From Pastor’s Desk
In my last newsletter article I talked about New Year’s Resolutions. I encouraged everyone to consider praying more this year. I believe one of the reasons we don’t pray a lot, is we don’t know how to. Prayer does not always have to be uniform or the same. I do believe we can learn how to outline a prayer and that can help a person to feel confident in prayer.
I am going to suggest a FOUR PART outline to use for Prayers, and I am going to discuss these parts throughout the Year. Each Prayer begins with an Address. Then has A Rational. Which is followed by The Petitions [or what you are asking for]. This followed by The Benefit. And it should end with a Termination or the Conclusion. Throughout the year I am going to explain each one of these parts.
One thing most prayers should start with is an ADDRESS. Just like you have to think about a person’s name before you call them on your phone, you should address the Deity you pray to. After all we don’t just pray to any god, but we pray to the Triune God of the Scriptures. And it is this God that we should address our prayers to. You can see that Jesus taught us to do this when he taught the LORD’S PRAYER. It starts “Our Father”. He wanted the disciples and us to think of God as our Father and to address him as our Father. And most Prayers do this as in the prayer that we have for our Government:
Almighty God, guide and defend the President, Congress and all who administer and judge our laws. Change the hearts of those who would lead us away from Your justice and truth. Preserve in this land the freedom to serve You, and lead us to be faithful citizens. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. You can see how the Prayer started with an Address to our God as Almighty. When you start to remember to start your prayers you start to address God directly. And sometimes you even address God in a way that makes sense for the Prayer. Here we praying for our leaders who seem powerful, but recognize that our God is the TRUE Almighty. SO the Next time you pray to God try addressing Him First, just like you would anyone else you have a relationship with. – Pastor Jacob Stuenkel
St Peter is observing Lutheran Hour Sunday on Sunday, February 3, 2019 in the regular worship service. The Lutheran Laymens League has been in existence for 100 years and the LLL began the Lutheran Hour Broadcasts in 1930 with Dr. Walter A. Maier as its first speaker and has continued that very special ministry of sharing God’s Word by bringing Christ to the nations and the nations to the church throughout the world. Many of our parents and grandparents have faithfully supported this ministry over the years with their prayers, financial gifts and by listening to the broadcasts. The present speaker is Dr. Michael Ziegler. A brochure and an attached envelope will be available which can use to make a gift to the Lutheran Hour . Our area is blessed to have the local Napoleon radio station WNDH 103.1 provide air time to the weekly Lutheran Hour broadcasts. There are envelopes on the narthex bulletin board to be used to sponsor the Sunday morning 9 AM program for $67.50 as a memorial or honor gift.
College Care Packages
Care packages will be packed at the LWML meeting on February 12. College students for this school year are Dalton Krueger, Logan Helmke, Brian Weddelman, Lexi Henricks, Alexis Zachrich, Ashton Helmke and our adopted Seminarian: Ryan Pumphrey. The seminarian’s family includes two teenage daughters. If you can help with this project, you can place items in the designated box in the church narthex. Suggested items are snacks, candies, toothpaste, toothbrushes, quarters, pens and pencils, microwave popcorn, q-tips, hand creams and hand sanitizers and anything else you can think that students could use. Thank you so much for sharing in this ministry.”
Chili Cook-off!
Join us for our Chili Cook-Off on February 10, 2019. The meal will be following our 10AM church service. If you are interested in a challenge, sign up and let us decide which chili is the BEST!
2019 Church Council
President – Tim Buchhop
Vice President – Russell Krueger
Recording Secretary – Peg Dammann
Board of Trustees – Marty Helmke, Mark Oberhaus, Doug Dammann
Board of Elders – Roger Jones, Kevin Leaders
Treasurer – Jon Block
Financial Secretary – Judy Meyer
Board of Witness, Outreach & Stewardship – Deb Oberhaus, Nancy Michaelis
Other Elected Offices
Building Improvement Fund Treasurer – Judy Meyer
Sunday School Supt – Bridget Volkert & Emilie Parsons
Financial Review Committee – Marvin Michaelis
JoAnn Arens, Nancy Helmke
Endowment Fund Committee – Nancy Michaelis & Larry Retcher, Jim Meyer, Sharlene Bunke & Lavina Boesling
Greetings from Preschool!
We had a wonderful month of December in Preschool celebrating the “reason for the season.” The students loved hearing about the birth of Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas. We absolutely LOVE our new floor. The room looks amazing. Thank you St Peter Church! Our Preschool sure is blessed!!! January is a slower month as we deal with weather and cold temps. We’ve already experienced a few weather delays and a cancellation. We have our pajamas and movie day which is always a big hit with the students! February we will celebrate Valentine’s Day, visit from Ms Barb and the library and also a visit from the dentist!! We start our “All About Me” weeks in February as well. Look for the student’s posters to be hanging up in the hallway and get to know the students of St Peter Preschool! Evie Leaders will be coming in monthly to do a bible lesson with the students and I am so thrilled she’s doing this for us! We can’t wait. Thanks Evie! Feel free to stop in anytime and see us! In God’s Blessings - Mrs Rees
