Posts by Pastor Joe Orner (Page 6)

Dear Peace Parents and Families, Over the last two weeks, students in Confirmation and Sunday School have been working on a service project—making care packages to send to Peace’s college students around the country.  I’ve been so impressed with the time and intentionality all of the students put into making their cards and the kind and encouraging notes they wrote inside. And I know that our college students will really appreciate receiving the packages too—especially as they prepare for their upcoming midterm exams, projects,…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, We’re just one week away—Trunk or Treat is almost here! Next Saturday, October 28, from 3:30-4:30pm (people hosting trunks should arrive at 3:00pm), we are so excited to welcome kids and families from all across our neighborhood and community for this event. With your help, we hope to greet them with a wonderful and joyous hospitality, which will include plenty of candy, smiles, and laughs—and I’m sure there will be plenty of all three to go around! …

Dear Peace Parents and Families, It’s been very disheartening to see and hear about the terrible acts of violence and war that are occurring in the Middle East; it’s even more tragic to see and hear how those acts of violence have affected children and families and communities and countless innocent people. It’s times like these when it’s important to turn to our loved ones for support and to God in prayer. As we also navigate how to discuss violence…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, On Sunday we concluded our 3-week series during the Education Hour on Teen Mental Health and welcomed in Dr. Marguerite Ohrtman, who spoke on the impact of social media on teens and adults. Dr. Ohrtman is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at Next Adventure Counseling and Consulting and the Director of School Counseling and Clinical Training at the University of Minnesota in the Counselor Education Program. During the session, Dr. Ohrtman shared that about 90% of…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, On Sunday, Sandy Mortensen led our education hour and discussed the subject of values and mental health.  Her primary thesis was this: When life presents challenges, when you experience self-doubt and low self-esteem, or when you’re experiencing mental health issues like anxiety or depression, there are steps we can take to manage them well. First, we can reflect on our values to remind ourselves of what’s most important. Second, we can take value-based actions to recenter ourselves. Third,…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, I’m so grateful to those of you who attended Sunday’s education session on teen mental health. As someone who has worked with students for over a decade, I can’t emphasize enough how important an issue it is for them and needs to be for you. For those who weren’t able to attend, mental health has been declining in the United States—across all ages and demographics—for decades. But it has been particularly poignant among American teenagers. …

Dear Peace Parents and Families, Thank you to everyone who made Gathering Sunday and our Fall Kickoff Festival so fun! It warmed my heart to see all the smiling faces, hear all the laughs and good conversations, and feel all of the positive and Spirit-filled energy. As we look ahead and move forward into the fall, there will be plenty more opportunities to grow in faith and community—for all ages. On Sundays we have worship, fellowship time, adult education, Sunday…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, Gathering Sunday is this weekend, and I am so excited to begin the new year of ministry together. We will kick it off with worship at 9:30am, a brief Sunday School Preview immediately following worship, and a Fall Kickoff Festival in the upper parking lot at 10:45am. We’ll have snow cones, walking tacos, and plenty of games. Everyone is invited—we hope you can make it! And as we move into the fall season, I want…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, There are a lot of exciting things happening at Peace in the coming weeks, and we want you to be a part of them!  Here’s a brief taste of what’s to come: And to make these wonderful ministries possible, we need your help! Each one needs dedicated leaders who care about our young people and their faith formation. Because when you serve in our Children, Youth, and Family ministries, you are making a big difference in…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, For Bloomington schools, school starts next week. As I’ve done in previous years, I’d like to share this prayer, “A Prayer for the First Day of School,” for all of our students, parents, teachers, and education workers as they prepare to begin this exciting new season.  “O God of new beginnings, as this child begins this new school year, we are reminded that they are Yours and Yours alone. We have filled their backpack, and…

Dear Peace Parents and Families, It was great to see so many of you this last Sunday as I returned from my parental leave.  Reilly and I welcomed our son, Cameron, into the world on June 29, which also happened to be the last day of Vacation Bible School. I’m grateful to everyone who cared for us at the hospital, and to everyone who helped make our “Stellar” VBS such a blast! The six weeks of my parental leave that…

Dear Peace Families, VBS Begins Monday, and it’s going to be a STELLAR week at Peace! We have 57 children between Peace, Community of the Cross, and the Bloomington community who will be attending VBS at Peace! And to make VBS happen, we have 35 volunteers helping throughout the four days! “Stellar” is our outer-space-themed curriculum that rockets kids on an out-of-this-world adventure and is full of faith-building fun. Throughout the week, students will travel with their crews to different stations that help…