N E W S O F P E A C E

Peace Lutheran Church, Steeleville, IL

2015

Reflections from Pr. Duncan: I Have Seen the Lord

John 20:18

Have you ever seen God? Up close and personal? What do you think God looks like? If you saw God

where do you think that would be – in church, in nature, somewhere else? Well believe it or not, we have all

seen God. The problem is that we probably simply did not recognize God or want to accept that God would

reveal God’s self in such a manner. In the beautiful prologue to the Gospel of John we read these words: No

one has ever seen God. It is God’s only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

(John 1:18). In other words, if you want to know what God looks like, where God can be found, what is

important to God then all you need to do is to look at Jesus. In Jesus we see God. This is what it means that

God is incarnate in Jesus. God is enfleshed in Jesus; when we see Jesus we see God. And this can be

anywhere, but most especially with God’s people!

Beginning on the weekend June 27/28 I will be doing a sermon series focusing on the Gospel of John.

As you all know our lessons for worship come from a lectionary that assigns to every weekend and every holy

day a series of lessons. There are three cycles of lessons – A for Matthew; B for Mark; C for Luke. There is no

yearly cycle for John. Instead John is thrown in here and there, but there is never a time when we can just focus

on John for an extended period of time. This is partly why I have decided to do this over the summer. We will

have about 10 to 12 weeks to get through at least all of the major stories in John. And I would encourage you to

read along in your own daily devotions, so that together we will get to experience all 21 chapters of John

between now and November.

But that is not the only reason. John has a distinctive voice and perspective on the Gospel proclamation

and much that we know and take for granted about Jesus comes from John. For example, we usually assume

that Jesus’ ministry lasted three years. Why? Because in John it takes three years. There is no way of telling

how long Jesus’ ministry was in the other Gospels. And for many Christians the famous verse John 3:16 is

called the “Gospel in a nutshell.” Why? And is it? In many ways this famous verse is not well understood or

interpreted. We will talk about this during this series.

Issues of authorship and time of the composition of the Gospel are hotly debated among scholars and I

don’t think they are particularly important. Except, that the Gospel was clearly written to a community that was

struggling. They had been expelled from the synagogue and were struggling to redefine themselves and their

ministry. Therefore issues such as witness and discipleship are particularly important to John.

Additionally, the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) spend a lot of time talking about the

Kingdom of God. Mark makes it clear that the Kingdom has come in Jesus and begins now! But, there is no

talk about the Kingdom of God in John. Except there is: John calls it “eternal life.” Every time John talks

about “eternal life” he is talking about the realm of God that begins now. It is a grave mistake to interpret this

as only pointing us to an obscure heaven which we will attain after we die (IF we believe the right things). No,

“eternal life” begins NOW and continues on into death, and it is a gift of God’s grace. At the same time we

have a responsibility now to live lives that reflect God’s love and grace so that light will be shed on those who

are in darkness; that will enable those who are blind to see; and so that life will come to those who’s hearts are

beating but who live in a state of death. These are gifts of God’s grace, but God works through God’s people to

accomplish this work!

So I hope you will join us for worship throughout the summer for our series on the Gospel of John. In

addition to a regular sermon I am planning to use projections to illuminate these glorious stories. Actually, who

knows what I will do. You’ll need to “Come and See.” So please join us for worship this summer on Saturday

evenings at 6:00 PM or Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM.

The listing of lessons which are read during worship are set out in a lectionary which is used by churches of many different denominations.. This lectionary is a 3-year collection of lessons in which the Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke are the focus in successive years.

The Gospel of John is included from time to time, but there is no real opportunity to ever get to hear a succession of lessons from John. During this coming summer we will take the opportunity to focus on the Gospel of John in a series of successive lessons that will eventually take us through this beautiful Gospel. Pastor Duncan will do a series of sermons exploring the narrative flow of John. This series will begin at services on June 27 and 28 with the beautiful Prologue of chapter 1, with a special focus on verse 14: …and the word became flesh and dwelt among us… The overall title of the series is “Seeing in the Dark.”

Tentative List of Themes: 1. Prologue and focus on Relationship and Incarnation – John 1 2. Invitation - "Come and See" – John 1 3. The 1st Sign – Abundance – John 2 4. The night visitor/disciple - Born of water – John 3 5. The noontime encounter - Living water – John 4 6. The sheep-door - Sight, Blindness and green pastures – John 9-10 7. "Lord, he stinketh" - The last sign: Life out of Death – John 11 8. The Annointing - The Sweet Smell of Abundance – John 12 9. Dirty Feet – John 13 10. Hello/Goodbye - The Farewell Discourse – John 14-16 11. Passion – John 17-19 12. "He is not there..." or Fish on the Beach - Resurrection Appearances – John 20-21

Summer Worship: Throughout the summer we will continue the schedule of the weekly celebration of Holy Communion at Sunday 9:00 AM worship; and on Saturday, Holy Communion on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays using the Service of the Word on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays. We are also looking forward to singing some of our favorite hymns this summer at worship. The Praise band will lead worship the last weekend of each month and we will look forward to the experiencing the liturgy of healing on the 5th weekend in August.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thoughts from: Melinda Raby, Parish Nurse YOUR BODY, HIS HEALTHY TEMPLE: The Benefits of Local Farmer’s Markets:

Freshness! Farmer’s markets sell fresh produce that has often been harvested that same day.

Locally Grown! Items at farmer’s markets are grown close to home so fewer resources are used to transport and store food.

Nutritional Value! Fresh is best! Foods that have been sitting on grocery shelves, stored in warehouses, or that have traveled long distances loose nutritional value as time passes.

Better Taste! Not only does nutrition improve when eating fresh local produce, so does the flavor!

Safer! Produce from a farmer’s market is often grown organically, with less use of chemicals and preservatives.

Custom Sizing and Packaging! You can choose one or two rather than an entire bag, saving money and waste.

Keeps Our Communities Healthy! Buying healthy food at local markets puts money directly into the pockets of local farmers and your community.

Free Exercise and Fun! Walk or bike to your local farmers market. Enjoy visiting with vendors and neighbors. Bring young children with you to explore. Have fun choosing healthy, flavorful, fresh foods together! (This information is provided by your local Healthy Communities Coalition)

Melinda Raby, RN BSN, CCRN, FCN “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, Parish Nurse do it all for the glory of God” I Corinthians 10:31

ATTENDING COLLEGE THIS FALL?? Peace Lutheran wants to continue to care for and minister

to you by sending you important information about our life together at Peace. We need your

campus address and the name of your school in the church office by August 15th. If you do

not know your school address at this time, please fill out the rest of the information below

and let Deb know as soon as you have the address. In any case we need to know where you will be

attending. Even if you are commuting, let us know where you are attending school. God’s blessings on your

studies. College/University______________________________________________________________________

Your Name ____________________________________________________________________________

Campus Address (if known) ______________________________________________________________

Email Address __________________________________________________________________________

Circle one: I will be a Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Graduate Student

RESCHEDULED DUE TO

LACK OF A QUORUM

JULY 12TH

, 2015

10:15AM

COME TO WORSHIP AT 9AM

AND PLAN ON STAYING FOR

THE MEETING AFTERWARDS.

We need everyone there!!

Morning Prayer continues every Wednesday

morning at 9:00 AM in the chapel.

Adult Forum is on break until the fall. But Pastor would like to know what kinds of things you might be interested in

studying. If you have ideas or suggestions you can call or write Pastor at prblake1@yahoo.com

EVENING BIBLE STUDIES:

“On the Way” Bible Study is

taking a break for July &

August. They will start back up

in September. Watch for more details. MORNING BIBLE STUDY: The morning Bible

Study will conclude its study of the book of

Exodus in early July and will take the remainder

of the summer off. We will look forward to

starting up again in the fall. Theme and start

date will be announced. Plan now to join

Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 –

following 9:00 Morning Prayer. All are welcome!

The Peace Praise Band Calling all musicians – singers and instrumentalists. If you play an instrument or would like to sing as a

part of the praise band team please call the office and we will pass your information to Glenn. The Band plays about once a month through the year. All instruments are welcome – guitars, bass, flute, sax, trumpet, violin, fiddle! We’d love to have you play.

THE QUILTERS NEED YOUR HELP!! They need more people to come out and help tie quilts. If

you do not know how, they will gladly teach you. Please come out and enjoy the fun time. They meet in the parsonage from 1:00 – 3:00 pm on the 1st and 3rd Thursday each month. Everyone who can help is greatly appreciated. Call Lela Shemonic at 965-3407for information.

Funeral Planning Guide Just a reminder that we have a Funeral guideline and funeral planning packet in the carenotes in the Narthex if you would like one to fill out. The checklist goes

over the choice of venue (church or funeral home), the choice of lessons, the choice of memories to be shared, hymns to be sung, communion or no communion and so on. This checklist gives you the opportunity to make some of these choices yourself and can be a gift to your family as well. If you would like one to fill out or just look at please contact the office, we can send you one, you can discuss it with the Pastor and it will be kept in a file in the office.

We would like to thank Melinda Raby and Michelle Gremmels for all the hard work they put into the VBS program. They do an excellent job. The people

who work on the beautiful decorations in the sanctuary and fellowship hall. All the teachers do a wonderful job decorating their classrooms and getting the lessons across to the kids. The kitchen workers put in lots of work getting the snack ready and putting on all the decals. The craft workers have lots of patience to help the kids make all the wonderful crafts. The helpers really help keep the kids in line and make it an enjoyable time for the kids. There are so many more people to thank – people who help with the registering, publicity, moving crew, sound people, custodians, people who make the snacks. It is amazing how many people it takes to have a well ran VBS. Everyone does an excellent job. Thanks to you all!

YOUTH NEWS YOUTH GATHERING AT DETROIT: July 13–19 LEADERSHIP LAB: July 26 – August 1 FOOD STAND AT DAVE’S: August 8 from

10am to 1pm.

IF YOU WANT TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH THE ACTIVITIES OF THE YOUTH GROUP, PLEASE ASK TO JOIN THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE. It is Peace Lutheran Youth Group - Steeleville, IL

BE PART OF THE YOUTH GATHERING

AT DETROIT

You can participate in the evening program

by watching the live stream. You can go the

website and watch the program live at: https://www.elca.org/YouthGathering

Watch the bulletin as we receive more information.

The Food Pantry We continue to need new people to help in the food pantry. Our Pantry has been open 17 years now and some of our volunteers have been a part of it

since the very beginning. This is not a huge time commitment but you get to help and interact with people in the community that are struggling. People struggle for different reasons and there is no one solution to keep people from going hungry. We don’t solve their problems, but in helping with food, we make today a bit easier. We, as Christians are called to help those in need, this is one of the most direct ways we can be of service. Please consider working with us on Tuesday Mornings. You usually don’t work more than once a month from 9am to Noon. Working the Food Pantry is a win/win situation. You will feel like you’ve helped someone and the recipient learns there are still people who care. Help us, help others. Wednesday All Stars

It’s that time again! It’s time to sign up for

Wednesday All Stars! All 4th - 6th kids are

invited to join us each Wednesday after

School. We ask they come directly after

school and we will release them at 5:30.

Each Wednesday we will have snacks, work

on homework if needed, have a lesson or

craft, run off energy in recreation, sing and

play music and of course we eat again. We

serve a hot meal every week and once a

month the whole family is invited!

Remember this is for every 4th, 5th and 6th

grader, regardless of church affiliation.

If you have any questions please give Julie

Posth a call at church.

Even though it is only the beginning of July it is time to start thinking about Confirmation. Our Parish Confirmation program will begin officially with our annual Confirmation kick-off event for all parents and students that will be

held on Saturday, August 29 from 9 until 1:00. This important event will provide families the information they need as we begin confirmation. Classes will begin on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:00. Please return your registration form no later than the end of July, or go to the confirmation page at wartburgparish.com and fill out the registration.

We discovered God’s Plan 4 Us =

Jesus! Vacation Bible School was

held from June 22 through June 26,

2015. The theme was SonSpark Labs. At

SonSpark Labs the children discovered that

God loves them and through Jesus they can be

members of God’s family and personally

experience God’s plan for each of us – Jesus!

Once Again, we had a wonderful

turnout of children from our church and

community and had a great week. We just

want to say thank you again to everyone who

helped make SonSpark Labs a HUGE success!

We could not have done it without the help

and support of the entire congregation.

The children collected a total of 302 cans

for our food pantry. We also had a grand total

of 192 people involved with VBS in one way or

another – from students, to painters, to janitors,

to teachers – anyone that played a part.

Without everyone’s help and prayers we

couldn’t have made it possible. Thanks so

much to all of you!

The entire week was a wonderful

testament of how God does good works

through His people! We are looking forward to

next year!

Melinda Raby and Michelle Gremmels,

Directors

ALTAR FLOWERS: We still have one opening for the summer which is August 29/30. Let’s see if we can get it filled.

Write on the chart the wording for the bulletin and place $30 in the offering. It’s that simple.

ALTAR GUILD NEWS Altar Guild will have a meeting on July 6th at 6pm.

We can always use new helpers. Please plan to

attend.

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST ARE NEEDED

We are in need of a new team of Ambassadors for Christ. The team can be a married couple or two individuals. The teams go out every other month and give communion to home-bound members or those in nursing homes. It only takes a couple of hours (or less) to provide this very important ministry to our shut-ins. Please prayerfully consider becoming an Ambassador. It is a very rewarding experience and a great service to those who can’t come to worship. If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador for Christ, contact Carolyn Bert (618-534-8977).

Volunteer Appreciation

Pancake Breakfast will be

sometime in August after a

morning church service. All

volunteers are welcome to come. If you know

someone who does not attend here at Peace, but

helps with VBS, WAS, or any other way please

invite them. Watch the bulletin for the exact date.

WELCA - There will not be a business meeting in July. The next regular business meeting will be August 18th at 1:30 PM at which time we will elect officers. Hostesses

for that meeting will be Lela Mae Shemonic and Lil Sternberg. Our service project for August is collecting school supplies for local children in need of them. The next event for the Women of the ELCA will be the Fall Fellowship day at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Carbondale on September 15th. Watch for further details.

It is important that wherever they are stationed, at home or overseas, they know that

their service to our country is appreciated and they are not forgotten. Pray for their safety and God’s blessing on their service and pray for their families. Remember these members, friends and neighbors of our congregation and community who are on active duty:

Sgt. Robert Balmer, Jr., USAF

Col. Kurt Bergo, USAF

Christopher Burris - US Navy

Chad Howard, USMC

Jared McCormick, US Army

(Son of Pastor Jim

McCormick, former

intern at Peace Lutheran)

Ethan Pierce, USMC

SSGT. Jeffrey H. Roberts, USMC

The above list is the men and women we know that are still in the military. If there is someone that should be added to the list, please let us know and we will put them on the list. Thank you very much for your help of updating our list.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RECIPEINTS OF THE PEACE SCHOLARSHIP:

Justine Knop - attend Rend Lake College for

Business

We extend our congratulations

to the members of our congregation who have graduated this spring from high

school and college. If we have missed anyone or if we have made an error, please call the church office and let us know.

High School

Bradley Ebers Brandon Poenitske Justine Knop Elizabeth Theobald

Dillon Loesing

BIRTHS:

Ella Maureen was born on April 20th to Donald &

Kathryn Rednour. She was 7lbs 1oz and 20”

long. Denise & Gary Ebers are the grandparents

and Bill & Yvonne Rabe are the great

grandparents.

Layla Rose was born on April 28th to Brian &

Debra Meyer. She was 7lbs 12 oz and 20.5”

long. Peggy Haberman is the grandmother and

Lil Haberman is the great grandmother.

Ellie Justine was born on May 1st to Eric & Allison

Boswell. She was 7lbs 6 oz and 19.5” long.

JoAnn Mevert is the grandmother and Albert &

Annabelle Mevert are the great grandparents.

Bennet Finn was born on May 3rd to Ryan &

Vanessa (Bollmann) Kelly. He was 8lbs 10 oz

and 21.5” long. Robert & Lynette Bollmann are

the grandparents.

BAPTISM:

Haven Andolyn Elhart, daughter of

Andrew Elhart & Joslyn Simpson was

baptized on June 13, 2015. Her

sponsors were Isaac & Jenny Orr and Dr. Renee

Rheinecker.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS:

Peggy Haberman, 24 Westwood Dr., Steeleville, IL 62288 Alice Sternberg, Craig Manor, 3030 State St., Chester, IL 62233

Ed Haertling, 801B Townsend, Steeleville, IL 62288 Neal Haertling, 701 S. Chester, Steeleville, IL 62288 Troy & Kathryn Cole (Dayne, Bailey) 204 W. Main St., Steeleville, IL 62288 Kira Gielow, 131 Garfield Dr., Apt. 3D, Sarasota, FL 34236 Suzanne Allard (Tyler), 18212 Holster Dr., Dixon, MO 65459

TRANSFER:

Kory Reitz transferred to 1st United Methodist Church in St. Simon Island, GA Cole Stevenson transferred to St. Luke

Lutheran, Campbell Hill Ilze Rukis transferred to 1st Methodist in Pinckneyville Ruby Russell was released to St. John Lutheran, Sparta

JULY

1 - Tacia Castens 2 - Kacey Wolters 3 - Robert Patterson 4 - Harold Harmsen Blake McNalley Tina Rednour 5 - Clifford Knop 7 - Craig Kranz 9 - Ruby Ernsting Dorothy DeAngelo 10 - Kinley Macbeth Sandy Reeves 11 - Angela Knop Shane Stevenson Kira Gielow 13 - Beth Birchler Richard Dintelman Joan Dotson (George) Parker Fiene Zachary Grimes 14 - Michelle Gremmels 15 - John Caupert 16 - Gary Dudenbostel 17 - Greg Dudenbostel Kaitlin Edwards Kari Rheinecker 18 - Lucas Martin Jeremy Mueller Olivia Raby 19 - Cale Newby 20 - Bob Gielow Jayden Hood Martha Wydeck 21 - Adelaide Rubach Marsha Thomas 22 - Cheryl Ebers Sheila Grafton (Catherine) Jinell Hyde James Ohlau Patty Stork 23 - Eli Wittenborn

24 - Tara Cleland Micaela Coleman Scott Knop Rayme McSmith 25 - Mike Hathaway Ron Schifferdecker 26 - Kristopher Fudge 27 - Janice Knop Maya Macbeth 28 - Jon Arthur Dayne Cole Darin Gerberding 29 - Ron Mahan 30 - Mike Bierman Elly Buch Mariah Dunn Barbara Hill 31 - Corey Hedrick Richard Stevenson

August 1 - Lynn Boxdorfer 2 - Alberta Ruebke Mason Cahoon 3 - Sarah Brennfleck Darlene Hornbostel 4 - Charles Schnoeker Charli Sternberg 5 - Karen Hepp Briar Luehr Erin Schnoeker 6 - Justine Knop Dorothy Stewart 7 - Jamie Ennis Linda Knop Christa Poenitske 8 - Gavin Fiene Gary Johnson Owen Lappe Mallory Mueller Lynneen Stork 10 - Kevin Burris Annabelle Mevert Aaron Rodewald Veronica Haferkamp Myron Sykes

11 - Jane Barker Leona Ebers Kathy Karsten Scott Wilson 13 - Mark Kranz Kenny Nagel 14 - Ali Brockmeyer Doris Rahlfs Wilma Waltemate 15 - Dustin McCurdy Steve Rodewald 16 - Nicholas Ernsting Andy Moonier 17 - Joshua Hodge Edgar Wilson 18 - Terry Luehr John Theobald 19 - Ashley Bockhorn 20 - Joshua Bryant Jeffrey Mulholland 21 - Brandy Bixby Dot Bockhorn 22 - Caitlyn Elsea Bonnie Hill Zachary Mevert Eunice Singer Terri Stevenson 23 - Lisa Shemonic 24 - Barb Lenhard 25 - Levi Gaetz Owen Gremmels 26 - Alayna Sauerwein Ada Jean Schellenger Jordan Stork, Jr. 27 - Ryan Bockhorn Fritz Eggemeyer Katelyn Myers Marguerite Wagner 28 - Kaitlyn Loesing Kyle Reitz Mary Witbracht 29 -Janice B. Barbour Ronald Bockhorn Annalee Finley Daryl Luehr Murray Smith 31 - Robert Bollmann

JULY 3 - Kevin & Susan Burris 6 - Terry & Veronica Nagel Dale & Therashia Ernsting 9 - Ken & Dot Bockhorn 10 - Randy & Jamie Klausing 11 - Ryan & Deanna Davis 14 - Randy & Norla Mulholland 16 - Lloyd & Carol Bollmann 18 - Dennis & Elaine McClure 23 - Korey & Kristin Wedemeyer

26 - William & Yvonne Rabe 27 - Roy & Annalee Finley 30 - Randy & Patricia Ennis Jeffrey & Rosemary Roberts 31 - David & Rhonda Bixby Pastor S. Blake Duncan & Christine Kamprath

AUGUST 1 - Jeremy & Lindsay Mueller 2 - Carl & Janet Hafford 6 - Michael & Debra Farris Eric & Chris Froemling George & Veronica Haferkamp

7 - Michael & Robin Burke 8 - Rob & Carla McSmith 10 – Myron & Ione Sykes 12 - Tom & Mary Waltemate Nathan & Lori Fiene 14 - Robert & Eilene Ginger Kevin & Jessica McCurdy 16 - Larry & Connie Brandhorst 18 - Barry & Kim Guebert 19 - Larry & Myra Siemers 20 - James & Beverly Cleland 24 - Larry & Patty Stork 27 - Roger & Cathy Krantz 31 - Gary & Sherri Buch

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><Below is a list of members of peace who are in Nursing

Homes or who cannot get out as much as they would like. Please remember them with cards and keep them and their families in your prayers especially during the summer.

THREE SPRINGS LODGE 161 Three Springs Rd. Chester, IL 62233

Edwin Lakeman Esther Lunnemann ST. ANN CARE CENTER 770 State St., Chester, IL 62233

Leona Ebers COULTERVILLE CARE CENTER 13138 State Rt. 13 Coulterville, IL 62237 Onedia Eggemeyer Lillian Haberman (temporarily)

RANDOLPH COUNTY CARE CENTER 312 W. Belmont Sparta, IL 62286

Viola Koch Millie Luehr Harold Ruehmkorff Toni Craig FAIR ACRES NURSING HOME 514 E. Jackson St. QuQuoin, IL 62832 Imogene Wiechert (temporarily) THE MANOR AT CRAIG FARMS 3030 State St. Chester, IL 62233 Alice Sternberg AT HOME

Mrs. Wahnitta Lakeman 902 E. Green St. Steeleville, IL 62288

Mrs. Barb Bockhorn 411 Hillcrest Dr. Waterloo, IL 62298

Phyllis Gerlach 506D S. James St. Steeleville, IL 62288 Linda Kueker 619 S. Chester St. Steeleville, IL 62288 Katie Heires C/O Cassey Rodgers 3630 Sussex Dr. Minnetonka, MI 55343

United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peace

303 N. Mulberry Street Steeleville, Il. 62288

Wednesday All Stars Registration 2015 - 2016

Students Name:________________Grade:____________DOB:_____________

Parents Name:_____________________________________EMail:__________________

**if Parents are living separately, please show info for each**

Home Phone:____________Cell Phone:______________TEXT: Yes / No

Address:__________________________________________________________

Emergency Contact :___________________Phone;______________________

Special Info: (personal issues, allergies, medication,etc);________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Which number is best to reach you during WAS?_______________________

May we use E-mail for WAS information, permission slips, etc? _________

Will your child be allowed to walk to and/or from WAS?_________________

Other than Parents, who is allowed to pick your child up from WAS?

Name:________________________Phone Number:______________________

Name:________________________Phone Number:______________________

Name of home church, (if any) _______________________________________

PLEASE RETURN TO CHURCH NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Church Office; 965-3119 FAX: 965-9606 ALL STAR E-MAIL: jposth@gmail.com