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Tidings of PeaceOctober 2021Volume XXV11. Number 10Prince of Peace Lutheran Church 1747 W. Milham Avenue, Portage, MI 49024 269-343-3453 popportage.org“Touched bythe Gospel,we seek to beinstruments ofGod’s Peace,for the sakeof the world.”StaffPastor’s PageBack in January, I listened to a book called Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In it, she writes ofthe plants known as the three sisters by indigenous peoples of this country. Corn, beans,and squash, when grown together support one another’s growth. Each brings a gift thatcontributes to the thriving of the others – the sturdy corn stalks grow tall before thetender bean vines and provides a place for them to climb. The large leaves of the squashplant offer shade that keeps moisture in the soil. The bean plants absorb nitrogen fromthe air and turn it into nutrients in the soil that act as fertilizer for the corn and squash.Pastor: Ext 13Rachel Laughlinpastorrachel@popportage.orgYouth Minister: Ext 12Megan FloydNot only do these plants all grow better together than they would separately, but alsowhen they are harvested and eaten together, they provide complimentary nutritionalvalue – a nourishing combination of the carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins that humans need to thrive.megan@popportage.orgAdministrative Assistant: Ext 10Tamara Prestonsecretary@popportage.org―All flourishing is mutual,‖ Kimmerer writes. Which reminded me of the words of thepsalmist, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell together inunity.” (Psalm 133:1)Accountant Ext 17Marilyn Storchaccountant@popportage.orgTechnology Manager Ext 15Mike WhatelyThe Jubilee Garden at Prince of Peace is evidence of this truth. The garden’s leader,Mark Clyne, does much of the planning and preparation each year, but dozens of othersalso contribute their time and energy to plant, weed, and harvest the food that is given toLoaves and Fishes so that everyone in our community has something to eat.technology@popportage.orgVolunteer Coordinator: Ext 15Mike Whatelyvolunteer@popportage.orgDirector of Music:Janet HillThis year, we had a blessing before the first big planting day. Together we learned abouthow God provides for our needs through the fruit of the earth. Together we discoveredthe blessings of soil under our fingernails. Together we prayed for our neighbors whowould one day be nourished by the food we helped grow. Each of us brought our owngifts to the work: knowledge of seeds and delight in learning, strong backs for haulingand gentle hands for planting, experience and excitement combining so that the gardenand everyone in it or who would receive food from it could thrive.Worship Team Director:Scott WalkerCustodian:Steve Haddixcustodian@popportage.orgMay we continue to discover theblessings in each other’s gifts and inGod’s gift of grace thatunites us as we grow together innew ways this fall.Nursery: Ext 23Amanda BischofMariana Bringas AcevedoShalom, Pastor Rachel
What’s Happening at POP!PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRYMeets the 1st Friday of the month at 10:00 in theSocial Hall. Prayer Shawls are still available If you, orsomeone you know, would like the comfort of one ofthese shawls, call Dianne Hellman, 323-9392, &she will get one to you.Quilters! We will be meeting onTuesday, Oct. 5 & Tuesday, Oct. 19 at9:30am. As always, pick-up/drop-offtimes continue to be available duringoffice hours.Questions: Sheryl Swodzinski 267-6274.Bunko Tuesday, October 12 @ 1:00 PMNo lunch, just Bunko! Meet in the Social Hall & FlexRoom. Contact Carla Hannemann at 269/216-3498 withquestions.Zoom Mid Week Bible StudyIf you are interested in participatingWednesdays at 11:00 a.m.Email Pastor Rachel & she will send you an invitation.The focus for this quarter is: Celebrating God. Contactthe office to make arrangements to get a study book.Trunk or Treat!Bring your friends and family and joinus on Saturday, October 30, from 4-6p.m. to Trunk or Treat in the backchurch parking lot! There will be a signup on the website to provide a decorated trunk and a sign-up to provide candy to distribute.Trunk or Treaters are asked to bring nonperishable fooditems and leave them in front of their favorite trunks tovote for the best display. You canvote as many times as you want –just bring more food items.The trunk with the most votes(food items) will win a prize, andthe food donations will go toKalamazoo Loaves and Fishes.SO, get your costume ready,decorate those trunks,and join us on the 30th!2OFFICE HOURS ARECHANGING!Beginning October 4, the office will be open Monday,Wednesday, Thursday from9-4, Tuesday from 9-6 andFriday, 12-4. This will offer some later hours forthose who work to get to the office.WOMEN’S SMALL GROUPMeeting 7 pm, October 4 and 18In person (high school room) and Zoom;to continue our discussion of In The Sheltercontact Diane Snyder for linkdmsnyder1149@gmail.comLadies Lunch Bunch will meet on Tuesday, October 19,11:45, at Chinn Chinn's, located at 52885 W. Main inMattawan. Questions? Car pool? Need a ride?Contact Dianne Hellman, 323-9392.This is a great time for good food and fellowship.Hope to see you there.Book ClubBook Club will meet on October 20that 10:00am in the Gathering space.The book we will be discussing is―A Long Petal of the Sea‖ byIsabel Allende.This is a story about people, fleeingfrom the horrors of the Spanish CivilWar, who settle in South America andbegin new lives.For the November 17th meeting, we will discuss―Pale Rider‖ by Laura Spinney. This is a non fictionbook about the 1918 flu epidemic. The book waspublished in 2017 before our present day pandemic.Did we learn anything from that time?There will not be a meeting in December but for thosewho wish to prepare ahead, the book for January is―The Exiles‖ by Christina Baker Kline. For February, wewill read ―Everything I Never Told You‖ by Celeste Ng.
Social ConcernsGod’s Work. Our Hands. Day 2021 was a total success.100 PoP folks and friends worked hard and―fellowshipped‖ with passion to complete402 Health/Personal Care Kits, 200 School Backpack Kits,tie several quilts (out of the 100 we are on target to sendto LWR), weed and harvest the Jubilee Garden, tie 6fleece blankets for Bronson’s Children’s ward, roll Plyarnballs and knit prayer shawls, pack 25 LWR Sewing Kitsand sort, organize, prepare the Afghan household collection for the arrival of our Afghan brothers and sisters.Whew! What a day. And it all began with a tasty hot doglunch. (We may need to invest in a hot dog cart for ourfellowship team).Leading the event were; Yvonne and Dale Gatz,Sheryl Swodzinski, Marilyn Lund, Joelene Pederson,Martha Irons, Sarah Erdman, Tamara Preston,Megan and Bill Floyd, Dennis and Betsy Stalker,Gail and Paul MacNellis, Marti Haug, Mark Clyne andour amazing Backpack tie assembler, Steve Bigelow.Thanks also to so many of our kids who workedtirelessly with the adults.Blessings to everyone, another JobWell Done in His name.Watch for the October 10th display of the 2021 LWRQuilts Collection, They will be presented and blessedoutside at worship on that Sunday.Refugee UpdateGOD IS GOOD AND SO IS OUR COMMUNITY!!!Thank you from our Congolese refugee team!If you haven’t been to church in awhile, you will noticebig changes in the older part of the building. We havebeen a hub for Afghan Refugee donations and we nowhave enough household goods to supply over 35incoming families.After looking through what was in [the clothing]donation boxes in greater detail I want to tell you thatI was blown away by the response from our congregation! It is overwhelming. The family is well set onclothing and what a peace of mind that must be. Thechildren have so many hurdles to climb already it is sowonderful that this is not one of them. In fact, theirclothing situation is plentiful. Bless you and bless thecongregation for your kind hearts and spirits. I am trulybeside myself with this outcome and I want you to knowhow much it is appreciated by this family. – Kim BannerThe community responded to the request for donationswith gusto and within a few weeks we had most everything we need. Several people that donated have alsogiven their time to help sort and pack household kits.God’s Work Day was a great kick off to getting thingsorganized.Thank you to everyone who has donated items,furniture and/or time. A big shout-out toSarah Erdmann for being the head honcho to get thingsorganized, directing volunteers & taking inventoryTamara wouldn’t have gotten any bulletins done without her!!! Thanks to the Alex Zimmerman &Noah Ottesen for moving all the personal care productsand of course, Paul MacNellis. . . well, for everything!.3Monday, October 11
Thank You’sThank you notes sent in withAfghan Refugee Donations Pastor Rachel. . .Thank you so much for helpingwith this effort for the Afghan Refugees.Peace be with you, Patrick O’Hara I thank you for your works and the opportunity toshare it! Blessings, Kathleen Ferguson Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Thank you forbeing a welcoming presence for Afghan refugees.Saron Lutheran Church –Ed & Mary Alice Brunner Here is a check to go toward help for the Afghanrefugees moving to our area. I am a former memberof Saron Lutheran Church in St. Joseph. Am nowliving in Naples, FL but still have strong ties &feelings to that congregation. Good luck in yourendeavors to help the newcomers - - I’m sendingprayers & good thoughts! Rosemary Bell4THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY TO OTHERS We are so grateful for your generous gift toMinistry with Community. Thank you for making adifference in the lives of people in our community who areexperiencing poverty, homelessness, addiction, mentalillness, and other challenges. Your support makes thisessential work possible. With gratitude for all weaccomplish together.—Kelly Henderson –Executive Director Each & everyday, nearly 37,000 individuals in KalamazooCounty face food insecurity - an obstacle that has seriousphysical & emotional consequences for the entire family.Thank you so your donation of 274 pounds of food toKalamazoo Loaves and Fishes . Food donations areessential to our work & help keep our pantry shelves full.Thank you so much for your partnership. Your contributions matter in a very real way, and we truly value yoursupport—Jennifer Johnson, Exec. Dir., Kal. Loaves & Fishes
Megan’s10thAnniversaryCelebrationNews fromCounciland CommitteesCouncil members met onWednesday, September 15,via Zoom.―Two Great Things‖: Each month council members areinvited to share ―two great things‖ with each other.The extraordinary response from PoP and communitymembers for the call to support incoming Afghanrefugees.The number of people who participated in God’sWork/Our Hands Day. Again, we were blessedto have participation from PoP members ANDcommunity members.Stewardship Campaign: Letters and Statement of Intentcards will be mailed in early October. Participation iskey in helping Finance develop a proposed budget for2022. Please complete your card when you receive themailing.Property Visioning Committee: Dave Maurer joined usat the September meeting to review the work of thecommittee and the estimates for the projected project.Considering the cost of materials and labor, councilagreed that current focus of our property visioningefforts should be on near term facility necessities.Our next meeting is scheduled for October 20 at 7 pmvia Zoom. If you would like to join us, please contactGail MacNellis or Pastor Rachel for the Zoom link!The participation in our church picnic and the riverfloat.Seeing Melissa Otteson and her family join us atGod’s Work/Our Hands day and in worship afterher extended battle with cancer.Constitution Update: The 2019 Council worked to updateour constitution to bring into compliance with theSynod’s model constitution. We did not bring it forwardat the annual meeting in 2020 because it was our firstvirtual meeting. We are moving forward with gettingapproval from the Synod on the updates and bringing therevised constitution to the congregation at the 2021Annual Meeting.Council Meeting Date Changes: Because of WednesdayAdvent Services in December and the timeline for Financeto complete the 2022 budget for the annual meetingupcoming meetings have been scheduled as follows:Council Meeting to review budget recommendationsand ask questions – Monday, December 13, 7 pmCouncil Meeting to approve budget recommendations –Monday, January 5, 7 pmBudget Hearings – Sunday, January 9 and 16Annual Meeting – Sunday, January 23(following worship)5SAVE THE DATE!Church Work Day isSaturday, November 6with rain date ofSaturday, November 13 .On-Line GivingOn-line Giving Has Never Been So Easy!You can click or copy and paste the linkhttps://tithe.ly/give?c 2250097or use the QR code.You can also go to thePrince of Peace website & click on the giving button.For questions contact either Marilyn or Tamara.
Facts and FiguresSPECIAL GIFTS FOR PATHWAYS OF GIVINGSeptember Attendance:9/5 1149/12 989/19 1149/26 88Live streamLive streamLive streamLive streamIn personIn personIn personIn person10010110367Per instructions from the ELCA, we multiply thedigital views by 2 to get a virtual attendance.General FundAugustContributions 31,413Expenses 34,318Surplus/deficit 2,905Loaves and Fishes Gail HooverGood Samaritan - Jim & Anne Vogt,Lutheran World Relief Diane Snyder,ELCA World Hunger - Brian & Karen DeVries, Bev Schmidt,Bob & Carla Hannemann, Pete & Tammy Olsen,Rod & Helen Hokenson, Dale & Micki Holder, Walt ArntsonRefugee Fund Afghan—Bob & Carla Hanneman, Judith Rowe,Kathleen Fleece, Marshall Rutz, Patricia Smetana,Dennis Smith, Sandra & Neil Schmidt, Dick & Rosemary Bell,Marguerite Clay, Tamara Preston, Paul & Ruth Minert,UIFC of Kalamazoo, H. Allen Hunt & Rochelle Habeck,Carol & Don Hafer, Caroline Parmelee-Noffsinger,Jack & Cheryl Hauser, Ed & Mary Brunner,B. Patrick O’Hara & Nancy Goenwold & The Dignity SeedFoundation, Rod & Helen HokensonBirthdays and Anniversaries10-1Dale HolderSarah Bierema10-2Anne VogtMark DiJulioMichael Cartier10-4Laurie BrownCatherine Cartier10-6Dorothy TislandJeanette FieldBridget Whately10-9Kathy Eklov10-10Stefan Pone10-11Verity Poisson10-2010-12Sarah ErdmannGabriella EschTim GatzDaisy Stepanski10-21Gregg NelsonJames Baker10-13Dolores Jennings10-15Gail MacNellisBill Umberger10-16Finnegan RossAdam TodasLuke Lampos10-17Helen Hokenson10-18Sophie Morin10-19Gena Baldwin10-22Michael LamposMike PrestonMichael Bierema10-23Jerry Spade10-24Sherri WebsterAllyson MaurerAnniversariesKarl Klemm & Tonya Albregts-Klemm 10-02Gregg & Carole Nelson10-16Kelsey & Jake Steele10-03Renee Beck & Tim Snow10-16Wade & Kim Lawrence10-04Bill & Megan Floyd10-18Pete & Michelle Eldridge10-07Paul & Gail MacNellis10-21Diane Wilke & Dave Karna10-10Dave & Jolaine Snyder10-24Jason & Jennifer Ross10-10Jeffrey & Pamela Schuhknecht10-13610-25Megan Floyd10-26Avery DavisRowan Jank10-27Madison Rieck
Caprese Orzo SaladPrep Time 15 minutesCook Time 10 minutesNotesTotal Time 25 minutesServings 4 servings After cooking the orzo, I prefer not to rinse itsince the starch helps the vinaigrette adhere tothe pasta. However, it's important to occasionally toss/stir the orzo as it cools to prevent it fromclumping. Alternatively, if you already have thevinaigrette prepared, you can stir in a bit whichwill also prevent sticking. If you can't find mozzarella pearls, it's okay to buya big ball of fresh mozzarella and cut it into½-inch cubes. If making the vinaigrette with a very high qualitybalsamic vinegar, the honey may not benecessary.Ingredients1 cup (7 ounces) dry orzo8 ounces fresh mozzarella water-packedmozzarella pearls ("perline" or tiny balls)1 pint grape tomatoes halved1 ½-ounce bunch fresh basil sliced in a chiffonadeFOR THE DRESSING:1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil1/4 cup balsamic vinegar2 teaspoons Dijon mustard2 teaspoons honey1 clove garlic minced1/2 teaspoon saltFreshly ground black pepper to tasteInstructionsNutritionCalories: 597kcal Carbohydrates: 40g Protein: 19g Fat: 41g Saturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 45mg Sodium: 687mg Potassium: 425mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 10g Vitamin A: 1370IU Vitamin C: 16.4mg Calcium: 310mg Iron: 1.3mg1. Cook the orzo in salted water according topackage directions. Drain and set aside to cool,tossing occasionally so that the orzo doesn't clumptogether.2. While the orzo is cooking and cooling, preparethe dressing by combining the olive oil, balsamicvinegar, Dijon, honey, minced garlic, salt, andpepper. You may whisk it vigorously in bowl, shakeit in a tightly-sealed jar, or pulse it in a mini foodprocessor.3. Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large bowl.Carefully mix in fresh mozzarella, tomato halves,basil chiffonade, and about ⅔ of the preparedvinaigrette, or as much as you prefer.Adjust salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled, stirring in additional dressing just before serving (since the dressing will soak into the pasta while in the salad/All images & text copyright of Five Heart Home7
Prince of Peace CalendarLegend:AA-–Alcoholics AnonymousESL—English as a Second LanguageFA—Food Addicts in RecoveryWMU—Western Michigan University8Prince of Peace Lutheran Church269/343-3453www.popportage.orgFacebook: Prince of Peace, Portage, MI-ELCA
Back in January, I listened to a book called Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In it, she writes of the plants known as the three sisters by indigenous peoples of this country. Corn, beans, and squash, when grown together support one another's growth. .
