Pinawa Christian Fellowship Newsletter

Update to the Summer

by Rev. Rob Murray

PCF Summer News 2006

PICNIC

This Sunday, June 25 will be a Church Picnic at the F.W. Gilbert School. Weather permitting; the service will be on the front steps at 10 a.m. with outdoor activities and lunch to follow. (Lousy weather just means we move the fun indoors!)  Please bring pot-luck salads and desserts; hot-dogs and beverages will be provided.

SUMMER WORSHIP

Summer worship will be shared with the Pinawa Lutheran Church from the Canada Day Weekend, July 2nd, until the Labour Day weekend, September 3rd. Worship will be in the Pinawa Lutheran Church at the corner of Massey and Burrows Ave. at 9 a.m.. Worship leadership and the form of worship will be shared equally between the two congregations.

SCHOOL'S OUT!

As School ends we hope that children, and teachers, will have a safe time of relaxation and recreation this summer. The PCF celebrates and rejoices with the class of 2006. In particular, we recognize the achievements of three young people, baptized in this congregation, who will be graduating from Pinawa Secondary this year.

Matthew Borgford           Baptized May 29, 1989

Joshua Bueckert    Baptized December 11, 1988

Lisa Stepanik                  Baptized April 10, 1988

Congratulations and Best Wishes!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

The General Committee needs someone to coordinate Stewardship. The primary responsibility is organizing a yearly canvass of the membership to elicit support and to generate our volunteer lists for set-up, flowers, greeting etc. We have several offers of assistance with collating the information, but we need someone who could prepare the packages, recruit visitors, and generally represent the issues of stewardship on the General Committee.

The General Committee is also looking for someone to coordinate Adult Education. This person would work with Rob and others to plan Bible Studies, Second Hour educational events, and to generally promote Adult Christian Education. They Adult Ed coordinator is a member of the General Committee.

FINANCES

Please keep us in mind over the summer as our expenses continue even while many of us are on vacation. Thanks to those on PAR, the pre-authorized remittance plan, this helps even out our cash flow greatly. (Give our Treasurer, Nat Fenton, a call at 753-3532 if you would like more information on this plan).

PASSING THE PEACE

First be reconciled to your brother or sister . . . For some people, the moments in the liturgy following the prayers of the church are awkward ones. The presiding minister offers these words: "The peace of the Lord be with you." The congregation responds "And also with you." The members of the congregation are then invited to "share the peace" with one another. What does that really mean?  Sharing God's peace is not simply a friendly hello to those sitting around you.  Sharing God's peace is not a time for catching up on news with your neighbour or for reminding someone about an upcoming meeting. Sharing God's peace does not require each worshiper to offer a sign of God's peace to every other worshiper present.  Sharing God's peace with one another is an act of reconciliation. It is an opportunity for God's people to be reconciled with each other as they offer their gifts to God and before they receive the gift of Holy Communion.  Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Matthew's Gospel, lays a foundation for the practice of sharing God's peace. "So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to you brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)  Other sources from the early church confirm the practice of sharing the gift of peace. In the Didache, an early Christian writing nearly as old as many of the New Testament writings, the Christian community is encouraged to "Come together on the Lord's day, having first confessed your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure. Anyone who has a quarrel with his fellow should not gather with you until he has been reconciled, lest your sacrifice be profaned."  This passage from the Didache confirms that the pattern Jesus spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount became a regular weekly occurrence in the Holy Communion practice for early Christians.  Over centuries, the exchange of peace came later in the service, after the Lord's Prayer and before the distribution of Communion. Some congregations still exchange the peace at this point, though the preferred placement in Lutheran Book of Worship and With One Voice is following the prayers and before the offering (quite likely the more ancient pattern).  That the sharing of the peace follows the prayers of the church is not accidental. The congregation has forged itself into a common people by praying for the church, the world and all those in need. Following this, and before we have an opportunity to present our material gifts to God, we effect our reconciliation with one another. Having been reconciled, we now complete our thanksgiving to God and receive the gifts from God's altar as a unified people; that is, as a communion.  Seen in its context, it becomes clear why the exchange of God's peace is not a time for commenting on your neighbour's new outfit or for reminding someone about next week's potluck supper. It is a time to be reconciled with one another. It is a time to set aside differences and recognize our unity as children of God.  What can the exchange of peace teach us for daily living? Christians are a people who seek reconciliation with one another. Making peace is a daily action in our lives. We do not need to wait to come to church on Sunday morning in order to make peace with our neighbours and our family members. Sharing God's peace is a daily opportunity.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.     Prepared by Dennis and Linda Post Bushkofsky.  Dennis is an ELCA Partner in Worship.  This article first appeared in the March 1998 issue of Lutheran Woman Today.     Copyright © 1998 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . 

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