Peace Lutheran Church El Paso March Newsletter

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  • 7/29/2019 Peace Lutheran Church El Paso March Newsletter

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    Passing the Peace

    Peace Lutheran Church (915) 584-1383 March 2013Volume 2,Issue 3

    Are We There Yet?

    Thoughts along the Way by PJ

    I know I told this story once in worship for the childrens sermon. I would, however, like to

    retell it here for the benefit of all who may have missed it on that particular morning.

    This is the story of my experience going up the mountain; literally, to Copper Mountain to take

    some ski lessons and spend the weekend skiing with some dear close friends. I, if I were to be

    honest, and I like to be honest, would have to tell you from the beginning I had not been skiing in a

    very long time. This mere fact, for me, is not trivial as the last time I had been skiing was in a place

    resembling more hills than mountains. With that said, I was approaching this weekend on two

    fronts: 1) A great opportunity to see my friends and get some exercise and 2) A great opportunity for

    me to test my durability, i.e. not to return to El Paso with broken bones.

    I was also a tad bit nervous or one could even say scared. My friends had both scared their

    wives off of skis in the not so distant past and all they could say about we was that I was a bit more

    dare devilish than their wives. They ski double black diamonds and I like double black Johnny

    Walkerthis was going to be a harrowing weekend

    At long last, the day of our trip arrives. My friends all board planes in different cities, I boardin El Paso, and we all arrive in Denver relatively close to one another. We hook up, rent the car,

    and begin our journey to the house we would be using as our base of operations. Normally, we are

    surrounded by our beautiful wives and discussion tends to be a bit more intellectual. But, and I dont

    know what it is, when you put a group of men in a car (plus their mom), conversation digresses from

    intellectual stimuli, to who can make the loudest noises with their bodies I do cherish those times

    I also am happy to return to adulthood too!

    Conversations were short our first evening in Colorado as we all were tired from our travels

    and were anticipating a beautifully long snowy day on the slopes of Copper Mountain. Sleep came

    fast. Morning came faster. As we ate, laughed, packed lunches, put our ski clothes on, and loaded

    the car with the equipment, there was an air of excitement and anticipation, and air of energy, andan air temperature of about zero degrees I was not thrilled about the temperature, I was,

    however, marveling at the beauty of the scenery, the magnificence of our friendships, and the

    elegance of our love

    for one another. Those things span distance and time and forge bonds stronger than most any I can

    think of.

    We arrived at Copper Mountain, I rented equipment, my friends headed off to the double

    blacks, and I practiced on the kiddie hill awaiting my ski school instructor and classmates to join me.

    Wally, a native of Brooklyn, tells us, upon his arrival, that we should consider ourselves lucky we

    would not be experiencing the GLMF method: the Good Luck My Friend method where by the

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    instructors would take you to the top of the mountain, give you a gentle push, and yell after you:

    Good Luck My Friend. No, Wally, would gently remind us we were here to learn how to ski, not die

    trying. Wally told us to remember these four things: Fear, Courage, Experience, and Confidence.

    Fear: right now this may be quite frightening to you. Right now you may very well be looking

    around and wondering what you got yourself into. Right now you may be wondering if you

    want to go to the spa instead. You should! You should have some fear right now. This is

    brand new to you. You can get hurt doing this. You have a lot to learn. You have a right to

    be scared, or afraid, or humbled, or in fear.

    Courage: I am going to ask you to be brave, to have some courage. I am going to ask you to

    step outside of your comfort zone in order that you can exercise some courage, some

    bravery, so that you can grow and overcome your fear.

    Experience: by overcoming your fear, exercising courage, you will gain experience. As you

    gain experience you will challenge yourself to grow some more by trying some new things.

    As you try new things you will gain new experiences and will have overcome your fears agai

    and again and again through courage.

    Confidence: And as you gain more and more experiences you will gain confidence! When

    you have confidence there is nothing you cannot do. Remember: fear, courage, experience,

    and confidence. That is the goal of our class today: to get you to overcome your fear,

    exercise your courage, gain experience, and to inspire confidence in yourselves!

    I cannot help but think of our life of faith in those terms, and it is intriguing to me, to think of our life

    of faith in those terms. Here is why: the world around us has, is, and will continue to change. As

    Christians we have an amazing story to tell. All of us have an amazing story to tell, not just the

    pastor, not just the kids, not just the people who have gone through some sort of tragedy. All of us,

    as Christians, have an amazing gift to tell of how God has touched our hearts, changed our lives,

    and is compelling us to live our lives in such a way that the world around us would say, hey, what is

    that all about? I want to be a part of that.

    We may, I would suspect, have some fears about what this means for us. Did God really

    mean I should go to Juarez and serve the poor? Does God really mean I am to love the folks in

    Central El Paso? Does God really mean the woman who has

    given her kids to friends until she can find a job and an apartment because she has lost her job and

    been evicted from her apartment is the first among us? How can we engage in a community where

    by people are suffering? First things first: dont despair. People are people and all people are

    created in the image of God. Remembering this always helps me to know I am in the presence of

    the Almighty when I am building a home, serving a meal, talking with legislators, business people,

    homeless, beaten and battered, childrenpeople are people and all people are created in theimage of God. By getting involved we get to know and put a face to the phrase: the little, the least,

    the last, and the lost.

    Getting involved, seeing the face of suffering, seeing the face of Jesus in our midst takes an

    act of courage in the first place! The very act of getting involved takes courage and allows us to

    overcome our fear, and moves us to a place of relationship.

    The more we are involved in relationships the more courage we must muster because

    relationships involve intimacy: a kind of deep knowing that comes from listening and sharing of

    ourselves. The more courage we muster the deeper our relationships go, themore experienceswe

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    Ladies Nite Out

    share with one another. These experiences begin to shape and mold our perceptions of our world

    they become part of us, and part of our community. These experiences provide for us a calling, an

    empathy, a beautiful tragedy. What I mean by that is when we are faced with experiences differen

    from our own, they may very well, break our hearts. We may find ourselves thinking, I wish I didn

    know this about our community. And the fear creeps up, and so we must summon the courage to

    enter into the experienceto live with it, to live it, to share it, to give voice to it and to those who ar

    unable to give voice to their experiencesthen we must do that on their behalf as a humble act of

    service.

    As we do all these things, we gain confidence. And, like Wally said, when you are confidenwhen you have confidence, you can do anything!

    All of this can apply to service in the community, reading in worship, being an acolyte,

    ushering, or even greeting someone you dont know. It may even apply to delivering a sermon or

    reflection, sharing our faith with one another, putting a prayer card on the wall or inviting prayer for

    ourselves or for a loved one.

    The point is this: We all have a story to share. We are all living, breathing, beautiful people,

    who so happen to be gifted with the opportunity, perhaps, mandate, to tell our storyGods story.

    pray that together, we may overcome our fear, summon our courage, and gain experience, so that

    with confidence we can proclaim to the world in word and in deed what God has done for us and fo

    all of Creation in Jesus Christ.

    Peace,

    Pr. Jon

    March 7th at 5:30 pm

    AJs Diner

    7102 North Mesa

    Ladies and friends of

    Peace are cordially

    invited

    Easter Eggs are ready for you to pick up to fill for the Easter EggHunt on Saturday, March 30

    thhere at Peace.

    Please return by March 24th

    . Thanks.

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    Holy Week Worship is a

    sacred experience for the

    believers of Jesus. We

    gather to remember Godsnew commandment to love

    one another as God loves

    us. We gather to

    remember Jesus death

    and what that means for

    our lives. We gather for the

    celebration of the

    resurrection! We gather for

    worship to remember and

    celebrate the last week ofour Saviors life. These

    services are meant to help

    us to contemplate the

    depths of Gods love for us

    and all creation, draw us

    into a closer relationship

    with God and with one

    another, and draw us into

    partnership with God as;

    we too, work to make the

    Kingdom a reality for the

    people of this, our home

    away from Home.

    We will begin Holy week

    on March 24th with Palm

    Sunday. This

    service will have a

    congregational procession

    with Palms. We will gatherto begin worship on Palm

    Sunday out by the round-

    about with the Liturgy of the

    Palms, and then proceed

    into the sanctuary, and

    continue with worship.

    Also on Palm Sunday,

    March 24th, Rabbi Larry

    Bach and I will be co-

    facilitating a learning

    opportunity in preparation

    for the Seder Meal to be

    celebrated at TempleMouth Sinai on March 26th,

    from 6:30pm-9:30pm.

    Tickets will be sold to help

    defray the cost of the meal.

    We will have about 20

    seats available for this

    Seder celebration.

    On Maundy Thursday,

    March 28th, Peace

    Lutheran and Cristo Rey,will worship together.

    Worship will be at 7pm at

    Peace Lutheran as we

    celebrate our new

    commandment with the

    sacred foot washing.

    Good Friday worship

    will be celebrated on

    Friday, March 29th, at 7pm

    at Cristo Rey (1010 E

    Yandell Dr , El Paso, TX

    79902).

    On Holy Saturday,

    March 30, we will have an

    Easter Egg Hunt and a

    dramatic reading of the

    story, The Legend of the

    Easter Egg. The event will

    be at Peace LutheranChurch at 3pm. We will

    need volunteers to help fill

    and hide the eggs,

    donations of candy for the

    eggs, and some folks to

    just simply help us all to

    have a good time. Please

    mark your calendars and

    plan to attend/help with this

    event on March 30 at 3pm

    at Peace Lutheran Church

    (1699 Belvidere St. El Paso

    79912). Remember, also,to bring your camera for

    pictures.

    Easter Sunday is March

    31st, and you are invited to

    come and celebrate the

    Resurrection of our Lord

    Jesus Christ! At 9am will

    be worship and then

    following worship we will

    have Easter Brunch and

    fellowship! I cant think of a

    better way to celebrate the

    resurrection of our Lord

    than being with my brothers

    and sisters in Christ in

    worship and then sharing a

    sacred meal together!

    Holy Week is a busy

    week. And I know for busypeople, taking time to come

    to extra services may

    seem like a burden. To

    me, I think about it as an

    opportunity for me to put in

    line my priorities for life with

    the things I confess to be

    true: Jesus is Lord, Jesus

    is Risen, Jesus will come

    again! Coming to theseworship services is a

    commitment, it does take

    time, and it does take some

    planning. It is worth it, for

    you, for me, for us! See

    you there!

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    I like to give you an

    article, like this one, every

    month because it keeps

    before us, not only theneeds of the community,

    but also a sense that the

    offering we give is making

    a difference in the world.

    Just recently I went to

    Austin with Border Interfaith

    to advocate on behalf of

    our neighbors who do not

    have health care coverage.

    There were folks from

    the Valley, Dallas, Fort

    Worth, Houston, San

    Antonio, El Paso, West

    Texas, North Texas, South

    Texas; what I am driving at

    is that there were people

    from all over the state of

    Texas gathered in Austin to

    make our voices heard on

    behalf of those who do not

    have a voice, those who

    are voiceless, who are

    dying because of the

    inadequate access to

    health care, who are hard

    working people who cannot

    afford to pay the costs of

    health insurance. Border

    Interfaith was there to

    make sure we spoke up on

    behalf of our brothers andsisters, more than 50,000

    people in El Paso alone,

    who would be given access

    to health care if Medicaid

    were to be expanded in the

    state of Texas. Not to

    mention the $220 million

    dollars a year for the first

    four years that would be

    poured into the city of El

    Paso, our tax dollars we

    paid to Washington DC,

    returned to us so that we

    can help make El Paso abetter place to live for all of

    us.

    Your giving, is working

    to make this city the best it

    can be, for all people. That

    is something to be excited

    about! I would also ask you

    to pray about Medicaid

    expansion. Whether you

    are for it or against it, I am

    asking you to pray about it,

    talk about it with friends

    and neighbors, co-workers

    perhaps, because it is

    something that affects us

    all.

    There are a number of

    people who have been

    asking about when we will

    offer our next new member

    classes. Well, I have ananswer for you: April 14th-

    June 9th. We will not have

    classes on May 26th

    because it is Memorial Day

    weekend. We will,

    however, have classes all

    the other Sundays during

    that time span. We will talk

    about what it means to be a

    Christian, the Bible and

    how, we as Lutherans,

    understand the Bible,

    baptism and communion,

    what your passions for

    ministry are, and how to get

    involved in the life of the

    congregation. Remember,

    faith is not a spectator

    sport; it is something we

    live out actively!

    If you or someone you

    know, would like to become

    members of Peace

    Lutheran Church, please

    contact the office so that

    we can put materials

    together for you.

    See you there!

    Peace,Pr. Jon

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    I remember as a child I

    would look forward to

    May/June every year. I

    know what you are

    thinking, Sure you did,

    school was almost out and

    you were free for the

    summer! Normally I would

    say, Yes, yes I was! But

    not this time.

    This isnt about school,or vacation, or going on a

    trip with friends and/or

    family. This was is about

    spending time with my

    mom. Every year, for as

    long as I can remember

    growing up, we would go to

    one of the local farms and

    pick strawberries until we

    couldnt pick any more.Generally speaking, in my

    house, I am not an early

    riser, or not a happy early

    riser. I am quite fond of

    saying Gods not up

    yetgo back to sleep, if

    the kids come into the

    bedroom to wake me up

    before the sun comes up.On strawberry picking

    day, though, I was up, I

    was dressed, I had eaten,

    and I was ready to go. All

    the time spent crouched

    over in the shadows, or in

    the sun, picking

    strawberries, singing

    songs, talking with mom,

    hearing the sounds of the

    country, observing other

    families doing the same

    thingsome for the first

    time; made the taste of

    those juicy berries a flavor

    my soul remembers. This

    day, as ordinary as itseems, was no ordinary

    day. This day was

    simplistic in nature and

    profound in spirit. It was

    strawberry day, and I will

    never forget it.

    Sunday, March 17th, we

    will be gathering for brunch

    following worship! March

    17th will be a day that startslike every other day we

    gather for worship on

    Sunday mornings,

    and as we sing our songs,

    talk with the Father and

    Mother of us all, dine at

    Gods table; the day will be

    simplistic in nature and

    profound in Spirit. When wehave gathered around the

    Word and the Table we will

    continue our worship as we

    gather for food, fellowship,

    and sacred conversation.

    You see, on Sunday

    March 17 , we will have an

    opportunity to break up into

    smaller groups to talk with

    one another about the

    pressures we face in our

    lives/in our family lives. We

    will hear stories from one

    another about our

    experiences living in El

    Paso, not just listen to one

    another, but hear oneanother. We will dine with

    God, with one another in

    what can only be described

    as a heavenly feast, and

    we will share in one

    another company for the

    good of us all.

    Please see the sign-up

    sheets in the narthex

    (lobby) of the church orcall/write the office to let us

    know what dish you can

    bring to the gathering.

    This will truly be a day

    filled with Strawberries and

    Spirit. I look forward to

    seeing you there!

    Peace,

    Pr. Jon

    Psthis event will take the

    place of Sunday School for

    the day.

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    Brothers and Sisters in

    Christ I wanted to take a

    moment to expound upon a

    question I received during

    the announcements in

    worship not all that long

    ago. The question was,

    When are we going to

    have our stewardship /

    giving drive for the

    ministries of the

    congregation? Theanswer to that is this:

    Materials are going to be

    sent / passed out to the

    congregation beginning in

    early to mid-March.

    There is a very good

    reason for waiting till then

    to pass out these important

    materials. Currently in

    production is the ministry

    plan for the 2013-2014

    ministry year. The giving

    campaign is going to be

    tied directly to the ministry

    plan for the year. All of this

    is to say: it would have

    been premature for us to

    ask for your support of the2013-2014 ministry year

    without having a plan for

    you to pledge towards.

    As you read this, keep

    in mind, we are working

    under the 2012-2013

    ministry plan. I remind you

    of this so that you know

    your giving is vital to the

    work we are undertaking as

    a congregation even now

    while we plan for the next

    year. Please pray about

    your support, and then, be

    generous so that as a

    congregation we can

    continue to touch lives for

    Jesus!Thank you and God

    bless you!

    Peace,

    Pr. Jon

    March 3rd: Pr. Arnold

    Hilpert from Food for the

    Poor will be in worship and

    Sunday school with us.

    This is going to be a great

    opportunity for us to learn

    about hunger and how we

    can help.

    March 10th: Medicaid

    expansion workshop. We

    will talk about Medicaid

    expansion and the

    implications for El Paso

    and for us.

    March 17th: No Sunday

    school because we will be

    having brunch and

    conversations together.

    March 24th: Rabbi Larry

    Bach and I will be

    facilitating a learning

    opportunity in preparation

    for the Seder Meal on

    Tuesday March 26th at

    Temple Mount Sinai. This

    is going to be absolutely

    fascinating and you wont

    want to miss it.

    March 31: Easter

    Sunday: No Sunday

    School. Easter Brunch,

    though, so stick around and

    have food, fun, and

    fellowship!

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    In January we had a beautifully fantastic time at our lock-in down at First

    Presbyterian. As fun as that event was, we dont want to live in the past, I

    would much rather we look forward to the future! And, in case you arewondering, the future is now!

    Calling all Middle School and High School Youth and their friends:

    March 17th @ 3:30pm we will meet and depart from Peace Lutheran so that we can go and play

    Laser Tag at Bob Os! The cost for this event will be $15. Do not let money be an issue for not

    coming, if you need help with the cost there are scholarships available. Please RSVP to Pr. Jon at

    [email protected] that we can arrange rides for everyone. March 17th at 3:30pm we will

    go to Bob Os to play Laser Tag, cost $15, all welcome! We will return to Peace around 6:30pm

    after we have dinner.

    I also want to let you know about these other upcoming Middle and High School Youth

    Events:April 13th we will go to Cristo Rey to play Soccer.

    April 27thwe will go to Cristo Rey for a game night.

    May 5th we will climb Mt Cristo Rey

    May 25th we will go to the Neon Desert Music Festival

    June 17th-21st we will be volunteering at VBS at Peace Lutheran Preschool in the morning

    and then we will be going to the movies one afternoon, having water fights another

    afternoon, going mini-golfing another afternoon, etc

    Please plan on attending these events and bringing your friends! See you there!

    Peace,Pr. Jon

    El Paso Childrens Hospitalcelebrated its first birthdayon Valentines Day and isin need of donations ofknitted/crocheted beaniesfor babies and new stuffedbunnies for pediatricpatients. Please talk toNancy Casner if you canhelp with this fun project.Patterns are available atchurch.

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
  • 7/29/2019 Peace Lutheran Church El Paso March Newsletter

    9/13

    You have heard me say,

    faith is not a spectator

    sport. I have said it, I

    promise, and I believe it tobe true. Faith is a verb, not

    a noun. It is something we

    do, not something own or

    have. Faith is something

    we do.

    To that end, I would like

    for us to think in terms of

    hospitality on Sunday

    mornings, indeed, every

    day of the week, but for the

    purposes of this article, on

    Sunday mornings.

    Hospitality is the act of

    hosting people. On

    Sundays, we host visitors,

    new comers, and babies,

    even one another as we

    gather together for worship.

    When we gather togetherfor worship, who is hosting

    us? God. God is hosting

    us.

    We gather for worship

    so that we can do the work

    of praising God. We gather

    together, as a community,

    to thank God as a

    community, for the gift of

    being called Gods children

    and servants of Gods

    kingdom. To that end, I

    would like us all to

    participate in being

    communion assistants,

    acolytes, writers for prayers

    and ushers. I know that

    some of us are deathly

    afraid of reading/speaking

    in public and/or are notcomfortable singing in front

    of people. So, we will work

    on finding folks who are

    able to do those roles and

    are gifted to help with those

    roles in worship. The

    others: communion

    assistants, acolytes, prayer

    writers and ushers, we all

    are a part, a vital part of thecommunity and it is up to

    all of us to make Peace a

    place of hospitality.

    Know this: you will not

    be thrown in the deep end

    and asked to sink or swim.

    There will be instructions,

    either printed, or verbal, i.e

    through training

    opportunities to help us allto be more at ease and

    comfortable with our roles

    for worship. As we do this

    together, I thinkI

    thinkwe will be shaped

    and molded and we will

    learn and experience the

    depth of Gods love for us!

    I also think we will have fu

    and enjoy our time ofworship, perhaps even gai

    a greater understanding of

    what it means to be in

    service and worship of our

    Lord Jesus Christ.

    I ask you to pray for

    this! And then, Starting in

    May, make sure you check

    the announcements, or

    newsletter to know when

    you and how you will be

    being hospitable on

    Sunday mornings

    Peace,

    Pr. Jon

  • 7/29/2019 Peace Lutheran Church El Paso March Newsletter

    10/13

    I am excited to

    announce to all of you thatour theme for this years

    Vacation Bible School is

    Gods Backyard Bible

    Camp! Under the Sun:

    Where Kids have a blast

    serving Jesus! We will sing

    all new songs written and

    performed by Yancy! We

    will have crafts! We will

    play games! We will haveservice projects! We will

    learn to love the Lord Jesus

    by serving God in our

    families, with our friends,

    and in the community! We

    will have a blast!

    VBS is June 17-21 at

    Peace Lutheran Preschool,

    595 Belvidere St. from

    9am-12noon for young

    people who have finished

    5th grade and younger.

    Anyone older than that is

    welcome to help lead a

    wonderful experience for

    the participants!

    As you are reading this,

    you should know:registration has begun!

    Please sign your children

    up so that early as we will

    be opening registration up

    to the community in April.

    Invite your friends and

    neighbors to sign their

    children up too! All are

    welcome!

    Rememberit is free!Gods grace is a gift to us,

    and VBS is our gift to the

    community!

    Peace,

    Pr. Jon

    We will have our 2nd

    Annual

    Pilgrimage and walk to the top

    of Mount Cristo Rey on Good

    Friday. We will walk as a group

    and at a reasonable pace. All

    ages are welcome. It will be a

    Good Friday to reflect on our

    Spirituality and the meaning of

    Easter. We will meet at the

    Preschool parking lot at 5:45am

    and caravan. There is a sign-up

    sheet in the entryway.

    Questions may be directed to

    Hector Gutierrez.

    QUICK FACTS

    Envisioned: October 25, 1933

    Founder: Monsignor Lourdes F. Costa

    Elevation: 4,675 feet

    Elevation Gain: 820 feet

    First (wooden) cross placed: February 13, 1934

    Second (iron) cross placed: March 25, 1934

    Trail length: 4.4 miles round trip

    Estimated time: 2.5 hours

    Present monumentSculptor: Urbici SolerConstruction started: April 15, 1939Dedicated: October 29, 1939Height: 42.5 ftBase: 13.5 feetStatue: 29 feet.

    http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product/1330290094?item_no=737361&event=SP102908|2864472|102908|2864472|102908
  • 7/29/2019 Peace Lutheran Church El Paso March Newsletter

    11/13

    I recently took a week of continuing education to read books in the areas of church

    development and mission. I believe in education and reading as important tools to keep myself

    fresh, challenged, and thinking critically about who I am, where I am going, how I am leading,and what is it that God is asking of us as a community? Of me as a pastor? A father? A child

    of God?

    It was in that vein I approached this week of continuing education and I was thrilled to

    discover the aforementioned book by Diana Butler Bass.

    I would like for us to read this book as a congregation. In discussions I have had with the

    church council, and with members of the congregation, I think the practice of reading this book

    and talking about it in light of our faith, our faith tradition, our experience and lived practice

    here at Peace, and our calling by God to be in the world creatively and enthusiastically

    proclaiming the message of Gods never failing love, would help us to celebrate our individual

    and collective life together while at the same time helping us to deepen our understanding of

    ourselves as Gods children sharing Gods love with the world. In other words, I think reading

    and discussing this book will help us to talk about our faith and help us to find ways to deepen

    our faith as we love and serve the Lord.

    We will, Cleveland and I, be working to break up the congregation into small groups. The

    goal is to have everyone split into groups and reading and gathering for discussion about

    Christianity for the Rest ofUs by April 7th. I am letting all yall know about this now so that we

    can prepare and anticipate these groups forming and plan accordingly.

    More information will be forth coming in the weeks ahead so that we can all be ready and

    excited about this opportunity for learning and growth. Till thenplease surround this inprayer!

    Peace,

    Pr. Jon

    Three baskets will be donated to Celebre

    La Familia benefiting Foster in Texas.1. Its A Dogs Life (basket for a dog)2. Wine, Cheese & Quackers3. Lets Go Out Tonight (entertainment -gift cards for dining out, movie passes,etc.)Items are needed for the baskets. Pleasebring your donation to church as soon asyou can. Baskets are in the entryway foryou to put your gift in. March 17th is thedeadline for them to be filled. Thank you.

    http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkPmqhi1RaAQA_NGJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=wrapped+gift+basket+clip+art&n=30&ei=utf-8&y=Search&fr=yfp-t-900-34-s&tab=organic&ri=128&w=640&h=480&imgurl=www.oldtimecandy.com/assets/images/assortments/gift_basket_red_pail.jpg&rurl=http://www.candyblog.com/?page_id=84&size=167.2+KB&name=Candy+you+ate+as+a+kid??+%3Cb%3EGift+Basket+%3C/b%3E%E2%80%93+red+tin+pail+%E2%80%93+$39.99&p=wrapped+gift+basket+clip+art&oid=42b26a542cebb3820cda994bd41c577f&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-900-34-s&tt=Candy+you+ate+as+a+kid??+%3Cb%3EGift+Basket+%3C/b%3E%E2%80%93+red+tin+pail+%E2%80%93+$39.99&b=121&ni=28&no=128&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=114seipro&sigb=147t72bhs&sigi=127ikh5ge&.crumb=zYoSroxNw.S
  • 7/29/2019 Peace Lutheran Church El Paso March Newsletter

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    Border Servant CorpsBorder Immersions: Border Servant Corps hosts groups interested infirst-hand cultural immersions focused on education about border issues.This program is designed for undergraduate missions, alternative springbreak programs, seminarians, and church and youth groups.

    Upcoming groups March 3-9: Belmont University (Nashville, TN) March 9-15: Lone Star College (Kingwood, TX) March 17-21: University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, IA)

    How you can help Donate breakfast items (oatmeal, cereal, etc.) Host a meal for groups during their stay

    BSC Sale: BSCs annual sale will be Saturday, April 6th at Peace Lutheran Church (Las Cruces). Thisevent is one of BSCs largest fundraisers for the year and we need your support! Please drop off gentlyused items at Peace Lutheran Church (1701 E. Missouri Ave.) on April 1st-4th from 8am-12pm or byappointment ([email protected] 575.522.7119 Ext. 18). BSC has a limited ability to pick upitems.

    Sponsor an Intern: BSC internships allow current college and/or seminary students to participate inmulti-month volunteer experiences. This summer, BSC hopes to host four interns to serve in downtownEl Paso and live in intentional community. Participants work with partner sites and participate in activitiesurrounding the BSC tenets. BSC interns cost $550 per month to cover food, housing, transportation,programming, and a $100 personal stipend (simplicity!). Consider sponsoring a portion of an internsstay on the U.S./Mxico border!

    Thrivent Choice Dollars: The Thrivent Choice program allows members to recommend where someof Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' charitable outreach funds are allocated by directing Choice Dollars S

    BSC is able to accept these donations through Peace Lutheran Church (Las Cruces, NM). For moreinformation about how to donate, please [email protected].

    Meet this months volunteer: Alexa Garcia (from Las Cruces)Service Site: La Casa, Inc. Domestic Violence Shelter (Las Cruces, NM

    My name is Alexa Garcia and I am from Los Angeles, California. I just graduated from Loyola MarymouUniversity in the spring of 2012 with majors in Fine Arts and Communication Studies, and I have alsospent the past 3 years working at Disneyland. Im so excited to be he re in Las Cruces with BorderServant Corps! I will be working at La Casa, Inc. Domestic Violence Shelter as the Education Specialist

    Looking at my majors and past work experience, I have been questioned a lot about why I am doing thisyear of service. There are many reasons why I decided to come to Border Servant Corps. The mainfactors have a lot to do with the groups and organizations I was involved with at school that opened myeyes about issues of both domestic violence and the border region. I was in a service organization at

    LMU called Belles, and our focus on campus was raising awareness about domestic violence. Bellestaught me a lot about domestic violence, making me want to do more in addition to raising awareness. Iwas also a student leader for a monthly immersion trip to Tijuana called De Colores through which Ilearned so much about the border region, immigration, and the social justice issues around them.

    I was so excited to find this program where I can really delve into both of these issues; to learn and domore about them. LMU taught me to be a woman with and for other people and I truly believe that I amgoing to understand that meaning a lot more in this year. I feel so blessed and honored to be a BorderServant Corps volunteer and I am so excited to be on this journey!

    We thank you for all of the ways you support of Border Servant Corps! If you have any questions or

    would like to become more involved with BSC, please contact us [email protected] (575) 522-7119 Ext. 16. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly.

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
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