Peace Lutheran Church Women

August 2008

"No one has ever seen God. It is God the only

Son who is close to the Father’s heart who

has made him known to us."

John 1:18

Greetings Women of Peace,

What does it "look like" to be a person close to the Father’s heart? Could it be perfect attendance at Sunday service or circle Bible study? What about volunteering at Hospice, Hospitality House, or IFM? How about serving in leadership or helping others in our church? What does being close to the Father’s heart mean to you? We have many PLCW who have demonstrated that they are "close to the Father’s heart.” While there are many ways it might be exhibited, maybe the ones below will encourage you and challenge you to seek God Himself even more than His blessings!

· Have a passion for God’s word and a heart for others.

· Be willing to serve God and others.

· Go beyond your comfort zone out of love for God.

· Persevere to overcome obstacles.

· Want to be well equipped to serve Him.

· Stand against unbiblical thinking in our culture.

· Remain faithful in the midst of sorrow.

God has revealed Himself through His Word. Those who have learned who God is and experienced His life-changing power through Bible study are longing for God’s heart instead of their own. I pray that each of you are studying in a Bible study circle and/or on your own to be close to the Father’s heart and enable you to serve Him with joy.

With Love,

Diann Lane

MISSION OUTREACH

Co-chairwomen Siri Fenson and Jan Schroeder

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world." By having helped the PLCW Mission Outreach to gather school supplies for Hennessy School children, you have indeed "been in the world" for a needy child. We thank you for supporting us in this worthwhile effort. And remember: "The shortest distance between a problem and a solution, is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.”

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Co-Chairwomen Carol Lenhard and Ingrid Dreyer

Day Retreat – "The Cup of Our Life"

Saturday, September 20, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Cost $25

You are invited to attend a day away at Mercy Retreat Center in Auburn. The speaker is Colleen Greg and the topic is "The Cup of Our Life". The day will include a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack. There will be time for prayer and meditation reaching in and letting go of our worldly life. We start off with a broken cup, and through Christ our cup will become whole. There are scholarships available – call Diann Lane– it will be confidential. Be sure and sign up on the kiosk to register and pay in advance by September 14. We will be organizing carpools. Call Carol Lenhard or Ingrid Dreyer for questions.

CIRCLE BIBLE STUDY

There are no circle meetings during the month of August. But starting in September, our circle Bible study is titled "The Hidden Hand of God: Wisdom Stories from Ruth, Daniel and Esther" that will help us to think about our call to discipleship in the complexity of today’s world co-authored by Revs. Gwen Sayler and Ann Fritschel. This is a good time to join a circle because it is the beginning of a new nine month study taken from the Lutheran Woman Today magazine. If you need the magazine for the study, you can subscribe by calling toll free 1 800 328-4648.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

WELCA Sierra Pacific Board

Meeting at Peace August 15-16

Day Retreat & General Meeting

at Mercy Center, Auburn September 20

Thank Offering Sunday November 9

PLCW Christmas Party &

General Meeting December 6

We do not have a PLCW Board meeting in August so the next one will be held on Tuesday, September 2, at 2:00 p.m. in the old Fellowship Hall. All women of Peace are invited to attend.