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Dear Peace family,
“Turn back and look!” Those were the words spoken to me as we were touring the Wildlife Safari Park in Roseburg. I needed to hear those words because I was driving the car and my eyes were fixed on the road ahead of me. The cry to turn back and look came from one of the passengers in the back seat—Claire. Claire happened to catch a glance of the lions. Without her loud cry everyone in the car would have probably missed one of the main attractions of the park. I’m glad that I stopped for a moment, turned and looked.
“Turn back and look!” This also happens to be the cry of the Church during the season of Lent. Lent is typically described as that time of year that we have soup suppers before church. Others remember Lent as the time that the music becomes a bit dirge like. Still others think of Lent as that time that you take away something from your diet. Most—even most Christians—don’t even observe the season. Only 20 percent of Americans observe Lent according to a recent survey. The same survey went on to report that only 28 percent of Evangelicals and 20 percent of Protestants observe the season (Roman Catholics were the highest percentage at 61 percent).
Lent is truly important because it is dedicated time in the church year to turn back and look at what the Lord has done and is doing right around us. What was God up to exactly when He sent His Son to die for our sins? What is God doing now as we consider our lives and our relationships? Without Lent, I’m afraid that we’d move forward and miss so much. I’m looking forward to pausing with you and taking in the goodness of a God that loves us so much.
We are going to be observing Lent in a special way this year at Peace. Yes, each week on Wednesday (beginning March 6 on Ash Wednesday) we will gather for soup supper at 6 pm with a brief worship opportunity to follow at 7 pm in the sanctuary. In addition to this, pastors from five area Lutheran churches will be visiting each week to lead in worship and share the message. The churches participating include Our Savior (Waldport), Immanuel (Albany), Zion (Corvallis), Shepherd of the Valley (Corvallis) and Bethlehem (Lebanon).
Here is the upcoming schedule for Lent:
March 6 Remember Steadfast Love Psalm 98:3
(Ash Wednesday)
March 13 Remember Dust Psalm 103:13-14
March 20 Remember Wondrous Works Psalm 111:4
March 27 Remember Jesus’ Words Luke 22:61-62
April 3 Remember the Covenant Psalm 105:8
April 10 Remember Sins No More Jeremiah 31:34
“Turn back and look!” I look forward to sharing this season with you and discovering more about what God is up to.
In Him, Pastor J
Peace by the Numbers
Men’s Breakfast
Men’s Breakfast: Mark your calendar for March 2nd , time for the Peace Men’s First Saturday breakfast. The discussion this month comes from a Barna survey – “Almost Half of Practicing Christians Millennial’s Say Evangelism Is Wrong”. What do you say? Remember coffee on at 8:00, breakfast served at 8:30 and discussion 9 – 10. As the official egg counter please let me know whether you Can or Cannot attend. Thanks – Hope to see you there – Oscar Gutbrod 541-231-3954
Thrivent Choice Dollars
Those of you that have investments in Thrivent Financial and have Choice Dollars available for disbursements, must apply by March 31 to receive any dollars available from the 2018 investment year. Go to the Thrivent Financial web site or call 800-847-4836 to complete the transaction.
https://www.thrivent.com/making-a-difference/living-generously/thrivent-choice/
In the past many members have chosen Peace Lutheran as their benefactor. Those funds go into the general funds. The Church Council decides where are to be used. Questions call Oscar Gutbrod.
Pastor’s New Office
There have been many projects over these past months. Some of which were done quickly and quietly, some that were a surprise. Others were a long time in the making. But making the Pastor’s office a bright, efficient, comfortable place to work has been a labor of love. There have been many hands in the completion of this project, and without these helping hands the finished product would not have looked so awesome. Many thanks go to Daniel Dusek and the many hours he spent and supplies he provided, Jim Reams and his expertise, Michael Schwartz and Merv Munster and their painting enthusiasm, Carole Gutbrod and her willingness to prep the room to paint. Jean Worth was happy to help where she could. Elaine’s assistance with, not only getting the project approved, but also assisting with organization. Ellen Holroyd kept the worker fed and fueled. Thank you ALL!
Thank You for the Shower
licia and I are so thankful for the baby shower thrown at Peace. It was truly a carnival. The many gifts, cards and decorations created a special moment for us to celebrate the upcoming birth of Miles. The word that we are using to describe our feelings is “filled”—we are filled with so much love, support, kindness, prayers and joy from so many. We look forward to the moments in the future that we can share our family with you.
George Abele – Excerpt from Gazette Times
A community volunteer, a nuclear energy pioneer and the leader of a local youth club were among the big winners at the 2018 Celebrate Corvallis awards banquet on Friday night.
George Abele, who has been volunteering for the Corvallis Fall Festival since 1978, when he was a 12-year-old Boy Scout, was named First Citizen at the annual Corvallis Chamber of Commerce shindig, attended by about 400 people at Oregon State University’s CH2M Hill Alumni Center.
Abele works for a local investment company but also has a lengthy resume of community service that includes helping put on Celebrate Corvallis every year. He also serves on the Benton County Fair Board and the Vina Moses Center Board of Directors and volunteers for the Corvallis Jaycees and Oregon Jaycees Foundation, among other commitments.
In accepting his award, Abele congratulated his fellow nominees.
“Without all of your volunteer efforts,” he said, “this community would not be what it is today.”
Lindy Young
(nominated by Philomath Community Services)
See below the nomination letter that Philomath Community Services submitted.
Lindy Young deserves to be chosen as Senior First Citizen because she has contributed in many ways to the community over the years. Lindy is a bright spot wherever she goes. She radiates a positive friendly demeanor, maintains a can-do attitude, and enjoys helping where she can and finds it very easy to say yes when asked to help. Mostly she enjoys looking for opportunities to help without being asked. Lindy Young and her husband and three children moved to Philomath in 1985. Her children graduated from Philomath High School. She decided at to return to college in 2000 and earned an Associate Degree in Technical Communications. In 2014, her husband passed away. Even though her children have all moved away she chose to stay and fulfill her desire to give back to the community she had come to love. Since retiring from OSU Veterinary College in June 2014, she has become very busy. Lindy is a familiar face around town and can often be seen walking around Philomath as she attends her various volunteer functions. One of the first projects she was involved in was to join the Philomath Parks Advisory Board when they started in November 2014, and is still an active member. As a member of Peace Lutheran Church, she volunteers in many capacities. She is a member of the church council as well as secretary of the Ladies Guild, which volunteers at Junes Kid’s Kloset once per month. Being part of the team at the church that prepares freezer meals for those in need gives her satisfaction. In addition, she acts as volunteer coordinator for the Red Cross blood drive, a position she also held while still working at OSU Veterinary College. As a Rotary member she attends the monthly lunch meetings, has been a presenter at one of the meetings, and assists with the citywide flag set up on holidays. Lindy is a key volunteer at Lupe’s Community Garden at Philomath Community Services as well. She loves gardening and being outdoors. When she isn’t working in her own yard she can often be found every week, in her straw hat, at the community garden digging, weeding, or harvesting produce for the Philomath Food Bank. Lindy has been a vital part of the community garden’s success since March of 2015. Recently, she has started attending the monthly Facilities meetings at Philomath Community Services. In addition, to her volunteer activities she finds time to travel all over the world to visit children and grandchildren in Portland and Malaysia and her mother in South Africa. This past year she went to Peru for fun and visited Wyoming for the first time in September.
Shopping with a Smile!
Peace Lutheran Church has set up a link on smile.amazon. When you use smile.amazon, 0.5% of the cost of eligible purchases are donated to our church quarterly. This may not seem like a lot, but it all adds up.
To use smile. amazon all you need to do is to go to https://smile.amazon.com/ch/93-0584921 and sign in, or you can go in to smile.amazon.com, sign in and select Peace Lutheran Church—Philomath, OR.
When you log in through smile.amazon you are in the same data base as Amazon, there is no difference in prices or items. The only difference is that Amazon will donate to Peace Lutheran Church based on the total amount of your purchases.
Please share with your friends and family. Anyone can use Smile all year long and have their donations go to Peace Lutheran Church. If you have questions, you can contact Jim Holroyd.
Daylight Saving Time
Don’t forget to jump forward one hour with your clocks right before church on Sunday, March 10.
