ST PETER'S NEWS
April 30, 2020
A WORD FROM PASTOR V
Greetings!

Many have wondered how church will be different going forward. My answer is that some things will remain the same while some things will likely change. In the “same” category, we as St. Peter’s will continue to use our purpose statement (Together, BOLDLY living and sharing God's grace with all) to help us in making decisions about our ministry, worship, building project, and life together. In the face of social distancing, how do we BOLDLY living and share God’s grace with all? What BOLD new ways is God inviting us to worship, fellowship, and serve TOGETHER? 

Our purpose statement is like the voice of the good shepherd that we will hear about in this Sunday's gospel (John 10:1-10). When we hear it, we hear God speaking to us, inspiring us, calming us, reminding us of who we are, whose we are, and who we are being called to be.

The life of faith at its core is NOT so much about a list of things to believe or a set of rules to follow. The life of faith is more about us hearing and responding to the VOICE OF GOD...hearing the faith-filled and God-centering questions to ask of ourselves and each other in the midst of any situation or season in our life.  What does living BOLDLY for ALL look like for you in this time?

God grace your week. Next week leadership is planning to provide some more detailed information on the when and what in restarting in-person worship. For now, we continue with online worship for the safety of all alongside our sisters and brothers in faith in our community and world. It will be a little different as we ease back into life together in physical ways…but through it all let us turn to God in our purpose statement to shape and guide us. 

Blessings to you all,
Pastor Vanicek
SOCIAL OUTREACHING
THE HELPING CENTER

The first Sunday of the month in 2020 has been Helping Center Sunday. Let's continue this tradition! Canned meats and canned corn are what they are asking for. Drop off at church portico anytime and the office staff will gather and deliver. Thank you!
HELPING THOSE IN CRISIS

They are seeing an increase in requests for shelter services right now, much of it overflow from surrounding counties. They are also receiving more hotline calls seeking assistance with food, utilities, transportation, etc, and increased non-resident counseling services. Because of the increased demand for shelter and non-shelter services under these conditions, they have a desperate need for masks (cloth ones are fine), gloves, Clorox wipes, and bottled water.  If you can help with any of these items, drop off at church portico anytime and the office staff will gather and deliver. Thank you!




HILL COUNTRY FAMILY
CRISIS CENTER
MEALS ON WHEELS COOKIES

Bake a dozen or more cookies for homebound residents in our community. We provide 10 or 12 dozen cookies each month. Please drop them by the church office before next Friday ( May 8th). Thanks!
CLOTH MASKS AVAILABLE

Thank you to our Snip-its quilters for making masks. A limited supply has been restocked and is available in a bin by the portico doors. Snip-its can make more on special request, as mask availability in stores is starting to become more reliable.
JOIN OTHERS THROUGH LWR

Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has put forth a challenge! These cloth face masks will be distributed with upcoming international shipments of personal care kits already scheduled for summer and fall. Face masks will be distributed to individuals in vulnerable communities and are not intended to be a replacement for medical grade personal protective equipment. As of 4/30, over 45,000 pledges to make masks have been submitted! Join in if you are able and interested! A great way to BOLDLY living and share God's grace with all. ( MORE INFO)
BIBLE STUDY AT HOME
Faith is scripture is rarely a noun...but most often a verb...an active and alive thing. Faith is like muscles, requiring exercise to stay healthy and strong. While we are in Diaspora (separated...), use these short videos as a weekly way of growing in your faith and love.

We are beginning each Sunday in Easter this year with a Thanksgiving for Baptism (in place of the Confession and Forgiveness section). This week we take a closer look at what it means to be made in the Image of God, where image is not about "looks" but about "character." The story of the Good Shepherd is all about Jesus pointing out the character of God. What characteristics of God are in you?
CLICK HERE to go deeper into the
theme of "Image of God" in scripture.
DEVOTIONS AND MAGAZINES IN THE PORTICO BIN!
CHRIST IN OUR HOME
GATHER MAGAZINE
LIVING LUTHERAN
WORSHIP & PRAYER RESOURCES
If you missed a recent online worship, want to read the text of sermon, are looking for daily prayer resources, or want to find something noted in our weekly emails, CLICK HERE for a one-stop page on our website.
WORDS OF GRATITUDE
If you have words of gratitude to share with others in the congregation, please send to tristan@splcmf.org in the office.
OTHER RESOURCES