Welcome to the historic parish church for Old Ellicott City. Since 1842, St. Peter's has served as a place for deep spirituality and service. We believe Christ is present all around us and is working to bring Love and Justice everywhere. So, we will seek to find Christ wherever he is at work; and join in that work...together with one another and our neighbors.
St. Peter’s is the historic parish church for Old Ellicott City,
seeking the Real Presence of Christ through
sacramental worship,
genuine spiritual community, and
justice-oriented service.
Read more below about how we are trying to live up and into this identity...and consider joining us!
St. Peter’s values the Anglo-catholic tradition in which it is rooted. This stream of the Anglican/Episcopal tradition values the sacramental worship of the church by emphasizing the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, worshiping God in the beauty of holiness, and a deep commitment to the blessed materiality of life (also called Incarnation). God is truly present and at work in the “stuff” of bread, wine, oil, water, incense, spoken prayers, flickering candles, and shared space.
Our main Sunday worship (Holy Eucharist or Mass) is sung with hymns and chant and regularly includes incense. This service is broadcast live on our YouTube channel. and is followed by Coffee Hour and Christian Education/Formation for adults and children.
If God is real enough to meet us where we really are, then our work is to be present to the messy and beautiful realities we share in community. The words from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans come to mind: “Let love be genuine…love one another with mutual affection.” We cultivate warm, inclusive, intimate, and authentic relationships with one another…which takes a lot of work! We also recognize that everyone has a unique spiritual journey and we seek to meet people where they are and welcome everyone into the loving community of Christ, no exceptions! This means we are working to make sure you feel welcome here exactly as you are because that is how God welcomes you.
Our Baptismal Covenant challenges us to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves” and to “strive for justice and peace amongst all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” We will meet the immediate and tangible needs of our neighbors while also seeking to transform society inasmuch as it perpetuates the injustices that impact us all. We will serve with an orientation toward working for justice (Acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God-Micah 6:8)
Since 1973, St. Peter’s has been the home of St. Peter’s Preschool offering quality Christian preschool education programs for 2, 3 and 4 year olds. Kids are both the future and the present of the church and bring so much joy to our community! We recently just dedicated a nature center for our children in honor of Ms. Mina Uhl, our long-serving volunteer!