Throughout this past year the congregation of St. Peter’s, led by the Council and the Future Task Force, has been discerning its future. In Bible study, prayer and conversation, we’ve been seeking what God is calling us to do in response to our dwindling financial resources and membership.
Throughout this process I have been grateful for the faithfulness of this community. Despite the great sorrow of facing these hard realities, this congregation has listened carefully both to God and to one another. Your faithfulness is seen both in the ways you have cared for one another and in your commitment to making decisions that further God’s mission of blessing and loving the world, the whole church and each of us.
The Task Force has been working hard to look thoughtfully and faithfully at all the options before us. While the exact course is yet to be decided upon, it is evident that we will not be able to continue as we are. This is not easy for any of us, but our courage and hope comes from our trust in God and one another. In these Easter days, we hold to the promise of God’s abiding presence and in the life we know in the Risen Christ.
It is important for the Council, the Task Force and for me that each member of this community is heard, cared for and can participate in this process and decision making. To this end, we’ve scheduled a Town Hall Meeting for May 17th after Fellowship Time. It will be a time for the Task Force to share their work, for open conversation, questions, and sharing. This time will prepare us for a Congregational Meeting which will take place in June. At that meeting, the Task Force and Council will present its recommendations and the congregation will have an opportunity to talk about it and vote to claim the new future before us.
In the meantime, I encourage you to gather together with one another for prayer, fellowship and conversation to support and encourage one another. I also plan to meet with each family unit for conversation and prayer, so you can look forward to a call from me.
Also, during worship on Sunday, May 10th, the Task Force invites you to share in an offering of letters. Writing gives us another way to share our feelings and thoughts, particularly for those of us not comfortable sharing aloud or in groups. You are invited to write a letter, and place it in the offering plate on that Sunday morning (or mail it in). You may to sign your letter, or write it anonymously. I will read the letters, and share parts of them (though not the author) with the Future Task Force as is appropriate. We hope that this will be a chance for each of us to process and face the realities before us in honesty and hope.
If you are having trouble with the letter writing, or want some guidance, here are some questions that might inspire you: What do you think about what is happening here at St. Peter’s? What makes you most hopeful, sad, angry, or afraid? What brings you some peace? What will be lost? What might be gained? What would be important for us to do in these coming months? How can we best celebrate and tell the story of St. Peter’s ministry? What are your favorite stories about St. Peter’s? Who are some of the saints of this place whom you remember? What are some of the ministries or characteristics of this congregation that you would like to see continue on? How has this affected your faith? What might God say to you, to us, as we make this journey? Where have you seen God at work in the midst of all this?
I invite each of you to take some time to write down your thoughts and stories. I hope it will be a gift to you as we enter into this time of transition. The letters will help us to support and encourage one another as we make decisions and move into the new beginnings that God has promised for all of us.
As we move forward, I ask for your continued prayers, particularly for our Task Force, Council and staff, and for the congregation. We are in this together, and we trust that God will continue to lead and guide us. And we can be assured that God’s abiding love will hold us and that our God in whom we trust is faithful. In this we can hope, even in the midst of our worry and sadness. With God’s help, and the care of one another, we can move forward in courage, compassion and confidence.
The April meeting of St. Peter’s Council was held on April 6. Pastor Sara opened with devotions on a reading from Isaiah 42:1-9. Pastor reported that Lynn Blenderman volunteered to be our voting meber to the Synod Assembly on June 5-6. There is a sign up sheet in the narthex for visiting neighboring Lutheran congregations. Pastor Karin Ramins will be a member here until she receives a new call.
Committee Reports: Progress is being made on the downstairs sprinkler system. We are awaiting a permit for this work, The financial report was not complete, as the books are still at the auditor.
Pat Shebey is setting up a meeting with Pastor Clark of St. Stephen’s Lutheran for a tour of their facilities. There was much discussion as to what will become of our church building if/when we must give it up. The possibility of selling it was discussed. Pastor Joseph of Plainfield expressed interest in buying it, but he wants it as soon as possible, and we are not ready to sell yet. Pastor Sara will look into getting an appraisal to be ready if and when the time comes. Other possibilities discussed included turning the church over to a congregation we might vote to join. More discussion including Pastor Schantzenbach will take place at the next Future Task Force meeting. In ant event, the aim is for a Congregational Meeting in June for a final decision.
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.
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.
In Memoriam
We have been saddened in the past month by the death, on March 23rd, of our long time member and friend, Anna Hodja. May our prayers be with her family as we place our trust in the hope of Christ’s resurrection.
Loved by God, growing in faith, we are a place of welcome, sharing the love, hope and joy of Jesus Christ
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 Meeting - April 16, 2009
Pastor reported on her meeting with Pastor Taylor from Trinity Reformed and Pastor Joseph from Plainfield. We talked about a letter writing activity where people could express their feelings about our future. We also outlined our goals for our meeting with Pastor Schatzenbach.
After an overview of the committee’s work, Pastor S. spoke about the importance of taking care of each other and then taking care of our pastor. He brought some paperwork with him. One was a Congregational Checklist so that we know what we need to do if we should close. One of the items is to transfer all historical items to the Archive Center at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. There is a $2,000 fee for doing this.
He also gave us a copy of a Motion to Discontinue Ministry if we choose that option. Several suggestions were listed on the paper, one of which was legacy planning. We can decide how the assets of a sale would be distributed and Synod could be available to assist us if desired. If we do close, we would need to have a receiving congregation which would hold the records of our church so there would be ongoing care for people in our congregation until they decided on a new church home.
The next meeting will be held at Pat Klatt’s home on May 21st, at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Paint the Town and Green the Brook
North Plainfield Community Day
Saturday, May 2nd
Mark off your calendars for this great day of community service and fellowship. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at Holy Cross Episcopal Church. They will also host a lunch following the clean-up at 1:00 p.m.
Also, if you or someone you know are in need of some house painting or help with some lawn or yard work, please let Pastor Sara know and we might be able to help.
WELCA Dinner Theater
WELCA will be attending the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse production of “Over the River and Through the Woods” on Sunday, June 14th, at 2:30 pm. Dinner is included in the price of the ticket, which is $61.50 per person. The deadline for ordering tickets is May 14th. Please see Ev Troy for more details and tickets.
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. Please sign up in the narthex if you are planning to attend.
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:
Pat Klatt, Tony Pasquarello, Jan Henriksen along with LMM and WELCA and all those who made our Palm Sunday Breakfast such a wonderful time of food and fellowship,
Mary Ann Schwarz and the choir for their inspiring music during Holy Week,
Linda Nietman and Altar Guild for making our sanctuary so beautiful for Easter and throughout Lent,
Gail Konopada for her work in Holy Week Easter bulletins and continued good work here in the office,
The Confirmands, Kaitlin and Chad, for their great storytelling during the Easter Vigil,
The people at Holy Cross Episcopal Church and St. Stephen’s Lutheran for sharing with us in our celebration of Holy Week,
The continued ministry and leadership of the Future Task Force,
And 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?
News from WELCA
Did you know that any woman of St. Peter’ is welcome to join us for our monthly meetings? Did you also know that we do more that provide desserts for various St. Peter’s functions?
While it is true that we host the annual Palm Sunday Breakfast and the lenten Soup Fellowship, as well as sponsor fellowship once a month, we also actively support many other worthwhile causes. Some of these are financial, such as our contributions to Habitat for Humanity, Lutheran Social Services, Lutheran Association of Missionary Pilots (LAMP) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia. We also collect food for FISH, and labels for the Rock Point Navajo Lutheran Mission School.
Among the labels we collect are the following:
Campbell soups and beans
Franco-American pasta and gravy products
Mrs. Paul’s frozen seafood products
Pepperidge Farm products
Prego spaghetti sauce
Swanson frozen foods
V8 products
General Mills “Box Tops for Education”
You can all help us by saving these labels and putting them in the kitchen or handing them to a WELCA member.
So bottom-line, please help us help others by saving the above. And please join us at our meetings so that we can contribute even more to our community.
Irene Plitz
President, WELCA
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 3, Fourth Sunday of Easter:
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23 (1)
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18
Week before May 10, Fifth Sunday of Easter:
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31 (27)
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8
Week before May 17, Sixth Sunday of Easter:
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98 (4)
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17
Week before May 24, Seventh Sunday sfter Easter:
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Psalm 1 (6)
1 John 5:9-13
John 17:6-19
Week before May 31, Pentecost:
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b (30)
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27
