The
Tidings Peace
Peace Presbyterian Church
November 2014
of
From the Pastor
Zach Wilson
Grace and Peace to you!
building upon Peace Church's engagement with the
Ministry in a Changing World process and where
God is calling Peace Church into its future. Growth
and change happen for those who show up for life.
So I urge you, if you’re able, to come and enjoy
Clearwater Forest this November!
November is a fun and full month at Peace Church.
I’m especially excited about our retreat November
14-16 up at Clearwater Forest.
Several people have asked me “What are we going to
do up there?” Well, first of all we’re going to enjoy
God’s creation and each other’s company as we follow Jesus together. We’re not going to program
every minute of the day. We want people to have the
time to talk with each other, play games, look at the
lake, or whatever else you’d like to do.
Lighting Advent Candles —
If you or your family would like to light the Advent
Candles during worship this Advent, please talk
with Pastor Wilson—it’s a meaningful thing to do
and we’d love to offer the opportunity to those
who’d like to do it. It involves at least two people—
one to actually light the candles and another to lead
in a responsive reading.
We’ll also have times to worship and study the Bible
together. We’ll also has have some discussions
Worship Highlights in November and December
— Ardy Volk
December 14: 3rd Sunday in Advent, joint service with Familia de Fe, children's pageant, and
Worship Young Sunday.
November 2: Communion, joint worship with
Familia de Fe and Remembrance Sunday.
November 16: Dixie Gospel Group plays.
November 23: Joint service with Familia de Fe,
Christ the King, Thanksgiving, and Worship Young
Sunday. There will also be Stewardship Commitment,
so please bring your pledge, which will be sent to you
with the Stewardship letter before that Sunday.
November 30: 1st Sunday in Advent.
December 7: 2nd Sunday in Advent and Communion.
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December 21: 4th Sunday in Advent and Choir
Cantata.
Wednesday, December 24: Christmas Eve
Service at 5:00 PM.
Jesus is the reason
for the season!
Happy Holidays!
November Fellowship
Activities
Good News! Great Joy!
Mary Ann Christenson
Robin Councilman
Operation Christmas Child is in full
swing. There are many shoeboxes
downstairs waiting to be filled. The
red box in the narthex has some wonderful toys and gifts that have been
donated. Now it is time to finish preparing our shoebox gifts and deliver them to Operation
Christmas Child!
Please mark Sunday, November 9, on your calendar and
come to the Shoebox Packing Party after church. Lunch
will be served first. We still need lots of toys and things
to put in our boxes! If you are preparing boxes at home,
please bring them to church by November 9.
Here are gift suggestions:
 TOYS! Start with a central item that a child will cherish, like a beautiful doll, a deflated soccer ball with
pump, or a plush stuffed animal. Then add quality
items like cars, musical instruments, puzzles, jump
ropes, etc.
 SCHOOL SUPPLIES — pencils, pens, crayons, notebooks, coloring books, etc.
 NON-LIQUID HYGIENE ITEMS — toothbrushes, bar
soap, washcloths, combs, etc.
 ACCESSORIES — socks, hats, t-shirts, flip-flops, hairbands, sunglasses, etc.
For the shoeboxes that we
pack here, we will concentrate
on gifts for children from 5-9
years old. Peace Church Mission money will be used to
cover shipping costs.
If you wish to contribute
money, it will be used to purchase gifts to fill out the boxes. Make checks out to
“Peace Church Mission—Operation Christmas Shoebox.”
What a great way to celebrate the true meaning of
Christmas!
Wed, Nov 5: 6:00 PM Dinner and fellowship
Sun, Nov 9: Lunch after worship to pack and
prepare our shoeboxes for shipment for Operation Christmas Child. Donations will be
accepted to help pay shipping costs.
Wed, Nov 19: "A Time of
Thanksgiving” at 6:00 PM.
We'll provide the turkey.
Please bring a dish that you would make for
your own family's Thanksgiving dinner. We'll
share a meal and give thanks for the blessings
of this year together.
Nov 14-16: ALL-CHURCH RETREAT at Clearwater Forest. Join us for all or part of the
weekend as we take time to enjoy fellowship
and the beauty of Clearwater Forest while exploring where our church is headed in 2015
Misson Report
MaryBelle Larson
As we look toward the end
of 2014, there are needs
that still remain. We continue to collect socks,
both new for STEP and gently used for shelters.
And as always, food for STEP. Also, STEP will
need toys, especially $20 gift cards for older
children, and Peace Church youth will be raising money for turkeys for Thanksgiving for
STEP.
Our mission budget is supported from our
overall budget, but should you want to give
additional support, you can do so by writing a
check to Peace and indicating "Missions" at the
bottom. And remember, each time we pay our
pledge, we are paying the bills for Peace
Church too, which is a mission to each other.
Thank you for all your support.
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A Message of Thanks
Barbara West
About a year ago the Mission Ministry at Peace
Presbyterian urged to me host a fundraising
event for myself. I said, “No, I hold fundraisers for
other people/causes, not myself.” Then this summer I realized I needed help, so I went to Session
to seek approval for a fundraiser. I cried inside
because I was embarrassed to do it. On my way to
church, to finish cooking for the fundraiser, a
Larry Gatlin song came on the radio.
“Lord, Help me walk
Another mile, just one more mile,
I'm tired of walkin' all alone.
Lord, Help me smile
Another smile, just one more smile,
I know I just can't make it on my own.
I never thought I needed help before,
I thought that I could do things by myself.
Now I know I just can't take it anymore.
With a humble heart, on bended knee,
I'm beggin' You, please, Help Me.”
I got tears in my eyes and thought, “I guess God is
telling me I need a little humbling to serve others
better.” Then after we cleaned up from lunch I
counted the money that was donated and I really
cried. When Betts saw me she was worried and I
couldn’t even say why I was crying. Gail had to
tell her, “She finally realizes how much people love
her.” Words cannot express how much I appreciate the way my church family’s love over the
years has lifted and sustained me. This statement
from seminary was truly proven for me: “God invites us to be a family not dependent on blood or
proximity but a family
who share the belief in
the Triune God.” Thanks
for being my family and
friends. I love you all!
Thoughts from
the Editor
Judy Kirk
Christmas is just around the
corner and gift ideas will
soon be creeping into our minds. I thought I’d offer an
idea for those on your gift list, or for yourself. It’s a
book called My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel
Naomi Remen, M.D., who has been counseling those
with chronic and terminal illness for more than 20
years. She also wrote Kitchen Table Wisdom. They’re
both wonderful books, filled with true stories of
struggle, strength and faith ... the kind of books you
can read a few chapters and feel spiritually refreshed.
Each chapter is a complete story and only a few pages
long, so you can pick it up or put it down anytime.
I just started rereading My Grandfather’s Blessings,
which is dedicated to Dr. Remen’s grandfather—an
Orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabballah, the mystical teachings of Judaism. He taught her that blessing
one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our
loneliness, and connects us more deeply to life. The
Kabballah teaches that there is a spark of God in everything and everyone and when we see that spark, we
should acknowledge it with a blessing. When we bless
others we offer them refuge from an indifferent
world. It is an acknowledgement that holiness has
been met in the midst of ordinary life.
Dr. Remen told about a woman who told her that she
did not feel the need to reach out to others because
she prayed everyday ... surely this was enough. Dr. Remen explained that a prayer is about our relationship
to God—a blessing is about our relationship to the
spark of God in one another.
I’ll leave you with another thought from Dr. Remen:
“Perhaps the most important thing we bring to another person is silence. Not the sort of silence that is
filled with unspoken criticism or hard withdrawal, but
the sort of silence that is a place of refuge, of rest, of
acceptance of someone as they are. We all hunger for
this. Silence is a place of great power and healing.
Silence is the lap of God.”
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Special Speakers at Wednesday Night Dinner
Judy Kirk
Several weeks ago at a Wednesday night supper, we had four guest speakers from Alliance Housing, one
of many local non-profits to whom Peace contributes. We have given them support both from our mission
funds and Joy Gold memorials. Mary Belle Larson, Mission Committee Chairperson, planned the discussion and has done an outstanding job of helping us get acquainted with those we serve. She will arrange
other guest speakers in the future.
Who are their tenants?
Men, women, children. 38% of the adults
are working, 45% are disabled and on
some program, 14% are retired and receive a government or VA pension.
In 2011, Alliance started an innovative
supportive housing program as part of its
north Minneapolis housing portfolio to
address longer term housing stability for
families. They help tenants learn how to
maintain stable housing and acquire
training and education in order to earn
the kind of income required to sustain
them long-term. They pay people a housing subsidy when a family or person is
working rather than unemployed—the
exact opposite of most housing subsidy
programs.
A FEW FACTS ABOUT ALLIANCE HOUSING
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They were born out of the vision of St. Stephens’ emergency shelter staff and residents who wanted long-term
housing solutions for the homeless. They were incorporated in 1991.
Annual budget is $1.2 million. Income comes from 6%
individual gifts, 10% foundations and churches, 27%
government and 50% rents.
They have developed 437 housing units in Minneapolis.
Alliance rents to tenants that other landlords turn down
because of low income, and criminal histories. Without
stable housing these individuals are unable to hold
down a job or get their children to school.
Tenants receive support and flexibility so they can
maintain their housing.
Many of the tenants are low wage and seasonal workers
—essential to our economy, but jobs that don’t pay
enough to let them afford market rent apartments.
How can we help?
Besides giving cash donations, we can contribute items for their apartment that homeless people don’t
have, such as: large crock pots, pots and pans, coffee and tea pots, sheets, towels, toothpaste,
toothbrushes, bath soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, gently used chairs, lamps, tables (NO upholstered
furniture), toilet paper, silverware, dishes, glassware, dish towels, cleaning products.
Alliance will pick up items from you. Or you bring items to our church, we’ll call them and save them several trips. Please leave your items in the small fellowship hall in boxes or bags.
Questions? Contact Judy Kirk, 952-922-6900.
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More Interesting Thoughts about Latinos
Rev. Dana Nelson
Greetings dear friends in Christ of Peace Church. I would like to share
with you some more notes about cultural norms and values.

Time Concept/Elastic: Latinos are generally more concerned
with the present than the future. Priority is given to current activities rather than planning ahead. This concept, known as elasticity,
implies that future-oriented activities can be recovered but present-oriented activities cannot. So being late for worship is not
due to a lack of respect or reluctance, but to a greater concern over
current activities.

Formal: Latinos are concerned about how others may perceive
them. Making a “good impression” is very important. When I lived
in Nicaragua and Peru, I felt like everyone else was very dressed
up compared to me, a 5th generation native to Minnesota. My
teaching colleagues and students in Latin America regularly wore
high heeled shoes, bleached white shirts, well-pressed clothes,
makeup, styled hair, and were generally very refined and stunning.
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Non-Verbal Expressions: Latinos tend to be highly attuned to
other people’s nonverbal messages. They communicate intense
emotion. Expression of pain may be more open. Physical touch is
frequently used to communicate. Latinos prefer being closer to
others in space to communicate interest. In the congregations I
served in Lima and in Cusco, the passing of the peace during worship lasted a long time because almost everyone made a point to
kiss almost everyone else in the sanctuary on the cheek as a greeting of peace. For me this was a big culture difference!

Non-Confrontational: Latinos may avoid confrontation by not
disagreeing openly. For example, a Latina may agree to attend a
meeting at a particular place and time, yet not express barriers
that would hinder her in getting there.
Finally, as I did last month, I want to share some verses from the scripture that bring joy and peace to me as we move forward in multicultural, bilingual ministry:
“People will come from east and west, from north and south, and will
eat in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:29)
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that
some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
(Hebrews 13:2)
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Don’t forget….
IF YOU EVER NEED A RIDE to a
Sunday service or another activity, please call your Deacon and
we'll find you one. And, if you
still drive, and you’d be willing
to be a driver occasionally,
please tell your
Deacon. It's good to
help one another!
ALL FUND RAISERS
need to be approved by
Session. When you
make your request, please let
Session know where the funds
are to go. Thank you, — your
Session.
November
Birthdays
Mousa Carpenter
Jalen Lewis
Maxine Fenton
Marcus Lewis
Betts Snyder
Michele Gallick
Penny Warren
Greg Stauffer
Logan Robinson
Dianne Redell
Nick Nold
Ava Hukriede
Katie Twedell
Betty Jo Phillips
Jim Moffet
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Reflections on a call from God
Pat Wilson
Actually God wasn’t done with her. This became
evident in 2005 when she attended a conference
conducted by the Austin Theological Seminary.
That old feeling that God was calling came back. It
was strong and she asked for a sign. A hard to describe physical experience let her know the direction she should go. When Barb’s youngest son
graduated from high school she sold her house and
entered San Francisco Theological Seminary. Barb
says a perfect position for her would be one where
she could preach and provide spiritual care while
being an advocate for social justice and mission
work.
What calls a person to serve God? God appeared to
Moses in a burning bush but few of us have that kind
of experience. Many of us listen for God’s voice to
give us direction or a magical sign. Or it may not be
an “Aha moment,” just a quiet realization that God is
calling. I decided to explore this.
Zach Wilson: Zach remembers church as being a
big part of his life. Brought up in the Presbyterian
church, he enjoyed being there and his mother, a
Deacon, often took him along when she visited members. As a seven-year-old his family went on a mission trip to Peru. Zach remembers most of all how
he enjoyed playing with other kids and the freedom
to run. However, a family mission trip to Kenya
when he was 13 really left an impression on him. It
was there that he fully realized what a privileged life
he lived compared to others. He says he never asked
his parents for anything after that.
Betts Snyder: Betts’ story is a little different because it wasn’t she who had the calling but her
husband. Betts’ husband Russ was the president of
the Men’s Club in their church. Because of this he
attended a men’s conference in Chicago. When he
came home he told Betts that he felt he had been
called to the ministry. They talked and prayed
about this decision, but finally packed up their
belongings and three little girls and went to Potosi,
Wisconsin. Here Russ served as a student pastor
while attending Dubuque Seminary. Betts became
the choir director of the church in Potosi. Russ
served in many congregations in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa. He was also a chaplin at Iowa Methodist Hospital.
When Zach started college he was studying medicine. Taking a philosophy class peaked his interest,
which caused him to change his major to Classical
Language and Philosophy. When Zach finished college he and his future wife were both given full
scholarships to Princeton Seminary. Even so, he still
wasn’t sure he would come out of seminary a pastor.
What he did know was that he was interested in
helping people lead good lives.
Betts said she loved being a help mate to Russ during his years as a student and then during his 25
years as an ordained minister. When Betts and
Russ left the seminary they had three girls and a
boy and later two more girls. Betts says Russ was
not only a wonderful husband and father, but a
caring and compassionate, yet strong pastor—a
real shepherd of each congregation he served.
Barb West: Barb says she doesn’t remember life
before Sunday school. Even as a young child she
wondered what God had planned for her. In her
town the pastors were all men and being a nun
when you’re a Presbyterian was out of the question.
What she finally did realize was she could LIVE like
Jesus. This meant following the golden rule, seeing
the best in others, loving God, and just being a good
person. It is a role many of us strive to perfect.
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Cardboard Box City 2014
Terry Robinson
This was my fourth year to attend Cardboard Box City. I
can honestly say we had the most amazing weather. We
did not get wet as we had in 2012 and 2013, the temperature did not drop below freezing as it did in 2011—this
year it hovered around 50 degrees all night. The challenge
with the weather was the wind, gusting up to around 20
Gilley, Alex Staib, Tana Ososki, Will Staib, Dana
mph, but overall it was bearable.
Nelson, Nolan Hukreide, Dean Meyer and me
I cannot say enough about the people I had the privilege of attending Cardboard Box City with. There were
five students—Bella Gilley, Nolan Hukriede, Alex Staib, Will Staib and Tana Ososki—who had never been to
a Cardboard Box City. Also, going for the first time was Pastor Dana Nelson from Familia de Fe. Dean Meyer
and I were the experienced “old-timers” from our group.
Building the shelter is always fun as we take cardboard boxes
that have been donated by various members of the church
throughout the year and make something that will protect us
from the elements for an entire night. Dean Meyer is the shelter
engineer extraordinaire, and with his guidance we had a shelter
that did just what it was supposed to—protect us. Inside it was
spacious, and even had a fuzzy carpet like center (thanks to the
quilters!) that made moving around much more pleasant than
sliding around on the hard tarp covered ground! We affectionately named our shelter Nasa as it looked somewhat like a
space ship and when lit up from the inside, it looked even
more like a space ship. And what is a space ship without a
satellite dish!
Not having been to a Cardboard Box City before, the discussion around homelessness was amazing. Our kids had
great ideas on what homelessness is and who is affected,
but at the same time, their eyes were opened through this
experience as they realized it touches more people than
they imagined. According to Wilder Research, 2012 MN
Homelessness Study, “On any given night, an estimated
4,080 Minnesota youth experience homelessness. This includes an estimated 2,211 minor youth ages 17 and under, and 1,869 young adults age 18 through 21.” This was one of the eye-opening statistics that we discussed
as a group, which really seemed to have an impact on the students with us, as well as the adults.
Having done this for four years now, I find it humbling every time, and I’m reminded how truly grateful I
am and how blessed we all are. I do believe that those who participated in this also had the same experience. We ARE truly blessed and thank you to Peace Church for giving us the opportunity to have this experience!
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More pictures from Cardboard Box City...
Peace Presbyterian Church
7624 Cedar Lake Road S.
St. Louis Park, MN 55426-254
Tel: 952-545-2586
E-mail: [email protected]
Peace Presbyterian Church is an
inclusive church community where all
God’s people find hope, love, support, and
spiritual growth.
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Tidings Staff:
Editor - Judy Kirk
Art Director - Marnie Fujii
Photographer - Dean Meyer