St. Peter's United Methodist Church sits on fifteen acres at 15599 Mountain Road, on U.S. Route 33 about four miles east of the village of Montpelier in western Hanover County, Virginia. From the road, drivers turn onto St. Peter's Church Road and pull into a parking area that wraps in front of, beside, and behind the building. The worship center anchors the west end of the structure - the end farthest from Richmond - and doors on both the front and rear open into a welcome area and sanctuary. Inside, a faith community of varied ages, backgrounds and outlooks gathers around the promises of Jesus Christ and the two great commandments of loving God and loving neighbors as themselves.
From Class Meetings on Mountain Road to the 1999 Sanctuary
The congregation traces its earliest history to class meetings held between Mountain Road on the south and Old Ridge Road near what is now the Ashland Berry Farm on the north. Few records remain of those 18th and early 19th century Methodists, but in the 1780s Bishop Francis Asbury established what many historians believe to have been the first Sunday School in America in the home of Thomas Crenshaw on Mountain Road, not far from the present site of St. Peter's.
By 1850 remnants of those earlier congregations had moved to property on Route 611 - now St. Peter's Church Road - a scant half-mile south of today's location. They first worshipped in an arbor of trees. Peter Massie, a charter member and trustee, built a white frame church by 1852; the building was named St. Peter's, partly for the fisherman-disciple and partly for the man who helped establish the congregation.
Through the mid-20th century St. Peter's was one of several churches on the West Hanover Circuit, sharing a pastor's financial support and his services among the circuit's churches. The congregation built a concrete-block education building and made periodic improvements, but the one-acre site on Route 611 could not contain the growth. In the 1960s the trustees purchased fifteen acres on Route 33, and in 1966 the congregation built a new church. The first unit was a 6,000-square-foot shell containing eight classrooms, a fellowship hall, a kitchen and bathrooms, with members worshipping in folding metal chairs in the fellowship hall while they waited for a sanctuary. In the late 1970s the tile floor was carpeted and wooden pews were added. Generous giving to a Building Fund over the next thirty years finally allowed the congregation to build the long-anticipated two-story sanctuary and classroom addition in 1999, more than doubling the square footage and positioning St. Peter's to serve the western Hanover community well into the 21st century.
Sunday Mornings: Blended Worship and Sunday School
Worship gathers at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday in the sanctuary and generally concludes by about 11:15. The service blends traditional and contemporary elements: a children's time, a sermon, congregational sharing of joys and concerns, and prayer. Volunteers lead the call to worship and read scripture; vocalists, instrumentalists and choirs offer musical selections. Worship includes Bible-based preaching and the full range of praise, thanksgiving, repentance and forgiveness, weaving together traditional hymn favorites and current Christian music.
An adult Sunday School class meets each Sunday at 9:00 a.m., using a variety of Biblical studies and topical books in a participatory discussion format. Visitors are welcome to drop in.
Holy Communion at the Altar Rail
Except during special liturgical seasons, St. Peter's celebrates Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month. No one needs to belong to the congregation in order to participate, and children are welcome. The service gathers around the altar railing, where worshipers may receive the sacrament by intinction - dipping bread into the common cup - or by eating bread and drinking from an individual cup. Gluten-free wafers are available. Those who prefer to remain in the pew for prayer and meditation are also welcome, and ushers will bring Communion to anyone who asks.
Becoming Part of the Service
St. Peter's tries to use as many individuals as possible in worship, and no prior training is required - only a desire to serve. Open roles include Worship Leader, Scripture Reader, Acolyte (a child or youth who lights the altar candles and helps serve Communion), Communion Steward, Worship Arts Team member, Greeter/Usher, and musician or singer. The pastor's newsletter regularly invites newcomers to share their gifts and interests.
Children, Youth and the Preschool
At St. Peter's, children and youth programming is built on a desire to provide a safe, fun and engaging environment where kids and teens can explore their faith, build friendships and discover their purpose in God's plan. The Director of Children and Youth organizes and leads a summer camp program each year for rising 1st through 12th graders, with daily Bible study, snacks and hands-on exploration. The church also publishes a regular Kid's News update for families.
St. Peter's Christian School shares the campus and offers a Christ-centered, thematic preschool program that changes weekly. Children are assessed twice a year and grow in social, emotional, fine and large motor, cognitive, and early literacy skills. The children also visit chapel every other week with Pastor Yun, where they hear Bible lessons and music. Registration forms, tuition rates, and a daily schedule are all available through the church office.
Scouting Ministries
For more than thirty years Boy Scouts has been an active ministry at St. Peter's. Boy Scout Troop 706 meets on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Cub Scout Pack 706 and Girl Scout Troop 760 also meet at the church on a regular schedule. All scouting leaders have completed Youth Protection training. The scouting ministry focuses on character, citizenship, personal fitness and connecting faith with everyday life.
Missions and Service to the Community
St. Peter's runs an extensive slate of mission projects each year, with the conviction that serving is what the congregation is called to do. Annual efforts include support of the Western Hanover Emergency Action Team (WHEAT) food pantry, a Rise Against Hunger meal-packaging event that raises money to purchase and pack 10,000 meals for families in need, a Summer Clothes Closet that has clothed more than one hundred local families, Pancake Dinner with Santa, support for international missionaries, a Christmas Angel Tree, Hanover Habitat, Circles Ashland, Easter and Thanksgiving food baskets, rides to church or the doctor for shut-ins, and a fall yard cleanup for elderly neighbors.
The Men's Group gives shape to many of these service projects, helping with home maintenance, installing temporary wheelchair ramps, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, preparing Brunswick Stew and the church's BBQ Chicken Dinners, and serving Easter breakfast. The men meet monthly for fellowship and planning, and welcome anyone who wants to join their email list.
Recovery and Small Groups Meeting at the Church
The 33 West Recovery Group, an open Alcoholics Anonymous discussion meeting, has met in the Fellowship Hall every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. for roughly eighteen years. Average attendance is about twenty men and women, and the group is listed with the AA Richmond intergroup.
A Young Adults Small Group for ages 17-30 meets every Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., hosted by Sarah and Noah Parks. Contact the church office for location details.
The Pastor and the People
St. Peter's is served by Pastor Rev. Gretchen Simpson Nelson, a Virginia native ordained as a United Methodist elder in 2000 and a graduate of Duke Divinity School. She is trained in Spiritual Direction and describes her ministry around creating worship experiences that engage all ages with God's presence and walking alongside people as they discover how God has gifted and empowered them to live and serve. Her husband Mike works with Feed More, and the couple share their home with two rescue cats named Sofia and Fiona. Together they enjoy a good cup of coffee, movies, games, time with friends and family, and travel.
The pastor's regular letter, Pastor Ponderings, reflects on the Christian year and the life of the wider church. In one recent reflection she wrote about the Season of Creation and the church's call to environmental stewardship, sharing a hymn that weaves together the natural world, human experience, worship, service, justice and theology.
Beliefs and Connection to the Wider Church
St. Peter's is a United Methodist Church, built on the teachings of Scripture, the traditions of the early Christian church, and the guidance of founder John Wesley. The United Methodist Church is a global church connected by common beliefs and principles. The congregation is part of the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and draws on the resources of the wider denomination for missions (UMCOR), discipleship, and connectional life.
Worshipers are invited to grow through prayer and fellowship, through Sunday School and small groups, through serving in worship and in missions, and through the regular rhythms of Holy Communion and the church calendar.
Finding Your Way to St. Peter's
Visitors are asked to wear whatever feels comfortable - some dress in their Sunday best, others wear jeans and t-shirts. Child care for infants through second grade is available during worship, though young children are also welcome to remain in the sanctuary for all or part of the service. Those who cannot attend in person can join the livestream on the church's YouTube channel every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Giving is available online through the church's Realm giving page. Prayer requests can be sent in through the church's prayer page, and newsletters called the Trumpet are published most months. The office can be reached at 804-883-5596 or info@stpetersumc.org, and the building sits at the corner of U.S. Route 33 and St. Peter's Church Road in Montpelier, Virginia.