Next Sunday, June 26
Jason’s Message – Let’s travel back in time to the prophet Jeremiah. One of the most famous verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11 – ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ This verse has rightly given comfort to many in difficult times. But if we explore the context of this beautiful verse, new lessons might come to the surface.
Family Game Night – Everyone is welcome to gather around the campfire at 5:30 pm for pizza and s’mores, fun and games. Yard games and board games will be on hand. Feel free to invite family and friends—the more the merrier!—and bring your favorite games, beverages, and lawn chairs if you wish.
New Section Below – Jason’s Jots!
Each week, Jason will provide reflections on the previous Sunday’s message and other random thoughts that come to mind. Here’s a preview of what’s below…
Maybe the Syrophoenician woman put language – and in this case she put flesh and blood – on the calling of Jesus. Maybe he had a gut instinct of what he was on earth to do, but imagining how far and how important it would be was not conscious to him.
Summer Events for your Calendar
July 3 (Independence Day weekend) – outdoor worship
July 10 – Communion, Summer Book Club
July 24 – Family Game Night
August 7 – outdoor worship and blessing of the animals
August 7-12 – Storm Mountain service trip
August 14 – Communion, Summer Book Club
August 28 – last worship experience with Dave and Cindy Tidball on staff
August 28 – Family Game Night
September 4 (Labor Day weekend) – outdoor worship
Summer Worship and Music
Pastor Jason is waiting to hear about your favorite Bible passages, stories, or characters that he can use as themes for the summer’s worship services; send your ideas to him at jason@peaceumc.com. If you want to contribute musically to a summer service, please sign up here.
Good Neighbor Meals: July 9
We especially need summer volunteers; only three people served our guests last time. Please sign up soon so we can see where the crunch times might be! Use this link to volunteer to help prepare and serve meals to food-insecure individuals down by the capitol. The link is also found–any time!–on the Connections and Partnerships page of our website.
Family Ministries Update
Family Ministry Summer Plans At Peace
Hello, Peace Families! We’ve added a Family Ministries Section to Tuesday News. Please look here for summer plans and ways to get involved. The Summer Book Club is now open to anyone! We meet on second Sundays; contact Amanda to pick up your copy of the summer reading. Please join us Sunday evening for our Family Game Night! Note that Children’s Church meets throughout the summer.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, would like to see any particular events or activities, or just to say ‘Hi!’ Find me at amanda@peaceumc.com or 651-587-3451.
Church School & Nursery Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for volunteers to be in the nursery on Sundays. Each Sunday we would like two volunteers in the nursery from 9:45-11 am. We would also appreciate having one or two volunteers to assist with children’s church from about 10:15-11 am. Please let Amanda know if you’re interested (amanda@peaceumc.com or 651-587-3451).
Summer Book Club
Sundays: July 10 and August 14
11:15 am-12:15 pm in the Gathering Place
Any interested readers may read and discuss segments of Brene Brown’s book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Family Ministries has purchased the books for distribution.
Family Game Nights
Sundays: June 26, July 24, August 28
5:30-7:30 pm in Outdoor Worship Area
(Fellowship Hall in case of rain)
Monthly dinner and game nights are back! We’ll order pizza for the first night’s dinner, and, weather permitting, we’ll gather outside with yard and board games and enjoy s’mores around a bonfire. Families are welcome to bring their own games, lawn chairs and beverages.
Storm Mountain Service Trip
Save the dates: August 7-12
Interested youth and adult chaperones may contact Amanda (651-587-3451 or amanda@peaceumc.com). Our reservation is confirmed, so now we need to know who (both youth and parents) wants to come. Lodging is provided because this is a service project, so your only expense for Storm Mountain is your food ($125), plus transportation and fees. Additional details to come.
Musical Montessori
Preschool openings for 2022/2023 school year
The Musical Montessori Preschool has full time (8:15 am-3:45 pm, M-F) openings for the upcoming school year. Ages served: 33 months – Pre-Kindergarten.
For more information, call Katherine at 651-274-6569 or visit themusicalmontessori.com.
Morning Preschool Assistant needed for the upcoming school year
The Musical Montessori Preschool is looking for a special someone to assist in the classroom.
Must be 18 yrs of age; background in music and/or child development/psychology preferred. Above average pay and fantastic positive, peaceful work environment. Hours are 8-11:30 am, M-F.
We follow the Mounds View school calendar for all days off.
For more information, call Katherine at 651-274-6569.
Red Cross Blood Drive
Peace Community of Faith will host a blood drive for the Red Cross this Friday, June 24, from noon-6 pm. Visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter Peace United Methodist Church to schedule an appointment. Or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
June is PRIDE Month
As a reconciling community, we believe in the inclusion of all people – all made in God’s image – and celebrate the uniqueness that is each person. Reconciliation means to remove the barriers that have separated people from the wholeness of relationship. We acknowledge that the church has often failed to remove such barriers and has been the one to put barriers in the way. Our hope and prayer is to truly be the Body of Christ, together in communion, reconciled to one another. If there are ways we can continue to remove barriers, we want to learn. Pride celebrations will be taking place on June 25th and 26th, including a UMC booth for reconciling congregations.
Be part of Twin Cities PRIDE this coming weekend, June 25 & 26!
Each year, MN Reconciling Congregations has a booth in Loring Park where we greet PRIDE visitors, hand out rainbow peace medallions and let people know that there are United Methodist congregations who welcome LGBTQ+ persons! Please help staff the booth by signing up for a two hour shift on Saturday or Sunday. Go to ttsu.me/4zejnb to select your shift. If you haven’t volunteered in the booth before, an experienced lead will be there to help you. Reconciling Congregations will also be in the PRIDE Parade on Sunday morning, beginning at 11 a.m. Watch for information about where to gather to walk in the March.
Please contact sign-up coordinator Judy Jerde with questions: jaj@hopefultravelers.net or 612-414-4779. She appreciates your help to get the volunteer schedule filled!
Resources
The Minnesota Methodists (www.minnesotamethodists.org) have created a wonderful list of resources that engage a host of topics (www.minnesotamethodists.org/learn-more) from Apologetics to Allies and Parents to Worship. Two additional resources we recommend are: Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America and Gender Euphoria: Stories of Joy from Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex Writers.
Racial Reconciliation Book Grant
Peace has received a grant from the Minnesota Annual Conference to purchase books which engage the topic of racial reconciliation. We will be announcing our book as well as the days and times of our study in the coming weeks. Be on the lookout for more information.
Sign up now to help mow!
Summer lawns don’t go on vacation; they just sit outside our churches and homes and keep on growing! Sign-Up Genius offers opportunities for mowing both at Peace and at Sadie and Joe’s house this summer.
Jason’s Jots
Reflecting on Sunday’s Message…
If you are like me, you don’t always love to learn. Learning requires that I admit I don’t know something…that I have a gap in my knowledge. Sometimes it’s easy to admit that – like when I’m trying to fix my dryer and I have no idea how to take it apart so I watch a YouTube video and then follow the instructions. But if I’m honest, I don’t like admitting that I don’t know something. I’m more likely to defend a faulty position than patiently and humbly learn.
Most of the time, I like when the things I’m ‘learning’ confirm what I’m already thinking. I’m not sure that’s called learning, but I enjoy it much more. Sometimes, I hear someone say something and they put language around a feeling or an instinct I’ve had. That might not be ‘learning’ in the traditional sense, but it’s really helpful to have language for what my gut has been saying to me.
In the story that we engaged on Sunday morning from Mark 7, I wonder what type of learning Jesus did in that moment. Was the Syrophoenician woman teaching Jesus something brand new that he never knew before? Was Jesus suddenly made aware that he was worthy of praise and adoration? I don’t think so.
Maybe Jesus just had his calling confirmed. He knew what he was on earth to do and his interaction with this woman solidified the next steps he needed to take.
But (and this is my favorite idea) maybe the Syrophoenician woman put language – and in this case she put flesh and blood – on the calling of Jesus. Maybe he had a gut instinct of what he was on earth to do, but imagining how far and how important it would be was not conscious to him. Might this be why his reaction to her is so seemingly harsh.
Jesus came as a Jewish Messiah, with specific cultural and societal expectations. There was a priority on helping and potentially rescuing a marginalized and oppressed people. This had been God’s way of things since the time of the exodus from Egypt.
But the original calling of Abram (who later became Abraham) was that he and his descendents would be ‘blessed to be a blessing to all the other nations’. Israel was never meant to be the dominant global superpower, but the drink offering poured out for the transformation of others.
Maybe Jesus knew he was called to be a Jewish Messiah, and his gut was telling him that in doing so he was also called to be a blessing to all the nations of the world. Maybe his interaction with the Syrophoenician woman helped him see with clarity that this meant healing and loving and serving those from other backgrounds – like Caananites, Roman soldiers, Samaritans, and many others he would engage during his life on earth.
In any posture, learning requires humility. With Jesus as our guide, we too can learn from those around us…whether they teach us something new, confirm what we know, or put language to the instincts we have.