Peace Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 Peace Lutheran Church FREMONT, INDIANA September Newsletter, 2015 Praise the lord! With great joy we announce that Pastor Jeff Teeple of Marinette, WI has accepted the call to serve as the Associate Pastor at Peace. Pastor Teeple, who was born and raised in Fort Wayne, brings with him not only over twelve years of pastoral experience but also a heart for mission and ministry and for the people of God. He has been described by his district president as a visionary, a learner, a hard worker, a great thinker, and has leadership and administrative abilities beyond his years. He has excellent people skills and enjoys visiting God s people. You will find a copy of his acceptance letter on the second page of this newsletter. Pastor Teeple is married to Gina, who was born and raised in Grand Haven, MI. She has a degree in Journalism/Media and Communications, and is taking classes part-time at the Fort Wayne seminary to become a deaconess. During their seminary years, Gina worked as a member of the staff at the Lutheran Foundation. Their marriage has been blessed with two children Lauren Elise (age 10) and Elliot James (age 6). During the first part of September, the Teeples will finish their ministry in Northern Wisconsin. They will arrive in mid-september to begin his ministry among us. Installation has been set for Sunday, September 27 th at 3:00 PM. Guest preacher for the special service will be Pastor Art Klausmeier, Emeritus Pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne. Pastor Klausmeier has known the Teeple family for many years and worked with Gina at the Lutheran Foundation. A potluck dinner will follow the service. The main course will be provided and to help us plan for the celebration dinner, please sign up at the Information Desk letting us know many from your family will attend and if you will be bringing a salad, a dessert, or both. As we welcome the Teeples, we pray that God will bless them as they move to the area, find housing, get settled in, and became an integral part of our ministry team. They are looking forward to getting to know all the special people of Peace because they have heard that we are Friendly People Growing in Christ who are called to Praise and Proclaim, Learn and Love, Care and Celebrate. May God bless all we do for His glory!

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3 GREETERS, USHERS & LECTORS: Are needed for all services. Please sign up at the Information Desk. Contact our head Deacon, Gloria Winans, , with any questions. USHERS If you have children or grandchildren who would like to help (and you feel are capable), feel free to let them help you with ushering. Their participation will make them feel a part of the worship service. Please note: If you are unable to serve, please try to find a replacement or contact our head Deacon, Gloria Winans, If you do find a replacement, please notify the church office A.S.A.P. for the bulletin. ACOLYTES: 8 AM 10:30 AM NURSERY: 9/6 Autumn Godwin/Natileigh Mann Available 9/13 Victoria Miller/Audra James but unstaffed 9/20 9/27 ALTAR GUILD: Donna Biddle, Angie Hendrickson An Opportunity to Serve Drivers from Peace are invited to drive for Family Promise at 7 am and/or 5 pm during the week of September Mornings begin at Bethel-Gilead Community Church and the a ernoon begins at Coldwater. To reserve your slot, please contact Susan Fisher, Confirmation Class will begin on Sunday, September 20 Parent orientation is at 9:15 AM the first week. Class is held during the Sunday School hour. Don t miss it! It s time to ring and sing! First rehearsal is: Wednesday, September 2nd 6 PM Handbells 7 PM Adult Choir All voices are needed to sing. Handbell ringers are also needed. (It would be helpful to have some musical knowledge.) Please contact MaryAnn Berkesch, , if you are interested or have questions. Looking forward to seeing you!

4 Fellow saints, God s Word is powerful. It s power comes through the Holy Spirit. We need that power to live our lives as Christians and to open our mouths to witness. Just a reminder to be in the Word. Our Fall program of Sunday School and Bible Classes is beginning! Being guided by God s Word is not only refreshing, but probably the most important thing in your life. We will kick off our Sunday morning Confirmation (Grades 7-8), Youth (High School) and Adult Classes on Sunday, September 13 with a special report from Deb Beck on her recent mission trip to Nicaragua. She will tell of her adventures and her opportunities to witness Jesus love. Confirmation orientation for those in Grades 7-8 (and their parents) will take place on Sunday, September 20 th during the Sunday School/Bible Class Hour. The regular Fall line-up of classes are as follows: Thursday 9:30 AM BEGINS September 10 led by Ellen Luepke Sunday 9:15 AM CONTINUES September 20 Pastor s Class Fellowship Hall led by Pastor Teeple Men s Class Lower Level led by Scott Miller Women s Class Library led by Alice Zielke Listening for the Voice of God 3 rd Saturday Men s Bible Study Breakfast - CONTINUES September 19 at 8:00 AM Anyone interested in helping form a small Group Bible Study, please see Pastor B. If there is enough interest, some new groups will form. Adult Information Classes which could lead to membership at Peace will also be offered this fall. If you are interested, please see Pastor B. Our main goal is to be IN THE WORD renewed and refreshed by the continuing presence of our Savior Jesus and empowered to serve!!!!!! God s continued blessings as together we GROW in Christ! The Annual Voter s Meeting will take place Sunday, September 13th AFTER Sunday morning worship services. Items on the agenda include: Reports, presentation and approval of the 2016 Budget, Election of Officers, and Revision of Bylaws. Copies of the proposed revised Bylaws together with mark-ups of the current Bylaws (showing the changes) are available at the Information Desk. The more substantive changes are: A. A quorum for a Voters Meeting will be the voting members present. B. The Board of Directors may approve expenditures of up to $15,000 over budget. C. No term limits for members of Elders, Deacons or Trustees. However the term limit for serving on the Board of Directors remains. Please make every effort to attend this important meeting in the life of our congregation. Bert Schulz, Chairman Hope to see you there!!! Sunday, September 13th 11:15 AM

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6 Special Thank You- to Ruth Lewis for serving as our part-time summer secretary. If you would like to be a part of this ministry or have a special prayer request, for please contact Linda Miller, (home), or lindamiller08@hotmail.com. GRACE IN T HE EMPT Y SPACES Church is meant to be one of those real-life places that both reveal and shape us. As with our families, the Lord intentionally puts us into a church as our spiritual family. He connects us with other people, and we experience life together. We live together with purpose to reveal who God is by the way we interact with and love each other. The reality is that we don't always interact with each other as God intended us to. Like in our families, churches can become places of conflict, dysfunction and pain. People (we) may be inconsiderate, selfish and let each other down. Indeed, this is not the way God intended it. His Church is meant to be an accepting and encouraging place where hurts are healed and people become reflections of Jesus Christ. Our THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE CLASS this Fall will look at a study about God shaping us into the kind of persons who can make His Church (our church) that wonderful place. This isn't just another Bible Study...it's a ONE-ANOTHER Bible Study based on Scripture that is written to tell us how to get along when we'd rather fuss and how to mutually care for those around us as Christ would if He were still here in the flesh. In His eyes, any two Christians on earth are instantly one-anothered. Husbands and wives, pastors and people, young and old, are one-anothered. Here are the specific areas of concentration and study: Love One Another...Forgive One Another...Submit to One Another... Pray for One Another...Fellowship With One Another...Minister to One Another Be encouraged, each Thursday morning (9:30-11am) beginning September 10, as we read and study one, and then another. Ellen Luepke Additional 2015 High School Graduates Eric Hall graduated from Fremont High School. He is currently working at Tydenbrook Security Locks until October when he leaves for training in the Indiana Army National Guard. Koty Wolf graduated from Indiana Cyber Charter School. In the near future he plans to attend Owens Community College in Rossford, OH, to obtain an Associate s Degree in Diesel Technology with a minor in Business.

7 September 2015 Preschool & Daycare Ministry at Peace Lutheran Church Nurturing Young Hearts for Christ since 1992 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! Wee Creations Preschool is celebrating our 23 rd anniversary this year. Our preschool and daycare are a success because of the prayers and financial support we receive from the members and friends of Peace Lutheran Church. As the largest ministry of Peace, we are constantly wowed by the support we receive from you!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Because of you we are able to provide quality care and education for the children of our community from infants to school-age children. We are so thankful to have this wonderful facility and for the dedicated people who take care of it. Now that September is here, it is time for preschool to be back in session! All the new friends and routines are both exciting and stressful for the children, and as a staff we are working to make this a happy time. Wee Creations is bursting at the seams with 90+ children enrolled for this school year! We would like to introduce you to our staff. Please remember them in your prayers! Infant & Toddler Team: Elamie Hartman Kim Hogan Lisa Matthews Karla Cordes Linda Meilander Teri Turner Jessica Swick Blue Team: Tiffany Lehman Janelle Dotson Michelle Young Holly Knepper Melissa Burrows Chris Simmons Yellow Team: Tylynn Anteau Leslie Carr Calista Wilder Rachael Simmons Green Team: Paige Hoffman Rhonda Lake Sedona Austin Bobbie Daniels (sub) Did you know that Wee Creations has a waiting list for children? We currently have a waiting list that is 10 children long. Our current classroom space is completely full. I wonder how many more families we could serve if we had more classrooms? Matthew 19:14 tells us that Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." It is our prayer that we could continue to expand the ministry of Wee Creations with additional classroom space. Will you join me in this prayer? We are also blessed with an enthusiastic and supportive Wee Creations Board! If you are interested in serving on our board, we are looking for new members. Please see me or any of the other board members for more information! We are thankful for all of our Wee Creations families, our staff, our board, and to our church for the constant generosity and support of our program! Please keep our staff, students and their families in your prayers as we begin our new year, and stop in and see what s happening down at our end of the building. You ll be just as excited as we are!!! In His Service, Sara Miller, Director

8 WINGS News & Notes Did you know every woman at Peace is a part of an important ministry, a ministry to each other and a ministry to all the people of Peace, even to our community. That ministry is called WINGS (Women In God s Service). Of course a ministry is not just about meetings and organization; it s about finding ways to grow as Christian women. It is about offering a variety of opportunities to serve and be served. Some of those ways include: Preparation of the altar for our Worship services Sewing quilts and other items for those in need Collecting supplies for the Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Turning Point of Steuben County and the Compassion Pregnancy Center of Angola Sponsoring fellowship events Offering one-day retreats and workshops for personal and spiritual growth Supplying coffee and snacks for the Sunday morning Fellowship Hour Inviting women to regional/national events of the Lutheran Women s Missionary League Helping with special worship services and congregational events The WINGS calendar for : Thursday, September 17 6:30PM Dessert/Business/Wrap Christmas boxes Sunday, October 4 8AM/10:30AM LWML/WINGS Special Worship Services Saturday, October 10 9:00AM LWML Fall Life Conference (HERE!) Thursday, November 12 6:30PM Candy-making and Candy-Sharing Thursday, December 10 6:30PM WINGS Christmas Party at Club Paradise Month of January Cup-and-a-Prayer Sunday, February Noon Spaghetti Lunch & Special Entertainment Thursday, March 17 6:30PM Salad/Dessert/Business April 9:00AM LWML Spring Life Conference Saturday, April 23 9:00AM Women s Retreat with Lynne Ford (WBCL) Thursday, June 16 6:30PM Picnic/Business Mtg. Be sure to pick up your WINGS information packet in the Narthex for more details about the events and ministry opportunities available. It would be a privilege to have each of you serve on one of our event committees. Sign up in the narthex. WINGS BOARD President Judy Scharpenberg ( ) LWML Liaison Sharon Aldrich ( ) Christian Growth Ellen Luepke ( ) Secretary Alice Phillips ( ) Treasurer Carol Gepfert ( ) We re always interested in your ideas! The Peace Sewing Sisters meet on Wednesdays at 9:30 AM. WINGS OUTREACH for September We are collecting Lunch box supplies for the Seminary in Fort Wayne: Chips Fruit roll-ups Pudding/Jello cups Crackers/Cheese Crackers/Peanut butter

9 And the Fun Begins... Basketball and Cheerleading Registration Saturday, December 5th! September 13, Education Sunday BEGINNING: Saturday 5:00 PM (Contemporary) Sunday 8:00 AM (Traditional) 9:15 AM Sunday School/Bible Class Hour (including Youth Confirmation Class) 10:30 AM (Traditional) Next Memorial Day to Labor Day, we will return to our Summer Schedule: Saturday 5:00 PM, Sunday 8:00 & 10:00 AM.