Yes, it seems strange to say “happy Friday” in light of everything that is going on in the world but we rejoice in the love and grace of God and in that we can be happy even in these difficult days. With that being said, let’s get to it…
1. Online Worship: We will be streaming our worship online once again on Facebook Live at 10am this Sunday and then placing a link to the service recording on the church website later in the day – we hope that you’ll join us for this new way to worship! We are not trying to advertise for Facebook but have found this is the easiest way for us to reach a large group of people for worship on Sunday mornings – if you are not on Facebook and need some help creating an account, if you’re having trouble finding the live stream, or have any other problems please don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll be happy to help. The worship bulletin for Sunday can also be viewed by clicking RIGHT HERE and is also attached to the end of this email. Finally, if you have friends who are not “online” much please reach out to them and offer help so that they can join our worship services and don’t forget to invite all your friends!
2. Open Discussion Groups: We will be hosting open discussion groups this week on Tuesday at 12:30pm and 7:30pm on Zoom (zoom.us). Zoom is a relatively easy and free website to host online meetings and discussions and there are more detailed instructions on how to join one of our discussion groups on the church website and we will re-post that information prior to the meetings on Tuesday. If you have any questions about our discussion groups or have any trouble accessing them please contact me.
3. Facebook Live Chat – Ask The Pastor Anything!: On Thursday I will be hosting a live chat on Facebook Live to “Ask the Pastor Anything!” at 7:30pm. During this time I will field as many questions as I can and if I don’t have the answer to your question I’ll work on finding it and sharing it the following week.
4. Online Giving and Offering: During this time we know that many are struggling and we certainly understand that but if you are able to continue with your offering please either mail your offering envelopes to the church or consider using our SUPPORT OUR MINISTRIES option on the website for online giving – it is a quick and easy way to share your gifts with the congregation.
5. SCRIP and Caring for the Community: As said, we know that many are struggling or will be struggling. SCRIP is a great way to support the church and help your neighbors at the same time – one of the best ways that we can help our community right now is by donating gift cards from Weis or Giant to the church so that we can distribute them to folks in needs either within our community or through the Colonial Neighborhood Council and other Social Ministry organizations. SCRIP is easy! You can increase what you give to the church by buying these cards for your daily expenses and help out your neighbors by donating cards. Groceries, gas, Home Depot, Target, Ace Hardware Stores, Amazon purchases, etc. To place orders for Scrip online go to www.ShopWithScrip.com and click “Join A Program.” Our Enrollment Code is: DDA6EF5815851. Our Organization is: St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. Our Coordinator is: Jane Stettler, jstettler@krautharris.com. If you order cards for either personal use or donate we will be in touch with you to coordinate a safe way for you to pick up your cards.
6. Church Office: Our church office will continue to function but it will obviously look a little different for the time being as we are all going to be working remotely whenever it is possible. We will be going to the church periodically to check the mail, take care of administrative tasks that must be handled in the building, and update records. Carla is working on changing the church voicemail and will be checking messages frequently and we are also working on having calls forwarded from the church phone to my cell phone. If you have a need during this time please do not hesitate to contact me directly on my cell phone or by email.
7. Check-ins: We ask all the people of St. Peter’s to check in with one another during this time – if you have time please call or email your friends and neighbors, the person who always sits in front on you at church, or someone whose name just pops into your head. If you are aware of any needs within our community please let me know directly. During this difficult time it is of the utmost importance that we communicate with one another and take care of one another as best we can.
8. Website: We will be using the church website (www.stpeterslafayettehill.org) and our Facebook page as our primary means of daily communication for the foreseeable future – please check the website frequently and please share information with others in the community and beyond.
9. Ideas: This is a new and different time for all of us – our church, community, nation, and world all must learn to do things differently – if you have any ideas for how we might better share the life, love, and joy of Jesus Christ please let me know!
Well that covers everything for now St. Peter’s so we hope that you are staying safe and taking care of yourselves and one another – join us for worship and our other online activities, don’t forget to check the website frequently, support our ministries at St. Peter’s and help your neighbors if you are able, pray without ceasing, and as always keep sharing the life, love, and joy of Jesus Christ with all!
Your fellow servant in Christ,
Pastor Suloff
