Dear Friends,

This coming Sunday is Pentecost! You are invited to wear red for this festival morning!  As it is a holiday weekend, I also want to remind you that the office will be closed on Monday, Memorial Day.

Thank you for your ongoing donations to the food shelf. We are re-stocking and serving our community for these days of summer. We are in need of kid friendly cereals and snacks, pasta, and canned fruit. Other ‘regular’ donations are also welcome! Your generosity continues to support individuals and families who are experiencing food insecurity in our community.

A special note about confirmation this fall. We are trying something new. Confirmation orientation for all new and returning students, including the class which will be confirmed this fall is on Wednesday, September 13, at 6pm.  Confirmation pictures and practice for those affirming their faith this fall is Sunday, September 17, at 11:30am; and Confirmation Sunday is on September 24, at 10am. 

This fall, we have changed the class schedule night. Confirmation classes will meet on Monday evenings at 6pm-7:15pm. We are hoping that many of our confirmands might join the Essence Choir which practices at 7:30pm. We have made this change so that onWednesday evenings, our students can enjoy our community dinner before youth group which will meet from 6:30pm-8:30pm.  We continue to grow our youth group and outside the church, fun opportunities, so we hope this schedule will be one that all of our families can work within.  With that, the first confirmation class will be Monday, September 18 for all 6^th through 8^th graders.  Please contact myself or Chantal Branker with any questions you have.

National Youth Gathering is the summer of 2024, in New Orleans. At this time, our attending this event will depend on the participation we have from our 8^th grade through high school youth. A decision will be made by the end of October as to whether or not Peace will take a group to New Orleans. Our youth group leaders have offered and will continue to offer ‘fun’ events.Look for the email of our summer events from Chantal Branker. National Youth Gathering is a life changing event and I hope that we bring a group from Peace!!

I will be gone on Sunday, June 4, and Sunday, June 11. On June 4, I will be in Kansas visiting with my Dad; and Sunday June 11, Bruce and I will be making some wonderful adjustments to our family. We have been blessed with the care of 3 little girls for the time being. I would ask that when you see them and meet them that you would keep your conversations with them about those topics of interest to little girls. Favorite color, toy, etc. Please do not ask them personal questions, as this would not be appropriate. Also, they will not be mentioned or featured anywhere in my social media, so please do not address the situation through social media. Sadly, if anyone did, well-meaning as it might be, I would have to unfriend you, and that would make me sad. Thank you for the support and the prayers. We feel honored to have this opportunity in our lives for as brief or as long as it may be.

I hope you have a great week! Take care… be safe…

Pastor Valerie