Words of Peace. March/April The Words inside:

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1 Words of Peace March/April 2019 Lent and Easter Ash Wednesday Service, March 6th at 7:30pm Lenten Wednesdays: 6:15 pm Soup Supper 7:00 pm Vespers Service Thursdays during Lent: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Prayer in the Sanctuary Palm Sunday Service, April 14th 8:00 am and 10:30 am Maundy Thursday, April 18th, 7:30 pm Good Friday, April 19th, 7:30 pm Easter Sunday, April 21st 8:00 am and 10:30 am 9:00 am Easter Strata Breakfast The Words inside: From Pastor Sarah Page 2 Lent/Easter Page 4-6 A Place for You at Peace Page 7 Care for Creation Page 11 Galleries Pages 12 The Rev. Sarah Scherschligt Pastor pastorsarah@sharingpeace.org Dr. Adela Peeva Music Director Adela_peeva@yahoo.com Paul Sticha Director, Bell Choirs psticha@cox.net Jim Nice Creative Worship Leader jnice116@gmail.com Natalie Cain Council President natrcain@gmail.com Nadia Fitzcharles Children, Youth and Family Ministry Community Engagement nadia@sharingpeace.org Kris Rinnert Parish Administrator info@sharingpeace.org

2 From Pastor Sarah Scherschligt Senior Pastor Dear God, let s talk. Praying through Lent. Prayer is an essential part of the Christian life. We can communicate with God! What a great gift. Yet I find over and over again, people tell me they don t pray as regularly or intentionally as they d like. How to pray? What happens? If prayer isn t like giving God your wish list (and then being disappointed when God doesn t deliver), what is it? If you use pre-written prayers, does it count? And why is it so uncomfortable to pray out loud in front of a group of people? During the season of Lent, March 4 April 13, Peace will focus on prayer. My hope is that each of you will have a deeper prayer life as a result. Maybe you will pray more often or more intentionally. Maybe you will discover that pre-written prayers really do help you pray. Maybe you will find a new way of praying walking, writing, singing, silence that helps you connect with God. March to mid-april: Thursdays from 11:30-12:30 the sanctuary will be open with candlelight and Gregorian chant music playing. This is for anyone who needs a calm place to pray. During Wednesday evening worship we will pray together. My sermons will focus on prayer. There will be Sunday morning adult education sessions on prayer. We will post favorite prayers and quotes on prayer in the church building. A Lenten prayer book on the psalms, Lasting Hope will be available one per household. (Suggested donation $5). As usual, Wednesday evenings in Lent we will have soup suppers at 6:15 followed by evening worship with testimonies at 7:00. If you d like to share your faith story or if you have someone to nominate to share his or her story, please let me know. pastorsarah@sharingpeace.org. Finally, here s a method of prayer I ve used for years. If you re looking for a place to start, I recommend it. T.R.I.P T Thanksgiving. What am I thankful for? R Regret. What am I sorry for (hear forgiveness!) I Intercession. Who or what needs my prayers today. Other people, worldly concerns etc. P Purpose. What is God calling me to do today? End with the Lord s Prayer. With trust that we can each grow closer to God through prayer, be at Peace, Pastor Sarah March/April 2019 Page 2

3 From Natalie Cain Church Council President I recently found myself in a Lifeway bookstore. I was trying to find a gift for a colleague s baby s christening, and I began feeling nostalgic. I started thinking about my church family in my hometown the church I grew up in, where I met my piano teacher, where I played handbells, where I participated in youth group and lock-ins and Vacation Bible School and pageants and plays all the fun things! I haven t been in a Lifeway store in ages, and there was something really comforting about it (except the sound of Veggie Tales I hope I m not offending anyone when I say they annoy me). When I step into Peace Lutheran, I also get a sense of comfort. The smiles and conversations we share, the incredible music that fills our space, the amazing people who tirelessly devote themselves to various ministries, our beautiful sanctuary, our delicious potluck food, and the Holy Spirit in our presence all make for a wonderful place to be on Sunday mornings and other days in the week. We joked at our February council meeting that the new HVAC system likes to announce itself during service, and what a wonderful reminder of what we all achieved: raising the funds to pay for a new system (and our Peace for the Future account is already back up to about where it was when we made our HVAC purchase!). I do hope you agree with me when I say we have an awesome community at Peace Lutheran. We have two family meetings that are forthcoming (March 10 at 10:15 a.m. and April 28, Time TBD) please be sure to mark your calendars! And I ll echo what I said in our January family meeting: many thanks to the ministry leads for producing their annual reports, and I not only encourage everybody to read a copy of the Annual Report if you haven t already done so, but I also encourage everybody to prayerfully consider becoming involved in a ministry or trying out a new one. I ll end with this: reading through the Annual Report was a brilliant reminder of how awesome our church, our ministries, and our people (YOU!) really are. Peace, Natalie New members 2/17/19 Sean and Aneta Kern Scott, Jenn and Pryia Schneider Andrew Redfern and Juliana Helson 3/3/19 Stu and Marissa Whitehead Shannon Spence Baptisms Juliana Helson 2/17/19 March/April 2019 Page 3

4 Don t miss. Bunko Night March 2, 2019 at 6:30 pm Everyone is invited for some serious fun and prizes. There s no talent or skill required. You can look forward to meeting new people and having a good time. Bring a snack or dessert to share. Look for a sign up sheet on the Fellowship Hall bulletin board or sign up online. If you have a square card table you can bring that evening, contact Ray or Debbie Marquardt at info@sharingpeace.org. All are invited to this year's Shrove Tuesday Community Pancake Dinner on March 5th at 6:30 pm. RSVP and sign up to help with setup/cleanup, ingredients and cooking HERE. Bring your friends for free food and fellowship. Freewill donations to benefit Peace ministries are welcome. Questions? Contact Nadia March/April 2019 Page 4

5 Wednesdays in Lent March 13, 20, 27 and April 3, 10 At 6:15 pm you are invited to enjoy a simple meal of soup, salad and bread in our Fellow-ship Hall At 7:00 pm experience Holden Evening Vespers with Faith Testimonies The Holden Evening Vespers were written in while Marty Haugen was the musician-in-residence at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in Washington State, this lovely setting of vespers follows the traditional form while using contemporary and inclusive language. If you would like to share your faith testimony of how God has worked in your life, Please contact Pastor Sarah. Sign up here to provide soup and salad. Sign up here to let us know you are coming. Or go to sharingpeace.org/event-sign-up/ Holy Week and Easter at Peace Palm Sunday, April 14 8:00 am Informal Worship Service 10:30 am Traditional Worship Service Maundy Thursday, April 18 7:30 pm Worship Service Good Friday, April 19 7:30 pm Tenebrae Service Easter Sunday, April 21 8:00 am Informal Worship Service 9:00 am Egg Strata Breakfast 9:45 am Easter Egg Hunt 10:30 am Traditional Worship Service March/April 2019 Page 5

6 5th Annual Peace Easter Sunday Strata Breakfast April 21, :00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall How does it work? You bring a Strata or fruit or pastry and your appetite and we all enjoy fellowship and fun and breakfast. You can bring the strata the night before and put it in the refrigerator and we will heat it up Sunday morning or you can just bring it with you on Sunday and we will reheat it for breakfast. Recipe ideas: Questions? Contact Anna Hartmayer at (703) or info@sharingpeace.org What is a Strata? Strata is a family of layered casserole dishes in American cuisine. The most common modern variant is a brunch dish, similar to a quiche or frittata, made from a mixture which mainly consists of bread, eggs and cheese. It may also include meat or vegetables. The usual preparation requires the bread to be layered with the filling in order to produce layers (strata). Other recipes merely require that the ingredients are mixed together, like a savory bread pudding. A beaten egg mixture is then poured over the ingredients. The dish requires a rest of anywhere between one hour and overnight before it is baked. It is served warm. Simple Strata Recipe Ingredients: 12 thick slices white bread, cut into 1 in. cubes 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 12 eggs 2 1/2 cups half-and-half 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms (optional) You can put sausage or ham in instead of bacon or for a meatless variety you can add veggies instead. Directions: 1. Toss cubed bread with bacon, cheese, and mushrooms, and pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and mustard until smooth, then pour evenly over cubed bread. Cover dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 3. Remove plastic wrap from the baking dish, and bake strata in preheated oven until the top is golden brown, and the eggs are set, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. March/April 2019 Page 6

7 There s a place for you at Peace! More information about these programs can be found at sharingpeace.org Tuesday Morning Bible Study 10:00 am with Pastor Sarah in her office. Quilting Thursday mornings 9:30 am 12:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall Brothers of Peace March 7 (date change) at 7pm April 6 (after the 7:00 pm Lent service) Beading for Haiti 9:30 am 12:00 pm Mondays Sunday School Classroom Lunch at Greensprings 12:00 pm March 4 and April 1 Boomerang Project 1:00 pm 3:00 pm Wednesdays Sunday School Classroom Prayer Shawlers 1:00 am - 3:00 pm Fridays at the Barcroft Starbucks. (Last Friday of the month at Peace.) Adult Forum 9:15 am- 10:15 am Sundays in the Fellowship Hall The schedule can be found online. We need you!!! Sign up to help with worship. We use a program called Sign Up Genius to make it easy. All the sign ups at church can be found on our website page, Sign Up Central. When you sign up you'll get a reminder a few days before you are scheduled. Take a minute to sign up today by clicking one of the links below: Lector: Lectors read the lessons from the pulpit. The lessons are sent to you the Thursday before so you'll know ahead of time what you will be reading. Communion Assistant: Communion assistants help the pastor serve the bread and wine during communion. Acolyte: Acolytes light the candles, assist with offering and communion. Usher: Ushers pass out bulletins, assist with offering and direct people during communion. March/April 2019 Page 7

8 Lasting Hope Devotions for Lent 2019 A Lenten prayer book on the Psalms and quotes are available. One per household. (Suggested donation is $5.00) Please save the date! Congregational retreat, at Mar-Lu-Ridge in Maryland. Friday night - Sunday noon October 11-13, 2019 People of all ages are welcome. Cost and more details to come. If you'd love to be part of the planning team, please contact Anne Whitten at info@sharingpeace.org. Altar Flowers Please check the Fellowship Hall for the 2018 Flower Chart. To sponsor the Altar Flowers for Sunday morning worship please choose an available date and then fill in your information. You may dedicate the Altar flowers in honor or memory of loved ones or to the Glory of God. The suggested donation for Altar Flowers is $55. March/April 2019 Page 8

9 Adult Forum on Sunday Mornings at 9:15 am Join Jon Nerdig and Paul Routson as they lead a six week discussion of Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg. Each week we will discuss one of the 6 chapters. In the book, Borg discusses his personal journey of discovery exploring recent biblical scholarship on the life of Jesus. Through the journey, he develops a stronger faith that welcomes critical thinking and historical scholarship rather than oppressing it. He offers a vision of the Christian life rooted in spiritual challenge, compassion, and community. We hope you will join us for a lively and thoughtful discussion! March 3rd- Jesus, the Wisdom of God: Sophia Become Flesh March 10th- Images of Jesus and Images of the Christian Life Focus on Prayer Join Pastor Sarah to learn about Prayer March 17, 24 and April 7, 2019 Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions March 31, 2019 Join Jackie Verrecchi from Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions to hear about programs that affect us an our environment. Support Coca-cola s Give Campaign for St Jude Children s Research Hospital. If you drink Coca-cola products, please bring your bottle caps, box corners, case tops and wrappings to Peace and drop them in the box on the ushers table. This will help support Peace member Ray Marquardt s ministry to support St Jude Children s Research Hospital. Ray collects coca-cola products from a number of organizations and so far in 2019, he s collected $42.63! March/April 2019 Page 9

10 Caring for Creation Events March 24, 2019 Wastewater treatment plant visit with Shannon As part of our community's learning about and caring for our environment and our planet, one of our church members, Shannon Spence, has volunteered to give anyone who is interested (all friends and family included) a guided tour of the wastewater treatment plant where she works. The plant is located in Woodbridge, Virginia about a 30 minute drive south of the church. Details are below: Sunday, March 24 beginning at 1:00 pm. The address of the plant is H.L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility 1861 Rippon Blvd, Woodbridge, VA Meet in the fellowship hall after the 10:30 am worship service to carpool. Or be at the Plant by 1 pm. The walking tour will take about 1 1/2 hours. Closed toed shoes are required. There is also an indoor community education center on site that is very engaging and educational (recommended for children 8 years old and above). Optional: bring a sack lunch and we can sit in the cafeteria in the administration building and share a meal together afterwards. There is no limit on the number of people that can attend but everyone will have to carpool or provide their own transportation. Sign up at sharingpeace.org/event-sign-up/ Spotlight on... Jackie Verrecchia from Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions will lead Adult Forum on March 31, 2019 at 9:15 am Each month Peace selects and highlights a special ministry, encouraging contributions in addition to your regular giving at Peace. In April we will focus on The Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. FACS is a growing, nonpartisan, local, interfaith organization of more than 70 congregations. FACS organizes the power of engaged faith communities to act effectively and advocate for local solutions to reaching zero carbon emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change, which FACS views as the urgent moral challenge of our time. FACS believes that people of faith have an invaluable voice in the conversation on climate change, and faith-based action draws on a deep well of love for each other and the planet we share. Our work is done in Northern Virginia, with a primary policy focus on Fairfax County. FACS advocates at county March/April 2019 Page 10

11 Nursery The nursery doors are open from 9:30 am - 12 pm on Sunday school mornings; from 9:30-10:15 am, parents are welcome to hang out in the nursery and get to know each other over coffee and conversation (coffee provided). On non-sunday school mornings the nursery opens at 10:15 am. Nursery care is geared towards 0-3 year olds. Sunday School Sunday School is at 9:30 am. We follow the Spark curriculum that includes crafts and stories following the church lectionary. All children in Sunday school must have a registration form on file. Please find the registration form online and return it to Nadia in person or by ing nadia. Kid s Church Kid s Church is a time of worship and fellowship designed for kids ages 4-6 years old that happens during the sermon (kids are invited out of the sanctuary following the Time With Children). Before and after the sermon, kids are with their families in worship; there are kid s bulletins and quiet bags in the corner of the sanctuary under the large cross. Confirmation Confirmation is a three-year process for 6th - 8th graders designed to help students understand their faith. The years are broken down into Old Testament, New Testament, and Small Catechism. This year we are on New Testament. Confirmation culminates in the ritual of Confirmation, where students give their faith testimonies and pledge to live out (aka confirm) the faith in which they were baptized. This year confirmation is May 12th. High school All high schoolers are invited to join Nadia in Coffee & Conversation on Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:15 in a Sunday school classroom. Join us for discussion on various topics and get a chance to share highs and lows. Nadia Fitzcharles Children, Youth and Family Coordinator nadia@sharingpeace.org March/April 2019 Page 11

12 An Abundance of Love 2019 Valentines Dinner March/April 2019 Page 12

13 Peace Lutheran Church 6362 Lincolnia Road Alexandria, VA Place Stamp Here Address Correction Requested THE NEXT DEADLINE FOR WORDS OF PEACE ~ APRIL 20, 2019 (Articles should be ed to: info@sharingpeace.org or leave in Kris mailbox) Contact Information: info@sharingpeace.org Phone: Fax: Web: facebook.com/peacelutheranalexandriava instagram.com/pelcalexandria Sunday Services 8:00 a.m. Informal Worship and Holy Communion 10:30 a.m. Traditional Worship Nursery Care Provided from 10:15am - 12pm Editor: Kris Rinnert Contributors: Pastor Sarah Scherschligt, Nadia Fitzcharles, Sarah Schill Electronic giving is now at Peace! To make an online gift through our secure site, scan the code with your smart phone. twitter.com/pelcalexandria