May 2018 Newsletter Column: God is on the Move

Church newsletter pastoral column for St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa, for May, 2018, introducing our summer 2018 theme!

God is on the Move

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
– John 20:21

Our mission statement says, “St. Peter Lutheran Church SERVES in the world to make a difference in Jesus’ name.” This summer, we’re focusing on living out our mission by serving our neighbors.

At the Last Supper, before he gave up his life for us, Jesus humbled himself and washed the disciple’s feet. He did the job of a servant, and then he instructed his followers (us!) to follow his example. (You can read the whole story in John 13.) A few days later, after his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples again, and he repeated his instructions. In our theme verse for this summer, John 20:21, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Brothers and sisters, WE are the ones Jesus is sending. As the Church, WE are the body of Christ.  WE are God’s hands and feet in the world. This summer, we are going to focus on a theme of  “God is on the Move” because through our hands and feet, through our service to our neighbors, God is at work. God is moving in our world and calling us to join in! Will you join in our summer of service to make a difference in our world and in our community in Jesus’ name?

Our hope is for everyone at St. Peter to participate, so we’ve picked three main dates for some different congregational service projects (of course, you’re welcome to participate in as many as you want!). Mark your calendar for the second Saturday of each month: June 9, July 14, and August 11as our primary service days. On these “Service Saturdays” we’ll offer a variety of projects here in Greene and in neighboring communities for families and individuals of all ages.

Another component of our summer serving is a new “mini-mission trip.” In addition to a week-long trip back to Chicago at the end of July, Luther League youth will be going to the Twin Cities for a shorter weekend trip of service and fun on June 30-July 1, and anyone from the congregation is invited to join them for the Saturday portion on June 30. There will also be a few additional weekday service opportunities scattered throughout the summer, and of course another excellent way to serve is by helping with Vacation Bible School on July 15-18.

Our summer of service culminates with a Feed My Starving Children MobilePak event right here in Greene on September 28-29. This will be a shared project of many area churches, with a goal of getting 500 volunteers to pack 100,000+ meals to feed hungry people around the world.

Lots more details and information will be coming for all of these service opportunities, so start thinking now how you’d like to be involved. To help emphasize the theme, we’ll have t-shirts available for $15 each, with someof the proceeds going to the Greene Food Bank to feed the hungry in our own community. If you’d like one, order forms are at church, due by Sunday, May 20. God is on the move, and the church is leaving the building. Let’s join in!

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Daniel Flucke

 PS: Check out Christian band 7eventh Time Down’s song “God is on the Move”