********************************************

 

Fall/Winter Worship Schedule:

Sundays:

9:00am – Sunday School

10:30am – Worship – Sanctuary & Parking Lot

Mid-Week Advent Services:

Wednesdays @ 7pm

December 7^th, 14^th, & 21^st

December 24^th - Christmas Eve Services

4:30pm & 7:00pm

December 25^th – Merry Christmas!

10:30am – Worship – Sanctuary & Parking Lot

 

**Livestream Worship Service is also available on YouTube.

Our main website is a great resource for the appropriate links to the latest information!

www.princeofpeacebg.org

 ********************************************

From the Desk of Pastor David Zemke

Every year at about this time a great cry erupts. People are upset that stores have begun to sell Christmas décor earlier every year. By now, it’s not odd to see one aisle of Christmas merchandise up before Halloween. And certainly, November first is a Yule wonderland, Thanksgiving notwithstanding. As a former retail employee I understand all this to just be a necessity of the workload. We simply don’t have time between Halloween and Thanksgiving to get everything we want to sell out onto the sales floor. I’m sure that’s not a good enough reason for many people. And I’m sure there are further arguments against the commercialization of Christmas, but that’s for another day.

 

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I’m sure you probably already knew that. I’m a pastor and we really do get excited about Christmas. In spite of my waistline, it’s not my favorite holiday because of the baking. It’s my favorite holiday because I love to hear the story of Jesus’ birth and I love to tell that story, that old story we know so well, again. It just doesn’t get any better than announcing the birth of the savior to the world.

 

As a Christian I’m a little confused about this outcry against early Christmas decorating. Don’t we want everybody to know about Jesus? Isn’t this a wonderful way to get people excited about Jesus? Isn’t this just free publicity? I think, as a Church, Christians in America should change their tunes. We should start setting our yard nativities up in July! Wouldn’t that create the buzz for which we’ve been looking?

 

More to the point, Christmas is an evangelistic opportunity par excellence. When else do you get such a blatant opportunity to talk about who Jesus is and what he’s here to do? The major gift of Christmas isn’t wrapped up in paper with a nice bow. The foremost gift of Christmas is the chance to show somebody the real reason for the season and the real reason for our joy.

 

This also entails two points. I want to put the Christ back in Christmas. I don’t celebrate “the holidays.” Unless of course you mean Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, but nobody does mean that. So I say merry Christmas. But more than that, I tell the story of a loving God who has blessed us with His most precious gift, Jesus. This also means putting the Mass back in Christmas. That is to say, putting the worship of God in His house on His days, back into our schedule is part of Christmas. I know none of you faithful souls have any problem with this. I bring this up because it’s a great time to invite people to church! They’re looking for a meaning in the season and they’re looking for that one thing they lack: Jesus. They will find that in God’s house.

 

This year, let us celebrate not just the coming of Christ, but the wonderful gift of an opportunity to tell about the real reason for Christmas.

********************************************

 

Prince of Peace

 

Mid -Week Advent Services

 

Wednesday Evenings @ 7pm

 

December 7^th, 14^th, & 21^st

 

********************************************

 

 Prince of Peace Preschool/Kindergarten - December 2022

 

We are thankful for November!

November brought many things to be thankful for including our Thanksgiving Feasts. We had countless hours of fun, creating crafts, sharing what we are thankful for, plus lots of reading and learning! We also earned many food items to be given to the North County Community Food Bank. With Thanksgiving as our theme, the children focused on “what they are thankful” for all month long. They also learned to thank others for the good that they do.

 

Come One, Come All!

Our Christmas Program is on December 11 @ 3:00pm. It will be a celebration of the birth of our Lord, with the program followed by wonderful treats and Christmas Cheer. Please have your child here for costuming at 2:30pm.

 

Drive on In:

November was our Food Drive month. Many thanks to the families for their donations! Thanks for helping us teach the children about giving and leading your child to “earn” their donations with chores and special help at home.

 

Thanksgiving Feasts!

In celebration of Thanksgiving, each class held a Thanksgiving Feast. Many thanks to the families who participated and shared a delicious meal! See our Facebook & Instagram page for photos of these events.

 

“The Miracle is You”

We have begun planning for our annual Preschool/Kindergarten Auction! This year’s theme is around “Our Encanto!” We will hold it on March11. Our next planning meeting is on Jan. 17 @ 2:30pm. Please come and share your ideas and talents for this fun event! This is a large event and our primary fundraiser. It requires lots of parent help! Please let me know if there is any area in which you would like to serve for this event, even if you are unable to make a planning meeting!

 

Registration 2023- 24!!

Registration for the Preschool and Kindergarten classes will begin on January 2, 2023. We will again offer exclusive registration to all of our Preschool/Kindergarten families and Prince of Peace members for the month of January. On February 1, we will open up Registration to the community. You may pick up a packet from your teacher at drop-off or pick-up the last week of school in December, if you want to take one home over the Christmas Break.

 

Christmas Parties:

Our Christmas Parties are held from 10:00a-11:30am, with the exception of the MWFpm class; from 12:00pm-1:30pm. If your child’s class is having its Christmas Party, they will not have regular class times. During the week of the Christmas parties, all classes not holding a party will have regular class schedules.

 

Amazon Smile

Great news! Our school is now listed on the Amazon Smile list. Please considering designating us as your Non-Profit for funds to go towards. Most purchases earn a 0.5% donation towards our wonderful program. If you have any questions or need help getting setup please reach out to Amanda or a staff member! Please consider this easy way to help support our PSK Program! Designated Charity: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church-Lcms

 

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1131152

 

More information is available on the PSK Table or in the Narthex! Thank you for your support!

 

Policy Reminder:

Teachers’ open their classroom door 5 minutes prior to the start of class time so that students have time to come in, put away their things and get settled in. Please have your child here to school by the start of class time at the latest. We will have the door open up to 5 minutes after the start of class time. Our staff run on a timely schedule and appreciate being able to start their lessons promptly in the morning. We appreciate your dedication to drop off and pickup time for your student!

 

Illness/Health Screening:

Here are the School Entry Health Screening questions. If your child is showing any of the following symptoms of cold, flu, or any other communicable disease, please keep him/her home until no fever for 24 hours and symptoms are gone or improved.

 

Weather Policy:

We follow the Battle Ground School District’s inclement weather policies and procedures. To reach their weather hotline, call: 885-5343 or go to their website: battlegroundps.org.

If BGPS has no school, we won’t either. If they have a one, two or three hour late start for any part of the district, we will cancel all of our classes. If any of their preschool and/or kindergarten classes are cancelled, ours are cancelled as well.

 

What’s up at POP?

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church has many activities for all ages. Please join us at any or all of these events!

Sunday School: 9:00am

Sunday Worship Services: 10:30am

Dec. 24 – 4:30 & 7:00 PM Christmas Eve Services

Dec. 25 – 10:30 AM Christmas Service

 

Upcoming Events:

Dec. 11 @ 3:00pm: Christmas Program

Dec. 14-16: Christmas Parties

(NOT regular class times!) 10:00am-11:30am all parties, except MWFpm is 12:00pm-1:30pm.

            Dec. 14: MW3

            Dec. 15: TTH3, TTH4

            Dec. 16: Toddler, MWFam,

                           Kinder & MWFpm

            Dec. 19 - 

            - Jan. 2: Christmas Break

               Jan. 3: School Resumes

 

Contact Us:

********************************************

 

Christmas Eve Services!

 

 

Join us, Saturday, December 24^th 2022 for
our candlelit Christmas Eve Worship Services
@ 4:30 pm and 7:00 pm

 

 

********************************************

 

Prince of Peace

Would, once again, like to adorn the altar with poinsettias!

If you would like to purchase a poinsettia for the worship area, in memory of a loved one, in celebration of
a family event, for the glory of God’s blessings, or just because, please complete a form (located on the table in the Narthex) and place in the basket.

Please bring your Poinsettia to the church any day between December 21^st and December 24^th, 2022, and place them on the table in the Narthex.

Thank you!