Remember
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. Psalm 77:11
Grace and peace to you. Good morning on this Memorial Day Weekend. Join me in remembering the men and women of our country who gave of themselves for the liberties that we enjoy as Americans. May we not rest until all people share the benefits of true freedom. This weekend is about remembering those who gave of themselves for others.
Memory is a driving force in our lives. The power of memory is no less true for Saint Peter’s. I have felt this profoundly as your Rector over the past 18 months. In December 2023 we celebrated a milestone: 60 years of worship in our sanctuary. Over the past 18 months, we have celebrated more than a dozen members of Saint Peter’s who have died, and along with them precious oral history of our community.
This summer we have the good fortune of welcoming the leadership of Cecilia Harris who will help establish a Saint Peter’s Archival Repository. Cecilia is skilled and experienced in archival work, most recently as Archive Intern for Temple Rodef Shalom’s 60th Anniversary Digitization Project.
Cecilia will organize Saint Peter’s photos and documents of historical interest currently scattered across boxes and filing cabinets. She will also establish and implement a system for preserving documents physically and in digital form. With an Archival Repository, we will be poised to receive documents and identify ways to share our history.
We need your help! We imagine many of you have documents of interest and photos of people, baptisms, weddings, worship, bazaars, musical events, and other gatherings in boxes and albums at home. Would you share them with us so that they can be considered for the Archival Repository? Your help in identifying people and dates will be invaluable as well. We can also scan photos and documents that you would like to retain. Please bring your documents and photos to the church office beginning Monday, June 10th. If you have digital documents, please email them to archive@saint-peters.org.
It is our privilege and obligation to remember. Doing so helps us (re)discover our gifts and carry forward the legacy of Saint Peter’s. The Archival Repository Project follows on existing efforts. Tom Gilbertsen has begun a Founder’s Feature on our website. You can read entries here. The Invite-Welcome-Connect committee is also planning to establish a modest Founder’s Hall immediately outside the chapel to display memorial plaques and book, among other items.
May the memory of those who have gone before be a blessing to you and glorify God.
