Board of Directors Report

Ben Clinkenbeard • March 10, 2025

We are blessed to have One Ministry with many moving parts.

Members of St. Peter’s,

We are blessed to have One Ministry with many moving parts, some of which include: weekly communal worship, senior ministry, high school and middle school youth ministry, young adults, athletics, adult Bible study groups, women’s ministry, Care Ministries, VBS, Kids of the Kingdom, Altar Guild, praise team, junior and adult choirs, preschool , PTL, Hope Sessions, Community of Care, day school, a principal, preschool director, two associate pastors and soon, God willing, a Senior pastor, coupled with many full and part-time staff, and many faithful volunteers who share the honor, the willingness and the joy of Connecting, Growing and Sharing our One St. Peter’s ministry.

One of the main duties the St. Peter’s membership has given to the Board of Directors is maintaining and continually developing policies which better equip our One Ministry to function efficiently, by providing a clear, well-written governance structure on leadership, accountability and Christ-centered expectations. With the calling of a new Senior Pastor on the horizon and making every effort to make the transition seamless, your Board of Directors over the past several months has been working diligently to address our current policies and procedures, some of which may be confusing, unclear or not applicable to our current One Ministry here at St. Peter’s. For you to better grasp and appreciate the changes being brought to the Voter’s meeting in May, we are providing materials including copies of the proposed Bylaws changes and a list of Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to our new Policy Based Governance model in the Ministry Center.

In addition, we will be holding a series of townhall meetings over the next few weeks, beginning March 16th. In preparation for the vote on the Bylaws change that we will bring to the congregation at the May Voters’ meeting, these town hall meetings will offer a time and place to discuss our change to a Policy Based Governance structure and why we feel NOW is the proper time to act. These town hall meetings will provide ample opportunity for discussion beforehand so that we will all arrive at the May Voters’ assembly ready and better prepared to vote. Praise be to God for all that He has provided for us here at St. Peter’s. Thank you!

Town hall Meeting Schedule:

Sunday, March 16th, 2025 - 9:00 am (Following the 8:00 Service)
Sunday, March 16, 2025 - 12:00 pm (Following the 10:30 Service)
Wednesday, March 19th, 2025 - 5:45 pm (Prior to Wednesday Lenten Service)
Saturday, March 22, 2025 - 6:00 pm (Following the 5:00 Service)
Other town hall meetings may be scheduled between now and the May Voter’s meeting.

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August Happenings

By Amy Widener • July 27, 2026

August Opportunities for Fellowship & Learning (In alphabetical order) Altar Guild Annual Potluck Meeting Wednesday, August 19th @ 6:00 pm in the Cornerstone Room If you're one of the ladies in our Altar Guild thank you. Be sure to join us for our annual potluck supper with a meeting following. Bible Studies (click for details) New Sunday series continues, but summer plans for weekday studies will be ending soon. Stay tuned for dates of when those will start to meet regularly again. Christian Education Weekend (Backpack Blessing) During all worship services August 8-9th Rededicate our faculty and staff to their teaching ministry as well as rededicate ourselves as a congregation to praying for them, encouraging them, and supporting the work God has given us to do together. Students may also get their backpack blessing tag for this school year. School starts August 12th! At the 10:30 AM service, we will also install Janet Bahr as our assistant principal and Dianna Bultemeier as a called teacher of St. Peter's. Please join us for a reception honoring Janet and Dianna on the church's front porch following this service. Confirmation Kick-Off Sunday, August 9th during the Bible Study hour @ 9:15 am in the Sanctuary Parents and students (7th & 8th graders) of our day school and public school will meet to prep for the upcoming year with Pastor McDowell. Plan to attend and remember the Confirmation Site on The Hub will be updated soon with everything you need to know as far as expectations, handbook, assignments, deadlines, and event dates. Collections/Fundraiser (ongoing) The Compassionate Care Collection is prepping hygiene kits for the Lutheran World Relief: The LWR collection will be through July and August--details can be found on the LWR.org/kits site or HERE . Needed are: light weight bath sized towels (between 20" x 40" to 27" x52"), bath-size soap bars in original wrapper, adult toothbrush, sturdy comb, metal nail clippers--all items must be new and NOT have religious symbols or patriotic decoration. Special Monthly Offering: This month we collect for our Preschool which is so appreciated by the faculty and students. You'll also see their annual Giving Tree displayed in the Ministry Center soon. Take a letter of the alphabet off the tree and bring back the supply listed. Stay tuned for a video from our Preschool Director, Barb Christian, next week about these two opportunities to support our Preschool. Drums Alive Drums will take a break in August and come back in September with an updated schedule. Stay tuned! Monday Night Worship Summer Monday night worship ends August 31st. The following Monday is Labor Day and the church offices and schools will be closed. Senior Saints Monday, August 10th @ 11:30 am in the Cornerstone Room REGISTER HERE for this month's Lunch N' Learn featuring our own Tina Acosta who does amazing work through Turnstone. Turnstone is a place unlike any other and anyone who knows about it only has good things to say. If you'd like to know another reason Fort Wayne is such a great place to be, come listen as Tina will offer an overview of Turnstone and their services. Serving in the Church Offering your talents or acts of service is often something we all want to do, but not always sure where to start. Opportunities present themselves, but it's hard to remember them all or keep track of something that called to you at one point. The Serve tab in the Realm Connect app continues to add areas that are open and looking for someone just like you. Log in on your computer or through the app on your phone and scroll through the Roles to see if one is a good fit for you. Remember, signing up doesn't commit you to it, but does share that you'd like to be contacted about it. Sisters in Christ: Simple Quilting Craft Saturday, August 15th starting at 10 am in the Cornerstone Room REGISTER HERE FREE Regret never learning how to sew? Or haven’t picked up a needle and thread in a long time? Do not miss this opportunity to learn from ladies who’ve been sewing since 2nd grade! It’s nearly a lost art, but we’re bringing it back with Linda Thiele, Debbie Haenftling, Carol Nahrwold, and Jan Bultemeier who have curated a perfect practice project to teach you sewing and the basics of quilting in the form of a pot holder or trivet. Coordinate colors with your kitchen! It’s made for beginners, but any sewing ability is welcome. There’s so much knowledge combined in this room, if you have a question about anything related to needle and thread, they can answer it! We also gather the last Wednesday each month (July 29th this week and August 26th) at 5:00 pm Kekionga Craft Co, 7328 Maysville Rd. Come & go. Enjoy a little fellowship, prayer idea, and grab something to eat if you’d like. Young Adults Second Sundays, August 9th starting at 6 pm @ Pastor Nate's house Hosted by Ben & Gwyn Corley, we'll have dinner together, games, and devotion. Bring a friend and fellowship with us. REMEMBER August 9th is also the last day to sign up for Combat Ops Laser Tag. REGISTER HERE. You can pay later, but sign up today! Don't miss out! Get on the text thread to be sent reminders and invites. Text 'stpfw' to 94000 and follow the prompts.