the guild is divided into teams which serve one month a year.  Some of our members also help with the floral arrangements and decorations in the Church for special occasions.

New members are always welcome.  Come join us, we know that you will find it a very satisfying and rewarding service.  Anyone interested in joining this group, please call the Church Office.

BIBLE STUDY:
Each Tuesday at 10am, a group gathers in the Conference Room with a member of the clergy to reflect on the Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday.  We prayerfully consider the Collect of the Day, Psalm and other three readings appointed.  Quite frequently, the current affairs of the world connect with our conversation, as well as many other topics.  The group is always open and welcoming to new members.  Please join us some Tuesday!

CASA SAN FRANCISO:
The Emergency Food Pantry at Casa San Francisco has been supplemented with much needed foods, thanks to the generosity of the people of St. peter's.  Just in the last four weeks of this year over 56 different families have approached CASA for emergency food as they had no food in their homes to feed their families.  It would be exciting if each member of our congregation was able to bring one food item every Sunday.  We will continue to target the third Sunday of each month as Protein Sunday.  The most needed foods are; peanut butter, jelly, beans, spaghetti sauce, pastas, macaroni and cheese,.  The basket would then be overflowing.  I am always willing to shop for you, should you need help.

Thank you for your continued support to this mission.  It means a great deal to people in need.

CENTERING PRAYER:
Centering Prayer is a contemplative prayer tradition.  Its origins are in the early church's method of reading scripture.  It was revived in the 20th century by a group of monastics including Fr. Thomas Keating.  It is now a worldwide organization with centering prayer groups from South Africa to China.  St. Peter's has their own Centering Prayer Group.  We meet on the last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.  Email the Rev. Carlyle Gill for details at jcarlylegill@yahoo.com.  We welcome everyone who wants to learn about this wonderful spiritual practice that helps us all experience the peace of God that passes all understanding.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION:
Please see: Adult Education, Bible Study, Centering Prayer, Church School, Education for Ministry, and Lay Spirituality.

CHURCH SCHOOL:
St. Peter's currently offers Christian education for elementary and middle school children from late September though mid-May at 9:15, while younger children are served by our nursery during church school and the 10:00 a.m. service.

Karen Kohn has launched a program for middle school kids that is decidedly not "church school." She and our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders are working together to decide how they want this formation time to be shaped, with an eye toward re-grouping after the first semester to see what they like and what they want to tweak.

Father Jeff is continuing his work to implement a Godly Play curriculum for our pre-school and elementary aged children, and our Workshop Cycles curriculum is proceeding until that is up and running, perhaps as early as some time this year for our pre-school children.

Our over-arching theme for our studies together in elementary school church school this year is co-creation - both our partnership with God in creation as well as our role as co-creators of the church.

• We started off the year working with local artist Nick Serratore to create artwork to liven our halls, and then we spent several weeks learning about the disciples and other important men and women in the history of the church.
• Some of our youth who participated in the triennial Episcopal Youth Event last summer are sharing their experience with the kids - both as participants in and designers of the event; and Father Mark will talk with the kids about the Lambeth Conference this past summer that brought bishops together from across the Anglican Communion.
• Just before Advent, we're going to host an all-family event that Kim and Jim Biever brought from their last parish: a crèche-making workshop on Sunday, November 23.
• In addition to preparing for the Christmas pageant, our Advent workshop this year is entitled "Stations of the Crèche." The Christmas decorating committee is once again asking that the children create decorations for the tree in the church. This year they'll be creating personal prayers that they'll tie to the legs of birds in the tree.
• After the turn of the year, we'll turn our focus to creation and how we care for it, including a look at the Millennium Development Goals.
• Thanks to the generosity of St. Peter's ECW, we will also be creating a creation mural for our church school room with Wilmington artist, Pamella Bounds-Seemans. Pam's whimsical work is particularly captivating to children. She uses "found objects," such as old jewelry, buttons, and bobbles to embellish her pieces, so we'll be asking the kids to being collecting pieces that can be part of the work. The mural will be composed of six panels representing the first six days of creation.
• We will offer another fun all-family workshop in the late winter/early spring, making bird houses and feeders with Helen Waite.
• Our Lenten workshops are focused on the Stations of the Cross, and then we'll finish out the year with a visit with Bishop Wright and with a chance to create more art for the art show in July. Our last church school Sunday will be May 17.

Speaking of the art show, the children raised $354.00 at the show this past summer, and they donated $563.07 in their Sunday offerings! How amazing is that?! The kids voted for their 2007/08 offerings to benefit Episcopal Relief and Development's Nets for Life campaign, providing mosquito nets and education to families in sub-Saharan Africa. The Diocese of Delaware is asking each family in the diocese to donate at least one net to the campaign ($12), and the diocesan council has voted to match the first $2,500 donated. As such, our $917.07 became $1,834.14, helping nearly 153 families avoid this deadly disease! Please be sure to tell the kids how impressed you are with their work and generosity!  This year's donations are targeting another MDG: Infant mortality.

After church school, elementary kids and below are invited to children's chapel, which is lead by one of the clergy in the sacristy during the Liturgy of the Word of the 10:00 service. The kids participate in their own simplified version of the liturgy and have a chance to respond openly to the priest's reading or mini-homily.

CHURCH YARD CEMETERY:
Financial records are kept in the Church Office.  There are no plots available for sale.  Some burials are held in existing family plots. 

St. Peter's COFFEE HOUSE:
"It always smells good in here!"  Another quote giving testimony to the fact that St. Peter's fills the body as well as the soul.  If you haven't tried the first Sunday coffee house you are missing a good breakfast and good fellowship.  We meet at 9AM between services to share food and conversation between the "eights" and the " tens", o'clockers, that is.  This could not succeed without the people who are willing to cook, cut up fruit, make coffee, run the dishwasher and light the oven very early in the morning (LB).  The key to success is the person or persons who agree to be head honcho each time and keep things organized, make sure we get enough donations of food, set out the food, set the tables and collect the donation baskets.  If   cooking is not "your thing" you can cut up fruit, buy yoghurt or bagels or just help in the kitchen.  For newcomers it is a good way to meet new people and a way for people to begin to recognize you.  There is no coffee house in December, sometimes January - depending on where the holiday is - July and August.  Beginning in 2009 Riki Burton will chair the Coffee House.  I hope you will help her out as much as you have been willing to help me in the past 31/2 years.

CONGREGATIONAL HEALTH MINISTRY:
"All members of the Episcopal Church have a responsibility to care for their bodies as temples of God, which includes healthy minds and spirits, the utilization of preventive medical care, healthy diets, regular exercise, and the avoidance of all types of substance abuse." (Report of the Standing Committee of Human Affairs and Health, Journal of the General Convention, 1991).

St. Peter's Congregational Health Ministry was begun in 2007

• To embrace the vision of the National Episcopal Health Ministries that "every Episcopal congregation become a vibrant, caring place of health and wholeness".
• To promote whole person health, prevent disease, and manage illness in St. Peter's faith community.
• To bring together a group of people to include those from health care professions and those with an interest in healing and wholeness ministry to carry out this vision.
• To support and share resources with other faith communities.
• To move the congregation ahead in their understanding of health and wholeness.
• To ensure a just distribution of health care resources for all through advocacy.
• To develop a vision for the program by assessing the congregational health needs, and structuring a program that addresses those needs through:
  • Educational forums
  • Health fairs
  • Blood pressure screening
  • Communication with other groups in the parish to encourage them to share the vision of a healthy congregation
  • Newsletter articles
  • Home visits

Some of the accomplishments during 2008:

• Health fair
• Placement of medical alert systems for 3 parishioners
• Hospice support
• Aided in implementing special diet instructions
• Reduced prescription costs for a parishioner by $350 a month
• Participated in a conference sponsored by Beebe Medical Center to develop partnerships within the community to promote healthy lifestyles.
• Networked with other churches in the area with health ministry programs
• Began work on an assisted listening system for the church

All work done within this ministry is absolutely confidential.

In September, John Symons nominated me to be the Province III Diocesan Liaison for DE to the National Episcopal Health Ministries (NEHM). Fr. Jeff wrote a letter of recommendation, and my appointment was confirmed by the Bishop. Province III Synod includes: PA, WV, VA, MD, WV and DE, so it will be a great opportunity to network with these people and grow our ministry at St. Peter's. It will also be a means of increasing the visibility of our parish on a national level. I give great thanks to Fr. Jeff in supporting me in all of this, and for sharing my vision in the establishment of such a ministry at St. Peter's.

My duties will include (but not limited to):

• Establishing a relationship with Bishop Wright
• Being the resource person for various needs
• Promoting health ministry in our diocese
• Establishing a health ministry in our diocese
• Keeping regular communications between the diocese, the regional representative, and national office
• Staying in touch with needs of diocesan health ministers
  • Visiting parishes with active health ministries
  • Working with parishes desiring to develop health ministries
  • Meeting with health committees in our diocese
  • Having a presence at the diocesan convention
  • Educating the diocese on health care topics through the diocesan newspaper

I continue to be available to our entire congregation for any health concerns. I may be reached either by email: suecharliemeyer@comcast.net.

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue in my ministry here at St. Peter's and begin a new journey within the diocese. Know that I keep all of you close to my heart through prayer.

St. Peter's Church DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLAN TASK FORCE
Due to our coastal location and the age of the structures around us, it is imperative that we be prepared - both individually and as a congregation for emergencies.  Therefore a draft of our congregation's disaster preparedness plan was completed by the Task Force and presented to the Vestry.  As a result of their efforts, evacuation maps have been developed to be posted, fire extinguishers added, a bomb threat reporting form issued and an ushers emergency protocol is being developed.  As recommended, there will be a fire drill once a year at each service.

Future refinements being considered include an event notification calling list for parish leaders, parishioner's emergency notification calling tree, and an agreement with a sister parish, in another part of the country, as contact point for parishioners to report well being or needs in the event of an area devastating event.

EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY (EFM):
Again this year we have twelve students, ten in the fourth and last year, and two in the third year.  We will graduate eight students from our original class in May of this year.  The Diocese of Delaware sponsors our participation in this program, which has been developed and supported by the School of Theology of the University in of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. 

At this writing, there are only two EFM groups actively meeting in the Diocese of Delaware, both in Sussex County.  Marj Lewis, a member of St. Peter's, is the mentor of a group that meets at All Saints' in Rehoboth Beach.  If you are interested in EFM this year, please contact Marj.

Kay Schechinger and Bob Shea are co-mentors of the EFM group at St. Peter's. We need at least four new students, and we can accept any number up to ten to joins when classes resume after the summer.  If you have any interest, or are even mildly curious about the program, please check with Kay or Bob.  Both will be happy to answer your questions and/or show you samples of the study materials.

EPICOPAL CHURCH WOMEN (ECW):
ECW Mission
             To provide fellowship and spiritual nourishment for all women of the parish.
             To assist St. Peter's Church in its programs.

The ECW (all the women in the parish) meets the second Tuesday of each month.  We share fellowship, conduct business, and enjoy a guest speaker.  The whole parish enters in to conduct two major fund raisers a year, the Art Show on the first Saturday in July, and the Soup luncheon on the first Saturday of Dec.

Funds were distributed for '08 and '09 to the following:

Alzheimer's Assoc.                Cape Henlopen Food Basket             Casa San Francisco
Crisis House                            Compassionate Care                           DE Hospice
Gull House                               Habitat for Humanity                          HIPPO
Home of the Brave                  LaCasita                                               Meals on Wheels
Peoples' Place                          Primera Pasos                                      Read Aloud
Just Soup (kitchen)                 The Way Home                                  Wellness Community
Wescoat Scholarship

Closer to home:
Church School mural                Flowers for church yard                        Forward Day by Day
Local outreach                          Rector's Discretionary Fund

The amount of each gift and a description of each is posted on the parish hall bulletin board.

The Officers, Chairpeople and Coordinators are the following
PRESIDENT                                                    Libby Bayley
VICE PRESIDENT                                          Caroline Loysen
TREASURER                                                   Barbara McKendrew             
RECORDING SECRETARY                           Dot Barlow
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY                Margaret Isaminger                 
UTO                                                                 Darlene Marinello
ART SHOW                                                    Jen Mason                              
CROSS IN MY POCKET                               Caroline Quinn                                   
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY                      Lynda Dunham
KITCHEN SUPPLY COORDINATORS       Lillian Drebing and Libby Bayley

Although there is a wonderful feeling of success with the funds raised, there is a far greater reward in the fellowship that comes from working together for the good of the parish.

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS (formerly known as Chalice Bearers/Lay Readers):
To serve St Peter's church as a lay reader and chalice bearer is a meaningful and fulfilling ministry. The opportunity to assist our rectors in this capacity is available to any church member who is or who wishes to be trained to perform these duties.  Presently nineteen parishioners are volunteering to serve as readers and servers during our worship services.  The schedule for participation dates is published in the monthly newsletter. 

FAITH IN FLIX
On the last Tuesday evening of the month, at 6pm, a open group gathers to watch a contemporary movie together and to consider issues of faith and spirituality raised by the film.  Sometimes a comedy, sometimes a drama, sometimes a documentary; but always thought provoking.  The movie is not usually announced, because even if you have seen it before, you may find something new.  You are always welcome to join us.  A very big thanks to Charlie and Sue Meyer for letting us use their home theater and for their gracious hospitality.

FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
This committee oversees our Endowment investments and  make recommendations to the Vestry on all financial aspects of the Church. 

Members include:  Bob Fischer, Bruce Phalen,  Jody Ware , Charlie Meyer, Dan Somerset and Mary Makowski.

FRIENDS IN DEED:
This ministry was formed in response to the growing awareness that some members of St. Peter's do not have a support group of either family or friends in the immediate area.  Our goal is to provide assistance and support to members of our parish family who are ill or shut-in or who may just benefit from a friendly visit or phone call.

A group of caring parishioners has taken on the ministry of providing temporary help of various kinds as needed.  We do such things as provide transportation to doctor's appointments, run errands, take food to those who are ill or shut-in, visit in person or by phone.  Our volunteers provide only the types of help with which they are comfortable.  Whenever possible, help is provided by someone who lives near the person in need. We have many helpers eager to be of service.  The hardest part is finding out who needs our help.  Most of our referrals come from the clergy, but we welcome requests or suggestions from anyone in the parish.  For more information or requests, please call 645-8479.

GLOBAL OUTREACH:
Global mission made the following allocations:

$2500 to Eglise St Mathias in Haiti to help underwrite a local chicken project to raise money from the sale of eggs for school expenses, given in April

$3500 to Five Talents.  This money initiates the development of cottage industry, providing start-up money and technical support as needed, given in June.

$1000 to Fondation Rencontre in Haiti, given in June

$1500 to ERD for the Sudan, honoring Judy Gregory's six month commitment there, allocated in Oct.

$750 to the Diocese of Haiti*** , continued support for the poultry project at St. Mathias, under Fr. Yvan, allocated in Oct.

$750 towards 2 plane tickets to Haiti for a mission trip in early 2009, allocated in Oct.

GREETERS:
Greeters are on duty following the 8 and 10 a.m. services. Their emphasis is to make visitors and newcomers feel welcome and sign the guest book, if they want to.  It is very easy, and a nice way to meet new and current church goers. 

All dates are filled up through the end of the year, and even some dates into the New Year, a big thank you to all of the wonderful current and future greeters.  We always need more people, so please call the church office to sign up.

LABYRINTH MINISTRY:
St. Peter's is fortunate to have two labyrinths that are used by the church and the community:  the indoor canvas labyrinth that is laid out in the parish hall for public walks on specific occasions and the outdoor labyrinth that is always open in the church yard.

Labyrinths are winding paths that are walked for prayer or meditation.  They have been found in spiritual traditions throughout the world for centuries and are now being rediscovered as a valuable spiritual tool.  In 1995 St. Peter's became the first church in Delaware to have a labyrinth when we painted the path on a 30 ft. circular canvas.  The outdoor labyrinth was completed in 2001. 

During the year guided walks and presentations are offered for special events, workshops and retreats.   This year's special events included illumination of the outdoor labyrinth for the holidays, a workshop and walk using our canvas labyrinth for students and graduates of the Pastoral Counseling Department of Neumann College in Aston, PA, a Maundy Thursday-Good Friday Vigil Walk, a Lenten Walk for Grace United Methodist Church in Georgetown, and walks for clients in a drug and alcohol recovery program. 

LAY READERS/CHALICE BEARS: see Eucharistic Ministers

LAY SPIRITUALITY:
A discussion group has been meeting monthly to study divergent voices in Christian Spirituality.  From John of the Cross, to Francis of Assisi, to Dorothy Day, to Evelyn Underhill, to Teilhard de Chardin and everyone in between.  We have been using the book Spiritual Classics  by Richard Foster as our guide.  The book offers the more salient thinking of a particular writer in manageable and understandable proportions.  If you would like to join us, call the office!

LECTORS:
By reading the First Lesson and the Psalm at each service, this group of parishioners who serve as our Lectors are given a meaningful way to participate in our services.  No training is needed, and each Lector has his or her own Lectionary to keep at home in order to become familiar with the reading before the Sunday service.

We would welcome additional volunteers to serve as Lectors.  Each Lector may indicate a preference for reading at either the 8:00 or 10:00 service, so they will be scheduled for the service they normally attend, if they so choose.

LEWES REHOBOTH ASSOCIATION of CHURCHES (LRAC):
St. Peter's joins other churches in our area to help our neediest neighbors. Three women from our parish volunteer every Monday morning at LRAC's New Life Thrift Shop-where people find quality clothing and household items at very low prices.  Proceeds from the thrift shop (close to $500,000 per year) fund LRAC's ministries. LRAC's Lend-a-Hand gives over $10,000 a month in direct assistance to needy individuals, supplementing the churches' local outreach efforts.  This year LRAC has provided over $60,000 to its Cape Henlopen Food Basket to enable volunteers to serve an ever-growing clientele and made over $60,000 in badly needed repairs to houses in West Rehoboth. For the second year, LRAC has reimbursed St. Peter's and other participating churches for their costs (this year over $20,000) in serving meals under the International Student Outreach Program.  LRAC has donated over $350,000 to a variety of local charities and special fundraising appeals. LRAC also sponsors interdenominational worship services: Easter sunrise services, the annual baccalaureate service for Cape Henlopen High School graduates and their families, summer campground services at Cape Henlopen State Park, Thanksgiving, Young Life events, and prison ministry at Sussex Correctional Institution.   LRAC is an unusually dynamic consortium of churches - the body of Christ.

LITURGY AND MUSIC COMMITTEE:
In 2008, the Vestry decided to expand the role of the former Music Committee to include both liturgy and music.  Thus the committee began to consider alternative liturgies to freshen our worship experiences and to look toward an additional, distinctive Sunday worship service to begin next year.  Additionally, the Committee recommended restructuring the music portion of the 2008 church budget to provide greater transparency to all income and expenses in support of annually recurring music events.  Furthermore, the church budget now includes funding for Worship with Alternative Music (W.A.M.) The Committee introduced standard forms and MOU's for guest performers, as well as standard operating procedures for keeping the church office fully informed about upcoming events and for handling concert donations.  These new procedures meet both legal and audit requirements.  The Committee conducted four focus groups -- many suggestions offered during the focus groups have already been implemented into worship services.  The Committee has designed a parish-wide survey to gather further input about how to bring worshippers into a closer relationship to God and to the community of faith.  Lastly the Committee worked with the Rector and Music Director to design "intentional" worship services for the month of September.

LOCAL OUTREACH:
St. Peter's Outreach provides financial and supportive help to families and persons in need located within the Cape Henlopen School District. The referrals come from the rector, state service center, school personnel and members of the congregation. We continue to network with other agencies and organizations to enable families to be helped by the most efficient use of funds. We continue to work towards providing permanent solutions rather than temporary fixes whenever possible. We operate with confidentiality and with the utmost respect for our clients. We try to communicate with the vestry and the entire parish on our activities.

Our current chairperson is Carole Palmer, our secretary is Buzz Klopp, our school liaisons are Marsha Davis, Jean Reale and Anna Maria Kihn, our Lend A Hand representatives are Anna Maris Kihn and Nancy Brown and our family coordinator is Nancy Brown.

Our financing this year was from The Taste of the Fruit of the Vine and ECW. We thank them sincerely, we could not exist without them.

MUSIC MINISTRY:
St. Peter's Choir has maintained a steady membership of 25 singers over the past year and the group has continued to add to its repertoire to enrich the worship. This is an all volunteer group of singers who meet every Thursday evening to prepare music for at least four Sunday services a month from September to mid June. Many of the singers also volunteer in other areas of parish life including the ECW and other organizations. Three choir members also serve on the Vestry.

In addition to regular Sunday services, the choir recently sang for the diocesan ECW meeting that was hosted by St. Peter's on Saturday 18^th October. The music for the service included a recently composed anthem by Roo Brown and an anthem with a mission text by choir member Jen Mason and music composed by George Bayley especially for this service.

Dr. David Flood, organist and master of the choristers at Canterbury Cathedral, was this year's Anglican-musician-in-residence from 21 to 27 October. This was David's third visit to St. Peter's and he and the choir have developed a special relationship as they have worked together. The week includes a Thursday evening rehearsal, a Friday evening organ recital, a Saturday morning rehearsal that is open to public observation, and music for the Sunday 10 AM Eucharist and the 4 PM Rite I Choral Evensong. This year's Sunday morning music included the Mass in G by Franz Schubert. Lee Dettra, organist emeritus of Immanuel on the Green Newcastle was the assisting organist. A superb anthem, In the Land of Moab, was composed especially for this service by Roo Brown to relate to the Old Testament reading of the day.

Donations were received from several sources to make possible the purchase of a two-octave set of handbells from Schulmerich. St. Peter's Handbell Choir began regular Friday morning rehearsals early in September. The group will play for a Sunday service for the first time at the 10 AM service on 23 November. We plan to organize a second handbell choir to rehearse on Wednesday evenings beginning early in January.

This year's exchange organist was Simon Pusey, organist and choirmaster of St. Mary's Church in Hemel Hempstead, England near St. Alban's. Simon, his wife Catharine and sons Dominic and Christopher stayed at the Bayley's house in Deerwood.

In addition to being at Simon's church, George and Libby attended the annual Royal School of Church Music Singing Break at Scotland's Dunblane Cathedral and also spent a three-day weekend at our companion church, The Cathedral of the Isles, in Scotland.

A new hymn/song book was introduced the first week of October. It is a combination of 101 Hymns and Songs of the Celtic Spirit by George Bayley and The Rev. Dwyn Mounger and St. Peter's Praise, a compilation by George Bayley and Sheila Ross. It is a book which provides a rich repertoire of bridge and praise music to add musical variety to our services.

St. Peter's NEWSLETTER:
The monthly newsletter is our best tool for sharing information with the whole parish.  In order for us to be efficient, we need the people in the parish to help by bringing us the news and other articles of information.  Please send articles to the office or email them to stpeterslewessec@verizon.net by the 20th of the month.  Our goal is to mail the Newsletter out the last week of each month.

PARISH LIFE:
Parish Life Ministry seeks to provide opportunities to parishioners for fellowship.

Listed below are some of the highlights this year.

• Five Lenten soup suppers were attended by an average of 40 parishioners each week. Soup, bread and dessert were provided by three parishioners each week. A video segment, "Saving Jesus" was shown and discussion followed led by Fr. Jeff
• Game night and Pizza for 25 parishioners from age 6 to 80.
• Name boards with photo name badges of parishioners were placed in the Parrish Hall
• Greeters for 8 and 10 AM services were scheduled. 104 parishioners participated.
• Coffee hours after the 8 and 10 AM services were continued as well as the Coffee House. Many parishioners hosted and provided food.
• Ten dinner groups were formed for 2008-2009. 103 parishioners are participating.

PASTORAL CARE COMMITTEE:
The pastoral care committee is comprised of medical and mental health professionals, as well as other volunteers committed to healing and wholeness. Respecting confidentiality, we seek to be aware of people's needs and to enable the congregation to respond appropriately. We reach out in the name of Christ to assist the rector in providing Eucharist, spiritual care, and support to our parishioners. At any given time, we minister to 20-25 congregants.

PILOTTOWN ROAD CEMETERY:
27 full size plots and 4 cremation plots have been sold between October 22, 2007 and October 25, 2008 

Committee members include Dean Belt chair, Wendell Alfred, Donald Prol, Patty Warden, Karen Fischer and Ted Becker.   Ex officio members are our Rector, Jeffrey Ross and Parish Administrator, Adele Fluharty, who serves as the Committee's Secretary/Treasurer.  Investment Funds for the Pilottown Road Cemetery remain separate from the Church funds with recommendations handled by the Financial Advisory Committee.

Plot Information as of October 22, 2007
Full Plots                      1726 plots        993 sold           369 buried
Cremation Plots            236 plots         213 sold             62 buried

Cemetery plots can be purchased in the Church Office.
Plot pricing:
Full Plots                      Members  $600.00       Non-Members  $1,200.00
Cremation Plots           Members  $500.00       Non-Members  $   500.00
There is a Permit Fee of $300.00 for any plot.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY:
""With winter coming this shawl will keep me warm and remind me of the wonderful people you have at St. Peter's.  We get many notes of appreciation fro the shawls made by the knitters and crocheters.  This Ministry began in 2004 and has given out over 2000 shawls.  So far in 2008 we are up to 60+.   The Prayer Shawl Ministry was started in Connecticut, approximately six years ago, by two women as an affirmation of their faith and a desire to comfort those in need of healing.  It has spread throughout the USA and even to other countries.  It is a ministry in many ways.  People, young and old, gather to knit or crochet while offering prayers for their work, each other and for recipients of the shawls.  In this way they are forming a small group in the community of faith.  The shawls go out to those who are in need of healing, to celebrate birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and achievements in their lives.  They also console the grieving.  When the recipient wears the shawl the love, prayers, tears and good wishes of the group are wrapped around him or her.  Another way that this is a ministry is that we have found persons who are creating shawls for us who cannot get out of their homes easily and in this way they are able to make a contribution to someone and feel useful at the same time.  If you wish to provide the yarn for them we ask you to buy it or contribute fifteen dollars and we will purchase the yarn.  As I have said before, I like to think of this ministry as an example of our labyrinth here at St Peters: it is intricate, it is visible, it can be used in many ways, it carries different benefits for different people and the center brings us to a point where we can meet God and each other.  We meet several times a year for instruction, for fellowship, and to work together. 

St. Peter's READERS:
St. Peter's Readers meets once a month to talk about books. It is a heterogeneous group fond of lively discussions. We try to follow the pattern of fiction, non-fiction, classic and select books that are available in the local library and in paperback. We choose the book by consensus. The selections have been varied. Last year, we read "The Road" and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." Occasionally, we have a "field trip." For instance, several of us attended a matinee and enjoyed seeing "Love in the Time of Cholera" portrayed on the silver screen.

St. Peter's Readers meet once a month on Sunday afternoons at 5 p.m. in the conference room. The date is flexible - it is a movable feast - in order to accommodate other events in the church and the community. All are welcome.

SEEKERS:

Standing Committee Members/Subcommittee responsibilities:

Sue Potts - Chair/Merchandising                                Marjorie Lewes - Volunteers/Church Relations
Natalie Kerr - Publicity/Events                                     Kristen Phillips - Bookkeeping/Finance
Michael Kearns - Store Support/Merchandising 
Sheila Bravo-Ross - Store Operations/ Merchandising
Adele Fluharty - Ex Officio - Secretary                           Fr. Jeffrey Ross - Ex Officio - Rector
Terry Eidell - former member - term ended                      Al Naylor - former member - term ended

We are also grateful for the following volunteers who took on special roles this year:

Elma DiMona - Volunteer Scheduling                             Teri Munz - Web Site
Charlie Meyer - Seekers Store Construction                  Phil Kless - Seekers Store Construction

Seekers has a three-fold ministry: providing book and faith resources; offering spirituality discussions/presentations; and sending net proceeds out to the community to benefit those in need.

Over 40 people have served in the Seeker's ministry, a few from faith organizations beyond St. Peter's.  They helped to construct the store, stock the shelves, run the register, greet customers, write articles, set up for events, make signs and posters, deposit checks, and serve ice cream.   And we are especially grateful to the many people who have contributed to this ministry through their purchases of faith-based books and gifts.   Seekers has also become a resource for several faith organizations in the area: Insight Meditation Group, St. Peter's, and St. Jude the Apostle.   

We initiated a spirituality series in coordination with St. Peter's in February, and have held at least one monthly.  In the summer we hosted 13 distinct events on Thursday evenings - with ice cream and fellowship following.  Over 800 people have attended these events.   Topics ranged from interfaith dialogues, Celtic spirituality, death and dying, the connections of faith- literature-poetry, and many different types of prayer forms and practices.  We are grateful for the many speakers and prayer leaders who created compelling and very well-received discussions.

Seekers also went on the road this year.  It was present at Diocesan Convention and will participate in Parish Life Day and at St. Paul's Distant Neighbors Fair Trade bazaar in mid-November.    It is our hope that by participating in these off-site events, more people will become aware of this ministry and desire to participate.

Seekers has generated over $35,000 in sales since it started offering resources on November weekends.   Year to date, Seekers is exceeding its sales projection by 4%.  Most of the proceeds were reinvested back into inventory.   Seekers made its first payment on its $33,000 loan to St. Peter's Church at the end of October.  It is hoped that if Seekers can meet its sales projections for November and December, it will be in a position to make a principal payment on its loan and make its first donation out to the community. 

For 2009 our goals are the following:

• To continue to generate publicity and awareness of Seekers
• To schedule monthly Spirituality Series and repeat the Summer Spirituality Series
• To encourage other faith organizations to use Seekers as their resource for their education and faith formation materials
• To draw in more volunteers from many faith organizations to volunteer in this ministry.

VESTRY:
The Vestry is the governing body of the parish composed of representatives elected for a three year term at the annual meeting of the parish.  The vestry meets are on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.  Those who wish to be nominated must be active members of the worshipping community and willing to represent the whole parish.  Nominations may be submitted to anyone on the vestry one month prior to the Annual Meeting.

WAM (Worship with Alternative Music):
WAM Mission:  To be ministers that work together to draw in the varied musical talents of St. Peter's and provide alternative music for select liturgies and special worship occasions.

How we live our mission:

• Draw upon the word of God for music selection and inspiration
• Understand the tone and purpose of the liturgy and the role music plays
• Leverage the talents offered to ensure quality of sound and music leadership
• Engage the congregation in singing and participating in the music during worship
• Share new music and styles to reach those with musical interests beyond the Hymnal

In the past year, over 25 people offered their gifts through WAM including vocalists, percussion, guitars, bass, flutes, and keyboard.  Some people joined WAM for special services, while others continue to offer their time and talent on a regular basis.  We are so blessed as a church to have so many talented musicians and vocalists, and WAM provides an alternative means for those who wish to participate in the music life of St. Peter's.  WAM provides worship music that is beyond the hymnal, out of Wonder Love & Praise, Songs of Praise, Taize, Spirit and Song, and the new St. Peter's Hymns and Songs. This year WAM also introduced songs from the Iona community into the liturgy.

 In addition to the monthly family service, WAM participated in several alternative services in the 2007-2008 year.  This included: the Family Service at Christmas, Good Friday's "Living Stations," the Easter Sunday Family Service, and the Church's annual family picnic at Camp Arrowhead.  WAM also supported the Seekers and St. Peter's Summer Spirituality Series by hosting a sing along.

WAM received a budget for the 2007-08 year to purchase songbooks and sound equipment.  With expanded membership we purchased additional Spirit and Song books as well as select songs for special occasion services.  We are currently finalizing our search for a mixer to help "balance our sound."

We invite any instrumentalist or vocalist who wishes to share his or her musical gift to participate in WAM - whether ongoing, or once in awhile.  This year we hope to expand our vocalists, and permit young parishioners to share their instrumental and vocal talents on a more regular basis.  Please contact Sheila Bravo-Ross or Ann Freeman at to learn more.

WESCOAT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP:
The will of the late Louise Wescoat l'Hommedieu of Lewes states that the committee to administer the fund will be comprised of the Rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Lewes, the Superintendent of Schools of the local district and the Mayor of Lewes.  Interest from this fund has benefited college bound students for the past 33 years.  The awards are available to worthy and needy graduates of the high school, but not necessarily to those graduates who have attained the highest scholastic rating during their high school experience.  Those who can benefit are individuals who plan to attend accredited colleges or universities in the United States.

To date it has been possible for the committee to provide 162 scholarships, each in the amount of at least $200.00.  The number and amount of the scholarships are dependent upon the cash balance in the fund.

This year, our ECW gave $500 towards expanding the principal of the fund.  Other contributions are always welcome.

Applications are available in the Church Office for those interested in applying

St. Peter's YOUTH (SPY) GROUP:
The group is made up of 6^th - 12^th grade parishioners with some parents and volunteers and Fr. Jeffrey as leader.  Their usual meeting schedule is the 2^nd and 4^th Sunday of each month in the Conference Room after the 10 a.m. Service.

Activities for 2007-2008

• Social Events
• Photo Scavenger Hunt
• Living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday
• Ski Trip
• Sent representation to Diocesan Youth Council and Province III

Many events are planned for the year ahead.  ALL YOUTH WELCOME TO ATTEND.