From Pastor's Desk
This Month in May I am going to teach a Bible class where I go over the main Festivals or Holidays in the Old Testament. I thought what better Holiday to talk about than the one that actually falls in May, which is Pentecost.
We learn about Pentecost in Leviticus 23:15-22. It is often called the Fest of Harvest, feast of weeks or sometimes called the day of weeks. It lasted for seven whole weeks, or fifty days; Sometimes called a week of Weeks. I know what everyone is thinking 7 times 7 equals 49. But there was added a 50th Day, or sometimes called the 8th Day. That fifth day is sometimes called the Azareth. Pentecost is in the Old Testament was a Harvest festival. This was the time of year that God had appointed for Harvest. Hence the references to the harvest in Leviticus 23:10 and 23:22.
On the 50th day the Israelites brought two loaves of leavened wheat bread made with yeast as the “first-ripe produce” from the harvest.” Those loaves were presented together with a burnt offering made up of seven lambs, two rams and one bull. Also included were a sin offering with a male goat, and a peace offering with two male lambs. The seven lambs were connected with the complication of the seven weeks. A bull and the two rams were sacrificed because this was a national enactment. The male goat was sacrificed as a sin offering to make atonement for the congregation.
The 8th day is a day of new creation. And we can see how this 50th day is like the ultimate 8th day, since it was the end of 7 weeks. In the same way after the sacrifice of so many animals and offering of the grain the Israelites themselves must have felt like a new creation.
Now for Christians, Pentecost is the day where the Holy Spirit breathed on the disciples and they were given power from on High. The most important power they received was the ability to speak to other people in their own language. In Acts 2, when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they must have felt like a new creation. What did they do as a new creation? They went out and started a new harvest. They planted the seed of God’s word throughout Jerusalem.
We today can continue to celebrate Pentecost and as we acknowledge there is still plenty of places, and plenty of people, to plant the seed of God’s word.
High School and College Seniors St. Peter and St. Paul would like to feature our graduates in the June Link. Please email or drop off a copy of your senior picture with a bio of your high school or college accomplishments and future plans to the Church Secretary, or email to stpeterflorida@gmail.com.
Social Media Content
Feel free to email Emilie Parsons any photos of church events. Emilie would love help keeping everyone online updated on what St. Peter Church is all about. You can email Emilie at emiliejoparsons@gmail.com or text her at 419-769-2212. Thanks so much!
LWML
The LWML Defiance Zone 2023 Spring Rally was held on April 22nd at St. Peter Lutheran Church - Florida, Ohio. The morning began with a delicious breakfast. Three ladies enrolled in the Deaconess Studies Program at Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana led a Bible study. They also gave a presentation on the Deaconess Studies Program at the seminary. One of the ladies brought her own personal service dog that alerts her when she has a certain medical issue.
A Peek from Preschool
We can't believe that we only have 1 month left of Preschool! April was a busy month and the children enjoyed learning about Easter and the Resurrection. We appreciate those who attended our Community Storytime & Easter Egg Hunt as well as those who helped volunteer to make it happen! The students have also been enjoying trips to the Florida Library and have been checking out books with Ms. Megan as well.
We are so glad to have the support of our local library! Our students have also been learning about animals found on the farm and will begin their Zoo study in May. We had some families bring in their farm animals to talk about and show our students for some hands-on learning! To follow up on what they have been learning, we are excited that we will be able to take field trips to the Meyer Family Farm and the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in May! Thank you to those who also helped donate baked goods for our Parent Workshop and for those who also volunteered to help with food and childcare. WE could not do these events without the support of our amazing church community!
Our Preschool Graduation will be held on Tuesday, May 23 at 6pm and anyone is welcome to attend. The classes will be singing some of their favorite songs from the school year and each child graduating will receive a Beginner's Bible signed by the teachers and the Preschool Committee. Also, save the date for Wednesday, July 12 from 5-7 pm! We will be having our annual Preschool Carnival and are looking for volunteers to help with booths, games, and much more at this event. Please let Emilie Parsons or a Preschool Committee member know if you're interested in helping at this amazing event!!
Our Teachers Stephanie & Emilie had the opportunity to attend the OAEYC Conference held at Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Sandusky, Ohio April 20-22. We learned so much about child development and were able to bring back many great ideas for the classroom. It was a great way to refresh and rejuvenate as a team and enjoy some team bonding and we even won some awesome things for the classroom! We appreciate our teachers and they do so much to help make our Preschool successful. Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12 and families and church members are encouraged to send notes of thanks to show our teachers just how much they are appreciated!!!
We look forward to our last month of Preschool and can't wait to see what the next year brings. We are still accepting new students for the 2023-24 school year and look forward to another great year!
Mrs. Arce
