This Sunday Is Reformation Sunday
Family Ministries Update
A Video Message: Miss Mary, as part of her work in Saint Peter’s Family Ministries, has created this video to introduce herself to all in our community. She describes her mission, using StPLC as an acronym to help guide her focus in this new position. She also reads a story with a universal message of the importance of truly listening to help illustrate her mission.
Mary plans on creating more Moments with Miss Mary videos like this one that links to a theme such as Resilience, Loving Our Neighbor, Living Out Our Faith In Challenging Circumstances, Embracing Differences, and so on. Please let her know of any themes you would like her to cover, as she is very interested to know what is on your mind and how she can be supportive.
S - Service
T - Treat others the way you want to be treated
P - Praise God
L - Love
C - Compassion
Pumpkin Decorating @ Saint Peter October 31: Join fellow Saint Peter families on Halloween Day for a safe, outdoor pumpkin-decorating event. All supplies will be provided. Just bring yourself and your mask!
What: Pumpkin Carving or Pumpkin Painting
When: Saturday, October 31, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Where: Saint Peter parking lot (or online if you choose)
But what if you can't make it in-person? No problem! Families preferring to participate from home will be invited to a Zoom event with Miss Mary. All pumpkin supplies will be delivered to you!
The Church Chicks continue to collect professional clothing and accessories for Dress For Success, the Denver organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence. If you have gently worn clothing you'd like to donate, contact Annie Heath. The donation rack is currently held in her garage!
Faith Formation Ministries Updates
During Faith Forum on Sunday, October 18th we continued our focus on the importance of prayer in nourishing our spiritual life looking at prayer as a form of communication, specifically conversation. The question this week was what do we expect to happen when we pray? Digging into this question opens up a host of possibilities for how God shows up in our lives. No matter how we pray, the relationship that develops between us and God is critical in the power of our prayer.
Our aim is to engage our heart and mind together to nourish our spiritual longing, as we seek ways to explore and enter into a deeper expression of faith. Please stay after worship this morning as we consider when God is revealed to us, what we learn of God’s character and how these experiences transform our hearts and our lives. Faith Forum takes place on the same Zoom link as worship.
The Wednesday night Fall book study on Lenny Duncan’s Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US is taking place on Wednesday evenings immediately following Saint Peter’s Evening Prayer (about 7:30 p.m.).
This week Lenny presents that Nationalism is counter to God’s great expansive kingdom and he is troubled that it is becoming more acceptable. He draws a parallel between current-day Nationalism and the revolutionary message of Jesus against the Roman Empire as well as the temple-culture of first-century Jewish life. He calls the church to resist fear-fueled instincts and to remember what it means to love our neighbor, no matter where they are from, the color of their skin, or their religion. All humans are wonderfully made by God and must be treated with dignity and respect.
Here are some of the questions from this week’s discussion that you might want to consider on your own or with a friend:
1. There has been a lot of talk about nationalism in recent years, how do you understand it? How is it changing? How is it showing up now?
2. Are we taming Jesus and his revolutionary message until he looks like the empire that hung him from a tree?
3. How does a person of faith reconcile their own benefit from capitalistic systems at the expense of the marginalized?
All are welcomed to join the class at any time. If you have any questions, please contact Jeanne Maloney.
Music Ministries Update From Steve Howie
Denver Lutheran Virtual Choir Underway! The Saint Peter Jubilate Choir has joined forces with churches from Highlands Ranch to Boulder for a virtual choir. The group meets weekly to sing through music that will be used in worship at Saint Peter as well as for the Lutheran combined online Thanksgiving service hosted by Saint Peter (November 25).
We have had a strong showing from our singers and I’m proud of the work they are doing to further praise God through music during this difficult time. Our ultimate goal is to have a live, combined service after the pandemic. In the meantime, we are enjoying working with our brothers and sisters from other churches in this capacity. Peyton Strouth from Christ Lutheran is assembling the video and I am mixing the audio for the recordings.
“Blended” Service Music. Do you have a favorite classic or “new classic” hymn that you would like to hear in worship? With our online schedule, we are working on blending our musical styles even more than before. You undoubtedly hear a combination of forces from piano/vocal to full band. We hope to start getting some organ music soon, too! With such a vast array of music to choose from, I would love to hear your favorite songs or hymns. Send me a message with your thoughts.
All Ages Property Work Day November 7th
Terry Prince, the owner of Prince Tree Care, has generously donated several loads of mulch to Saint Peter. The landscape committee would like your help spreading it around the property on Saturday, November 7th from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Bring rakes, wheelbarrows, pitchforks and scoop shovels if you’ve got them. This is an all-ages event. There will be work that can be done by some of the littlest among us. And we can do it all while social distancing, too.
If November 7th doesn’t work for you and you’d like to work another day, contact Jerry Paul so he can give you guidance.
Rainbow Trail Senior High Retreat November 20-22
Join Pastor Steph from Christ the Servant Lutheran in Louisville, Colorado, and other high schoolers for a weekend of fellowship and exploration!
Using scripture as a springboard, Christians throughout history have imagined heaven and hell and expressed it through art and literature. Our language and popular culture continue to reflect these enduring images. Most of the time, we don’t think a lot about heaven or hell, but there are moments that bring the topic of the afterlife into sharp focus like the death of a loved one or a critical word from a fellow Christian. We’ll invite students to examine their beliefs about heaven and hell and to root themselves in what scripture offers us about the afterlife. This is also a time to use the lens of the Lord’s Prayer to learn about what it means for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven. What we think about heaven and hell–who “deserves” it, how we get there, whether it exists at all–shapes our choices and life right here and now. Let’s look at this matter of life and death more closely.
Covenant Cupboard Toy Distribution
The Annual Covenant Cupboard Christmas Toy Distribution will take place on December 4th and 11th at Saint Peter, but due to COVID-19 there are some changes this year. We are following the “adopt-a-family model” where you sign-up to provide gifts for one (or more!) deserving family. The sign-up form will be coming from Covenant Cupboard soon. Contact Steve Werner if you’d like to adopt and/or volunteer.
Important Upcoming Events
Sunday, October 25 - Beginning of Stewardship Season and Reformation Sunday
Saturday, October 31 - All Ages, All Families Pumpkin Decorating at StPLC
Saturday, November 7 - StPLC Property Work Day
Thursday, November 10 - Martin Luther's Birthday
Wednesday, November 24 - Metro South ELCA Online Thanksgiving Worship
Sunday, November 29 - First Sunday in Advent
Friday, December 4 - Covenant Cupboard Toy Distribution
Friday, December 11 - Covenant Cupboard Toy Distribution
Progress on the kitchen continues! It won’t be long now.