LETTER FROM THE STPLC COUNCIL

Later this week, every family will receive this letter about Saint Peter’s pastoral transition in the mail from the Saint Peter Lutheran Church Council. As we begin the New Year, the Saint Peter community will embark on a journey to call a new pastor. Be sure to mark your calendars for a congregational meeting on January 23rd where the church council will provide updates, answer questions and receive your input.

SAINT PETER HAS A NEW MINISTER OF MUSIC - WELCOME, BERYL! 

Beryl Fanslow Wilson is a passionate choral musician dedicated to uplifting individuals and enriching worship through song. She is thrilled to join Saint Peter as the new Minister of Music.

Beryl has been called to music her whole life. She picked up a violin at the age of 3, joined a choir at 6, decided to be a choral conductor in the 5th grade, and eventually earned her Master’s in Music. Ensemble music is her passion and her vocation; she loves the camaraderie, energy and fellowship. She is excited to foster and invigorate a vibrant musical ministry at Saint Peter Lutheran Church by creating an inviting and inclusive musical experience. When she’s not singing and directing, she is probably hiking or chasing her almost-three-year-old son.

GUEST PASTOR THIS WEEK: PASTOR VERA GUEBERT-STEWARD

We are fortunate to have Rev. Vera Guebert-Steward serve as a guest pastor for us at Saint Peter in the coming weeks.

Pastor Vera once had an office at Saint Peter when Pastor Karen Parker served here and when Pastor Vera was responsible for an outreach program sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Synod and the ELCA. That ministry involved the good people of Saint Peter as well as Joy in Parker, Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit and Holy Trinity, both in Littleton and Christ Lutheran in Highlands Ranch. Some of you may know her from that time or from the women's retreats you attended over the last five years with women from her previous congregation.

Pastor Vera served the good people of Evergreen Lutheran Church in Evergreen for twenty years. After a long and good pastorate, she retired at the end of June 2021. This is the first time she has returned to preaching or leading worship since then. She is grateful for the opportunity to share this time with you. 

THE RETURN OF THE CHILDREN'S MESSAGE

Starting this coming Sunday and all of the Sundays that Pastor Vera is with us at Saint Peter, the little ones among us will be invited to the altar for a special message. The kiddos on Zoom are welcome to join in, too! 

MUCH GRATITUDE FROM CHURCH STAFF

The Saint Peter Lutheran Church staff extends a heartfelt “thank you” to all who contributed to the staff's Christmas gift. What a blessing to serve this kind, faithful and loving congregation. Thanks for all your support and efforts to make the ministries of this congregation so rich.

SEND PASTOR DAVE ‘THANK YOUS’ BY JAN 15TH

Saint Peter Lutheran Church has been blessed to have Pastor Dave Risendal serve as our faith leader for 23 years. He has shared his faith and guided us on our personal faith journeys with great love and compassion.  He has also shared his many gifts including his banjo playing!

We would like to prepare a bound book of thank you letters and special notes to Pastor Dave and his family.  Please send notes and photos of your special moments with Pastor Dave including baptism, catechism, wedding, Rainbow Trai and Selian fun run photos.  You can drop off, mail or email your notes and photos to office@stplc.org  by January 15th. 

WEDNESDAY BROWN BAG BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES

Saint Peter’s Brown Bag Bible Study on Wednesday afternoons is still going strong.  The group meets (on Zoom) at 11:30 a.m. for some time to catch up with one another and check in on prayer requests. Bible Study begins at noon.  

For the next several weeks, Karyl Meyer (and Walt) will be leading the group through a book discussion of Padraig O Tuama and Glenn Jordan’s book, Borders & Belonging, The Book of Ruth: A Story for our Times. 

“Amid the poorly told, blunt stories in our world today that divide, polarize and reinforce stereotypes, this lyrical and imaginative book invites us to explore a timeless human drama that reveals how we might respond more creatively to pressing current issues about borders and belonging.”

Please consider starting off the New Year with a new practice of weekly Bible Study. Come join the conversation!  You can access the meeting on the same link as Sunday morning worship.  

CHICK LIT BOOK LIST FOR 2022

The Saint Peter Chick Lit group continues to meet on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m., and they have just released their official 2022 reading list. The group will meet on Zoom only in January, February and March. In April, Chick Lit will begin hybrid meetings on Zoom and in-person.

Questions? Want to participate? Contact Lori Williams or Heather Dahms.

2022 Chick Lit Reading List

• January 20 - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (260 pages)

• February 17 - Lincoln's Last Trial by Dan Abrams and David Fisher (320 pages, Non-fiction)

• March 17 - American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (459 pages)

• April 21 - An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Schroff (251 pages, Non-fiction)

• May 19 - The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin (426 pages)

• June 16 - The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen (384 pages)

• July 21 - The Tattooist of Auschwitz (#1) by Heather Morris (262 pages)

• August 18 - The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline (400 pages)

• September 22 - The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict (341 pages)

• October 20 - The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom (224 pages)

• November 17 - The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (464 pages)

THE TECH TEAM NEEDS A FEW GOOD VOLUNTEERS

The Saint Peter Tech Team could use a few more team members to assist with both in-person worship and online worship each week. Whatever your experience and comfort level with technology, the team welcomes your contribution!

Hybrid worship is a big undertaking and with only four Tech Team members, it would be a relief to have additional volunteers to help with audio/video, Zoom and more. Even if it is just hosting a Zoom meeting or helping to move equipment around once in a while, your help would be greatly appreciated. Have questions or want to help out? Reach out to techteam@stplc.org.

CLOTHESPINS ON SUNDAY MORNINGS

Now that we are back to meeting indoors for worship on Sundays, we'd like to remind everyone that masks are required when inside the building. We also invite you to take a clothespin (on display in front of mailboxes) before each worship service begins. A PINK clothespin means happy to be here, but I will be keeping my distance, and please keep yours; YELLOW means proceed with caution. I may give you an elbow or fist bump while keeping my distance; GREEN means I am completely comfortable with sharing the peace in the Saint Peter way.