Cathedral Church of St. Peter Parish Profile 2024

An Episcopal Cathedral in the Heart of St. Petersburg, Florida

WHO ARE WE?

WELCOME!

This is an important time for the Cathedral Church of St. Peter as we celebrate our history and envision our future. This year marks the 55th anniversary of our designation as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Southwest Florida (1969); our 135th year as a worshiping community (1889); and the 125th anniversary of the completion of our original worship space (1899). We are seeking a relationship-oriented Dean who will shepherd our active and engaged congregation, who will value inclusion, and who will be a skilled and forward-thinking executive. We invite you to read on and discern with us whether you feel a call to minister here.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter is a vibrant Episcopal community whose core value is love. The Cathedral currently has over 1,000 active, baptized members, and our average attendance at our Sunday services continues to climb back up to pre-pandemic levels (249 reported in 2022). We offer the hospitality and inclusive love of Christ to all people. The good news proclaimed in our church is a transformational invitation to experience God’s abundant love, to find meaning and fulfillment through relationship with God’s creation, and the promise of new life in Christ. We feel called to love God, love our neighbors as ourselves, and to work for God’s peace and justice throughout creation.

Worship is the foundation of our life together. We encounter God through ritual, music, metaphor, story, prayer, and art. We have two regular Sunday services, Holy Eucharist Rite I at 8 a.m., and Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:15 a.m. We also have a Midweek Holy Eucharist & Healing Service Wednesdays at 12:05 p.m. At the heart of our Sunday services is the Eucharist, where we become united to the person of Christ and experience the redemptive restoration of the relationship between ourselves and others. All are invited to participate fully in our worship because we believe that “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” This liberating sacrament not only honors the inherent dignity in all people, but demonstrates the profound strength we find in our diversity. Every Sunday we joyfully proclaim: “We who are many are one body because we all share one bread, one cup.”

We also offer other ways throughout the year to worship and glorify God’s name such as Choral Evensongs, Service of the Longest Night, All Hallows’ Eve Jazz Vespers, our annual Way of the Cross procession and more. View and learn about our worship at spcathedral.org/worshiplive-stream

Our music and arts programs provide other ways to serve our community. Each year we present local and national musical groups–the Tesla Quartet, the a cappella group Chanticleer, St. Pete Baroque, Afro Opera, jazz pianist Dick Hyman. We plan to resume an annual presentation of a major Mass or other significant choral work (on hold because of Covid). Past performances include Bob Chilcott’s St. John Passion, Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man/A Mass for Peace, and Britten’s Noye’s Fludde. We offer book and author talks; exhibits and hands-on workshops by artists and crafters; and our trips to local museums always attract eager participants.

This year will mark the 49th year our youth have re-enacted the Way of the Cross on Good Friday.

Warm greetings on a Sunday morning.

Fellowship and service opportunities abound at the Cathedral and our multigenerational congregation actively participates in the worship and life of the church. There are over 20 guilds and committees that serve the church in a variety of ways, from creating beautiful floral arrangements, to taking Communion to those people who are unable to attend church, to preparing food and drink for coffee hour, and so much more. To read about our ministries and guilds, visit spcathedral.org/serve

We have deep roots in the city of St. Petersburg and we love being a downtown church. Our next leader will engage with our community through building relationships with neighbors in order to respond to the needs of the city. We founded Florida Resurrection House, a faith-based nonprofit organization that serves unhoused women and their children; and Peterborough Apartments, 150 Section 8 housing units that provide affordable, supportive housing for the elderly. We support Campbell Park Elementary School, a public school serving children from low-income families. We also engage with other faith communities in Faith and Action for Strength Together (FAST) to advocate for social justice. Every summer, we support the city’s “Not My Child” initiative to keep atrisk teens safe. In addition to these partnerships, there are monthly outreach opportunities like the Thanksgiving Dinner Drive, Christmas Giving Tree, Clothes for Kids, and Diapers for Dignity.

We also enjoy celebrating the diversity in our church and our city. For years we have been a leader in LGBTQ+ activities in St. Petersburg, from marching in the Pride parade to staffing booths at the Pride Festival and Pride Family Day, to hosting a Spiritual Pride dinner and St. Aelred Brunch.

From top: Our 20s40s group enjoys trivia night at a local brewpub; A parishioner explains how traffic signals operate at Campbell Park Elementary; We’re generous donors to the Caring and Sharing Committee’s giving opportunity of the month; Our booth at the city’s Pride Family Day each June.

This year, we participated in the MLK Prayer Vigil at the local Woodson African American Museum of Florida, and hosted a diocesan workshop on Afro-Centric liturgical music followed by a Service of Music and Readings to honor the Rev. Absalom Jones, the first Black Episcopal priest. Read our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement at spcathedral.org/who-we-are.

We understand the importance of shepherding our youth and children as they begin to understand their faith and learn of God’s love for them. On Sundays we offer nursery care for the youngest children so their parents can worship in the nave, and Children’s Chapel for elementary-school-aged children. The children in Children’s Chapel join their parents in the nave during the offertory and are invited to participate in Communion, which demonstrates our commitment to inclusiveness and to building a solid future within the Cathedral.

Older children are invited to participate in the service as acolytes. Outside of our worship services, our youth leaders always seem to find creative, thoughtful ways to engage our middle- and high-school-aged parishioners through Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) and EYSeedlings programs. Families love our monthly Messy Church gatherings where we have a meal together, learn a Bible lesson, and enjoy messy, fun crafts and activities related to the lesson. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell who is having the most fun–the children or the adult volunteers.

Previous page: The acolytes are recognized for their service to the Cathedral; Curate Mike Alford and Christian Formation Director Hillary Peete pose with the camel at our 2023 Live Nativity.

Clockwise from top left: We like to celebrate and socialize on special occasions; Supporting the city’s summer anti-violence awareness campaign; Cheering for the Rowdies; Parishoners attend a FAST meeting.

“A welcoming, inclusive place where you can grow your spirituality and experience good sermons and good music.”

“Choir is my anchor.”

“I have never been to a traditional church that is so amazingly inclusive and friendly. I felt ‘at home’ and ‘among friends’ from the very first visit. We expressed a desire to get involved and several people jumped into action to see that we found a place within the church to volunteer and get to know other members of the congregation. Really a lovely group of people all the way around and we are very much enjoying participating.”

“St. Peter’s is my spiritual sanctuary. I love the worship services, the fellowship, the love of the people, opportunity to grow spiritually, to participate in all aspects of the church and the close friendships I have developed through the years and continue to make new ones.”

“Our church leaders work to address the needs of everyone–children to middle age to older–intellectually and spiritually, both in the church and in our community.”

“We invited a new couple to the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve service and they couldn’t stop talking about it.”

“It is a broad tent with a place for many.”

“Even though I’m not able to donate much money to the church, my time and talent contributions are valued. I feel like I belong.”

“Our inclusiveness is a strength and everybody knows that.”

“I avoided men’s Bible study for years. Two parishioners encouraged me to come. First two weeks, duds. But third week something happened, and now I can hardly wait for 7:45 on Thursday morning. The fellowship, the feeling of love among us guys, is so strong. That’s my personal best experience here.”

Previous page: The Cathedral Choir; Thank-you brunch for those involved in worship ministries; We look forward every year to the Christmas pageant; Our youth love learning to swing the thurible. This page: A typical Sunday morning; Oktoberfest! We award the coveted tote bag to the winner of our trivia contest; EYSeedlings enjoy going out for popsicles.

OUR HISTORY

In 2019, when we celebrated our 130th anniversary as a worshiping community, a history of St. Peter’s was compiled, from its beginning as a tiny mission chapel amid the palmettos and alligators of St. Petersburg, to the Cathedral today, standing on a prominent corner of downtown. We invite you to read the profile (tinyurl. com/5eehmh6x), meet the significant figures of the past, see how the church’s buildings have grown and changed over the years, and view some of our treasured stained glass and needlepoint.

The brief version is that St. Peter’s and this part of the West Coast of Florida have developed hand in hand. The first entrepreneurs who came here in the 1880s seeking their fortunes made it one of their first orders of business to build a church. The business leaders who turned St. Petersburg into a thriving area for real-estate development and tourism are among those whose names are listed as founders in the very first hand-written minute book of St. Peter’s.

St. Petersburg thrived in the 19-teens and early 1920s. During the Boom Years, fantasy resort hotels welcomed winter visitors, including the rich and famous, who came after Christmas and stayed until Easter. The church was packed with visitors, and the offering plate overflowed. But when the stock market crashed in 1929, St. Peter’s and the city felt the blow in major ways. For a while the weekly offering was kept in a lockbox rather than deposited in a bank out of fear that the banks would close. That fear was well-founded: Every bank in St. Petersburg closed from mid-1931 until 1932.

St. Petersburg is a Southern city, and the stain of racism and Jim Crow marred its happy-go-lucky image. AfricanAmericans could not cross Central Avenue—the dividing line between white and Black St. Petersburg—without permission; they could not sit on the city’s signature green benches; Black domestic servants entered their employers’ homes through the back door and ate off dishes set aside for them. We know of at least one lynching, just a few blocks from the Cathedral. Today our commitment to Becoming Beloved Community and the Sacred Ground program has deepened our understanding of our city’s history and called us to renewed support of social justice work.

In the years of World War II, many of the grand hotels were turned into barracks for troops training to be sent overseas. After the war, many of those returning GIs moved to Florida to enjoy the warm winters, and in short order the Baby Boom filled schoolrooms and Sunday schools. St. Peter’s played a leading role in the founding of eight Episcopal churches in southern Pinellas County.

By 1969 the population of Florida had ballooned to the point that the huge Diocese of South Florida (essentially from the I-4 corridor to the Keys) was too large for one bishop. It was divided into three: Southeast Florida (the Atlantic coast), Central Florida (Orlando) and Southwest Florida (from Marco Island in the south to Brooksville in the north and Plant City to the east). St. Peter’s was designated the Cathedral for Southwest Florida.

Like the wider Episcopal Church, St. Peter’s experienced a decrease in membership and pledge income. In 1992 we had 1,234 baptized members; that number fell in 2007 to 764. We have made great strides in improving those numbers: By 2022 our membership had risen to 1,025. We are a destination church; some of our members drive many miles, past many other Episcopal churches, to be part of this worshiping community.

In 2007 the Cathedral’s existing office space, three-story classroom building, and parish hall were demolished to make way for the new modern glass narthex, office and meeting space, and parish hall we occupy today. But it took 10 years

The altar and choir stalls as they looked in the 1950s.

to struggle out from under the crushing debt created by that construction project. That was accomplished by selling off the second and third floors of our office building and by the near-miraculous windfall of two major revenue streams that will provide significant income annually for years to come, plus the generosity of our congregation. We look around today and say, “Thanks be to God for making all this happen.”

Since the 2019 history was written, there have been other changes. A new baptistery was dedicated in late 2023. Office spaces have been reconfigured. Post-Covid, our family ministries are thriving. Our music ministry, long a signature draw for parishioners and the wider community, continues to offer innovative programming.

Now, from our position on that prominent corner of downtown, we see literally dozens of new apartments and condominiums, and more under construction. We also see our unhoused brothers and sisters on the streets, and there is widespread recognition throughout the state that affordable housing is a significant challenge.

Once dismissed as “God’s waiting room,” St. Petersburg has a lively entertainment/bar and restaurant scene and a strong arts community including American Stage Theater, the Florida Orchestra, and many world-class museums. We cheer for the Tampa Bay teams: the Rays, the Bucs, the Lightning, and the Rowdies.

We are ready to step into our future, reaching beyond our own walls to engage with the wider community in ways we have yet to define. As our founders recorded in the minutes of the first vestry meeting: “Church work in St. Petersburg is coequal with the existence of the place itself.”

Our original bell tower, shown in this postcard, was created in 1899. An extension was added in 1925 to accommodate a set of chimes, but its weight is now bowing out the lower story. Repairs will be under way this spring.

ST. PETER’S TODAY

Our Staff

The Cathedral staff currently consists of a part-time interim dean; a curate; a canon for music and precentor; a director of Christian formation and digital communications; and an administrator/associate for Christian formation, all fulltime; a 30-hour-a-week building and grounds coordinator; a canon for hospitality and a canon theologian, both parttime, who regularly preach and celebrate; a part-time publications associate; and a part-time custodian, hospitality associate, and nursery attendant.

Cathedral Governance

The temporal affairs of the Cathedral are overseen by a 12-member Chapter, four of whom are elected every January at the Annual Meeting for three-year terms. At the request of the Bishop, the sitting Chapter agreed in the summer of 2023 to extend their terms by one year during this time of transition. Therefore there were no elections at the 2024 Annual Meeting.

The Executive Committee—senior and junior wardens, treasurer, and clerk—is the decision-making body primarily around finances. They bring matters to the Chapter for approval as appropriate. They meet at least monthly to plan the Chapter meeting and deal with other issues.

In 2022, the Chapter approved a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement (spcathedral.org/who-we-are), and they renewed their commitment to this statement in January 2024 as part of the search process.

Our Strategic Plan for 2022-24 is based upon our mission statement, “To know Christ and to make Him known.” It focuses on five key points: deepening our faith, growing our faith filled generosity, enriching our ministries, enhancing our technology capability, and maintaining our historic cathedral. Read the full plan at spcathedral.org/strategic-plan.

One of the Chapter’s tasks in the months ahead will be to work with the new dean to review, renew, and revise the strategic plan to reflect our new challenges and opportunities.

Work Under Way—and into the Future

In 2023, a reserve study was done by Association Reserves of Fort Lauderdale, and we now have a detailed plan to guide us in anticipating major capital repairs and improvements and replacement of equipment. One immediate result of that study is that we are now planning to re-roof the worship space, where leaks have damaged the interior ceiling plaster.

Another immediate result is a plan to repair the Cathedral’s bell tower. The original two-story tower was built in 1899. In 1925, when a set of chimes was donated, a third story was added. The additional weight and lack of structural support are now causing the second-story tower to bow outward.

Work on both these projects is expected to start in the spring of 2024, before the hurricane season begins. Funding is in place. Once the bell tower is secured, we plan to restore the bells and chimes, which have been inoperative since 2015 because of a lightning strike.

A Strong Financial Position

In our struggle to emerge from a deep deficit situation, linked to the construction in 2008-09 of what we still refer to as our “new building,” we have learned the importance of business and financial expertise and have a much clearer understanding of the challenges of operating a complex organization.

Today, we enjoy a strong balance sheet and a balanced 2024 budget with:

• Adequate short-term reserves to support planned and unplanned expenses

• A growing endowment of more than $4 million

• No debt

• Annual pledge and contribution income of more than $1 million

• External revenue streams that augment traditional parish giving

Through hard work and God’s continued blessings, we have a strong financial basis to support and grow our ministries. So, as we look to the future with our next dean, we believe the Cathedral is well-positioned financially to support our mission—“To know Christ and to make Him known.”

The Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Inc. 2024 Operating and Capital Budget

Faith-Filled Giving Supports Our Ministries

In a budget of over $1.7 million, we spend about half on worship and music, 16 percent on service and outreach, 13 percent on formation, 6 percent on pastoral care, and 16 percent on building and grounds.

But more work remains to be done. We conduct an aggressive “faith filled financial commitment” campaign every fall that focuses on time and talent as well as treasure. In recent years we have achieved our annual goal, but we achieved only 83 percent of our 2024 goal of $950,000 with 214 pledges received. It is not clear whether that shortfall is motivated by the clergy leadership transition, by the national economy, or other factors. We learned from a Congregation Assessment Tool that, compared to other congregations, our percentage of household giving is well below average. This will be a focus of our work in 2024.

Given the demographics of our congregation—two-thirds of us are over age 65—we know we need to foster strong stewardship, especially among our younger members.

Participation and Giving Trends

The graph below shows total membership, average weekly attendance, and income from pledge and plate for each year from 2011 to 2022. The year marked 2020 includes only weekly average attendance from January and February of that year, before we went virtual due to Covid. While the pandemic affected average weekly attendance, neither membership nor pledge income decreased. Our hope is to continue to grow in the future.

THE WIDER COMMUNITY

St. Petersburg is a city of around 260,000 people surrounded by the greater Tampa Bay area of approximately 3.3 million residents. The population is mostly white (67%) with large Black (20%) as well as Hispanic (8.8%) and Asian (3.5%) communities. The median income is $70,333 per household and $46,755 per capita. The area boasts 2 international airports, 3 major professional sports teams, 15 museums, 5 performing arts halls, and theme parks, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and many public parks and beaches.

The Cathedral Church of St. Peter stands on a prominent downtown corner. Pelicans and egrets dot our bright blue skies, and so do construction cranes where condominiums are under construction. Apartment complexes rise a few blocks away, providing homes to those working in the nearby medical complexes, banking and knowledge industries, and colleges and universities that are transforming this one-time seasonal tourist town.

Our nearby waterfront includes award-winning restaurants, busy sidewalk cafes and popular bars, as well as “museum row,” which attracts patrons from around the world. Stroll down Beach Drive, stop for gelato or coffee, and savor it while watching children climb the majestic banyan trees across the street. Enjoy outdoor concerts, shop or visit the bustling Saturday Morning Market, the largest in the Southeast. Check out the new pier with its breathtaking views and many attractions. If you’re looking for something a little more “edgy,” check out the shops, restaurants, and bars on Central Avenue, head out to the Arts District, or pop into one of the many breweries that have sprung up in the past decade. St. Pete is the proud home of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Tropicana Field offers a fun-filled ballpark experience for all ages. Downtown St. Pete is also the home of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, a USL soccer team.

The beach is a short drive away, offering soft white sand and spectacular sunsets; many in our congregation enjoy heading to beautiful Fort DeSoto for our annual “CanoEucharist,” one of the many fun, innovative ways in which we come together as a church community.

A drone photo shows high-rises along the waterfront. The Cathedral is in the bottom center of the image, across the street from Williams Park.

THE DEAN WE SEEK

We are looking for someone who will:

• Prioritize pastoral care, especially for individuals and communities who have been marginalized. Embrace our larger community with mercy and justice.

• Demonstrate kind and instructive leadership so that, to paraphrase Paul, the exercising of our rights does not become a stumbling block to anyone in our congregation.

• Speak with moral authority and give honest accounts of our world and our past, unafraid to speak up when powerful people seek to whitewash history or systematically erase people’s lived experiences.

• Hold us accountable when we fall short, and work with us to be better and to walk in the way of love as Christ loves us.

• Accompany us in both our joys and our sorrows. To meet each of us where we are and to hold space for us as we discern how God is at work in our lives and where the Holy Spirit is leading us.

• Lead our hardworking and beloved staff by articulating a strong vision, delegating authority and responsibilities, giving support and feedback, fostering an environment of respect.

• Challenge our intellectually curious congregation by demonstrating academic proficiency in biblical studies, church history, theology and ethics, practical theology, and interreligious engagement–especially when preaching or teaching.

• Model a life-long love of learning by staying informed about the latest developments in religious studies and related academic fields. Nurture your own spiritual well being in ways you find life giving and liberating so that you can be fully present in this community.

• Shepherd us as both a pastor and an executive, and lead us into the future in ways that respect our traditions without letting long-held practices or ideas hold us back from fulfilling our potential to serve Christ.

• Grow the Cathedral by developing strategies for welcoming visitors and incorporating new people into the life of the church.

OUR ROLE AS THE CATHEDRAL

As the Cathedral, we are the bishop’s seat for the Diocese of Southwest Florida. Our clergy and laity serve the diocese on its governing bodies and committees and at convention. We offer generous hospitality and opportunities for worship and formation to our entire diocese as we host ordinations, worship on special occasions, and other celebrations. We serve our wider community in our outreach and social-justice ministries. We are a library and a laboratory for worship, a creative home for music and the arts, and a reminder of God’s presence in a busy downtown next to City Hall.

Father Mike Alford, assisted by one of our youth acolytes, celebrates the CanoEucharist. in the Gulf waters of Fort DeSoto Park.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

Our website: spcathedral.org

Our Facebook page: facebook.com/spcathedral Diocese of Southwest Florida: episcopalswfl.org

City of St. Petersburg: stpete.org

Our local newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times: tampabay.com

Museum of Fine Arts: mfastpete.org

Salvador Dalí Museum: thedali.org

The James Museum: thejamesmuseum.org

Woodson African American Museum: woodsonmuseum.org

Chihuly Collection: moreanartscenter.org

American Stage Theatre Co.: americanstage.org

Florida Orchestra: floridaorchestra.org

Eckerd College: eckerd.edu

St. Petersburg College: spcollege.edu

University of South Florida St. Petersburg: stpetersburg.usf.edu

St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce: stpete.com

St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership: stpetepartnership.org

Downtown St. Petersburg: discoverdowntown.com

St. Pete Pier: stpetepier.org

Also on Facebook: facebook.com/ilovetheburg

Tampa Bay Rays: tampabay.rays.mlb.com

Tampa Bay Rowdies: rowdiessoccer.com

HOW TO APPLY

If you discern that God may be calling you to an inclusive community that values joyful worship and meaningful fellowship at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, please submit via email the following materials to the Rev. Canon Richard H. Norman, Canon to the Ordinary, The Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida (rnorman@episcopalswfl.org):

• A letter of interest that highlights how you meet the needs of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter

• Resume or Curriculum Vitae

• A copy of your updated OTM portfolio

Application deadline: May 1, 2024

The Cathedral Church of St. Peter

Clockwise from top left: Worshipers are greeted Sunday morning; Egg hunt in the courtyard; Easter flowers; Father Mike Alford, Bishop Douglas Scharf, and Canon Thomas Williams pose in front of the altar; One of our EY Seedlings shows off her tote bag design.