Bricks, Mortar and Community:
Your Gift Will Complete This Project!
Dear St. Peter’s Family and Friends,
I’m writing to invite you to support a special project that was set into motion before our arrival at St. Peter’s in 2019 that we now have the opportunity to complete.
I’m writing to invite you to support a special project that was set into motion before our arrival at St. Peter’s in 2019 that we now have the opportunity to complete.
Guess what this is? "The Rectory," sculpted in silver by Louise Bourgeois, St. Peter's longtime neighbor and supporter.
The Rectory: Repairs Needed!
If you’ve ever walked around the Rectory, you will have seen bricks buckling and falling into the alleyway, water damage that has led to crumbling mortar, deteriorating walls (which we’ve painted over again and again), rotting joists, even to the point where we saw mushrooms growing out of our front office ceiling!
St. Peter’s has been a home, sanctuary and gathering place for so many over the years. If only these walls could talk! The stories they would tell, the memories they hold, the prayers they have heard, the tears they have held. Generations of joy, sorrow, renewal, struggle live in these walls.
If you’ve ever walked around the Rectory, you will have seen bricks buckling and falling into the alleyway, water damage that has led to crumbling mortar, deteriorating walls (which we’ve painted over again and again), rotting joists, even to the point where we saw mushrooms growing out of our front office ceiling!
St. Peter’s has been a home, sanctuary and gathering place for so many over the years. If only these walls could talk! The stories they would tell, the memories they hold, the prayers they have heard, the tears they have held. Generations of joy, sorrow, renewal, struggle live in these walls.
Guess what this is? The wall in Christine's office.
If these walls could talk, they'd be saying, “Somebody, please, help me!"
Revitalizing St. Peter’s home and dreaming about possibilities
Together we have embarked on a $2.3 million project: sealing the Rectory’s exterior—ensuring that our structure is secure and protected for the long haul. This is the first phase of a larger vision to create beautiful, safe, welcoming, accessible and community-oriented spaces for our congregation, our community and our city at St. Peter’s.
With a $500K grant from the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department and the generous contributions already made, we’re halfway to our goal. But we can’t do it without you!
Together, we need to raise $1.2 million to ensure that this beloved space is able to serve our community for years to come.
Will you help us complete this critical work?
Together we have embarked on a $2.3 million project: sealing the Rectory’s exterior—ensuring that our structure is secure and protected for the long haul. This is the first phase of a larger vision to create beautiful, safe, welcoming, accessible and community-oriented spaces for our congregation, our community and our city at St. Peter’s.
With a $500K grant from the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department and the generous contributions already made, we’re halfway to our goal. But we can’t do it without you!
Together, we need to raise $1.2 million to ensure that this beloved space is able to serve our community for years to come.
Will you help us complete this critical work?
(Select “Rectory Capital Project")
From hosting the food pantry to church suppers, classes, recovery groups, community gatherings; serving as the residence for the priest and the home of our church offices, the Rectory is an important building on the St. Peter’s campus. Together, we can restore not only the physical walls of St. Peter’s Rectory, but also the heart and soul of this community.
Would you prayerfully consider making a special gift over and above your regular giving to fix the outside “envelope” of the Rectory as an investment in the future of our congregation and community?
Your support is more vital than ever, as we near the end of our current funding and prepare to take the final steps of this important project.
Would you prayerfully consider making a special gift over and above your regular giving to fix the outside “envelope” of the Rectory as an investment in the future of our congregation and community?
Your support is more vital than ever, as we near the end of our current funding and prepare to take the final steps of this important project.
House Blessing for St. Peter's on October 20, 2019, cramming into the kitchen to pray blessing… look at that red tarp in the upper left covering the leaky hole in the kitchen roof!
There are several ways you can make a donation:
- Online: Click here and select the “Rectory Capital Project" fund.
- Zelle/Chase QuickPay (used by most banks with no fees attached):
- Recipient: St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, New York, NY
- Email: [email protected]
- Designate your gift for "Rectory Capital Project"
- Mail: Send a check made payable to “St. Peter’s Chelsea,” 346 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011 with "Rectory Capital Project" in the memo line
- Stock: Contact Kelly Parker, Director of Operations at [email protected]
- In Person: Offering plates or offering box at service with a note designating for "Rectory Capital Project"
(Select “Rectory Capital Project")
Blue skies above Rodrigo, site manager for Nova Construction,
as our once leaking kitchen roof is rebuilt.
Thank you for the many ways you support the vital ministry of St. Peter’s Chelsea. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or new funding ideas!
With gratitude,
Christine
P.S. Your gift will make an impact right now and is tax deductible as allowable by law. Giving is fast and easy: go to www.stpeterschelsea.org and click on the “Give” tab.
About St. Peter’s Chelsea
A new worshiping community in a new home
194 years ago, the students and faculty of The General Theological Seminary, along with their neighbors, sensed that the Spirit of God was on the move in a new way. After a season of worshiping together on campus, they discerned that it was time to plant a new church in the neighborhood called St. Peter’s. Clement Clark Moore donated the land on 20th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues and over time, the rectory, the sanctuary and the parish hall (now the Atlantic Theater) were built to house this growing community.
Revitalizing St. Peter’s congregation…
In 2019, St. Peter’s vestry voted courageously and unanimously for a bold new vision. The church had been struggling for many decades and in a new movement of the Spirit, in partnership with the diocese, our team from All Angels’ and Church of the Heavenly Rest, we joined with St. Peter’s congregation to help revitalize the ministry here.
Almost 6 years later, having survived the pandemic, the congregation has grown, from 20 to 130, annual pledging has gone from $18,000 to $360,000, community has been strengthened, more young families have joined, and there is an earnestness, vitality and joy that is drawing people into authentic encounter with God. We are ready to enter into the next phase at St. Peter’s.
With gratitude,
Christine
P.S. Your gift will make an impact right now and is tax deductible as allowable by law. Giving is fast and easy: go to www.stpeterschelsea.org and click on the “Give” tab.
About St. Peter’s Chelsea
A new worshiping community in a new home
194 years ago, the students and faculty of The General Theological Seminary, along with their neighbors, sensed that the Spirit of God was on the move in a new way. After a season of worshiping together on campus, they discerned that it was time to plant a new church in the neighborhood called St. Peter’s. Clement Clark Moore donated the land on 20th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues and over time, the rectory, the sanctuary and the parish hall (now the Atlantic Theater) were built to house this growing community.
Revitalizing St. Peter’s congregation…
In 2019, St. Peter’s vestry voted courageously and unanimously for a bold new vision. The church had been struggling for many decades and in a new movement of the Spirit, in partnership with the diocese, our team from All Angels’ and Church of the Heavenly Rest, we joined with St. Peter’s congregation to help revitalize the ministry here.
Almost 6 years later, having survived the pandemic, the congregation has grown, from 20 to 130, annual pledging has gone from $18,000 to $360,000, community has been strengthened, more young families have joined, and there is an earnestness, vitality and joy that is drawing people into authentic encounter with God. We are ready to enter into the next phase at St. Peter’s.