inside this issue: rejoice! give thanks! st. peter ... · st. peter lutheran church mission...

November 2018

Inside this issue:Rejoice! Give Thanks! page 1St. Peter Preschool Gives Thanks... page 6Mornings With Mommy: What and Why page 10Sing to the Lord page 12Upcoming Events page 13-14

St. Peter Lutheran Church Mission StatementAs people saved by God’s undeserved love, we want to share the Word of forgiveness and tell of Jesus Christ. Remembering Jesus’ love, we seek to strengthen and serve each other and our neighbors daily, acting through faith in our Lord Jesus, as guided by the Holy Spirit.

3461 Merle Ave., Modesto, CA 95355Phone: 209-551-0563 FAX: 209-551-8827

Website: stpetermodesto.org

Pastor Daniel Schroeder(email: [email protected])

Sunday Morning Worship: 9:00 am

Bible Class and Sunday School: 10:30 am

Saturday Evening Worship: 6:00pm (First Saturday of the month)Slate, November 2018 Edition

On the CoverAs we once again turn to thoughts of thankfulness in special and significant ways, often expressed pictorially in the abundance of a fall harvest, we can remember that in all things, whether joyful or sorrowful, the Lord has told us through Paul that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a) Though we may tend to forget this in stressful times we can be thankful again that God reminds us of this on a daily basis. At the end of each day lets all remember to thankfully reflect on God’s abundant love for us.

Slate Page 1 November 2018

St. Peter Lutheran Church Mission StatementAs people saved by God’s undeserved love, we want to share the Word of forgiveness and tell of Jesus Christ. Remembering Jesus’ love, we seek to strengthen and serve each other and our neighbors daily, acting through faith in our Lord Jesus, as guided by the Holy Spirit.

“Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 (EHV)

Thanksgiving Day is the day of the year that our nation has set aside to “make sure” we take time to give thanks for what we have, whether it be family, material possessions or our career. As Christians we know that our entire lives are to be ones of thanksgiving, not just one day out of the year. But how do we know if we are living this way? What does it mean to live a “life of thanksgiving?” Many would think that we do that very thing on Sunday mornings during the divine service, and they would be right. But is there more to it?

Saint Paul, among other writers of Holy Scripture, writes much about this theme of thanksgiving. In Colossians 4:2, as Paul is exhorting those in the church of Colossae, he says, “Be persistent in prayer, and as you pray, be alert and thankful” (EHV). Prayer, over and over again in Scripture, is described in the context of our entire lives. We pray constantly as Christians for all things that we need. We also pray to give praise and thanks to our Lord, from whom all our provisions are met. But what exactly does this have to do with the theme of thanksgiving, beyond only saying we thank God in prayer?

Rejoice!Give

Thanks!


The above passage from Philippians explains what a life of thanksgiving truly is: a life that shows how gracious God is. When we are brought into saving faith, that faith creates a desire in us to not only give thankfulness to

our Savior, but also permeate that thankfulness into every aspect of how

we live our lives. By faith, we are truly thankful for what Christ has done for

us, and the Holy Spirit uses Scripture to show us what that looks like in our every

day lives. The faith that the Holy Spirit creates in us produces thankfulness in us, and

through this thankfulness we show others that we do not worry because we have true peace from Christ.

So how does this thankfulness permeate our lives? As human beings, we think we have to be the ones calling the shots. We know from Scripture that God takes care of all our needs and knows what is best for us, but we live like we know better than Him. This attitude gives no room for true thankfulness because it doesn’t give credit to God for His gifts and work in our lives. However, when we give God the credit for everything He does for us and gives to us, we give thankfulness the proper place to be focused on: our salvation in Christ. True thankfulness can only come from here.

The words from the hymn: Now Thank We All Our God in “Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal” portray this understanding of thankfulness very well:

Now thank we all our God With hearts and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done,

In whom his world rejoices, Who from our mother’s arms,

Has blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love

And still is our todayB


Living a life of thanksgiving is about rejoicing in the wonderful work of our Savior and how that realization changes us to live lives that show thankfulness to our neighbor. To draw from a parable from Scripture, the parable of the talents is not just a parable about how to wisely steward the time, talents and treasures that God gives us, it also tells us about how we are to live our lives before God. When God gives us something to manage, such as our very lives, do we just “bury” it hoping that in the end it will all just turn out okay? Some of us do, and we try to tell ourselves: “well, it’s okay because I know I have saving faith at least.” The problem with that is that the faith that is there is really a dead faith because it has no works, as James 2:26 says “…faith without works is dead.” We need to take our lives (given to us by God) and give it back to Him by saying, “God has given me my time, so I will give it to my neighbor for his benefit, even though I want to use it for myself.” Faith causes us to be thankful, thankfulness seeps into our actions, thoughts and words, and these works are done for our neighbor out of the abundance that God has given us. Thankfulness is both something we receive, and a practice. But most importantly, it all begins with Christ. - Jared Johnson


A pictorial memory of only some of the many people and activities at this year’s Oktoberfest. The event was filled with fun, fellowship, food and blessed by God with a beautiful day.


Evidence of the day’s ativities and participation could be seen everywhere.

A special “Thank you” to all who helped to make this event a huge success.


St. Peter Preschool Gives Thanks...

If you happen to drop by the preschool during snack time, you will hear the kids singing… “Thank you, God! Thank you, God! For our food, for our food. Thank you, God, for loving us and for taking care of us. Thank you, God! Thank you, God!” It is a sweet, sweet sound to hear these little ones thanking God for all that He gives them. As the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaches, I am reminded of the many ways God has blessed us richly with our preschool!

Thank you, God for blessing our preschool with children and their families!

I am so thankful for a full preschool class! We have 24 children enrolled at St. Peter Preschool. That’s 24 little souls we get to feed with God’s precious Word! 24 families hear their children singing songs about their Savior and what he has done for them! Each day is a blessing to be able to share the Gospel’s saving truths to the children and their families!


St. Peter Preschool Gives Thanks...Thank you, God for blessing our preschool with

a well-trained, loving and supportive staff!God has given each staff member unique gifts and abilities that help us serve one another and our preschool children. I thank God for our monthly meetings, to grow in His Word, grow in our understanding of the curriculum and grow in our abilities to serve our kids and their families. Most of all, I am thankful to work alongside my fellow Christians as we share the Good News to all!

Thank you, God for a loving congregation that is willing and happy to support our preschool

through its time, talents and treasures.Since the day I stepped foot in St. Peter Lutheran Church, I have been overwhelmed by the love, care and support from its members! So many of you are willing to help with preschool events either through your time, talents or treasures and with your prayers, and for that, I am very thankful! I thank God for each one of you!

Thank you, God for giving us forgiveness of sins and life eternal through your son, Jesus! Our preschool staff and students are not perfect…far from it! For the many times I fail as a director and teacher, I thank God He sees Jesus’ perfect life in place of my sinful one. For the many times that our preschool children fail to be good students and kind friends, I thank God that He sees Jesus’ perfect life in place of their sinful ones. Thank you, God, for giving us peace in knowing our sins are forgiven and that we have life eternal with you!

Please keep the families, students, and staff of our Preschool in your prayers every day.


How We Got the Bible? (Sunday Morning Bible Study, November 4, 11)

Sixty-six books, more than 1,100 chapters, an astounding 30,000 verses, a mind-boggling 700,000 words—it’s no wonder it’s the world’s most fascinating book. See how it was all put together in our new Sunday Bible study, “How We Got the Bible.” With video and discussion over five lessons, we will watch and hear from a Lutheran history professor, Dr. Paul Maier, to help us understand more about how we got this priceless book from God called the Bible. Join us in the fellowship hall at 10:30am on Sundays.

To the Ends of the Earth (Sunday Morning Bible Study, November 18, 25)

Using the new WELS video, “To the Ends of the Earth,” for two weeks we will look at a portion of the life of the apostle Paul, his mission work, and the ongoing mission work of our St. Peter Lutheran Church today. Join us in the fellowship hall at 10:30am on Sundays starting November 18.

James: How Faith Works (Monday Lay-Led Bible study)

What’s the relationship between faith and good works? Is it not really important what we believe, but that we do good for others? Or is it not what we do that counts, but only that we believe the right things? James sets the record straight. In a small group setting, grow in understanding this New Testament book. This study meets on Mondays at 7:00pm twice a month at the home of Kevin & Monica Hejnal. Check the calendar for meeting dates.

Opportunities to Grow in God’s Word

4th Quarter Adult Bible Studies


Isaiah 1-12: The Gospel of the Old Testament(Tuesday Morning Bible Study)Isaiah chapters 1-12, were originally written for the people of Judah and Jerusalem who were in a crisis because they took their eyes of faith off of the Lord. We hear confrontation of sins, but also comforting words about the coming Christ. We can see ourselves with the people of Judah and have the words of Isaiah that speak to the hearts and lives of 21st century Christians. Join us as we dig deeper into this Bible book. This study meets every Tuesday at 9:30am in the church fellowship hall.

Meditations with Martin (Tuesday & Friday Women’s Bible Studies)One of the most prolific writers in the world’s history, Martin Luther penned some edifying devotions that help us to understand better our God and the Bible. This study is an opportunity to engage with some of Luther’s devotions and apply them to our lives today. It’s also an opportunity to share and be strengthen in our faith with other women of faith. The study meets in the church conference room every other Tuesday at 6:45pm, and every other Friday at 10:30am. Please check the calendar and the Sunday bulletin’s Notes and News for meeting dates.

Christianity 101—People Close to God (Thursday Evening Bible Information Class)It’s always good to get back to the basics, especially the Bible. It gives you a foundation on which to build. If you haven’t taken a class in five years or more, it will be a good review. For those who are interested in possibly joining St. Peter, this class helps them to check out what we teach. This study meets every Thursday at 6:30-8:00pm in the church fellowship hall.

“Broken: 7 ‘Christian’ Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible” (Words Bringing Wisdom Facebook Study Group)There are only two kinds of spirituality in the world. One is false, and one is true. The reading of this book will help us be on guard. Participants will need to purchase the book Broken: 7 ‘Christian’ Rules that Every Christian Ought to Break as Often as Possible by Jonathan Fisk. You will need a Facebook account in order to be in the private Facebook group.


Most members at St. Peter are probably at least aware of a program we offer every other Wednesday called Mornings With Mommy, though many likely don’t know exactly what it is. Mornings With

Mommy is not a preschool nor a childcare program, but rather, is a fun and easy way for Moms to enjoy learning based activities alongside their children while simultaneously getting to interact with other Moms. The curriculum is designed to aid child development emotionally, intellectually, socially, and physically. Each week is based around a theme, and will have activity stations consisting of: a brief story time, a welcome song and Finger-play on the carpet, a Gross Motor skills activity, a Fine Motor skills activity, at least one sensory box, an interactive mural, one art project, and one craft project. The themes of our last two sessions have been the “Zoo” and “Fall Fun” (as shown in these pictures.) At these sessions children were able to engage in a wide variety of activities including making zebra puppets and paper plate lions, raking leaves, digging around in a sensory box filled with popcorn and gourds of various shapes and sizes, and using cinnamon scented play dough.

What and Why


Morning With Mommy serves a dual purpose for St. Peter. First and foremost it is an excellent outreach program that appeals to families with young children, many of whom are unchurched. Mornings With Mommy provides an opportunity to share the Good News with these families in an environment that is comfortable and informal. Towards this end, all members of St. Peter are welcome to volunteer at any of our upcoming sessions. If anyone is interested in volunteering in this capacity, please speak with Becky Kreger.

The second purpose this program serves is as a feeder program for St. Peter Lutheran Preschool. Our preschool currently has several students enrolled who first learned about St. Peter through their interactions with the Mornings With Mommy program.

Our next two sessions will be on a slightly different schedule than most months due to Election Day and Thanksgiving. Our “Giving Thanks” session will be held on Wednesday, November 14th and our “All About Me” session will be held on Wednesday, November 28th. This program is open to Moms (and Dads) with children that are infants through preschool aged. The cost of the program is $5 per family including all supplies and snacks. If you know of any families that you think would be interested in this program, please feel free to direct them to our church website, the Mornings With Mommy Modesto Facebook page, or to Becky Kreger.


If you go to www.biblegateway.com and put words like music, sing, singing, song, or choir into the search box you may be surprised to see how many Bible verses appear, especially in the book of Psalms, the song book of the Bible. Sometimes the singing is declarative as in Psalm 9:2,

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Many times the singing is responsive to God’s mercy, or protection, His love or His grace as in

Psalm 13:6,

I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Still other times it is a proclamation as in Psalm 96:2,

Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

It’s also important to see the consistency of God’s people singing praises to Him. In Psalm 98:1 we read

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

Then when we turn to Isaiah 12:5 we read

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.

Music has played a major role in the spiritual life of Lutherans for centuries. We have another opportunity before us to continue in the musical life of our congregation by singing in the choir. Singing the Lord’s praises in choir with fellow believers is indeed a unique experience. Participation in the choir is open to all high school age and up who have the desire to present the Lord’s praises and His Word in worship through music.

Our first rehearsal for the season will be Wednesday, November 7, starting at 7pm in the sanctuary. Come and praise the Lord in this special way.

Sing to the Lord!


One of the mission statements of the Fallon House Theater is “To produce a wide variety of live theater at a quality equal to any theater in the state.” The ladies are invited to attend a live performance of “Away in the Basement: A Church Basement Ladies Christmas.”

A description of the play states “Our lovable ladies take us back to 1959 and the day of a potentially disastrous Sunday School Christmas Program. With holiday preparations and love in the air, life inside and outside the basement always has surprises in store for them. Can they once again be counted on to step in and save the day?” This play is “inspired by the books of Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, including the best seller Growing Up Lutheran.”

Saturday, December 1 is the selected show date with a departure time from church of 4:00pm. Tickets are $32.00 which does not include dinner before the play. If you wish to participate in this event you must sign up and pay for your ticket no later than Thursday, November 8. To sign up and for more information you may contact Karen Adams or Rebecca Toepel.

Ladies Night Out at the

Fallon House Theater

Final Last Minute Notice

If you receive this newsletter on October 28 you still have time to include the October 29 Christian Movie Night on your fellowship calendar. This movie will be shown at the home of Kevin and Monica Hejnal starting at 6:30pm. There is no charge and the popcorn will be provided. See you there!


Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 6:9-10 NIV

Give Thanks CampfireWednesday, November 216:00pm in the Courtyard

For several years we’ve held a Wednesday evening Thanksgiving devotion and social gathering in the court yard. This is a special time to gather with thankful hearts including a light campfire meal and treats and express our thankfulness to the Lord for all His blessings over the past year. Come and join once again as we unite with one another in thanksgiving to the Lord.

WELS Marriage Enrichmentpresented by

WELS Adult DiscipleshipFebruary 8-10, 2019

Best Western Dry Creek InHealdsburg, CA

Do you seek a revitalizing experience for your marriage? This may be it. Sessions of “Know You, Appreciate You, Gain Trust, Marriage Conflict and Connect with You” led by Pastor Randy Hunter are all part of the weekend. The cost is $429 per couple with a registration deadline of December 8, 2018. For more information go to https://wels.net/event/healthy-marriage-healdsburg-california/ where you may also download a brochure.

Thanksgiving Day Worship

Thursday, November 22

9:00am

inside this issue: rejoice! give thanks! st. peter ... · st. peter lutheran church mission...

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