PEACE NOTES
A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF WORD OF PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH APRIL 2015
EASTER EASTER SERVICES
SATURDAY, APRIL 4 5:30 PM
AT WORD OF PEACE
SUNDAY, APRIL 5 7:30, 9:00, 10:15 & 11:30 AM
The Complete Holy Week Schedule is Listed on the Back Page
Sermons & Readings April 2 | Maundy Thursday Pastor Keith Long, “The Original Social Network” Holy Communion, Trinitarian fellowship, koinonia—we will explore these and other key terms as we share in Jesus’ body and blood, given and shed for you. Scripture Readings: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31-35; Exodus 12;1-14 April 3 | Good Friday Service of Darkness On this day, the church gathers to hear the proclama6on of the passion, to pray for the life of the world, and to meditate on the life giving cross. Scripture Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrew 10:16-25; John 18:1-19:42 April 5 | Easter Pastor Rick Skare, “Expect the Unexpected” The resurrec6on takes all of us by surprise. We can’t prepare for it. We can’t understand it. It is a gi>. Scripture Readings: John 20:1-18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Isaiah 25:6-9 April 12 & 13 Pastor Keith Long, “Jesus is Risen! Now What?” How do you follow the invisible man? Close your eyes and reach out your hand! Scripture Readings: John 20:19-31; Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133 April 19 & 20 Pastor Rick Skare, “Standing Among Us” The Risen Jesus comes and stands among us always and even in the midst of our grief, fear, insecurity, illness, need and ignorance. Scripture Readings: Luke 24:36b-48; 1 John 3:1-7; Psalm 4, Acts 3:12-19 April 26 & 27 Pastor Keith Long, “The Lord is Our Shepherd—And Trailblazer” Being in God’s eternal presence is a lifelong, trailblazing adventure! Scripture Readings: John 10:11-18; Psalm 23; Acts 4:5-12 2
Pastor Rick Skare, Senior Pastor Pastor Krista Strum, Pastor Pastor Keith Long, Pastor 21705 129th Ave. N. Rogers, MN 55374 Church Office 763-496-2400 (press 3 to leave an emergency message for the pastor) Office Hours Mon-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Fri 8am-12:30pm Our Vision Statement Our vision is to be a community where everyone knows Christ’s Love and shares Christ’s Love with all people. Our Mission Statement Christ works through us as we: • Welcome all people to grow in faith, love and devo6on, • Share Christ through word and deed, • Care for others and the world God made, and • Work for jus6ce and peace. NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS Contact Jennie Priebe at 763-496-2401 or jpriebe@woplc.org. May newsle er deadline: April 10
WordofPeace.org
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Pastor Rick Skare Senior Pastor
In the past weeks we have par6cipated in a worship series en6tled, How To Get Through What You Are Going Through, exploring how God and God’s Word help us get through life’s pain and hardship, grief and loss. The resurrec6on of Jesus Christ that we celebrate this month with Easter certainly gives us assurance and hope and helps us get through what we are going through in life. As we have gone through this series and heard from people going through difficult 6mes, I have been amazed how God has been there and worked in unexpected ways. Tina Christopherson, a member of Word of Peace who lost her s6llborn baby girl, Tegan, seven years ago, shared this with the congrega6on as part of the worship series: “We have found from our experience that grief has taught us so much about ourselves and helped us grow in our spiritual lives. The bond we share as a family has been strengthened through this experience, our love for each other has brought us closer together. Our rela<onship with God has also been made stronger through this experience. While it is difficult to understand why things
happen—we know that God cannot protect us from every evil. We are very aware that he is there for us and is our rock when evil comes calling. He helps us pick up the pieces and carry on when our world is turned upside down. Lastly, our experience has helped us realize how incredibly lucky we are. We are surrounded by friends, family and a church family that has held us and walked with us on this journey. We are so grateful and apprecia<ve that God has given us the giD of these wonderful people and this support through our experience.” As our worship series and tes6monies like Tina’s aNest to, the resurrec6on con6nues today. While the resurrec6on of Jesus Christ may seem strange and mysterious to us, the risen Christ doesn’t wait for us to make sense of him. He comes to us, calls us by name, and gives us what we need (including family and friends and a church family who surround us and support us) so that we can join in the Easter chorus: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” Easter Blessings to you and your family!
Seedlings from the Garden of Life & Growth Spring is here at last! I’m grateful for many things these days – the first being YOU! Thanks for such a great start. My family and I feel so blessed by this community and look forward to serving and worshipping together in the coming months and years. So in the spirit of spring, here are a few seeds that the Spirit has been busy plan6ng as I go about the ministry of Life & Growth: ADULT EDUCATION Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey Within the first 90 days of Dave's most popular class, the average family pays off $5,300 in debt and saves $2,700. These nine lessons will teach you to get out of debt the same way you learned to walk— one step at a <me. (Beginning Sunday nights as soon as Fall 2015)
Pastor Keith Long Pastor of Congregational Life and Growth
Podcasts! 20 to 30 minute episodes featuring scripture readings, current events, sermon excerpts & lively discussion. SMALL GROUP MINISTRY I hope to lead a pilot small group by the fall. Along with a group of 8-10 people, I’m leaning towards mee6ng around the topic of Faith in Ac<on, perhaps using the book “Beyond Guilt: Chris6an Response to Suffering” by George Johnson. Grace and Peace,
3
Happenings
A Community-Wide Event to End Hunger 3rd Annual Fundraiser for CROSS Food Shelf Thursday, April 30 2015, 4pm-7pm The Crown Room – Wellstead of Rogers www.crossservices.org
Holy Week Walk Good Friday, April 3, 10:00am, 12:00 noon & 2:00pm Experience the marketplace of Jerusalem, watch Jesus share a meal with his disciples and join Jesus as he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. This worship service is designed for adults and families of all ages to experience and par6cipate in the sights and sounds of Holy Week. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and students to worship through drama, music, and experience. For more informa6on, contact Kris6n Skare, kskare@woplc.org or 763-4962404.
Stomp Out Hunger 5k Run/Walk for CROSS
You are invited to a soup and bread dinner provided by local restaurants. Area musicians and school students will provide entertainment. Shop for beau6ful, handcra>ed bowls made by local ar6sts, community members and area students. Free Admission $10.00/person suggested dona6on for soup dinner. 100% of all proceeds benefit CROSS Services. This event is sponsored by local area churches, businesses, schools and organiza6ons. Want to get involved? Contact Pastor Rick at 763-496-2400 or rskare@woplc.org
Saturday, April 25 at Word of Peace All proceeds will go to CROSS Food Shelf
NEW THIS YEAR! 8:00am Morning Stretch with Marilee Maxwell Race begins at 9:00am (8:30am registraEon) 9:45am Kids Race for ages 5-11 Register by April 6 for a Free T-shirt! T-shirts will be available a>er April 6 while supplies last To Register: Go to wordofpeace.org/SOH5K or Sign up at the table in the Gathering Area on March 29 & April 12 $20 by April 6 | $25 a>er April 6 Volunteers Needed on Race Day! If you have ques6ons or would like to volunteer, please contact lifeandgrowth@wordofpeace.org. 4
GENERAL NEEDS: Boxed potatoes, toothpaste VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: Volunteers are needed at CROSS in the warehouse on Wednesdays. Two different 6mes are open, either from 9:00 to 12:30, or 12:30 to 4:00. For more informa3on or to volunteer, call CROSS at 763-425-1050
Happenings
BECOME A MEMBER OF WORD OF PEACE ANend the New Member Orienta6on on Saturday, April 18, 9:00am-12:30pm Recep6on of New Members is April 26 & 27 • • • •
Meet the pastors and key staff Learn what we believe and how we do ministry Enjoy a fellowship meal Iden6fy your gi>s and how to use them Please RSVP: Contact Susen Kay in the Church Office 763-496-2400 | skay@woplc.org - OR Sign up online at wordofpeace.org/membership Membership is not required to par<cipate in the life of Word of Peace. Non members are always welcome to take part in worship, study and fellowship events of this faith community.
No Peace Market This Year The ini6al vision for Peace Market was to provide an opportunity for those in need to have a faith-based place to purchase necessary items at an accessible price. Over the years, Peace Market has become more of a community-wide garage sale and social event, with unsold items being donated to Goodwill. Although those benefits are good, Peace Market requires numerous volunteer hours, staff hours and building space. With much discussion and prayer, we have decided to table Peace Market for 2015. This decision was carefully made, reviewing feedback from the ministry teams and volunteers as to the frustra6ons and challenges of the event. We are looking for addi6onal ways to partner with CROSS and other agencies in the area to more effec6vely meet the needs of individuals and families in our community. We ask you to pray for our pastors, staff, community leaders and agencies as they work together to assess the needs of our community and the ways in which Word of Peace can be more involved in mee6ng those needs. Thank you!
PROJECT: DEMSA HEALTH CENTER Thank you for your generous dona6ons to the Demsa Health Center in Nigeria during Lent! The funds we raise will go to the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) to help remodel and expand the clinic and hospital, to provide wells for clean drinking water, and for community health programs and malaria preven6on. There is sEll Eme to donate! Envelopes are available at the Informa6on Desk and can be turned into the church office, or you may donate online at wordofpeace.org/give. Any and all gi>s are appreciated! Let’s fill up the Demsa Health Center banner with dona6ons! For every $10 donated we’ll add a bandage, for every $20 donated we’ll add a syringe, and for every $30 donated we’ll add a brick! With you’re help we can meet our goal of $5,000 in dona6ons!
Earn Cash for the Navajo Lutheran Mission School! Nearly 200,000 Campbell’s labels and General Mills box tops were donated by individuals and churches in 2014. The Navajo Lutheran Mission school in Rock Point, AZ was able to purchase school equipment and a van to transport the students and parents to and from school. Please keep bringing in those labels and box tops to the Informa6on Desk, which will help to provide things like computers and electronics, school supplies, classroom furniture, athle6c uniforms and equipment, a gymnasium and bleachers for the mission and school. Thank you! 5
Worship & Music We are very pleased to welcome to our new organist, Julie Nelson, to the Word of Peace music staff. Julie will be playing for our tradi6onal and blended worship services. Julie is re6red from the University of Minnesota where she worked as the Assistant to the Dean of the Law School. She’s also worked as the Family Ministry Administra6ve Assistant at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville. In addi6on to playing for her hometown church Immanuel Lutheran Church in Audubon Minnesota, (popula6on 500) she volunteers her 6me playing for the Wellstead in Rogers and for pa6ents at Fairview Hospice. She lives in Maple Grove with her husband Ron. She has three children and two grandchildren. Welcome Julie!
Mental Health Forums Sundays at 9:45am in Room 120 The Mental Health Task Force invites you to join them for four Sunday morning classes, each on four different mental health topics. Area experts will be presen6ng and answering ques6ons on the following: April 12: Book Discussion—I’m Not Sick I Don’t Need Help! How to Help Someone with Mental Illness Accept Treatment by Xavier Amador April 19: Anxiety—Cindy LoveleNe explores anxiety and how it impacts our lives. April 26: Brain Balance—Lisa Carlson presents the groundbreaking Brain Balance Program™ for children with Au6sm, ADHD, Dyslexia, and other neurological disorders. May 3: The Nurtured Heart Approach®— Breannne Adickes presents how NHA helps children develop self-regula6on and “inner wealth” by recognizing and rewarding the posi6ve behaviors they display. For details, please visit h p://bit.ly/1GMPGlS 6
Glenn and Caren Nemec Share Experiences from their Mission Trip to Jamaica Word of Peace members Glenn and Caren Nemec par6cipated in a Mission Jamaica team Feb 21-28 with a group from Zion Lutheran Church in Buffalo. The team consisted of two groups, each working on a different project. The first group remodeled a womGlenn Nemec assists an injured man on the side of the road. an’s home in the town of Jbode. In 3 days, the construc6on team demolished a rickety porch and replaced it with a bathroom and a a large one-room addi6on. This was the first home the woman had ever had with indoor plumbing. View a 6me-lapse of the project at h p:// on.M.me/1BpwDGm The second project was a mobile medical clinic which went to 3 different sites. One was a poor sec6on of Montego Bay, the second was a hillside village named Copse, and the third was a higher mountain town named Burnt Savannah. Caren Nemec (far right) and other volunteers About 90 pa6ents were seen at with the group from Zion Lutheran Church. each site with a variety of common illnesses. Jamaica has na6onal health insurance but a severe shortage of physicians, so small towns have no access to care as there are no doctors there and the people are too poor to have transporta6on to the city. The team also worshiped with a local Methodist congrega6on in Montego Bay (a three-hour service!). At the end of the week they had a day to goof off on the beach, which a>er the three days of hard work plus the day it takes to prepare the medical team and organize the construc6on process was much appreciated. The team from Zion goes every year during the last week of February. If you are interested in joining them, Glenn and Caren would be happy to share more details and let you know how you can join them.
Glenn, Caren (second row from bo om) and the medical team from Zion
Luke 12: 22-28 says Do Not Worry.
From the Endowment Fund Investment Principals Document: “Investments shall be made solely in the interest of the WOP Endowment Fund. Investments shall be diversified as to minimize the risk of large losses. All purchases shall be for cash with no margin transac<ons, short selling or commodity transac<ons. Investments in limited partnerships and deriva<ves are prohibited. Investments shall be restricted to products and companies that provide a benefit to society. The primary objec<ve of management of the total porVolio is the a ainment of an average annual minimal return of 5% over every tailing five year period.” The the first 3 quarters of 2014 the average return was over 7%. For more informa6on on the Endowment Fund, contact the church office at 763-496-2400 or visit wordofpeace.org/endowment.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. It is as if Jesus were talking directly to me when he said these words. These verses have always resonated with me, but I have been less than quick to trust in them. I have always worried about having enough. Enough for me, my family and enough to share. What Jesus wants me to do is stop to worrying and to put my trust where it should always have been, in him. Trus6ng in him will always be enough, more than enough. Enough for me, my family and enough le> over to share with others. Whether it is my 6me, talents or money there will always be more than enough. Do not worry! Al Lund and the Stewardship Team
Thank You For Your Generosity! Thank you to all of the people that have sponsored our youth for the 2015 Na6onal Lutheran Youth Gathering. You have contributed more than $3,800 towards the transporta6on costs of the trip. Future opportuni6es to help support the trip will include the Easter Breakfast on April 5 and the Plant Sale on May 10. We are grateful for your kindness and we will keep you informed of our final prepara6ons for the trip and con6nue to inform you of our trip to Detroit and all that we do and experience in this great city. We ask for your con6nued prayers as we prepare for our 6me of Bible study, volunteer service, and worship. God Bless You! We invite you to journey through the Gospel of Mark, which is the text for the Na<onal Youth Gathering this summer. Read through each of the 16 chapters several <mes and summarize the chapter—Who are the key characters? What stories are new to you? What surprised you? What should we know about this chapter? Tell us about Jesus in this chapter. 7
Church School & Confirmation Ministry VacaEon Bible School June 22-26 | 9am-Noon For children ages 4 years (as of June 25) through completed 5th grade Registra6on forms are available outside the Children’s Ministry Office or at wordofpeace.org/vbs. There are more than 200 volunteer opportuni6es available so come spend a week with us!
Church School and ConfirmaEon RegistraEon Begins Sunday, April 26 Registra6on for the 2015/2016 church school and confirma6on year begins on Sunday, April 26 at 8:30am and registra6on forms will be available at church and at wordofpeace.org on that date. Registra6on is based on a first-come first-served basis, and all Children, Youth & Family volunteers will have first choice of their preferred church school or confirma6on session.
Youth Ministry Upcoming Youth Events : MS = Middle School | HS = High School
n re I Mo
fo!
MS: MSM.AM – April 12 and 26 at 9:45am in the Youth Room. Family Camp at Luther Crest (All families welcome) Come for food, devo6ons and games. Friends are always wel- June 19-21 come! Seeds Camp at Wapo (Completed grades 2-3) July 31-August 2 MS: The LoL at the RAC (Rogers Ac6vity Center)—The 1st Thursday of each month a>er school. Head upstairs for games, Youth Camp at Wapo or Luther Dell (Completed grades 4-5) August 2-7 homework help or just to hang out. Bring money for concessions. Youth Camp at Luther Dell (Completed grades 6-8) August 2-7 MS/HS: Plant Sale Youth Fundraiser—The deadline for turning Sr. High Roots Camp at Luther Dell (Completed grades 9-12) in plant sale packets is Sunday, April 12. Youth who have sold August 2-7 plants must pick their plants up and take them out for delivery For ques6ons about Summer Camp or Summer Stretch, please on Friday, May 8 from 4-8pm. contact Marcus Eads at meads@woplc.org or 763-496-2410. MS/HS: Summer Stretch, June 17-August 12—It’s all about HS: Sunday Morning Bible Study—Sunday, April 12 and 26 having fun while doing important work! Youth in completed from 11-Noon in the Youth Room with Marcus. You like grades 5-8 register as par6cipants, while youth in completed snacks? There’ll be snacks! grades 9-12 serve as high school leaders! Join us for six Wednesdays of service and fun in the community! Registra6on HS: Wednesday Night Youth Connect, 6:45-7:15pm in the forms are available outside the Youth Ministry Office and Youth Room—food, games, prayer and some 6me to connect should be returned by Wednesday, May 13. with friends and other high schoolers. All are welcome! MS/HS: Summer Camps—It’s not too late to register for Summer Camp! Forms are available outside of the Youth Ministry Office.
8
For more informa<on contact Marcus Eads at 763-496-2410 or meads@woplc.org wordofpeace.org/middle-school wordofpeace.org/high-school
Family Camp at Luther Crest in Alexandria June 20-22 Word of Peace families of all ages, you are invited to aNend this fun and relaxing weekend at Luther Crest Bible Camp in Alexandria! Take advantage of beau6ful Lake Carlos with swimming and pontoon rides, arts and cra>s, hiking trails, Bible studies, worship, campfires and more! Camp begins at 7pm Friday and ends at noon on Sunday. LODGING: Adult Retreat Center: $145/family Cabins: $85/family MEALS:
$30/person (age 13 or older) $15/person (age 6-12) Free (age 0-5)
SIGN UP:
Outside of the Youth Ministry office
TO LEARN MORE: Contact Marcus Eads at meads@woplc.org or 763-496-2410
Seniors Thursday Senior Shop Rogers Bus— Thursdays at 10am, $1.00 per rider. Assistance provided with your groceries. Contact Judy at 763-428-7657.
weights. Call Instructor Lori Schoenborn at 612-636-0207 or Liz at 763-428-0939 with ques6ons.
Jammers Potluck & Music—Sunday, April 12 from 1-5pm (eat at 4pm) at the Rogers Community Room (21201 Memorial Drive). Bring a dish to share. Contact Dave at 763428-4217.
Spring CraL Fair and Bake Sale: Sat. April 25 from 9 am - 2:30 pm at the Rogers Community Room. Many wonderful vendors and plenty of scrump6ous bake sale items to buy. Lunch will be served. Call Liz at 763-428-0939 with ques6ons.
Rogers Senior Dining—Tuesday through Thursday every week at 12:00 noon at the Rogers Community Room. Call at least two days in advance by 2pm for reserva6ons, 763-428-0976. Cost: 55+ $4.00. Under 55 $5.00.
Driver Improvement Program through St. Cloud University: Tuesday, April 14 from 9am-1pm (4 hour refresher, $20.00) at the Rogers Community Room. Save 10% on your auto insurance for 3 years. Call 1-888234-1294 to sign up.
Weekly Exercise FLEX Program: Mondays from 11am-Noon at the Rogers Community Room. Free for SilverSneakers members: Non-members pay only $1.00 per class and your first class is free. Exercises are geared towards 55+ but everyone is welcome. No on-the-floor work. Chairs used as props with op6on of adjustable wrist/ankle
Great Decisions: A Global ConversaEon Group - approx. 1 hour monthly foreign policy discussion of important global topics presented by videos, local expert presenta6ons and group discussions. April 15 at 10am at the Rogers Community Room. This month’s topic is Food and Climate. Call Liz 763-428-0939.
Computer Classes at the Rogers Community Room—All classes are $19. To register, call 763-241-3520 or go to www.728communityed.com. Upcoming classes: Facebook 101 (8009-1P) Wed. April 1, 1:30-3:30pm. TwiOer 101 (8009-3P) Tues. April 7, 1:30-3:30pm. There are 5 more computer classes in April; call or check the website for more informa6on. The Word of Peace Kids-Care Bus takes seniors shopping at Ridgedale every other month. The next trips will be April 14 and June 9. Cost is $1.00 for the round trip. The bus starts picking up at 9:30am and returns to Rogers by 1:30pm. Call Judy to sign up at 763-428-7657.
Please contact Judy Hanson at 763-4287657 for resource, community or general informa<on for seniors in the Rogers area. To subscribe to the Rogers Senior Newsle er, call 763-241-3520. Or, read it online at Seniors.CityofRogers.org. 9
Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID ROGERS, MN PERMIT NO. 9
Change Service Requested
Sundays 8:30 a.m. Traditional 9:45 a.m. Blended 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Mondays 6:30 p.m. Contemporary
EXPERIENCE HOLY WEEK AT WORD OF PEACE
SUNDAY, MARCH 29 Services at 8:30, 9:45 & 11:00 AM MONDAY, MARCH 30 Service at 6:30 PM
THURSDAY, APRIL 2 Service at 6:30 PM
FRIDAY, APRIL 3 Holy Week Walk 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM & 2:00 PM Traditional Service 6:30 PM The Passion Experience 8:00 PM Prayer Vigil 8:00 PM-8:00 AM
Details at WordofPeace.org/Holy-Week
SATURDAY, APRIL 4 Service at 5:30 PM SUNDAY, APRIL 5 Services at 7:30, 9:00, 10:15, & 11:30 AM Breakfast served from 7:30-11:00 AM