From the Pastor

Dear family of Peace,

Have you ever had a moment at the doctor’s office in which the doctor speaks over your head with fancy words? You probably have—I did recently. Imagine the following interaction:

You walk into the examination room of an orthopedic surgeon. A quick knock on the door, and in walks the doctor. “What seems to be the problem?” he asks as he pulls up the round stool-on-wheels.

As you point to the aching spot, you begin, “Well, you see, I have this pain in my………”

“Ulna,” he says.

“Um, yeah, my arm, and the pain seems to be reaching down into my wr…….”

“Articulatio radiocarpea?”

“Sure, Doc, whatever. Say, can we just use simple words?” (from Lutheranism 101)

Unfortunately, quite a few people feel this way when they attend church. There can be a lot of fancy words and conversation that flies over heads. I can imagine people saying these types of things: 

“What was that part of the service titled, Kyrie, all about, Pastor?” one person says. “I thought Kyrie was a basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks?” 

“Why did we sing that song called the Agnus Dei?” another person chimes in. “I generally like people named Agnus, but I’ve never met anyone with the last name of Dei?”

We certainly don’t want anyone feeling this way as they attend worship at Peace. Worship is a pretty straightforward activity. It is at the center of what Peace Lutheran does. What we say, sing and pray gives us the inspiration for what we will do tomorrow. Most importantly, worship reminds us of God’s greatest gift to us: Jesus.

Jesus once said, “I am the gate (John 10:7).” Jesus was not saying that he was literally a gate—he was figuratively saying that he functions like gate. What exactly does a gate do? A gate is a place in which people meet up. Those who are on the outside meet those who are on the inside. Those who are on the inside meet those who are on the outside. When Miles was a little bit younger, we utilized a gate to contain him. And guess where he’d meet us when he wanted out? You got it: the gate. Before he was diaper-trained he had figured this out!

Worship is all about Jesus. Think about worship as the gate. On one side of the gate is heaven, God, and God’s greatest blessings. On the other side of the gate is earth and our existence. Worship is where heaven and earth meet up. In other words, worship is where God meets us. Jesus has made this all possible.

We’ll be exploring and discovering more important aspects of worship in the time ahead in the adult Bible Study hour. All are welcome to attend each Sunday at 9:00 am—Sunday, April 30 through Sunday, June 4. Bring an open mind and some questions too! We don’t want anyone confused by fancy words. And we certainly don’t want anyone left outside the gate!

In Easter Joy,

Pastor J

Peace by the Numbers

Plan for Worship

May 7 – 10:00am – Worship Service with Communion.  Fifth Sunday of Easter.

May 14 – 10:00am – Worship Service. Sixth Sunday of Easter.

May 21 – 10:00am – Worship Service with Communion. Seventh Sunday of Easter.

May 28 – 10:00am – Worship Service. The Day of Pentecost.

Adult Bible Study This Month

All are welcome to Peace’s new adult study! Bring an open mind and certainly bring your questions as we explore the topic of worship. We begin each Sunday at 9:00 am in the sanctuary. This study will begin on Sunday, April 30 and conclude on Sunday, June 4. Here is the plan for each Sunday’s discussion and a relevant Bible verse to read in preparation: 

  • Sunday, April 30…………………. “How does Worship begin: Invocation and Confession/Absolution” John 20:19-23 and Matthew 28:18-20
  • Sunday, May 7…………………. “Singing Songs of Praise” 2 Timothy 4:22 and Philippians 4:6
  • Sunday, May 14………………… “Hearing God’s Word” Romans 10:14-17 and Ephesians 4:11-14
  • Sunday, May 21…………………. “Prayers and Offerings” I Timothy 2:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
  • Sunday, May 28………………….. “Holy Communion” I Corinthians 11:23-26
  • Sunday, June 4…………………….. “What a Benediction and Dismissal?” Numbers 6:22-27 and Genesis 12:1-3

Men’s Breakfast

Men’s Breakfast: Mark your calendar for May 6th, once again time for the Peace Men’s First Saturday Breakfast. We are planning pancakes and sausage again for breakfast. Dave whips up a great pancake meal! The topic this month will be discussing how society is handling “gender neutral pronouns”. As Christians how are we to adapt to this new language? Coffee at 8:00 or before, breakfast served at 8:30 and discussion 9 – 10. Always looking for cooks and helpers in the kitchen, please let me know if you can help. To make sure we have enough  to go around let me know if you plan to attend – THANKS – Oscar Gutbrod  [email protected]  or call at 541-231-3954

Sanctity of Life Baby Bottle Fundraiser

The Ladies Guild and Peace will be partnering with Options Sanctity of Life fundraiser which runs May 14 (Mother’s Day) to Father’s Day June 18th. Options Pregnancy Resource Center is a faith-based nonprofit medical clinic providing free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, patient advocacy, and community referrals. Through the love of Christ, they empower women facing unplanned pregnancies to make life-affirming decisions. They have been serving Linn and Benton Counties since 1986.

Congregants can choose to participate in this fundraiser by taking home a provided baby bottle and fill the bottle with change for the month. Bring the bottle back to Peace on Father’s Day, June 18th. At the end of the fundraiser, Options will come and pick up the bottles from Peace. Then they mail us a certificate with the amount we raised!

Start Thinking about the Holiday Bazaar

Mark your Calendars!  

The 2023 Ladies Guild Holiday Bazaar will take place on Saturday, November 4th from 9-3.  Check upcoming newsletters for more information.  

In the meantime, crafters and creators…it’s the perfect time to get those crafted items started!  Your generosity and creativity are what drives the bazaar!  We definitely appreciate all that you do to help make our bazaar so successful!  

Food Bank Donations

One of our mission partners is the Philomath Food Bank. Thank you to everyone who has contributed Food Bank Donations for 2023. Here is how many pounds of food we have donated so far this year:

  • January – 9.2
  • February – 12.2
  • March – 45.6
  • April 6 – 85.6

Total – 152.6 pounds of food. Keep up the great work.

Tables of Peace

Tables of Peace is returning. The sign-up list is in the hallway between the Narthex and fellowship hall. Please sign up by Sunday May 14th. Tables of Peace is a wonderful way to connect with and learn about other members at Peace. 

Visit from Our Supported Missionary to Cambodia

The “average” Christian is not a white and wealthy American or European.  Instead, the average Christian is most certainly from the Global South and is poor.  Even in, and perhaps especially in, unlikely places and desperate situations, God reaches out in mercy and in grace.  Want to learn how?  Missionary Pastor J.P. Cima and his family have been serving in Southeast Asia for 15 years on behalf of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, currently in Cambodia.  But J.P. will be visiting Peace in Philomath in person on May 23rd at 7 pm.  Come learn more about how God is touching the hearts of the Cambodian people, who are themselves now reaching out to share the Gospel to their own people.  J.P. will present about his work with Cambodian Christians, tell stories about how God works in unexpected ways, and how if you come to Cambodia, you, too, can eat bugs!  Come with mission hearts and lots of questions!

Couples Workshop

Thank You from our Mission Partners

Final Thought…