We return to the Book of Isaiah, only this time centuries have passed, and the message is not one of destruction and the people not listening, rather it’s a message of hope and restoration.

We read this text in Advent as a reminder of the Messiah who is coming to set the world right. Jesus himself will read Isaiah’s words and tell the people that this scripture is fulfilled in him.

Join us on Sunday as we explore what God’s Messianic promise is for the world. For an in-depth description of Isaiah 61 check out this BibleProject Video.

This year we are once again asking you to help us decorate our Altar with poinsettias, but we are changing up a little bit. We are asking you to bring a pointsettia between December 21-23. If you are unable to bring one we can purchase one for you for $10. We will have a sign-up sheet at the Welcome Center. Attach a note with your memorial or dedication and we will post them all in the January newsletter. Any questions call or text Kathi Anderson at 210-643-8855.

Once again, the youth of Peace and St. Andrew will be selling Cocoa Cones! This is a fund raiser to send our high school youth to the tri-annual ELCA Lutheran Youth Gathering (the next one will be in Minneapolis in 2027!). A Cocoa Cone is cocoa mix, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and peppermints - enough to make three delicious cups of hot cocoa! Cocoa Cones sell for $6 each and will be available before and after church on Sunday. Grab 'em while you can . . . they tend to sell out fast! 

It has been our tradition (7 years) to recreate Bethlehem on the front church lawn. We will need shepherds, angels, wise men, carolers, shop vendors, greeters and towns people to share the greatest story ever told for our neighbors and community. We will have Joseph’s Carpenter Shop, Kathy’s Kitchen, The Ornament Shop, The Candle Shop, The Hot Chocolate Stop, Christmas Caroling, and more! SignUpGenius is up and ready for signups.

Questions? Email Becky Voges at beckyvoges@yahoo.com.

When you hear the words Salvation Army, you automatically think of Bell Ringing at Christmas, but they are so much more. About six months ago, a group of Peace Members visited our local Salvation Army to assist preparing meals for First Footing Homeless Shelter. They make lunch and dinner meals for the shelter 365 days of the week. These are made in their kitchen and delivered to the shelter. That day we saw how much they do for our community.

We were greeted in the kitchen by Major Leal with his apron on and his sleeves rolled up and right in the middle of preparing meals for the shelter. He does this while also, the pastor of the church, assessing the needs of everyone who comes in for help, delivering programs that provide food, shelter, clothing and financial assistance, and directing ministries. They have a small staff but most of their work is done with the help of volunteers.

The first thing I noticed is when a person comes in looking for help, the first thing they say is “are you hungry?” and immediately prepare a meal for them. Then they take them into an office and assist them with their problems. On Sundays they serve a full breakfast while preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, they deliver sandwiches and pass out emergency kits to homeless people on the streets, and they have an emergency disaster vehicle and staff ready to go anywhere. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, they not only prepare the meals for First Footing, but spend a week preparing 300 meals for shut-ins

that are alone. Last year they provided 43,000 meals to food insecure people.

How can you help? Monetary gifts is always best as it can be used to purchase food, paper products, cooking supplies and maintaince upkeep. Another way is prepare meals, such as, soups, casseroles and/or salads that can feed 40 people. You can also host a food drive for pop top can foods,( such as fruit, vienna sausage, poptarts, etc.), hygiene care products, wash cloths, socks.

Sign up to bell ring here

The grandson of Wil and Becky Voges, Jordan Tomerlin is presently in kidney dialysis 3 days a week.
Jordan is in need of a Kidney and Pancreas transplant.

Peace Lutheran Church would like to help Jordan after this life changing diagnoses. If you would like to help Jordan, the church will be accepting gift cards and checks and there is a Go Fund Me page on Facebook. https://gofund.me/c2b5fb55 For more information contact Vicki Hillmer at vhillmer@satx.rr.com

Even though Commitment Sunday has come and gone, doesn’t mean it’s too late to share your pledge and identify your spiritual gifts! Click HERE for a video tutorial from Pastor Jake of our Stewardship Campaign and how to share your commitments for 2024 and understand your spiritual gifts.

What is Stewardship?

Stewardship - the conducting, supervising, or managing of something especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

All we have is a gift that has been given to us by the grace of God. God is a generous gift-giver which includes our lives, families, faith, basic needs, money, work, relationships, and even purpose. For that we are called to live graciously and generously joining the God of grace.

We are lifting up our stewardship campaign, Grace in Action, in which you are invited to explore the way God has entrusted you with spiritual gifts, so that you can offer and commission those gifts in service of the Lord. Please fill out our Spiritual Gifts Inventory HERE to help you clarify your gifts and for the church to help mobilize our community to fulfill God’s greater mission of love.

A pledge card is available both online and at the church. You may also fill out your pledge card HERE by downloading it and emailing it to finance@peacenb.org or returning it to the church.

Dec. 15, 2024 (3^rd Sunday of Advent)
Philippians 4:4 –Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Joy is the theme for the third Sunday of Advent. Philippians reminds us to rejoice – find the joy – in God. Always! Though we live in a world that has many troubles, we can always find joy, in God’s love. Joy is a way of life for steward/disciples.

Dec. 22, 2024 (4^thSunday of Advent)
Micah 5:4–And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
Peace is the theme for the fourth Sunday of Advent. We remember that Jesus is, as Micah says, “the one of peace,” the shepherd who cares for us, his flock. Steward/disciples draw near to Jesus and find peace in him.

Yoga (ALL levels), VIRTUAL Thursdays @ 5:30pm until further notice. Find the link and RSVP below. 

Chair Yoga, Thursdays @ 11:00am will continue! RSVP below.

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.

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.

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

We are starting a new study on December 8-29 - "What Happens When We Die"
Discussion led by Terry Westerman.
We will use the book Return from Tomorrow by George Richie along with scripture.

in January we will use a DVD series "Does Christianity Have a Future"
from a Faith and Reason seminar.

All are welcome to join us as we wrestle with these topics and how
they impact our faith and actions in this current world.

Sundays, 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:   
The first Monday of every month from 3pm - 3:30pm; 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.

Technical difficulties happen! Here are options for watching previous services and how to watch them if difficulties arise in the future. Please email Madison at office@peacenb.org with any questions.

How to watch the service live on Sundays (Peace Website):

1. Go to https://www.peacenb.org/ (We encourage you to bookmark this website)
2. Scroll down to the “Join Livestream” button and enjoy!
3. OR click the “Livestream” tab at the top of the homepage and enjoy!

How to watch the service live on Sundays (YouTube):

1. Go to Peace’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@peacelutheran1200 (We encourage you to bookmark this webpage)
2. Go to the “Live” tab at the top of the page
3. Around 9:55am on Sunday morning, you will see the service for that day go "live" - enjoy!

How to watch previous sermons:

1. Go to https://www.peacenb.org/ (We encourage you to bookmark this website)
2. Click the “Communication” tab at the top of the homepage, then click “Pastor’s Message”
3. Click on the sermon you would like to watch. 
4. That should take you to YouTube where you can watch the sermon!

How to watch previous worship services (in full):

1. Go to Peace’s YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@peacelutheran1200 (We encourage you to bookmark this webpage)
2. Go to the “Live” tab at the top of the page

Click on the video with the date of the service you would like to watch and enjoy!