Rector's Note: Welcome Home-9.4.25

Some churches call it Rally Day. Others have ministry fairs. Last year, we decided to call our day to kick off the program year Homecoming Sunday. And that’s what we’re calling it this year as well. It’s this Sunday, Sept. 7.

Homecoming.

Because summer sends us in so many directions – vacations, summer camps and varied family schedules. Our numbers on Sundays are typically about thirty people fewer than when the program year gets revved up in October. At the same time, we get visitors from other places, folks who came to the Philly area to see family or go on vacation who might check us out on a Sunday.

But then there is that time of return. The pews begin to fill a bit more each week. The sign of peace lasts longer. The announcements grow in number.

And then it’s Homecoming and we’re off and running.

This Sunday our Homecoming Liturgy will include the sounds of our old friends from Jazz Sanctuary. We will bless our ministries and all who both run them and receive them, and we’ll meet our Vestry members. We’ve invited former parishioners to come back for a visit, and we hope they’ll join us for cake during fellowship. (If you can, please bring a little fruit to share to make the fellowship even sweeter.) Dave Kipphut will provide tours of the plant for those who’d like to get a closer look at the place.

Look for updated Ministry Catalogue/Parish Directories in the parish hall so you can learn more about the programs and ministries on deck for this program year and how to catch up with those great people you just met at Fellowship. And if your updates didn’t make it in this time around, there will be another directory in January. Look for forms on the tables to update your information so we can give you a shout-out on your birthday or anniversary.

I’ve always felt that home was the place that misses you when you are gone. The sign of peace at St. Peter’s is a sign of home. The Welcome Team members, who accompany new people throughout the year until the place no longer feels so new, are a sign of home. Fellowship is a sign of home.

But homes and households change as well. They get new furniture and new paint. New people join the family; others find new homes. There are births and deaths along the way. All of that makes Homecoming a little different each year.

Look for some new approaches and programs this year, such as:

• A new complement of Forums will grace our Sunday fellowship hour.

• A Confirmation class for youth and teens will start in October. And Second Sunday Youth Ministry nights will offer service hours and will now feature dinner guests and service projects.

• During Stewardship season in October and November, folks will gather at one another’s homes for potluck dinners or lunches to get to know one another better.

• A Craft Sale fundraiser is in the works for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so you can purchase early Christmas presents and support St. Peter’s.

• In coming months, our church will get a new steeple after more than a year of diligent planning by staff and parishioners.

Meanwhile, our ongoing ministries and programs will continue, and they welcome you to add your gifts to the mix.

I look forward to seeing you at Homecoming and beyond!