During this season of Pentecost, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to God’s people. It is the Spirit which makes us the Church. At St. Peter’s, we are particularly grateful for the gift of Spirit as we prepare for our congregational meeting on June 7th and look toward the coming transitions and changes.
“The Holy Spirit,” Luther writes, “calls, gathers, enlightens and makes holy the whole Christian church.” While the work and power of the Spirit is vast and often undefinable, we can trust that the Holy Spirit does three (among many) things. First, the Holy Spirit gathers together God’s people. It is the Holy Spirit who forms us into community, binding us together with one another and with the whole church.
As we move through this process, we trust in the Spirit’s gift of community and friendship for support, strength, and encouragement. It is the Holy Spirit who binds us together, giving us the energy and love we need as we care for one another through tears and laughter, telling stories and listening, planning and stepping forward, remembering and dreaming.
But the Spirit’s gathering power goes beyond just St. Peter’s. Throughout these past months, the people of God at St. Stephen, Advent, St. Luke’s, and others throughout the NJ Synod have been praying for us, offering support, worshiping with us and surrounding us with care. The Spirit holds us together, reminding us that we are not alone and that whatever happens to St. Peter’s, the ministry of God’s Church will continue. Through the gathering work of the Spirit, we know that all of us will be cared for, welcomed, and given a place to continue to live out our faith.
The Holy Spirit is also given to the church to enlighten, lead and guide. At worship this past Sunday, the choir sang a most beautiful anthem, “The Prayer.” Part of the lyrics are as follows:
I pray you’ll be our eyes,
And watch us where we go,
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know.
Let this be our prayer
When we lose our way:
Lead us to a place,
Guide us with your grace,
To a place where we’ll be safe.
It is this prayer which is on the hearts and minds and lips of this whole congregation as we look toward our meeting in June and the future which will follow. It is this prayer which has been at the heart of the work of our Future Task Force and Council as they, with the insights and help of the whole congregation, have listened to God’s call for us. They have been thoughtful and wise, seeking to be most faithful given our circumstances, for the sake of each one of us and for the mission of God.
It is the Spirit who, like fire and wind, inspires us, directs us and nudges us along. It is the Spirit who guides us, who leads us and who helps us to be wise and faithful. And the Holy Spirit, who has inspired and guided this congregation for decades, will continue to inspire and guide us, giving us grace and courage.
Thirdly, as we say in the Nicene Creed, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life.” The Spirit gives us life and will continue to sustain each one of us. The Spirit will work in surprising ways so that the faithfulness of the saints and the ministry of St. Peter’s will live on beyond our lifetimes and beyond this building. The Spirit moves and creates life, even through endings and closings.
We hope to see each of you at the congregational meeting on June 7th. I ask for your continued prayers for St. Peter’s and for its leaders. In the coming weeks and months, we can trust in the power of the Holy Spirit who will hold us together with all God’s people, who will lead and guide us, and who will indeed sustain us.
The May meeting of St. Peter’s Church Council convened on May 11, 2009. pastor sara opened with a reading of the Gospel for Sunday, John 15:9-17. We discussed how we are never alone if we abide in Christ’s love and keep his commandments, and how marvelous it is that we were chosen by Christ to be his disciples.
Pastor Sara reported that she is working on the every member visits to enable everyone to have an opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions regarding the closure of St. Peter’s and where our future lies. Pastor is also staying in touch with Pastor Joseph who is still very much interested in Buying our building for his ministry, should we choose to sell.
Pastor, Caitlin, and Chad will be attending Confirmation Camp at Crossroads in August. The council voted to supplement each student’s fee with $150. This is an exciting opportunity for the kids.
On May 28th North Plainfield will hold their off-site evacuation drill. St. Peter’s will again serve as a staging area. Pastor Sara will be here to keep an eye on things.
Leigh reported that he is still waiting for a response from the alarm company regarding the installation of the alarm system mandated by the town.
With Lenten and Easter offerings, we did not have to withdraw any money from Vanguard last month.
The June meeting of the council will be held on June 1st in order to get everything in order for the June 7th Congregational Meeting.
The church office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 A.M. - to 1:00 P.M. If the door is not unlocked, please ring the bell or knock. Pastor Sara will also be available at the church on Thursdays.
Summer Worship Schedule
This year, the last day of Sunday School, as well as our regular worship time of 10:30 a.m., is Sunday, June 21st. From June 28th through September 6th, we will gather for worship each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. On Sunday, June 28th, we will have our traditional Hymn Sing Service.
Weekly Bible Study
Join us each Wednesday for a Bible Study held at the church at 3:30 p.m. We will focus on the texts for that week that will be read at the following Sunday's service. (See “Word for the Week” further on in this newsletter.) Invite your friends and neighbors to join us for this informative time together, as we grow deeper in our faith and understanding of God’s word.
This is the purpose statement that was adopted by St. Peter’ congregation at our Annual meeting on January 27th, 2998. The hope is that this statement, which grew out of shared prayer, Bible study and conversation, will continue to take roots in our life as a congregation. It names both who we are today, and who we long to be in our future. This is something for all of us, from all of us, to give life and focus to our ministry. We will place this statement throughout our building, in our bulletins and elsewhere, to remember our purpose and to focus on our ministry. May God bless us and lead us as we participate in God’ mission with our unique purpose!
Future Task Force - Town Hall Meeting
We gathered after fellowship on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 for our Town Hall Meeting. Pat Klatt told the group about a phone conversation she had with Bernard Lindeman of St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Dunellan. He called to tell us that he didn't know about the Synod planned event back in February, and, if he had known, he and other members of the council would definitely have been in attendance. St. Luke's would be very much interested in having us join them He extended an invitation for us to visit the church on any Sunday and mailed a calendar of events for our consideration.
A letter was received from Advent Lutheran Church, inviting us to share their worship space, was read. the proposed idea would be to have two separate congregations in the same church and the details could be worked out. After discussion, the consensus was that we really couldn’t afford the expenses this would entail. If we sold our building we would prefer to use the money for God's purpose rather than St. Peter’s expenses.
It was a time for a lot of talking. People shared feelings, opinions and concerns. Even though it was a difficult concept, many shared the opinion that it will be necessary to sell the building. Pastor Sara has a realtor who deals with church properties coming to visit us on Monday, May 18th, to evaluate the property.
The Future Task Force will take the views expressed into consideration when making a recommendation on Thursday evening which will go to Council to be approved at the meeting on June 1st. The final recommendation will be voted on at the special Congregational Meeting on June 7th. We hope to see everyone at this important meeting.
Letter Offering
Special thanks to all who wrote their prayers and thoughts for our offering of letters this past month. we are grateful for your stories and insights. If you’d still like to write a letter to share your stories about your experiences here at St. Peter’s, your hopes for the congregation and God’s work through the people of this place, your letters are still welcome.
Annual Lutheran Men in Mission Church Picnic
The Annual LMM Church Picnic will be held on Saturday, June 20th, 2:00 p.m., at the home of Erik and Paul Henriksen in Lebanon Township, NJ. There will be swimming, horseshoes, hiking, and games. Food and drink will be provided. Please sign up in the narthex if you are planning to attend so LMM will know how much food to prepare. See Ken Troy or Jan Henriksen for directions.
Blanket Sunday Update
Thank you St. Peter’s for your offering of $220 to purchase 44 reprocessed wool Church World Service blankets to be distributed around the world for those in need.
Evelyn Troy
Friends of the Carpenter
Friends of the Carpenter (FotC) is looking for applicants for their Home Rehabilitation Program. FotC is a North Plainfield non-profit organization which seeks to assist low and moderate income residents in the repair and rehabilitation of their owner-occupied homes. We would make interest-free loans available to you and do all the work to repair your home. If you are in need of a new roof, electrical, structural, heating, plumbing or others improvements necessary for the upkeep and safety of your house, and think you may be within the income guidelines, please see Pastor Sara.
With Gratitude
“...I thank my God every time I remember you...” Phillipians 1:3
God works in amazing ways through the generous and humble service of faithful people. In our newsletter each month we are going to share gratitude for the people who have done so much for our congregation in the past month. The purpose of this is for us to give praise to God for the many gifts and generous work of our community. If there is something or someone you want to thank and give praise to God for, please let the office know and we can include them here...
We thank God for:
Katie’s Quilters for all the quilts that are made with love and compassion for people around the world,
Choir and Mary Ann for another year of amazing, inspiring music and leadership in worship,
All Sunday School Teachers for their continued dedication and faithfulness in doing the important work of faith formation for our young people,
LMM for their continued work and care for the building,
WELCA for their continued generosity to so many ministries at home and abroad,
Readers, ushers, acolytes, communion assistants and altar guild for their leadership in worship, and for Linda Neitman, Barbara Shebey and Oretha Duo-Covin for organizing them,
All those who helped out the work of the Future Task Force by visiting neighboring congregations, and writing letters,
The continued ministry and leadership of the Future Task Force, and for Pat Klatt’s faithful leadership,
All those who are reading with our neighborhood school children with “Friends of Stony Brook!”
We give thanks to God for you, and for your willingness to share your many gifts!
Food...The Need Continues!
We continue collect non-perishable food for the needy in North Plainfield. The Ministerial Association in North Plainfield has a Food Pantry at St. Luke’s Roman Catholic Church, where we deliver our donated food. With the cost of food today, it is a crisis all over the world, AND in North Plainfield!
The next time you shop, remember to buy a couple of extra cans for our food table in the narthex.
Thank you,
Ken Troy, LMM
Church Women United “Good Deed Foundation”
We are collecting recycled cell phones. In the U.S. more than half a billion cell phones are no longer being used and are ready for recycling, and more than 11 million phones are added to that total each month. With one simple act - recycling your old cell phone- you can create lasting solutions for women and families in poverty.
A portion of the recycled phones are programmed to dial only 911 and donated to domestic violence survivors, elder and low-income people at risk, for use in emergencies.
Please place them in the designated basket in the narthex.
Katie’s Quilters
Can you believe it: Katie’s quilters began their 12th year on September 12th, 2008. We cut the material into squares, sew the pieces into tops, assemble three layers (tops, filers, and bottoms), and sew and tie all the layers together for the quilts. Fabricland donates the material, while the quilters buy thread, filler material and pins, and deliver the quilts to Maryland, As you know, most of our quilts go to Lutheran World Relief. This year there was a 46% increase over the previous year in the number of quilts sent all over the world! Hallelujah! But the need is so great, and LWR is asking for more quilts. Last year LWR collected and delivered 452,870 quilts worldwide.
Monetary donations are gratefully accepted, which go mainly toward the purchase of filler material.
We can always use helpers. Please see any Katie’s quilter. Who are our quilters? Here is the list: Lynn Blenderman, Pia Grant, Barbara Henriksen, Chris Zehrfuhs, Clara Jencik, Barbara Shebey, Ann Kircher, Odessa Lemley, Mary Ann Schwarz, and Judy Ziccardi. We are most fortunate to also have the talents of Ginger Smellie from Trinity Reformed Church and Betty Garguile from Dunellan Presbyterian. You do not need sewing experience, as our helpers fulfill lots of different jobs, from cutting squares, sorting them into patterns, sewing squares into tops, sewing backs, assembling tops, backs and fillers into quilts, and tying the quilts together with embroidery thread knots.
You will discover that the experience is not only rewarding, but also a lot of fun, too. And the quilts that are produced are just beautiful! These are wonderful things that will brighten up the life of an individual a world away, while also providing some much needed warmth, comfort, and protection from the elements. Why not talk to a member of Katie's Quilters today?
Women of the ELCA
The Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA) invite all women to participate in their many activities. Meetings with a specific theme or activity are usually held at the church once each month. Our Katie’s Quilters usually meet twice a month on a Wednesday morning at 10:00 and a Friday evening at 7:00. Check with the office for the monthly schedule of activities.
In August, 2008, our women delivered an additional 90 quilts to Lutheran World Relief center in Maryland. Food items for FISH, the local food bank, are continually collected and delivered. Thankoffering Sunday is held in November. Many other opportunities for fellowship and service are coming along. As you can see, our women are very active.
To find out how you can join in, and to find out what’s happening when, please talk to an active member, watch for announcements in the Sunday bulletin, or call the church office (908-754-0530) for further information and/or the name and phone number of the proper contact person. Our Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America look forward to welcoming you!
Lutheran Men in Mission
Our Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM) meet once a month at the Church. All men of the church, young and senior alike, are welcome and encouraged to attend. Check with the office for the monthly schedule of events. In recent years, LMM has sponsored our Annual Picnic. They also take a regular turn with Fellowship Time after services.
Work days at the church are also scheduled when a need arises. Each month, the men collect and deliver many bags of food to the local FISH program. Many other opportunities for fellowship and service are coming along.
As with the Women's Group, to find out how you can join in, and to find out what's happening when, please talk to an active member, watch for announcements in the Sunday bulletin, or call the church office (908-754-0530) for further information and/or the name and phone number of the proper contact person. Our Lutheran Men in Mission look forward to welcoming you!
EPES (Educacion Popular En Salud) and AHA (Action for Health in the Americas)
Our own missionary, Karen Anderson, whom we have supported in her mission in Chile for over 25 years, is President and founder of EPES, working in Chile through its first two decades. Karen said in a recent letter to all of her supporters, “Thank you for your continued support on behalf of our friends who work and serve in the shantytowns of Chile. With your help, EPES will continue to help educate and empower people in the poorest neighborhoods throughout Chile.“
Upon returning to the U.S., Karen founded AHA to help continue the support of EPES in Chile. At this time, EPES needs our support, as the declining U.S. dollar is having a devastating effect on organizations like EPES that receive much of their funding in U.S. dollars. The dollar is barely worth 450 Chilean pesos today, compared with 650 pesos 2 years ago.
There are Sundays available on the EPES chart, across from Pastor's office, for you to honor a loved one's memory, or someone's birthday. All of your donation of $20 goes directly to EPES in chile. Please remember to mark your envelope clearly for EPES.
Evelyn Troy, C.M.I.
ELCA World Hunger Appeal
“In 2004, our church’s World Hunger Appeal celebrated its 30th anniversary - 30 years of bringing help and hope to people in need.” These are the words addressed to us in a letter from Mark S. Hanson, presiding Bishop of the ELCA. He goes on to say, “In this anniversary year, our church will be celebrating the work of the Appeal...Through your giving, you have been part of this mosaic of hope that comes through merging relief, sustainable development, advocacy, and education. Your gifts are part of a picture - of a church that is responding faithfully and effectively to its Lord’s command to feed those who are hungry and to seek justice for those who are oppressed.”
Please continue to be a part of this picture by giving generously to our church’s World Hunger Appeal.
Gifts can be given through St. Peter’s, or sent directly to ELCA World Hunger Appeal, P.O. Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764.
Word for the Week
Each week we are given the gift of God's Word in our lectionary texts, the texts assigned to us for each week of worship. You will hear these words on Sunday mornings and the Sunday School children study these texts. I invite you to take some time during the week before you come to church on Sunday to read, study and pray with these texts each week. It could be a simple way to do daily devotions. On Monday, read the first reading, Tuesday, the psalm, on Wednesday, the second reading, and Thursday, read the Gospel texts. On Friday and Saturday, go back to those readings you had questions about and dig more deeply into your study. These passages can also be read in preparation for our weekly 4 p.m. Wednesday Bible Study held at the church.
One simple way to read these texts is to ask yourself the following questions:
1. What does this piece of scripture tell me about God?
2. What is God up to in this text?
3. What does this text call me (or us) to do or to be?
These are some of the questions I pray and ponder as I prepare for my sermons each week, and perhaps as you begin to ask them with me. We can grow in deeper conversation and connection with God and God's mission in the world. And you might even have a deeper experience of worship on Sunday morning.
Week before May 31, Pentecost:
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27
Week before June 7, Holy Trinity Sunday:
Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17
Week before June 14, Second Sunday after Pentecost:
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17
Mark 4:26-34
Week before June 21, Third Sunday after Pentecost:
Job 38:1-11
Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Mark 4:35-41
Week before June 28, Fourth Sunday after Pentecost:
Lamentations 3:22-33
Psalm 30
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43
