From the Pastor
Dear Peace family,
What does it exactly mean to be a Christian?
That is a really good question. And I have to say that our 40 day BEING CHALLENGE journey has given us a clear answer. A Christian is someone who puts into practice the habits of Jesus. Those habits are Committing to Community, Studying Scripture, Prioritizing Prayer, Seeking Solitude and Choosing Church.
Have you noticed, however, how others are defining what it means to be a Christian?
Back in the Spring British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was married in a Catholic ceremony at Westminster Cathedral. Johnson’s wedding prompted reporters to ask him about his Christian faith. Johnson replied to one reporter, “Christianity is a superb ethical system, and I would count myself as a kind of very, very bad Christian.”
Here is a second point of view about what it means to be a Christian from Franklin Graham (back in 2010), “To be a Christian, you must make a conscious choice to turn from your sins — that’s repentance — and by faith believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who loved us, paid the price of our sins on Calvary’s cross, shed His blood and died, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day.”
Here is a third point of view from a young college student, “Part of me likes the idea of church, but I think I like the idea of just helping people more. That’s my idea of what a Christian is, someone who helps others.”
What does it exactly mean to be a Christian? Or how about this related question—do our lives give evidence that Jesus Christ resides inside? 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!”
I’m thankful to be a part of the Peace family. I do believe that collectively we would pass the Apostle Paul’s test. Jesus’ habits are lived out in His people in our church family. Yes, there is room for improvement. Yes, we are not perfect and never will be. But we are on the journey Committing to Community, Studying Scripture, Prioritizing Prayer, Seeking Solitude and Choosing Church.
As you go on the journey, always know that God will never abandon you. You may fall. You may go off the path. You may forget the route. God is there. God will always find you. Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Thank you for your commitment to Jesus’ way and your commitment to one another. We are on this journey together!
In Christ,
Pastor J
Peace by the Numbers
Adult Bible Study
Plan for Worship
Red Cross Blood Drive
Peace will be hosting a Red Cross blood drive on October 15. As of this writing there are still several appointments available for the afternoon slots. This is a great way to support the Red Cross and help save lives.
Fall Bazaar
The Holiday Bazaar is coming up fast on November 6th. The Ladies guild has sponsored this event for several years, but we rely on our Church family to contribute handmade items to be sold. If you craft, knit, crochet, quilt, woodwork, make jewelry, or pretty much any other skill that you have, please consider how you can help this important event. The monies collected go to local charities such as camp Lutherwood, support for a seminarian, and several other organizations. Please consider how you can help by donating, setting up/cleaning up, baking cookies, and much more. More information will come later regarding the cookie jar, basket donations, and granny’s attic. Lastly, the tickets are now on sale for the quilt hanging in the Fellowship Hall. Please see Jani B for any questions.
Do You Shop on Amazon?
Did you know you can donate to Peace Lutheran through a program called Amazon Smile? Just go to Amazon and type in “Amazon Smile” in the search box. Then follow the links and enter Peace Lutheran Church Philomath when choosing a charity to donate to. All of your purchases on Amazon will generate a small gift to Peace – for example last quarter Amazon donated $28.81 to Peace, however, if more people participate the quarterly donation will increase. It’s a great way to help support the church and it comes at no additional cost to you.
Men’s Breakfast
Peace Men: We have been invited to attend a men’s breakfast by the men of Zion Lutheran in Corvallis. They have reserved the large room in the basement at Tommy’s Restaurant for October 16th, at 8:00 a.m. You will order off the menu. There will be a guest speaker, Allan Fleming sharing his experiences while serving Campus Crusade for Christ at OSU. Five other Lutheran Churches in the area have been invited. Do mark your calendar for October 16th. Questions contact Oscar Gutbrod, 541-231-3954 See you there –
The Campfire is Calling
Attention “MOP” (Men of Peace): The campfire wants you!! Thursday, October 21st at sunset (around 7:00pm) the fire will be lit. All Peace Lutheran men – young, in-between, and more seasoned, are invited to attend. Bring, if you desire, the beverage of your choice. We will ponder, think, share, meditate, discuss, and listen to each other openly, honestly, and lovingly. We can agree to disagree (kindly, of course) about different topics that arise. The ‘eternalness’ & warmth of the fire will hopefully spur us to share thoughts with each other (poking sticks will be available). The first gathering of the MOP will be at Rob & Colleen’s house (Coleen will not be present) – 359 N. 9th Street in Philomath – just three blocks north of Begg’s Tire on the right. Peace be with you all. Any questions or thoughts – please contact Rob before the 21st at 541-609-8449.
What Missions Does Peace Support?
Each quarter Peace dedicates approximately 10% of its offerings to Missions we support in our district and local community. As an example, here is the total amount given during the first two quarters of 2021:
Flowers on the Altar
Aren’t the flowers on the altar beautiful? How would you like to be part of providing a bouquet. Please look for the flower sign up list in the Narthex and please help beautify our church.
Video Production at Peace
You have undoubtedly seen the group of people huddled around the audio/visual console in the back of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. What are they all doing you may ask? If you have had the opportunity to watch a service online then you know the finished result, which, frankly, is impressive. There are many people involved, but it really took much hard work on the part of Oscar and Aaron to really get things moving so the church is very appreciative of all their hard efforts. In the bulletin now you will see about a dozen people listed who are supporting this part of our ministry. Because we are able to put our services online, people who cannot come to church are able to participate in the worship – people across the country and even around the world are tuning in and watching the services. We have an outstanding team assembled for our Sound and Audio team at Peace, however, we are looking to build a deeper bench for help. If you have an interest in helping out, please connect with Oscar. The more we have on the team, the more fun we have together and the more the burden is lifted to cover this important aspect of our ministry.
Our Ladies Guild is Quite Active
The Ladies Guild continues to be an active community care builder within our church community. For example, the Guild hosted three memorial services this summer. They are now planning a big day for October 24 when they will be hosting a cupcake fellowship for new members joining our church. Additionally, that day is LWML Sunday, so the ladies be wearing purple in support of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League’s many projects funded by our mites. Plus, women from our Ladies Guild will be greeters and ushers on that day so this would be a great opportunity to thank them for all of the work they do to support Peace. The Ladies Guild is open for any woman who would like to participate and support our goal of community care builders, locally, nationally, and internationally. They meet September – June on the first Thursday of each month. Finally, mark your calendars for the Fall Bazaar on November 6, which is our biggest fund-raiser of the year. Contact the President, Peggy Krueger, with any questions.
Philomath COVID-19 Vaccination Events
Monday, Oct. 18
4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Philomath High School
Free food box and $100 gift card to a grocery store is available to those who receive the vaccine while supplies last!
All individuals 12 years and older are eligible. No appointment needed. There will be doses of both the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccine available.
Please call (541) 766-6120 for any additional accommodations.
Interesting Church Signs
