April 8 , 2020
Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.”
(Psalm 46:1)
When the pandemic news began, the primary challenge was all the “change” that we had to do. Now, we are not only seeing how critical these changes are but also making them part of our habits of daily living. Now the issue has become “how long?”
COVID 19 is a worldwide scourge. It is everywhere. “How long?” we ask. The answer is in the cross of Good Friday and the empty grave of Easter. There we see His love does not change. His unchanging love is forever in our Savior Jesus.
Due to the extension of the “Safer at Home” mandate to April 30th, 2020, Church Council “discussed” via e-mail regarding our public worship services. The Church Council came to the consensus that we not hold public worship services through the end of April WITH HOPES OF RESUMING THEM SOMETIME IN MAY. We do this out of Christ-centered love for our neighbor. When Church Council determines when is best to restart public worship services they will notify all members of that decision in print and at our website: www.graceserves.org
I have REVISED a list of opportunities for “Electronic Worship” that are ministry resources of Grace, other Sheboygan County LC—MS congregations and The Lutheran Hour. The weblink to this list is: https://www.graceserves.org/update1/71-sheboygan-county-lc-ms-electronic-worship-opportunities Please take the time at least once a week to gather with your family or yourself and participate in the ministry of God’s Word from reliable LC—MS pastors.
Regarding pastoral contact, Rev. Tom Fleischmann and I have been contacting as many of you as possible by phone to:
1) Check up to see how you are doing,
2) See if there is anything we can do to help you out,
3) Share words of encouragement,
4) Give you an opportunity to unload a little bit, and
5) Whatever else you’d like to share.
If we are unable to reach you, we will leave a message in hopes of speaking with you at another time.
If you have a need for errands to be done, please contact Karen Fleischmann at 920-892-2211 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We thank all those who are able and willing to mail in their offerings to our Lord. The support for ongoing budget needs is appreciated. Please note that we will be enclosing 3 additional return envelopes for offerings in the upcoming May 2020 newsletter.
Our God is faithful and loving and does not change. We remember the words of Psalm 46:1 – “GOD is our refuge and strength.” He IS—ALWAYS!
Shalom in Jesus our Risen Messiah,
Rev. Peter M. Peitsch, Pastor
Grace Lutheran Church—Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
and Church Council