Blogs And Devotionals

Hello Peace! It’s Fall Festival time! I hope you are all able to join us immediately following worship on Sunday to celebrate this beautiful autumn season and, most importantly, spend some time together. We’ll eat snacks, do crafts, and enjoy being together as the Peace community. I’m looking forward to seeing you there! We will also welcome a special mentor and friend of mine, Pastor Bonnie Wilcox, to preach during worship. She’ll dive into one of my most favorite Psalms,…

Greetings Peace! Fall is officially upon us.  I hope you are finding ways to breathe in the fresh autumn air and appreciate the beautiful colors that have burst onto the MN scene. This Sunday, we’ll dive into our new sermon series, Names Matter.  Our names tell a story about who we are, where we come from, and how we understand ourselves.  For this first Sunday, we will look at how God speaks to us individually.  We’ll explore how Samuel first…

Hello Peace! This Sunday during worship, we’ll hear two very different but beautifully connected stories. In Philippians, Paul talks about letting go of the things he once thought gave him worth and status so that he might know Christ more fully. In John’s Gospel, the risen Jesus comes to his frightened disciples, speaks words of peace, breathes the Holy Spirit upon them, and then sends them out into the world. Together, these texts invite us to consider what it means…

Hello, Peace! Happy Friday! You may have noticed that I’ve mentioned my family a few times already, so I thought it was time to put some faces with the stories! This is my husband, Anthony, and our three adult kids (Emma, Maddie, and Jeremiah). Our youngest turned 20 this week which means we no longer have a teenager in our home/family for the first time in 13 years! A strange ending of an era…with them being adults these days means I…

Hi, Peace!I’m starting to settle in, and I have to say, it’s beginning to feel like things are clicking into place. I’m learning names (slowly but surely!), getting to know more of you, and beginning to find the rhythms of life and ministry here at Peace. I’m grateful for the ways you’ve welcomed me and excited about what God is doing among us. Thank you for the great welcome you showed me last week at my installation!The energy was wonderful,…

Hello Peace!What a joy it is to greet you as your new Senior Pastor! I look forward to worshiping with you all for the first time THIS SUNDAY! I hope you will be able to join us because we have much to celebrate. Pastor Jen Collins from the Minneapolis Area Synod will be here to install me as your pastor, and we’ll gather immediately after worship to have brunch together. Our scripture for Sunday is John 15:9–17, and it reminds…

Dear Peace Members and Friends,Here we are in a true interim period. Last Sunday, August 30 we celebrated theconclusion of Pastor Jeff Engholm’s interim time at Peace and our new SeniorPastor, Anne Schaefer, will start after Labor Day. This Sunday, September 6, we have the privilege of having Pastor PhilipFormo as our guest pastor. He will be preaching on the Matthew 18:15-20 textwhere Jesus gives us a step-by-step process for resolving personalconflicts with a goal of reconciliation. We will pray,…

August 28, 2026 Dear Peace Lutheran Church Family and Friends, Over the past thirteen months we have traveled the “interim road” together, completing surveys, holding listening sessions, filling out paperwork, and discerning the mission of this congregation in anticipation of calling your next pastor. Now that this transition is complete, my time with you is coming to an end. Of course, this is not the first transition that has taken place at Peace Lutheran Church. Many pastors have come and gone since…

Dear Peace Lutheran Church Friends and Family, This past week has been full: on Monday night, a group of Peace members traveled to The Dubliner in St. Paul to sing along with the Fleshpots of Egypt bluegrass band; on Tuesday afternoon, another group shared good food and good conversation at the Sovereign Estate Winery in Waconia; on Tuesday evening, the Church Council gathered to make final plans for welcoming Peace’s new pastor; on Wednesday morning, the Peace Staff met to…

Dear Peace Lutheran Church Friends and Family, We’re halfway through August and heading into the home stretch of summer! Thanks much for your continued donations to our VEAP and Poplar Bridge Elementary School collections, and thanks also for your ongoing overall support for the congregation. The ministry of the church is driven by the Holy Spirit working through YOU and every single member of the congregation. Thank you! This Sunday morning we’ll gather to hear about God’s all-inclusive, all-welcoming, radical hospitality as…

Dear Peace Lutheran Church Friends and Family, Our congregation’s ministry continues to be strong through these summer months – just check out the Peace Facebook page for recent pictures from the VEAP Work Day, Church Grounds Clean-up Project, and the Older Adult Luncheon! And there’s certainly more to come as we continue to collect household items for VEAP, collect school supplies for Poplar Bridge Elementary School, gather with grieving folks at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church on Thursday afternoons, and more!…

Dear Peace Lutheran Church Friends and Family, What a great week it’s been! We just had a group of kids spend time at Camp Wapogasset, our Older Adults group had a great lunch last Thursday, and then Thursday afternoon we had a work crew help out at “VEAP Headquarters” just a short drive from Peace. Lots of fellowship, learning, and service activities for all ages! This Sunday morning we’ll be gathering for worship in the sanctuary, conversation in the Fellowship…