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Office and Mail: 9 Mercer Avenue North Plainfield, NJ 07060 (908) 754-0530 An ELCA Congregation A Reconciling in Christ Congregation The Rev. Sara Kay Olson-Smith, Pastor
St. Peter’s Closing ServiceDear Treasured Members and Friends of St. Peter’s,As you may have heard or read, St. Peter’s will be ending its ministry service in Christ’s name on All Saints Day, Sunday, November 1, 2009. To celebrate our 117 years of ministry in North Plainfield and to recognize the new paths for service to which God is leading us, we will be having a celebratory Service of Holy Communion on Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 3:00 p.m., surrounded by the presence and prayers of friends, neighbors, other congregations and pastors. Bishop E. Roy Riley, Bishop of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will also be here for this service to offer thanks and appreciation for the life of this congregation. The public and all present and former members of the congregation are invited to attend the service, which will be followed by refreshments and time for conversation in Fellowship Hall. Please mark your calendars for this important day in the life of St. Peter’s. During the closing service, all of St. Peter’s membership records will be transferred to St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, ELCA, in South Plainfield, which has been designated to care for the members during the time of transition. We also invite you to please take time to read both the open letter from Pastor Sara addressed to the congregation, which appears in the October 2009 issue of the Friendly Messenger, and our Special Final Issue of the Friendly Messenger (see below).
Loved by God, growing in faith, we are a place of welcome, St. Peter's Lutheran Church has a number of beautiful stained glass windows which are available for viewing here.
Through the Years...St. Peter’s Lutheran Church began serving the community of North Plainfield in 1892, over 115 years ago! There were only about a dozen major roads in the borough, and people often traveled an hour or more by foot or horse and carriage just to come to church. The church has come through many things since then, both joys and setbacks, including wars, the Depression, and even a disasterous fire in 1946. We have survived and thrived, and are still here!Our Church remains an important part of our lives, because the GOOD NEWS that God, through Christ, loves us, forgives us, and is always with us means so much. Church is also a wonderful way to meet people, to strengthen family relationships, and to become involved in the community.
Invitation...We consider St. Peter’s “THE WELCOME PLACE”. We are always so pleased to share the Lord’s Word and our fellowship with new friends. If you do not have a church home - JOIN US!
Schedule...
The LORD’S SUPPER is celebrated on the first, third, and fifth Sunday of each month, as well as festival days.
Summer Schedule (late June - early September)...
Location...
Map generated by GeoCities GeoViewer
What's Happening...Adult Choir, Women of the ELCA (WELCA), Lutheran Men in Mission (LMM), Adult Forum, Sunday Church School, New Member Classes, Katie’s Quilters, Confirmation and First Communion Classes, Bible Study Groups, Annual Picnic, CROP Walk, Lenten Soup and Fellowship Sunday, Palm Sunday Breakfast, Thankoffering Sunday, Participation in Community Thanksgiving Eve Service, “Blue Christmas” Service, Conference on Congregational Ministries, Food for FISH, Christmas and Easter Gift Baskets for Local Families in Need, Clothing Drives for New Visions Ministry, Camden, Seafarers and International House, New York City and Church World Service, Participation in North Plainfield Street Fair and North Plainfield Paint the Town/Green the Brook, FISH Homeless Ministry at Trinity Reformed Church, Outreach to Seniors and Shut-ins, Participation in Raritan Cluster Activities, Reading Programs at Local Elementary Schools, ESL Classes in Conjunction with the Plainfield Library, and Support of our Mission Project in Chile (EPES)
Friendly Messenger...Read highlights of our newsletter the Friendly Messenger.
Selected Sermons of The Rev. Sara Kay Olson-Smith
What Is a Lutheran?A Lutheran is a Christian who believes in God the Father, Creator or Maker; Jesus Christ the Son, Redeemer or Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier or Helper and guide in life.We take our name from Martin Luther, a priest who lived in Germany from 1483-1546. He became the key figure in the period of history known as the Reformation. As a young man, Luther was frightened of God, for the church taught that each person had to do things or pay money to earn God’s favor. Luther, realizing that he was not a perfect person (as none of us are), knew that he could never do enough or pay enough to deserve God’s love. And if not, then what? Eternal condemnation and punishment! A pretty scary thought.
Bible verses such as “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” made all the difference in the world to Luther. This verse is really a good summary of what it is to be a Lutheran. Since God’s love and forgiveness come to us as free gifts, we can live serving God not fearfully because we have to, but gratefully because we want to.
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