The Deacon's Corner
The Rev. Deacon Karla Westfall Hunt is a vocational deacon, serving under the Bishop in collaboration with the priest at St. Peter’s where she has been assigned since August 2019. As stated in The Catechism: The ministry of a deacon is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as a servant of those in need; and to assist bishops and priests in the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments. (BCP, p. 856)
Deacon Christine Garcia and I sit on the corner at 22nd and X Streets from 10-11AM Wednesday mornings making ourselves available to the community for prayers of intercession or thanksgiving. We call it Prayers to Go (P2G).
The ministry has been so well received that folks stopped by the church office looking for prayer when we were not present. To accommodate this need, a P2G box, modeled on the Free Little Library boxes, has been erected on the corner. There are three shelves inside: the bottom shelf provides paper and pens, prayer requests can be left in the basket on the middle shelf and the basket on the top shelf holds prayers for people to take with them.
The box is checked on Wednesdays and Sundays and the requests are incorporated into the Prayers of the People and retained for parishioners to include in their personal prayers. During our Sunday services, when prayers for healing are offered, a member of the congregation stands in the gap for all who have left a request in the prayer box and the congregation is invited to come forward and lay hands on them while healing prayer is offered.
Again this Christmas, the parishioners of St. Peter's will be providing Christmas stockings for the residents and staff of the group homes across the street. You are invited and encouraged to participate by supplying small items suitable as stocking stuffers, such as: toiletries, gift cards, small toys, playing cards, candy or other items. The deadline and stocking stuffing party will be after coffee hour on Sunday, December 18, 2022. Please email Deacon Karla if you have questions.
I participate with several parishioners in the food distribution program and also volunteer in the chaplain’s office at Richmond Community Hospital on Tuesday mornings.
Deacon Christine and I participate together and individually with the Richmond Police Department and its Faith Leaders Group as in the performance of RESETs after traumatic events in a community.
Deacon Christine Garcia and I sit on the corner at 22nd and X Streets from 10-11AM Wednesday mornings making ourselves available to the community for prayers of intercession or thanksgiving. We call it Prayers to Go (P2G).
The ministry has been so well received that folks stopped by the church office looking for prayer when we were not present. To accommodate this need, a P2G box, modeled on the Free Little Library boxes, has been erected on the corner. There are three shelves inside: the bottom shelf provides paper and pens, prayer requests can be left in the basket on the middle shelf and the basket on the top shelf holds prayers for people to take with them.
The box is checked on Wednesdays and Sundays and the requests are incorporated into the Prayers of the People and retained for parishioners to include in their personal prayers. During our Sunday services, when prayers for healing are offered, a member of the congregation stands in the gap for all who have left a request in the prayer box and the congregation is invited to come forward and lay hands on them while healing prayer is offered.
Again this Christmas, the parishioners of St. Peter's will be providing Christmas stockings for the residents and staff of the group homes across the street. You are invited and encouraged to participate by supplying small items suitable as stocking stuffers, such as: toiletries, gift cards, small toys, playing cards, candy or other items. The deadline and stocking stuffing party will be after coffee hour on Sunday, December 18, 2022. Please email Deacon Karla if you have questions.
I participate with several parishioners in the food distribution program and also volunteer in the chaplain’s office at Richmond Community Hospital on Tuesday mornings.
Deacon Christine and I participate together and individually with the Richmond Police Department and its Faith Leaders Group as in the performance of RESETs after traumatic events in a community.
Please let me know if you have questions or comments. Please contact me if you’re discerning a call to any of these ministries.
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St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
1719 N. 22nd Street Richmond VA 23223 804-643-2686 stpeterschurchhill@gmail.com |
