Education Hour from 9 – 9:50 am – Adult Class only.
Our Fall Sunday Adult Study is The Theology of Communication and Politics. In-person or Zoom: for Zoom, go to the Zoom page and use the Sunday Morning Bible Study link. Click here for this week’s handout.
Worship Options and Folder for Sunday at 10:15 am
Advent By Candlelight – 4-6pm Sunday Dec 6, In-Person or Zoom
Room remains for women who want to attend the Advent by Candlelight women’s retreat in-person: please email Amy Smessaert at amyhsmessaert@gmail.com by Noon on Sunday to reserve a spot. We are following the same COVID protocols as worship; instead of tables, Jill and Paula will serve individualized treats at the end of the event.
If joining by Zoom, you can download the following worship folder and follow along:
To join by Zoom, use the following link: Special Services – 832 2803 0678
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83228030678?pwd=S1ZzaHdCNTU2cmd4eEVGWVFtUkx5QT09
Emmons Giving Tree
In lieu of our usual Emmons Angel Tree and shopping ourselves for different families, we will providing Christmas Gift Cards to families in need selected by the Emmons Elementary social worker. Like last year, we will be covering 8 families with varying numbers of family members. Our target goal to raise is about $2,000.
Please drop cash or a check in the Emmons Box in the Narthex, or mail a check to the church office by Sunday, Dec 13th. Checks should be made out to St. Peter Lutheran Church with memo, “Emmons Giving Tree.”
A Note about SPY
Beginning THIS Monday, Dec. 7, SPY will meet on Mondays at 7:15pm at the Homann’s.
CHRISTMAS DECORATING – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We will be decorating for Christmas on Sunday, December 13 after worship. We are in need of several volunteers to prepare the sanctuary for this season. Please let Jenna know at splcsecretary@att.net if you are able. Thanks!
THIS TUESDAY IS GIVING DAY FOR RLA – DECEMBER 8 (Or THIS Sunday, Dec 6 in worship)
What is the First Annual “Giving Day for RLA?” It is a 1 day fundraiser to be held annually to help RLA supplement their needed finances.
Why are they having a “Giving Day for RLA?” The pandemic has drastically affected RLA and their income by at least $12,000; like most private schools, most of their traditional fundraising efforts have had to be either curtailed or cancelled. So, an annual 1 day fundraiser to address the following needs was created: Scholarship Support, Technology Updates, Maintenance & Safety Supplies & Measures, Playground Upgrades and General Use Funds. All of these will allow for a greater implementation of a Christ-centered education in a safe environment.
How can I participate in the “Giving Day for RLA?” Either send a donation to RLA to arrive by December 8th or put your donation in a separate envelope marked “Giving Day for RLA” and drop it in the collection plate on Sunday, December 6th. Want to give online? Go to rlasouthbend.com/giving-day.
A Note about Kids’ Sunday School and Christmas Program
We wanted to let you know that at this point we are suspending kids’ Sunday school classes at least through the end of the calendar year. This decision is based not only keeping the health of our teachers and students in mind but actual attendance in the building over the last three weeks.
In conjunction with this decision, we also will not be hosting a children’s Christmas program. I do have some ideas I am thinking on for children to participate in an actual church service or in a virtual way, so I will be reaching out again soon regarding that.
If you have not received your family’s advent materials yet, they will be delivered in the next week by the Borgers or myself. I will also send out digital SS materials that can be used if you wish to do some home study with your family.
Watch for announcements on when we might begin to hold in person classes. For those of you who were able to join us this fall, it was great to see you. For those of you we didn’t see, we miss you!
Many blessings for a wonderful Thanksgiving and Advent season,
Krista Hunt – Sunday School Coordinator
Communion Options
Communion is offered 3 ways by St Peter at this time.
- In-person, Sunday morning.
- By appointment at church or at home. Contact Pastor Borger at revborger@mac.com.
- Zoom Communion, approximately once a month. Contact Pastor Clark at adamclarknd@gmail.com.
COVID Update
COVID numbers are up and local hospital capacity is near its limits; the governor also has backed us down a stage and pleads for everyone to follow safety protocols closely. In order to care for the Body and our neighbors, and to keep in-person worship going, we ask you to observe and tighten our core protocols in worship as follows:
- Continue to practice good hand-washing / hand-sanitizing
- Everyone should be wearing masks when moving around in the church building
- Ensure social distancing
- One person sitting directly behind another in the pews is only about 3-4 feet of distance, so please do not sit directly behind someone. Instead, sit “zigzag” so there are 6 feet or more between you diagonally.
- Also feel free to move to open spaces if you realize you’re sitting too close
- Follow the standards set by our health departments for all public venues: If you or a member of your household is sick with a possible COVID symptom, please stay home for 10 days from onset or until you have a negative test. If you have known exposure to someone COVID-positive (contact traced) but no symptoms, quarantine for 14 days or until a negative test.
Thanks to all, and may the Lord quickly bring a vaccine and end to all this mess!
COOL VIDEO TO SHARE WITH THE KIDS!
The video below adds meaning to both the adult Advent devotions for December 3 and the Jesse Tree devotions for the kids. The hymn for 12/3 was “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”. This video takes you through scripture as the vocalist sings the hymn. Watch it with your kids and see how many of the Biblical Stories leading up to the birth of Christ that they can identify. I love it when something speaks to both the adults and the kids to unite us all in this Advent journey! Submitted by Lori Borger.
ADVENT DEVOTIONALS ARE AVAILABLE NOW!
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, the prophet Isaiah announces to us. This devotional by Reed Lessing for this sacred season show us ways to prepare for our coming King. Each reflection focuses the history and meaning of a beloved hymn or carol sung in the Church in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The poetic and profound daily messages found in these tunes of old help us to recognize how we can best prepare for Jesus, the Christ Child, in our hearts today. Each daily devotion includes scripture, reflection and a prayer.
WORSHIP FOLDERS NEEDED
Worship folder teams of 2 people each are needed to fold and staple Worship Folders once a month. The Worship Folders are ready to fold on Friday mornings by 10 am (and are often ready on Thursday Afternoons).
Responsibilities: At least one person on each team must be willing to: (1) Use a church key to enter the building and (2) Learn to operate the Alarm. Folding and stapling training will be provided.
Contact: If you used to do this and would like to continue and/or if this is area of service you are interested in please contact Jenna Trethewey at the church. splcsecretary@att.net
MAC FOOD PANTRY
This week we collected 851#! This week the pantry is in need of tuna, canned chicken, mixed veg and green beans.
Zoom Videoconferencing
A Detailed Reference Guide and Quick Reference Guide are available on the blog at the following link: https://splcm.org/zoom/. Leaders, if you need another copy of the leader guide, please email PC at adamclarknd@gmail.com.
RLA – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
- We need an office volunteer who can work M, W or F, on a fairly regular basis. Morning or afternoon would be great. This person will answers phone, hand out band-aids and those sorts of easy (fairly unskilled) tasks can be handled to free up our admin director to take on some projects without regular interruptions. J Since this person is there during the day, they would have to go through the background check.
- We also could use folks to help after the school day (3:45-5:00) to help sanitize classrooms. This is a huge burden for our teachers and any help we could give would be great. Kids are gone, so no background check is necessary to help with this. We are going to be setting up a sign-up genius for this.
THIS MONTH’S RLA PRAYERS
- God’s continued provision for the safety and health of staff, students and their families.
- For the two new students from India for their adjusting to life in the US as well as protection over the children as they navigate a new school and a new life here.
Ministry Coordinator’s Regular Office Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 9 am – 2 pm. However, her schedule will be more of a “flex schedule” through, at least, the end of the year due to some unforeseen circumstances. Prayers for her and her family are appreciated. Thank you for your patience during such a weird, crazy time in our lives.
Subscribe to WordPress Announcements, Prayers & more Automatically!
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4! See the photos below for reference!
- First go to stpetermishawaka.wordpress.com and enter your email address in the blank field above the SUBSCRIBE button & click SUBSCRIBE. (Do not *Create an Account.)
- Log into your email, open the email from stpetermishawaka.wordpress.com and CONFIRM FOLLOW.
- You will then be automatically redirected to the “Subscription Management” page. This is where you can change the Delivery Frequency. Click SAVE CHANGES. (You may close the page now.)
- You will then get a confirmation email for your subscription.
You will now automatically get an email informing you of anything we add to the blog when we add it. Still feel free to visit the blog at any time, tho. Any issues, contact Jenna at splcsecretary@att.net.