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Dear Friends Through Christ:

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This year I did something I’ve never done… I strayed from the lectionary and preached much of 2024 from Genesis and Revelation in a series entitled “It Is Enough.”  The book is a dialogue with the bookends of Scripture, and it is enough to know God and understand humanity.  It is enough to see our past, our present and our future.  Buy the book!  It’s knowledge will come in useful because “it is enough.”  


Through that series hopefully we learned that when our Lampstand (Peace Lutheran) keeps the Lamb (Christ Jesus) in the center of our teaching, God will always provide, and the Lampstand will always shine.  This year those of us who gave of our time, talent and treasure got to see God’s work through our Hands.  This year was a fun year to watch some of our hard work yield heavenly fruit.


The stars fell in place where all the city officials agreed Peace Lutheran could serve as a Christian School!  Praise the Lord!  As I write, there are about 70 or so middle school and high school youth meeting in building C.  By next year Lifeline Academy will be shaping over 100 young minds. Praise the Lord!  Dr. Cooks is a delight to work with and the kids are energizing to be around.  Here soon, my plans are to host a weekly chapel and offer religion classes.

 

Lifeline Academy generates $48,000 per year, funds that we need to offset our budget deficit. Therefore, this year 2024, was the first year Peace Lutheran has been on the plus side financially or in the black since I have arrived!  Praise the Lord!  We now actually have a few funds to fix a few things and if we keep the trend going, we can do even more ministry, and the year 2024 brought a few new ministries to Peace, other than just the school. 


We now host a Spanish speaking service and Bible studies are being offering through Ebenezer Church, with Pastor Luis Herrera as their shepherd.  Also, this year we began hosting a program called CODA. It tries to help people who are addicted to more than one harmful addition.  They meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays.   


Finally, Peace closed out 2024 by serving as a “Cold Night Shelter.” Here we opened our fellowship hall to the homeless when the temperature falls below 45 degrees.  Through Love Inc., and Brevard Homeless Coalition we serve dinner, have Bible Study, watch a movie, sleep on mats, serve breakfast and send them on their way with love, prayers, and bus ticket.  Just this past Sunday (01/26), Sandy and I cooked breakfast for eighteen homeless in our fellowship hall.  Serving the homeless is a difficult but rewarding type of ministry.  Thank you for your support!


So, if you add these three new ministries to what we already do to serve our community, I genuinely believe Christ will continue to shine brightly in our Lampstand and Peace Lutheran will be fine.  Not only do we offer a wonderful worship experience and outstanding Bible Studies, but we also now host four different worshipping communities at Peace Lutheran.  (How cool is that?)  Our VBS this year attracted over 50 area kids.  Our food pantry gave away over $350,000 worth of meats to those who need it.  Meals On Wheels serves over 250 elderly and shut-in's meals, five days a week.  AA has saved many more lives than my sermons and they meet here every day. 


If you live in the area and desire to vote, then you will come to our beautiful campus to cast that vote.  (Thanks to all who keep Peace looking so beautiful.) There are probably close to 20 different community groups that use our facility to do their ministry and trust me, if you show up at Peace Lutheran Church during the week, pretty much any time of the day, we are not only busy, but Peace is also busy doing the Lord’s work!  Thank you!


This year I did something I’ve never done...I had a massive heart attack.  I had heart attack and I’m OK because of my Faith in God.  I’m no longer afraid of dying, but instead, I’m consumed with what can I do here and now to serve Him.  But then I             realize, we serve Him by loving others, and the best way I know how to love others is by sharing the gospel of Christ Jesus—Share with them my faith, in word and deed.   


That my friends is my prayer for 2025; Don’t be concerned about dying but consumed with love!  I hope and pray that we not only continue doing the ministry of our Savior, but I also hope and pray that each of us will be consumed with sharing the gospel of Christ Jesus with others.  I challenge everyone reading this letter to start thinking about people in your life whom you love, whom you genuinely want what’s is best for them, and then I challenge you to invite them to worship!  I challenge you to share your faith! 

Do this and next year I’ll be writing how in 2025 we did something that has never been done.  Our attendance doubled! 


In Christian Love,

Pastor David Trexler

 

PS: Immediately after writing an annual report, our wonderful office manager, Jacqui, informed me I needed to write an article for the February Newsletter. I very politely responded, “No, I don’t, because right here is a perfectly good letter informing everybody that we happen to know, exactly what we do, and how important this work is to our community. Our newsletter reaches a whole lot more people than the ones who read our annual report. This Good News needs to be shared with as many people as possible. So, in a couple of weeks when you receive the annual report, you can read it again, in context of our budget and see quite clearly that Peace Lutheran does good work. So go ahead, boast!  But boast in the Lord!  

 

 

 

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