The Parish of St. Peter Episcopal Church, St. Croix Celebrates 49 years!!
 
Under the theme, “Nurturing the lambs of Christ; spiritually and physically..” the Vestry, Rector and Congregation of St. Peter Episcopal Church, St. Croix in the Diocese of the United States Virgin Islands, celebrated their forty-ninth anniversary of service to the people of God. The celebration spanned over the period June 23 to 30 with a number of activities punctuating the normal routine. The congregation opened the week with a Mass on the beach at Cramer’s Park where some 123 members gathered to share in praise, thanksgiving and fellowship. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., the Mass was led by the Rector, the Rev. Fr. Alric H. Francis Sr and lessons read by the youth, the day being Youth Fellowship Corporate Worship. All ages participated in the service which was followed by a sumptuous brunch provided by the Vestry members and other volunteers. The members then joined in fun and games while basking in the shallow waters and sandy beach.

Monday June 24th at about 8:45 a.m. saw members of both Vestry and Congregation joining in serving breakfast to a number of needy and homeless persons around the community including the Castle Coakley, Christiansted and Orange Grove locations. Congregants then engaged in reflections dubbed, Historical Night, at 6:30 p.m. when at the parish hall venue, members with staggered years of membership reflected over the past forty-nine (49) years. Individuals traced the congregation’s history and recalled how the membership begun out of a need to service and care for persons who had moved away from the main residential areas of established Episcopal parishes/churches. Many learnt of the first services that were held in the current parish hall and the struggles to ‘keep the lights on,’ grow the membership, and providing for the clergy in charge.

Tuesday June 25th brought together again to participate in discussions labelled, “Expressions,” providing an open forum for members to reflect on the past and present, and to offer plans, suggestions, volunteering and hopes for the future of the congregation. Out of the discussions, many opined that much work has been accomplished especially in the area of volunteerism. However, it was noted that because of the unique location of the church building, challenges were experienced in providing community outreach. (The church is situated in a somewhat industrial and shopping locale.) It was agreed that more effort should and would be placed in the outreach ministry, especially among the seniors and youth.

Wednesday June 26th saw a number of pastoral visits made to persons who were restricted to their homes, known as sick and shut-ins. These persons were blessed with prayers, scriptural readings and tokens of assistance. 7:00 p.m. was our scheduled mission service where congregants, friends, families and visitors employed a session of praise and worship songs to the accompaniment of drums, piano, and guitar. It was a night of dancing, singing and praising God for His wonderful blessings over the years. A soul-searching, conscience-pricking, down-to-earth sermon was the highlight of this evening preached by Pastor Clive Williams of the Evangelistic Pentecostal Church. Pastor Williams used the passage, John 21:15-25 to urge listeners to show their own love for Christ by engaging in ministry of service to others.

Thursday 27th June was dedicated to an extensive cleaning of the church building and parish hall. It was a blessing to see members removing fixtures, cleaning and replacing and literally giving the buildings a face-lift that was quite a sight to behold. Congregants showed their love and reverence for God in presenting His house as a place of dignity and hallowed grounds. It was also a day of decorating our parish hall for the annual dinner.

Friday 28th June brought persons from all walks of life to participate in the annual patronal dinner sponsored by the Vestry. The event was blessed with great weather and an ambience of decorations, attire, fellowship and renewal. In following the tradition, three honorees were especially highlighted for their work and visibility in the life of this Parish Church. The honorees were; Irita Griffin, Trey Francis, and Marvelyn Jeffers. Irita was being acknowledged for her selfless volunteerism as a member of the Altar Guild, cook, and especially for her unselfish hard work in helping to restore the church building to normalcy for worship following the passing of Hurricane Maria in 2017. Trey Francis, our most active youth, received acknowledgment for his dedication and involvement in the life of youth ministry and opportunities of ‘acting’ as Celebrant and Preacher at Mass on many Youth Sunday Corporate Worship services. Marvelyn Jeffers, the immediate past office Secretary received acknowledgement for her service assisting in the area of administration of the parish, and providing much needed support and assistance to the groups and committees of the parish. The patrons of the dinner were serenaded with music from D.J. Ayala and Alric “Juiceman” Francis, Jr. with master of ceremonies shared by the Rector and Senior Warden, Gloria Euzebe, and a sumptuous dinner provided by members of the Vestry and other volunteers.

Saturday 29th June was the actual Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul and a mass of commemoration was held in the parish church at 12:10 p.m. The Mass also had as special intent, thanksgiving to Almighty God for the 20th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Ian Rock’s ordination to the Diaconate. Following the Mass, several members joined once again in serving meals to the less fortunate and homeless in the areas of Castle Coakley, Christiansted, Orange Grove and Frederiksted.

The activities and observances concluded with a patronal mass on Sunday June 30th with the Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. E. Ambrose Gumbs as Celebrant and Preacher. Bishop Gumbs focused on the Old Testament Reading from Ezekiel 34:11-16, noting that God has and continues to take a very personal interest in searching out for lost sheep, restoring them through reconciliation, and that He has sent all baptized to act on His behalf. A highlight of the service was the anthem, “O give thanks unto the Lord” by George J. Elvey, sung by the Deanery Choir, led and directed by Mrs. Monica Jacobs. Musical accompaniment was ably provided by Mr. Bentley Cornelius and Mr. Zaheer Popo. Following the service, the entire congregation joined in a wonderful fellowship with refreshments provided by the parish vestry.

As the curtains came down on a very productive and celebratory week, the Rector gave thanks to Almighty God for calling each person who participated in the life of His service in the Church of St. Peter. Expressions of thanks were heartily extended to the members of the Vestry led by the Wardens for some extremely hard work in organizing and producing the events noted. God has been gracious and wonderful to and in the lives of the people of St. Peter Episcopal Church, especially over the past 49 years……and every petition is being made for continued fortitude and vision as His people look forward to celebrate their fiftieth (50th) anniversary in the year, 2020.

​The Diocese of the Virgin Islands was represented at the Diocese of Alabama’s Camp Sawyerville by Timothy Malone, who volunteered as a counselor for the second consecutive year. The camp, which was run for three one-week sessions in June, provides the opportunities for children between the ages of 6 and 13 to attend summer camp free of cost. In addition to the usual camp program, attention is paid to helping the children improve their reading and social skills. Tha camp is held each year at the Greensboro Elementary School.
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Alabama's Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Kee Sloan says, "There is something extraordinary and wonderful about having a place you belong, a community of the children of God that accepts and values you as you are. The Sawyerville ministry is made of hundreds of parts and people – from bus rides to writing projects, from drum circles and energetic songs to quiet reflections and tearful goodbyes and stories that shape the lives of campers and staff alike – but it’s the belonging that makes it magical, a communion of unlikely saints who come together to seek and find Jesus in each other, and so find Jesus in themselves".

​It was worship with a difference on June 30th for St. Paul Sea Cow’s Bay, as members and friends set sail for the island of Jost Van Dyke. Accompanied by guitars, cowbell, congo drum, squash, and triangle the adventurers sang praise and worship songs as they sailed along a section of the archipelago of 60 islands and cays that make up the (British) Virgin Islands. The islands they passed included Peter Island, Ginger Island, and Fallen Jerusalem. Once they docked at Jost Van Dyke, they travelled by bus to Ivan’s Campground at White Bay where they celebrated the Eucharist and then enjoyed lunch, after which some took advantage of the pristine blue water and others socialized or dozed in the shade. It was such a wonderful adventure that there were many requests to make it an annual event. If you missed this one, start making plans to join us for the last Sunday of June 2020.

The Episcopal Deanery Choir of St. Croix, led by Choir Director Monica Jacobs (center), outdid itself again!! This time, it was the Centennial Tea Party.  Over 100 persons wearing fashionable hats, gloves, bow ties and polka dots gathered at the D.C. Canegata Recreation Center to sip tea, nibble on delicacies, and enjoy a Sunday afternoon of singing, dancing, skits, laughter and more laughter.  The Tea Party was one of many events scheduled this year in celebration of the Centennial of the Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands, which was transferred from the Episcopal Diocese of Antigua, West Indies to The Episcopal Church on April 30, 1919.  A bright collage of colors filled the Center as the ladies "fancied" themselves, and the gentlemen displayed their courtly manners.

Director of the Center for Faith and Opportunities Initiatives of the Department of Homeland Security, Kevin Smith, visited St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. on June 26th to meet with faith-based and non-profit leaders.
 
The visit was facilitated by the Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands, through the Rt. Rev. E. Ambrose Gumbs. Mr. Smith, who is appointed by US President, Donald Trump, is a Certified Emergency Manager who has a long and illustrious career with various faith-based organizations, including the Salvation Army.  He holds a certification in Emergency Management from Harvard University.
 
He was accompanied by Mr. Tito Hernandez, Acting Director of FEMA’s Caribbean Area Division and his Executive Assistant, Monica Javier Cotto, Sharon Echevarria-Wells, Operations Manager for the DHS Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, Davica Brathwaite, FEMA’s Volunteer Agency Liasion, and Eric Adams, the agency’s External Affairs Officer.
 
Those attending the meeting were made aware of the resources available to  faith-based and non-profit groups to enable our local communities to build resiliency, especially in light of the expected increase in severe hurricanes  because of climate change and our vulnerability to earthquakes and tsunamis, manmade disasters, and terrorism.
 
It was noted that the volunteer sector of the community (churches, worship centers and non-profits) have considerable resources that, if properly organized, would greatly benefit our communities and support government’s preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery efforts and operations.
 
Mr. Smith outlined the process for having church facilities designated as temporary shelters and as points of distribution, while Mr. Hernandez stresed the importance of every church leader being able to do damage assessment immediately after any disaster declaration in order to begin the process of applying for assistance.
 
After the summit, Mr. Smith and the FEMA team visited and toured Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, where accommodations have been built to house emergency responders. They were pleased with Bishop Gumbs’ vision for that project and for a similar one at St. Luke’s Church.
 
The mini-summit was held at St. Andrew’s Parish Hall. The Diocese will be following up with training opportunities for other faith-based and non-profit organizations in keeping with the mandate from Bishop Gumbs to take the Church out into the community.
 
Submitted by: Riise E. S. Richards

Six youth and two leaders from the Diocese of the Virgin Islands are currently in Alabama attending Senior Camp at Camp McDowell.  Three of the young men -- Khaleel Ephraim, Clifton Forbes, Jr. , and Timothy Malone -- are from the BVI Deanery, while LyQuan Harrigan is representing the Deanery of St. Thomas/St. John, and Saeed Phillips and Ahquanie Weekes are from the St. Croix Deanery. They are accompanied by Trevaughn Todman, Chair of the Diocesan Youth Committee, and Kayron Todman a Youth Leader from St. Paul's Church, Sea Cow's Bay. The Diocese of Alabama, which shares a Companion Relationship with the Diocese of the Virgin Islands, assisted in making the trip possible. ​

Before heading off to camp, members of the group visited several sites in Birmingham including the Civil Rights Institute, the 16th St. Baptist Church, Vulcan Park and Museum, and the Space and Rocket Center. They also made presentations to Bishop Kee Sloan, Deacon Jeannie Randall, Chair of the Companion Relationship Committee, and Kathleen Lynch, Chair of Alabama's Youth and Young Adult Commission.