| | St. Peter's, Episode II: the next fifty years (and beyond)see pictures from the past 50 years... | 1950s | 1950s The Fifties were a time of great prosperity for St. Peter’s as the children of the founders took on the leadership of this family church. There was a large Sunday School, two choirs, two organists, a Men’s Club, a Women’s Auxiliary, and a Young People’s Fellowship. Members of St. Peter’s were also being called on to take leadership roles at the Diocesan level. | | 1960s-1970s | St. Peter’s saw a decline in membership as many of the young people left for schools on the mainland and did not return. Yet, those youths who did stay took on the tasks of feeding the poor, caring for the elderly, and making a “joyous noise unto the Lord.” Food baskets, serving meals at I H S (Institute for Human Services), visiting the elderly and shut-ins, and forming a youth orchestra were highlights of the 1970s. With a relatively youthful minister, St. Peter’s became a part of a more “hip” culture with guitars and folk music added to the services. The church, had its first major renovation. The sanctuary was redesigned, the organ and its pipes were replaced with a more modern instrument, the undercroft was renovated and updated, the pews were now made of koa, beautiful stained glass windows adorned the church, and a sky blue ceiling overlooked it all. | | 1980s-1990s | Although the church records continued to show over 300 members, only a third actively participate in the life of the church. An aging population, a declining birthrate, and the exodus of many of our best and brightest to the mainland and to the charismatic ministries has created an age gap at St. Peter’s. The present vestry is composed of members who are mostly over 60, while the Sunday School has about 20 children whom are mostly under the age of 12. There is no Youth group, although plans for such a group are in its planning stages. Nevertheless, St. Peter’s keeps moving forward. In the last 10 years St. Peter’s has air-conditioned its church and built a Columbarium, opened its church and Parish Hall to diverse groups such as the Japanese wedding blessings, Korean Presbyterian congregation, a ballet school, and a nursery for children whose parents work in downtown Honolulu. At the end of this millennium and the start of the new, St. Peter’s continues to fulfill its mission to do God’s will. | | 2000-the present | Through the intentional guidance of various interim clergy, St. Peter's called our current rector, the Rev. Bill Allport, in the summer 2004. The Allport family joined our ohana and community that same summer. Our latest years have carried forward our desire to be faithful and responsive to God's call for all followers of Jesus into lives of mission and ministry. In the most recent years, we have shared ministries for after-school programs in public schools, the support of families of deployed military, partnerships to support the ministries of mission congregations and UH campus ministries, to name a few. Members and participants in our worship and ministries come from all parts of the island - from Kapolei to Hawai`i Kai, and Wahiawa to Wakiki. The congregation continues to grow with dynamic life and faith together. |
return to about us | see gallery of pictures from these years | the first fifty
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