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The Prince of Peace building will remain closed through April (but not the people).
At the March council meeting (via Zoom) it was decided out of an abundance of caution and in keeping with Governor Lamont's recommendations,
The
PoP building and the Preschool will remain closed through April 30th.
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Virtual Worship
In the meantime, we will continue to post on Sunday morning around 9:00 a.m. an abbreviated virtual worship experience including hymns you can sing along with, a gospel story worth telling, a sermon that speaks to our current reality, prayers for the community and world and community announcements about what's happening at PoP. Check your email for the link or go to our website (
http://princeofpeacebrookfield.org/
) and click on the date of the service you would like to experience.
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Offering,Tithes and Special Donations
Please stay current with your financial pledge during this time of social distancing. You can mail your offering or sign up for electronic giving. We hope to provide an easy to use giving app shortly.
We have suspended the collection of ARC items and candy for an Easter Egg hunt until further notice. In addition, we are holding off on Easter flower orders until our celebration of Easter has been scheduled.
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How to reach the Pastor
And as always, Pastor Lutz is easily accessible. You can email him (poppastorpaul@ sbcglobal.com) 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.
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Council Leaders to Call Members
Expect a call or email from a Council leader in the next two weeks. We want to check in with all in our faith community. We want to know how you are doing and how we might help ease this unusual time. This is uncharted territory for PoP, so if you have a suggestion, concern, or prayer request, tell the council leader who calls you. Together we do more.
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Report from Council
At its March 18, 2020 council meeting (via Zoom) it was discussed that
we will continue our suspension of all PoP activities through April or until further notice.
We scheduled the next Zoom Council meeting for Wednesday, April 1st.
The Congregational meeting to vote on the sale of Misty Hollow is on hold.
We will continue to offer a weekly virtual worship experience on Sunday for the foreseeable future.
Our first Sunday to gather (5.3.2020?) in person will be our Easter celebration.
We will continue to seek a candidate to fill the Organist position.
Council will reach out to members.
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Let us Pray
O God, where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope. Where anxiety is infectious and widening, grant peace and reassurance. Where
i
mpossibilities close every door and window, grant imagination and resistance. Where distrust twists our thinking, grant healing and illumination. Where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings and strengthened dreams. All these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
(Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Additional Prayers, pg. 72-87)
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I'll say it again!!!
If the school closures have you concerned about your child not being able to eat breakfast or lunch let me know. I will do what I can to help. A box of cereal, gallon of milk, bread, pb&j- just let me know. Feel free to contact me - no judgement!
This also goes for the elderly! If you know someone in need -please reach out!
I have heard from several members also willing to help as needed, Please be in touch. It is what church is all about, helping each other.
P.S. if you are ever worried about how you are going to feed your kiddo(s) or yourself we will figure it out together.
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I
t's noon. Let us Pray
Join Pastor Lutz each day at noon (until further notice) in prayer. Set an alarm, mark your watch, etc.
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remembers those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health and making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close, remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of our economic market remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country let us choose Love. During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other.
Let us find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
(Cameron Wiggins Beld)
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Faith Formation at Home
Parents of Sunday School children, we are supplying several options for faith formation at home. Download the Taking Faith Home insert from our website for daily family prayers, rituals and traditions. In addition there is on the web page Sunday School readings, questions, and activities that correspond to the bible story presented in the worship clip.
Parents of Confirmands, a Confirmation at Home blog will be coming next week.
Adults learners, I would like to also create an Adult Faith Formation blog to continue our learning. How many would be interested in such an experience? We could also hold the Women's Bible Study online with Zoom. Ladies, are you interested?
As a friend of mine said recently, .... it is also a time to recall that our God is an abundant, enduring and fiercely caring God who responds to our prayers by reminding us we are all ministers capable of serving our neighbors and the common good at ANY time.
Time in worship and study are perhaps more needed than ever before.
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New Way to be the Church
So, what ideas do you have for new ways to be the church at a time like this? Here are some thoughts that may trigger some ideas for you.
- Take care of yourself. Read. Try to relax. I’ve rekindled a new music listening habit that had gone away because of a busy life. Restoring the practice has been such a gift. Exercise 30 minutes a day if you can. Taking a walk works.
- Reach out to others in new ways. Social distancing does not have to mean social absence. Try a Zoom meeting. Stay in touch with PoP friends by cell phone, email or by writing a compassionate note.
- Renew or energize family relationships and relationships with other friends with whom you’ve lost touch. You may have “forced” free time now to build on relationships that have lagged.
- Check on your neighbors. You can still knock on a door and give the gift of a smile, showing that you care. (That would be a group of less than 10, right?)
- Have a grudge against someone? No time like the present to mend fences.
- Say thanks to a doctor or nurse or EMT volunteer you know who may be having a tough time right now.
- Keep your offerings to the church going. Thanks to you, the ministry of PoP continues in the hardest of times. Remember PoP, its pastor and faithful staff and leaders in your prayers
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