E-note March 21, 2025

March 21, 2025
Pastor Mark Nelson
E-notes

March 21, 2025
Dear Peace Members and Friends, As most of you know, we are in staff transition here at Peace. Last Tuesday, there was the regular monthly meeting of the Church Council and I have a brief report and reminder from that meeting at the end of this note.
But first, it’s always terrific to hear good ministry news and I heard some again this week from our Communication’s staff member, Daina Sivanich, who, along with a group of Peace members who gathered last Saturday at Feed My Starving Children. Daina reports: “We had a blast at Feed My Starving Children! 24 in attendance! Along with everyone at our packing session we packed 180 boxes (Luke Toppin and Wyatt Tschida were beasts!!) bound for Honduras, equaling 38,880 meals; food that will feed 106 children for an entire year.” Great news! Our thanks to all the workers and my thanks to all of you who support ministry and fellow members like this!
Coming up is the 3rd Sunday in Lent. In worship (9:30am), the Gospel reading describes a scene in which some ask Jesus about a crime in the area and an accident when a tower fell; both events where people died and both of which beg the question: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Jesus has a short answer: “no.” But it is a “no” with a catch; a parable directed at his hearers and us about how to respond to such an answer in our lives. I’ll say more in a message, “Could This Be the Year for Figs?” We’ll also have a children’s message, the Peace Choir will sing, and we’ll celebrate Holy Communion.
Also this Sunday, we’ll also have a Farewell and Godspeed to long-time member, Vi Engquist; giving thanks to God and to Vi for the blessing us, both in worship and in Fellowship time prior to adult education hour.
In the Adult Education Hour (10:45am), I’ll present on the topic, “Accompany Them with Singing: What is a Christian Funeral?”
I mentioned at the top that the monthly Council meeting took place this last Tuesday, during which we again discussed the current staffing transition in which we find ourselves. I assured the Council that we could take a deep breath for all the ministry that Pastor Joe was involved with continues, thanks to other staff and congregation members. We also reminded ourselves that these months ahead are a great opportunity to look at Peace’s ministry going forward.
That said, transitions can be unsettling. Let me share with you a story from my railroad days that describes the transition we are heading into. On his 10th birthday, his present was to make a “solo” train trip to visit relatives in Minneapolis for the weekend. He had made the trip before but always with an adult, so the prospect of doing it all by himself was very exciting.
It was a great time in the cities, and all went well until Sunday evening when it was time to return home. His aunt and uncle put him on a train back to Fergus Falls as planned, but there was a small problem: Because there were more passengers than usual, an extra car had been added to the train—a train car that didn’t look anything like the familiar cars of the “Red River” he was used to. His seat happened to be in that very different looking car, and he was convinced he was on the wrong train, going in the wrong direction. His excitement turned to concern, and his concern turned to distress, and his distress turned to something like panic.
It wasn’t until he began to see the familiar landmarks passing by outside the train windows that he could really believe he was going in the right direction after all. The train was different from what he had expected, but it was still taking him where he wanted to go.  
The bit of a transition that Peace is heading into is a bit like that train trip. Everything is not going to be as familiar as in the past, and that can produce in all of us a bit of concern or worse. But the direction has not changed! In the days and weeks ahead, when we feel a bit disoriented and anxious, we would do well to pay attention to the landmarks and be assured that the direction is still the same. Then we, too, can say, “Our God … will be our guide forever.” (Psalm 48) See you Sunday! Mark