Sister Parish
Since 2007, St. Peter’s Church has had a sister relationship with La Iglesia de Cristo Salvador in a poor neighborhood in the city of Santiago, in the Dominican Republic. In addition to regular and on-going prayer support that each congregation provides for the other, St. Peter’s offers financial support, most recently to purchase school shoes for the children of the parish. At the end of the summer selling season, any useable children’s clothing is shipped to Santiago for distribution to the children of Cristo Salvador Fr. Hípolito Fernandez is priest-in-charge of the congregation, and he leads Sunday morning worship, teaches Bible class for adults, and oversees the congregation’s many outreach ministries to the community, including a pre-school and a medical clinic.

Plans are taking shape for a Mission Trip for adults and older youth to Cristo Salvador in the summer of 2011. More information will be available soon!

Support for the Diocese of New Jersey
Each month, St. Peter’s Church sends funds to support the ministry of the Diocese of New Jersey. The ministry of the Diocese includes many facets, but in particular sustains the work of Outreach and the Ministries of the wider Church.

For example, not every congregation of the Diocese is able to fully support its own ministry financially. This includes those congregations in poor areas, both rural and urban. Funding from the diocese enables full-time clergy to serve in such areas that would otherwise not be able to afford such leadership. Development of new congregations is also under the supervision of the Diocese.

Campus ministry, which currently allows for full-time Episcopal chaplaincies at Princeton University and Rutgers University and part-time chaplaincy at The College of New Jersey is another important outreach ministry of the diocese. Social justice ministries, including prison ministries and ministries to migrant workers, are also supported at the diocesan level.

The ministries of the wider church also benefit from our support of the Diocese. As the Episcopal Church contains not only churches and dioceses in the US, but also in a number of other countries like Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Haiti which would not be able to support their work without financial assistance. This assistance is provided through the Diocesan pledges which in turn comes from the Diocesan Assessment of local parishes.  Diocesan pledges also fund the ministry offices of the wider church, including that of the Presiding Bishop.