This group is always looking for new and imaginative ways to bring St. Peter’s before the public eye in Beverly and to welcome and help integrate newcomers. The outdoor Eucharist on the Common and the winning float in the 2007 Holiday Parade are two of their original activities. See David Farrar or Andrea Schuster for more information.

Episcopalians have long been reluctant to even say the “E” word let alone think of what it is or do it. But evangelism is at the very heart of the Gospel. It is about church growth. Since St. Peter’s wants to grow, an Evangelism Committee was established and charged with “proclaiming by word and example the good news of God in Christ.” This is a variation of the definition used by the National Episcopal Church.

The Evangelism Committee is charged with being “the focal point of ideas, energy, and execution in welcoming people to St. Peter’s.” There are quarterly dinners to welcome newcomers; we wear nametags and greet people in church; and we try to publicize what St. Peter’s does among other things. The committee is currently trying to find other ways to respond to the charge we have been given.

At the last committee meeting at the River Street Grille, two things became clear. One was that the committee did not include any newer members and that we could not do much about evangelism without help. To be successful, evangelism at St. Peter’s requires active involvement from all its members. To paraphrase a famous slogan, “Only you can make Evangelism happen!”

Scary isn’t it — that everyone has to evangelize if anything is to happen. But evangelism does not have to be threatening, because it is really the simple things that we do are the best things we can do. Do we talk about our church when asked? Do we tell people where St. Peter’s is? Do we mention Episcopal beliefs and positions when talking about the world situation or domestic changes? All evangelism has to be is a simple statement, proclaiming doesn’t mean preaching or haranguing—it is just simply expressing what we believe to someone else at an opportune time.