Sunday Preview: July 24, 2022
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.
Jason’s Jots: 12 Weeks Later…
“What I’ve loved about our community is the desire people have to learn new things and be open to new stories. Opening up this way moves us towards being people of love and hope – we move towards reconciliation. ” (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 13 – Good Neighbor Meal
August 14 – Communion, Summer Book Club
August 21 – Family Game Night
August 28 – Last worship experience with Dave and Cindy Tidball on staff; retirement celebration
September 4 (Labor Day weekend) – Outdoor worship
Prayer Request
Please remember Tom Jacobson’s family. Tom’s brother, Jerry, who was recently diagnosed with another cancer died at his home on Sunday. He is survived by his children, ShaeLynn & Dustin, 2 grandchildren, Dillon & Jace, 6 brothers & sisters, along with many nieces & nephews.
Peace is Turning 60 Years Old!
The Steering Committee is looking for someone with the skill set to create a 9-10 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.
A Couple Edits Needed
Two things came to light today regarding financial contribution statements for the first half of 2022–
1 – Sunday morning, after I had printed all the statements, a little envelope with the offering from Sunday, June 12 came to light from the depths of the safe. Well, it was safe there, but unfortunately also forgotten when I returned from the handbell festival. If your statement, which is off in the mail now, is missing a June 12 donation, please know that I am aware of it and it will show up with a July date on your next statement.
2 – I think the printer in the office missed me when I was out most of the last two weeks and has sought its revenge. For statements that run to two pages, there may be some things cut off the bottom of that first page. If your statement is missing critical information on a 2-page statement, please send me an email (cindy@peaceumc.com). I’ll be more than happy to review your giving record and print a new statement for you–after I return from a Jumpin’ Jehosafats tour this week.
I apologize sincerely (and seriously) for these oversights.
Cindy
An Invitation from the Ringers of Peace
We 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, check us out ringing 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
August meals will be served on the 13th and the 27th. Please sign up early.
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)
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
12 Weeks Later…
This coming Sunday will be my 12th Sunday as pastor of Peace Community of Faith. It simultaneously feels like I’m just getting started and that I’ve been here for ages. We’ve had so much happen these past few weeks, both in the world and in our own community – much of which has been hard and painful. And so much additional change is just around the corner with Dave and Cindy retiring. It feels like a time to celebrate and reflect AND a time to prepare and launch into what’s ahead.
As I’ve been learning about this community and our desire to impact others, the two words that keep coming to mind are: RECONCILING and GROWING. These words not only describe who we are, but they prescribe who we are becoming.
RECONCILING – Reconciliation, according to Reverend Dr. Shawn Moore of Living Spirit Church (UMC) in South Minneapolis, is to remove the barriers that keep us from healthy relationship. Peace has a beautiful history of being a welcoming place for all people. We seek to remove the barriers that keep people from understanding and experiencing God’s love and justice. This is tangible, boots on the ground, get your hands dirty, humble work. Sometimes the barriers are within us, and sometimes the barriers are the systems we participate in. Our hope is to identify and dismantle those barriers so unity and generosity can flourish. Reconciling work expands who we are – we might not even realize it, but we are growing.
GROWING – Humans are made to grow – it’s what we do. We grow physically, relationally, behaviorally (hopefully), cognitively, and spiritually. When people are willing to grow there is something electric about being around them…they have a different flow and presence. Complacency and stagnation lead to atrophy, which leads to death. If we aren’t willing to grow and learn, if we aren’t willing to be curious, we will simply die a slow death. What I’ve loved about our community is the desire people have to learn new things and be open to new stories. Opening up this way moves us towards being people of love and hope – we move towards reconciliation.
Reconciling and Growing – There is a cyclical nature to all of this. They feed into one another. Some of us need to start with getting in the mix and doing the work of reconciliation…and along the way we discover that we’ve grown. Others will want to read and discuss and talk through ideas, process it all out…and discover a burning passion to remove the barriers that keep people from flourishing – reconciliation.
The challenge for all of us is to take the next step. It’s wonderful to talk about being a reconciler or a life-long learner – it’s an entirely different thing to do the work or join a group. We will see lives changed when we take the steps towards being Reconciling and Growing. Get ready for an exciting fall where we continue to take steps in this direction.