Apostolic Mission Congregation of the LCMS Pastor Kristian Bjornstad 2506 N. Main Ave. 343-9828 www.yourpeace.org

FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART:

15The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. - 1 Tim. 1:15-17

Pastor’s can get very discouraged. Sometimes even I do! There might be a variety of reasons for those times, but ALWAYS a most disheartening time when it becomes clear that the children that HE taught in Sunday School and Confirmation and preached to for many Sunday mornings, have lost any true understanding of the Christian confession and any relationship with the One true God. As one recent news article stated, many have let the world and the devil hijack their faith and have, to a large extent, become “fake” Christians, having reduced faith to “being nice” and “God helps me get what I need so I can be happy.” As a “Christian” people, we have completely lost our sense that we truly ARE sinners and that it is through repentance and forgiveness and trust in Jesus that we are the children of God.

What do we say here at Peace?

“I am a sinner and Jesus is my Savior.”

To understand this with our mind and our heart and to live it out every day is to be a Christian. Help keep me out of the sanitarium. DON’T FORGET IT! Live it to your children. Celebrate it in your family & the church!

In Jesus’ saving name, Pastor Bjornstad

Rally Day Celebrations

Sunday, Sept. 129:15 Education Hour

10:30 Worship

Peace Talk - September 2010

How has your family demonstrated in your life together the “I am a sinner and Jesus is my Savior”

slogan this past month? If you had an demonstration of this, please write a few sentences on it and mail it

to Pastor for publication in the next newsletter!

MISCELANEOUS NOTES:PRAISING GOD!+ George Price, our church President

got up and asked for pledges to repair a lodge building at Camp Pioneer on Sunday, August 1st and over $3000 was pledged by individuals in the congregation! And on top of that the congregation as a whole pledged to top off the individual pledges up to $5000 from the church’s funds!!!! God is Amazing! And as George says: “Peace is the BEST church!”

+ CONGRATULATIONS to Chris & Laura Jones who were joined in marriage August 14th in grand style! It was a beautiful time!

+ The Bjornstad family had a beautiful vacation in MN - and the van didn’t even break down! :)

+ The July 10th Chicken BBQ was a great success with $860 raised for World Missions!

+ The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in convention elected a new President, Rev. Matthew Harrison, and made progress on a foundational reorganization of how our synod works together.

+ John and George jr Price worked under the direction of Jim Calpin to replace the edging around the church with brick and bark chips.

+ Additional (and slightly updated) Church directories are available for you to pick up & use as we strive to be a “family” of God!

+ The corner lot across the street is being beautified by a volunteer community organization. The effort is in need of $600 for a stone wall. If anyone would like to make a donation please speak with Pastor.

+ For the hand of God that led a 93 year old nursing home resident to request baptism literally a few minutes before death, and that He appointed our church member Beverly Gedrimas to be present and able to baptize her! Amazing and beautiful!!!!

+ For the faith of Joseph Schulze who lost his job because he chose to follow Jesus and be at church on Sundays!

Christian History:[C] Gregory the Great, PastorCommemorated Friday, Sep 3, 2010One of the great leaders in Europe at the close of the sixth century, Gregory served in both the secular and sacred arenas of his era. As mayor of Rome, he restored economic vitality to his native city, which had been weakened by enemy invasions, pillage, and plague. After he sold his extensive properties and donated the proceeds to help the poor, he entered into full-time service in the Church. On September 3, 590 A.D., Gregory was elected to lead the church in Rome. As Bishop of Rome he oversaw changes and growth in the areas of church music and liturgical development, missionary outreach to northern Europe, and the establishment of a church-year calendar still used by many churches in the western World today. His book on pastoral care became a standard until the 20th century.

++++++++++++++++++++Psalm 146:1-2 (ESV) “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

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PRAYER CORNER:Praise God that Joseph Hafich is home after suffering a serious foot ailment. Pray also for Jayda Robinson (8yrs) who is suffering heart & lung problems. Pray also for Janelle Wertman as she serves in Iraq and looks forward to returning to her family - including our congregation! Pray also for Mark Koenig and Pastor Bjornstad as they prepare for their kidney transplant Sept. 14th. Special prayers also for the Herie family. Our Shut in members include Trudy Makowski, Betty McKeen, and Edith and Elwood Korban.

STEWARDSHIP:

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KIDNEY TRANSPLANT:On September 14th church member MARK KOENIG will be undergoing surgery along with Pastor Bjornstad at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, MD. The Lord willing everything will go as planned and Mark will receive one of Pastor’s kidney’s (his extra one!) Pastor hopes to lead worship on the following Sunday, but if he doesn’t, please don’t hold it against him! Please understand that he might not be exactly up to his usual self for a few weeks. We need to pray for Mark and his FULL recovery and life free of his dialysis machine! Praise God for all his beautiful miracles!++++++++++++++++++

Our church family:

Lillian Colbert in this GREAT pic baby sitting Debbie Price @1957!?

MISSION NEWS/PRAYERS!

NEPA Lutheran Mission PartnershipAt their summer meeting here at Peace on August 21st it was decided to

proceed with plans for THREE mission endeavors that we can invite our area churches to participate in. Two of them we have done before, but one of

them is new! From the meeting minutes:

I.MISSION PLANNING:A.It was decided that the following mission opportunities should be pursued

and not neglected for the coming year. Perhaps we might not get big groups for all of them, but we should not be discouraged. Even small groups of 3 or 4 individuals can do fabulous work.1. New Orleans Camp Restore Relief in January 2011 2. Alaska VBS in the summer of 2011

B. NEW initiative: Building Hope and Homes in Haiti1. Very exciting new initiative by LCMS World Relief and Human Care2. We would like to challenge our circuit churches to sponsor the

building of 2 houses of $8000 each in Haiti. One this year and one next year! We can go down with a team and actually build them ourselves if we want.

PLEASE CONSIDER HOW YOU MIGHT PARTICIPATE IN ONE OF THESE MISSION OPPORTUNITIES!

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Peace Lutheran“PLANET ZOOM” VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL!

The best EVER Vacation Bible School DID take place here at Peace Lutheran Church from July 19-23!! We had a registration of about 40 kids and we had 20 volunteer helpers that made it all possible!! THANK YOU to all who helped make it possible. Please pray for our Fall Sunday School ministry, that it might grow from the contacts being made at VBS!

BOLD BEE-LIVERS!Sharing Jesus Christ with our friends and neighbors!

Parent: “The kids are STILL singing all the songs! The church did a GREAT job! Thank you so much!”

AWESOM

E!!!

SUSAN CROSBIE, R.N. and our Parish Nurse volunteered for a week as Camp Nurse at Camp Pioneer this past August. Unfortunately she had a very trying time dealing with extremely troubled young children from the inner city of Buffalo. Please pray for Susan, for Camp Pioneer, and especially those children who are in such need of the mercy and healing of God. THANK YOU, Susan, for being Jesus Christ for those young people!

Lutheran Academy and Immanuel Preschool News - 4th Academic Yr!The Academy begins its fourth academic year this August 30th! As it stands presently we will begin the year with 10 students. This is down from the 15 we ended with last year. We have two brand new students, but we lost a family of four students to a move out of town and several other students graduated out of the Academy. We are happy with what God has given us and look forward to

gaining more students through the year up to our goal of 15! One of the new students is a girl nick-named Pumpkin and she and her mother came to know about the academy through our summer VBS! Praise the Lord! She has a younger sister named Alexis who will hopefully be attending the Immanuel Preschool.

We want to ask prayers for Eileen Duffy as she begins her work as the Academy Administrative Secretary, as well as all our returning volunteers!

They are all such a blessing!The Immanuel Preschool is also doing well! They hope to have 15 children registered this Fall, including two children from Peace! We are looking forward to another year of blessings from these educational institutions that work together for the good our Christian families in our churches and community. Please note that the Immanuel Preschool has a new website. Check it out at www.leccs.org!

“THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION”FROM PASTOR BJORNSTAD’S BLOG on the internet dated July 29:Today President Obama spoke about his hopes and dreams for improving education here in our great country. I certainly don't argue with him about the need to improve our educational system. But I would like to take issue with him (and basically every President previous that I have known) about the REASONS WHY he wants to improve our education. According to President Obama and the general thinking of our age, the general purpose of education is to drive the economy and provide jobs for everyone. Now, I am not arguing that education is a (or "the") main driving force of our economic engine. It is. And not only is it important on the larger national scale, it is also important for us individually in the struggle to get a job and sustain our families economically.HOWEVER... The question is if this should be THE purpose in education? Is EVERYTHING about seeking after the cares of this world? Perhaps this week's scripture lections will teach us differently. King Solomon speaks of the vanity of seeking after the things of this world. Jesus speaks about the rich fool whose only care is building bigger barns. And in Colossians:Col. 3:1-2 (ESV)If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.At The Lutheran Academy we have a much different aim for education: to equip God's people for SERVICE to God and our fellow man... The purpose of education is to identify and nurture those gifts which God gives each person - so that their lives might be a beautiful praise to the Lord. The purpose of education is to set our minds not on earthly things, but on HEAVENLY things.Yes, through our education we might very well be blessed in obtaining the things of this world. Praise be to God from whom all good things come. But these things are secondary. They are by-products of a heart set on loving and serving God and our fellow man.Take it or leave it. But there is blessing in trusting the Lord on this!

Please support The Lutheran Academy by using Pretty Good Portraits for all your photography needs. www.prettygoodportraits.org

September 9-12thImmanuel and Peace Lutheran Churches, Scranton, PA

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Renewal for Life!

Speaker Rev. Dr. James LambDirector, Lutherans for Life

+ Be equipped to speak of God's Gift of Life!

+ Be encouraged to share that same message with all!

+ Be informed on how you can make a real difference toward building a Culture of Life!

7 PM THURSDAY: "End of Life Issues"Peace Lutheran Church 2506 N. Main Ave.

7 PM FRIDAY: "Abortion Issues"Peace Lutheran Church 2506 N. Main Ave.

3-5 PM SAT. KEYNOTE AND POT LUCK DINNERImmanuel Lutheran Church 238 Reese St.

Bring a dish to share for the dinner.5:30 Worship Dr. Lamb Preaching

10 AM SUN. WORSHIP, Dr. Lamb PreachingImmanuel Lutheran Church 238 Reese

“You are valuable to God

because He made you and He

loved what He made so much

that He was conceived in a

womb, born in a stable, suffered

on a cross, buried in a tomb.

Then He rose again to say ‘Yes’

to it all, to say ‘Yes’ to you, to

give you His victory over death

and the grave. That’s love!”

- Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb

FOR MORE INFORMATION:Please call 342-3374 or 343-9828

National Youth Gathering was July 17-21! Joseph Schulze, Erika and Hannah Bjornstad along with 24,000 other youth from around the nation attended the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans this summer.

I [almost] feel that before i went i wasn’t a ''true christian'' because when i got back i felt like a whole new person. It really did change my perspective on life/God. - Joseph Schulze

Sunday Morning Youth Bible Study!!!!! 9:15! -

- Stay tuned for an October Lockin and Banana Cram!!!!

WOW!!!JESUS ROCKS!

GENERAL NOTES:+ THE LADIES GUILD will be meeting the first

Thursdays of every month. Monica Bjornstad, Guild President, would like to invite all the Confirmed women of the church to join the meetings! This month we hope to discuss the results of the surveys that were given out last Spring on how the Ladies Guild can meet the spiritual needs of the women of the church and further its ministry within the church and throughout the world.

+ CHURCH CHOIR! Kevin Winters, our Organist, is rehearsing Communion hymns and the Matins Liturgy which we hope to actually learn as a congregation soon (again after several years of being out of practice!) In October we hope to gain a skilled choir director! Please speak to Kevin or Beverly Gedrimas if you would like to share your voice or other musical gifts!

+ THE SUNDAY SCHOOL is looking to be very much larger this year with a couple new families who are attending! As well, Michael Mirarchi will be leading a youth Bible Study on Sunday mornings for those who have already been Confirmed!!!! As well, the Sunday School will be arranging a FUN day trip to visit Concordia College in Bronxville, NY some Saturday in October!!!

+ THE MEN’S BREAKFASTS have continued on through the Summer on the fourth Saturday of every month at Panera Bread in Dickson City. We continue to have a MOST blessed faith conversation together! Please come and join us. We have plans to join in with the Men’s Retreat with the men of Grace Lutheran Church, Hop Bottom. Please mark your calendars for the weekend of November 5th!

+ PEACE NOTES EMAIL: If you have a computer and an email address, please know that you can receive bi-weekly email ministry updates and reminders of all the things God is doing here at Peace! Please just ask to be put on the email listing!

+ CHURCH MEMBERSHIP! We again have numerous individuals and families who are seeking membership. We DO have a VERY special congregation in which God is working mightily! Pastor will be opening up a new Catechumenate (faith nurturing community). Please invite YOUR friends and neighbors to come and join our devotional meetings Saturday at 5 pm with dinner if they can stay! MEMBERS are welcome to join us for these devotions and help with dinner! We ALSO need to schedule a New Member/Worshipper Banquet soon! Please make our visitors feel welcome in our congregation! God’s salvation is for EVERYONE!

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WORSHIP LIFE AT PEACE LUTHERANFOCUS ON THE FAMILY!Sunday (starting Sept. 12):EDUCATION HOUR: 9:15

WORSHIP: 10:30 AMThis year we are focusing in on strengthening and

nurturing our beautiful families.

THIS FALL IT SEEMS THAT WE WILL NEED A NURSERY DURING WORSHIP FOR SEVERAL FAMILIES.

What a blessed situation! Any ideas how we can help?

PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCHApostolic Mission Congregation of the LCMS2506 N. Main Ave.Scranton, PA 18508

To a special person whom God Loves:

JOIN US FOR OUR SUNDAY MORNING ADULT BIBLE STUDY ON THE BOOKS OF TIMOTHY!Our opening theme this Fall will be the study of 1st and 2nd Timothy! These beautiful and challenging letters of St. Paul to his young pastor Timothy are very relevant to our Christian lives today. We will be meeting at 9:30 am after Sunday School opening!!!! Come and share! Our Bible Study keeps getting bigger and bigger every year!!!!

QUOTES ON WORSHIP:As long as you notice, and have to count the steps, you are not yet dancing but only learning to dance. A good shoe is a shoe you don't notice. Good reading becomes possible when you need not conciously think about eyes, or light, or print, or spelling. The perfect church service would be the one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God. - C.S. Lewis

In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. - Richard J. Foster

He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake. - Augustine