In Our Prayers: This year we will be praying for our school families. These are the families we will be praying for this upcoming week: Caleb, Emily, Noah, Joel and Levi Abraham; Tyler, Ashley, Briella and Bennett Beetley and Scott, Julia, Nathan Bierlein and Ashlynn Wrona.

Devotion of the Week: Did you happen to experience the power outage on Tuesday? Quite a few people were without power for about seven hours or more. It was looking like we might have to cancel school! Even if you have a generator, this disruption can be difficult for numerous reasons, but it really helps to appreciate the power of electricity. Simply flipping on a light switch, turning on the television, or having air conditioning on hot days are things we take for granted until they are gone. Without electrical energy, we can start to feel somewhat helpless.

This year we are guided by our Savior's words, "I am the Vine, you are the branches." If you read the entire fifth verse of John 15 it says this, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." At times during a power outage, especially with no back up generator, it seems that we can do nothing. Thankfully, most of the time, power outages are short lived and people can return to their "normal" lives. But when we look at our spiritual life, being connected to Jesus, the True Vine, is of vital importance with eternal consequences. It is such a blessing to have a school that nurtures and educates children in God's Word daily which points them to Christ. Our daily connection with Jesus keeps us focused on Him and connected to Him, for apart from Him we can do nothing. The devil, the world and our own sinful nature will try continually to cut us off from the True Vine. As devastating as power outages can be for an extended period of time, being disconnected to Christ is much worse. Thanks be to God that He has saved us from sin, death, and the devil and grants us forgiveness of sins and life eternal because of what Jesus has done for us. We are connected to Jesus through His Word and Sacraments. Later in chapter 15 of John, Jesus says these words, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." May that joy of knowing that Christ is the True Vine continue to be and abide in us throughout this entire school year as we are strengthened through God's Word and connected to Jesus!

First Quarter Chapel Offering: For our first quarter of school, we will be supporting a ministry in Fort Wayne, IN that helps to feed low-income families. Lutheran schools from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan will be supporting this ministry because there is a teacher's conference in November in Fort Wayne with teachers from all three of these states. Thank you for encouraging your children to bring a chapel offering each Wednesday as their money will support several ministries throughout the year that help to share Jesus with those in need.

Worship Service Changes: Don't forget that the Fall/Winter schedule for worship services will be Saturdays at 5:00pm and Sundays at 9:30am starting after Labor Day. The Sunday 9:30am service will continue to be live-streamed as well. Bible Study will follow the Sunday 9:30 am service beginning September 19th.  

Special Voters Meetings: There are two special congregational meetings. The first one is planned for this Sunday, August 29 following the 9:30am service, and the other is on Monday, September 13, at 7:00pm. The first meeting will give an update as well as a recommendation from The Timothy Group about our Congregational Readiness Review that was conducted last month for a capital campaign. This will be an informational meeting which will include a summary report from The Timothy Group. For the September 13 meeting, we will decide on whether or not to proceed with a capital campaign. Thank you for your prayers, your participation in this process, and for your attendance at our upcoming meetings.

Thank You: The staff, faculty, and especially the EC department, wishes to thank “Gma” Rosie Burdo for all that she has done for St. Peter Lutheran School. She has been an intricate part of the Early Childhood program as an aide and “helper” to all. We feel blessed that she has shared her time, talent, and treasures with the little ones in our care. We wish her a speedy recovery! We love you, Grandma Rosie.

PTL Playground Clean Up Committee: Thank you to Mrs. Kristen Topham and daughter Khloe, Mr. & Mrs. Curt & Mary Beth Webster and son Samuel for cleaning up around the school last Saturday by pulling weeds in the landscape, securing the soccer net, sweeping and raking, etc. We appreciate your work!

Notifications: With the contact information we received at registration, all parents should receive a copy of this Panther Press weekly via email and also the link will be texted to you. We will also use the same email and phone numbers to send important information such as school closings. Please contact the school office if you need any of your contact information updated.

No School or Child Care: We will not have school or child care on Friday, September 3 or Monday, September 6.

Sunday Morning at 9:30am and

Thursday Evenings at 6:30pm