We Get By With a Little Help …

1 acolyte,

2 Ushers,

3 Altar Care Team Members,

1 person to stream worship and operate the PowerPoint,

2 Communion Servers,

1 Reader, 1 Assisting Minister,

1 Youth Sunday School Teacher,

2 Hosts for the Coffee/Fellowship Hour,

2 people to count the offering

…and I’m probably forgetting someone!! We know that math is not my strong point, but by utilizing a calculator and having Erica check my work, it looks like we require at least 16 volunteers every Sunday.

St. Peter’s Lutheran currently has an average worship attendance of around 80 folks on any given Sunday. Therefore, almost a quarter of our worshippers are needed to volunteer each week to maintain our level of welcome and excellence in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. One of our core values at St. Peter’s is serving in some capacity with the church. This isn’t just a nice idea, it is vital for the sake of the Gospel! Each position is vital. Before COVID, almost every member of our church was involved in serving in ministry (volunteering in worship, on a ministry team, or serving in another capacity). Currently, about 20% of our membership is carrying most of the load of volunteering within the church. This is not sustainable. Those overstretched and overloaded volunteers need time to worship without having a role or responsibility at every Sunday service.

We are including in this newsletter and in the worship bulletins for the month of February an opportunity to sign up to share your gifts, time, and talents with the community at St. Peter’s. Please take time to prayerfully consider how you might be called to serve. You will be trained for whatever role you volunteer for, and it is not possible to “mess up” so long as you are trying your best! There are also opportunities to sign up for “behind the scenes” roles like providing a meal to someone in need or helping maintain our physical spaces. Additionally, some of you may find you need to scale back your volunteering in order to find better work/family/worship balance.

Community is a two-way street. How can St. Peter’s better serve you? Note on your survey if you would benefit from receiving a call or visit, learning about membership opportunities, or if you desire baptism or to begin receiving Holy Communion. Lastly, there is an emergency contact portion that is helpful for coordinating spiritual care if you have an accident or an illness.

If you have any questions, concerns, or new ideas about ministry at St. Peter’s, please feel free to reach out to me at pastor@splcuniontown.org or 509-406-0926. Peace be with you, Pastor Jim