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St Peter’s Chronicle June 2017 2 July Interim News Mark Your Calendars and Show Up, take part, and know that God will be there to welcome you, too! As we continue to move through this time of discernment and transition together the work continues, the mission and ministry continues, the thank you’s do not end. Those of you who were in worship the weekend of June 17 & 18 know there is a lot going on St. Peter’s and in our sister congregations. I pointed it out in the sermon – remember the bright pink insert? If you were unable to attend – don’t fret – the news from the bright pink insert is included in this newsletter. The ministries and events listed are designed to offer all of us opportunity to participate in the life of our congregation and to gather in the grace of God, to share in the Gospel, to nurture growth in faith, to care for those in need. As I stated in my sermon on June 18 th , “Each of these events offers all of us many opportunities to use our gifts, to live out our calling, to give back to God what God has given us to share in this world, in God’s world, for the sake of God’s world. It is up to each of us to act, to take advantage of these opportunities, to fully participate in ministry that God has put in front of us. Please know that no matter what stage of life you are in, feeling that you are physically unable to do some of the work, feeling that you can’t possibly have time to participate, wondering how your infant or toddler or middle schooler will fit in – know that there is place for all of us in all that we are called to do for the sake of God’s world. Come sit, and offer your presence. Come and let your toddler roam around and entertain those who are sitting. Come and help your middle schooler fit in and make new friends in a safe place. To all, make the time, use the time God has given to gather and give back, simply come, and know that your Hands doing God’s Work is always needed, even if it feels that you have little to give, it is about presence, being together. So Mark Your Calendars and Show Up, take part, and know that God will be there to welcome you, too.” I implore each of you to be an active part of this faith community, in whatever way you can, to faithfully gather, share, nurture, and care for the sake of God’s world. I look forward to being with all of you and participating with all of you in the ministry of Christ Jesus. Mark Your Calendars and Show Up, take part, and know that God will be there to welcome you, too. In Christ’s Service, Deacon Diane Sunday July 30 Following the 10:30 worship service. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.” James 5:15 A SERVICE OF HEALING will be offered Sunday, July 30 th immediately following the 10:30 worship service. The service is approximately twenty minutes in length. This is an opportunity for us to specifically focus on the healing power of God’s Holy Spirit through prayer, confession, and hearing of God’s Word. In addition, you may receive the laying on of hands and anointing with oil, both of which are very ancient activities related to the healing of sickness or infirmity. During this service we may bring our own physical and spiritual needs to the foot of the cross, and we may also bring the needs of others and receive prayers for healing on their behalf. .
St Peter’s Chronicle July 2017 3 A Message from your Council President I'd like to take this opportunity to once again extend my sincere thanks to EVERYONE in our congregation who attended our recent Cottage Meetings! As I stated last month, I think we opened a lot of eyes to the current state of not only our own congregation and fellow community ELCA churches, but about our Synod and the ELCA overall. A grand total of ninety-two members - and I'm proud to say both longtime and new members - including our Council facilitators, met to explore and discuss various options for the future of St. Peter's. We saw and heard from a good representative cross section of our congregation, everyone from teenagers to octogenarians and perhaps beyond. And trust me, folks were not shy about sharing their thoughts and feelings - and I hope they found the facilitators, additional Council representatives and meeting hosts to be respectful and receptive to their feedback and input. I firmly believe our Cottage Meeting format allowed for better dissemination of information and exchange of questions, answers and comments than can ever be achieved in the congregational meeting setting - and honestly, 92 is right about or slightly better than attendance we tend to see at any given congregational meeting. So as I promised in my message last month, here are the bottom line results, highlighted as well in our Special Called Congregational meeting on Sunday, July 9. Of the options noted - staying the course for now, calling a full-time pastor, calling a "very" part-time pastor or working ever-closer with our established fellow local ELCA congregations to further combine ministries and services and eventually formally combine staff in some manner - a clear majority has expressed the desire to join forces with our fellow congregations and continue our Lancaster Lutherans Together efforts as our model for the future. In fact, at nearly every Cottage Meeting the thought was expressed that various members have wondered for some time why we haven't already - years ago - formed more of a cooperative "coalition" if you will among and between the local ELCA churches. What the exact nature and complexion of this effort will be is yet to be determined; our Call Committee will be working closely with and under the guidance of Synod leadership, and certainly very closely with the leaders of our fellow local congregations in the coming months to determine our next, best step in this process. And you will be seeing and hearing more information in those same coming months as to the role our church - our congregation members, our Council and our staff - can and will play in this process, while maintaining our identity and autonomy. The bottom line is, the message of Christ, the ministries and the work of not only our church (that's St. Peter's, the church with the small c) but of His Church (yes, the one with the capital C) in our community and beyond will continue! Remember, we're all here commissioned to do Gods Work with Our Hands - these next steps in our journey of Gathering, Sharing, Nurturing and Caring, together with our fellow Disciples, begins now! Together in Christ, Jon Hale Special Called Congregational Meeting Sunday, July 9 following worship Discussion and necessary voting on: Constitution Update Approval Call Committee Process HV/AC Replacement
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