TUESDAY NEWS (on a Wednesday!)

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

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Sunday Preview – February 4, 2024

The Prayer | The Powerless Party | The Lord’s Prayer is one of those special passages of Scripture. It’s arguably the most memorized portion of the Bible, while also being one of the most scrutinized. The first line of the prayer has been a point of tension and a recitation of comfort.

‘forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors’ Why is forgiveness such an important component of this prayer? What does it say about being human if we don’t practice forgiveness? And why is the word ‘debt’ used? Some translations say, ‘transgressions’, some say ‘sins’; but the Greek word is ‘debt’. What could this imply for us?
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General Conference of the United Methodist Church

Towards the bottom of this weekly email, we will include a section about General Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our hope is to keep you informed of what is coming up this April, as major decisions will be made that impact the direction of the UMC moving forward.

Ultimately, our hope is to be informative and clear. We also hope to present ways for you to continue to learn more about these topics and how to advocate for policy decisions that support our values.

Finally, we hope this section provides clarity around complex topics that can often be sensationalized in the media. It’s not that we don’t trust media sources, but we want to make sure there is a full picture of what is happening at the highest levels of the UMC and how those decisions impact our specific community.

If you ever have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out (jason@peaceumc.com).

See the ‘General Conference’ section below for more information.
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Book Discussion – Want to Join?

Our first discussion will be this Sunday (Feb 4th) at 7:00pm. We will be discussing the first 5 chapters (thru page 56) of Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

Then…Starting on February 18th, we will discuss the book Where We Meet during Lent. Where We Meet is co-authored by Tyler Sit, a local UMC pastor in Minneapolis.

Email Jason (jason@peaceumc.com) if you would like to join the book study and get a copy of Where We Meet.

Below is the reading schedule for those interested in joining us (all discussions are on Sundays at 7:00pm)…

Feb 4th    |   Jerusalem: The Biography  |  Read Chapters 1-5
Feb 18th  |   Where We Meet  |  Read Weeks 1 & 2
Mar 3rd   |   Where We Meet  |  Read Weeks 3 & 4
Mar 18th  |   Where We Meet  |  Read Weeks 5, 6, & 7
Apr 28th  |   Jerusalem: The Biography  |  Read the remainder of the book
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Baptism Sunday – February 11th

On Sunday, Feb 11th, we will be baptizing two little one’s…cousins! Come celebrate and welcome the newest members of Christ’s family.
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Pancake Breakfast – February 11th @ 9:00am

Come early to church on February 11th for some pancakes. Donations will go towards youth missions!
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Super Bowl Party – February 11th @ 5:00pm

Join us on Super Bowl Sunday for a fun party! There will be two rooms in which to watch the big game:
  – Fellowship Hall for everyone that just wants to eat and talk and possibly play a board game while the football game is on
– Pioneer Hall for everyone who takes their football watching (and commercial watching) seriously

The party will start at 5:00pm. Bring a dish to share.
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Valentine’s Tea – Friday at 2:00pm

Join the L.I.F.E. Group at 2:00pm this Friday for a Valentine’s Tea and Love Song Sing-a-Long. Bring a treat to share, a tea cup, and a gift for the residents of Emma Norton (blankets are in the highest demand right now).
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Care Team – Get Involved!

As our community grows, so should our capacity to care well for one another. No matter what your gift or your skills, no matter if you are introverted or extroverted, there is a place for you on the Care Team!

How can you HELP?

• Sign up to be a coordinator of rides, food, gift baskets, or be an email buddy.
• Sign up to be on call to provide rides, food, help with funerals.

Contact Quita (651-271-7750) if you have further questions.

Click HERE to sign-up and learn more about how you can join the Care Team.
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COSROW Raising Support for Emma Norton

COSROW will be supporting Emma Norton, a UM project, on a regular basis. We will set up a donation site at Peace on November 12th. We encourage people to buy the gift cards from Wayne Leatherman through the Scrip program to support the women and families. (Buying through Scrip also benefits Peace, as the proceeds help pay our apportionments.) In a recent newsletter from Emma Norton, they encourage the purchasing of gift cards as part of the women’s healing from trauma as it empowers them in decision making. In their newsletter was also the list below of holiday gift ideas. We will update this list as needs arise.

• $25 gift cards to the following locations: Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree, Aldi, Cub, Hy-Vee, Lunds & Byerlys, or general Visa/ Mastercard gift cards
• Gift wrapping supplies – gift wrap, ribbons, tape, etc
• A direct gift to help fund our holiday parties, last minute gift needs, and other miscellaneous holiday needs for our residents

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Youth and Family Ministry Updates!

This Week

Sunday, February 4th | Children’s Church | 10:15am | The children will learn about the story of Jesus and the man who was unable to walk but with the help of his friends saw Jesus and was able to walk. This lesson will include a craft project, snacks. We will also have examples of crutches and walkers to show how people are able to have a more accessible world.
Sunday, February 4th | Encore! | 7:00pm

Coming Soon

Saturday, February 10th | Good Neighbor Meal – Family Day! Sign-up HERE

Wednesdays from 8:00-9:30am, Catch Katie @ Caribou | On Wednesday you will find Katie at Caribou (Hodgson and 96). They would love to buy you a cup of coffee or one of those fancy drinks!
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General Conference Update

For those new to the UMC, General Conference is the largest gathering of the United Methodist Church worldwide. Decisions about the direction of the denomination are made at this level, including any potential changes to the Book of Discipline. General Conference takes place every two years, but has been postponed for 6 years due to COVID.

The most impactful legislation coming up this April at General Conference is a motion to regionalize the United Methodist Church. Essentially, regionalization would allow different parts of the world to hold different theological perspectives based on their cultural context.

The most impactful example of why this is important is the direction of how the UMC will recognize LGBTQ+ clergy and the ability for clergy to officiate same-sex marriages. Globally, there are parts of the world where a more traditional view of marriage is the cultural norm (most notably in African communities). Combined with conservative leadership in the US and other areas of the globe, there is not a majority of support to make a global change to the Book of Discipline on the topic of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Regionalization would allow for the churches in the US to hold a different theological perspective than the rest of the UMC, paving the way for LGBTQ+ inclusion at a formal level, as there IS a majority of US churches and leadership who advocate for an inclusive stance towards the LGBTQ+ community.

How does this affect Peace? 
Functionally, this doesn’t affect Peace at all. The Minnesota Annual Conference of the UMC is committed to being inclusive and affirming. As your pastor, I will not be removed or punished for conducting a same-sex marriage.

What about the Global Methodist Church? Does that impact anything?
Yes and No. The Global Methodist Church is a conservative denomination that has been created within the past few years that holds a traditional view of marriage. A number of churches in the UMC have disaffiliated to join the Global Methodists, including some in Minnesota. The window to disaffiliate due to a theological disagreement about same-sex marriage has now closed. For the churches that disaffiliated and joined the Global Methodists, they will not be participating at General Conference this April. But there are many churches still in the UMC that continue to hold a traditional view of marriage, who will be able to participate at General Conference. So although there was an opportunity for conservative churches to leave the UMC, not all of them did so.

What is the Minnesota Annual Conference’s position towards churches that hold a traditional view of marriage?
To the best of my understanding, and I constantly try to learn more about this, the MN Annual Conference respects that each church can navigate these topics differently as these are complex theological ideas. A church won’t be removed for holding a traditional view of marriage. Likewise, a church won’t be removed for being inclusive. The MN Annual Conference is committed to staying in relationship to one another, despite our differences. We maintain a sibling love for one another, trusting that relationship and unity are our highest calling. AND, we expect respect and kindness towards all people.

Are there any resources to learn more about regionalization?
Yes. Mainstream UMC is an advocacy group that some of us at Peace have been following. They are advocating for regionalization…they are not objective. In talking with people at the MN Annual Conference and fellow pastors, Mainstream UMC seems to hold very similar values to Peace.

Mainstream UMC is holding a virtual roundtable on February 1st for those interested in learning more. Click HERE to get connected.
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Upcoming Events

February 4 | Adult Book/ Bible Study @ 7:00pm
February 4 | Encore @ 7:00pm
February 6 | Men’s Connection @ 12:00pm
February 10 | Good Neighbor Meal @ 9:00am
February 11 | Pancake Breakfast @ 9:00am
February 11 | Super Bowl Party! @ 5:00pm
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Podcast!

Peace | The Podcast can be found on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or almost anywhere you find your podcasts.

Most of what you will hear are the Sunday morning messages, with a few additional elements of the Sunday service.

There is also a new page on our website that helps you navigate to the podcast home page. We will also try to embed episodes on this page.

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Peace Prayers

Courtney Ewald requests prayer for her brother-in-law: “Please pray for my brother-in-law Joel Loose, who is entering hospice. Please pray for Joel to have peace and no pain. Please pray for strength and peace for his family.”
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Do you have a specific need?

Do you want to share a specific celebration of gratitude?

Peace Prayers is a space to share specific prayer requests and specific celebrations of gratitude. These are not going to be private…these are public. Our plan is to put them in the bulletin and/ or on a slide in The Commons, and include them in the Tuesday News weekly email.

We invite you to share with one another so we can be a praying people – both in times of hurt and struggle, and in times of joy and celebration. 

You can fill-out Peace Prayers HERE: https://forms.gle/4YAguMDHmUkJqzjf8

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Volunteer Opportunities

The next Good Neighbor Meal is Saturday, February 10th.   Sign up here to help prepare and serve.

Help with Hospitality this year. Sign-up HERE.

To help keep the Little Free Library stocked with good books, we are recruiting help. If you would like to join us, you can sign-up HERE!

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