10:00AM  In person and livestream

Read Matthew 16: 13-20 

Jesus questions his disciples about who people say he is. They give answers that some people say he’s one of the prophets or some rising star and voice from God. But he presses them further and asks, “But who do YOU say that I am?”

We may have ideas in our culture about Jesus, but we too are pressed with the same question, “Who do YOU say that I am?” If Jesus asked you that question, how would you respond?

This week Sunday we roll out our new Mission/Vision/Values – our discernment as a congregation to determine who we are as the church which is tied to who we follow as the Messiah.

Join us in worship as we find our identity in Christ, the Son of the Living God. Click HERE for an invitation to our Mission/Vision/Values Forum.

Remember back in 2020 when the whole world experienced a change? It was a confusing time and we learned how to navigate life. Indeed, the pandemic changed a lot of the ways our society functioned, from our work lives, our relationships, and even our faith lives. 

Thanks be to God, we weathered the storm together and leaned on God’s presence in a difficult time. My hope is that we came out with a new perspective on just how vulnerable we are, and how much we need God and one another.

After 9-months of prayerful deliberation and engagement with what it means to be Peace Lutheran Church in this time and place, our Vision Team and leadership is ready to present to you our identity as God’s beloved community.

Join us on August 27th after worship for a congregational forum to hear firsthand the work we have done as a congregation clarifying who God is calling us to be in this post-pandemic world. We’re excited to live into our calling as disciples of Jesus as this community of faith sent out into the world to share God’s love.

Lunch will be provided.

Pastor Jake and the Vision Team   

The Situation:  Multiple wildfires have broken out on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Exacerbated by strong winds, these fires have destroyed homes, businesses and lines of communication. Thousands of people are under evacuation orders, some moving to other Hawaiian islands. Wildfires are also burning on the Big Island of Hawaii, and the islands remain vulnerable to more fires this season.

Our Response:  Lutheran Disaster Response is coordinating with the Pacifica Synod and other partners to assess the needs of people impacted by the wildfires. We will work with them to provide for immediate needs and recovery amid the widespread destruction. Lutheran Disaster Response is committed to accompanying recovering communities in the years ahead.

What you can do
Pray:   Please pray for the Maui communities impacted by the wildfires. May God's healing presence bring them peace and hope in their time of need and give strength to those working diligently to contain the fires and care for affected communities.

Give:  Your gifts will support wildfire survivors. Gifts to "U.S. Wildfires" will be used in full (100%) to assist those affected by wildfires. Or make a general donation to Lutheran Disaster Response so we can respond to disasters whenever and wherever they strike.

We have been asked to help St. Andrew with their annual Fall Festival. We will be making Halloween Cookies and Candies and Crafts to sell. The proceeds of the sale will go towards keeping our Little Pantry stocked. Our men will also be making breakfast sausage and hamburgers to sell. Some of us are already working on our craft projects. If you or someone you know can donate something, let me know.  We will also be looking for workers for that day. There will be a Sign-up genius when it gets a little closer. As always you can contact me at beckyvoges@yahoo.com or 830-587-4003.

Before you know it, you will be hearing Christmas music, ha!

Last year we lost our Angel Costumes due to a fire sprinkler issue. We need help sewing some new ones. Our pattern is simple, if you could help, please call Becky Voges at 830-587-4003.

SEEKERS AND SPONGES:   meets on Sunday mornings @  8:30AM in-person and ZOOM   

Seekers and Sponges has started a "Study Curriculum on Civic Life and Faith."  The ELCA Task Force on Studies for Civic Life and Faith has released a study curriculum for use throughout our church as we engage the question, what does it mean to be a Christian in civic life.

The study invites participants to delve into the nature of politics, the meaning of the Scriptures, the purpose of government, the responsibility of congregations and church-related organizations, First Amendment issues, the relationship of faith-based living and civic life, connections between worship life and serving neighbor in society, the nature of citizenship, and other relevant topics.

Printed materials will be available in the classroom or you may access the material at www.elca.org/civics and faithstudy

In our class, everyone in our group becomes a teacher for one another, sharing experiences and perspectives that facilitates a respectful, enlightening approach to adult learning.      

Please join us in the multimedia classroom at the end of the hallway.  You will find the discussion engaging, insightful, and challenging, and it will expand how you look at your faith! 

Click HERE to join by Zoom. 

PEACE PRAYER MINISTRY:

Did you make any resolutions for the New Year? Many of us have a desire to have a more intimate prayer life, so might I suggest carving out more time for prayer and reflection? Peace Lutheran Church has an active Prayer Ministry. We have an Email Prayer Chain, we have a Zoom “Sweet Hour of Prayer” Group that meets every Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. and we have a Prayer loom that is included in our Sunday morning prayers. I would like to welcome new members to join our email Prayer Chain and our Monday morning Prayer Group. We have experienced some amazing, answered prayers this year and we have given comfort to many of our members in their times of distress. Please consider being a part of our Prayer Ministry in this new year. You can email me at beckyvoges@yahoo.com for more information.

Our weekly Prayer Group Zooms every Monday at 9:00 am  via Zoom only.   Click HERE to join by Zoom.  We have a devotion, share prayer requests and pray over each request. The group is led by Becky Voges.  If you would like to be a part of the group, please email Becky (beckyvoges@yahoo.com).  All prayer requests will be kept confidential. 

Prayer Chain Requests - email Becky (beckyvoges@yahoo.com).

PASTOR'S VIRTUAL CONVERSATION:   
Every Monday from 3 pm - 3:30 pm; Come join Pastor Jake on Zoom to ask questions, check-in, and lift up prayers. Join HERE - Meeting ID: 991 3660 5065; Password: 015347

TECH SUPPORT:
Need some technical support? Trying to stay connected in a virtual world can be frustrating when things don't work or the technological learning curve seems steep. If you need some help, contact: Patti Kassel @ kasselpatti@gmail.com 

We now have full use of our new media booth which utilizes a sound technician, a livestream operator, and a powerpoint operator. 

To sign up to be one of the media booth technicians/operator, please click the button below to be redirected to our SignUpGenius.  You can also sign up by clicking the link at the bottom of Peace's homepage @  www.peacenb.org

If you would like to learn how to be a media booth technician/operator or you have any questions, please contact the Peace office at 830-620-0618.

Peace has a new hearing assist system to support those with hearing clhallenges. 

The new system moves away from a proprietary FM radio based system to a more flexible service  leveraging current day standard wifi and bluetooth technologies built into many modern day hearing aids, cochlear implants, and as well supports a broad base of wired and wireless headphones and earbuds.  This moves us from a 'one size for all' solution to a solution that can accommodate a broad variety of use cases across our members and guest.

If your hearing assist solution supports Bluetooth connectivity and you have a smart phone, the best way is going to be for you to install an app called Wavecast, available from Williams AV. It is available for free on your iOS or Android device. At church you will connect to the church's wifi network.  The Wavecast app will pick up the church service audio being transmitted over the church's wifi and then relay it to your hearing assist device of choice via Bluetooth (hearing aids, ear buds) or wired connection (ear buds, headphones,etc.)!

Sound complicated?  It may, but it really works like many standard services you likely already use today!  Someone will be available to assist you to get started.

Don't have a smartphone?  No worries! We will also have four handheld receivers (basically they are wifi only Android phones) with headphones or earbuds similar to the solution we use today, but can also be used to connect to your personal bluetooth enabled hearing assist devices or any wired devices, just like your personal cell phone can connect to!  You can bring your own listening device and connect to these receivers if you like!

We look forward to offering those with hearing challenges in our congregation some new, improved way to engage more fully in the worship experience!

If you want to know more, feel free to talk To Jeremy Davenport or Don Hodde at church. They would be happy to assist. 

We are part of one church body organized in three expressions — congregations, synods, and the churchwide organization. Each expression has its particular functions but all three together share a common mission of doing God’s work in the world and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Together, they ensure a solid foundation of leadership, active involvement in communities, opportunities for dialogue and diverse perspectives, creative partnerships, and support for members and ministries of the ELCA.