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Regular Schedule

Office Hours

• Office
Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm

• Archives Wednesday: 9:30am - 12:30pm

Sunday

• Holy Communion - 8:30am

• Holy Communion (1st & 3rd Sundays) - 10:30am with the Choir, Sunday School and Child Care

• Morning Prayer (2nd, 4th & 5th Sundays) - 10:30am with the Choir, Sunday School and Child Care

Sunday, September 25th

Every Sunday we offer an 8:30AM Holy Communion Service. It is a "said service" with no music and takes place at the St. Mark's Altar.

The 10:30AM service has returned to its regular schedule of a Holy Communion service on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month and a Morning Prayer service on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month. This Sunday, September 25th will be a Morning Prayer Service. We hope you will join us for one of these Sunday services.

The full choir will be singing with this week's anthem, "Give Almes of thy Goods " by Christopher Tye. Mary Bon will be playing the organ, the Sunday School children will be busy baking Prayer Pretzels, and Child Care will be available.

Coffee Hour will be offered in the Pumpelly Room following the 10:30AM service. All are welcome.

Our Stories of God

Below is a link to the kickoff sermon in a series on "Our Stories of God at St. Peter’s Church, Albany". The series began Sunday, September 18th and will conclude on All Saints’ Sunday, November 6th.

“Jesus is in the Midst of our Stories”

https://youtu.be/SVTlroci-HQ

Announcements

Prayer Pretzels/Sunday School Registration: Today Sunday School registration will take place and the children will be busy making prayer pretzels. Please take a moment to stop upstairs to complete a registration card for your child(ren).

Outreach Meeting: Today, Sunday, September 25th, Laura Saffares will be directing the first meeting for the Community Outreach Committee, following the 10:30AM service. The meeting will be held in the Meeting Room on the second floor of the Guild House. Anyone who has an interest in serving the community, please stop in to see how you can help! If you have any questions, please feel free to call Laura. You can reach her at (518) 368-4284. Please keep an eye out for more information on all of the outreach services that we will be participating in.

Flower Guild Fall Class: For anyone interested in arranging flowers and/or learning more about the Flower Guild, we will be having a demonstration class next Sunday, October 2nd after the 10:30AM service (with light refreshments). Anyone who would like to attend is welcome - no experience necessary! If you have any questions or would like to attend, please call Ruth Manss in the church office at (518) 434-3502 or Nancy Creagan at (518) 438-3985.

Holy Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation Classes: This fall, classes will begin to prepare children in first grade and older to receive first Holy Communion. In addition, Confirmation classes are beginning for Christians aged 13 and older. To take the classes, individuals must be baptized first. Please see Mtr. Christina if you have an interest in preparation for Baptism, Communion or Confirmation or call the church office to speak to her.

SAVE THE DATE: Storytelling Sunday and Chili Cookoff ~ Sunday, October 16th. Bring your stories and most mouth-watering chili for a lunchtime gathering of fellowship and good food in the Great Hall upstairs, immediately following the 10:30AM service. The coveted “Jacob” award will be given as a prize for the best chili. More details to come.

Altar Guild Meeting: The Altar Guild will hold a meeting on Sunday, October 23rd immediately following the 10:30AM service. New members and any interested persons are welcome. Topics this year will include a review of our new procedures in setting up St Mark’s and the Main Altar and a review of our Festival Day services. We will gather by the St. Mark’s altar in the church. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Ruth in the church office at (518)434-3502.

Coffee Hour Volunteers: We are still looking for volunteers to host coffee hour after the 10:30AM service. It’s a great opportunity for casual conversations, information sharing and just plain enjoyment of others in the St. Peter’s family. It’s fun and fairly easy. Don’t feel like baking or buying goodies? The kitchen freezer is always well stocked! Think you might need a bit of help? There are detailed instructions in the kitchen and helpers are always there too. An updated schedule has been posted in the kitchen - take a look and give it a try this fall. It’s a rewarding stewardship that makes participants happy! Please contact Michele Vennard at (518)858-0525(c), (518)274-4989(h) or email her at: mlvennard@gmail.com

Welcome to St. Peter's

St. Peter's is an active church with a rich history. With a faithful membership, St. Peter's seeks to worship God, to support the spiritual growth of all parishioners, to reach out to the surrounding community, and to preserve our unique Christian heritage for the benefit of future generations.

St. Peter's has served as an active center of worship for over 300 years. A member of the Diocese of Albany, St. Peter's existed before the formation of the Episcopal Church after the American Revolution. The current St. Peter's Church is the third structure in the parish's history, the first having been built in 1715.

Much of the life of the church takes place in the Guild House adjacent to the church, which houses the church offices, the Sunday school classrooms, the nursery, the choir room, the archives, a large auditorium with full kitchen, the Pumpelly Room parlor for receptions, and upper floor apartments.

Neil K. Keen

Organist & Choirmaster

St. Peter's Episcopal Church

Our beloved organist and choirmaster, Neil Keen passed away on Saturday, August 27th, 2022. His obituary can be found by clicking on the link below.

https://www.brycefuneralhome.com/obituary/Neil-Keen

At Neil's funeral, Mtr. Christina Hunter read a remembrance letter that Fr. Paul Hartt wrote. To view this letter click the link below.

https://www.stpeterschurchalbany.org/download/20/neil-keen-funeral/4703/neil-keen-remembrance

COVID Guidelines for Worship at St. Peter's Church updated August 2022

The clergy and Vestry of St. Peter’s are continuing to monitor the public health situation. We wish to find ways of being together in worship and fellowship that take into consideration the varied needs and comfort levels of our congregation.

Current research on Covid continues to show that transmission of the virus most often occurs through exhaled air. This means that masking and distancing, along with vaccinations, are the most effective means of preventing the spread of the virus.

Use of the common cup during communion is being restored at St. Peter’s, based on the research that – while transmission of the virus through saliva is possible – studies seem to indicate that to be a very low possibility.

The practice of receiving communion via intinction – while permitted -- potentially presents a higher risk of transmission than drinking from a common cup because the fingers of parishioners sometimes accidentally touch the chalice or the consecrated wine.

With all that said, here are the updated COVID Guidelines:

Receiving communion in both kinds is permitted, including drinking directly from the chalice. As always, parishioners who are not comfortable partaking of the chalice may receive the fullness of the risen presence of Jesus Christ in the bread.

Although intinction is still permitted, we would ask parishioners who plan to receive the sacrament in this way to sanitize their hands immediately before approaching the altar rail.

The priest and lay eucharistic ministers will sanitize their hands immediately before administering the sacrament to the congregation.

Masking and distancing, while not required, are certainly always welcome here at St. Peter’s.

As always, we would ask anyone who shows any signs or symptoms of potential Covid infection to stay home from church and to consider testing.

We are always seeking better ways to navigate this difficult time in our church and world with charity and openness. If you have suggestions or concerns, please feel free to talk to Mtr. Christina or any member of the Vestry.