Dear Friends through Christ:
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
April was like a whirlwind, blowing the days by like leaves falling from the tree. Poof, it is over. Man, how time flies.
All I can say is cherish every single day.
This month I presided over three funerals: Susan Marie Hall, Frederick Dale and Arfst Lorenzen. One of the ministries Peace offers is a time and a place to gather with family and friends to worship, to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, to remember before God our brothers and sisters who have died, to give thanks for their life, to commend them to our merciful redeemer and comfort one another in our grief. The Memorial/Celebration of Life/Funeral is an important step in the healing process for most families. The church, with the proclamation of Christ Jesus life, death and resurrection, is the only message that can give these families hope. While all three of these saints and sinners had long wonderful lives, I’m quite certain, at least for the families, it was not long enough. Poof, it is over. Man, how time flies. All I can say is, cherish every single day.
This month also included Holy Week and Easter. On Palm Sunday we had a beautiful service with a baptism and first communion. Two worship services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and for the first time in my twenty-five years of ministry, we hosted an outdoor Easter Sunrise service, followed by a full breakfast. We closed out Holy Week with a spectacular Easter worship. Peace Lutheran Church touched the lives of many people during the month of April, but our work never ends.
Now we come to May and our task remains to touch the lives of those around us. Two of the ways we hope to do this in the month of May, are through Shepherd's Center classes and having a food drive for Second Harvest.
Shepherd Center of South Brevard, Inc., will be offering enrichment classes to our community every Thursday during the month of May, from 9AM to Noon. The classes include: Helping Our Local Environment; Astronomy—Making Sense of the Cosmos; Florida Shells; From Root to Trees—Researching Family Background; Musical History Tour; The Holy Bible; German for Travelers. A person can enroll for all three hours for only $20, which simply covers the cost of the program. It is a wonderful way for many of our seniors to get out and exercise their mind.
Also, during the month of May, Peace will host a Food & Fund Drive for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, helping to combat the food insecurity problem in our community. Food insecurity is defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. country have experienced food insecurity this year.
This problem had been steadily falling throughout this great nation, but with the health crisis and economic instability, new estimates point to what could be the worst we have seen in years. Nearly 25% of all household in this country have experienced food insecurity this year. Imagine for a moment, with all that is going on in your life, now add to those worries, “What are going to eat today? How are we going to pay for it?” Folks, it is the least we can do, makings sure our brothers and sister in Christ don’t have to struggle with the basic necessity of food.
Within this newsletter, you will find a list of needed items from Second Harvest. There will also be extra flyers in the narthex of Peace, so you can share what is needed with your family and friends who may not come to church, but still want to help. Pick these items up when you shop and bring them to church on Sunday or stop by during the week and drop them off. I’m hoping/praying that our small congregation can cover a large portion of the narthex floor this month with items needed to help feed those in our midst.
May will fly by just like April. Poof, it will be over. We simply need to cherish every single day and touch the lives of as many people as possible with the gospel of Christ Jesus.
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
In Christian Love,
Pastor David Trexler