Our mission is to bring our neighbors to unity with God. We do that the way Jesus told us to do it, by going out to actively care for one another, not just in our church community, but in our neighborhood, in our town of Bennington, and in the world.

The following is a list of our current outreach ministries. We encourage everyone to consider how you might participate, whether you are a member of our church or not. We strive to identify and address a variety of real needs in our community, from hunger to clothing to prayerful reflection. If you are interested in joining these efforts, please contact the church at [email protected].

Financial Outreach

Global and Local Ministry Support

St. Peter’s supports a wide Financial Outreach Ministry by providing financial support to various international and national organizations such as the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund (ERD), Brookhaven, and other state-wide, national, and global ministries.

Rector's Discretionary Fund & Gas Cards

St. Peter's supports members of the local community in need, through one-time only limited fiscal support for small items such as gas, medication copays, and others.

Local Food and Welfare Organizations

St. Peter’s routinely gives of its own resources to local organizations such as the Greater Bennington Community Services (GBCS) and other such organizations



Serving the Community

Front Porch “Take a Coat, Leave a Coat” 

For years, St Peter’s has addressed the need in our community for warm clothing from September through April. We encourage the community to donate coats, hats, gloves, and shoes, especially during these cold winter months. The clothing rack is located on our Cloister and available to the public 24/7. We have had great success in getting these items to those in need and are grateful for the many donations. 

Community Cafe

A joint-ministry of St. Peter's Episcopal Church and the Bennington Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, The Bennington Community Café is a gathering place serving everyone, especially those most in need in the community. All café items are pay-what-you-wish, which includes paying nothing at all, and is held every Saturday from 1:30p to 3p in the St. Peter's Parish Hall.

Interfaith Council

We are members of the Greater Bennington Interfaith Council. We work with people from other faith communities on local and national concerns: homelessness, racism, poverty, and in 2022 resettling Afghan families in our town.

Knitting Ministry

A group of yarn lovers knit or crochet for the glory of God throughout the year despite not being able to gather the majority of COVID-tide. This group has made hats, mittens, chemo hats, preemie hats for developing nations, baby blankets, and prayer shawls. These items carry God’s love and caring in situations of pain, joy or sorrow. Shawls are blessed by our priest during a service. It is estimated that over 400 prayer shawls have been knitted and distributed to date by this devoted group. Knitted items are available on request. 

Stephen Ministry 

In 2020, St. Peter’s joined the national Stephen Ministry organization and sponsored two people to complete the course to become Stephen Ministers. Stephen Ministry provides the structure, resources, tools and training to guide lay caregivers to provide care for those who are hurting. You learn to walk with a person in a hurting situation such as grief, loss of a job, divorce. Training is available.