Gathering During COVID-19❗️

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Worship Update
March 1, 2022

In-Person – Indoor Worship Sundays at 9:30 AM
Masks optional


Previous Updates


Worship Update
August 2, 2021

In-Person – Indoor Worship Sundays at 9:30 AM
Masks required


Worship Update
May 19 2021

In-Person – Indoor Worship
Returns June 6th at 9:30 AM

Beginning on June 6, Prince of Peace will return to holding an indoor worship service at 9:30 AM on Sundays. We will continue to follow the same masking and distancing guidelines to allow all worshipers time to be fully vaccinated. The service will continue to be live-streamed to allow people to worship with us online.

The rationale for our current approach to relaxing COVID related restrictions is summarized well in an article offered by the council of churches in Wisconsin:

We understand many church gatherings to be somewhat like public transit, where people of mixed vaccine status are together for some time with limited ventilation. The CDC recommendations suggest there is a low risk to gathering indoors without masks, and do not raise alarm about singing, presume a fully vaccinated group. That is not the case in most faith communities – and we would not want to put church leaders in the position of enforcement, needing to check vaccination status in order to admit people to worship. Indeed, this practice can be exclusionary and counter to Christian witness.

Many members of our communities remain unvaccinated and at higher risk of COVID transmission. Some—particularly children under the age of 12 and medically fragile individuals such as pregnant women or the immunocompromised—have not had the opportunity to be vaccinated. Such members deserve the highest care and protection of the community, and all deserve to see the example of faithful people expressing the love of Christ in following sensible precautions. In our excitement at good news for the vaccinated, let us not commit the sin of overlooking parts of the body. Hastily implemented practices can exclude “the least of these” and threaten their health. The vulnerable among us should not be expected to bear the burden of others’ unwillingness to be vaccinated or follow COVID-safe policies.

…some of our most trusted sources currently recommend following a “two out of three” approach: wearing masks and practicing social distancing indoors, and choosing either masks or distancing as a strategy when gathering outdoors.

I continue to be encouraged, inspired and grateful for the faithful engagement of the Prince of Peace community of faith. We can do difficult things. In fact, we can do all things through him who strengthens us.

Your partner in the ministry,
Pastor Chad


Worship Update 01/03/2021
New schedule begins on January 10

9:30 AM Worship (online only)


Worship Update 09/23/2020
New schedule begins on October 25

Notice: 9:30 AM In-person Worship Canceled Until Further Notice

Due to an alarming rise in Covid-19 cases in Minnesota, which is resulting in challenges to the state’s hospital capacities, we will discontinue our in-person worship service on Sunday mornings at 9 AM until further notice.

The 10:30 AM live-stream worship service will continue every Sunday. A reminder that there is more than one way to watch this service. Those of you who use Facebook can join the service on the Prince of Peace Facebook page. This is a fun option since you can greet one another and interact in the comment section during the service! If you do not use Facebook, you can also access the service directly from our website.

Thanks for staying safe while staying faithful and connected to the ministry we all share at Prince of Peace!


Worship Update 09/23/2020
New schedule begins on October 25

I want to begin with a word of thanks to our congregation for approaching this entire time of pandemic with such grace and faithfulness. Prince of Peace has continued our mission to grow deep and reach out with the love of Christ through faithful giving, worship, and outreach, even though it has required new approaches to all of these things! Our priority moving forward continues to be protecting the most vulnerable among us while staying faithfully committed to the ministry and outreach we share. 

With this in mind, our plan is to continue gathering for in-person, outdoor worship on Sundays at 10 AM through October 18, weather permitting. Those services are also live-streamed and each Sunday, hundreds of people join us for worship either in person or online. 

Beginning on Sunday, October 25, we will transition into the next phase of our approach to Sunday morning worship. 

A brief, 30 minute “devotional” service will be offered in the Worship Center at 9:00 AM each Sunday. The service of readings and prayers will include an abbreviated message centered on the full sermon that will be preached during the live-stream worship. All 9 AM attendees will be required to wear masks while in the building. There will be designated traffic patterns for entering and departing the building along with clearly marked seating areas to maintain proper social distancing. The 9 AM in-person service will not include congregational singing but our music staff will offer instrumental selections.

Also beginning October 25, a live-stream only worship service will also be offered which will begin each Sunday morning at 10:30 AM. This service will be a full service led by our staff with hymns, songs, sermons, and prayers as usual. The The10:30 AM service will not be open to in-person attendance.

This approach to worship continues to be guided by the Prince of Peace COVID-19 response plan approved by the council in June. The vital ministry of Prince of Peace continues to surround people with the love of Christ in times of joy and sorrow. I am grateful to work with such a faithful, creative, and wise staff and lay leadership. As always, God has provided everything we need to thrive as a community of faith, even in these uncertain times. 

Pastor Chad


Update

As this situation continues to change on a daily basis, so does our approach to what we do as Prince of Peace.

We want to take some time to send out just a few reminders/notes/etc for all of you to let you know where we are at, how we are doing, and what the future looks like (as best as we can know at this point).

Information has been sent out in a variety of different forms, but we want to get it all here, in one space and get it out to as many of you as possible. IF you know someone in the Congregation that does not receive these types of messages, please make sure to reach out to them during this time.

Pastor Chad’s most recent update can be found HERE. Please take a minute (or a few) to watch his message as it pertains to Worship, Giving, and a few other notes.

Many of you also recently received a letter, or will be receiving one soon. If you did NOT receive a letter, you can read it here: Congregational Letter.

Our mission statement here at Prince of Peace is to Grow Deep. Reach Out. During this time we hope that you are finding ways to do that. As Pastor Chad mentions in his video, we are continuing to Live Stream a Worship Service on Wednesday Nights and Sunday Mornings. You can tune in to FaceBook Live (see link below) to see those worship services.

If you are looking for ways to Reach Out, Pastor Natalia recently created a form that you can fill out. This FORM can also be used if you are needing help getting groceries, etc so please fill it out if you need anything.

Please know that we, as a Staff, are here for YOU. Simply let us know.

God’s Peace,
Prince of Peace Staff


Worship and all public gatherings at Prince of Peace are canceled through Monday, March 23.

Dear members and friends of Prince of Peace,

Our church leadership continues to closely monitor events surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. As we make decisions about our public life as a congregation, we are committed to prayerful consideration for all in our community and beyond.

In this quickly evolving situation, there has been a developing consensus among Minneapolis area Lutheran Churches that a faithful response will likely require canceling worship and other group activities for a time. I want to say from the start that our leadership did not make this decision out of fear; we made it out of love for our neighbor. It is our hope that choosing to practice social distancing for a time will limit the spread of the infection, which in turn will protect the most vulnerable among us and prevent taxing what is sure to be a stressed health care system.

We will live stream a worship service tomorrow and next Sunday at 10:00 AM via Facebook. These services will remain available to watch on our Facebook page and will also be produced as podcasts as usual.

We will also live stream a brief service on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM

*During this time, you can call or email the office directly at info@princeofpeacechurch.org and 763-560-8958.
*Your continued generosity toward our operating budget will be more important than ever during this time. That’s especially true as we seek to take care of our amazing staff and ministry partners. If you’re not using electronic giving, you can still mail your offering to the church at 7217 W Broadway Ave., 55428.

And if you would like to give electronically please visit the “Give” link on our website homepage.

The Church has always thrived in times of crisis and uncertainty because these times remind us of our dependence upon the One who, in baptism, has named us and claimed us and promises to never let us go.

This is also an important time for us to be the Body of Christ to our neighbor. Please check on those who are most vulnerable. Carry the peace of Christ into the lives of those who are afraid. And please share widely the information in this letter, especially with those whom you suspect are not regular users of electronic media.

Your partner in ministry,

Pastor Chad