Beware of scammers that send out messages via email or text asking for money.

There was one that went out this past weekend (late April). Unfortunately, with our technological world, this is a reality we have to live with.

Pastor Jake will never ask you to send money confidentially. You may also look for the domain (pastor@peacenb.org or office@peacenb.org) to ensure it’s not a made-up email.

On the night of his arrest, Jesus delivers a final testimony to his disciples to help them in the days ahead. Here, he repeats the most important of all his commands, that they love one another.

The Christian way is not merely something to believe in your heart; it is a way of love to be lived out. Jesus is constantly teaching his disciples that what God ultimately desires is not for us to somehow strive to be good people – it’s for his disciples to exude love in all times and places. You don’t will yourself to love more; you simply love by engaging with others and building deep, meaningful relationships grounded in God’s infinite love. It’s why Jesus is so adamant about abiding in his love every moment.

Join us on Sunday as we experience the story of God’s transformative love.

We will be having acolyte training on Sunday, May 5th after church. This training is open all age including the children of the congregation. If you have any questions please contact Shannon Johnson at 830-481-7431 or sprocknowjohnson@gmail.com. 

We are less than a week from synod assembly, which means voting members are receiving a lot of synod assembly details. If you have not yet registered, please do so as soon as possible at https://www.swtsynod.org/registration.

Business materials including the Bulletin of Reports, Nominations and Bishop Election Pre-Identified Potential Nominees have been posted on our website. Please visit https://www.swtsynod.org/business.

We are super excited to extend an invitation to you for your kid(s) to join us at Peace for our VBS Day Camp this summer! The dates for this year’s VBS are June 24^th – 28^th from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm. We look forward to welcoming the counselors from Lutherhill who will be leading our program. This year’s theme is “REAL Wonder”, focusing on the wide range of emotions and experiences we all have in our lives, and how Jesus experienced so many of those same things, too.

This year we have a total of 40 available slots. The updated cost for this year’s VBS Day Camp is $35 per child. Once you sign up, Deacon Andrew will send you the registration consent form, instructions about payment, as well as all future emails regarding schedule, things to bring, etc.   

*** NO CHAIR YOGA ON THURSDAY, MAY 9TH ***

Yoga (ALL levels) - Tuesdays @ 5:30pm, Peace Lutheran
Chair & Gentle Mat Yoga - Thursdays @ 11:00am, Peace Lutheran

New students are always welcome. Scan the QR code or follow the link to RSVP. You will need to RSVP for each individual class at least 30 minutes before the class. Classes will be donation based ($10 recommended).
OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY!

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What is Yoga? Yoga is a practice for healthy living.
Yoga is a mind, body, and spirit practice that can build strength, flexibility, balance, resilience, and community. Using breathwork and asana (Sanskrit word for “poses”) an entire yoga practice allows the individual to develop a mind-body awareness that can help manage pain, reduce stress, increases mobility, prevent and recover from injuries.

These classes will be beginner friendly -
for ALL ages and abilities.

If you would like to support this cause financially, please make checks out to Peace Lutheran Church. Giving online is available as well by clicking the link or scanning the code below. Regardless of your method of support, please be sure to include "Mission Spotlight" in the memo.

One Saturday morning in March, a small group of Peach members met in our kitchen, prepared a full breakfast and took it to our neighbors at First Footing. We served 40 of the most grateful, friendly and interesting people. Read our full story in the May Newsletter.

They were so thankful and appreciative that we would like to continue to do this monthly. To do this, we are looking for volunteers and donations. If you would like to help, either monthly or occasionally, contact Kathi Anderson at 210-643-8855 with a call or text. If you would like to donate for supplies, you can make it to Peace Lutheran and specify for First Footing Breakfast.

A special Thank you to the wonderful people who participated in this inaugural breakfast, Carol and Martin Franz, Becky and Wil Voges, Vicki Hillmer, Karen and Bobby Laughlin, and Kathi Anderson.

May 5, 2024 (6^th Sunday of Easter, Year B)
John 15:16 – Jesus said, “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.”
God has chosen us and given us our bodies, our minds and our spirits. As steward/disciples we are entrusted with these gifts (and God’s Holy Word) for a purpose – to bear fruit for a world that needs it.

May 12, 2024 (7^th Sunday of Easter, Year B)
John 17:18 – [Jesus prayed to God about his disciples,] “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
Because we live in an evil world, we can be tempted to withdraw, shut down, and disengage. But Jesus sends us steward/disciples out into the world, to be bearers of God’s love and light. We engage the world God loves.

May 19, 2024 (Pentecost Sunday, Year B)
Psalm 104:24, 25 – O LORD, how manifold are your works! … The earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
We sometimes forget that animals, fish, birds, insects and reptiles are also creations of God that need to live. As stewards of creation, we honor all living things and work to ensure that they, like us, have safe, clean, abundant habitat.

May 26, 2024 (Trinity Sunday, Year B)
Isaiah 6:8 –Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"
Our lives belong to God, and we reach greatest fulfillment when we are accomplishing God’s purposes. We are living right when we can respond to God’s calling with an enthusiastic, “Here I am; send me!”

All Pre-K through Elementary grade children are invited each Sunday to join us for “God's Story”. This is our way of connecting God’s big story to their own stories at a level appropriate for young children. Together we dive into the scripture for the day using a variety of teaching resources. Our goal is to create a safe space for children to have meaningful conversations about God, Jesus, faith, and our everyday lives.

“God’s Story” takes place during the scripture and sermon portion of our worship service (about 20-25 minutes). We meet in our Fellowship Hall, which is in visible proximity to our sanctuary and restrooms. The children are led by our wonderful team of trained and background checked adults from our congregation. If you’d like to help or have any questions, please reach out to Deacon Andrew.

Starting Tuesday, January 9, 6:30pm
The Sermon On The Mount

Featuring videos and study materials from our friends at the
Bible Project.

They have a wonderful new series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that you can explore at your own pace. We will also be using this material for our Tuesday Zoom Bible study, Tuesdays at 6:30 pm.
We'd love for you to join us!

Here's the Bible Project link to get you started:

Bible Project Sermon on the Mount Playlist

Tuesday Zoom Bible Study link

Sunday mornings @ 8:30AM in-person in Peace Conference Room and on ZOOM  

NEW STUDY STARTING MAY 5TH, 2024
"Living the Questions"offers a variety of faith-based guides introducing progressive Christianity in 20-minute DVD sessions with leading voices of faith.  "Seekers & Sponges" was so stirred many years ago that we are bringing it back Sunday, May 5. at 8:30 am. In person and Zoom.
Life abounds with questions. We ask for answers. You're invited to check it out!

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.      

Click HERE to join by Zoom. 

Sunday mornings from 8:45 am—9:30 am
In the Fellowship Room
All ages welcome

Bring your coffee & snacks and join us for a time of weekly conversation together. Our focus will be learning basics about Christian faith, belief, and practice through a Lutheran lens. We want this to be an open time for questions and conversation—all questions are allowed and encouraged! Think of it like “Christianity 101”, designed both for folks who are newer to learning about the Christian faith, as well as for anyone who would like to deepen their understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in the world today. We look forward to seeing you!

Mission (Why do we exist?)
To love like Jesus so that each person experiences God’s Way.
 
Vision (What kind of community is God calling us to be?)
A world made whole through love.

Core Values (What guides our daily actions and decisions?)
Shalom – Actively pursuing reconciliation and wholeness. [John 14:27]
Compassion – Recognizing and entering into our shared humanity. [Luke 10:25-37]
Service – Responding to the needs of others. [Matthew 25:31-40]
Grace – Sharing the love that God first gives us. [I John 4:7-10]

Perspectives (Which parts of our church will we focus on?)
Stewardship (Time, Talents, Treasure) (e.g., Healthy Fund Balance)
Loving Our Neighbors (e.g., Family Promise Program)
Ministry/Processes (e.g., Dynamic Worship)
Discipleship (Learning and Growth) (e.g., Life of Faith Initiative)
 
Objectives (goals) (What do we want to accomplish?)
Measures (metrics) – How will we measure progress?
Targets – What are our targets for the next year? Two years? Five years?
Initiatives – What can we do so that we reach our targets?

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.