I began by stating that I am honored and pleased to be serving here at Peace. I am very impressed with the ministry of the congregation and happy to be a part of it. The epistle text for that Sunday’s worship was from St. Paul’s 1^st letter to the Corinthians, the 12^th chapter and in this passage Paul talks about the Christian community – the church – as being the body of Christ in the midst of the world. We are Christ’s body in the midst of the world and as such we are called to use the gifts that God has given to us for the service of the community.

1. We need to be fed and nourished at the table of the Lord through regular worship and partaking of the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

2. We need to be always studying the scriptures – participating in bible study and prayer.

3. We then are called to be involved in the ministry of the church. We each have been given gifts by the Spirit and we are called to use them

With this in mind then I encourage you all to make regular worship attendance and participation a top priority. Also, I am willing to organize bible study times which work for you. I understand that not everyone can make it to the Wednesday morning bible study. When would be a good time for an evening bible study?

We need people to be a part of the committee structure of the church and to be involved in the ministry projects at Peace. In particular we have two new committees: Evangelism and Social Ministry and we need folks to be a part of them. Evangelism includes member care and communications (online also). We need a Fellowship Committee – will you consider serving on a fellowship committee? We need folks to participate as Ambassadors to take communion to those who cannot get to church.

Finally we all have an obligation to support the ministry of this congregation through our financial commitment. I ask that you prayerfully consider your financial commitment and that you remain current with your pledge. The money you give to Peace goes to serve the community – the community of believers at Peace and the community in which we live and it goes to support the Wartburg Parish and other ministries such which are sponsored by the Synod and the ELCA. Your financial contribution makes a difference.

It is, as I said above, an honor to be able to serve as your Pastor. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need to talk with me or need pastoral assistance.