Prince of Peace
Weekly Update

January 8-14, 2021

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

Joseph Campbell

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WORSHIP IN JANUARY

Continuing through January 2021 worship will remain at 9:30 a.m. (over Zoom). Each service can also be watched at 9:30 a.m. on Facebook Live or viewed at  another time or day using the link on our website. See the PoP weekly emails for the Zoom link.
 
There are now three options:
(Four, if you count not participating at all. Not a recommended option.)
 
1. You are invited to join us for Zoom worship and stay after for some fellowship time. You’ll need to provide your own coffee or morning beverage of choice. There is no need to leave the zoom worship meeting and enter the zoom coffee hour meeting. Worship will flow into Fellowship. And, you can stay for as little time or as long of a time as you like.

2. You are invited to join us for Zoom worship and leave when the worship has concluded.

3. You are invited to join us for Fellowship/Coffee Hour without participating in worship, where we catch up with each other, talk about PoP, and share in Christian community.
 
The same Zoom invite will be used for both worship and Fellowship. You will be admitted at 9:30 a.m. for worship. If you click in close to 10:15 a.m. you will be  admitted as soon as worship is concluded. 
Again, you can stay for as little time or as long of a time as you like. See the PoP weekly emails for the Zoom link. We will use the same link through the season of Lent.
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Fellowship/Coffee Hour Goes Earlier

The consensus of the Coffee/Fellowship Hour participants was to add this social time immediately following worship. So, starting January 10th, 2021 (The Baptism of Our Lord) The Fellowship/Coffee Hour will begin at the conclusion of the worship service (approx. 10:15 a.m.).

Fellowship/
Coffee Hour
Questions
 
  • What do you know about your baptism?
  • When was it?
  • Where was it?
  • Who was there?
  • Why were you baptized?
  • What does baptism accomplish?
  • Can you be a Christian without being baptized? 
  • Why do Lutherans make such a fuss about baptism?
  • What does baptism accomplish?
  • What is the relationship between baptism and Confirmation (hint: Confirmation is also known as ....)?
  • What does being a baptized Christian mean in your life?
  • When do you think about your baptism?
  • How does being baptized affect your daily living? 
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DAILY BREAD
FOOD PANTRY IS SEEKING DONATIONS
 
Please consider a food or monetary donation to the DAILY BREAD FOOD PANTRY during this pandemic. 

Your food-insecure neighbors will benefit from your donations of:

  • Black beans or any kind of canned or bagged beans
  • Rice in 1,2 or 3 lb. bags
  • Pasta - any kind
  • Cereal - Cheerios, Corn Flakes. Rice Krispies (no sweet cereals)
  • Tomato sauce in cans
  • Tuna
  • Chicken in cans
  • Peanut butter
  • Pork & beans or meals in cans
  • Canned vegetables (especially corn)

Drop off your food items or checks (payable to DAILY BREAD FOOD PANTRY) to the church's freshly painted front door.

Your neighbors thank you.
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STATEMENTS

Year to date statements through 11/30/20 were sent out the first week of December.  Remember statements can be run at any time, please just reach out to Nicole Cable at andcable03@yahoo.com  or 203.775.8358.

If you currently have an envelope # higher than 180, you will be assigned a new number for 2021.

If you would like Nicole to set up annual giving online for 2021, please return the form to her by December 20th. If the financial secretary set this up for you last year, it will expire on 12/30/20.
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JANUARY CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

There will be a Zoom Congregational Meeting on Sunday, January 31st at 11:00 a.m.  Look for the link in future weekly update e-mails.
Binge Reading the Gospel of Mark
 
You are invited to join with others in a binge reading of the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the primary source of our Sunday Gospel stories during this liturgical year. This will be a one time event during the season of Lent. You can get a head start by reading it through the gospel yourself. It takes about 90 minutes. But don’t give away any spoilers.
FEEDING THE HUNGRY
                                  
Thank you to those who generously gave food and money to the Daily Bread Food Pantry. Your generosity is appreciated as the numbers of people needing food has greatly increased in Danbury, as well as the rest of the country. The Pandemic has kept many people out of work and without money to buy food. Stimulus money may be coming, but not soon enough.

There is one fact which I must share with you to help to increase available food for those in need. Financial support is even more effective than food donations as food banks can purchase perishable and other food items from the Connecticut food bank at discounted prices, therefore, providing even more food for the hungry.

You can do this by donating virtual poinsettias at church. You can also send money to church and we will make a combined donation. You can log on to dailybreadfoodpantrydanburyct.org and donate there. The Love Fund also helps those in need.

Finally, if you, a relative or neighbor is food insecure, please contact the church office or me. We are all in this together!
 
Nan Carlson
203-778-1171
READING MATERIALS

The new Christ in Our Home devotional (January, February March) is available for pick up.
There are also copies of Gather Magazine from October, November, December, January and February that can be in your home if you drop by the church and pick up a copy.
CREATING COMMUNITY

Creating Community is an email devotion to guide your preparation for worship for the following weekend. 

Imagine how much more clear and relevant God's Word will be if you have had an opportunity to read, reflect, and dwell in the Word prior to worship. You may do this devotion as an individual, with others, as a family, or over Zoom as a small group. 

Each devotion arrives on Monday and can be engaged in anytime before Sunday's worship. 
 
The devotion includes three simple steps:

1. Read through the text (provided)

2. Respond to the questions (select one of the sets of questions from the three possibilities )

3. Offer a Prayer (one is provided)
 
Click below to see devotions for this Sunday.
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2021 OFFERING ENVELOPES

2021 offering envelopes are available for pick up or mailing. Please let us know if you would like them mailed.

Stop by most mornings after 9:00 a.m. or call ahead to pick up your box of offering envelopes.
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How to Reach
the Pastor

And as always, Pastor Lutz is easily accessible. You can email him (poppastorpaul@ sbcglobal.net) call him on his cell (609.578.7921) or post on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/plutznj). Although there will be no regular office hours, the church phone is checked every couple of days for messages.
203-775-9070
popluthernchurch@sbcglobal.net