Tuesday, March 11, 2025
To the Congregation,
Pastor Peter is leaving us and moving into a new position. I will miss him. I will grieve his absence. I am happy for his new undertaking.
Building on our long history of community service, Peter led us deeper into our mission to build the church and love the world. Together, we created a Sacred Settlement to address chronic homelessness in our community. We formalized a parking lot ministry that provides a safe, temporary haven for those living out of a car. We’ve strengthened our partnerships with Central Park Elementary, Every Meal, Keystone, LSS, and so many others. I thank him for being a good steward with Prince of Peace.
Debbie Jorgens has let us know her intention to retire at the end of May. I will miss her. She walked with us through hardships. Prayed with us in good news and bad. She visited those homebound to ensure they felt God’s touch and love. Along with our seniors she anchored WOW and Senior Socials.
Now, I say adieu and God’s blessings on both of your new endeavors.
Change is here. It’s nothing new for Prince of Peace. Perhaps, it’s who we are. A people willing to love into God’s calling.
For now, we need to take the time to say goodbye. Time to absorb the loss – grieve it. It’s time to start the slow process forward. Rest assured God is working with us and through us to the future. AND we are not alone.
PoP is a congregation strongly led by its members. God is up to good things at Prince of Peace – of that I am assured. We will continue our projects. The Build the Church, Love the World and Ministry Support spheres will continue their good work to make and keep Prince of Peace relevant and active in mission.
We will hear the Good News and move forward. We also have each other and a wonderful staff to help us.
There will be old needs and new requests for us to respond to. This is the time when every member of the congregation will have a chance to lead and be heard. Please, be ready to answer the call and willing share your thoughts, ideas, and strongly consider agreeing to serve when asked.
Bishop Patricia Lull and the St. Paul Area Synod will partner with us throughout the process of transitioning this call. We will be directly supported by Rolf Lowenberg-DeBoer, Assistant to the Bishop. Synod staff will help to identify an interim pastor (remember that’s where we first met Peter) while we prepare for change. This interim pastor and the synod staff will help us review our staffing configuration and prepare us for the coming call process.
Last, please take the time to pray for Prince of Peace as we live into who we are and what Christ asks of us.
There will be more to come.
Blessings,
-Deborah Cordes, Congregation President
