St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church
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St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
65 Walnut Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 1N9
Tel: 204-775-6477
Email: stpetersoffice@mymts.net
December 2020 Website: www.stpeterslutheran.ca.
Pastor: Rev. Bjoern Meinhardt ~ 204-792-3346
Advent Leads to Christmas
Live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the
appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:12-13)
We are entering into a special season. Yet, we are well aware that this year it is going to be different – very different.
This year's preparations for Christmas offer some challenges that did not interfere with our seasonal routines in
previous years. Despite these setbacks, I believe that there are some timeless rituals and fond memories that we
can draw on to help us lift our Christmas spirit. In order to gain a fuller appreciation for the beauty of the Christmas
season I think that we should admit that we are actually dealing with two very different Christmases: a secular and
a spiritual Christmas.
The secular Christmas begins right after Remembrance Day and ends on December 25, Christmas Day, when –
what an irony – the “real” Christmas actually begins.
This “version” of Christmas comes with the “glitz and glamour” of popular cultural icons. It is usually
accompanied by the hurried chasing after the “perfect gift.” The “drums of consumerism” are deafening our ears.
It is also a “boisterous time” of eating and drinking.
These secular “Christmas” days aren't usually peaceful and can get very hectic. In this season, there is a lot of
talk about “love,” but we do not hear much about the Giver and Author of this Love. These days are seldom spent
in spiritual introspection, but squandered with materialistic consumerism.
In short: What we encounter in this secularized culture leading up to Christmas Day has little to nothing to do
with the actual Christmas. It is furthermore this overwhelming “spirit of consumerism” that dulls our senses and
obscures one of the most beautiful seasons of the year: Advent.
1
What the secular world calls their Christmas is our Advent – those four weeks prior to Christmas Day that are
filled with prophetic promises that God wants to save the world. Unfortunately, Advent is a fairly neglected season.
Even in the church. It is time to rediscover Advent. I once read in an article, “for people of faith a renewed emphasis
on Advent can still provide an antidote to the malady of consumerism that robs people of a joy that is theirs already
in Jesus Christ.”
For me, this means: before we can celebrate Christmas, we need to put Advent in its proper place. Promise
anticipates joy. Preparation precedes fulfillment. Or, in other words: Before a child is born, it needs to grow and
mature in a mother's womb. Before we can move into a new home, the place needs to be prepared.
This also means, we are urged to wait. I know, waiting can be very hard. When I was a child, I spoiled my
Christmas joy by searching for the gifts my parents were hiding from us children. This self-inflicted disappointment
taught me that waiting has its merits. Indeed, the result is worth the wait!
And while we wait during Advent, we have wonderful opportunities to enhance the spirit of the upcoming
Christmas season. We can create wonderful moments of joyful anticipation that touch all our senses and stir positive
emotions: as candlelight illumines the darkness; as the aromas of baking and evergreens fill the air; as the melodic
sounds of carols can be heard; as we savour seasonal dishes and beverages – as best as we can this year – in the
company of family and good friends.
Advent is not only the beginning of the liturgical year. It is also “the gospel in miniature.” It carries the faithful
through a time of waiting and preparation to the culmination of God's love when God himself became flesh
(“incarnate”) in Jesus' birth on Christmas Day – thus foreshadowing the cross, his resurrection, and his second
coming.
As I think about this season I realize: What is important is not the satisfaction that I might get through temporal
goods, but the salvation to new life through Jesus' birth – God' only Son. What matters are not so much the gifts
that I might get from others, but the treasure that God has given us in Jesus. When I look at Jesus, I want to exclaim
(in Simeon's words), “my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:30).
I wish you a blessed season of Advent and a wonderful celebration of God's Incarnation!
Bjoern E. Meinhardt, Pastor
Auf den Advent folgt Weihnachten
Wir (sollen) besonnen, gerecht und fromm in dieser Welt leben und warten auf die selige Hoffnung und Erscheinung
der Herrlichkeit Gottes und unseres Heilands Jesus Christus. (Titus 2,12-13)
Wir sind dabei, eine beliebte Jahreszeit zu betreten. Doch sind wir alle gewahr, dass sie dieses Jahr anders – ganz
anders – ausfallen wird. Denn unsere diesjährigen Weihnachtsvorbereitungen sind Herausforderungen ausgesetzt,
die wir von früheren Jahren her nicht kennen. Trotz dieser Rückschläge denke ich, dass wir auf zeitlose Rituale
und schöne Erinnerungen zurückgreifen können, die uns dabei helfen können, unsere Weihnachtsstimmung zu
beflügeln. Um eine bessere Würdigung für die Schönheit der Weihnachtszeit zu erhalten, sollten wir uns erst einmal
vor Augen halten, dass wir es eigentlich mit zwei unterschiedlichen Weihnachten zu tun haben: einem weltlichen
und einem geistlichen Weihnachten.
Das weltliche Weihnachten fängt gleich nach dem Volkstrauertag an und hört am 25. Dezember, also am
Weihnachtstag, auf – ironischerweise just an jenem Tag, an dem das „eigentliche“ Weihnachtsfest beginnt.
Diese Fassung von Weihnachten kommt mit dem Glanz und Zauber beliebter kultureller Symbole. Sie ist für
gewöhnlich begleitet von einem eiligen Jagen nach dem perfekten Geschenk. Wir vernehmen ohrenbetäubende
Trommelschläge, die zu einem gesteigerten Konsum auffordern. Es ist eine Zeit des unbändigen Essens und
Trinkens.
Diese weltlichen „Weihnachts“-Tage sind nicht wirklich friedlich und können sehr hektisch sein. In dieser Zeit
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wird viel von „Liebe“ geredet, aber über den Geber und Urheber dieser Liebe kriegen wir nicht viel zu hören. In
diesen Tagen begeht man weniger eine geistliche Selbstprüfung und verbringt sie eher mit materialistischem
Konsumverhalten.
Kurz gesagt: Was uns da in dieser säkularisierten Kultur begegnet, die sich auf den Weihnachtstag hin bewegt,
hat wenig bis nichts mit dem eigentlichen Weihnachtsfest zu tun. Es ist zudem dieses gesteigerte Konsumverhalten,
das unsere Sinne betäubt und uns den Blick für eine der schönsten Zeiten im Jahr verstellt: der Adventszeit.
Was die säkulare Welt ihr Weihnachten nennt, ist unser Advent – jene vier Wochen vor dem Weihnachtstag, die
mit prophetischen Versprechungen gefüllt sind, dass Gott die Welt retten möchte. Leider ist der Advent eine
ziemlich vernachlässigte Saison. Selbst in der Kirche. Es ist an der Zeit, den Advent neu zu entdecken. Ich habe
mal in einem Artikel gelesen: „Für gläubige Menschen kann eine erneuerte Hervorhebung des Advents immer noch
ein [geeignetes] Gegenmittel auf die Übel des Konsumismus sein, die Menschen der Freude berauben, die ihnen
[doch] bereits in Jesus Christus gehört.“
Für mich bedeutet das: Bevor wir Weihnachten feiern können, müssen wir erst einmal den Advent in seinen ihm
angestammten Platz einordnen. Das Versprechen geht der Freude voraus. Die Vorbereitung kommt vor der
Erfüllung. Oder anders gesagt: Bevor ein Kind zur Welt kommt, muss es im Mutterleib heranwachsen. Bevor man
in ein neues Haus einziehen kann, muss es gebaut werden.
Das heißt aber auch, dass wir dazu angehalten werden, zu warten. Ich selbst weiß, wie schwer warten sein kann.
Als Kind habe ich mir meine Weihnachtsfreude ruiniert, weil ich nach den Geschenken suchte, die meine Eltern
versteckt hatten. Diese selbst verschuldete Enttäuschung hat mir beigebracht, dass Warten durchaus seine
Berechtigung hat. In der Tat zeigt das Resultat, dass warten sich lohnt.
Während wir im Advent warten, haben wir wunderbare Möglichkeiten, die Stimmung für das bevorstehende
Weihnachtsfest zu steigern. Wir können schöne Momente der freudigen Erwartung schaffen, die alle Sinne
ansprechen: wenn Kerzenlicht die Dunkelheit erhellt; wenn der Duft von Backwaren oder von Tannenzweigen den
Raum erfüllt; wenn der melodische Klang von Liedern ertönt; wenn wir die saisonalen Speisen und Getränke in
Gemeinschaft von Familie und guten Freunden (so gut es eben geht in diesem Jahr) genießen.
Beim Advent handelt es sich nicht nur um den Anfang des Kirchenjahres, sondern auch um „das [ganze]
Evangelium in Kurzform“. Er trägt die Gläubigen durch eine Zeit des Wartens und der Vorbereitung hin zum
Höhepunkt der Liebe Gottes, die mit der Geburt Jesu am Weihnachtstag leibhaftig Mensch geworden ist – womit
der Kreuzestod Jesu, seine Auferstehung und Wiederkunft bereits angedeutet werden.
In meinem Nachsinnen über die Advents- und Weihnachtszeit stelle ich schließlich fest: Wichtig ist nicht die
Zufriedenheit, die ich durch zeitliche Güter erhalte, sondern das Heil zum neuen Leben, das uns in Jesu Geburt,
Gottes eingeborenem Sohn, zugesagt wird. Wichtig sind nicht die Geschenke, die ich vielleicht von anderen erhalte,
sondern der Schatz, den Gott uns mit Jesus gegeben hat. Wenn ich auf Jesus schaue, möchte auch ich mit den
Worten Simeons ausrufen: „Meine Augen haben dein Heil gesehen“ (Lukas 2,30).
Ich wünsche euch eine gesegnete Adventszeit und eine wunderbare Feier der Menschwerdung Gottes.
Björn E. Meinhardt, Pfarrer
3
Important Announcements
Submitted by Barb Schott
Since the Advent and Christmas Season has also been impacted by the current situation in our home province
of Manitoba, all of our services throughout the month of December will be on-line or e/mailed out to you. Our
wish is that you and your family and friends find peace and joy as you join the virtual services at St. Peter’s
in the format that best works for you:
Advent: November 29(1st), December 6 (2nd), 13(3rd), and 20(4th) [Chrismon service]
Christmas Eve: December 24th (joint)
Christmas Day: December 25th (joint)
Update for the Congregation:
Despite feeling that we’re all apart, not seeing one another, still unable to worship together, frustrated at how
long the pandemic is lasting, it was so good to hear one member very recently comment how grateful he is for
health and blessings and that through the mailed-out services and newsletters and phone calls he receives he feels
like “the church is with me and I’m with the church.”
The remembrance during our Christ the King Sunday on November 29th was poignant as we remembered and
reflected on the members we lost this year and particularly those whose passing we were unable to honour, as we
usually do, by coming together as a community in grief and support.
Looking forward to the quiet serenity of the Advent Season, the joy that Christmas brings, we want to thank the
“silent hands” for giving their time and talents:
*All the musicians who have and will be contributing to the upcoming services and a big thank you - vielen Dank
- liebe Dana Steineker - to one of our youngest members, who sang “Denn der Geist und die Braut” at our Christ
the King service!
*Martin Bunge for setting up the Advent Wreath
*Ralf Oppitz and Pastor - for hanging the banners
*Kitzmanns for organizing the poinsettias
*Ralf Oppitz & Dylan Grymonpre - for setting up the Christmas tree
All these months, Pastor Tom Lurvey has been creating and providing the extensive and bilingual power points
that guide us through our virtual services. For the time and preparation this takes, and for the beautiful
backgrounds and images you incorporate, we just want to say Thank You, Vielen Dank, Kiitos!
On behalf of church council, wishing all of you a blessed and peaceful Season of Advent and all the joy and hope
that Christ in Christmas brings.
Church Council
4As we head towards year end please be reminded of the following:
1. Yearbook submissions: for those of you chairing a committee, reports are due December 15 th and
Gudrun would appreciate receiving these so she can start working on the AGM booklet that comes
out in January.
2. Annual General Meeting - we don’t yet know how our Annual General Meeting will take place in
February of 2021 - much of this will depend on how our Covid situation progresses - but we have
been considering different options and will keep you informed.
3. Nominations - A number of council members will be completing their terms, so please consider
serving your church community by letting your name stand for council or any of the committees
that keep our church running smoothly. Our Stewardship Committee, in particular, is looking for
members. This is a wonderful way to participate in the life of your church, to get to know your
fellow parishioners, and to give those who have been serving a break. If you are willing to let your
name stand, please contact the church office, Pastor Meinhardt, or Barbara Schott.
By Barb Schott
Offering Envelopes for 2021
Submitted by Steve Herbst
Normally around this time of the year we make the 2021 offering envelopes available for
pick up in the narthex. As we all know, our council decided that due to Covid-19 there will be no
in-house services scheduled for the foreseeable future and this will make this distribution
impossible.
So, until we will be able to come to the services personally please continue to use the envelopes
which many of us have left over from 2020. Ignore the dates printed on these, as your offering
will be recorded for the date on which they were received. In case they were all used up, you may
use any envelope at your disposal. Just make sure your name is legibly printed on the envelope
and designate how you would like your gift to be distributed: Weekly Budget, Missions,
Development and Building Fund, Other (please specify).
If you would prefer to use the 2021 envelopes assigned to you, please phone Steve Herbst
@204 663 3215 and I will deliver your set.
Thank you for continuing to financially support St. Peter’s during these difficult times. God
bless you all and keep you safe.
Obituaries
• An interment for Mrs. Stegnius, who passed away peacefully, at age 93, on Nov. 15, 2019, was held
on September 14, 2020.
• Mr. Cliff Liebrecht, a former member of St. Peter’s, passed away at age 79, on March 17, 2020 in
Okotoks AB.
• Mrs. Schwabe (the widow of pastor Schwabe who served our congregation from 1955 -1960)
passed away peacefully, at age 90, on Nov. 24, 2020.
But those who die in the LORD will live; their bodies will rise again! Isaiah 26 v 19 5Youth Ministry
Submitted by the Schreckenbach family
Was it ever exciting to read about St. Peter’s, our Youth group and especially about the mission
project to help Warm up Winnipeg in the Winnipeg Free Press!
The deadline for our mission project will be January 3, 2021. On that first Sunday in the New
Year, we will have a blessing – before delivering all the lovingly handcrafted items to Project Main
Street to be given to homeless people.
Our youth are also working on something special for Christmas. Each member of the Youth group
crafts – safely at home – certain figures for a nativity set which can then be assembled and set up
near the Altar.
We have also drawn numbers for our traditional gift exchange “with a little kick”. The Youth
leaders will be driving to the individual Youth families, collecting the scarves and nativity set
figures – and also collecting and delivering the Christmas gifts. This will help us once again to stay
connected while observing the required physical distancing. Furthermore, we hope this project will
also help the congregation with really celebrating Christmas even if we may not be able to gather
for the respective worship services.
Jugendarbeit
Das war schon toll, über unsere Kirche und Gemeinde, über unsere Jugendgruppe und insbesondere
über das Missionsprojekt Winnipeg warmzuhalten in der Zeitung (Winnipeg Free Press) zu lesen!
Der Abschlusstermin für unser Missionsprojekt ist der 3. Januar 2021. An diesem ersten Sonntag
im Kalenderjahr wollen wir eine Einsegnung halten und in den darauffolgenden Tagen die liebevoll
gearbeiteten Sachen zu Project Main Street bringen – zur Weitergabe an bedürftige obdachlose
Menschen.
Wir arbeiten auch an einem speziellen Projekt für die Weihnachtszeit. Die verschiedenen
Mitglieder unserer Gruppe basteln, jeweils bei sich zu Hause, bestimmte Krippenfiguren. Diese
sollen dann – zu einer Krippenszene zusammengefügt – zu Weihnachten neben dem Altar
aufgebaut werden.
Dieses Projekt hilft uns ebenfalls, als Jugendgruppe in Verbindung zu bleiben. Darüber hinaus
hoffen wir, dass es auch der Gemeinde hilft, Weihnachten zu feiern – auch wenn wir nicht zu den
entsprechenden Gottesdiensten zusammenkommen können sollten.
6Mission Update
Submitted by Jerry Roehr
Not long ago we celebrated Thanksgiving and soon we will celebrate Christmas, the birth of the
Jesus Christ our Saviour. Both events give us unsurpassed joy of being thankful and to share that
thankfulness and joy, not only with our families and church community, but with so many others.
Because we have certain volunteer limitations, our love for others is often expressed in supporting
agencies which are better equipped to help. We are pleased to report, since the publication of our
last newsletter, and because of specific donations received, we were able to forward the following:
Canadian Lutheran Bible Translators 1,000.00
St. Aiden’s Christian School 2,000.00
Siloam Mission 500.00
Winnipeg Harvest 250.00
In 2020, our total Mission support to various organisations and agencies has reached $ 50,055.00.
Kesete Family Update
Submitted by Jerry Roehr
Only Geytome is currently working with some overtime. Shawit and Furtona are able to receive
unemployment insurance payments. Denait continues to enjoy school and is doing very well.
Pastor Tom Lurvey is providing valuable assistance with a large, large mountain of paperwork in
the Kesete’s application to bring Geytome’s brother Mahari to Canada. Mahari currently lives in
Ethiopia. The application is handled through CLWR. The Kesetes have provided the $ 6,000.00
application fee. As part of the application, Kesetes have now completed their criminal background
check. If the application visa is approved, they will also provide housing by getting a larger
apartment. This is a very long process, but it may be a little easier for a single individual.
Lutheran Missionaries and Pilots Association
Submitted by Jerry Roehr
Our congregation and individuals have had a long association with LAMP. We have now learned
that Ron Ludke, the long-time executive director, will retire at the end of the year. We
acknowledge Ron’s dedicated service and send him our best wishes and God’s grace in his
retirement. As reported in our October Newsletter we have excellent contact with Gordon Gilbey,
the LAMP missionary contact for Manitoba.
Canadian Lutheran World Relief
Submitted by Jerry Roehr
We reported earlier that the warehouse on King Edward Street will be closing. While that is
correct, the warehouse will be used until the end of next year. It has become too costly. Severe
custom restrictions in the receiving countries have become hard to overcome. Future needed
goods will be purchased close to where they will be used.
7We are so saddened that we cannot worship and visit
with one another on Sunday mornings. But we are
also so blessed that our members and friends
continue to support, not only the Mission efforts in
our congregation, but the regular ongoing expenses.
Often we noticed that, while we do not receive regular Sunday offerings, members and
friends encourage one another to make larger donations once or twice a month. Up to the
end of October, compared to last year, we were able to reduce our spending by $ 23,600.00.
That is good stewardship, and with your usually generous Christmas donations, we hope to
meet all our financial obligations in this difficult 2020 Covid-19 year. By Jerry Roehr
Submitted by Jerry Roehr
After another conversation with Mable Ngolleka,
Coordinator for Days for Girls in Blantyre, Malawi, I
have received word from the school director, Memory
Chadzeza, that the Days for Girls Kits are to be
couriered. Memory also writes to us: Thank you so much for helping us generously. The
construction is happening because of you guys. We don't take our partnership for granted.
Girls are happy and healthy, it’s such a joy to see them back to school after such a long time.
They are still working hard and trying their best. The opportunity given to them is not taken for
granted.
Now that the bricks are on site, the walls
on the meeting hall section of the St.
Peter’s Hall are being completed. Henry
Midzetseni, the resident engineer, is
checking the framing for the concrete
beams over the windows. You can see
the first phase of the hall on the right side
of the picture and the second wall of the
addition in the back of the picture. Once
the concrete has cured, the roof rafters
can be installed.
As mentioned before, the groundwork for a second classroom building is also progressing.
(Not our funding.) When completed an additional 60 students will be able to enroll at the
school again helping young girls to escape teenage marriages and teen pregnancies.
Even though all of our sponsors receive a school newsletter every month, all members of our
congregation will have the opportunity to participate in a special ZOOM meeting update on
Sunday, December 6th at 10:30 am. On the Malawi side we will be able to listen to Memory,
Henry and Esther, a Malawi board member. Mark Kinzel is finalizing details including the
invitations and ZOOM address. While the information is too late for this newsletter, we will
provide that information as soon as it is received. In any event you may contact Jerry Roehr at
roehr@mymts.net to obtain that information.
8John Longhurst of the Free Press Update
Submitted by Jerry Roehr
With a $ 500.00 donation, you may be aware that our congregation supports religious content
in the Free Press through the efforts of John Longhurst. John reports that: We are now in the
second year of our Free Press religion project. Financially, the project is in good shape, with
$28,450 having been contributed by 14 groups and funds left over from last year ($11,800).
What’s worth noting is the majority of this year’s contributions ($26,000) came from five
groups.
At the annual ZOOM meeting a proposal for a new membership and support model was made.
That could be accomplished by inviting individuals in southern Manitoba to become members
of the project. That is, invite them to contribute small dollar amounts ($10 to $25 each). If 1,000
people give $10 each, that would be $10,000 or almost half of what is needed each year to fund
the project. If 1,000 people gave $25, that would be enough to cover the total cost.
In the last few months, 19 different articles have appeared. One of the latest is an
article featuring our Youth Group initiative “Warm up Winnipeg”.
St. Peter’s Christmas Time Office Hours
Monday, December 21: 9:00 am -12:00 pm
Tuesday, December 22: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wednesday, December 23: 9:00 am -1:00 pm
Thursday, December 24 - Office closed
Friday, December 25 - Christmas Day – Office closed
Monday, December 28 Office closed
Tuesday, December 29: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wednesday, December 30: 9:00 am -12:00 pm
Thursday, December 31: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Any submissions to the January 2021 edition of the St. Peter’s Newsletter should be made 10 days prior to
the first Sunday in January. So, submissions for the January Newsletter should be made by noon Thursday
Dec 24, 2020. Submissions should be sent to Ortrud Oellermann at stpetersnewsl@gmail.com
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