St. Peter’s is a well-established, highly respected traditional Episcopal church in the heart of Cheshire, Connecticut. Most Sundays we celebrate Holy Communion at two Sunday morning services. The early service is a Rite I service without music attended by a core group of dedicated communicants. The second morning service is Rite II with choir and organ, during which the Sunday school children join their families before communion.

The word we hear most often from new and old members, as well as visitors, to describe St. Peter’s is “welcoming”. Our self-descriptor is “A Welcoming Community Celebrating God’s Boundless Love.” Although traditional, we value and support exploration ‒ asking the questions, rather than knowing the answers. We are a strong community, with members supporting each other in times of need. We value our worship traditions, especially during the holidays, and we strive to include families, youth, and children in an active and meaningful way. We thoughtfully and purposefully reach out beyond our parish community to engage and extend our ministries, including eco-justice, racial and social justice, and interfaith learning. Dealing with change in response to our priest’s retirement has highlighted the strength of our lay leadership – executive team, vestry and others. Many have stepped up to offer their time and talent, taking on new roles, joining committees and sharing ministry leadership. With this commitment, we have been able to initiate new events, update experiences and revive old traditions.

St. Peter’s is in a time of significant change as we transition from the leadership of a 20-year tenured full-time priest, with an associate priest who provided both worship and pastoral support, to a half-time clergy person. We also face the same challenges as other parishes – a need to reset and rebuild following the Covid shutdown and cultural impact of the pandemic coupled with the continuing decline in active parish membership and financial support. We trust God’s love will guide us to accept change with grace and flexibility and redefine our path to walk in “the footsteps of Jesus.”

St. Peter’s offers a unique combination of a long proud history and exciting new opportunities to improvise, expand horizons and grow into change. Our geographic location mirrors this duality: neighboring New Haven—the home of Yale University and Yale Divinity School, which offer unparalleled intellectual, cultural and theological resources, AND an inner-city struggling with poverty, homelessness and violence.

The Rev. Cn. Timothy Hodapp
Canon for Congregations & Transitions
203.639.3501 x133
thodapp@episcopalct.org