St. Peter's history
t. Peter’s began in 1987 when just a few families had a vision to begin an Episcopal Church in a little housing development called The Colony. The group had a dream of gathering a large group of people who would grow in Christ through worship and prayer, serve God through dynamic and life-giving outreach into the community, and give generously from all that God had given them to further the ministry of Jesus Christ. They dreamed big, worked hard, sacrificed great amounts of time, gave of their finances, telephoned thousands of people, and on October 18, 1987, pulled together a large crowd of people for their first Eucharistic celebration at B. B. Owen Elementary School.
Over the next two decades, the young church's greatest challenge was obtaining long-term, missional leadership that would lead them toward growth and stability. The bishop sent various part-time supply priests and an occasional full-time vicar. The church struggled along, and because of the hardships, a few thought it would be better to close the church down. But the people of St. Peter's had not given up hope. Amidst the difficulties, they persevered, believing that God had started the church for a reason. They believed that He had called St. Peter's to be a place of vibrant faith and transformation — that the job in North Dallas area was not yet complete.
Their belief and perseverance began to come to fruition in 2008 when the bishop recruited a young priest named Father Philip Mayer sent him to St. Peter’s. Under Father Philip's leadership, God began to transform the church into a place of outreach and mission. The people worked to beautify the community by cleaning up the city. They collaborated with Stewart’s Creek Elementary, a local title-one school in great need of volunteers. They began fostering relationships in the community by becoming involved in city events such as the annual dog festival, the Veterans Day celebration, a one-mile run for kids, the Christmas parade, and free pictures with Santa. As a result, the church began to grow.
In order to continue expanding, St. Peter’s recently moved out of the Lutheran Church building, where they had been renting, and moved into the new Cascades Events Center in The Colony where they are currently meeting. Together they continue to glorify God in worship and outreach to the community. The future is bright for St. Peter’s. It continues to be a church that is stepping out in faith to reach this area for Jesus Christ — partnering with God in His incredible work of transforming the world.
