St. Peter’s Episcopal Church welcomes its new rector, the Rev. Derek Larson, along with his family: LauraAnn, Barret (8), and Alaster (2). A Celebration of New Ministry will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 6:30 p.m., presided over by the Rt. Rev. Douglas Scharf, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida.
Founded in 1902 and located at the corner of West Mahoney and Carey Streets, St. Peter’s has been an integral part of the Plant City community. The church has long been active in food assistance, partnerships with local schools, and, most recently, its Laundry Love program, which paid for the laundry of over 600 locals last year.
With two young children themselves, the Larson family join an intergenerational community that emphasizes the role of children and youth in worship, leadership, and strategic visioning. You’ll find children active not only at St. Peter’s Family Service on the last Sunday of the month, but also at its Wednesday community dinners—Engage Cafe—and many other parish gatherings.
St. Peter’s is blessed with one of the most architecturally beautiful religious spaces in the wider Plant City area. Its Carpenter Gothic aesthetic features a cruciform shape and is adorned with a custom-built Zimmer pipe organ and brightly colored stained glass windows, complete with a classic (and still used) bell tower. From first step into the church, you can feel something of its sacred past.
As part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, St. Peter’s lives at the intersection of ancient tradition and contemporary life, and builds bridges between people of varying beliefs and backgrounds. Whether coming from Roman Catholic or Protestant backgrounds, newcomers often feel at home at St. Peter’s because of the way it weaves together different aspects of faith. Intentionally welcoming and inclusive of those of different ages, genders, nationalities, political parties, abilities, races, ethnicities and sexual orientations, St. Peter’s takes seriously Christ’s command to love its neighbors. Many will remember its charismatic Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, preach his famous sermon on love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.
With over a decade of professional experience in churches and theological training, Father Larson is especially interested in the intersection of faith and nature. He joins St. Peter’s from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Tequesta, FL where he served as Associate Rector and experimented with outdoor prayer and worship along trails and beaches. At St. Peter’s, he joins a line of previous rectors who have been active in the community as rotary club members, community theater actors, and downtown restoration project leaders. Fr. Larson looks forward to also being active in the wider community and already knows the area well, having grown up in Lakeland and Plant City.
St. Peter’s invites the community to celebrate the arrival of Fr. Larson and his family on September 26 or at either of its 8:00 am and 10:30 am Sunday services.