PEACE TALK April 2011

Peace Talk - April 2011

Apostolic Mission Congregation of the LCMS Pastor Kristian Bjornstad 2506 N. Main Ave. 343-9828 www.yourpeace.org

FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART: Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. - John 11:25-26 Lately there has been quite the crush of activity here at Peace and I have been “on the run” in a desperate way.

And I will be running for the rest of this month! It is all very exciting and I love that what we do here at Peace is so very beautiful and gives glory to God. But in all the “business” of the season, it is SO VERY necessary to keep the main story the main story.

Jesus Christ crucified must be the meat and potatoes of our lives.

Nothing is more important than this great Mercy of God. Compared with any other truth, the fact of the Risen Christ completely overshadows them all.

It’s truth needs to shine and throb in everything that we do as a congregation. It’s perfect music needs to be the melody of our lives together!

As Martin Luther might say: This Lenten/Easter time is holy in and of itself because God makes it so. But it must be our prayer that it would be holy also for us.

In Jesus, Pastor Bjornstad

p.s. I am looking especially forward this month to the wonderful initiative of Beverly Gedrimas to reenact in dramatic fashion the crucifixion. This will take place on Good Friday. We have never done this before. It will be done OUTSIDE in a VERY PUBLIC way for all those passing by on Main Ave. WE NEED PARTICIPANTS and we are desiring to open the participation to the public! Invite your friends to join us!

MISCELANEOUS NOTES: PRAISING GOD! + Church Van is decorated with our very own name!

+ COUPLE’S INVITATIONAL DINNERS AND FELLOWSHIP! Meredith Woolverton prepared a most delicious dinner March 12 for six couples for our first gathering! It was a huge success and we would like YOU to come and join us (if you are married!) and continue our journey of strengthening and deepening our marriage relationships. Mary Durkin will be preparing our April 9th dinner at 6 pm! Please contact the church office if you would like to join us so we can set your table.

Babysitting is provided! + LADIES GUILD NOTES: The LWML Mite collection in March was $190! Thank you so much for your support! The Ladies Guild will meet the first Thursday of the month, April 7th at 6:30pm at Peace church. "The Dress Rehearsal" will be showing April 15 and 16 at MidValley High School. It features the Bjornstad girls! :) If you are interested in joining the ladies as a group to see “The Dress Rehearsal”, please contact Monica at 343-9828 FAST before all the tickets are gone! We can even pick you up in the church van if you don’t have any transport! + CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Cynthia Villella with Mark and Judy Herie are working towards a

profession of faith this Easter during the special Easter Vigil service! We ask for the prayers of the congregation for them as they study this season of Lent and prepare their hearts for church membership! If you would like to join the congregation and have not spoken with Pastor, please do so!

The Catechumenate meets every Saturday at 5 pm! Join us! + A STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP held in Philadelphia was attended by four members of Peace in March, introducing the “Faith Aflame” process to help congregational members see their whole lives as a beautiful testimony to the Lord. The presenters were excellent and included our District President Rev. Dr. Wicher.

"Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness, I am your sin.

You took on you what was mine; yet set on me what was yours.

You became what you were not, that I might become what I was not.

- Martin Luther +++++++++++++++++++++ + ORGAN STUDY: Last year the council asked that we get an independent assessment on the condition of the organ and what we can do to improve its operation and sound. This month R. A. Daffer Church Organs, Inc. came and made a thorough assessment. Their final report has not been

submitted, however a short summary note has been received which states that “Unfortunately, in our opinion, your organ is not worth repairing. Again the specifics will be written in a report to you, but the overall quality of the instrument is in very bad shape.” + IN THE CHURCH OFFICE FOR YOUR EDIFICATION (Please remember that Pastor has MANY, MANY resources that he would LOVE to share with you on MANY topics!

Just call and ask!): + DVD Movie: “Luther” + DVD Movie: “The Passion” + DVD “Christianity & theCompetition” (subjec t of our Sunday morning Bible Study, if you missed it!) + Book: “I Married You” on what it means for a Christian to be married. + DVD “Jesus: Fact or Fiction” - especially good if you are trying to share the truth of our Lord with someone who is very skeptical. + EASTER CHOIRS! We are gearing up for the greatest celebration EVER here at Peace in praise of the greatest event EVER that happened 2000 years ago! We need brass and every other instrument, and Bell Ringers and Singers and noise makers! Please call Pastor Bjornstad if you have a question, otherwise just show up after Wednesday evening worship or Sunday mornings at 9:30 am! + EASTER INVITATIONS! Did you know that Easter is one of the BEST times to invite your friends who do not have a church home or a relationship with Jesus to worship? Make the invitation to your struggling friend! There are eternal blessings!

SUMMER WORSHIP TIME VOTE: Sometime soon the Worship Committee will be taking a secret vote on a Sunday morning to determine a change in the Summer worship time. The choice will be between 9 and 9:30 am. Summer services will also be simplified somewhat, but also having Holy Communion every Sunday. These changes are designed to introduce the idea of an early 8:15 spoken liturgy with Holy Communion every Sunday, with the regular 10:30 service celebrating Holy Communion the first and third Sundays of every month - as currently practiced.

READING SCHEDULE: Don’t be surprised if someone on the Worship Committee calls you to be on a schedule of readers for Sunday mornings. There have been several requests from congregational members that we have different people read the lessons (not that the liturgists are doing a poor job, btw!) The only hinderance to this happening is purely the question about who is going to organize it all! It is a great honor to publicly read the Holy Scriptures. We are so blessed!

WORSHIP LIFE AT PEACE LUTHERAN FOCUS ON GOD’S MERCY! EDUCATION HOUR: 9:15 WORSHIP: 10:30 AM 1Pet. 2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Lenten Midweek Worship Wednesdays at 10 am and 7 pm!

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday 7 pm Holy Communion Good Friday 12 noon (featuring the reenactment of the crucifixion beginning at 11:30 am) & 7pm Tennebrae Holy Saturday: 9 pm Easter Vigil

+CHURCH HISTORY CORNER: Lucas Cranach and Albrecht Dürer, Artists + Commemorated Apr 6, 2011 + Lucas Cranach (1472–1557), a close friend of Martin Luther, was a celebrated painter of portraits and altar pieces and a producer of woodcuts of religious subjects.

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), a native of Nürnberg, Germany, was one of the most learned of Renaissance artists and also an ardent admirer of Martin Luther. His paintings and woodcuts include examples of the splendor of creation and skilled portrayals of biblical narratives. Both Cranach and Dürer are remembered and honored for the grandeur of their works of art that depict the glory and majesty and the grace and mercy of the triune God. Dürer print at right: Christ rose from the dead on the third day after his Crucifixion. Dürer shows him floating above the tomb while the guards sleep.

Lutheran Academy and Immanuel Preschool News + ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE FLOAT (right)! Thanks for your support! + LISA HOFFMAN, a member of Peace Lutheran and also the TLA board of directors is a beneficiary of Lutheran Education! This is one reason she is excited to be a part of our Lutheran Academy. Here she explains what it means to her: “Even though I was raised to be Christian, I never belonged to a particular church when I was younger.

After high school I enrolled in a Lutheran college because it had a good academic reputation, and that is when everything changed for me. I could have discussions about God in class and explore religion in ways that never happened when I was in a public school. I went to the chapel to see how people worshipped and believed, and I found that people believed the same as I did. After college, I started attending a Lutheran church and was baptized. I know God led me to baptism, but I really feel like a Christian education was part of His plan to lead me where I needed to go.” + MAJOR GIFT GIVEN: The TLA board met this March and were excited and thankful to God about a beautiful gift of $7100 given by a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church: Daniel Schultz. He was a man who we never met at the Academy. But, unbeknownst to us, he was somehow impressed with our ministry. Only after Mr. Schultz had died did we learn that he had named us in his will. We look forward to meeting him in heaven and thanking him personally there!

Since God has provided this great gift the board of directors is looking forward to using it to accomplish a much needed major renovation of our school’s facilities this summer - helping us begin celebrating our FIFTH year of operation in the Fall of 2011! (Mr. Schultz ALSO gave the same $7100 to the Immanuel Preschool! Praise the Lord!) + LUTHERAN EDUCATOR’S CONVENTION was held March 24-26th in Cincinnati, OH. Five staff members of the Academy and the Preschool attended along with 2600 other teachers and school administrators and pastors. It was a truly educational and inspiring convention and was very beneficial to us all. At right is pictured Dr. Laabs, the LEA president (and former college professor of Pastor Bjornstad!)

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YOUNG MOTHER’S DEVOTIONAL GROUP All mothers are invited to meet the first

and third Monday of every month at 10 am! Please call Amy Betts (315-767-3585) if you would like to come or invite a friend who needs fellowship and support as a mother!

Thank the Lord for our mothers!

Congregational Meeting March 13th We had a beautiful Congregational Meeting March 13th after worship. The highlights of the meeting were: 1) Discussion and passage of the bylaws that are to govern a new church Endowment Fund, which will be instituted to help fund an expanded ministry in the future.

2) Discussion and passage of an initiative to institute a “Comfort Dog” ministry. A ministry plan will be presented at the April council meeting for approval to be sent in so that we might receive a “Comfort Dog” from Lutheran Church Charities.

3) Cliff Durkin presented a general proposal for a “Deacons Fund” for those in need.

Pictured at right is a Comfort Dog at work at the Lutheran Educational Conference.

GENERAL NOTES:

WO W! !!

JE SU SR OC

KS

!

Youth NEWs! The Spring Banana Cram Lock In here at Peace April 1-2 was a great success - with 18 youth from FIVE different congregations in attendance here at Peace! Erika Bjornstad, for the FINAL time, WON the coveted “Banana Cram” at the April 1st Youth Lock In here at Peace...

ALTHOUGH it was QUITE the close call as Patrick Rickert finished cramming his banana just a couple seconds after Erika. Erika has won this competition for SEVERAL years running, usually peeling and devouring her banana (without using her hands) in about 30 seconds. The next Banana Cram will be held in the Fall - after Erika is off to college... WHO will pick up the slack for Peace Church!!!????

Happy Youth Notes: • John Price achieves as a freshman at college: Alpha Lamda Delta!!

• Joseph Schulze signs up to serve in the National Guard.

• Mike Evans will be attending Keystone college.

• Erika Bjornstad accepted at Concordia University, St. Paul, in a church worker program.

Camp Pioneer weekend

coming up May 13-15 - with Lost and Found concert! Can’t miss it! We are well on our way to filling the van again! Join the happy throng!

+ SUMMER VACATION! TRYING TO THINK OF A GOOD FAMILY VACATION NEXT SUMMER? THINK CAMP PIONEER! Pastor Bjornstad and family have been invited to be sort of host family for the camp Family Camp the week of July 17th. We would LOVE to have whole bunches of Peace family along with us! Plan for it! Going to the www.yourpeace.org website you will find a registration form with further information! + WORSHIP LIVE STREAMING OVER THE INTERNET... We are again streaming the worship service live over the internet. If you cannot join us in person because of sickness or weather, please join us at the Peace website’s “Media” page. + THE MEN’S BREAKFAST: We will be meeting Saturday, April 23, 9 am at Panera Bread in Dickson City! All men are invited! + PEACE PRAYER CHAIN: If you love to pray you are encouraged to join our Peace Prayer Chain by calling Edith Korban at 289-4479. If you or someone is in NEED of prayer, you can call Edith at the same number and that prayer will be shared down the list of prayer warriors! + PLEASE PRAY: Pray for all our college and university students, that they might be able to resist the temptations of youth and live holy and devoted Christian lives to the praise and glory of God’s name! Prayers still coveted for Mark Herie as he struggles with staying healthy with difficult dialysis treatments. We praise God for the successful completion of kidney rejection treatments for Mark Koenig, and we praise God for the return home for Elwood Korban after receiving a heart pacemaker. + PASTOR’S WIVES RETREAT: Monica Bjornstad thanks the council for the supply of the registration costs for the May retreat in New York.

She plans to go to this retreat with several other area pastor’s wives from the area. George Price is going to drive them all! What a guy!!!!

We're celebrating at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans – with good reason! Thrivent Mutual Funds is ranked among the nation's top fund families in Barron's annual Best Mutual Fund Families Survey1 (based on performance in 2010) published in the Feb. 7 issue of Barron's.

Thrivent has many financial services that serve Lutherans! And the best part of it is that because it is a fraternal organization all the “profits” come back to serve our faith communities! This last month we received almost $600 from Thrivent! Please call Thrivent representative Torie Yoder at 822-6444 for more info if you are not a Thrivent member!

MISSION NEWS: The Alaska mission this summer NEEDS YOU! Several individuals who were planning on going to Alaska this summer are ending up having to bow out for various reasons.

At this point we desperately need at least two more mission participants to keep our commitment to the people of Funny River, Alaska.

Please prayerfully consider your participation in helping staff the Funny River VBS so that the families in that community will continue to have the witness of Jesus Christ in their midst.

Please call Pastor Bjornstad at 570-343-9828 if you would like more information.

The team will be leaving Friday, June 24 and be back Saturday, July 2nd, 2011.

MOSCOW MISSION START: Saturday, April 2nd the latest meeting was held here at Peace Lutheran with the aim of organizing and mobilizing to launch a new mission in Moscow, PA! Several churches were represented at this meeting and it was all very positive! We are still holding to a schedule to begin evening Bible studies beginning in May! Everyone is invited to catch the vision of a vibrant and active church of 200 members in 10 year’s time! Look for ministry specifics very shortly so that YOU can help and support this great endeavor!

The 2011 Peace VBS is scheduled!!!! Please reserve the week of June 20th for this exciting time for our church to reach out to the community with the Good News of Jesus!

YEAR OF GOD’S MERCY HERE AT PEACE!

THERE IS NOTHING SO BEAUTIFUL AS CHURCH FAMILY! This past month several members of Peace thrilled church member Betty McKeen on her birthday!

Pictured below are Ramona Brown, Betty Rohman, Anita Holzman, and Adella Decker (along with another friend) visiting Betty. Praise God for all our members who can’t get to our worship services, but who are still included in our prayers and lives! WE LOVE YOU! Lori Harsche along with Susan Crosbie, our Parish Nurse, are wondering if anyone would like to renew the Tender Loving Care visitation ministry we had a few years ago to our shut in’s and sick?