Loading...All things come of Thee O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.
“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly in this manner? For all things come from Thee, and from Thine own have we given Thee. David teaches us in Chronicles a little about that.
What does a church do with all God’s generous “Brick and Mortar” and land? At St. Peter’s in Amarillo, we have reframed our use of building and land as our congregation changes and reflects the Body of Christ.
We have an open garden that feeds and promotes better food for those who may not be able to afford organically grown vegetables and herbs. Our gardens are up and flourishing with the help of Square Mile, a community organization, and St. Andrew’s, our sister church. We have also found other ways to share God’s generous gifts.
We have opened our doors to Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, who offer the growth of healthy young people. St. Peter’s is a safe place for Cub Scouts to meet once a week and a conference room for the leaders to plan events and carry out business for this future generation of leaders. While hosting Scouts, we have been blessed with Eagle Scout projects and joyfully offer lessons in etiquette while serving a five-course meal.
We find providing an overnight rest stop for youth groups to be fun and comfortable. We enjoy providing snacks and baked goods to sustain them on their way. We have several entrepreneurs who base their food business out of our kitchen and park their food trucks in our large parking areas.
Our parish hall provides meeting and fellowship space for the Amarillo Gem, Mineral and Treasure Hunting Society as well as the Pioneer Promenaders, a mixed age and lively square-dancing group.
Our sacred space has found a new use for music majors and high school musicians practicing their craft enjoying the acoustics in the Nave and providing us enjoyment as we listen to their music.
Our latest offering of God’s abundance is hosting a practice area for Amarillo Opera as they prepare to perform Tosca. How we experience such abundance is transforming and frees St. Peter’s to see new opportunities for using what was never ours to begin with but given to us to share the hands and heart of Christ. Thanks be to God.
