Posts by Pastor Joe Orner (Page 4)

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Wow. Thank you, everyone, for your support of our students—your gifts of prayer and donations completely blew us away, and we are so grateful for your generosity. Earlier this year, our group set a high goal of raising $5000 for our trip this summer to New Orleans for the ELCA National Youth Gathering. Not only did you all help us to meet that goal, but we exceeded it! I am reminded of our theme…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Our Pancake Brunch Fundraiser is this weekend, and our students are so excited to welcome and host you all! Every dollar raised will go directly to our students to help lower the financial burden on them as we prepare to travel to New Orleans for this summer’s ELCA National Youth Gathering.  Food will be served before the service from 8:30-9:15am and after worship from 10:30-11:30am. Sunday School will start at 11:00am instead of 10:45am…

Stay connected!Children, Youth and Family News March 7, 2024Dear Families and Friends of Peace,Last week I shared a bit about our Confirmation Retreat that was held at Gustavus on Saturday, February 24, and I’d like to do so again today. In case you missed it, the theme for our retreat, in coordination with our theme for the year, was “God’s Story, My Story,” and we focused on how we are all an important part of God’s ongoing story.One of my favorite…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, Happy Leap Day! This last weekend, our Confirmation students had our winter retreat to Gustavus Adolphus College. Our theme, in coordination with our theme for the year, was “God’s Story, My Story,” and we focused on how we are all an important part of God’s ongoing story.  Throughout the day, we enjoyed learning together during group time, eating meals in the Gustavus cafeteria, touring the campus, going bowling and playing laser tag, and growing…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, There are three brief notes that I have for you all today. First, thank you to all of you who came for dinner and/or worship last night for our first Lenten Midweek service. It was wonderful to share in meal and fellowship, and I’m continually awed how Holden Evening Prayer centers us in this Lenten season. Second, this weekend our Confirmation students will be traveling down to Gustavus for our winter retreat. While there,…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, As of yesterday, Ash Wednesday, we have officially begun the season of Lent.  Lent echoes the 40 days that Jesus spent wandering through the wilderness, facing temptation. In Matthew’s Gospel, this journey happens immediately following his baptism from John, and is followed by his three years of ministry.  During this season, we will follow Jesus on his 40 day journey to the cross—but it should also be noted that this is a journey to…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, As I mentioned last month, and as you’ve hopefully seen in the Blast, bulletin, and/or website, our deadline for summer camp registration is quickly approaching. The deadline for Camp Wapo Seeds, Camp Wapo Youth Camp, and Family Camp at Wilderness Canoe Base is just one week away—next Thursday, February 15. As a refresher, here’s our summer 2024 schedule:  Camp Wapo provides students with the opportunity to come together with friends and neighbors from all…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, On Tuesday night, the Jefferson Jaguars faced off against the Kennedy Eagles in a boys hockey game at Bloomington Ice Garden. Like most games, there were parents chatting, Mites and Squirts giddily sporting their own jerseys, and a raucous group of students supporting their team. But for this game, while the score was still important to players and spectators, there was also a bigger purpose—Hockey Fights Cancer.  Held annually for three years now, both…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, This Sunday, immediately after worship, we will gather together as a congregation for the Peace Annual Meeting. During the meeting we will review and rejoice in our 2023 ministries, elect new church council members, pass our 2024 budget, and hear some of the wonderful ways God is moving through our community.  In addition, there’s also a lot to catch up on in our annual report, which will be available at the meeting. The annual report…

Hello from New Orleans! This week I am attending the ELCA Youth Ministry Extravaganza, a continuing education conference specifically for those who work with young people in our denomination.  During the conference, I’ll be hearing from excellent and insightful speakers during our general sessions, and I will also be attending various workshops. One main focus while I’m here is learning more about the ELCA National Youth Gathering, which will be hosted here just six months from now. It has been…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, As I mentioned last week, it is time to think about summer camps and programming.  Here’s what our schedule for summer 2024 looks like:  Registration for Camp Wapo will be open January 15-February 15. Plan to register early (link below), as spots fill up quickly! We have a limited number of spots, and you’ll be assigned to a waitlist if we reach that number before the February 15 deadline. After February 15, any remaining…

Dear Families and Friends of Peace, As we step into the new year, there are a lot of things that might catch us by surprise. For example, it’s already time to start planning for this summer! Our Summer 2024 Schedule:  Wilderness Canoe Base is located 60 miles northwest of Grand Marais on the Gunflint Trail. During this extended family camp weekend, families will have the opportunity to venture into the Boundary Waters while also enjoying the amenities of staying onsite…