Page 8 - Annual Meeting, 2022

Cookie Davis, Junior Warden, Eunice Key, Andrea Pogue and Robert Bryan have been
faithful, creative and disciplined workers in their service to St Peter’s through the Vestry.
Elizabeth Heimbach continues as our meticulous Registrar, keeping the record of our work
for future generations. Jim Heimbach joins the meetings to keep us updated on our
finances. Thanks to this group, and to others who have served on the Vestry through the
years, St Peter’s continues to “do God’s will” and be a sign of God’s presence in the world. I
give thanks for this Vestry and all it has done in 2021 to keep us together throughout the
pandemic.

Ben Hicks donates hours of his time to St Peter’s each week to produce our weekly worship
bulletins, and to keep our website up to date and brimming with a visual record of our lives
together at St Peter’s each week. He also oversees the St Peter’s Facebook page. As Ben
says, “Photos tell a story, our story!” Ben also lays out and formats the Parish Post
newsletter each month. We have no paid staff to do this work, we so we give thanks for
Ben’s ongoing work on our behalf.

St Peter’s is a part of the larger Episcopal Church. Our church is in the Diocese of Virginia.
Last January, The Rt Rev Porter Taylor, Assisting Bishop in the Diocese, joined us on Zoom
and served as our preacher. Cookie Davis, the St Peter’s delegate, and I attended the
Diocesan convention via Zoom in November. At this convention, a new plan of giving to the
Diocese by parishes was approved. Our pledge to the Diocese will be increasing. As we
move forward with our work toward racial reconciliation and healing, Dr. J. Lee Hill, Jr., the
new Diocesan Missioner for Racial Justice and Healing will provide resources and Diocesan
support for our ongoing work. In 2022, we will have a Convention in June to elect the new
Bishop Diocesan. This person will be ordained as our Diocesan Bishop in December of
2022. All of us will have the opportunity to meet the candidates for this position and to
give our input prior to the election. Assistant Bishop Jennifer Brooke Davidson will be
visiting St Peter’s in June of this year. Please keep the Diocese in your prayers as this
important year in our lives together unfolds. In May of 2022, Catherine will join with a
group from around the Diocese to travel to New Mexico and The Episcopal Church in
Navajoland, where we will learn from and worship with Native American Episcopalians.

“Old friends pass way, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new
day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend—or a

meaningful day.” This quote from the Dalai Lama sums up life at St Peter’s in 2021—
despite the varied changes and chances of this life, we continue to make our lives together
as the St Peter’s community meaningful and fruitful work for God’s reign on this earth. As
we say goodbye to all that has passed away, we welcome with open arms all that is to come,
for God is with us and gives us strength.

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