We want to continue taking precautions to make worship safe for all who are considering attending in the near future. One option we are considering is requiring masks for the 9:00 AM service. Please take this brief survey to help us plan.
Our Current Guidelines for gathering:
- Hand sanitizing stations will be provided
- Masks are recommended during worship, but not required. At this time, we are not able to provide masks. Please bring your own. We have ordered masks, they are expected to arrive in the middle of June.
- Our worship team will help to arrange seating to promote social distancing.
- Communion and dismissal patterns will be modified to maintain physical distancing as much as possible.
- By offering two services we have been able to maintain physical distancing.
- We ask that those who are sick, high risk, or have been exposed to COVID-19 within the last 14 days not gather for worship at this time. Online services will continue to be made available.
- Offering plates and guest registers will not be passed. You can place your offering in the basket provided on your way in or out of worship. We encourage setting up giving online or by text.
We will continue to record and offer online services that will be posted on Facebook and our website each weekend.
Bible Study and Children’s Sunday School:
- Adult Bible Study will be offered online and in-person after the second service at 11:15 AM on Sunday. If you are viewing Bible Study online, please know that we are working to remedy sound issues. We are trying a new microphone this weekend. Bible Study will continue to be offered online Wednesdays at 1:30 PM and 7:00 PM.
- Children’s Sunday School lessons will be provided to parents in attendance.
Projects We Are Working On:
- Building Project: Work to finalize architectural and engineering plans has moved forward over the last few months, design engineering is now complete. The permitting process with Pasco County is now in the final phases. We received news of a set back with financing at the end of March. After reviewing two appraisals on our building and property, the WELS Church Extension Fund was not prepared to approve our loan for the amount needed. They encouraged us to look into cost savings with our contractor and the possibility of WELS Kingdom Workers assisting us with the project. With the completion of the engineering design and project manuals, they were submitted to our builder for final pricing. Favorable pricing has been received. Our leadership team has been looking into the possibility of other lenders, and also will be taking the new building cost back to CEF for reconsideration. We learned that Pasco county will not allow Kingdom Worker RVs to park on our property. This makes our project less appealing to Kingdom Workers. Pray with us that God provide a path to starting this building project. We should have news on financing by the middle of July.
- Worship Locations: The school district has informed us that we can rent Trinity Elementary School at the start of the 2020-21 school year. Of course, this could change quickly with any new mandates from district, state, or federal officials. Our leadership team is looking into other possible worship locations in the event the school is not an option for worship in August of 2020. We have been looking into the possibility of leasing space (within our current rental budget) to accommodate ministry. There would be a number of advantages to leasing our own space. Advantages might include: our worship location and schedule changing due to decisions made by the school district, we could sanitize to our own standards and control the flow of people in and out of the facility, we could have use of a leased facility for ministry 24/7, we wouldn’t have to set up and tear down on a weekly basis.
- Online Services & Bible Studies: We are continually looking to improve our audio and video recordings for worship and Bible Study. We are thankful to Jim Moye and Jim Denny for taking the lead in preparing video and music over the last few months. We are also working to improve our sound so we can continue live-streaming Bible Studies after worship.
- Community Service: Our leadership continues to keep an eye out for ways to serve others who are in need during this time. We received a $250 grant through Thrivent that was originally going to be used for Moonlight Egg Madness. After Moonlight Egg Madness was cancelled, Thrivent informed us we could redirect those funds toward another community project (with their approval). If you would like to propose a worthy project in the area where a group of Peace members could participate and show the love of Christ in our community, let us know. Send an email to staff@peacelutherantrinity.com.
- The PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) The Small Business Administration (SBA) made loans available to small businesses, including nonprofits, through the Paycheck Protection Program. The synod encouraged churches to take a look at this program and the church council decided to pursue the loan not knowing what the ramifications of COVID-19 would be. A loan of $18,000 was received to be used toward qualifying expenses- such as payroll-related expenses, and portions of rent, interest, and other costs. By following the forgiveness guidelines, we expect this loan will be forgiven.
Annual Meeting: The Leadership team is proposing that we hold our annual meeting on Sunday, July 19. We hope to know more about our building project and worship location at that time. The time and location of the meeting are yet to be determined.
How is Peace doing Financially? Members of Peace continue to set aside their firstfruit offerings out of thankfulness to the Lord:
- March 2020 – $13,910
- April 2020 – $20,262
- May 2020 – $15,820
March of 2020 ended with gifts given approximately equal to gifts given in March of 2019. Gifts increased during the Easter season. In April of 2020, gifts increased over April of 2019. In May of 2020, gifts were up over gifts given in May of 2019.
“Freely you have received, freely give,” Jesus said (Mt 10:8). We thank the Lord for your generosity in support of Kingdom Work through this challenging time. To date, our finances remain stable.
Thank Offerings: Please continue your faithful support of proclaiming Him who is The Way, The Truth, The Life. Here are a couple of secure ways to give.
- Set up a one-time gift or reoccurring gift at our website, click here
- Donate via text, send the dollar amount you wish to give to 888-314-2975 (Example: $40)
- Send an offering envelope/check via mail to: Peace Lutheran Church, 3030 Starkey Blvd (Suite 227), Trinity, FL 34655
Winter Visitors, Members Transferring & New Members: Most all of our Winter Visitors have returned to their homes up north. A few are still with us. Rita Kruschwitz and Ron and Mary Van Dam are still with us in Florida. Steve and Barb Kulow are transferring their membership back to Jefferson, WI. They have decided to move back closer to family activities in the Midwest. Richard and Dianna Bublitz have transferred to Peace from our sister church in Tampa. We look forward to welcoming them to our Peace family, hopefully soon.
This Week’s Schedule:
- Sunday, June 14, 9:00 AM – Worship @ Trinity Meeting Center and Online
- Sunday, June 14, 10:15 AM – Worship @ Trinity Meeting Center and Online (https://peacelutherantrinity.com/sermons/ OR Facebook)
- Sunday, June 14, 11:15 AM – Bible Study at Trinity Meeting Center & Streamed Online, June 14, 11:15 AM, click link to the online meeting
- Wednesday, June 17, 1:30 PM – Bible Study Online
- Wednesday, June 17, 7:00 PM – Bible Study Online
- Sunday, June 21, 9:00 AM (masks required) & 10:15 AM – Worship Online at Trinity Mtg Center.
We are thankful for your support and love and patience during this unusual time.