Please join us at any one of our Lenten Gatherings on Friday evenings during Lent!  All are welcome!  Some gatherings are here in the church and others are around Medina.

This Sunday, January 8th, will be a lot of music from the Gathering Band before we do a holy experiment. I think we have a great opportunity to lean into a new format and embrace the roots of our service. 20 years ago, folks yearning for a different way to worship embarked with great care and consideration. They found a new format with new music. A new style. It is time to innovate once again.

Dan Marty, Pastor Luke, our mission and youth pastor Meghan, and our seminary intern Ryan all met and have developed a simple worship pattern. We’ll start with a word. Then go from there.

This worship is extremely interactive and conversational. It will have music and prayer and scripture. We’ll end with communion and then ask you, “So what?” We talked about this word and had a conversation, and so what are we going to do now? If you would like the words in advance, we can talk about where they came from and why we want to discuss them, but that’ll wait until Sunday.

We’ll develop this together over the course of the next three months. The band will practice and spend time building their chemistry and repertoire. We’ll have a break from setting up tables and communion and power point. We may discover we don’t need those. Or that we do, but in a different way. Or that we liked the way we’ve been doing it, and we’ve found a new energy to carry out the task.

Liturgy means “The work of the people.” As Dan put it, “This is like a work-ship. A worship that you have to work to build.” I really like that. I thought of Harry’s woodwork with our beautiful, handcrafted table and I put together a draft logo. It’s not permanent, but playful. I hope you don’t mind.

We’ll talk more on Sunday, and we’ll build this together. For now, I just hope that we can trust one another in this journey. I’m here to answer any questions.

Yours in Christ,

-Luke

All men are invited to join in a new men’s group facilitated by Chuck Rihm, one of our new members from last fall.  He will be utilizing the Way of Council.  The Way of Council is a communal contemplative practice that fosters a heart-centered way of listening, speaking and being with others.  We will meet on the 1^st and 3^rd Sundays of the month from 4:30-6:00 pm in the new library while the Youth Group is in session.  We will begin May 1^st.

Contact Chuck at rihm@compuserve.com or 440-503-8021 for questions.

Starting on Tuesday, September 6^th we will resume our breakfasts at 8:00 a.m. the first Tuesday of every month.  We will meet at Buehler’s on River Styx. All men of the church are invited. No reservations are required.

After the 10:30 service on Easter Sunday, we will once again have a quick Easter Egg Hunt for the children. The kids should bring their Easter Basket or a bag so they can add a few more eggs to their collection!

Are you a parent or caregiver to a child that struggles with

a mental health diagnosis? (Including, but not limited to ADD, ADHD, AUTISM, OCD, ANXIETY, SPD, etc.)

Do you feel you are on your journey alone and searching for support?

Do you feel lost and need help navigating?

Join us every second Thursday each month for a support group to find

a group that can offer support, experiences, education, and a sense of belonging to a community that shares the struggle.

The support group is held at United Church of Christ on the Medina Square and starts at 7pm.

Our first group is Thursday, March 9^th.

Please feel free to bring your “support person”. What is this? Maybe it’s a friend, sibling, or anyone that you share your experience with. They need support and education too!

Don’t walk this path alone; let us walk together!

Join us for a spaghetti dinner, with salad, dessert, and beverages.

There will also be a basket raffle!  All proceeds will benefit Operation Homes.

Where?:

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 3355 Medina Rd., Medina

Dinner tickets are $12 per person and $8 for 6 years and under.

(Dine in or take out available)

Purchase your tickets online or call for more information.

operationhomes.org/store    or 330-419-4863

On Sunday April 16^th from 1-3pm, let’s head out to the Medina Square to support the Children’s Center of Medina County as they plant 595 pinwheels representing each case of Child Abuse or Neglect investigated by Medina County Job and Family Services during 2022. Participants are encouraged to wear blue, the designated color for child abuse prevention awareness.

The tea will be held on Saturday, May 20^th from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm in our Fellowship Hall.  Tickets will be $10 per person and $5 for girls under 10.  Ticket sales will begin on Sunday, April 16^th in the East Room.  Vicki Miller will be presenting the program “For All the Tea in China.”

Compassion Camp is coming soon!  Registration will begin on Easter Sunday!

Check back then for details.