Grace and peace to you in this most blessed season! When I was growing up we had a little wooden nativity set. It was our favorite toy throughout December. My brother would always hide the baby Jesus and on Christmas Eve I would have to search the house to find him. Then there were the Wise Men. They always started on the easternmost windowsill of the house. Throughout Advent and the Christmas season they would slowly move closer and closer to the other characters. Finally, on Epiphany, the Wise Men would arrive and complete the crèche scene.
In this time of discernment here at St. Peter’s, I think that we are a lot like those Wise Men, not the wooden ones jumping from windowsill to windowsill in our home, but the original ones, the ones who saw a star in the East and, without knowing where it would lead them, followed the star until they found Jesus. Each one of us, as followers of Jesus, live this in our faith journey, as we daily seek to follow Jesus.
However, this is also what we do as a community of followers of Jesus. We pay attention to the ways that God is leading us, look for the star, and journey faithfully and expectantly forward. We don’t always know where exactly we are going to end up, but we can trust our God who leads us.
These wise men remind us that we don’t travel alone. It wasn’t just one wise men who hopped on a camel to follow the star and find the life and hope to which it pointed. The wise men traveled together. This is how we live this process of discernment. We travel together. It is not just my decision, or the sole decision of the Task Force, or even the congregational council, but all of us taking part. Each of us has insight to share, each with a different perspective on the terrain and the star that leads us, and each one of our voices will help us get to where God calls us to be.
We, like the wise men, all journey forward together. This togetherness of our discernment calls us to our Town Hall Forums, to our Annual Meeting, and to the conversations we share with one another in other ways and places, too. So please, we hope to hear from you as we discern our future.
While the congregation will decide our future, the promise is that others join us on this journey, too. We are accompanied and supported by the congregations that surround us and by the Synod. They are here to journey next to us, to provide resources if they are available, to support us and encourage us and pray with us. The congregations around us are part of this journey, too. All of us are part of the same body of Christ, all on this journey to follow the star and worship Jesus, all seeking to proclaim the story of Jesus and live the mission of God.
As part of this journeying together, we are going to have a gathering in February with lay leaders from some of the ELCA congregations geographically near us. We will pray together, get to know one another, hear what is happening at one another’s congregations, and see how we may be able to partner in mission. We can’t know what will grow from this. We can trust that our journeying together, like those wise men, will lead us to that place where new life will be born for all of us. Again, as we prepare for that meeting, we look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions.
In spite of the unknown and difficulty of this process, we live in the joy and hope of this season. We give thanks for the people who God has blessed us with – the faithful and courageous travel companions within this congregation. We celebrate God’s gift to us in Jesus, the Son of God made human. We rejoice in the promise that our God is no longer hidden and far off, but is with us. Emmanuel, God-with-us, is born into our world and into our lives anew this Christmas Season. Reveling in this gift, we – like those Wise Men before us – follow the star, trusting our God who leads us and the community who surrounds us. With angels and Wise Men, with one another and with all God’s people, we sing in praise, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo! Glory to God in the highest!”
The December meeting of St. Peter’s Church Council began with a reading and discussion of Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11. We all agreed that we at St. Peter’s are, indeed, a people that the Lord has blessed.
Pat Klatt announced that we have received the ELCA Support Covenant for 2009. We will receive $2500, and we agree to continue with our mission as we have been.
Pastor Sara reported on her meeting with pastors from local congregations and synod representatives regarding the feasibility of some sort of merger with a neighboring congregation. Pastor reported that everyone seemed open to the possibility. Plans are in the works for a meeting with lay leaders from each congregation (St. Peter’s, St. Stephen’s, St. Luke’s, and Advent) on February 21st, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone who has a question or concern regarding this possibility is encouraged to bring their questions to Pastor or a member of the Task Force or Council.
On January 18th, we will formally welcome Julia and Desmond Bascom as members of St. Peter’s.
The courtesy inspection of our building to see if we would qualify to be a site for the expanded preschool program has been done. We basically meet the standards we would need. We just need the fire alarm/sprinkler system for the basement to get us up to code.
The Property Committee recommended that we get going on putting in that alarm/sprinkler system, since we have been talking about it for quite a while now. It was suggested that the bequest from Walter Dobak be used for this purpose. The Property Committee is asked to have details on the proposal by the Congregational Meeting in January.
The Sunday School Christmas Pageant and the Blue Christmas Service will be held on December 21st.
There are no big changes in the financial picture. Basically we are remaining status quo. The remainder of the meeting was dedicated to working on the 2009 budget, trying to cut expenses as much as possible.
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.
Blue Christmas Service
During this Advent Season, on December 21st, at 7:30 p.m., we will have a special service to name God’s light in the midst of our darkness, particularly for those who are feeling “blue” in this holiday season. We recognize that Christmas is often a difficult time for people who feel alone, who are grieving, or who are experiencing a hard time in life.
This service will be a time of quiet, of lament, of prayer, of hope and of comfort. We will gather to be surrounded by God’s presence which will never leave us and to name the light of Christ which shines into our darkness and despair.
Please invite friends, family and others to this service of hope and healing.
Advent Services/Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
We will celebrate Holy Communion on each of the four Sundays in the Season of Advent. Then St. Peter’s will rejoice in Jesus’ birth at our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on Wednesday, December 24th, at 9:00 p.m.
Feast of the Three Kings - Fiesta de los Tres Reyes
The Feast of the Three Kings will be held on January 4th, at 3 p.m., at Elizabeth Lutheran Center, which is located at 920 E. Jersey Street, Elizabeth, NJ, telephone (908)351-0294. Come and celebrate Epiphany with worship, food, music, entertainment and fellowship. Join together with others from the Union Mission Cluster for this special celebration.
Annual Congregational Meeting
The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 25th. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend this important event. Annual reports to be included in the Bulletin of Reports are due in the church office no later than Monday, January 5th. Pertinent issues and resolutions will be accepted in writing by Pat Klatt, Council President, on or before January 21st, and will be handled on the meeting agenda under “Other Business and Comments.”
Confirmand Meetings
Our January and February meeting dates are:
Tuesday, January 20th at St. Peter’s
Tuesday, February 24th at St. Stephen’s
Meetings are from 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Ash Wednesday Service
Join us for this Service of Penitence and Communion on February 25th, at 7:30 p.m. As you begin this Lenten time of fasting, prayer and giving alms, come and center yourselves on our human frailty and the joy we receive in God’s great gift of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Start the journey off here, and continue it with us, as we spend time together, in fasting, prayer and acts of generosity.
In Memoriam
We have been saddened in recent days by the death of our former member and friend, Osta Johnsen, mother of Dottie Wilson. May our prayers be with the Wilson Family as we place our trust in the hope of Christ’s resurrection.
A Very Special Pastoral Vacation
Pastor Sara will be away visiting her brother and sister-in-law in Madurai, India, from December 28 - January 12. Pastor Christine Bridge of Zion, Carteret and St. Paul, Linden will be available during this time period. Her phone number is (732)388-1815. Members of the congregation will lead worship on january 4th and 11th. Along with spending time with her family, Pastor Sara plans to visit the local Lutheran seminary and learn from some Lutherans in India. She plans to put together a presentation for the Adult Forum in February. Details to follow. A Hymn Sing Sunday is planned for December 28th.
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.
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!
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 Shebey, for he many years of faithful service as our Altar Guild Chairperson, and for all her work decorating our church so beautifully during the Advent and Christmas Seasons,
Pat Johnston, for setting up the manger on our front lawn for all to enjoy,
Katie’s Quilters, our Congregation Council and the Pasquarello’s for preparing such a lovely Fellowship Time on the Sunday we thanked Julia Sabella for her generous gifts to St. Peter’s,
Our WELCA, for organizing the Thankoffering Sunday, and to all who gave so generously to LSM,
Irene and Bella Plitz, for hosting the very special Holiday Party,
The Future Task Force, for their faithful and courageous work,
All of our Council Members, for their leadership and ministry, especially Bill Shebey and Irene Plitz, whose terms of office will be ending in January,
Sunday School students and teachers, for their proclamation in the Christmas Pageant, and for their faithfulness in learning and teaching,
All who contributed so generously to the WELCA Christmas Tree, Seafarers and International House, and our “Adopt-A-Family” projects this Christmas Season.
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”
Starting in January we will be 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.
So save your old cell phones as we will be collecting them starting in January. 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 December 28, First Sunday after Christmas:
Isaiah 61:10-62:3
Psalm 148 (13)
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:22-40
Week before January 4th, 2nd Sunday after Christmas:
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 147:12-20 (12)
Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:[1-9] 10-18
Week before January 11th, Baptism of our Lord:
Genesis 1:1-5
Psalm 29 (3)
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:4-11
Week before January 18th, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany:
1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 (1)
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51
Week before January 25th, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany:
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Psalm 62:5-12 (6)
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20
Week before February 1, 4th Sunday after Epiphany:
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 111 (10)
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1:21-28
Week before February 8th, 5th Sunday after Epiphany:
Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-11, 20c (3)
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39
Week before February 15th, 6th Sunday after Epiphany:
2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30 (2)
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Mark 1:40-45
Week before February 22nd, Transfiguration of our Lord:
2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6 (2)
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 9:2-9
February 25th, Ash Wednesday:
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 51:1-17 (1)
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Week before March 1st, First Sunday in Lent:
Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 25:1-10 (10)
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:9-15
Week before March 8th, 2nd Sunday in Lent:
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Psalm 22:23-31 (27)
Romans 4:13-25
Mark 8:31-38
