Dear friends,
Have you ever been presented with an opportunity to give spiritual care to someone?
I’m sure you have. It happens when a next door neighbor experiences grief due to the loss of a spouse. It might happen when someone in your family receives a scary health diagnosis. It could happen when a friend loses a beloved pet.
It is at these moments that we often feel unprepared. We might even think that these sorts of matters should be handled by professionals. I believe that there are some clear actions that you can take to bring care to those who are hurting around you. And who knows, you may be the first (maybe the only) responder to someone experiencing great spiritual need.
Here are some activities to avoid:
- Avoid One-Way Street Discussions. These happen when we do all the talking. Our care becomes more of a lecture than a sincere offering for spiritual care. Lecturing is the worst form of spiritual care.
- Avoid Religious Clichés. Have you ever heard these ones before? “All you need is faith.” “It will be alright.” It is probably best to not say anything or just simply say “I don’t know what to say” than to give clichés.
- Avoid an Attitude of Superiority. This happens when we force our convictions on to someone else. How has this made you feel when someone has tried it on you?
Here are some activities to try:
- Provide an Atmosphere of Acceptance. How helpful it is when someone truly hears us—is fully present with us and gives us their full attention!
- Discern the Spiritual Need. In many of my conversations with people, they say very little about God or their spiritual journey. This does not mean that there isn’t a spiritual need—there always is.
- Give the Gift of Time. Many conversations just simply can’t be completed in five minutes, or a few texts back and forth, or messages on Facebook. The greatest gift you can give is your time!
I want to give credit to the person who originally suggested these activities, Ken Haugk. Ken received his training as a pastor in the Lutheran Church and now serves as the executive director for Stephen Ministries. If you would like to hear more about how to give spiritual care or if you would like to learn more about Stephen Ministry, Peace is offering all our members an opportunity. Living Hope Church in Eugene is offering a workshop on Saturday, October 19, from 9 A.M. to 1 P.M.
The council of Peace has agreed to cover anyone’s costs for this special workshop. The plan is to meet in the parking lot of Peace at 7:15 am on Saturday, October 19 and car pool together to Living Hope Church. If you are interested in attending and sharpening your spiritual caregiving skills, please let me know.
As a trained Stephen Minister myself, I can think of no greater investment of time than this. This half-day workshop will also include a session about how to minister to those experiencing grief. Consider too perusing the Stephen Ministry website found at www.stephenministry.org.
I regularly think of ways in which I can improve my spiritual caregiving. Each one of you is important and significant to me. What a privilege it is to serve you as pastor!
In Christ,
Pastor Lucke
Peace by the Numbers
Fall Bible Study
How Did I Get Here?
That’s a scary question to ask, and hopefully one that you don’t have to ask often. It means you’re disoriented or maybe don’t remember what just happened. While you might never have had to ask yourself that question, it’s one that the Church (both Peace and the World-Wide Church) has often had to ask itself. After all, the Church has been around 2,000 years, so there’s plenty to remember.
During the Fall Adult Bible Class, we will be tackling that question: How did the Church get to where it is? How did it go from a group of Middle Eastern fishermen to the religion of the Roman Empire? How did Catholics and Protestants go from war to neighbors? Where did those differences come from anyway? A lot has happened from Jesus’s day until now, so please join us to find out how you, me, and the Church got to where we are today.
Bazaar News
Today we are looking forward to our next Bazaar. We’re planning to have another successful event so we can benefit the community with our donations. We need your help to make this happen!
The monies collected go to local charities, Camp Lutherwood, supporting a Seminarian and several other organizations. Please consider contributing to the crafts, baskets, cookie jar and Grannies Attic to help us toward our mission.
On behalf of the ladies Guild I’d like to thank you in advance for your support. Sign-up sheets will be out soon, so please consider how you can help on the event day. The bazaar will be November 9th 2019. Hours are 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. with a drawing of our quilt being held at that time. Questions, please contact Jani B. at 541-740-4650.
Incident Response Team
Thank you all for attending the Incident Preparedness discussion held on September 15 after the service. There were some great questions and comments offered. If you have any remaining questions, please don’t hesitate to contact anyone in the Disaster Preparedness Team. Our next meeting will be next week on October 1, and everyone is welcome to attend.
Preparedness Notes for this newsletter. Do you know how to shut the utilities into your house following a disaster? Many people think they do, only to find out later they did not know which valve to close. Here are some things to think about from FEMA:
NATURAL GAS: Natural gas leaks can be dangerous, so it’s important to know how to shut off natural gas in an emergency. Of course, different homes have different gas meter configurations, and, therefore, the shut-off procedures vary slightly. You’ll likely need a crescent wrench or special tool to perform the task. Contact your local gas company in advance to help determine what your home requires, and the exact steps for shutting off the gas. If at any point you smell gas or hear a hissing noise, you should get everyone out of the house. Contact your gas company immediately. FEMA also cautions against turning the gas back on once you’ve turned it off. A qualified professional should do that.
WATER: Water is an extremely important resource after a natural disaster, so you want it to remain clean. Turning off the main water valve does two things: It prevents contaminated water from entering the lines in a home, and it keeps gravity from draining water out of the home’s lines if there is a break in a pipe outside. The water line that enters your home will likely have an easily recognizable shut-off valve. Locating this main shut-off valve in advance of a disaster is important. If you have trouble, contact a local plumber or your area water utility for assistance. Once you’ve identified the main water shut-off valve, make sure everyone in the household knows where it is, and how to turn it off.
ELECTRICITY: Electrical sparks may ignite several things following a natural disaster. Therefore, in an emergency, the electricity will likely need to be shut off immediately. Be sure that everyone in your home knows where the circuit box is, well in advance of an emergency. If you need help identifying the circuit box or feel uncomfortable about the process, contact a qualified electrician for help. Typically, to turn off the electricity, you flip the “main” circuit breaker located inside the electrical panel (usually at the top), says FEMA.
Last thought: After you shut off all these utilities, do you have a plan for cooking, keeping warm, and a clean source of drinking water, charging your phone, etc.?
Men’s Breakfast
Men’s Breakfast: Mark your calendar for October 5, time to begin the Men’s First Saturday Breakfast again. Vicar Christian Dollar will be sharing his experience as Seminary student and about the Vicar program. Coffee on at 8:00 and breakfast served at 8:30, discussion by Vicar Dollar at 9:00 – 10:00. Question contact Oscar Gutbrod – 541-231-3954.
Circuit 4 Men’s Breakfast
Circuit 4 Men’s Breakfast: Mark your calendar for October 26, a time for men from the congregations in Circuit 4 to come together at Zion Lutheran Church in Corvallis for a breakfast and fellowship time. Breakfast begins at 8:00 a.m. Pastor Lucke will be leading a discussion after the breakfast. This will be the fourth time for such an event. The plans have been to meet at least three times a year at various churches in the Circuit. Perhaps Peace could consider hosting the next one in January of 2020? Should you have questions please see the poster on our bulletin board or contact Oscar Gutbrod. As Peace men may we show a good support for this event by coming together at Zion.
LCEF *free* Seminar
October 5, 2019 – 6:00 pm to 7:00pm
“YOUR COMPLETE ESTATE PLANNING TOOL KIT”
Sponsored by Concordia- Portland in partnership with Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF)
…The FIVE documents everyone should have in place…
- Overview: This workshop will reveal data about the rising popularity of estate planning and focus on specific tools and techniques church members need to consider while developing a tax-efficient, and loving, estate distribution plan for the people and places they care about.
We believe it’s important for you to know about these resources for your own personal situations, but also as you engage in your community.
Take-Away Resources from the Presentation:
- Estate Inventory Form
- Estate Planning Guide
- Final Wishes Booklet
- Access to Confidential & Free Estate Planning Assistance
Note: This is not connected to any financial product – it is a free service.
Fellowship Ideas
What is Fellowship Hour for you? Think for just a moment…close your eyes, and think about how you would like to see Fellowship Hour…or how you would like it to feel for others who come in. I have been approached by several people with ideas on how we could make Fellowship a little more plentiful; and if you have ideas…please feel free to put them into motion!
*REMEMBER- the people on Fellowship Duty are NOT in charge of bringing food. They simply make sure it gets out to the table*
One of the ideas that appealed to me, as a busy mom, is to pick up an easily stored item (cookies, crackers, cheese, packaged meat, nuts) when I am doing my weekly grocery shopping and just label it for fellowship. Then I can drop it by anytime and pop it in the fridge or the cupboard. This is just one of the ideas and one that I intend to put into motion!
If you would like something healthy as I often do…lets focus on fresh veggies and fruits…even if it is a bag of carrots or celery that you drop off early. How about a flat of apples or just three apples…we will cut them up and place them out. Any and all contribution to this time is appreciated.
The ideas that have been brought up all have one main theme: “BRING WHATEVER YOU WANT.” Don’t worry about whether it is a first Sunday or a fifth Sunday – don’t worry if it is store-bought or homemade; we all would like to see you enjoy providing as well as partaking in this fun little Social Hour.
Gift Basket Ideas for the Bazaar
