Newsletter - December

From Pastor's Desk

The Month of December is often thought of as the time of Christmas. Yet, in the church this actually the time of Advent.

“The season of Advent is all about awaiting the coming of the Savior, God's Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. The incarnation of God in human flesh and blood is the way of salvation for all mankind that could only have come to us from God Himself. We could never have imagined such a way of salvation for ourselves. Yet God even predicted this would be His way to make atonement for all nations through His chosen people, the nation of Israel. God's prophet Isaiah proclaimed: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14) In keeping with this prophecy, an ancient writer incorporated this and several other prophecies together in the hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."1

Christmas Services

December 24th – Christmas Eve 6:30pm St Paul Children’s Christmas Program

Service 8:00pm St Peter Children’s Christmas Program Service

December 25th – Christmas Day 8:30am St Paul Communion Worship Service

10:00am St Peter Communion Worship Service

Peter Congregational Christmas Dinner

All members of the church are invited to attend the Congregational Christmas Potluck to be held, Sunday, December 2nd following the service. Bring a potluck dish and share in the fellowship of the Christmas Season!

Christmas Exchange

Do you need some storage room? Solution: Donate those Christmas decorations! Bring them to St Peter and place your items in the Christmas Exchange box or cry room. Need help picking up your items? Call 419.762.5716

Henry County Christmas Cheer

 A collection of items will begin on Nov 4th through Dec 2nd. Please place your donations in the cry room.

 A suggested list of items needed are:

Canned Vegetables, Fruits, Soup, Stews, Meats, Macaroni & Cheese, Spaghettios, Spaghetti Sauces, Tomato Juice, Broths, Noodles, Macaroni, Rice, Spaghetti, Potato Mixes, Stuffing Mixes, Cereals, Pancake Mixes, Syrups, Crackers, Peanut Butter, Jelly, Pudding, Jell-o, Cake Mixes, Frostings, Fruit Juices, Coffee, Tea, Kool-Aid, Chocolate Drink Mixes, Toilet Tissue, Facial Tissue, Paper Towels, Bar Soap, Toothpaste, Shampoo

(Please NO microwave items. - Make sure the products)

Annual Preschool Cookie Walk

Saturday, December 8th, 8:30-10:00am in the St Peter Preschool room. We are asking for donations of homemade Christmas cookies, brownies, puppy chow, fudge, etc. to be brought to the kitchen by 8:30am on the 8th. Whether you donate items or not, please come and purchase a box and fill it with a variety of goodies – easier than baking dozens of different recipes of cookies! Tell your friends and neighbors about our Cookie Walk. Thank you for all your kind support of the preschool by supplying and purchasing these Christmas Goodies.

New Flower Charts

The 2019 Flower Charts have been posted in the Narthex for both churches. If you wish to donate a floral arrangement for a special event, anniversary, in loving memory of someone or to the Glory of God, please choose a date and enter the information on the chart so your arrangement may be acknowledged in the bulletin.

Greetings from Preschool

Greetings from Preschool!! November is about being thankful and blessed for what’s given to us. We talked a lot about that in the classroom and how much we all have to be thankful for - including Preschool! We celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with a Thanksgiving Feast in the classroom - the students made their own placements, wore turkey headbands and tried delicious thanksgiving foods! We are blessed! December is another busy month in St Peter Preschool. We have the following events: Saturday, December 8 - Cookie Walk from 8:30-10am Wednesday, December 12 - Story time and Craft at 4:30pm Sunday, December 16 - the Preschool students will be playing the bells & singing in Church The students are doing fantastic in class, I am so blessed! We love our Preschool! If anyone would like to donate baked goods for our Annual Cookie Walk - please bring in your goodies on Friday, 12/7 or the morning of Saturday, 12/8. We appreciate the help and support of this very popular event! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season! In God’s Blessings, Mrs Rees

Youth Group Hayride

What a great night with our youth kids. We started our ride at St. Peter parking lot and rode to Grandma Helmke's woods. We scarfed down lots of yummy food, took dark walks through the woods, played games and stayed warm next to the fire. "If you don't find straw in your socks you didn't do it right."  Thank you Helmke family!! 

FYI: The kids say if you roast a doughnut it tastes like french toast.

Newsletter - November

From Pastor’s Desk     

                      Halloween is over and it’s time for November. November 1st is always ALL SAINTS Day. We often celebrate it the Sunday of or after November 1st. You might ask, “What we are celebrating on All Saints Day?” The first thing we think of is the saints who have gone before. Often Churches celebrate All Saints Day by saying the Names of those members who passed away in the past year. We remembering what Christ has done for these people in the last year. How He has died for that person, rose for that individual, and has in the last year called this person to Himself.  

 We also often think of “The Saints” on this Day. Like we remember what Saint Peter or Saint Paul have done for the Church. We might even think of all the Saints like everyone we know who has died in Faith who are now with God. All of these people are Saints.

            But there is still one more Group that we forget about. We should remember that it is ALL SAINTS DAY. This includes ourselves. Right now we are Sinners and Saints at the same time. All Saints Day is a wonderful time to remember saints as examples for ourselves as we try to be God’s saints on earth. We can be examples of Christ’s love to our Neighbors. SO I hope you have a wonderful All Saints Day, and a Great Thanksgiving this November.

  Thanksgiving Service Schedule

St Paul – Wednesday – November 21st 7:00pm

St Peter – Thursday – November 22nd 9:00am

Thank You

The Youth Groups of St Paul and St Peter would like to thank everyone that came to their Spaghetti Fundraiser and helped to support them in raising funds for the Youth Gathering in Minneapolis next summer.

Henry County Christmas Cheer

 A collection of items will begin on Nov 4th through Dec 2nd. Please place your donations in the cry room.

 A suggested list of items needed are:

Canned Vegetables, Fruits, Soup, Stews, Meats, Macaroni & Cheese, Spaghettios, Spaghetti Sauces, Tomato Juice, Broths, Noodles, Macaroni, Rice, Spaghetti, Potato Mixes, Stuffing Mixes, Cereals, Pancake Mixes, Syrups, Crackers, Peanut Butter, Jelly, Pudding, Jell-o, Cake Mixes, Frostings, Fruit Juices, Coffee, Tea, Kool-Aid, Chocolate Drink Mixes, Toilet Tissue, Facial Tissue, Paper Towels, Bar Soap, Toothpaste, Shampoo

(Please NO microwave items. - Make sure the products)

 “The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Project We Care and Henry County Christmas Cheer

 If you know of a family in need there are copies of the applications for Henry County Christmas Cheer (Due on Nov 15th) and Project We Care (Due on Nov 1st) on the bulletin board in the Narthex. Please feel free to take a form and share it with anyone who could use the extra assistance during the upcoming holiday season.

 Project We Care - A group of local businesses, churches, organizations and families have joined together as Project: We Care, to provide assistance to Henry County families with school-age and younger children in the form of clothing and toys for the 2018 Christmas season. We have chosen to help a family with 4 children. A collection place will be placed by the Church door beginning November 11th for your donations to this outreach.

  Christmas Decoration Exchange

Here’s your opportunity to donate all the Christmas decorations you don’t need!

 A Christmas Exchange Store will be opened at the Crossroads Church in Napoleon following Thanksgiving.

 At St Peter – Decorations can be placed in the cry room. Need help picking them up? Call 419.762.5397 or 419.762.5716.

Poinsettias for St Peter

Poinsettia order forms are posted on the Narthex bulletin board. Orders must be in no later than November 11th.

Greetings from Preschool!

What a great month of October we had! We walked to the Florida Public Library this month and enjoyed Ms Barb showing us around the library!! We then took our annual field trip to Leaders Family Farms and had so much fun!  We love the farm! 

Firefighter Kyle Richards of the Florida/Flatrock fire department came to preschool and talked with us about fire safety.  We learned how to call 911, how to stop-drop-roll and also the new campaign “close before you doze.”  Thank you Kyle for coming to visit us as always - much appreciated!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who ordered Pisanello’s Pizzas from our fundraiser.  We made and sold 286 pizzas!  Also thank you to everyone who helped make them all on Saturday, 10/20 - a fun morning as always! 

We’ve been blessed with another fantastic month in preschool.   I am so thankful and happy with how well the school year is going.   St Peter Preschool is the best!!!  In God’s Blessings,  Mrs. Rees

St Peter’s Congregational Christmas Potluck

The event will be December 2nd We are looking for ideas! – Join us in the planning! More information will following in the bulletin

 Sunday School

Our Sunday School children sang their hearts out during October 28th’s worship service. Thank you kids and thank you Sunday School teachers for sharing the word of the Lord! All children are welcome to join us every Sunday morning at 9AM!

Game Day fun at St. Peter!

Many of us gathered on September 23rd for a St. Peter Game Day! An assortment of chips and delicious dips were served. Kids and adults enjoyed friendly games of Cards, Bingo, Twister, Operation and Guess Who. We ended the afternoon with a wild game of spoons. Ruth Block is our Spoon Champion who won after a final heated match against Pastor Stuenkel. Stay tuned for more updates on when we plan to have another Game Day!

Newsletter - October

From Pastor Stuenkel’s Desk

This October 31st we are having a trunk or treat on Halloween Night. I am sure we will all have a good time, just like people have on Halloween. Some people like to dress up in Costumes. Some people look forward to eating Candy. We often look at Halloween as an occult holiday. And it is true that many wiccans and cults have special rituals on Halloween night. As Christians we should remember that this day was originally called All Hallows Eve. This is because it is the Eve of All Saints Day. October 31st is also the day Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of Wittenberg’s Castle Church.

Historians often have this day as the beginning of the Reformation. Although, Luther didn’t want to split the Catholic Church. He was trying to point out what he saw as abuses of the church. He also wanted what he saw as problems to be discussed and debated.

History had other Plans. Luther and his writings would go on to change the Catholic church and the European world forever.

Every year on October 31st [Or the Last Sunday of October] we celebrate both Martin Luther and his rediscovery of the Gospel. If it were not for Luther the world might have forgotten Gospel truths such as, that man is justified by Christ alone and His saving work. As Ephesians 2:8 puts it, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”

I hope on October 31st and Future Halloweens, we can celebrate far more than Candy and Costumes. We can also celebrate how faithful Christians like Martin Luther were willing to Share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Friendship Sunday

Let’s Celebrate Our Friends on Sunday October 14th – Share the fun and Good News with someone else, bring a friend (one or more!) to Sunday School and Church. There will be light refreshments served after church by the Outreach Committee.

Preschool Pizza Fundraiser

Order now through Sunday, October 14th. 12” deli style pizza in your choice of cheese, pepperoni or sausage. $8 each. Proceeds will benefit the Preschool. Pizzas will be delivered to the Church on Saturday, October 20th. Please plan to pick up pizzas anytime after 12pm that day or we can deliver them to you!

Youth Group Spaghetti Dinner

October 21st the Youth Group members from St Peter and St Paul will be hosting a Spaghetti Dinner at St Peter in the Fellowship Hall. We will be serving Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad and Desserts. This is a free will donation. All money raised will be put towards the cost of the Youth attending the National Youth Gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July. We will be serving from 11:30-1:30 Carry outs will be available. Open to the public.

Trunk or Treat

Everyone is invited to join St. Peter on Wednesday, October 31st from 5:30-7:30PM for our Trunk or Treat night! You can participate by decorating your vehicle and passing out treats to children or bring your children or grandchildren to the event!

Congregational Photo

We are planning on taking a Congregational Photo on Sunday, October 28th following our 10AM worship service. Weather permitting we will be taking it outside in the parking lot. Please dress appropriately. Help us remind other members of the church.

LWML CHRISTIAN LIFE WORKSHOP

The Defiance Zone LWML invites all our ladies to the Christian Life Workshop on Sunday, October 14 at CHRIST OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH (on State Route 66 on south edge of Defiance) commencing at 1:30 PM. Included in the program is Pastor Terry Cripe, Ohio District President Emeritus, who will lead a Bible Study entitled, ‘SILENCED VOICES’ on a timely subject referenced in the Bible. More details are given on a poster displayed in the Church Narthex.

LWML Adopted Seminarians

Our Adopted Seminarian for the 2018-19 School Year is Ryan Pumphrey. (His home church is Redeemer, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) He and his wife Jennifer have two children, Rebecca and Cassandra. He is a second year student at Ft. Wayne Seminary Fort Wayne, IN.

St. Peter congregation is also assisting a Deaconess by sending a one-time donation to the Deaconess Program at the Fort Wayne Seminary.

Greetings from St. Peter Preschool!

We have had an AMAZING start to the 2018/2019 school year! I am so happy with how well the students are doing and adjusting to our classroom schedule.

October will be a busy month in Preschool. We will walk to the Florida Public Library, Leaders Farm field trip, a visit from the Florida/Flatrock Fire Department and our Halloween parties! We also have our weekly themes, weekly letter and weekly Bible story!

A few important upcoming events: First annual Storytime and Craft event at St Peter Preschool! Wednesday, October 3rd at 4:30pm.

This event is free and open to ages 18 months to 1st grade. Join Mrs. Rees as she reads "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" book! Looking forward to this event!

Pisanello's Pizza fundraiser has started! 12" deli style pizza in cheese, pepperoni or sausage. $8 each. Proceeds will benefit the Preschool. Order and sell now thru Sunday, October 14th. Information is available in the narthex or from any Preschool committee member. We appreciate your support! And these pizzas are DELICIOUS!

As always, I am so happy to be your Preschool teacher! Feel free to stop in the classroom anytime to see what we're up to! In God's Blessings, Mrs. Rees

Faith, Family, Friends, Community - Always Remembered

The 2018 Redhead 5K Run/Walk was a huge success! The run took place at St. Peter Lutheran Church. Proceeds will go to the Kevin R. Schwiebert Memorial Fund. The Kevin R. Schwiebert Memorial Fund was established in December 2014 to honor Kevin’s legacy of giving back to his community. Kevin was husband to Jen, father to Olivia, Todd and Rylie, a maintenance manager at Campbell Soup in Napoleon and a volunteer firefighter when he died in October 2013.

Kevin Schwiebert with daughter Rylie

Community service was very important to Kevin. He was a councilman in the village of Florida for several years and also served as mayor of the village. He stepped down from that position when he decided to obtain his bachelor’s degree from Defiance College, graduating in May 2012.

Following his death, Jen and the kids wanted to keep Kevin’s memory alive by continuing his passion for community service, and that’s how this fund was started.

There are two parts to the fund - a scholarship and a fire grant. The scholarship is available to any Henry County high school graduate, although they do not have to be a current graduating senior, with preference to a child of a current or former firefighter. Since Kevin was very involved in community service, this is also community service based, aimed toward those who go above and beyond any school-required community service.

The fire grant portion of the fund is available to any fire department in Henry, Defiance, Williams, Fulton or Wood County. The purpose of the grant is for supplies, such as replenishing first responder or EMT bags, and/or public education materials, for example goody bags for school visits or giveaways for a community event or open house. The goody bags for school visits are included because this was one of Kevin's favorite things to do as a firefighter. "Fireman Kevin" visited St. Peter Lutheran Preschool every year and was a big hit with the kids. Kevin’s children were students at St. Peter Preschool and those visits were extra special, but he loved it whether his own kids were attending the school or not. When Kevin was in the hospital before he died, the preschoolers sent pictures they drew for Fireman Kevin, and the family decorated his room with them. He would have been touched to see all the messages from the kids. Because this was such a special part of his involvement in firefighting, Jen wanted this to be reflected in this fund that the family created in his memory.

This fund has been established as a permanent memorial to Kevin and people will benefit from his legacy for years after we're all gone. Donations are accepted anytime through the Toledo Community Foundation's website (click here). Please make sure to note in the organization and/or comment fields that this is to go to the Kevin R. Schwiebert Memorial Fund. All donations received through this website are tax-deductible. There is also a Facebook page set up for the Memorial Fund (click here) where Jen shares details on the fund, recipients and fundraisers. Thank you to everyone for your support and feel free to contact Jen anytime with questions or more information.

Contact: Jennifer Schwiebert

Email: kjschwiebert@gmail.com

Phone: (419) 777-5356

Newsletter - September

From Pastor’s Desk.

I woke up today to the sound of the Bus picking up the neighbor kids, it must mean school is back in session. I hated school when I was a child. I hated having to sit in the same building for almost 8 hours. I hated the lessons. I especially hated homework and assignments. For this reason, a part of me is glad school is over. This does not mean LEARNING has to be over for me or for you. As Christians we should always want to learn more. I want you to consider something. There are 66 books in your bible, and I’m sure you probably don’t remember all their titles, let alone what is contained in them. The truth is, As Christians we are called to never stop studying God’s word.

One of the ways to do this is to come up with a reading Plan. If you read 3 to 4 chapters a day you will finish in a year. [If you read 4 chapters a day you will finish in October]. If you do it this way, I suggest you skip numbers and Leviticus at first and read a Gospel instead. Sometimes people read two Old Testament chapters and 2 New Testament Chapters. Having a reading plan can be a fun rewarding way to study God’s Word. Heavenly Father, the words of our Savior are spirit and life. Give us grace to cling to them always, but especially when we find them hard to listen to, that we may discover with Peter and the other apostles that Christ alone has the words of eternal life. Amen

Catechism Schedule 2018-19

Wednesday Nights September 5 – First Class – All 7th & 8th Graders Parents need to attend! 6:30PM @ St Paul Sep 12th, 19th, and 26th

– 6:30pm @ St Paul Oct 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st

– 6:30pm @ St Peter Nov 7th, 14th, and 28th

– 6:30pm @ St Paul Dec 5th, 12th and 19th

– 6:30pm @ St Peter Jan 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th

– 6:30pm @ St Paul Feb 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th

– 6:30pm @ St Paul Mar 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th

– 6:00pm @ St Peter (Note time change) Apr 3rd and 10th

– 6pm @ St Peter Confirmation Day is April 14th

Game Day!

Game Day at St Peter Everyone is invited to attend a Game Day on Sep 23rd from 2- 4:30. Bring a bag of chips or your favorite dip to share. Some games will be provided but feel free to bring you own game too! Come Join The FUN!

Sunday School Rally day is September 9th!

Sunday school is starting just around the corner!  Sunday, September 9th is our first day.  Please have your child bring their backpacks.  Pastor will be blessing their backpacks during our church service.  We have a lot of exciting things planned for Sunday School this year!

Refreshments will be served by the Board of Witness, Outreach and Stewardship following the service.  

St Peter’s Retiree’s Luncheon

The Luncheon will be held Friday, September 28th, 11:15 am at Cosmo’s Restaurant, 1824 E. 2nd Street, Defiance. Note the change of location. Contact Jim Meyer or Tom Meyer if you plan to attend. New faces always welcome; come join the fellowship. Bring a $1 wrapped bingo gift.

St. Peter Council and Voters

St. Peter Council and Voters approved having the church office send Memorial Gift Acknowledgements for memorials made to the church at the time of the death of family members and friends. A sample of the card is displayed on the narthex bulletin board. This will be prepared and sent out, at the option of the family, to all donors to St. Peter Lutheran Church and/or its organizations. Pastor will offer this service to the decedent’s family and we will ask that the family of the decedent give us a list of the donors and their addresses. The amount of the gift will not be included. Please consider this new service and if you have questions, please ask Pastor or any church officer

Greetings from Preschool!

Summer flew by, just as expected and it's now time to start the 2018/2019 school year! I am very pleased to report that I will be teaching Preschool at St. Peter all 5 days this year. I have 7 students enrolled in the 3 year old T/Th class and 5 students enrolled in the 4/5 year old MWF class! I am so excited to be here all 5 days and can't wait to see what the school year brings! I spent lots of time this summer in the classroom organizing and changing things around ~ I think it looks fantastic! Our September will be busy getting to know each other and learning the classroom rules. We will also have our monthly visit with Ms. Barb from the Napoleon Public Library, school pictures and show & tell. In October we will take our annual field trip to Leaders Family Farms! Just like previous school years, each week we will focus on a letter or number, have a weekly theme and a bible story. It should be a fantastic year! Feel free to stop in and visit us anytime! In God's Blessings, Mrs. Julie Rees

Newsletter - August

Pastor's Thoughts

         Hello, it’s August, and that means Summer is 2/3rds over. This August is actually pretty Special. During this August [in Series B] we will be reading through John 6. In John 6 Jesus says, “51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

            In this text Jesus is telling us that he is the one who is going to feed the whole world. The feeding here isn’t just food though. It is Salvation! And how he has done this, is by Giving his Flesh on the Cross. We probably don’t think of him Feeding us on the Cross. But that is exactly what he was doing. Without Jesus’ death and atonement, we would never be FED. We would not be fed with his words. We would not be fed with his Body and Blood. And we would not be fed with his forgiveness. We also look forward to the day when he feeds us for eternity at His Table. So when you’re eating that last Summer Barbeque remember to say a prayer and thank God for all the ways he has fed us through His Son.

St Peter – Special Voter’s Meeting

A Special Voter’s Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, August 5th following the Church Service.  Items to be discussed is: Flooring in the Kitchen and Preschool area and the Parking Lot.

LWML Fall Retreat for Napoleon & Defiance Zones

 Sept. 15, 2018  Starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 2:00 p.m. @ St John Stryker Rts 6 & 66

•           The theme is “Make a Joyful Noise” Psalm 100.

•           Ingathering – New underwear & socks for the Orphan Grain Train.

•           Offering – Will go to Fort Wayne, Lutheran Military Vets & Families Ministry.

Filling Home – Festival of Tables

The Women’s Guild of the Filling Homes is once again celebrating a FESTIVAL OF TABLES LADIES LUNCHEON this Fall.  They, first of all, request participation in decorating and hosting one or more tables at the event and also that the ladies of our area attend this year’s 20th anniversary of this celebration.  This unique luncheon will be held at the Filling Home Therapy Center at Noon on Saturday, September 29, 2018.  For more information, please check the narthex bulletin board.  Tickets are $15.00 each.

Donations Needed!

Since it is time to be thinking of children heading off to school, the LWML is asking that both of our churches have an ingathering of NEW UNDERWEAR AND SOCKS which will be distributed to needy persons by the ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN.   No used underwear is sent out by the OGT.   Men’s and boys new underwear and socks are especially needed this year.   Each of our churches have a box designated for these items, we are asking for your assistance.

Thank you for considering this worthwhile project.

St Peter Preschool Open House & Enrollment for 2018-19

The Preschool Open House will be held on August 23rd from 5-7pm. Three year old preschoolers will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-11:30am ($60/month tuition). Four and Five year old preschoolers will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00-11:30am ($90/month tuition). A onetime $45 enrollment/supply fee will hold your child’s spot.

Stop by the open house and meet Mrs. Rees and see the classroom. Tell your friends and family about our Preschool!

email: Stpeterlutheranpreschool2016@gmail.com

ph: 419-922-3263

Or like St. Peter Preschool on Facebook!

Newsletter - July

From Pastor's Desk

It’s July, and it’s usually not a time where we think of Christian Festivals. This need not be the case. You can have Christmas in July. That’s right Christmas in July. On July 2nd we can celebrate The Visitation. The Visitation is the visit of Mary to her relative Elisabeth which is recorded in Luke 1:39-56. Now this might seem like a strange time of year to celebrate such an event, but it makes perfect sense when you know that the Annunciation of our Lord is celebrated on March 25th . March 25th is of course 9 months before December 25th. The visitation is also when John inside of his mother leaped for Joy when he heard Mary’s voice. We also can leap for joy knowing our Savior has come to earth to be born of a woman. He also came to suffer and die for us. But we also know he rose from the dead. So we have a lot of things we can leap for joy over. So this month and every month we can celebrate and remember the fact that Jesus has come to earth and visited us.

Thank you from Orphan Grain Train!

The 424 Garage Sale was a HUGE Success! Thank you to everyone who supported us with their time, baked goods and other items we were able to sell. We couldn’t have done it without you! It takes a Village to operate Orphan Grain Train – Thank you for being part of our Village.

VBS Success at St. Peter

We had 27 eager participants take part in our "Amazing Bible Animals Excursion." In Proverbs 6, the ants taught us to remember to do things without being told and to be hard, faithful workers. There was a live ant farm and an ant tunnel to crawl through, even an anthill the kids could eat! Balaam and his talking donkey (Yes, talking donkey!!) taught us to be faithful and follow God. God used angels in this story. In Luke 15, the parable of the Lost Sheep we were reminded of how Jesus saves us and gives us eternal life. On Thursday, we focused on the story of Noah's Ark, in particular the importance of the dove and the peace it symbolizes. We ended the week talking about a camel going through the eye of a needle in Mark 10. The lesson being to focus on the Lord, not all of the stuff and possessions we have. Everything wrapped up with a short closing program that parents and relatives were invited to. The kids sang songs, shared what they learned, received certificates, and enjoyed animal crackers and ice cream. 

The week would not have been possible without many volunteers who gave their time: Pastor and Dana Stuenkel, Bette Weddelman, Emilie Parsons, Pam Jones, Deb and Mark Oberhaus, Michelle Weddelman, Alicia and Bill Richardson, Nancy Conrad, Bethany Mathers, Nancy Helmke, MaKenna Helmke, Karlee Bostelman, Bridgett, Mallory, and Zander Watson, Carrie and Lana Culp Thanks to Larry and Phyllis for using their sign to advertise. Special thanks to Robyn and Andy Helmke for letting Colton and Aiden share their sheep on Wednesday! Thanks to Sherry Krueger for donating snacks. Special thanks to Cindy Casserly for bringing over her donkeys which included a baby that was 10 days old!

A Study on Martin Luther’s “A Simple Way to Pray”

By Rev Dr John Sias

Look at and Read the words in Hymn 766 “Our Father, Who from Heaven Above”. This hymn on the Lord’s Prayer reflect Martin Luther’s catechism teaching on the Lord’s Prayer and the theology of prayer that produced it. Luther reflected that; “Many pray the Pater Noster [Our Father] as many as a thousand times a year; if they were to pray a thousand years they would indeed still not have tasted or prayed even one letter of it [Matthew 5:18].” How often have you found your mind wandering to the grocery list, or worse, let the words roll, seemingly on autopilot? In summary, the Pater Noster is the greatest martyr on earth. Nearly everyone mistreats it and abuses it. Only a few are comforted by it and find joy in its correct use. 

The right place to begin to answer the questions “What is prayer?” and “How shall we pray?” is with our Lord’s own command and promise. For when the disciples asked Him how they should pray, the Lord said, “When you pray, say...” and then He gave them what we call the Lord’s Prayer. Although we might see or hear people praying all sorts of prayers to all kinds of gods, Christian prayer is unique. It reflects our unique knowledge of and trust in the one true God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who has created all things, redeemed us by His blood and sanctified us in His holy Church. We pray from a position of confidence, sure that God will hear us and grant us what is good because we pray by Christ’s command. Yet how often have we rushed through those words, “Our Father...” without thinking what a remarkable gift it is that Christ would have us pray this way. 

How dare we call upon the one and only true God of heaven and earth as Our Father –whom we have gravely offended through our sins – and then ask Him not of for daily bread but for everything? Why should He give it? Yet this is how Jesus teaches us to pray, without offering Him anything first, without so much as even saying please! That’s a bold prayer.

So there is a boldness in this prayer, to ask for what we want and to know that we have the right to ask confidently with all assurance, as dear children as their dear father and to cap it off to conclude with Amen...that is, Yes, it shall be so.

So Martin Luther instructs us to begin this prayer humbly but confidently in Christ and say “I am an unworthy wretched sinner and do not deserve to lift my eyes and hands to heaven and pray, but You have commanded us to pray and have promised to hear our prayer, so I pray with all Your holy Christians as He has taught me” and then say the Lord’s Prayer completely, word for word.

In life in death O Lord abide with me

Rev. C. William Weis

July 16, 1959 - May 30, 2018

Rev. C. William Weis (Peace, Saginaw) was called home on May 30, 2018 after a battle with cancer. A 1985 Concordia Seminary-Saint Louis graduate, he served Saint Peter Lutheran Church in Florida, Ohio; Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Flatrock Township, Ohio; and Trinity, Paw Paw before coming to Peace, Saginaw in 2004.

Visitation will take place on Wednesday, June 6, 2018 from 2-7 p.m. at Peace Lutheran School; 3161 Lawndale Rd; Saginaw MI 48602. The funeral and committal services will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 7, 2018 at Peace Lutheran Church; 3427 Adams Ave; Saginaw, MI 48602. A reception and time of sharing will follow the service.

Memorials may be made to Peace Lutheran Church "Seeds to Branches."

Please keep his wife, Karen, his sons Samuel and Joseph, extended family, and the members of Peace Lutheran Church in your prayers.

“I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless.  
Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness,
Where is death’s sting?  Where grave thy victory?
I TRIUMPH still if Thou abide with me.”
“Abide With Me” verse 7