From the Rector......
STREWING WITH FLOWERS
The first national observance of Memorial Day was May 30, 1868. According to General Order #11 of the Grand Army of the Republic, soldiers and citizens were encouraged to honor those who had died in battle during the Civil War by "...strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating, the graves of comrades..." Following the Great War (now known to history as World War I), the date was established as a Memorial Day for all those who died in wars. In 1971, Congress established the legal observance of Memorial Day as the last Monday of May.
A dictionary definition of the popular 19th century word "strew" is "to scatter; to spread by or as by sprinkling." The image it suggests is not the careful and intentional planting of a flowering plant, lovely though that is. Rather, the image suggests the way in which seed is distributed on the ground to grow crops or grass - scattered across the area, in the hope that sun and rain will allow the seed to take root and grow.
Jesus uses the image of the seed in parables, noting that not all the seed takes root, but that which does take root is more life-giving than we could ever imagine. Jesus also notes that the seed gives up its own life to make greater life possible.
It is a fitting image by which to recall those who lost their lives in combat, reflecting both the sadness at the loss of human life in such a violent way and the hope that such deaths are, mysteriously, able to impart a life-giving spirit to society as a whole.
May we not forget the price which has been paid by many families so that our lives may be lived peacefully and joyfully.
-- Stephen
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Worship
Youth Service -Young folks at St Peter's expertly led services on Sunday, May 17th, offering their voices in leading collects, scripture passages and prayers; their presence in ushering, bringing forward the gifts of bread and wine, and in passing the collection plate; and their musical skills in a beautifully executed postlude. Pastor Voysey reminded all during the service that "young people are not only the future of the Church, they are the Church," and through our young parishioners we know God's grace has been showered beyond measure upon us.
The Prayers of the People take on another dimension when it is our younger members voicing them (l-r: Samantha Marchiony, Athena Ardila, Anne King, Gabriella Ardila (blocked), Matt Jacobs, Will Jacobs).
Ellie Lachenauerpresents Marcello's Adagio to a grateful congregation.
Adult Bible Study meets each Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in the Bidwell Room.
On May 31, the Rector will lead a conversation on John 3:1-17.
 Prayer Group
The Prayer Group meets in the
Bidwell Room on Thursday afternoons at 4:00 pm and lasts about one hour.
We read aloud the Order for Evening Prayer, Compline, or a Service for
Worship in the Evening, and have 10-15 minutes of quiet reflection.
Anyone who would like to join us is welcome. Call the Office for more
information.
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Ministries (Church School, Youth Programs, Outreach, Adult Education, Altar Guild, Flower Guild, Ushers, Welcome Team, Vestry, Pastoral Care, Hospitality, Stewardship, Communications)
Church School is in recess this Sunday, May 24th. Classes will resume next Sunday at 9:45am. Contact Elizabeth Graham is you have any questions.
Youth Programs:
The Ruggles Assisted Living Facility now has a new Nintendo Wii Gamining System, thanks to the Middle School Youth and the Outreach Committee of St Peter's Church!
On Sunday, May 17th, Middle Schoolers from St Peter's traveled downtown to the Ruggles Assisted Living Facility and presented the gift of a new Nintendo Wii gaming system for the residents there. This is the culmination of a project, launched earlier this year, in which Middle Schoolers designed and implemented their plan for a gift that residents could share with each other and that could provide unique and physical entertainment for folks who aren't able to have physical activity easily. They decided on the gift, introduced it to the residents, raised the money, purchased what was needed and did the installation and training, all with a spirit that brings great joy to the residents!
St Peter's has had a long relationship with Ruggles that this generation of parishioners is helping to revitalize, and through St Peter's Middle Schoolers the light of Christ's love and compassion shines brightly at Ruggles Street!
 Teddy contributes his expertise in helping to train residents on how to navigate the Wii system, while Danielle waits for Matt to jump in next with his observations. Emily and Gabriella critically assess whether all the training details are being covered, and John fine tunes the hardware setup.
John orients Lucille on using the wand for bowling, a task she mastered quickly before showing us all how bowling is really done! Matt fields questions on the finer points of the game from Lucille's bowling companion.
 The Ruggles Assisted Living Facility team of Middle Schoolers, and the adults who organized the event and provided transportation, are excited about the relationships they have built with residents! (l-r: Mary Pughe, Peggy Batchelder, Teddy Batchelder, John McDaniel, Danielle Husley, Gabriella Ardila, Emily Phaneuf, Margaret Randle, Matt Jacobs, Polly Dickson, Joan Parrish; back row: Hall Kirkham).
Questions, or interested and want to know more? Contact Pastor Hall Kirkham, Peggy Batchelder, Joan Parrish, or Margaret Randle.
St Peters ROCKS! Weston
Sunday night, May 31st with the next installment of our module on prison ministry. Prisoners are one of the groups - the final group - Jesus asks his followers to attend to, and learning about prisons and those in prison provides a way of seeking and serving Christ in all persons. We'll gather at 5:30pm for something to eat, review what we learned in our last session at the end of March, and watch the pilot episode of "OZ," the HBO television drama about life in a fictional maximum security prison. This is a powerful and disturbing - but very informative - visual insight to the prison system, and we definitely want to leave time to debrief and talk after our viewing! Plan on an 8pm pick-up time at the church. Contact Pastor Hall Kirkham
Flower Guild Field Trip - Please Join Us!
Hortus Medicus: The Medicinal Herb Garden
Wednesday, June 3, 9:30 AM, meet at St. Peter's
Massachusetts Medical Society's Medicinal Herb Garden is located on the beautiful grounds of the 860 Winter Street headquarters in Waltham. We will have a one-hour guided tour with Dr. George Santos and Mrs. Dorothea Santos at 10 AM. Please let me know if you plan to attend so we decide about carpooling. Field trip is open to all.
For a preview, go to www.piam.com/mms_garden.
Though all of the MMS gardens share the two themes of nature and medical history and tradition, Hortus Medicus is considered the signature garden. Every medieval European university that had a medical school had a medicinal plant garden tended by medical students. The MMS Hortus Medicus features plants with known medicinal values and those that have not yet been scientifically proven to have medicinal value. There are more than sixty varieties of plants in Hortus Medicus and many more scattered throughout the MMS gardens.
Questions or for further information, contact Carolyn Ellis
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Parish Life
Women's Potluck - this Wednesday, May 27, 6:30 at the Rectory. Bring a salad, casserole, or dessert - join the fun! All women of the parish are invited!
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The Week Ahead
Sunday, May 24
8:00am Holy Communion
8:30am Adult Choir Rehearsal
9:00am Adult Bible Study
9:30-11:30 Nursery Care
10:00am Holy Communion
11:15am Coffee Hour
Monday, May 25
8:00p AA
Tuesday, May 26
11:00a Staff Meeting
Wednesday, May 27
6:30p Women's Potluck Supper
Thursday, May 28
4:00p Prayer Group
Sunday, May 31
8:00a Holy Communion
8:30a Adult Choir Rehearsal
9:00a Adult Bible Study
9:45a Church School
9:30-11:30 Nursery Care
10:00a Holy Communion
11:30a Coffee Hour
11:30a Junior Choir Rehearsal
5:30p St. Peter's ROCKS!, Weston
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Who Does What At St. Peter's Church
320 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA 02493 | www.stpetersweston.org | 781-891-3200
(Click on any name that is underlined to send an email.)
Rector: Stephen Voysey (891-3200)
Assistant Rector: Hall Kirkham (891-3200)
Parish Secretary: Mercer Riis, (891-3200)
Acolytes: Stephen Voysey (891-3200)
Church School: Sarah Ardila; Teresa Swanson; Beth Graham (891-3200)
Choirs: Adult Choir:Andrew Shenton, (891-3200); Junior Choir: Kristen Dirmeier
Coffee Hour: Lynn Maruskin (899- 6290)
Communications: Communications Team
Finance Chris Phaneuf (891-3200)
Flowers: Carolyn Ellis (899-5880)
Keys Newsletter: John Marchiony, Meg Pierce & Keith Ward
Lay Liturgical Ministries: Bill Symonds
Men's Group: John Bulbrook, John Marchiony Rob Rodgers
Music: Andrew Shenton, (891-3200)
Newcomers: Michelle King, Suzie Reeves
Outreach: Ron Corley; Rosanne Iacono (891-3236)
Lay Pastoral Care: Flora Booth (899 -2006) and Mary Pughe (894-5961)
Property: Carolyn Ellis (899-5880)
Stewardship: Marty Rodgers
Ushers:Ushers: Ed Vydra (894-7131)
Web Site: John Bulbrook
Youth: Hall Kirkham
Members of the Vestry:
Janice Corley (891-3236), Senior Warden; Marshall Bartlett, Junior Warden; Chris Phaneuf, Treasurer; Richard Batchelder, Clerk; Members: Carolyn Ellis, John Jacobs, Tom Keery, Ann Lombard, Marty Rodgers, Anne Ruggles, Keith Ward
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