ALL SAINTS SUNDAY:

Many denominations celebrate November 1st each year as All Saints’ Day. It is a day when we recall those who have died in the faith throughout history.
Obviously there would be no Christianity without faithful disciples of Christ who have held fast to their faith in good times and in bad. There have been countless martyrs who have died witnessing to the love of God and the saving grace of Christ. And sad to say, in some parts of the world, Christians are still persecuted and even slain for their beliefs.
Take time to think of our Christian heritage, and remember with thanksgiving those who have held fast to their faith no matter what.
At Peace Lutheran, we remember Walter Scheid, Alvin Hildebrand and Orland Kruckenberg.

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Pastoral Visitation of all kinds is done on a regular basis. If you want Pastor to call, please notify the church office or leave a message on the answering machine. Please inform the office if you or a family member is hospitalized or about to have surgery.
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OUR CHURCH'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY

We have a supply of ornaments, DVDs and history books. We are suggesting a donation of $10 per item. We will appreciate any purchases of anniversary items. All are great memories of Peace Lutheran Church and of very good quality. These would be great Christmas gifts for your family. Thank you for your support of our 100th Anniversary. We are looking forward to a great future of Prayer, Praise and Proclamation. Items may be purchased after Sunday services and at the church office.
Thank you and God Bless,
The Anniversary Committee

7th ANNUAL SCANDINAVIAN SMORGASBOARD
Camp of the Cross
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Serving salmon, meatballs, lefse, and all the trimmings! There will be three seatings: 4:00 (featuring a children’s menu), 5:30, and 7:00. Call the camp for advance tickets. Cost is $15/adult, $5/child ages 5-12, and children ages 4 & under are free.

GoodSearch & GoodShop News for Camp of the Cross Ministries!

Remember when searching the Internet or shopping online use GoodShop - www.goodsearch.com to raise money for Camp of the Cross.
Download the toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/ which takes just a few seconds to download. Search the web directly from the built-in search box. Each search generates a donation, about a penny per search. Shop online as you normally would at any of the 1,300+ participating stores including Apple, Best Buy, Gap, PetSmart, Dell, and Staples. When you are at the store's website, the GoodSearch toolbar will automatically light up displaying the percentage donated and any available coupons. By using this toolbar, your purchases will generate donations even if you forget to start your shopping at GoodShop!
There's no easier way to help Camp of the Cross. Please spread the word!

SUNDAY SCHOOL AT PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH

"GROWING IN CHRIST"
Sunday School meets every Sunday from 10:15-11:15am for Preschool through Grade 12. Please join us!

MILITARY CARE PACKAGES

The PLCW is once again planning to periodically send care packages to our service men and women who are serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas overseas. If you have a family member or the name & address of any military person who is or will soon be deployed, please contact the church office with information on where to send their care package. Also, if you have a picture of someone you know who is in the military, please bring it to the church office so we can place it on the narthex bulletin board.
For a complete listing of items needed, please check the green sheet located on the narthex bulletin board near the poster of our military members. Items may be left in the council room in the cabinet labeled “Care Packages”. Please help our service men & women by donating some of the suggested items. Thank you.
Peace Lutheran has received a few thank you notes from some of our service men and women who have received these care packages. They express their appreciation of receiving the items in the care packages and knowing they have not been forgotten.
God bless our service men and women. Please keep them in your prayers.

COUNSELING SERVICES AVAILABLE
1) Christian Care is available through our Stephen Ministry program. Please contact Rose Santini (748-6671) or Pastor Wolff (748-2150) if you or someone you know could benefit from a one-to-one Christian Care Giving Program.
2) If you or someone you know is seeking help with counseling in areas of personal, family, marriage, addiction, or others, contact Elden D. J. Zuern, Christian Counselor at Peace Lutheran, at 748-5212. This will be on a voluntary contribution basis.
All matters are confidential.

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BUILDING & GROUNDS TECHNICIAN NEEDED
Peace Lutheran is currently without a Building & Grounds Maintenance Technician. We solicit your ideas as to how we can maintain the church building and grounds until this position gets filled. If you are interested in applying for this position, a description and application for this paid position may be obtained from the church office. Questions about this employment opportunity should be directed to Ken Link, 748-2827.

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As you know, Peace Lutheran Church has been issuing loan certificates to raise funds for repairing the North Cross Window and the tuckpoint project. The cost of the two projects is $50,000. Council approved selling $1,000 certificates to its members at an interest rate of 1% above the 12-month CD rate.
Due to the cold weather, the tuckpoint crew will be back next spring when warmer weather will permit them to finish this project. To date, our members have purchased $28,000 worth of certificates. We will resume this program in March when the tuckpoint crew returns. For more information, contact either Jim Mutzenberger at 748-2029 or Dalles Krause at 748-2161.

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WOMEN'S NEWS

The PLCW Mission Action thanks everyone who has so generously donated items for Lutheran World Relief. We packaged and shipped the following: 153 Quilts, 59 School Kits, 70 Health Kits, 38 Layettes, and 30 Sewing Kits. Thank you volunteers for all your dedicated work on this project. A special thank you to Gary & Laverna Scheid for delivering these items to Bismarck. We continue to collect items for LWR and we solicit your donations. Thank you so very much for your generosity with helping those who are less fortunate.
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God’s Joy!
The Advent and Christmas season is fast approaching. November 29 is the beginning of advent. What does this mean?
“Advent" is a Latin word (adventus) meaning "coming.” Christians prepare for the coming of the Lord into the world through the birth of God's Son, Jesus Christ, and for his final coming at the end of time. The season of Advent marks the beginning of the church year and comprises the four weeks before Christmas.
The four weeks before Christmas is to be used as a time of silent reflection, soul searching, mediation and simplicity in rituals. The main color of the advent season is blue – which symbolizes hope.
For more information on advent and the wreath that we use go to:
http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Learning-Center/FAQs/Advent-Wreath.aspx
The Thankoffering service will be held November 22. Women of the Lutheran Church have been gathering for Thankoffering services since the early 1900’s. It is a tradition grounded in our celebration of community. We come together as faithful women joyfully giving thanks and praise for what God has given us. Help us celebrate the Thankoffering. The service has gone to a simpler format utilizing all our resources available to us from our congregation. The Women of the ELCA would like to thank the church community for supporting our mission over the years – in our walk in faith and in our ministry.
I read about a very interesting group of women in the Bismarck Tribune last month. JOY International. Their focus appears to be women experiencing fresh faith, new hope and real love – how awesome is that!!!  I wish I would have had their information on their meeting in October earlier to get the word out. They had a breakfast meeting at the end of October that sounded fabulous. I will contact them and ask them to send out information to me a few months in advance so I can get the word out to the ladies of our church. Check out their website at http://www.joyintl.org/.
If there are other opportunities out there for women to grow in their faith – whether it be in Mercer County or statewide or nationwide, please let me know. I want to get information out so women can continue to work in their faith. Opportunities can include Bible studies being taught at other churches, seminars, prayer meetings, just anything that would enhance one’s walk in faith.
Enjoy the advent season!!
You can have the same joy I have, and that joy will be the fullest possible joy. John 15:11
Bethanie Christmann
Co-Chair Mission Community

Monday Noon Day Prayers
November 2: Pray for the saints in your life.
November 9: Pray for our veterans.
November 16: Pray for safety.
November 23: Thank GOD for all you have.
November 30: Thank GOD for the advent season!
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FROM OUR YOUTH DIRECTOR:
For the first time since 1996, when I was one of the first kids to own a Game Boy Pocket (yes, I was a nerdy sixth grader,) I now have a cool, new toy. I just got a brand new phone! It is a bit of an upgrade from the past few that I had. One of my phones had a defective ear piece, so I could not hear what the person on the other end was saying. Another phone had a non-working display, so I had no idea who I was calling or who was calling me! But, this new phone has a camera, Internet access, and a full keyboard. Every time I use it, I am honestly scared that I might break it; a fear that I never had with the Game Boy Pocket. That thing was built like a brick.
While shopping for a phone and a plan that would be perfect for working in youth ministry (one with a big texting package,) I was reminded of an e-mail forward that mentioned both cell phones and our everyday Bible usage. Below is a portion of the message:
Have you ever wondered what life would be like if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones? What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to get it if we forgot it? What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it? What if we gave it to kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of an emergency?
Many valid points are brought to our attention through these questions. At the same website, one person had responded to the questions with this comment, “Well, one thing is for sure. The most advanced cell phone is way easier to figure out than the Bible!”
While this statement may seem a bit harsh and very negative against our book of faith, there is some truth in it. Both phones and the scriptures can be difficult to understand, if you do not know where to start. When I got my new phone, I had a general idea as to how to use it. I knew how to make calls and how to text. But, after letting some of our church's youth take a look at my phone for one minute, I learned how to do five new things! Five!
If I had not shared my phone with those kids, I would not have learned these new things. I thought I knew plenty about my phone, but I was barely scratching the surface. And, I'm guessing that if I had those same kids take a test run with the Game Boy Pocket, I might have the upper hand in terms of knowing how to use it. It would present an opportunity for all parties to learn something and, probably, gain a mutual appreciation for how far technology has come.
The e-mail forward was very keen on describing how we should be using our Bibles like we use our cell phones. But, there is one way in which they are already treated similarly. Our Bibles, our beliefs, should bind us together in the same way that cell phones keep us connected. Let us praise God for this blessing of community, knowing that we are not only one call away from God, but one call away from our fellow believers.