St. Peter's Episcopal Church

who are we?

 

The community of St. Peter's Episcopal Church was founded in 1867. Over the years,St. St. Peter's has had a strong connection with the Nashotah House Seminary in nearby De Delafield as well as the surrounding community of North Lake.

 

Today, the church is a small, family--centered worshipping community that is committed to spreading the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to a world in need. You'll find that we're enjoying ourselves at St. Pete's as we grow, learn, and serve God, each other, and the community. We are a family -friendly church with a desire to share the Good News of what God is doing in the world today. We are energetic and we take seriously our mission of building Christians for service.

 

Our parish is diverse and reflects our changing community: local and regional business people, farmers, homemakers, teachers and those who commute to the greater Waukesha/Milwaukee Metro area for work in private industry and local government. As western Waukesha County has grown, we have too. Our congregation is rapidly changing with new faces and families visiting every Sunday. An active church life and events and good food bring us together as a community and allow us to meet and serve Jesus Christ in each other, and grow in our relationship with God. We do that by offering welcoming, joyful,and Spirit-filled worship in the liturgy and tradition of the Episcopal Church each Sunday with a traditional choral mass at 9:30 a.m.

 

We are excited by the new directions we are taking at St. Peter's and we hope you will be, too! The best way to get to know us is to worship with us on Sunday and then share a cup of coffee and conversation with us afterwards!

 

"Catch the Spirit at St Peter's !"

 

A Look Back: St. Peter's in North Lake

When land around North Lake village came on the market in 1850, Henry Shears bought several acres, erected a sawmill, and two years later erected a grist mill. Shears, an early patriarch of the village was a Colonel in the Civil War and elected to the State Assembly.

 

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, dating from 1867, is one of the most beautiful of Wisconsin's small churches and is the oldest in North Lake. On August 13, 1866 Col. Henry Shears met with a small group to form a new church as a founding committee and raised $500. A piece of land was donated by a neighbor, Nils Peterson along Mills Street (now State Highway 83) and accepted by the founding committee. Timber was purchased and the church's cellar was dug , but then work halted until after the harvest. Nils Peterson was awarded the contract for the Norman--style English church.

 

The cornerstone was laid and the church was consecrated September 30, 1867 with Assistant Bishop of Milwaukee, Wm. Armitage presiding. The first service was held July 19, 1868 with Bishop Kemper and a large congregation attending. The cost of the church with all the furnishings then was $2,000. The church was consecrated by Bishop Kemper on June 30, 1870, after having satisfied some debt.

 

Meet Rev. David Couper, Priest-in-Charge

Rev. David Couper is the current Priest-in-Charge at St. Pete's North Lake. David came into the clergy after a three-decade career with municipal police departments in four cities. In 1993, he left the police and entered seminary. He was called to his first church in 1996, St John the Baptist Episcopal Church, in Portage, Wisconsin. He served nine years in Portage before coming to St Peter's.

David is married to Sabine Lobitz who recently retired as a captain from the State Capitol Police Department. All their children are now "out of the nest." Both as a family and professionally Sabine, David and their children have traveled to Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

They are a bi-racial family having two adopted Korean daughters. David has been active in inter-faith as well as inter-denominational ministries. He has a long track record of cooperatively moving organizations toward excellence.

His hobbies/interests as in "lifetime" sports (running, biking and skiing), international travel, and they have a small farm near Blue Mounds.

 

Throughout the years, David has been active in the martial arts (he has expert ratings in Judo, Taekwondo, and Kendo, and has studied the Japanese sword). Click here for a candid conversation with David.

 

Career Experience

Rector; St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Portage, WI., December, 1995 to present.
Assistant to the Rector; St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Madison, WI., 1992 -1995.
Resident in Clinical Pastoral Education; Meriter Hospital, Madison, WI., September, 1994 to August. 1995.
Chief of Police; City of Madison, WI., 1972-1993.
Director of Public Safety; City of Burnsville, MN, 1969-1972.
Graduate Teaching Assistant; University of Minnesota, Department of Sociology, 1968-1971.
Active Duty: U.S. Marine Corps, 1956-60; Reserve Duty, 1962-68

 

Education

Seminary, Nashotah House, Certificate in Anglican Studies, 1994.
Edgewood College, Madison, WI., M.A., Religious Studies, 2005.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, B.A., Russian Language, 1968; M.A., Sociology (Deviant Behavior), 1970.

Community Activities
Member, Rotary Clubs in Madison and Portage (Paul Harris Fellow), January, 1973 to present.
Board of Directors, Northwoods Corporation, Portage, 1998 to 2005.
Trustee; International Peace Council, October, 1994-99.
Madison Special Olympics, Employer Sponsor, 1980-93.
Board Member, Group Health Cooperative, Madison, 1975-76.

2008.11.22.