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Growing up in Minnesota, living in Austin TX, living in New Orleans, and living inMaryland, I have come to know some pretty strong winds. I remember one vacation ourfamily was taking over in Wisconsin brought about some particular excitement. We, myfamily on my moms sideall eight of her brothers and sisters and grandma and
grandpaand our family were fishing for a week. It was a kind of family tradition torent out a resort for the whole week, see the sights around wherever we were, go fishing and see what wecaught, and then have a big fish fry at the end of the week to celebrate our time together and look forwardto the next time we would all be together.
It was my sister Bridget and Is turn to go out in the boat with Mom and Dad, we took turns every
night after dinner, and Bridget and I wanted to go and try fishing out by this island in the lake. We wereout on the lake for about an hour. The whole time we were out there Bridget and I noticed this huge blackcloud hanging over the tree line just to our right. It was odd to see a cloud that black, but everythingseemed fine where we were, that is, until we saw this boat come speeding around the lake, the driverscreaming and pointing towards the black cloud, tornado, tornado, tornado! Then it was like the Indy 500
as all the boats raced for the shore line not bothering to stop at the dock, just running the boats up onto theshore. We scrambled to the basement of the lodge, where we would have to ride it out and pray for thebest.
Along those same lines, but a different time altogether, I have seen trees snapped in half by straightline winds, homes blown to the ground by these same winds, communities strewn from here to kingdom comeby the power of the wind, but it wasnt until we lived in El Paso that I think I have ever heard a sound like
the blowing of a violent wind.
I was in bed one night sleeping, a noise startled me, and I awoke to this whooshing sound swirling
about our house. Of course I didnt really know what it was, and so that I could be sure it wasnt an intruder,
I went and walked through the interior of the house. The noise filled the rooms, consumed the rooms even,with this whooshing sound. My ears rattled with this noise, my thoughts were being drowned out, and per-
haps even swept away. It was like nothing I had heard before, or since, at least until this spring.Lukes account of the coming of the Holy Spirit is as contrary to Johns as could be. In Acts, Luke
writes about this noise like a violent wind filling the room, flaming tongues resting on heads, and peopletalking in different languages as the Spirit gave them ability. John, on the other hand, simply has Jesus ap-pearing to the disciples in the upper room and saying, Receive the Holy Spirit. There is a little more to the
story, the point though, is that Johns story is quite picturesque and Lukes is filled with action, adventure, in-
Are We There Yet? Thoughts Along the Way by PJ
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind
came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that
separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
May 2013Volume 2 I ssue 5
P E A C E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H 1 6 0 0 B E L V I D E R E S T R E E T E L P A S O , T X
Passing the
(Continued on next page)
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trigue, and noise.However the Spirit came, it came, and we have been marked with the
cross of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit forever. The Spirit blows where itwill and we are gifted to be blown by it. Like a kite on the wind we are dippingand diving, blowing and chasing, crashing and getting back up again: whytheSpirit leads us. And, I would like to believe that sometimes, God does, blow in ourhearts, in our ears, like the sound of a violent wind, while at other times, perhaps,God whispers as peacefully as receive the Holy Spirit. One thing is for sure,
though, we are gifted by the Holy Spirit to act. The disciples in Luke beganspeaking to folks in their native tongues, the disciples in John were told that if
they retained the sins of any, they are retained, and if you forgive the sins ofany, they are forgiven. The Holy Spirit was given, and the people acted. So,
what is it that God is asking you to do?
Peace, Pr. Jon
Are We There Yet? Thoughts Along the Way by PJ
The Celebration of Pentecost Begins May 19th
the season of Pentecost,we will be changing thelanguage we use forworship from English toSpanish. We will use theSpanish Lutheran Hymnaland explore the richnessand depth of who weare as a people of Godserving in a setting whereSpanish is the primarylanguage for a majorityof people. I know thiswill be a tad bit uncom-
fortable for some of us,difficult for some of us,and at the same time itwill be a celebration ofour heritage as the chil-dren of God, a gift to usas we seek to understand
Gods calling in our lives,and a beautiful opportu-nity to experience Godfrom a different per-spective.
Peace, Pr. Jon
May 19th is the cele-bration of Pentecost, thecoming of the Holy Spirit,and as you know, wehave been changingsomething every time theliturgical season moves
from one to the next.We have either beenchanging the way we docommunion, or the liturgi-cal setting, or the furni-ture, or all three. Thistime, for the first part of
Passing the
Page 2
The Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly was May 2-4th in Loveland CO. This is
a note to pique your interest and let you know there will be reflections onthe Assembly coming in the next newsletter.
LADIES NITE OUT-THURSDAY, MAY 25:30PM - LEOSCOME JOIN US
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Hopefully you enjoythis. It is from a devo-
tional entitled In theMeantime
I love the audacity ofJohn Donnes poem taking on death itself,unmasking it for what itis, challenging it in lightof the resurrection. Hegains his courage, I think,from the Apostle Paul,who invites Donneand
all of usto see deathalong with all the otherrealities of this life inlight of the resurrection.
Which helps orient us
to the centrality of Easterto the Christian faith.
Resurrection is Gods newcreation, Gods response
to the realities of thisworld, Gods answer to
all that would oppress orterrify us. Not that thesethingsillness, disap-pointment, heartbreak,loneliness, and of coursedeatharent hard.They are. But they are
not the last word. AndDonne knows that.
My prayer for eachof us during these sevenweeks of Easter is not
that we are spared allthe heartaches of life
because that is, ofcourse, part of whatmakes us appreciate thegood and beautiful aswellbut that we arenot daunted by them, notdiscouraged to think theyare the only reality, notcowed into shaping ourlives to avoid what is dif-ficult but rather are em-
boldened to look deathin all of its many forms inthe eye and say withPaul, with Donne, andultimately with Christ,Death, be not proud.
In the Meantime
Volume 2 Issue 5
Page 3
Death, be not proud, though some have called theeMighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrowDie not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,Rest of their bones, and souls delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as wellAnd better than thy stroke; why swellst thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
Congratulations Alex!
It is with great prideand gratitude that Louiseand Alex Bergdahl an-nounce Alex's graduationfrom University of Ari-zona on May 9, 10, and11. Alex is getting his 2
degrees in Chemical En-gineering and Engineer-ing Management. A hugethank you to everyone atour Peace Family whosurrounded Alex withprayers, love and posi-
tive words of encourage-ment over all theseyears. You all have madesuch a positive impacton his life and we areever so grateful for that.
Thank you, Louise andAlex Bergdahl
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Passing the
Luke 24:12 (Reflectionby David Lose) I thought
this something worthy ofbeing passed on. I hopeyou enjoy it.
But Peter got up and
ran to the tomb; stooping
and looking in, he saw the
linen cloths by themselves;
then he went home,
amazed at what had hap-
pened.
Sometimes I think that
faith, at heart, is simplythe capacity to wonder.
There are, I think, twoways to approach thisworld: with knowledgethe certainty of thingsthat areand wonderthe possibility of whatthings may be.
Peter starts with thesame knowledge the
women started withtheknowledge that dead is
dead, that dead peoplearent raised, that the
tomb is the last stop forall of us. And so he,along with the rest of theapostles, dismisses theirtestimony as nonsense.
But there must havebeen something aboutwhat they said he could-nt let go of, something
that kept pricking hismemory and imagination.
Because, all of a suddenand despite his sureknowledge about thefinality of death, he goesrunning off to the tombanyway to see what theysaw.
Luke doesnt tell us
what he found there, buthe does tell us that Peterleaves amazed at what
happened. And its thatqualitythe ability to
be amazed, to questionassumptions, to be open
to the new and differentthat is the mark, I think,of genuine faith.
In fact, sometimes Ithink that Peter is theleader of the disciplessimply because he hasthe capacity to wonderand to be amazed. Hes
willing, that is, to ask thecentral question of faith:
What if? Yes, weknow death is the end, but
what if. Sure, no one
has ever been raised, but
what if. I understand,
our Lord and friend was
crucified a criminal, but
what if.From this point of
view, What if, may just
be the central question of
faith.May we never stop
asking it.
Prayer Shawls aremade by members ofPeace to be given toanyone who is in need ofprayer as a reminderthat Gods love and
power covers them in the
midst of all things. This isan ongoing project. Theyare located in the basketin front of the altar in thesanctuary.
Crocheting and knit-
ting baby hats is a new
project and also an on-
going project for Peace
members and friends.
Reflection by David Lose
Page 4
DEAR GOD, KEEP
SURPRISING US
WITH YOUR ACTION
IN OUR LIVES AND
IN THE WORLD, THAT
WE MAY ALWAYS
GREET THE GIFTS OF
LIFE AND FAITH WITH
WONDER AND
GRATITUDE. IN
JESUS NAME, AMEN.
We would like to continue to
provide beanies to the Chil-
drens Hospital. There will
be a collection basket in the
entryway they may be
placed in. Patterns will be
available.
If you would like to learn
how to make these darling
little baby hats or prayer
shawls, please contact the
church office and if there is
enough interest a class can
be formed or you will be put
in touch with someone to
help you.
BeaniesforBabi
es
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Volume 2 Issue 5
Hello! Im HannahDrewes, and some of youmay know me as a cur-rent Border ServantCorps volunteer here in ElPaso. I have been withBSC since August of2011, and since then Ive
been working with youthand families of central ElPaso at Ciudad Nueva
Community Outreach,primarily coordinating itsmiddle school after-school program. Beforecoming to El Paso, Igraduated from Augus-tana College in SiouxFalls, South Dakota,where I studied religionand Spanish and hadmany opportunities to do
service and immerse my-self in different cultures. Igrew up in an ELCAchurch in Rock Rapids,Iowaa town of 2,500people and two stop-lights. One of my manypassions is youth ministry,and I have had manyexperiences working withyouth in a variety of set-
tingsfrom youth groups
to summer camps to men-toringand I have cometo really enjoy workingwith youth of all ages.Their energy, joy, andquestions give me a lotof hope. I was blessedwith a next-to-perfectopportunity to join BSCand live in El Paso, whereI have been able to con-
tinue doing youth ministryin a very multi-culturalenvironment. After ayear and a half here, Ihave come to love thisborder community, withall its complexities and itsunique feel, and I lookforward to continuing myjourney in this city. I lovechurch, and I have hope
that the whole Church willmore fully grasp the Life-over-death message ofChrist and incarnate it inways that are relevantand needed in our worldand our society. I thinkyouth can inspire change
in their own lives and inthe worldand I am al-ways grateful for oppor-
tunities to walk alongside
youth in their journeys ofdiscovering who they areand who God is, and Iam excited to see whatthis looks like at Peace. Iam so grateful for anopportunity to work withPeace and offer my giftsto this community (giftswhich also happen to in-clude being a very or-
ganized person wholoves office supplies andoffice work!). I am confi-dent that God is callingme to stay in El Paso,and I am hopeful thatPeace is where God willcontinue leading me inmy own discernment jour-ney of exploring a call toministry, as well as being
the place where God willcontinue using me tobuild bridges, form rela-tionships, inspire change,and make the Gospelknown. I thank you forthis opportunity, and I amreally looking forward toworking together andbecoming a part of thePeace community!
Meet Hannah Drewes
ONE OF MY
MANY PASSIONS
IS YOUTH
MINISTRY, AND I
HAVE HAD MANY
EXPERIENCES
WORKING WITH
YOUTH IN A
VARIETY OF
SETTINGS
I want to first say, Thank you, to Cleveland! She has been a joy to work with
and a wealth of wisdom as I have been getting acclimated to Peace and the minis-
try we are doing together. I will miss you in the office, but am happy to know we
will partner in ministry different ways as you continue to answer Gods calling in
your life.
Now, I would like to take a moment and introduce you to Hannah Drewes!
Hannah will be taking over in the office and working with our youth starting in Au-
gust. Please pray for her as she finishes her time with Border Servant Corps and
begins her ministry with Peace.
--PJ
Organizational Change
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BSC Sale Success: BSCs
annual sale raised more than $3,000 which the Southwest New Mexico Chapter of ThriventFinancial for Lutherans matched 3:1 with $1,000 grant. Many thanks to all who assistedwith donations, sorting, and working the sale!
Prayers for BSC: At this time of the year our 2012-2013 volunteers are beginning to look towards the fall andthe next step in their journey, 2013-2014 volunteers are being assigned to placement agencies to begin inAugust, and BSC is working to support all involved during these times of transition. Please keep BSC, volun-teers, and placement agencies in your prayers this month as we continue to serve the U.S./Mxico border.
Thrivent Choice Dollars: The Thrivent Choice program allows members to recommend where some ofThrivent Financial for Lutherans' charitable outreach funds are allocated by directing Choice Dollars SM. BSC isable to accept these donations through Peace Lutheran Church (Las Cruces, NM). For more information abouthow to donate, please contact [email protected].
Border Servant Corps seeks to provide an opportunity for volunteers to work for justice, serve their neighbor, and
walk humbly with their God. This month, we share an adaptation by Alexa Garcia (BSC volunteer at La Casa, Inc.
Domestic Violence Shelter) of a prayer, originally written by De Colores of LMU (2010-2011), that was shared
this during a reflection at the volunteers recent spirituality retreat
WE ARE ONE!
I am a BSC volunteer living in Las Cruces and El Paso; becoming aware of the complex issues surrounding immi-gration that my sisters and my brothers face each day. I am your sister. I am your brother. We are one!
I am an immigrant farm worker picking strawberries all day long for U.S. supermarkets. I am your sister. Iam your brother. We are one!
I am a deported father staying at a Migrant House in Jurez, Mexico; and I am longing to be reunited withmy wife and three children still in the United States. I am your sister. I am your brother. We are one!
I am the descendent of European immigrants, recalling how my ancestors struggled to learn English, to findwork and were rejected as Catholics here in the U.S. I am your sister. I am your brother. We are one!
I am a student from Saudi Arabia seeking a better education despite getting harassed and stereotyped as aterrorist. I am your sister. I am your brother. We are one!
I am an Indian woman working an outsourced job as a customer service representative for an American com-pany and I am seeking a better life. I am your sister. I am your brother. We are one!
I am an American citizen living in the city and born of undocumented immigrants. I am your sister. I am yourbrother. We are one!
I am a lost boy from Sudan, struggling to start over in the U.S. after suffering through my countrys violent civil
war. I am your sister. I am your brother. We are one!We, the women and men of BSC, join our minds, hearts, and voices with the people of the world. We recog-nize the deep bond that we have with every created being. With our sisters and our brothers, we stand insolidarity. We are one!
We thank you for all of the ways you support of Border Servant Corps! If you have any questions or wouldlike to become more involved with BSC, please contact us at [email protected] (575) 522-7119 Ext. 16.
Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly.
Border Servant Corps
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May 12 will be our first large group meeting for all of us participating in the
discussion of the book, Christianity for the Rest of Us. There will be no adult or
new members classes that day as all will be invited to participate and celebratewhat we have been talking about in our small groups. This will be a fun way for
us to learn about what all of us are talking about in our small groups. Please
plan to be in worship on May 12 and then stay for the discussion and celebration
of the conversations we have been having! See you there!
MayJune Events
May 5th the MiddleSchool and High SchoolYouth will be climbing Mt.
Cristo Rey. We will havelunch together after Sun-day School and thentravel to Mt. Cristo Reyto meet up with ourfriends from around thecity, and then ascend tothe top of mountain.Please where comfort-able clothes and sun-screen and remember awater bottle!
Volume 2 Issue 5
Celebration of Christianity for the Rest of Us
Attention Women ofPeace: On May 10 at7pm, we will kick off thefirst meeting of Women ofWine and Word, an ad-ditional opportunity forLadies Christian fellowship
within our congrega-tion. During the first meet-ing, those present will beable to help set the direc-tion of the group in areaslike frequency of meet-ings, locations, and theformat and method forgrowing in our Christian
Please also remem-ber to let me know if youare able to help lead astation or be a guide,someone who leads thechildren from activity toactivity, for Vacation Bi-ble School. We will vol-unteer our time in themorning and then go outas a group in the after-noons to celebrate thework we have been do-ing! You wont want to
miss it!
Women of Wine and Word
faith. All women of Peaceare welcome. Feel free tobring a friend or few aswell. Wine is not manda-tory, but certainly wel-come. Please bring anybeverage of your choice
and either an appetizer ordessert to share. The kickoff meeting will be held atthe home of Tracy Braddy,6508 Boulder Ridge.Please see Agnes Solbergor Tracy Braddy with anyquestions. We hope to seeyou there!
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Were on Facebook
Peace Lutheran, El Paso,
Texas
Elite Performing Arts Conservatory
We welcome to our midst the Elite Performing Arts Conservatory. Thiswill be an exciting opportunity to partner with them in ministry to and withthe community. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-9pm they will be offeringclasses aimed at instilling a love of the arts within their students. Opportuni-ties for youth and/or adults to gain confidence, positive body image, andnew skills that can serve them their whole life long is fantastic. Please pray for them and those who will en-roll in the classes. Please also help them to feel welcome if/when you see them in the building. Below is anexcerpt taken from their webpage.
Elite Performing Arts Conservatory offers exceptional trainingin the arts for both children, as well asadults at an affordable cost.
We are passionate about what we do and we continually strive to instill the love of the arts within ourstudents. We pride ourselves in providing a unique learning experience and an elite level curriculum.
We believe in the importance of creativity, and that arts should be accessible to all, regardless ofeconomic status.
Our programs are affordable for everyone, at only $35 per month.Elite Performing Arts Conservatory has several locations across the state of Texas and a team of
highly trained and extremely talented Artistic Directors, ready to share their talents with you!Our Dance classes, Acting classes, and Modeling classes are available in North Dallas, Plano, Frisco,McKinney, Coppell, Carrollton, Lewisville, Arlington, Keller, Hurst - Euless - Bedford, Southlake, West FortWorth, East Fort Worth, Weatherford, North Houston, South Houston, Katy, Galveston, Pearland, CentralAustin, Southwest Austin, Dripping Springs, Amarillo, Tyler, and El Paso.
Pastor Jon Hundt
Church Office
You are Cordially Invited to Worship with us at Peace
Worship Service every Sunday at 9am
Children & Adult classes immediately following worship
http://us-mg204.mail.yahoo.com/neo/#http://us-mg204.mail.yahoo.com/neo/#http://us-mg204.mail.yahoo.com/neo/#http://us-mg204.mail.yahoo.com/neo/#http://us-mg204.mail.yahoo.com/neo/#http://us-mg204.mail.yahoo.com/neo/#7/30/2019 May 2013 NL
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