St. Peter’s Episcopal Church – 2/7/2010
February 7, 2010 by George · 3 Comments 
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Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) PostsThe Holy Apostles visited:
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
140 Rainbow Blvd.
Niagara Falls, NY 14303
About George
There was a good message delivered today at St. Peter’s in the Falls. Rev. Gordy challenged the congregation to think a little about…Evangelism. Yeah, she said it, right there in church, in front of about 35 Episcopalians. I felt a smile on my face, but as I looked around, I felt that my enthusiasm was not being shared by any more than a handful of others. Fortunately Sare was able to bring them around with her explanation of how simple it can be if you really get it, and how a new approach can make all the difference in the world.
Simply,
When you get IT, you will be different. It will be noticed. Tell them why. Ask them to come and share IT!
The folks at St. Peter’s seemed a little introverted to me. They were nice enough, and not unfriendly, but it just seemed, except for a few, that there was some sort of barrier or invisible wall that was shielding them from anything outside their comfort zone. I will give them the benefit of doubt because our traveling group of “Holy Apostles” can be a little ________ (fill in the blank) when we take a church by surprise. Hey, that’s the way we roll.
All in all, this is a beautiful, historic church. The service was Traditional, the choir and music was very good. The folks at St. Peter’s are very dedicated and it’s apparent when you look around. There’s a lot of room in this church. I hope they’re successful at going out and catching people (Luke 5:10).
Attending St. Peter’s Church today was in a sense a “homecoming” and it was wonderful to be again ” challenged “by Sare! The call to think about our ways of being evangelical was clearly and simply laid out for all to think about during the week. What excites us in our episcopal church experience that we would want to share with others? Do people SEE something different about us that maybe they are curious about? Could that be an invitation to ask them if they’d like to “come and see”? She also spoke of needing to “update” as a help of en-couraging people to investigate the episcopal church. She got us to laugh also which astonished some of the congregation. People need to have a laugh with the Lord!
The church is historically old and somewhat ornate; the choir was excellent with a nice rendition of a southern type hymn, The wedding side chapel is lovely and a parishioner told me they have many weddings throughout the year. The folks here were a little shy approaching us but were very friendly when encountered.in the coffee room. I believe they see the need to have younger folks in the congregation and also the to encourage the current members to realize it will soon be necessary to join with smaller churches in the future.
Anyway, it was wonderful to be with Sare again and I think she was truly pleased we joined her today! Whooo!
Well….I have to say that this church, speaking from my first impression, was not the friendliest. I had a little trouble with finding a place to park. That was my fault. However, not knowing what door to enter wasn’t. It’s hard to explain but, one usually can see an open door or an entrance of some sort when going to a new church. I mean, finding the door was never an issue…until now. Thank God for a couple of regular parishioners coming towards us up the walk because I used them as a gauge for where the door was. But….going through that door didn’t get us in the church. That was just a pre-entrance. That got us in a small, dark vestibule type space with no signs telling us we were heading in the right direction. There were no sounds either. Silence. But, we forged on and went through the next set of double doors and there he was…..the usher, I think, who just stared at me and didn’t say a word until I did. I believe I caught him off guard or something because when I held out my hand for the worship guide, he took it and shook it but didn’t put the guide in it. I actually had to take the worship quide from his hand..really. It took a bit but I collected myself and proceded onwards towards my fellow Apostles to sit in my very warm and padded seat. By the way, just in case you’re looking for warmth in a church… a lot of warmth, this church is for you. I say that because just under your seat, there are hot water heating pipes that keep you toasty….really toasty.
So, after one terrific sermon, we were invited for coffee and went to the coffee area only to find just one cup left in the pot and no one was making more. That means that some of us didn’t get any. There was no water either, cold or otherwise, or tea of any kind. But, they did have cake…it looked really good too. Unfortunately, I could only look at it because no one offered any to me. Didn’t offer me a seat either. In fact, our little group could only stand in a small area between the parishioners huddled in the “Parish Office” and the others who were sitting eating cake. A couple people came up to us to chat a bit. They were nice.
I know I’m being a bit harsh here but, for Pete’s sake, when a newcomer walks through your doors, greet them…say hello, welcome to St. Peter’s or wherever especially when you have so few worshippers coming at all. When you invite someone to coffee, have enough, and offer a seat and some of that cake you’re eating too. We don’t need much to like a church. An open door, friendly folks and a good preacher is all.