From Pastor's Desk
When I was a kid I was always wearing bandages. It seems like my siblings and I were always going out getting bumps and bruises and having to have bandages put on. Before my mother would put on the bandage she would always put something on it first. She would put on iodine. This medicine did a great job of killing germs, but do you know what the problem was? It STUNG! Yes, it burned like crazy. It made me want to not even tell my mother I got hurt, because the cure was worse than the injury. Then somebody invented a wonderful thing called Neosporin (and/or bactine). For some reason, it did not sting when you put it on your sore. The inventor of this product figured out how to leave the medicine in and take the sting away. It was wonderful! I didn’t have to risk letting my injury get infected because I was afraid to use the medicine. I gladly let my mother put it on my sore. The power to heal was still there, but the sting was gone! That’s what Jesus does with the most terrible injury of all. That’s what Jesus does with death. Most people don’t want to die. Death can be painful. Raise your hand if someone you know or love has died. It hurt, didn’t it? Death makes people feel sad and alone and afraid. It’s the worst sting we could imagine. That’s what the devil wants us to feel. He put the hurt in death, and he doesn’t want us to know that death doesn’t have to hurt forever. When Jesus died on the cross, He healed us of our sins, and in the process He felt the sting that the devil caused. Now when we die or when someone we love dies, that sting is gone. Now when someone who believes in Jesus dies, we know that person is really still alive in heaven. And heaven doesn’t hurt. Jesus heals our sadness, loneliness, and fear. We may miss the person who has died, but we know that person is with Jesus, so we are not sad forever. The hurt is healed. We may not realize it but the CROSS OF JESUS is a bandage for us. Jesus through his death and resurrection has taken the sting of death away. Yeah death is painful, but its sting is gone. Now we have the healing knowledge that Jesus has overcome death. This Lenten season we don’t even have to be afraid to die because on Easter Jesus overcome death itself.
Dear Jesus, thank You for taking away the sting of death and sadness by dying for me on the cross. Help me to live with joy, because You are my Savior. Please let me tell others about You, so they can be joyful too.
Amen.
Part of this was taken from: 2011-2012 Chapel Talks: Equipped to Serve 35 (Holy Week).
Holy Week and Easter Schedule
March 24th - Palm Sunday – 10:00 AM
March 29th - Good Friday Service – 7:30 PM
March 31st Easter Sunrise Worship 6:30 AM
March 31th - Easter Breakfast – 7:30 AM
March 31th - Easter Communion Service –10:00 AM
Easter Flowers
It's time to order your lily, tulip or daffodil for Easter. The flowers are $10.00 each. Please fill out the form by March 10th and give it to Bette or Dana. No late orders. The altar guild is ordering from a new supplier through another church.
St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church 150th Anniversary Committee
This month’s brief history of St. Peter’s beginnings follows the years from 1888-1909
The next spiritual leader Florida called was Pastor William Schust (1888-1891) of Lockwood, Missouri. He was installed by Pastor William L. Fischer of Napoleon on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, 1888. But soon after this, the congregation at Holgate experienced a vacancy, and asked Pastor Schust to also serve their needs. So the agreement was reached between the two neighboring congregations that they be served jointly by the same pastor. And since the pastor was to teach religious school at Holgate, he took up his residence in the parsonage there. Up to that time Florida had not acquired a minister’s home. The first resident pastor boarded with parish families. However, the majority of the Florida membership preferred to have their pastor in their own midst, so the congregation decided to release Pastor Schust to Holgate altogether and to join with the sister congregation in North Richland Township in calling a new pastor.
This call was submitted to Candidate Ernest Gottlieb Juengel (1891-1893) of the seminary at St. Louis. This young man was ordained and installed at Florida on the 17th Sunday after Trinity, 1891, by his father, the Reverend H. Juengel. But his stay proved to be of short duration as in 1893 he accepted a call to serve a church in Cleveland.
During the following vacancy of seven months. Pastor Herman Diemer of the South Ridge congregation supplied the needs of Florida to the best of his time and ability. Three times Florida called in vain. Then Candidate Henry Kasper Rottmann (1894-1908) from the seminary at Springfield, Illinois was called successfully and Pastor Diemer ordained and installed him on July 29, 1894.
Under Pastor Rottmann’s leadership of fifteen years, the Florida congregation flourished and progressed visibly. It was during this time that the church building was enlarged and the first parsonage erected and other improvements were made. The parochial report of the year 1900 read: Souls: 183; communicants 97; voting members 23; Summer school pupils: 25; baptisms: 13; confirmation 7: marriages 2; burials 1. 8
Re-printing excerpt from “Word and Sacraments 100 Years September 13, 1875 - September 13, 1975” - Centennial Anniversary Booklet
A Peek at Preschool
Dear Christian friends,
Our preschoolers recently celebrated Valentine's Day in a special way by creating Candygrams for the incredible medical workers and church members in our community. It was heartwarming to see the joy they brought to others with their thoughtful gestures.
In another exciting event, we were thrilled to welcome the K9 Comfort Dog Ministry to visit our classroom. The children were overjoyed to interact with these furry friends and experience the comfort and love they bring. Additionally, Dr. Kamcza from Mercy Medical Hospital visited us to share valuable insights on keeping our bodies healthy, educating our little ones on the importance of taking care of themselves.
Mark your calendars for our upcoming events! Our Open House is scheduled for March 5 from 5:30-7:00 PM, offering a wonderful opportunity for new families to explore our preschool. Don't forget to join us for our Community Easter Event on Sunday, March 24 from 3:00-5:00 pm. We are also seeking donations of candy and gently used or new baskets for our Easter raffles to make this event extra special.
Thank you for being part of our St. Peter Lutheran Preschool family. We look forward to creating more cherished memories together!
Love,
Ms. Emilie & Ms. Stephanie
