by Rick Rothausen, Congregation Council Member
Much excites me about Prince of Peace. I admit, when we first returned during the final throws of Covid, my first impression was one of mostly old people circling the columbarium waiting to move in. Sure the preaching was solid, pretty much a given in an ELCA congregation, but still, like the kids in Lake Woebegone, above average. Then we attended a couple of Tanzanian dinners and seeing the congregation’s response to the funding request was impressive. And the music; even for someone who can’t carry a tune, I’ve been inspired many times. I’m glad that hasn’t changed since we first joined in 1972. PoP has always been amazing in supporting members going through hard times, something we experienced personally. Now, thanks to Andrew Hannesh’s leadership we are a RIC Congregation. Why isn’t every ELCA congregation? But I digress…
That brings me to what I feel is the most dynamic event in our combined thirty years as members—the establishment of a Sacred Settlement on our grounds. We have stumbled onto the ground floor of something I believe and pray will greatly impact social justice in our state, and hopefully the nation. Housing a few people who are homeless won’t solve the problems of injustice we have, but it is a START. Being involved in the early stages of what I believe this will become, is one of the greatest privileges I’ve had! I hope I get to see years of growth in this movement before I avail myself of our columbarium.