Picture This...

Church Office • April 7, 2025

Dress your best, bring the family, get the pic! We'll take care of the rest.

It's exciting to think about who our new Senior Pastor will be. The Call Committee and our Indiana District is hard at work doing their parts, but what can you do right now as part of the congregation?

Action item number one is prayer. We hope you're praying for him and his family through the week. The Call process is complex and somewhat mysterious. Prayer from the congregation both corporately and as individual households is one of the very important parts of this process. Do be a participant in this.

Action item number two is preparing ways he can get to know us... and there are a lot of "us." Putting names to faces takes time, repetition, and a willingness from the congregation to share their information with their pastors. We can take this first step together with a photo of you and your beautiful family. But let's shake things up and start with what we aren't going to do. We aren't setting up individual time slots; we aren't working with expensive photographers; and we aren't going to take two years to print a bound and polished (and likely outdated) directory. We're keeping it simple and using our own volunteers from our very talented congregation to take care of business. (Psst... that's you. Just a couple hours of your time can make a HUGE impact. Be part of the photo team by clicking here and signing up. There are jobs that don't require being a great photographer, and we'll show you exactly what to do.)

Here's how it will work:

On the weekends of April 12-13th (Palm Sunday), April 19-20th (Easter), and April 26-27th (Confirmation) you'll find photo booths around our campus. The booth in the Ministry Center will have a "higher quality" approach. This is good if you have a larger family with several generations. We can take a group picture with everyone and then break the family up into smaller units. You might have to wait in line a tad longer, but you'll get a little more attention when it's your turn. The other booths are our "Fast Track" options. You'll get your picture then off you go! There may still be a line forming, but it will move quickly.

Booths will also be available during the Easter breakfast. So grab a table, have some egg casserole, and then pop in for a photo.

What if I'm not interested in crowds or lines? Great news! Plan to come by the church office from Monday-Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm and one of us in the office will take a picture for you in the Ministry Center booth.

What will you do with my picture?

We'll email the picture to the address you provide. This may take a little time to process, but we want to make sure you get your picture(s).
Then we'll upload it to your Realm profile. These pictures will be visible to staff and members who access the electronic directory through Realm.

If you would like access to our member directory (and more). Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions. If you have any issues, just call or email the Church Office and we'll help you troubleshoot.

Until then, "say cheese" for our new Senior Pastor!

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Fieldworkers: Preparing Future Pastors

By Pastor Adam McDowell • July 27, 2026

Our Partnership with Our Seminary

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.