There is an origin story for our congregation which always humbles me. On June 2nd, 1898, a group of nine men gathered and began planning for the establishment of what would become Peace Church. I’ve heard over the years that they may have broken away from the Lutheran church in town because that church frowned on the farmers stopping for a beer after their trek into church on Sundays. And I’ve heard that they were motivated by a desire to start an Evangelical Church in the area. Whatever the reason, those nine families dreamed a vision way beyond themselves. On August 20th that same year (124 years ago) they laid the original cornerstone for our church building. By November 4th a few months later they were dedicating the church and worshipping in their new church building. That timeline stuns, and humbles, me every time that I read it. Of course, I’m also stunned when I hear that they built the whole enterprise for $3,900 thanks to lots of the work being done by the members.
There are parts of the story that, like most histories of the period, lack much mention of the contributions of all the strong women who I’m certain were at least as responsible for the success. I often think of that verse from 2nd Timothy: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.” We are often reminded that behind every dream there are so many people who are faithfully working to bring it to fruition. We are given the remarkable opportunity to look back through the last 124 years and see and name so many faithful stewards of the life of our congregation. We have come a long, long way as a witness to the extravagant love of God in our world.
These days we continue in an interesting moment within the life of the Church. We are still emerging from a period of significant disruption that was thrust upon us by both the pandemic and a moment in our nation’s history which has pulled at the fabric of our unity. The story is still unfolding, the conclusion yet unwritten. But there is a vision and a witness which is rooted in our past that we would do well to remember. Great things are possible when we share a vision and a dream. We have named a vision, that we “exist to feed souls, grow in God's extravagant love, and together serve all of God's children and creation.” We’ve articulated a mission that we are to “Love like Jesus… welcoming all, loving all, growing in faith together, and seeking justice for all.” The dream is vast and deep, and not unfamiliar. As we think about how we navigate reclaiming our momentum forward I hope that we can all put our shoulder to the dream that God is inviting us into as a community. It will take all of us, and it will take reclaiming the faithfulness of the generations before us and those yet to come.
In concrete ways, we are busy revamping Sunday School to try to make it more engaging for the students, and also to have it deepen their understanding of our sacred story and their faith. In this Tidings you will find a description of the rotation model that we will be implementing this fall. It should be fun, and it should offer new opportunities for members of the congregation to share the faith formation of the next generation. Confirmation is also shifting to include all our middle school students, 6th-8th in the Sunday morning confirmation curriculum. We will continue working to energize our Middle School youth group and seek to rekindle energy among our High School youth. We are hoping that we can also renew our energy and commitment to our missions with Habitat for Humanity after a time without mission trips. We are already planning a trip for the beginning of the New Year for our college-aged/young adult group. And we’re excited as we dream how our soon-to-be-finished kitchen might become a hub for a host of mission and ministry opportunities. There is yet more inspiration to break forth from among us. It will take all of us. What a year to consider how we reclaim our mission and vision as we work toward 125 years of Peace Church proclaiming God's love in the world. Blessings, Pastor Eric