Serving Our Community
Hiking in Love
We are committed to a common practice of worshipping God in the beauty of the outdoors and hosting liturgical hikes throughout the year. Hikes are ideally 2 to 3 miles and no more than 4 miles long. See below for more details. We usually aim for early starts in the cool of the morning and stop to share Holy Eucharist along the way. Lead: Deborah Smith
Loaves & Fishes
A community-focused ministry with a primary goal of collecting and distributing food to those in need. This family-friendly event includes lunch and the opportunity for youth of all ages and experience levels to learn and experience the joy of fishing. Lead: Andy Thomas
Missy’s Meal Ministry
Initiated by former parishioner and caterer Missy Danaher, this ministry seeks to keep the church freezer well stocked with a splendid array of delicious meals that are available for church members and neighbors who may be in need. Lead: TBD
Prayer Ministry
A team of people prays for persons for whom prayers have been specifically requested. Lead: Lindsay Lofaro
River Clean-Up
Volunteers clean up a stretch of river frontage, often in the spring. The event began as a one-day, annual clean-up of the Frying Pan River between Basalt and Ruedi Reservoir. As it grew in popularity, it has been expanded to include the Roaring Fork River through Basalt.
Lead: Rick Lofaro
We are honored to serve our community in many ways. Each of our members is invited to remain alert to needs in the community and bring ideas back to our leadership for how St. Peter’s of the Valley can be of service. The church is blessed with the service of a deacon whose role is to provide a bridge between the church and her community. Our deacon, the Reverend Richard Paxton, serves as our outreach ministry coordinator to support our current ministries and explore new possibilities.
Serving Our Church
Lay Eucharistic Ministers/Lay Readers help lead worship and assist the priest regularly at Sunday liturgies and other special liturgies throughout the year. Lay Readers are authorized to lead services of Morning or Evening Prayer (and others) in the absence of a priest. Training is provided by St. Peter’s. Coordinator: TBD
Acolytes are usually young people who assist in worship services. Acolytes usually begin at age 10 or younger and often serve throughout high school. Training is provided. Coordinator: TBD
Altar Guild prepares the altar and the sanctuary for the celebration of Holy Eucharist. The members take care of altar linens, altar vessels, candles and vestments. Coordinators: Mary Ellis and Cindy Everett
Flower Guild is responsible for weekly flower arrangements on the altar. Parishioners are encouraged to offer flowers in honor of loved ones. Coordinator: Anne Blackwell
Ushers greet visitors and parishioners as they arrive for worship. During the service they pass the offering basins and guide worshippers to the altar to receive communion. They are also responsible for taking an accurate count of attendance that is documented in the church’s official records. Coordinator: TBD
Vestry has the primary responsibility for leading the parish together with the rector. Vestry members are elected at the annual parish meeting, which usually occurs in January each year. The rector, in consultation with the vestry, appoints other officers of the church, i.e., the clerk, treasurer, and wardens. St. Peter’s prides itself on its shared leadership model and encourages interested parishioners to serve a term on the vestry.
Movement Ministry
Hiking in Love
Formerly known as Holy Hikes™, “Hiking in Love” is our new name and echoes the basic message of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's 2020 book, The Way of Love. “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)
This fall we continue to gather every two to three weeks for fellowship, fun, and communing in nature. A basic level of fitness is required to be able to walk a 2-3 mile route that will alternate between a moderate-level and an easy-level (a.k.a. Simply Shady Dogs) hike. “Moderate” (M) hikes will include some elevation gain—generally 300-750 feet. “Easy” (E) hikes will feature basically flat or gently rolling terrain with minimal changes in elevation. Schedule of fall hikes:
Friday, Sept 16 – Hay Park Trail (M) in Old Snowmass
Thursday, October 6 – Lorax Trail (M) in Carbondale
Questions? Contact Deborah Smith (spasmith@comcast.net) or Reverend Wendy (RevWend@gmail.com)
Yoga Prayer Practice
When? Tuesdays from 5 to 6 pm. Please plan to arrive by 4:50 pm to set up and quiet our minds/bodies.
Required? The simple practice of breathing and a hear open to a new experience of joyful connection
Bring? Yoga mat, comfortable clothing, warm socks, any yoga props, water bottle
Details: We also have chairs set up since every yoga posture/stretch can be fully practiced seated in a chair. We have blankets and straps, a few soft foam blocks and a few extra mats. Yoga props (not mandatory) might include your own blocks, eye pillow, towel, water bottle, etc.
Yoga is an ancient art, a philosophy, a way to connect our breath and bodies to our “little s” and “big S” spirit. Yoga is guided, with love, to support your journey in life. It is profoundly effective self-care. Just as life itself is never mastered, neither is yoga. There is no good or bad, right or wrong. So, take a deep breath and accept the invitation to experience God’s love and word in a new way! Welcome!
Coordinator: Karin Bannerot
All are welcome to this beautiful service to celebrate God’s grace in our lives. Yoga Prayer Practice is an hour of prayer on Tuesday evenings
integrating gentle stretching yoga poses.
NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!
Serving Our Students (formerly Backpacks of Love)
This ministry has increased dramatically each year since it began five years ago. We conduct a drive at the beginning of each school year to collect school supplies and new backpacks to ensure that every child is well equipped to succeed. We work closely with the Family Resource Center (FRC) of the Roaring Fork Schools to ensure the items we collect are distributed appropriately. FRC is dedicated to meeting the needs of our community’s most vulnerable families. Often the most effective way to help is to give a financial contribution for use in purchasing supplies suitable for a child’s age, grade level, and needs. In the fall of 2022, the money we collect will also be used to support the Pathfinders crisis counseling programs in the schools. Pathfinders offers free individual and group counseling for students, staff and families who may be struggling with grief, loss, traumatic divorce, deportation, any type of family separation, illness, and caregiving. Lead: Kate Allenbach
Common Threads
A fiber art ministry for those who knit, crochet, quilt, embroider, needlepoint, or do other crafts. The group is making warm hats, mittens and scarves to send to refugees who have had to flee war-torn Ukraine. Common Threads members are not professionals, but they are always willing to help one another with tricky patterns or tutorials. The group has a relationship with a sister organization at an Anglican Church in Australia — Common Threads of St. Mark’s Anglican Church, in Dromana, Melbourne. Lead: Sue Craver
Extended Table
This ministry operates a food canteen, serving meals to the hungry from the kitchen of the United Methodist Church in Glenwood Springs. A team of St. Peter’s volunteers participates at least once a year in this valley-wide ministry. Lead: Marion Greene
Holiday Baskets
The Holiday Baskets program has supplied food and gifts to people in need in our valley for 40 years. Run entirely by volunteers, the program is a community effort with numerous groups and individuals participating. Saint Peter’s serves as the collection and distribution point for the baskets. The program collects gifts for more than 300 families in our valley and often provides the only holiday gifts they receive. Persons who wish to help may choose to sponsor a family, purchase a gift card, or make a cash contribution. Help is also greatly appreciated when St. Peter’s overflows with gifts ready to be sorted and delivered. Lead: Anne Blackwell
St. Peter’s Food Pantry. This ministry recently started up again after being in hiatus due to the Covid-19 virus. Healthy snacks are now being collected and taken to Stepping Stones in Carbondale, a mentoring and drop-in facility for youth ages 10–21 in the Roaring Fork Valley. Lead: Anne Blackwell
Tom’s Door Greeting Cards. Tom’s Door provides emergency assistance to people in need from Aspen to Rifle. Tom’s Door serves families who have encountered an unexpected bump in the road and would be facing devastating consequences if they did not receive help with essential expenses. Tom’s Door is known for its beautiful handmade notecards created by volunteers using photographs donated by professional and amateur photographers. Cards are on sale at St. Peter’s. Lead: Jackie Amthor
