St. Peter's in the Woods Episcopal Church sits on Fairview Woods Drive in Fairfax Station, Virginia, where a congregation of young families, George Mason University students and staff, and military and other retirees has earned a reputation for a warm welcome, a strong music program, and a deep commitment to caring for the natural world that surrounds the property. The parish, part of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, is rooted in a historic Anglican tradition while remaining notably willing to try new things in worship, formation, and service.
From Church Plant to Full Parish
St. Peter's in the Woods began as a church plant in 1988, launched by the Church of the Good Shepherd in nearby Burke and financially supported by the Diocese while the new ministry took root. The first services were held in 1989 at Bonnie Brae Elementary School, which remained the congregation's worship home until January 1998, when the parish moved into its current building on Fairview Woods Drive. In 2013, St. Peter's achieved full parish status in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, becoming a fully independent and self-supporting congregation. As the parish describes itself, it is a relatively young church, rooted in an historic faith tradition but not afraid to try new things as it lives into the church God is calling it to be.
The parish's mission statement is simple: to warmly welcome all to the community, to grow in faith, to serve others, and to share the love of God. Four values shape that work: Welcoming, valuing and affirming each person as a beloved child of God; Loving, embodying God's love in all that is said and done; Serving, promoting a just, peaceful and sustainable world through prayer, service and action; and Joyful, treating the life of faith as something to be celebrated and shared.
Two Sunday Services, One Pattern of Worship
Sunday worship is the heart of parish life. Two are offered each Sunday morning. At 8:00 AM, a spoken Holy Eucharist gathers the early congregation for a quieter liturgy. At 10:00 AM, a choral Eucharist features the Adult Choir and is the larger gathering of the day.
As an Episcopal congregation, the worship is liturgical, drawing on the Book of Common Prayer, hymns, biblical texts, and the celebration of the Eucharist. The pattern of prayer and worship changes little from week to week, and over months and years that familiar rhythm shapes both belief and service. Worshipers participate actively, standing to pray or sing, sitting to listen, and offering spoken responses to the priest. Visitors who find the liturgy unfamiliar are encouraged simply to ask a neighbor for help.
Holy Eucharist is celebrated every Sunday. All baptized persons are invited to receive communion, including visitors who receive communion in their home church. Those who prefer to come forward for a blessing are equally welcome. Children of all ages are welcome at every service, and worship activity supplies are available for younger children. Children who have been baptized may receive communion; parents who prefer a blessing for their child may simply let the priest know when they come up.
Services are recorded each Sunday and made available afterward on the parish's YouTube channel, which also hosts an extensive archive of past services.
Children and Youth at Every Stage
Children of all ages find a home at St. Peter's. Noah's Nursery opens at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings and welcomes babies through kindergarten in a joyful, warm, and caring space led by trained, professional childcare providers. At 10:00 AM, during the program year from September through June, Sunday School meets in the downstairs classrooms. Children in kindergarten through second grade gather as Junior Disciples, third through sixth graders as Faith Explorers, and sixth grade and older as Path Finders. Each class combines the stories of the faith with age-appropriate art, skits, songs, and games. Children return to worship at the Peace and join their families for Eucharist.
Youth in grades 6 through 12 are invited to the Youth Group, a welcoming and active group that explores faith, forms friendships, and meets regularly outside of Sunday morning. Children age 9 and older may also serve as Youth Acolytes, assisting the priests in worship by processing with the cross, lighting and carrying the torches, and helping at the altar. Other seasonal offerings for children and families include Vacation Bible School and the Fall Festival.
Adult Formation: EfM, Theology, and Sacred Ground
The parish offers a rich menu of adult formation that meets people wherever they are on their faith journey. Education for Ministry, or EfM, is a seminary-level program preparing laity to live out their faith in daily life. The EfM seminar at St. Peter's meets on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 AM at the church, with participants reading and reflecting on a different year of the curriculum each year: Hebrew Scripture, Christian Scripture, Church History, Christian Ethics, or the newer Wide Angle program. An evening section is planned when there is sufficient interest.
Thursday Morning Theology gathers on Zoom from 8:00 to 9:00 AM for an informal Breakfast Club discussion of topics ranging from the Lord's Prayer and spiritual practices to the English Mystics.
Sacred Ground, an 11-part film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, is facilitated seasonally at the church. The series weaves Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories together with European American histories, built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings. Three dialogue circles have been held to date, including one inter-racial circle, with new circles offered seasonally.
Welcome Table Fellowship Groups offer a different rhythm: small gatherings of parishioners who meet monthly for dinner and conversation in each other's homes, sharing their faith journeys in an unhurried setting.
For women, the parish hosts the JEWELS (Joyful, Elegant, Women Eating Lunch) every Wednesday at noon at Chloez in Fairfax Station, a Monthly Women's Gathering on Saturday mornings for spiritual friendships and shared exploration, and an annual Women's Retreat at the Shrine Mont retreat center. For men, the ROMEOS (Retired Older Men Eating Out) meet every Wednesday at noon at Chloez Cafe in Fairfax Station for lunch and conversation.
Music That Lifts the Heart
Music is a defining strength of St. Peter's. The Adult Choir sings a wide range of styles, from classical to contemporary, traditional to gospel, and occasionally joins other area ensembles for larger works. Rehearsals are held Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 PM, with a Sunday morning warm-up at 9:00 AM before the 10:00 service. The Summer Pick-Up Choir welcomes singers who cannot commit to a weekly rehearsal schedule, gathering at 9:00 AM on Sunday mornings throughout the summer to learn the day's anthem. Instrumentalists are invited to share their gifts in strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, piano, and organ, and special music opportunities arise throughout the year.
The Director of Music, Sammy Huh, is a choir director and opera singer based in the Mid-Atlantic region, with a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School and a Master of Music from the University of Maryland-Opera Studio. Pat Keithly serves as staff musician, playing piano and organ for Sunday services, rehearsals, and special events.
Feeding Neighbors Near and Far
The Mission and Outreach ministry supports causes locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, with a particular emphasis on food insecurity and the needs of neighbors in Fairfax County.
The Mobile Food Pantry was born out of the conviction that it is hard to teach hungry kids. Once a month, a team from St. Peter's shops, sorts, packs, and delivers meal bags for more than 40 food-insecure families whose children attend a nearby public school. Each bag includes green beans, potatoes, rice, cereal, and other non-perishables, along with eggs, milk, and frozen ground beef. A partnership with the Capital Area Food Bank has greatly expanded the pantry's reach.
St. Peter's partners with a number of community organizations. The parish supports FACETS, which provides comprehensive programs and services to those experiencing homelessness or precariously housed in Fairfax County, including helping to offer hypothermia prevention shelters each winter. Fairfax FISH provides funds and volunteers to assist the needy and elderly in and around Fairfax, with parishioners answering help-line phones and providing food, transportation, medicine, and direct financial support. The Lamb Center, founded in 1992, offers hospitality, meals, clothing, showers, laundry, financial assistance, and prayer to those experiencing homelessness. The Lorton Community Action Center provides basic needs access to low-income individuals, senior citizens, and families in southeast Fairfax County.
At Halley Elementary School, where 45 percent of families experience financial hardship, the parish supports a Reading Buddies program, provides rides for parents in need of transportation, and assembles snack packs. The parish also supports ARISE, a Christian ministry at George Mason University that encourages students to explore faith and discover grace through worship, mission projects, social events, and small groups.
Beyond the region, the parish supports Grace House on the Mountain, offering youth and families the opportunity to help with home repair projects in Southwest Virginia while also supplying the local elementary school, and Guatemala Youth Initiative, which works to reduce unplanned pregnancy and promote early childhood development in marginalized communities.
Several times a year, the parish holds a Serving with the Saints potluck dinner and hands-on service projects, including making blankets for the elderly, sending bandanas and greeting cards to deployed service members, and stuffing trail-mix snack bags for the homeless.
Stewards of Creation
The Creation Care Ministry is dedicated to healing and restoring the Earth, working to deepen the parish's understanding of its call from God to care for creation by infusing creation care into worship, study, and the use of its own property. The ministry is a member of Faith Action for Climate Solutions, the Old Growth Forest Network, and the Center for Spirituality in Nature.
Several hands-on projects bring that calling to life on the church grounds. The Giving Garden, located behind the church, is tended by thoughtful volunteers and produces beans, peppers, kale, and eggplants, with the children of the parish often joining in; the harvest is given to the Burke United Methodist Church for its local food pantry. Five bluebird boxes maintained around the property fledge 8 to 12 baby bluebirds each year. In the fall of 2020, the property earned designation as an Audubon At Home Wildlife Sanctuary in recognition of its work protecting and restoring native habitat, and the parish conducts bird surveys that are reported to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
A 2020 energy audit led to a matching grant from the county to replace old and inefficient lights and appliances with energy-saving alternatives. In response to the Diocese of Virginia's Resolution R-1 passed at the 225th Annual Convention, the parish has significantly reduced its use of single-use disposable products, foam, and bottled water.
The Spirituality In Nature Group at St. Peter's nurtures the spiritual spark, cultivates community with human and non-human neighbors, and deepens understanding of the divine through events held throughout the year on and around the church property.
Worship Ministries and the People Behind Them
Worship is supported by a wide range of lay ministries. Acolytes assist the priests in the liturgy. The Altar Guild prepares and sets the altar, caring for the sacred vessels, linens, and hangings. The Flower Guild procures and arranges flowers to glorify God. Ushers and Greeters offer hospitality at the door and throughout the service. Lay Eucharistic Ministers administer the chalice during communion, trained by the priests and licensed by the Diocese of Virginia. Lectors read the Scripture lessons and Prayers of the People. The Newcomer Bread Ministry team bakes small loaves to be included in welcome bags for first-time visitors. Coffee Hour Hosts set up and supply Sunday morning treats, and Tellers count the Sunday offering each Monday morning.
Belonging: From Visitor to Member
St. Peter's offers several pathways for newcomers to connect more deeply. A Newcomer Welcome Form helps the parish learn about first-time visitors and offers a way to indicate interest in everything from Sunday School and youth ministries to music, outreach, and baptism or confirmation.
Episcopal 101 is an introductory class for those curious about the Episcopal tradition and the parish itself, covering history, the Book of Common Prayer, scripture, sacraments, and more. The class is offered for those seeking confirmation or reception into the Episcopal Church, those new to the Episcopal tradition, and anyone looking for a thoughtful refresher.
For those wishing to become official members, parishioners from another Episcopal parish may request that a letter of transfer be sent to St. Peter's, while those from other denominations or new to church altogether can simply email the office to express their desire to join.
Baptism is offered for infants, children, and adults, with baptisms taking place during the regular Sunday liturgy rather than at a private ceremony. Confirmation is the rite in which those who have been baptized make a mature and public affirmation of their faith and receive the laying on of hands by a bishop; it is not required for joining St. Peter's or for receiving Holy Communion. The parish also prepares engaged couples for Christian weddings, which require several sessions of pre-marital counseling, and walks with families through funerals and memorial services, including the option of making advance funeral arrangements kept on file at the church.
Leadership and Stewardship
The parish is led by the Rev. Susan Hartzell as Rector. Susan was formally installed in October 2018 after serving as Priest-in-Charge from 2016 to 2018 and as Associate Rector beginning in 2013. A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity, Susan has a background in government, business, and the church, and brings particular energy to preaching and teaching, building growing faith communities, and helping people share their faith journeys. She previously served as Dean of the South Fairfax Region in the Diocese of Virginia and represented the region on the Executive Board. Children and Youth Ministry is coordinated by Alexandra Gibson, who connects families with Sunday School, the Youth Group, and seasonal programs.
St. Peter's is governed by a vestry with a Senior Warden and two Junior Wardens, and the work of the parish is supported year-round through the Stewardship ministry's vision of Giving, Serving, and Belonging. As parishioners have told the Stewardship Committee, the parish is warm, welcoming, loving, and in service to others, and it is, in the words of one quoted reflection, a Holy Spirit-filled and unique church where, surely, God is in this place.