Ministry Theme Hymn

Tim Degen • August 3, 2026

Introducing St. Peter's Lutheran Church & School's 2026-27 Theme Hymn: "One in Christ and One in Spirit"

One in Christ and one in Spirit, one in Christian unity.

From our Father, we inherit life with Him eternally.

Made anew in Word and water, freed from death and cleansed from sin.

Perfect son and holy daughter – hearts made pure and whole within.


Christian sisters, Christian brothers, reaching out to those in need,

We proclaim Good News to others as we boldly share our creed.

In our learning and our growing, we are strengthened in the Word.

In our coming and our going, we live out what we have heard.


One in Christ, now and forever, with one voice, we gladly sing.

Neither life nor death can sever Christians from their loving King.

As we learn of His salvation, may we tell of Jesus’ grace

To each future generation at all times, in ev’ry place.


Our ministry-wide church and school theme this year is “Called in One”, based on Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Using this verse as a basis, we’d like to introduce to you this year’s theme hymn: “One in Christ and One in Spirit.” This hymn comes from the most recent children’s hymnal, “One and All Rejoice,” published by Concordia Publishing House. The tune for this hymn is called NETTLETON, which you know as the melody to the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” This hymn wonderfully reflects our theme and mission of being one united people of God here at St. Peter’s.


With this coming weekend, August 8-10, being Christian Education weekend, we will sing this hymn this weekend in worship, as well as in day school opening chapel on August 12. To remind us of our theme, and to strengthen the unity we have together, we will sing this hymn about once a month both in day school chapel on Wednesday mornings, as well as in weekend worship. I encourage you to read and familiarize yourself with this text, as we all – young and old, adults and children, church and school, – sing it together. For together, we are “Called in One.”


In addition to this hymn, we're also making the ministry theme t-shirts available to the congregation to order until August 30th. Next Sunday following the 8 am and 10:30 am worship services, you can order and pay for your shirts in the Ministry Center. They will be $14 if you pay in person in the Ministry Center or the church office during the week. We will conveniently have online orders available with an added credit card fee for $15. Further details & links will be listed under "What's New" on the Hub very soon.

News & Notes

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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.
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