KEYS TO ST. PETER’S RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

113 South 9th St.

Oxford, Mississippi 38655

Office: 662-234-1269

Fax: 662-236-5416

Clergy On-Call Phone: 662-202-8677

administrator@stpetersoxford.org

www.stpetersoxford.org

Non Profit Organization PAID

U. S. Postage Paid

Oxford, MS 38655

Pre-sorted Permit #111

This Month:

January 5 at 5:30 p.m.: Epiphany Eve Festival of Lights

January 23 at 9:00 a.m.: Annual Parish Meeting

January 28-30: Annual Council in Jackson, MS

Next Month:

February 9 at 5:30 p.m.: Evensong

February 13 at 5:30 p..m.: Hymn Sing

February 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. : Valentine’s Day Bridge

Comfort Stations in the ICU Waiting Rooms Need Your

Help! During the month of February, St. Peter’s will be supplying needed items for the Comfort Stations in the ICU Waiting Rooms at Baptist Memorial Hospital North Mississippi . Often family members leave hurriedly for the hospital or find that they are required to stay with a patient for an extended period of time and have forgotten to bring something with them. Many times they are reluctant to leave the hospital to go shopping. Therefore, during the year various churches in the Oxford community provide items such as: toothbrushes, toothpaste, pencils, pens, writing paper, deodorant, brushes/ combs and feminine products for the families of patients who are in the Intensive Care Units. A basket in which you may place your donations is available in the Foyer. If you prefer to make a monetary donation, leave your check in the office and designate it for “ICU Comfort Stations”. For more information and/or to volunteer to help, contact Deacon Penny Sisson at 801-1269 or Marion Smith at 236-9973.

Our Mission: “To share the love of Christ which transforms lives.”

THE KEYS TO ST. PETER’S St . Peter ’s Episcopal Church

I’ve never been very successful at sending out Christmas cards or “family newsletters” before Christmas Day a rrives. Every few years, I gather myself together in the few days after Christmas and send out some greetings and family news to those who live far away. I begin by saying, “I’m writing this during the twelve days of Christmas…” and remind everyone that it is a season, not just a day. So, Merry Christmas!

The past few years I have gotten a card from an Episcopalian who lives elsewhere in Mississippi but attends St. Peter’s on many weekends when he is in town. It is sent intentionally late, I think, in order to remind us that Christmas—or at least “the work of Christmas”—continues throughout the year. The card always includes lines of poetry that I came across again this week. And this time I know that the author was Howard Thurman, an African-American Baptist pastor, seminary dean, philosopher and theologian, and spiritual mentor to many. The poem is called “The Work of Christmas.”

When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with

their flock, The work of Christmas begins:

The Work of Christmas

January 2011

To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart.

There are many of you at St. Peter’s Church whose lives manifest the work of Christmas throughout the year, and I give thanks for your faith in action. So, I hope you are having a blessed Christmastide, one during which you will be able to get-ting lots of rest, so you will be pre-pared to continue the work of Christmas by sharing the love of Christ which can transform lives—even our very own.

Foyers is a group that is made up of 8 or fewer members in a group that meet for dinner. It is a social gathering that gives us a chance to get to know those with whom we worship on Sundays a bit better. The groups are formed at random and change after 4 months. The next group will begin in February. The meals are very simple and shared.

For more information Call MaryJane Dollar at 236-2479 or Marie Barksdale at 234-0802.

This is a wonderful way to meet members of St. Peter's.

Going Green???

Want to receive the newsletter faster?

It’s available online at www.stpetersoxford.org

If you no longer wish to receive a paper copy of the newsletter each month, please contact the church office at 234-1269 or administrator@stpetersoxford.org.

Foyers Sign Up

55PLUS: Geography Games

Thursday, January 27 at NOON in Parish Hall: Ed Sharpe will lead us in Geography Games—Shades of Grade School. Yes, you will need reservations. For reservations, please call Elizabeth at 234-3821 by January 24.

The Windows of St. Peter's

The Stained Glass Windows of St. Pe-ter's Episcopal Church features excel-lent prints of all of the windows in the historic 1860 church building. ...

Each window has an explanation of the history of the window with Informa-tion about the donor families where applicable. Other essays include a brief history of the parish, a general essay about the windows and an article on St. Peter's windows by renowned stained glass expert, Virginia Raguin.

Charles Reagan Wilson served as the editor; Jean Moore Kiger was the Pro-ject Director, benefactor, and the author of the general essay; Langdon Clay was the photographer. The book was pub-lished by the Nautilus Publishing Com-pany.

Copies are $10 each and can be purchased at the parish office: 662.234.1269. Cost for shipping and handling is an additional $2.50 when copies are mailed. A check made pay-able to St. Peter's Church with the nota-tion "windows book," along with instruc-tions for shipping the books can be mailed to the church at 113 South 9th St., Oxford, MS 38655.

Please accept our heartfelt appreciation for your generosity in donating to the staff

Christmas fund.

The Rev. Taylor Moore, The Rev. Laura Gettys, The Rev. Janet Oller, The Rev. Bruce McMillan, The Rev. Penny

Sisson, Jennifer West, Wren Dabney, Whitney Moore, Don Trott, Steven Taranto, Janna Montgomery, Teresa Adams, Patricia Wilkerson, Marjorie

Young, Calvin Harmon, and Kay Paris.

Sr. Warden Report:

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church—Operating Statement 11/2010

The Search Committee for the Associate Rector position will begin meeting in January to finalize the job description, post the call for the position, review resumes, and interview candidates. They will work with the Vestry, clergy, and others to make a recommendation to Taylor and fill the position July 1. If you know of possible candidates the committee should contact, please let Taylor or me know. With a grateful heart, I thank you for your wonderful support of St.Peter's. We are blessed to share a very special church community. Thanks be to God. Peace and Happy New Year, Gloria

Dear Friends, May the joys of Christmas and the knowledge of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ bring you peace and happiness through the new year. I pray that you and your family have many blessings in 2011. Your participation at St. Peter's is a blessing to our church community. Please mark your calendar for Sunday, Jan. 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to join us in the Parish Hall for our Annual Parish Meeting. The main order of business will be to elect four new Vestry members to serve until 2014. Come participate in this important election of our lay leadership. If you wish to make nominations, please do so by the first week in January by contacting anyone on the of the Vestry Nomination Committee: Paula Farese, chair; Scott Knight; Katie McKee; or William Strickland. These fine folks are the retiring members of the Vestry. Please join me in thanking them for their dedicated service and leadership of St. Peter's. At the Annual Meeting we will

receive reports from our ministries and clergy as well as the budget for 2011. You will also have an opportunity to provide written input about St.Peter's. Before the meeting, please put some thought into what you think are our strengths, our challenges, and our dreams. Doing so will take only a few minutes and will help the Vestry plan for the coming years of our life together at St. Peter's. Hope to see you on the 23rd at 9:00 a.m. We celebrated Laura and Josh's ministry in our community with a lovely reception on Dec. 19. We wish them God's blessings as they move to Memphis. A thank you to Amy Scruggs and Sally Lyon for coordinating the gathering. Also thanks to Taylor Moore and Corinne Jackson for arranging for the gifts of a lovely creche set and a framed St. Peter's sesquicentennial print. We are grateful for Laura’s time at St. Peter’s, and we especially appreciate her work to coordinate pastoral care, develop lay leadership, and expand our Christian formation offerings.

SAVE THE DATE St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

2011 Annual Parish Meeting

Sunday, January 23, 2011

9:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall

Younger Children will have Christian Formation Classes.

Mark Your Summer Calendar! EYC Summer Mission to New Orleans—May 22-26 Vacation Bible School—June 20-24

Sign-Up for the Youth Lock-In at Annual Council! 9th-12th grade

January 28-30 • Jackson, MS Register On-Line at www.dioms.org • Cost $45.00

Camp Bratton-Green camper and staff registration begins early this year on January

31st! You can find a schedule and register on-line through

www.graycenter.org

Adult Forums January 2: No Forum

January 9: Martin Luther King Jr.: Modern Saint and Martyr, Part I. In anticipation of our annual Martin Luther King Day celebration, UM history instructor Dalton Lyon will lead a discussion about the challenge that civil rights activists presented to the church community, focusing on the efforts by Dr. King and Mississippi activists to engage white Christians in the civil rights struggle.

January 16: Martin Luther King Jr.: Modern Saint and Martyr, Part II. In the second session of this two-part series, Charles Reagan Wilson, Cook Chair of History and professor of Southern studies at UM, will lead a discussion of historical factors influencing Dr. King—touching on the spiritual revolution of the time and the Vietnam War—as well as King’s influence around the world and in decades following.

January 23: No Forum-Annual Parish Meeting

January 30: Coffee Hour

Sunday Adult Bible Study

The Sunday Adult Bible Study Class will begin a study of the Epistle of James on Sunday, January 9th. Please join us in the front parlor during the Christian Formation Hour. Dewey Knight will lead the study, and The Rev. Taylor Moore will co-lead, using the historical critical method and group discussion. All are welcome to participate as we increase our individual and collective understanding of scripture. Questions about the class can be addressed to Dewey at 662-234-7363 or rdknight@olemiss.edu.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration:

There will be a parade beginning at Second Baptist at 5:30PM that encircles the Square and returning to Second Baptist with a program following led by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. It is open to the public and St. Peter’s parishioners are encouraged to attend and join in the festivities.

Everyday Sisters

The new semester for Everyday Sisters begins Thursday, January 20. Our meeting time is on

Thursdays from 9:30 till 11:00 a.m. in the large parlor with a nursery provided. We will be reading Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner, a memoir of Winner’s conversion from Judaism to Christianity. Bring your own copy of this book or buy one when we gather in January. We welcome women of all ages to join us as we read, study God’s Word, and fellowship together.

Contact: Betty Person (bettyperson@hotmail.com) Liza Mallette (mallette@panola.com) Rosie McDavid (rosie@olemiss.edu)

• Warren Turnbull, brother of Lucy Turnbull

• Allen Whittlesey, Kathy Gray’s father

• Lucy Turnbull, parishioner

• Beverly Hunt Maaya, daughter of Burl and Clara Hunt

• Murray Bullock, Jr., son of Bobbe Sue Bullock

• Pedro Gomez Lopez, grandfather of parishioner

• Charlie Smith, uncle of Michelle Neilson

• Katie Black, granddaughter of Lesca and Lea Black

• Kathryn McCormick

• Kathy Kvam, parishioner

• Nancy Love

• Reed Freeman, former rector in Hattiesburg

• Kathleen Potts, rector in Picayune

• Jewell Tatum, aunt of Dana Briscoe

• Kevin Stacy, son-in-law of Onaye Farrish

• Shamik Brasselle, friend of Tanna Sherril

• Lee Lott, friend of Doug Ferris

• Kathleen McMillan, mother of Bruce McMillan

• Susan Boehm, parishioner

• Velma Corder, friend of Kathryn Shoalmire

• Sara Wagoner, daughter of Marion and David Smith

• Sharon Moak Walker, friend of Mary Jo Ray

• Gee Gee Reed, mother of Olivia Dale

• Leifur Halldorsson, friend of Jo Turner

• Ula Leifsdottir, friend of Jo Turner

• Fran Watson, cousin of Amber Gray

• Mary Stuart Gilliam, Stuart McCluer’s grandmother

• John Jay Baker, friend of Beverly High

• Anne Ladner, daughter –in-law of Melanie Ladner

• Amanda Jost, friend of Dvae Spruill

• Ellen Geisler, friend of Dave Spruill

• John Crews, parishioner

• Stacey Warby

• Marian Sneed, parishioner

• Bobby Brown, son of Marian Sneed

• Matthew Brown, grandson of Marion Sneed

• Bill Russell, parishioner

• Neville Webb, parishioner

• Tom Bates, parishioner

• Haynes Ward, parishioner

• Suzanne Laird, daughter in law of Pudge Laird

• Jim Yates, friend of Lesca Black

• Tom Black, parishioner

• Mary Beasley, friend of Elizabeth Koletar

• Patricia Schager, mother in law of Rene’ Pulliam

• McCain Family, friends of Amy Barton

• Jessica Jetton, friend of Amy Barton

• Madden Family, friend of Amy Barton

• Michelle Miller and Family, friends of Amy Barton

• Debbie Davis and Family, friends of Amy Barton

• Emmeline Morris and Fam-ily, friend of Amy Barton

• Jane Barton, mother-in-law of Amy Barton

• Jessica Jetton, friend of Amy Barton

• Madden Family, friend of Amy Barton

• Michelle Miller and Family, friends of Amy Barton

• Debbie Davis and Family,

friends of Amy Barton

• Emmeline Morris and Fam-ily, friends of Amy Barton

• Gene McRoberts, uncle of Lane McCluer

• Kim, friend of Patricia Rogers Lewis

• Royce, friend of Patricia Rogers Lewis

• Gwenneth Ferrell, aunt by marriage of Dana Briscoe’s husband

• Phyllis Harmon, Calvin Harmon’s daughter

• Polly Rosa Ellis, parishioner

• Lunette Luther, aunt of Wanda Dean

For the Men and Women of the United States Armed Forces and

their Families:

Stuart Lacy, John Ferriter, Andrew Ferriter, Chad Morgan, Thomas Lumberg, Thomas Jones, Nicholas Thompson, Chris Knapp, Scott Scialabba, Will McKenzie, Austin Young, Joel Moore, Bowe Bergdahl, Bobby Nicks, David Foster, Joe Calley, Christopher Thompson, Alex Laird, Victoria & Brock Howell, Jason Hood, Simon Boteler, Braxton Bullion, and Louis Schager.

Requiem:

• Michael Jost, friend of Dave Spruill

• John Hester, friend of Olivia Dale

• Dr. Gaines Cooke, friend of Lee Moore

• Pam Frost, friend of Dirk Bender

Azalea Gardens: Betty Williams, Ann Jennings, Martha & John Rice, Sr., Marjorie Nevin

Hermitage Gardens: Patricia Smith, Mary Jo Ray, Lucile Easterbrook

Graceland: Rose Hogins, Olene Russell

Yalobusha: Adeline Houston

V. A. Retirement: Charlie Easterbrook

Intercessions

Births:

Ailie Lucille Peddle Sale and Laura Katherine Peddle Sale, daughters of Owen and Laura Sale, born December 17, 2010