Announcements for Sunday, 8 January 2023
Water and more water!
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
–Psalm 29, 1-4, 10-11
I enjoy being on water. I long for the motion of the water and the gentle rocking of the boat, which brings me such serenity and contentment. Although I enjoy being on the water, I dislike being in it. I cannot swim, or at least not confidently. Being in water causes me a significant deal of discomfort and worry. Someone believed that throwing me into the water was the brightest approach to teach me how to swim many years ago. Although the trauma lingers, I enjoy being on the water.
I enjoy seeing water as well. Place me near to a lake, river, or even the ocean, and I could spend hours just watching the water flow. It is mesmerizing and nearly hypnotic. As someone who is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental devastation caused by humanity, I mourn the constraints we've imposed on clean water resources, which continue to tighten as water pollution occurs. Why do we risk losing access to water if it is so vital to survival?
Interestingly, water is mentioned over 700 times in the Bible, and ritual frequently comes to mind when we consider the passages in which it is addressed. There are rituals for washing in and with water in Judaism: for ritual purity, a full immersion bath (tevilah) is done in a deep bath (mikvah). In addition, before eating, netilat yadayim, or ritual handwashing, is conducted with a prayer. As Christians, water is also a part of our rituals, particularly holy baptism, the ritual of introduction into the faith. Children and adults are sprinkled or submerged in water and baptized by clergy using the trinitarian formula ("...in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"). We keep water in our baptismal fonts so we can dip our fingers and mark ourselves with the cross to remember our baptism. Occasionally, clergy use the rite of asperges or the sprinkling of water over the assembly and even over the deceased during the funeral liturgy.
Water is essential to life, and it is also essential to our spiritual existence. Thus, Martin Luther urged people to remember their baptism when they washed their face. When I'm on the water, experiencing every movement, and am overcome with calm and contentment, it's because I frequently turn to prayer and recall my baptism in that moment. The water that was sprinkled over me in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit had as much strength, if not more, than smashing waves along the coast. While our natural bodies require the repeated intake of water, our spiritual bodies benefited once with the waters of baptism through which we were named and claimed. Whether we were old enough to remember or not, the waters in which we were baptized continue to benefit and sustain us, leaving us forever marked with the magnificent gift of God's power and strength via the Holy Spirit.
So, remember your baptism! Consider the importance of water both physically and spiritually every time you turn on the tap or dive into the water. Water is a gift from God that sustains, cleanses and renews, and it is both powerful and peaceful.
On January 8, we will remember our baptisms as we receive and welcome new members through the rite of baptismal affirmation. If it has been a while since you last attended church, we invite you to return and join us as we give thanks for God's ongoing work in the world and celebrate the rich blessings God has provided. There is a place for everyone in God's house and at Christ's table!
"And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.'”
(Matt. 3.16-17)
Grace and peace,
Pastor Eric+
Notice of Annual Congregation Meeting
Dear Members of Peace Lutheran Church:
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The annual congregation meeting of Peace Lutheran Church will be held on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. in the fellowship hall. The business to be conducted includes:
Election of new council members and officers
Approval of the 2023 budget
The 2023 Annual Report will be distributed prior to the annual meeting.
In advance of the annual meeting, council will hold a town hall meeting on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. to discuss the 2023 budget. The town hall meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss 2022 expenditures and the 2023 budget . The meeting on January 15 will not include a vote.
We hope you will attend both meetings.
In His service,
Jill Fronck, President
Cindy McCallam, Secretary
Gail Bentz, Treasurer
2023 Proposed Budget Town Hall Meeting
A special town hall meeting will be held in the fellowship hall following church on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 11:15 a.m. The purpose of the town hall meeting is to present the proposed 2023 budget and provide an open forum to discuss the state of the congregation's finances.
Helpers Needed Sunday, January 8
We need your assistance to dismantle and pack up the Advent and Christmas decorations from the church. Stay after the service to assist the altar care team. Additionally, poinsettias may be taken home after the service.
Peace Quilters
Happy New Year!!! Quilting dates during January are - 1/2, 1/5, 1/16, 1/19 & 1/30.
We meet in Rms. 4&5 from 9-11 AM and will be making fleece chemo hats and quilts forLutheran World Relief. Join our group when you can. If you are interested, contact Leahat quilters@myplc.org.
Support Peace Lutheran Church and Help the Environment
We are continually on the lookout for new ways to raise money and improve our environmental practices. TruEarth detergent and other products come highly recommended. Anything you order will be sent directly to you. An envelope made of cardboard transports the detergent. After more than a year of use, I can say that I am loyal to the products now. They're convenient because they're not messy to use and eco-friendly because they save me from buying plastic storage containers and filling the landfill.
Visit https://fundraising.tru.earth/myplc and 20% of your purchase will be donated toPeace Lutheran Church! Please forward this link to your friends and family via socialmedia, email, or text message.
Please note that the company's headquarters are in Canada, therefore if you use acredit card to make a purchase, you may get a notification stating the transactionoccurred outside of the United States.
If there are any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Sharon Altman
New Church Management Program Coming Soon
Peace Lutheran Church has been using the ICON system to manage parish data and giving for several years. However, considering the variety of modern church management systems on the market and their capabilities, it's evident that ICON is becoming obsolete and difficult to use. Peace Lutheran Church will begin converting to anew program called BREEZE in January to manage our parish records, giving, attendance, activities, and more. The advantages of switching to BREEZE include an easy-to-use system for backend users such as tellers, financial secretaries, and treasurers. Frontend users (contributors and members) will be able to keep their information up to date and handle regular and recurring giving more easily thanks to a centralized website or the BREZZE smartphone app. The system will also allow for scheduling worship assistants (lectors, acolytes, cantors, etc.).
Peace leadership is committed to not rushing the implementation of the new system. In the coming weeks, the finance committee will work on an official roll-out timeline, with complete implementation anticipated for the end of March 2023. This method will enable leadership to clean up parochial records while also allowing members and other contributors to change their records and online giving preferences. More information to come!