God’s Work, Our Hands.
We are here to serve God by serving others:
St. Peter Lutheran Church is dedicated to serving God in several spheres of activity. Our congregational life is determined to provide worship, learning, fellowship and service opportunities for all ages. In all we do, we seek to empower members through the Holy Spirit for witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. Our efforts include local, regional, national and global projects.
Our worship service is at 10 am each Sunday with Holy Communion available on the first and third Sunday of each month and for other festivals. Every baptized Christian is welcome to receive the Lord’s Supper whenever they are ready. We provide instruction for First Communion for our fifth grade and older members to explain our belief in the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the sacrament. In order to include everyone we provide gluten free wafers and grape juice as an alternative to the bread and wine in the meal. We are fully aware that we are sinners forgiven by Jesus Christ, so we want to be genuinely inclusive of all people. We invite all to join us downstairs after worship for fellowship to enjoy a snack, a beverage and conversations with fellow believers.
We provide Sunday School and Vacation Bible School for Christian instruction of children. Sunday School and Adult Bible Classes are at 8:45 Sunday mornings. We work hard to make Vacation Bible School (VBS) a memorable activity for children. In addition to Bible stories, projects and snacks we try to have a truly special activity each year that the children will remember all their lives. One year we had a tethered hot air balloon ride for all the kids. The next year we had a pony ride to go with the theme of the week. We have had a rock climbing wall, a bounce house, and a carnival. Our VBS is open to all children. They don’t have to be members to join the fun.
The Pastor leads a two year program of Catechism Classes to prepare seventh and eighth grade students for Affirmation of Baptism and Confirmation. These classes include Biblical themes and focus on Luther’s Small Catechism to teach the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Through intensive conversation and instruction these young Christians are prepared to make affirmation of the faith they were given in baptism. They will then have the opportunity to profess their faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit before the congregation and publicly vow to follow Jesus throughout their lives.
We encourage our members in a lifestyle of prayer. We have three prayer lists to communicate prayer needs of members, friends, relatives and neighbors. The Prayer Wheel is notified by text to a cell phone; the Prayer Hub is contacted by email; and the Prayer Chain is called by phone. If you would like to be included in this prayer ministry please call the church office. If you have prayer requests please direct those to Pastor Harlan to initiate the prayer ministry.
Our women are active in the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA). Be sure to view the WELCA page to see more about their quilt sewing, prayer shawls and other ministries. Our men are involved in a Men’s Breakfast with six other local congregations.
We serve our community with service projects and emergency social ministry support of families in need within our local area. We serve together with other congregations in the area through the We Care project to provide Christmas Baskets for families in the area. We also cooperate with other Lutheran congregations of our Northern Conference and the Central/Southern Illinois Synod (C/SIS) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with local and area mission projects.
We support the Global Mission of the ELCA with financial gifts. Through the ELCA we help to support over 240 missionaries in over 40 countries. While proclaiming the love of God in Jesus Christ, people all over the world are assisted with food, water, health care and development projects. In particular, we focus on the companion synods of the C/SIS in Madagascar. We reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the churches of the Fort Dauphin/Tolangaro and Ambovombe/Androy Synods of the Malagasy Lutheran Church. We supported a mission trip in August 2014 to explore opportunities of service there. Consequently, St. Peter provided funding for church roof construction, transportation for pastors and evangelists, medical supplies for Manambaro hospital, and scholarship support for both Bible schools and seminary students.
Whether you are looking for an introduction to the Christian faith, a deeper discipleship with our Lord, or opportunities to grow in faith and service, St. Peter is a place where you can feel comfortable with your own level of involvement.