A NOTE FROM PASTOR KRISTIN
Dear Loving People of God,
I am guessing that you are all aware that our hospital systems are overwhelmed, and case numbers are at an all-time high. Yesterday, the Wisconsin Council of Churches (WICoC) released new recommendations suggesting that churches go back to their virtual platforms for the next 4-6 weeks. The St. Peter Task Force had an emergency meeting last night to discuss the new recommendations. We have stayed close to the WICoC’s recommendations in the past and have done well. We would like to continue to make decisions that take physical and mental health into consideration. Given the safety mitigation standards that we already have in place at St. Peter, the Task Force has decided to continue in-person worship, but we strongly encourage people to stay home and worship online. We also ask people to limit building use as much as possible and we must insist that everyone wear masks in the church building.
The current changes are temporary and short term. The research predicts a spike in cases in the next couple of weeks. We have vaccinations, treatment options, testing, and lots of resources that we did not have two years ago. However, we still need to do our part to live out the command we have to love each other. Please talk to me or a member of the task force if you have any questions. Task force members are Renee, Paul, Joy, Leslie, Carrie, and me. If you reply to this email Carrie can forward questions to them.
The council is scheduled to meet next week. Please respect our leadership as they continue to make difficult decisions. We are all doing our best. There are changes we can make right now to care for others, which is why we are asking people to stay home for a couple of weeks.
Small group team leaders have been contacted about suspending meetings for a couple of weeks. Sunday School and Confirmation families will be contacted also. Things are changing fast, and I ask that you please give me some time to share information.
I am grateful to be your pastor and am proud of the ways we have remained focused on the gospel, even when it is really hard. Remember that you are loved!
Pastor Kristin Berglund, M.Div., LPC, NCC
WORSHIP AND WITNESS MISSION NEWS
St Peter Live!!
You can now watch our worship service live! Our 8am service will now be livestreamed to our Facebook page (https://m.facebook.com/stpetersheboygan/) each Sunday morning. Following worship, the service will be uploaded to YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvPIB8agxVhS72C5822etA) and our website (https://stpetersheboygan.com). In case of technical difficulty, the service will still be recorded and posted as soon as possible after worship.
8:00am & 10:00am – Worship in the sanctuary. We will wear masks and distance.
SOCIAL OUTREACH MISSION NEWS
Mitten Tree
The Mitten Tree is back and ready for your donations. We have LOTS of hats, but we could use more gloves/mittens and scarves. Please bring your new or gently used items to St. Peter and add them to the tree. We will then send them off to area elementary schools. Before we even get started this year, we are dropping off 126 hats, 25 pair of gloves and 3 scarves to 7 different elementary schools. Thank you so much for your generosity – please keep it coming!!
El Salvador News
Brothers and Sisters:
At Christmas, we have the great opportunity to launch our thoughts with the tonic of God’s love, which is with us, therefore, for which it is necessary to search for answers and solutions in the face of the reality of the world and of each country.
So, for example, it’s good to do acts of thanksgiving, think about positive events, beautiful news of cases, good things that have happened, that excite and fill with joy; unfortunately, we are living in times of bad news, overwhelming events that cause much pain and distress to the world, in such a way that there is no man or woman of good will without concerns.
The list of those bad things is big, being necessary to mention them with the objective to pray, act and commit oneself to avoid the deterioration of human beings and nature.
The years go by, and despite so much effort the distressing situation continues, therefore, the Christian church covers this world with hope in such a way that in the ecclesiastical calendar each stage the world of God fulfills the mission calling to “Be salt and light of the earth”. With that spirit of hope, I invite you to renew your strength this Christmas season, to continue fighting and opposing evil.
Let’s take the list of the problem that we live, below they are mentioned as an obstacle, a challenge and we become agents of change in terms of:
· Migration
· Climate Change
· Undemocratic, authoritarian and populist governments
· Widespread violence: wars, gender, gangs, organized crime, narco-trafficking.
· High cost of living, [of affording the] basic basket
· Femicides
· Disappearances
· Violence to human rights
· Pandemics, etc.
May the spirit of Christmas make us reflect on the need to return to being agents of change. May it be so.
Bishop Medardo Gómez
Community Resources
The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) has a helpline 800-950-6264 that is available M-F 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This helpline provides the one-on-one help and information necessary to tackle tough challenges that you, your family or friends are facing. They also have 24/7 crisis support. Call 800-273-8255 or text NAMI to 741-741 to receive free support via text message.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Please keep the following people in your prayers: Kelsie, Delores’ Family, Dave, Brian, Jessie, Rudy, Lydia, Bruce’s family, Jazzy, Wina, Linda, Dianna, Rae-Ellen, Reed, and Apostles of Christ.