Peace Lutheran Church is committed to tithing in support of local, regional, and national ministries. Our Service and Mission Committee faithfully works on behalf of the Peace community to evaluate, vet, and choose these organizations and ministries. The list below is some, but certainly not all, of the organizations and ministries we support. If you are interested in learning more about Peace’s Service Committee, please email Kris Holm or Joanne Vance.
www.elca.org
Peace Lutheran Church’s benevolence goes to support the larger church and its ministries around the country and around the world. The ELCA is a church that rolls up its sleeves and gets to work. The six primary areas of focus are Congregations and Synods, Leadership, Relief and Development, Global Church, Related Ministries, and a Publicly Engaged Church. The leading areas under Relief and Development are ELCA Malaria Campaign, ELCA World Hunger, HIV and AIDS Ministry, Lutheran Disaster Response, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, ELCA Global Church Sponsorship, and Global Mission, to name a few.
To help/become involved, contact Peace members Kris Holm or Joanne Vance.
https://lwr.org/kits/baby-care-kits
A new baby is a blessing, but bringing a baby into the world can also be a difficult and scary thing for a mother living in poverty. Keeping a new baby healthy, clean and comfortable can take a lot of resources. Lutheran World Relief Baby Care Kits provide the basics a family needs to care for their newest members and introduce them to the world with pride.
Peace first collected for and packed these kits as our 2023 Lenten service project, It was a great success and the the Service and Mission Committee has decided to make this an on-going effort. You can donate any time in the church office. The items needed are:
- New or gently used baby clothing, including sleepers, socks, hooded jackets and t-shirts (no onsies)
- Blankets between 36″ and 52″ square
- Cloth diapers, flat fold preferred
- Diaper pins
- Hand towels, thin
- 3 to 4 oz bars of gentle bath soap
If you would like to be involved in this ministry in any way, please email at Kris Holm. We welcome help throughout the year with shopping, washing new blankets and diapers, or sewing flannel to make blankets. To make a financial donation at any time, make check out to Peace Lutheran Church and write “LWR Kits” in the memo line.
https://goodgifts.elca.org/
Peace Lutheran Church has a Christmas tradition of supporting the Good Gifts campaign.
To help/become involved, contact Peace members Kris Holm or Joanne Vance.
https://veap.org/
VEAP is a basic needs and social services organization whose programs promote access to healthy foods, stable housing, and transportation. VEAP’s programs are designed to address a particular need and, when used together, provide hope and can help avoid a financial crisis such as loss of house, transportation, or employment.
Whether the hardship is from a disability, job transition, or the financial and physical stresses of aging, VEAP has been helping our neighbors in need for over 40 years.
VEAP serves residents in the communities of Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, and the portion of Minneapolis south of 50th Street and west of Cedar Avenue.
You can help/become involved by volunteering in one of VEAP’s programs/events, donating to VEAP food/toy/supply drives or donating funds directly to VEAP. For more information you can call VEAP directly at 952-881-8322 or email Peace member Joanne Vance.
Loaves & Fishes has a mission to provide healthy meals to Minnesotans in areas where need is greatest guided by their vision that all people – regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, religious, or ethnic background – deserve to meet their basic needs for food, dignity, and respect. Peace prepares and serves a meal on the third Tuesday of every month at Christ the King Lutheran Church (8600 Fremont Ave. S., Bloomington).
If you want more information please call Lori Thomson in the church office at 952-944-6510 or email her here.
https://www.https://lssvi.org/our-services/children/queen-louise-home-for-children
Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands is a multi-service non-profit organization headquartered in Frederiksted, St. Croix. They are the largest private child and family service agency in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They offer programs for abused, abandoned and neglected children, pregnant women and families, low income seniors and adults with disabilities. They have been taking care of our territory’s most vulnerable citizens since 1904.
To become involved email at Lori Thomson.
https://www.harvestpack.org
Harvest Pack addresses food insecurity through bringing meal packing events then distributing food to local communities. Annually our Parish Hall becomes a packing site for members of all ages as we pack oatmeal meals which are distributed locally, nationally or internationally, depending on current needs.
To help/become involved, contact Peace members Kris Holm or Joanne Vance.
The Tuesday Quilters pins, irons, sew, and ties quilts, talks about life, and drink decaf coffee! Their creations are donated to various social service agencies where they are put to good use.
Anyone is welcome to join them the first and third Tuesdays of the month, from 10:00am-12:00pm in the Parish Hall. Fabric donations of 100% cotton fabric and all-purpose thread (any color) are also appreciated.
To become involved email Lori Thomson.
The Monday evening knitting and crocheting group meets to work on their latest projects, talk about life, and have fun. They meet every other Monday from 4:30-6:00pm. If you would like information on the group, please contact Joy Kjeldahl or Gayle Haugen.
One of their current projects is making cowls for The Groveland Emergency Food Shelf in Minneapolis. Groveland provides not only emergency groceries, but also helps men and women in need stay warm with a cozy cowl. Ready to help? Finished dimensions should be 20” high x 12” in diameter. Groveland prefers this height so that the cowl can be pulled up over the head if needed. Bulky yarn is preferred to add warmth to the cowls. Cowls may be knit on a round knitting loom, however, you can just knit or crochet in the round. Please leave your completed cowls in the church office and the Knitting/Crochet Group will get them to the right person. If you have questions, please contact Gayle Haugen.
Games and Outreach with Spanish-Speaking Refugees. Hennepin County operates a shelter for new-to-the-country people to live in until they find housing. While the families are at the shelter, their children attend Bloomington schools. A group from Peace has been going to the shelter some Saturday mornings to play bingo with families. We’ve practiced English skills but mostly, we have fun! If you are interested in joining us or for future volunteering opportunities, please send an email to Julia Wiessner.
We are an international, ecumenical congregation. We come from many places, speak many languages and are united in Christ’s name.
For over 100 years, St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo has been a place where people living in the Cairo area from around the world have gathered to worship God. Worship at St. Andrew’s continued during both World Wars, serving the English-speaking military personnel stationed in Cairo. Aside from an English-speaking congregation, for the past 26 years St. Andrew’s has been “home” to five refugee led congregations representing five ecumenical denominations. These services are led in the native language of each community and offer theological educational opportunities. Through our benevolence funds, we annually provide Christmas dinner.