For Trinity Sunday

May 30, 2010

For a list of upcoming activities go to http://www.mychurchevents.com/calendar/calendar.aspx?ci=G1K5L6N8L6I3N8

Be sure to check out our website http://welcometopeace.com

If you cannot attend this Sunday, you can still make an offering using our online service at Contribute Online. Thank you for your commitment to our mission and ministry.

We invite you to become a friend of Peace on the Peace Facebook webpage. Facebook is an online social networking site that helps communities of friends stay connected on an on-going basis. The cost is free. Facebook is a lot fun and you will enjoy the connections. You will need a Facebook account to join. Go to http://facebook.com for more information and search Facebook for Peace Lutheran Church, Pasadena Texas. We look forward to you joining.

This Sundays Events
This Sunday is the festival Sunday of the Holy Trinity. The feast day began in response to growing heresy as the church grew in numbers in the 4th century. Church leaders began to see that without some kind of creed that states the foundational beliefs of the faith, the followers of Christ could easily lose their identity. The whole feast day is about staying true to our faith and not letting other religions and philosophies lead us astray.

Traditionally the church recites the Athanasian Creed on this Sunday, though few, including us, do. I share it with you here so that you can read it. The creed is very, shall we say, deep, but it offers us guidance on understanding how the trinity works in our lives.

Athanasian Creed
Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the catholic faith.

Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally.

Now this is the catholic faith: We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being.

For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another.

But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty.

What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit.

Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated is the Spirit.

The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit is infinite.

Eternal is the Father; eternal is the Son; eternal is the Spirit: And yet there are not three eternal beings, but one who is eternal; as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings, but one who is uncreated and unlimited.

Almighty is the Father; almighty is the Son; almighty is the Spirit: And yet there are not three almighty beings, but one who is almighty.

Thus the Father is God; the Son is God; the Holy Spirit is God: And yet there are not three gods, but one God.

Thus the Father is Lord; the Son is Lord; the Holy Spirit is Lord: And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord.

As Christian truth compels us to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.

The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten; the Son was neither made nor created, but was alone begotten of the Father; the Spirit was neither made nor created, but is proceeding from the Father and the Son.

Thus there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three spirits.

And in this Trinity, no one is before or after, greater or less than the other; but all three persons are in themselves, coeternal and coequal; and so we must worship the Trinity in unity and the one God in three persons.

Whoever wants to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.

It is necessary for eternal salvation that one also faithfully believe that our Lord Jesus Christ became flesh.

For this is the true faith that we believe and confess: That our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and man.

He is God, begotten before all worlds from the being of the Father, and he is man, born in the world from the being of his mother -- existing fully as God, and fully as man with a rational soul and a human body; equal to the Father in divinity, subordinate to the Father in humanity.

Although he is God and man, he is not divided, but is one Christ.

He is united because God has taken humanity into himself; he does not transform deity into humanity.

He is completely one in the unity of his person, without confusing his natures.

For as the rational soul and body are one person, so the one Christ is God and man.

He suffered death for our salvation. He descended into hell and rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

At his coming all people shall rise bodily to give an account of their own deeds.

Those who have done good will enter eternal life, those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith.

One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully.

Text prepared by the International Consultation on English Texts (ICET) and the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC). Reproduced by permission.

The title of my sermon is "A Deeper Truth" and will be about how the Holy Spirit leads us always backward to the truth of God's revelation in Christ. When we struggle in life and deal with all of life's dramas, we have this trust that the Spirit is guiding us not away from the truth of Christ, but to a deeper understanding of God's grace for us and others. I hope that you will enjoy it.

This Sunday, Zachary Thomas Mendoza will be baptized at the 11:00 service. Zachary is the son of Ray & Stephanie Mendoza. We will also be celebrating the adult confirmation of Sam and Cindy Smith and Ray Mendoza. Dorothy Smith and Stephanie Mendoza will be affirming their baptisms. This will happen at the 11:00 service.

We will also be starting some liturgical changes this Sunday.
8:30: "Now the Feast and Celebration" service. We learned this one last year with many positive comments
9:45: Setting 3. This service is from the Lutheran Book of Worship and known well by the congregation
11:00: Setting 8 from ELW. This is a new liturgy for us to learn. We think you will really enjoy its upbeat music.

Finally we will, for the next 2 Sundays, do our annual "Blessing of the Travelers". This blessing is for all those who will be going on trips this summer. In the narthex there is a large map of the United States and pins to mark the different places members and friends of our community are traveling.

Midweek Bible Study, "Respecting Our Neighbor's Faith"
We will taking a summer break and be restarting in mid August.

Wedding Invitation
Kimberly Rohm and George Higgins want to invite the congregation to their wedding on Saturday May 29 at 3:00 pm at Peace. Reception will follow in the fellowship hall.

Fourth of July Church Picnic
This summer the 4th of July falls on a Sunday and we would like to see if there is any interest in attending a 5pm-dark event featuring chopped barbecue sandwiches, hot dogs, sides and ice cream. We will also have games for adults and children. We will end the evening by watching the fireworks from the Peace parking lot. We are beginning a sign up this Sunday in the narthex or you can email jgriffin@welcometopeace.com. This is open to all family and friends. We will have a free will offering to cover the costs. Please let us know if you are interested.

New Youth And Family Director
Ben Remmert will begin on June 1. We are all excited about his arrival and ministry.

Pastoral Care Notes
George and Kim who will be married on Saturday
Ashley Guerrero and Kenny Sundstrom who will be married on Sunday. Ashley is the daughter of Blaise and Jane Guerrero.
Jason Elliott continues his treatment for cancer.
Dale Taggert continues his treatment for cancer

Notes From The Treasurer
We thank everyone for their financial support for our mission and ministry! Without your generosity, we can not do what God is calling us to do.

General Operating Fund deposits for May 2nd through May 16th.

5-2-10 $13,266.50

5-9-10 $7,481.40

5-16-10 $9,889.50

The above amount for May 2nd includes 2 Simply Givings. The above amount for May 16th includes 2 Simply Givings.

To meet our budgeted income, we need $10,673 a week. For the three weeks in May, we have a total of $30,637.40 actual income. Our estimated income for this time period is $32,019. We are under our budgeted income by $1,381.60 for the third week in May.

Designated deposits for January 3rd through May 16th:

Adult Education $30

Building Maintenance $200

Building Rental Fee $50

Fair Trade Coffee $289

Good Samaritan $128

Habitat for Humanity $1340

Haiti Relief Fund $1,390

Labyrinth $250

Loose Offering $3,956.08

Lutherhill Camp Registration $170

Memorial Fund $5,131

Pasadena Community Ministries $2,342.34

Pasadena Faith in Action $130

Pony Express $580

Sheet Music $220

Souper Bowl $454.70

Sunday School $186.03

Telephone Refund $174.40

TX/La Gulf Coast Synod $2,400

Wedding Deposit $550

World Hunger $70

Youth Expense/Confirmation $384.67

Youth Mission Trip $30


See you Sunday!
Pastor Tart

Vacation Bible School
July 25-29 is VBS time at Peace. Food, fun and fellowship will be enjoyed by all ages. Invite a friend and come enjoy a HIGH SEAS ADVENTURE! Each night starts with a light meal at 6:00 pm and classes begin at 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. We hope to see a record attendance this year.

Crew leaders and all types of helpers are needed to make this another successful year. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up on the VBS bulletin board or contact Jennifer Sanders at 281-993-5793 or Julie Shaw at 281-479-9828. Thanks in advance for your continued support of this program.

50+ Bus Trips
Mark your calendar for upcoming trips:
June 8 - Stark Museum, Orange, TX.
We will leave at 8:00am. Cost: $2.00 +Lunch +Program donation ($3.00) then to Beaumont to St. Anthony Cathedral (Free) if we have time.
June 19 - Astros ballgame, tickets-$6.00
July 12 - National Museum of Funeral History (they have added new exhibits since we were there) and lunch at the Potato Patch (which is a treat in itself - they throw rolls, muffins, etc. and you catch)
July 23 – Play: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, tickets-$6.00

Watch the newsletters for more information. Call Virginia, 281-487-4961 or Judy, 281-470-0407 if you want to join us.

Remember: If you are signed up for a trip and won't be able to go, please call Virginia or Judy and let them know as we have people on waiting lists for our trips that would like to have your spot.

Bazaar Team
The Bazaar Team will be meeting Tuesday June 1st and the 15th at 10:00 am for crafts, fun and fellowship. Please plan to join us. Hope to see you there.

Sarah’s House
The Women's Board has voted to minister to an organization called Sarah's House. Sarah's House is a shelter for women in crisis and their children, and is located at 2210 Wichita, Pasadena, TX 77502. These women have lost their jobs and can't afford housing. Many have been sleeping in their cars. Please consider making a donation of any of the following items.

Non-perishable food items
Non-perishable food items for children
Cleaning products
Paper products
Feminine Hygiene products
Toys

Look for a box in the Narthex marked for Sarah's House for your donations.

Creative Hands Ministry
We will do 2 pumpkin classes: a day class on June 7th at 9:30 am and a night class on June 8th at 6:30 pm. The pumpkins will be for the bazaar. You may take both classes. There will be one pumpkin per person (2 if you attend both the day and night). Everything will be furnished. The fall pumpkins were one of our popular items at the last bazaar. They will be a different shape to add to your pumpkin patch.

Sign up so we will have a pumpkin and enough supplies reserved for you. A sign up sheet is on the table in the narthex. This will be the only times this class will be offered. ALL AGES ARE WELCOME.

Note: the above meeting times and days are off our regular schedule and due to the summer vacations will be the only meetings times we will have for June.

Please continue to save your used inks and toners. We used the vouchers for our paper products and various supplies for carding classes

Brotherhood Breakfast
All men of the congregation and guests are invited to join us on Saturday, June 5th at 8:00 am in the Fellowship Hall for our monthly breakfast and meeting. (Note the time change.) We hope that you will consider joining us for good fellowship and food. Any questions call Weldon Wilkerson or Art Wiederhold. We will not meet in July because of the holiday weekend.

June Lunch Bunch
Parish Life Lunch Bunch invites one and all to the Original Italian Pie Restaurant, 3915 Spencer Highway, Pasadena on June 27th from 11:00am to 1:30ish pm. If you are planning to go, please be sure to sign up on the sheet located on the Parish Life bulletin board in the narthex.
Owen King - Lunch Bunch Coordinator

Habitat for Humanity
As of the end of May the Habitat for Humanity house in Pasadena is progressing nicely. Peace Lutheran has sent 7 volunteers to help with the build on the weekends of May 1 and May 8. They helped with installation of Hurricane clips and the application of exterior sheath. Peace volunteers who have worked are Larry Fiedler, Dan and Nancy Ward, Carolyn Jones, Cindy Fitch, Steve Cumbie, and Ted Brenneman. The next scheduled day for Peace volunteers to work is May 29 when 6 workers are needed. I will be phoning to recruit workers. The weekend of May 15 Jany Reeves stepped up at the last minute to head providing lunch for the workers. The work day turned out to be a rainout so the lunch is on hold. Thanks to all who have worked.

Ted Brenneman
Peace Lutheran Habitat Champion.

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!