10:00AM  In person and livestream

Read Matthew 16:21-28

No sooner does Peter identify Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, that he mistakes where the Messiah is going.

It’s one thing to confess Jesus as Lord, but it’s entirely another thing to follow him to the cross.

Being a Christian means living a sacrificial faith and embracing the cross. Join us on Sunday as we seek to follow the Messiah to where he is going.

Over the past year, our congregation clarified our mission/vision/values and what it means to be God’s people.

Mission/Vision/Values Video

Congregational Forum 8/27/23 Video

Here are our mission/vision/values:

Why do we exist as the church?  Our mission is to love like Jesus so that each person experiences God’s Way.

What is God’s vision and how we are called to partner with God to move toward it?  God’s vision is a world made whole through love.

What core values will guide our daily life?
     Shalom – Actively pursuing reconciliation and wholeness.
     Compassion – Recognizing and entering into our shared humanity.
     Service – Responding to the needs of others.
     Grace – Sharing the love that God first gives us.

Let us live by this mission/vision/and values and continue to follow Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Amen. Let it be so.

What does your faith have to do with all the various parts of your daily life – work, school, home, family, friends, and all the activities and relationships in your life? Is there any connection? How strong is that connection? Is faith and ministry mainly limited to a particular location and time, i.e. at a church building on Sunday mornings? Does our faith life get put on pause when we drive out of the church parking lot until the next time we return? These are some honest questions with which we all likely wrestle.

Click HERE for a short video featuring some folks in our congregation asking some of these same questions, and introducing  us to a new congregational initiative called “Life of Faith” that we will dive into to explore those questions.

Click HERE for the congregational survey.

Join us in a 4-part series to engage in learning about the basics of the Lutheran faith and tradition.  The topics for each session are:

• September 5 - “What Do We Believe?” with Rev. Dr. William R. Russell, Coordinator for The Lutheran Confessions' Project, LWF
• September 19 - Adult Catechism, with Bishop Emeritus Julian Gordy
• October 3 - “Who is Luther?” with Rev. Dr. Justin Nickel, Lenoir Rhyne - LTSS
• October 17 - Lutheranism in North America, with Rev. Dr. Susan McArver, Lenoir Rhyne - LTSS

To register: LUTHERANISM 101: a 4-part series (brtapp.com)

Zoom link and reminder emails will be sent upon registration.

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.

The fourth quarter 2023 "Christ in Our Home" Devotional Booklets are now available for the months October through September.  

Printed copies of the booklets, along with the current issue of Living Lutheran magazine, are available in the Narthex.  

Augsburg Fortress offers an audio version which you may purchase by clicking HERE.

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 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.