Property Clean-Up Day Tomorrow (June 6th)

Bring your mask and your garden tools and join the StPLC Property Team tomorrow from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Everyone will have their own corner of the property to to ensure social distancing and to ensure our church grounds stay looking nice. 

If you would prefer to contribute to property upkeep at a different day/time, you are welcome to do so. Connect with Dave Prichard for suggestions on where to focus your time. Just remember to keep your distance from others, use your own tools and dispose of any trash and clippings properly.

Women’s Contemplative Prayer Group Tomorrow (1st and 3rd Saturdays.

All women of Saint Peter are invited to come together for contemplative prayer on the first and third Saturday mornings of the month. The first meeting is tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. online. Previously, the Saturday morning group focused on a book, but this time around there will be no preparation necessary. All you have to do is show up with an open heart. Join via Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/2745706535?pwd=Y1pNZUdQQ2hDNkJxSUJoSTBaalZudz09). Contact Jeanne Maloney with questions.

Celebrate This Sunday With Mark Jacobson + Summer Selian Fundraiser

This coming Sunday, Dr. Mark Jacobson will be worshipping with Saint Peter and will take some time after the worship hour to update us on the construction of the new Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre School of Nursing.

We would normally be hosting our annual Selian 5k Walk/Run this time of year. Instead, Saint Peter will host its first-ever walk/run/swim/ride virtual fundraising event. You pick your goal and check-in with your Saint Peter friends over the summer to stay motivated all the while supporting our favorite organization in Tanzania. We will tell you more about it on Sunday.

Cottage Meetings With Pastor Dave

Join Pastor Dave for a conversation about how we might eventually worship again face-to-face in Saint Peter’s facilities. We have scheduled Cottage Meetings for this purpose and are inviting up to ten of you to log in and join for each one. You will find reading materials and links for registration on the StPLC.org Covid page.

Something New - Summer Four Squares

This summer you are invited to participate in a riff on the Three Square Dinner Party concept many of you at Saint Peter have enjoyed before. We're calling it Four Squares! Now, instead of three people taking a corner and inviting a guest to complete the square, there will be four people assigned to one group. And, instead of meeting in person - you guessed it - you'll meet online.

Here’s some of what you can expect:

• Four sessions with Saint Peter members who live in your neighborhood.

• It’s not just for married couples. Participate with an older child, roommate or come on your own.

• Every group will have a designated leader, and you will all be provided with a few tools (conversation starters, activity ideas and more!) to make the gathering fun and easy.

• While we won’t be able to eat together like we did in the Three Square days, there are lots of creative ways to share food and drink remotely. More on that to come.

• Most importantly, Four Squares will give you time to rest in your faith in the comfort of your church community.

Get additional details on Zoom after the June 14th Sunday Worship Service. Groups will be teamed up by June 23rd. If you know you are ready to sign up now, here's the registration form.

Special Prayer Service For Racial Justice, Wednesday, June 17th

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6: 8

In times of distress, people of faith take comfort in prayer. If your heart has been breaking and you feel overwhelmed by the racial injustice you are witnessing in the world, please join other Saint Peter members in an evening of prayer on Wednesday, June 17th, beginning at 7:00 pm.

As part of the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, voting members adopted a resolution designating June 17 as a commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel Nine—the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

During worship on the 17th, the lives lost at the hands of racial hatred will be remembered. There will also be a time for prayers of confession and forgiveness for our complicity in racial injustices, as well as prayers for the healing of our hearts and this broken world.  

The Worship Service will be held online via Zoom using the same number/link as we do for all worship services. To learn more about the Emanuel Nine, visit https://emanuelnine.epistles.faith and https://www.emanuelnine.org.

What’s On And What’s Off This Summer?

Of course, we’ll be meeting for worship every Sunday morning, but here’s a quick update on ministry activities over the summer months. If you’d like to update the congregation about your ministry group’s summer activities, send a note to Sara Lancaster.

Sunday School/Day Camp - Let’s take a break and join back together online in July for virtual Day Camp and maybe even some Sunday School. More details to come.

Bible Study - Wednesdays at noon all year long! (Same Zoom access as Worship.)

Evening Prayer - Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom for as long as we aren’t able to meet in person. 

Faith Forum - There will be discussions during the Faith Forum hour these next two weeks: June 7th with Dr. Mark Jacobson and June 14th with Pastor Dave and others about the summer Four Squares gatherings. New Faith Formation opportunities will start back up later in the Summer.

Men’s Group and Church Chicks - Both men’s and women’s groups are meeting! Contact Steve Haigh or Annie Heath to get plugged in.

Chick Lit - The ladies’ book club is back and gathering online via Zoom on the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Contact Lori Williams for this month’s book and meeting access details.

Four Squares - It’s new, and it’s on! See the article above for more details.

Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS)- No formal MOPS meetings over the summer but a few online social gatherings are in the works.

Property Team - Definitely on! Meeting tomorrow morning (see above article).

Women’s Contemplative Prayer Group - For all the women of Saint Peter (and friends, too) on the first and third Saturday mornings of the month. See the article below for more details.

The Church Building Remains Closed

The church building and grounds remain closed until further notice. Groups that want to meet at Saint Peter need to consult with the Congregation Council before scheduling or holding events. It’s up to all of us to keep each other safe! For now, Saint Peter is working best by meeting online. Thanks for understanding.

Become An Online Worship Servant

Are you interested in reading aloud during online worship? It's pretty easy when you get to do it from the comfort of your own home. You'll even get some Zoom training! There are opportunities for you to participate in Sunday morning worship and Wednesday evening prayer as a lector or assisting minister. If interested, reach out to Janet Okerman or Pastor Dave.

Continued Giving To StPLC

During these times when we are unable to gather, our ministry expenses remain constant. If you are able to support the work of Saint Peter, we would be deeply grateful. Most banks will set up automatic payments free of charge or you can make contributions through Vanco, Saint Peter’s vendor for payment processing. Visit the StPLC home page or follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/donatetosaintpeter. To avoid high credit card processing fees paid by Saint Peter, please consider giving by check. The echeck process is easy and cost-effective!