Sunday Preview: July 17, 2022
When we start school, we have to learn how to get along with a lot of kids who may come from different backgrounds and lives than we have. Sometimes that’s tough to do and we get off the path along the way and end up places we hadn’t planned on going and we struggle with what we need to do. Sometimes we take all the credit for the things we do and look down on those who we perceive as “less than.” And sometimes we need to go back to our beginnings and remember what we learned. Micah reminds the Israelites – and us – that it isn’t all that complicated. But it isn’t always easy in a world where we are so polarized and find it so hard to get along.
While Pastor Jason is out of town (July 15-17), Pastor Linda Koelman will help provide our leadership for Sunday morning worship. For pastoral care while he is gone, you may call Pastor Linda at 612-598-7743 or Pastor Ed Holland at 952-237-4561.
Jason’s Jots: Reflections from Last Sunday
“Wisdom isn’t like knowledge. There isn’t a list of doctrines to memorize or theological concepts to learn. Wisdom doesn’t need defending. Wisdom is meant to be embodied. And that’s what I was missing – an embodied faith.” (read more below in Jason’s Jots!)
Events for your Calendar
July 24 – Family Game Night
August 7 – Outdoor worship and blessing of the animals
August 14 – Communion, Summer Book Club
August 28 – Last worship experience with Dave and Cindy Tidball on staff; retirement celebration
August 28 – Family Game Night
September 4 (Labor Day weekend) – Outdoor worship
Prayer Request
Please remember Tom Jacobson’s younger brother Jerry in your prayers this week. He has had a return of cancer that is now in his lungs and liver, etc. He has started immunotherapy.
Peace is Turning 60 Years Old!
The Steering Committee is looking for someone with the skill set to create a 5- to 10-minute video summarizing our faith community’s 60-year history. Interested volunteers, please contact Pam Jacobson at 651-214-7701. Watch for details on our celebration plans.
Family Ministries Update
Family Game Nights | Sundays, July 24 and August 21 | 5:30-7:30 pm | outside, weather permitting
Peace will provide hotdogs for grilling, buns, plasticware, outdoor games, and bonfire (think s’mores!). Families may bring a dish to share, friends, more games, lawn chairs and beverages.
Children’s Church | Sunday mornings 10:15-11 am for our elementary-age participants
Summer Book Club | final session on August 14 | 11:15am-12:15 pm in the Gathering Place
If you can, read Chapters 5-7 of Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly ahead of time.
Encore Group (middle-school and high school grades) will return in Fall
first and third Sundays of each month
11:15 am-noon in the Gathering Place
Heads up! This summer, Pastor Jason or Amanda will be reaching out to you to get coffee and connect one-on-one.
Employment Openings
With joy and sadness, we are nearing the retirement of Dave and Cindy Tidball at the end of August. Their shoes will be impossible to fill, but we are attempting to do our best. We have four open positions (Director of Administration, Worship Leader, Choir Director, Audio Technician) that are now posted on our website. If you or someone you know is interested in applying for one of these roles, please click on the above links to see a description of the position and how to apply. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jason (jason@peaceumc.com).
Fresh produce for the picking!
Pam Jacobson invites you to pick-your-own between July 10 and August 2: cherries, raspberries, peas, rhubarb, kohlrabi, and maybe lettuce and strawberries. She says it’s also OK to cut flowers or weeds! The address is 331 Lilac Street in Lino Lakes.
From the Ringers of Peace
We, the Ringers of Peace, invite you to join us for our 2022-23 ringing season. We promise you:
* Fun-filled Thursday evenings of creative work with friendly companions.
* Maybe even treats again during our rehearsal break time.
* A chance to contribute music to the worship life of Peace.
* A chance to take the gift of music to audiences outside our church community.
We have openings for up to four new ringers (former ringers also eagerly welcomed back if they wish to return to active ringing).
* We provide individual, customized training based on your previous musical experience.
* We rehearse on Thursday evenings from 7-8:30 pm (after you have sufficient training to feel comfortable joining the group rehearsals).
* We occasionally provide music for worship (you will know the schedule well in advance).
* We usually do one or two special programs during the year (typically in December and May).
* We ask that all ringers by fully vaccinated and boosted as regards COVID. At present, mask wearing is based on individual preference.
To get the process started, contact Dave (dave@peaceumc.com, 651-633-6697, 612-453-8636) to indicate your interest. If you haven’t heard us ring before, listen to us at the beginning of the worship video for May 8th – https://peaceumc.com/staging/8882/peace-time-may-8-2022-2/.
Sincerely,
Lorene Dickert, Kim Higgins, Pam Jacobson, Dean and Shereen Jensen, Jan
Rasmussen, Dave and Cindy Tidball, aka The Ringers of Peace
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.
What? Another 5th Sunday so soon!
Yup, July has 5 Sundays, too. You may contribute to our 5th Sunday fund, now or anytime, to help reduce the principal on our mortgage. Write us a check or go online. Thank you–every little bit helps!
Good Neighbor Meal
The next meal is August 13.
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, contact Katherine:
651-274-6569 (phone)
kmcdowall02@gmail.com (email)
www.themusicalmontessori.com (website)
Emma Norton News
Emma Norton has a long history with the United Methodist Church in Minnesota. Emma Norton Residence is a home for single women who often have experienced trauma, and Emma’s Place is comprised of residences for single moms and homeless families with three or more children. Both are located in the St. Paul area.
Their Summer of Opportunity campaign pays for fun and educational activities throughout the summer. They’ve already put out patio furniture, strung fairy lights, and installed a fire pit on the main patio at Emma Norton Residence, as well as hosting a Juneteenth event at Emma’s place; and they’re just a quarter of the way to their goal of $5,000. Donate at www.GiveMN.org/EmmaNorton/.
If you’re looking for a way to give back to your community this summer, consider a volunteer opportunity such as gardening, leading crafting activities with kids, or hosting a bingo night. To volunteer, contact Victoria at vvirsasy@emmanorton.org.
Jason’s Jots
Reflecting on Sunday’s Message…
The spiritual journey has often been emphasized as a pursuit of knowledge. At least that’s what it seemed like to me when I was growing up, going to college, and trying to make sense of my faith when I was out on my own. Learn this doctrine. Understand that theology. Have a defense for this belief. Make a superior argument for that truth.
And in most situations this pursuit served me well. It worked growing up and going to Sunday School. It was helpful in college when in a theology class. And it grounded me in a faith tradition when life was chaotic. Much of who I am is because of this way of understanding the spiritual journey.
But the pursuit of knowledge can easily lead to being argumentative and defensive. And that posture doesn’t seem to be spiritually mature. I was finding that I wasn’t less anxious and more loving – quite the opposite. I was less hospitable and less kind.
What I was missing was wisdom. Wisdom isn’t like knowledge. There isn’t a list of doctrines to memorize or theological concepts to learn. Wisdom doesn’t need defending. Wisdom is meant to be embodied. And that’s what I was missing – an embodied faith.
Spiritual growth is about connecting our head to our heart. Moving from a cognitive understanding to a way of being in the world. One spiritual teacher said that we transcend and include (we learn and we act). But it can also work the other way – we include and we transcend. Wisdom is recognizing that how we operate in the world impacts what we know to be true. The Wesleyan Tradition would call this an emphasis on ‘experience’.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Job – these books of the Bible don’t simply teach us what to believe, but how to embody that belief. True spiritual maturity is a faith that integrates the head and the heart.