Sunday Worship Schedule: 8:00am and 10:00am
The mission of St. Peter's is to be a joyous family of God, gathered in worship and prayer, teaching the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and ministering to others.
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Sunday Worship Schedule: 8:00am and 10:00am The mission of St. Peter's is to be a joyous family of God, gathered in worship and prayer, teaching the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and ministering to others. |
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The Story of St. Peter’s of the Valley Episcopal Mission St. Peter's of the Valley Episcopal Mission in Basalt,Colorado came about through the vision of the Diocese of Colorado, Christ Episcopal Church in Aspen, and an intrepid group of Roaring Fork Valley Christians in 1989. Father Robert Babb, then the rector of Christ Church asked down-valley members, Karen and Scott Smith, to lead the new mission. Becky and Bill Ayres became the Christ Church Vestry representatives. The first services began in the summer of 1989, and were held in a daycare center, The Growing Years School, which was owned by Chalmers Morse, then a member of the vestry at Christ Church. A mass mailing sent to mid-valley residents produced a group of about 10 families for the initial service. For the next year a succession of supply clergy, Father Babb and lay ministers officiated at services for the new mission. One of those, the Very Rev. Morris Hollenbaugh (Father Morry) served often when he was here on vacation from the Diocese of Southern Ohio. Upon "retiring" to this area, Fr. Morry became the supply priest serving on a volunteer basis for 10 years. His leadership stimulated the lay members to work hard to grow our church. Our growth encouraged us to find a larger space; in the summer of 1991, services moved to the Basalt Methodist Church. Services were held at 5:00pm on Sundays. During the 90's the people of St. Peter’s needed more support from Christ Church, Aspen. After much prayer and conversation, the two groups got closer together and continued plans for moving forward. A joint fundraising project, Find Us Faithful, was started with the three goals of: raising funds for a home for St. Peter's, financial aid for 3 years for a vicar, and for some capital improvements to Christ Church. Through a generous offer from Chalmers Morse, the Growing Years building at 200 Elk Run in Basalt became available for purchase. The sale of the building to Christ Church for St. Peter's closed in September 1998, and the mortgage payments on this building continue to be paid each year by Christ Church, Aspen. From that point on, St. Peter's continued to move forward in faith. Part of the building was remodeled into a church. The next step was to find a permanent full time vicar. A Search Committee was formed and after many months of research, prayer, interviews and more prayer, a call was made to Mother Mary Kate Schroeder, who was serving at St. Michael’s and All Angels in South Bend, Indiana at the time. Mother Mary Kate accepted the call and her first service at St. Peter's was September 3, 2000. A vicarage had been purchased for her residence through a generous donation from the Haydock family (family of parishioner Linda Haydock). The mortgage payments on this building are now made out of the St. Peter’s annual budget. In September 2000, St. Peter's entered a new phase with Mother Mary Kate's guidance. Morning services, a website, and many new educational and spiritual programs have become strong foundations for our growing family. We have grown to a parish of more than 75 households, and visitors and newcomers are regular. We now offer three Sunday liturgies, and the 9:30am service is consistently full beyond comfortable for our 75-80 seats. We are served by part-time, paid assistance in office administration, music ministry and nursery care. Annual pledges have increased by leaps and bounds, from $36,000 in 2000 to $143,000 in 2004, and our annual budgeted expense has also grown, from $68,000 in 2000 to $175,000 in 2004 (anticipated). Christian formation for all ages, from nursery to adults, is offered regularly in a variety of forms. Our youth have traveled to Wyoming and to Juarez, Mexico to do mission and service work for the past three years. The Annual Harvest Feast has moved away from the St. Peter’s Building in order to have space for everyone to join us. We are blessed by growth and also challenged by the limitations imposed by our current physical structure at the church building at 200 Elk Run. The Bishop’s Committee has consistently led and partnered with Mother Mary Kate, moving forward to become a self-sufficient and established congregation in order to serve Christ in the Roaring Fork Valley for many years in the future. A Building Committee is currently assessing our needs and possibilities for physical expansion. We have established a Legacy Society, called the St. Peter’s Key Society, to encourage planned giving and responsible life-long stewardship. Many small committees of St. Peter’s work to provide for our weekly worship, our ministries with and for children and youth, and on-going administration. We are on the cusp of becoming an established and permanent congregation, and the next two years - 2005 and 2006 - will be real years of challenge and growth for us. We look forward to becoming a self-sufficient church, a continued Christian presence in the Roaring Fork Valley, and a place for all people to find fellowship, spiritual care, and formation in the image of Christ. St. Peter's of the Valley
Episcopal Church Email: info@stpetersbasalt.com
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