A few weeks ago, Clark and I spent the weekend planting a garden. We mixed soil with our worm compost, built a garden bed, and planted seedling and tiny seeds in the soil. We planted tomatoes and beets, peas and lettuce, strawberries and carrots. We put up chicken wire to keep the rabbits out and poured on the water. And the miraculous thing is: they are growing! We have tiny sprouts, wide tomato leaves and fluffy lettuce. The abundance that comes from a good rain, some strong sunshine, and a little weeding is most amazing.
In these summer seasons the earth is our teacher, and I am mindful of all that must happen for these plants flourish. Without water, without protection from those hungry rabbits, without the strong sunshine, the little plants wither away. As I water our plants, carefully pull away the weeds that might strangle them, and pray for their flourishing, I am reminded how we are a lot like plants. We, too, are dependent on God who longs for our flourishing and who keeps us from withering. With my hands full of dirt, I thought about our God who tends to us with the care, intention and hope of a gardener.
It is in our gathering together for worship that we experience our Gardening God’s tending, nourishing and life-giving gifts. Abundance and flourishing happen as we dig our roots deeply into God’s word, hearing it proclaimed and sharing it with one another. In the act of confession and forgiveness, God pulls out the weeds of our sinfulness that choke us and prohibit us from fully living and loving. As we sing together and pray with one another, we open wide our hearts in praise, and we receive the light of Christ - like the wide leaves of our tomatoes. At communion, we are nourished, refreshed, and fed, strengthened by the presence of Jesus in bread and wine. We are sent, to bear witness to God’s care and goodness to all the world, the color of our praise and proclamation as bold as any flower.
In the midst of our busy lives, with worries and fears and burdens, we come to worship like plants longing for warm rain and strong sunshine. With the gifts of grace from God, in water and word, bread and wine, community and song, we who would otherwise wither away, are strengthened and renewed to blossom and bear fruit. And so I invite you, in these summer months, to join regularly in worship and receive the abundance and flourishing goodness of God, our Good Gardener.
St. Peter’s Church Council met on Monday, May 12th. Pat Klatt read the Gospel for Sunday, Matthew 28:16-20. We discussed how comforting it is that, although Jesus gives us a tremendous task - to make disciples of all nations - he is always with us as we attempt to obey his commandments.
The business of the evening started with the Reports of the Treasurer and Financial Secretary, which matched.
Pia reported that she got in touch with Comcast and found out that we can advertise special events as long as we have the information to them 28 days prior to the event. We cannot, however, announce regular church services.
The council voted to participate in the ecumenical Vacation Church School to be held at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church this summer. Pastor Sara will attend and keep an aye on the curriculum since a concern was expressed by some council members.
Katie’s Quilters Appeal will be the first 2 Sundays in June.
Pat Klatt is looking into the development of a Memorial Garden and the purchase of new communion ware from Memorial Fund money.
Barbara Henriksen resigned as Secretary and the resignation was regretfully accepted by the council. No one has yet volunteered to take the position.
Pat Klatt will call North Plainfield High School with permission for the church to be an evacuation site for 9th graders for the May 29th evacuation drill. She will also get a key to the principal.
It was decided that St. Peter’s would have a booth at the North Plainfield Street Fair on June 21st, as an outreach project. Flyers announcing church services will be handed out and there will be church tattoos for the children. Linda Nietman will order these.
Tentative plans include games and ice cream for Rally Day and a Pot Luck Dinner with Inglesia Wesleyana, who share our worship space.
Everyone is reminded to call anyone they have not been seeing at church lately.
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 15th. From June 22nd through August 31st, we will gather for worship each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. On Sunday, June 22nd, we will have our traditional Hymn Sing Service.
Weekly Bible Study
Join us each Wednesday for a Bible Study held at the church at 4:00 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.
North Plainfield Ecumenical Vacation Bible School
This event is sponsored by Holy Cross Episcopal Church, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, St. Luke’s Roman Catholic Church, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Trinity Reformed Church and Watchung Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Vacation Bible School will be held from Monday, June 23rd - Friday, June 27th, 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church/Parish Hall. It is open to children entering kindergarten through 5th grade. Older children and adults are also invited to volunteer. If you are interested in attending or helping with the week’s events, please see Pastor Sara.
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!
Confirmation
Congratulations and best wishes to John Ennis and Dominique Pasquarello who were confirmed on Pentecost, Sunday, May 11th.
Building Wish List
Gail, our secretary, Pastor Sara and the Property Committee will be compiling wish lists which will be posted on the bulletin board near the side door. Please look at these lists and see how you can help in the running of our church by donating something needed or desired. Thanks for your consideration.
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:
Elizabeth Ennis and Tony and Diane Pasquarello for providing such a special Fellowship on Confirmation Day, May 11th,
Pat Klatt and Bill Shebey for serving as Mentors to our Confirmands,
Barbara Shebey and Barbara Henriksen for planting the beautiful flowers in the atrium and around our church,
Lynn Blenderman for volunteering to serve as Voting Member at the NJ Synod Assembly,
Lutheran men in Mission for presenting Mother’s Day flowers to our ladies,
Our Money Counters for all their work and patience.
We give thanks to God for you, and for your willingness to share your many gifts!
North Plainfield Street Fair
This year St. Peter’s will have a booth at the North Plainfield Street fair. We will be giving out flyers, temporary Jesus tattoos for children, and some Bibles. We would love to have you join us for this fun outreach activity. A sign-up sheet is posted in the Narthex Display Area. Feel free to sign up for more than one time slot, if you wish.
St. Peter’s Family Picnic
You and your family are cordially invited to St. Peter’s annual Family Picnic being held this year on Saturday, June 14th from 1 PM until dusk at the home of Erik and Paul Henriksen in Lebanon Township, NJ.
There will be lots of fun including swimming, games, great food (which will be provided), music and fellowship. Just bring a beach chair. Sign up to attend on the Men in Mission bulletin board. Directions and carpooling are available. For more information, see Tony Pasquarello.
Food...The Need Continues!
We still collect non-perisable 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
Katie’s Quilters
Can you believe it: Katie’s quilters will be entering their 12th year on September 12th. We still 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. Everything else is donated. Fabricland donates the material, the quilters buy thread 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. We hope to have 100 of our own quilts to deliver by van to the LWR warehouse in Maryland this summer.
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.
Katie’s Quilters thanks you for your continuous support, no matter how large or small. THANK YOU!
Barbara Henriksen
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 June, 2007, our women delivered an additional 85 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!
E.P.E.S. (Educacion Popular En Salud): “Promoting Health, Hope and Healing!”
The “Mission” - EPES is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of shantytown inhabitants through the training and organized participation of the residents themselves. Over the past 20 years, EPES has trained hundreds of local people as community health promoters. The great majority (97%) of the health promoters are shantytown women.
The success I witnessed at EPES illustrates that dialogue which respects and listens to all voices, has the possibility of inspiring great and lasting social improvements. The community health promoters often told me that, before EPES, they felt worthless, but when they began participating in the events at EPES it gave them a reason to get up in the morning. The women who work with EPES were some of the most inspired people I have ever met.
St. Peter’s support of $20 weekly, which is given by our members in memory or in honor of a loved one, or to remember a special occasion, helps us keep our yearly pledge of $1,040, which goes directly to EPES in Santiago, Chile. Sign up on the chart in the office hallway, and please use an envelope clearly marked EPES Mission Support.
Thank you St. Peter's, for supporting this important and sorely needed mission.
Evelyn Troy, C.M.I.
Mission on the Move
In a letter from Rev. Scott Schantzenbach, Mission on the Move Coordinator, we were asked to share a gift of $6,100 over a three year period. We have already sent a $2,500 contribution, 10% of a bequest to our church, to this campaign. While the council thinks this is a worthwhile venture, after much discussion, they decided that because of the Let It Shine Vision Appeal and anticipated large expenditures for the furnace and mandated emergency system, they couldn’t commit to this entire pledge amount. Instead, they voted to have one Sunday in the fall designated for a Mission on the Move offering. Also, there are pledge forms in the narthex if you would personally like to pledge. Please speak to Pastor Sara or see me if you have any questions or concerns.
Pat Klatt
Church World Service
On Blanket Sunday, April 27th, we received $215 - enough to purchase 43 blankets at $5 each. By being so generous, you are making life more bearable for those who have been affected by disasters, as well as those who just need a “warm” place to lay their heads. Your gifts and your prayers make a world of difference.
Thank you,
Evelyn Troy, for CWS
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 June 1, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost:
Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28
Psalm 31:1-5, 19-24 (3)
Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28 [29-31]
Matthew 7:21-29
Week before June 8, 4th Sunday after Pentecost:
Hosea 5:15-6:6
Psalm 50:7-15 (23)
Romans 4:13-25
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
Week before June 15, 5th Sunday after Pentecost:
Exodus 19:2-8a
Psalm 100 (3)
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:35-10:8 [9-23]
Week before June 22, 6th Sunday after Pentecost:
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm 69:7-10 [11-15] 16-18 (16)
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew 10:24-39
It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon, Trinity Sunday afternoon to be precise. Finally I have some time to do some pondering. We’re all so busy these days, aren’t we? So little time for “pondering.” But, now I remember - that is just what I wanted to talk to you all about last month, but couldn’t remember. Busyness. We get so busy that we think we don’t have time for just taking some time to think things over, to share our concerns with the Lord. I remember that last month when I was so busy with my Mom being in the hospital, I wasn’t as conscientious as usual with my quiet time with my Lord. I let other things take over my mornings and neglected my usual time of prayer and Bible study. What a mistake!!! When will I learn that just when I’ve got a million things to do and the world seems to be driving me crazy, that is exactly the time when I need the presence of my Savior the most. I read somewhere that Martin Luther, when he had an extra busy day ahead of him, used to get up earlier than usual so he could get in an extra hour of prayer that day. Of course! What could be more sensible? When we need more strength and patience to deal with everything life throws at us, what better place to find it than in our dear Lord’s loving embrace? I am reminded of the Gospel passage of John 15 where Jesus refers to himself as the vine and we are the branches. He points out how vital it is for us to stay connected to him. Just as a branch receives its nourishment from the vine, we need to have constant contact with Jesus so our spirits can grow strong. Jesus is not just an accessory to our lives, he is our life. We need to be close to him not just once in a while but every day.
My devotional reading for today, Trinity Sunday, spoke of “God’s innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange...so the complete Trinity dwells in us!” How absolutely marvelous! We know that God, in all his manifestations, is always with us. Let’s remember that, no matter how busy we are. We can always take a minute to say, “Thank you, Father, for all your blessings.” Let’s frequently tell Jesus, “I love you, Lord.” And we can ask the Holy Spirit at any time, “Please fill me with the strength and wisdom I need right now.” And let’s take some moments to listen to God, too. Every day. The quiet time we spend in the presence of God can make a tremendous difference in our lives. Without Jesus, my life is harried. With him, it is full!
