Pastor's Corner

Hello, St. Peter’s!

Over the past five years, our PrayER ministry has become an important part of how we care for one another as a congregation. During that time, our volunteers have responded to more than 3,600 individual prayer requests, faithfully lifting up the needs of our church family before the Lord.

Now, we’re excited to take another step forward.

On September 19, from 9am to 12pm, we will hold our first PrayER Partner training, preparing volunteers to visit St. Peter’s members who are homebound or living in nursing homes throughout the greater Fort Wayne area.

So, what exactly is a PrayER Partner?

The answer is wonderfully simple: a Christian who is willing to be present.

PrayER Partners will visit in pairs, spending time with members of our congregation who may not be able to join us for worship each week. They will listen, talk, share a short devotion, pray together, and simply enjoy Christian fellowship.

They aren't being asked to provide medical care, counseling, transportation, or household assistance. They aren't being asked to solve problems or take on the responsibilities of a caregiver.

They're being asked to show up, listen, pray, and remind someone that they are not forgotten.

We already have more than twenty volunteers who have expressed interest in becoming PrayER Partners, and we're excited to begin this ministry. But it's not too late to join us!

If you've ever thought, "I'd love to do something to serve members of our church who can't get here anymore," this may be an opportunity for you.

The September 19 training will give our volunteers the practical tools they need to make these visits meaningful, including how to listen well, share a devotion, pray with someone, maintain healthy boundaries, and know when a concern should be brought to one of our pastors. PrayER Partners will also receive monthly devotions prepared specifically for use during their visits.

Most importantly, this ministry is an opportunity for us to live out what it means to be the Body of Christ. Our members who are homebound or living in nursing facilities may be physically separated from us, but they are not separated from their church family, and they are certainly not separated from Christ.

Sometimes ministry doesn't require us to do something extraordinary.

Sometimes it simply means walking through a door, sitting beside someone, listening to their story, opening God's Word, and praying together.

If you'd like to become a PrayER Partner, or if you'd like more information, please contact Kami Jo Mogelvang (please include her email) at the church office.

We'd love to have you join us.

May God bless our PrayER Partners as they carry the love of Christ beyond the walls of St. Peter's, and may He bless those who receive them with His peace, His Word, and the reminder that they are remembered and loved by their church family.

In Christ,

Pastor Nate