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Wednesday
March 4, 2026
THE HAPPENINGS
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for
SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2026
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT
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PRINCE OF PEACE CHURCH
Is called to know, love, and serve Jesus as Savior and Lord,
to share his healing and transformation with all people.
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Sunday:
8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Services
(The 10:00 AM service is livestreamed)
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IMPORTANT REMINDER:
Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend! Don't forget to set your clocks AHEAD one hour Saturday night, so you'll get to church on time Sunday morning!
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LENTEN SERVICE OPPORTUNITY AT THE FOOD PANTRY
We need 5 to 8 people to volunteer at the Food Pantry next Friday, March 13, packing dry goods (nonperishables), 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM at the Food Pantry. Please contact the Church Office if you're interested (office@popwh.org or 1-818-346-6968).
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THE DEACON'S DEN
I’m sure like many of you, I’ve been overcome and saddened with what is happening in Iran and the Middle East. How do I respond as a Christian and a member of Christ’s Body, the Church? I came across this article by the renowned theologian and author, Stanley Hauerwas, and Bishop C. Andrew Doyle, reprinted in the Christian Century, and I thought it would be worthwhile sharing with the Body of Christ.
Please read – and then Pray.
Deacon George
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“As with all war, we turn to prayer, and yet, too often, that prayer is quiet enough to be mistaken for approval. The church is not the chaplaincy of empire. The church is the body of Christ. The church does not serve the interests of statecraft. The church serves the kingdom of God. And as such, we do not respond to war with worry or with patriotism. We respond theologically, with clarity, compassion, and a call to speak the truth about violence and our participation in it.
Right now, Christians in America are being asked – explicitly and implicitly – to believe that this war is necessary. That it is defensive. It is to prevent a nuclear disaster. We realize that some think “Just War” is a defensible position for Christians. Questions around Just War are indeed complex. Yet even on Just War grounds, what has happened is inconsistent with that position. The bombs that were used are not Just War weapons any more than nuclear weapons are. So it is that all claims cannot be accepted uncritically, especially when they remain unproven.
Christianity demands more than private values or partisan identity. It requires a public witness. And in a time of war, that witness includes a refusal to allow the state to define righteousness on its terms. When we do that, we are not practicing discipleship – we are participating in civil religion. A Christianity that affirms the state’s wars is not Christianity. It is idolatry.
War does not merely take lives; it reshapes moral communities. For Christians, formed by the Gospel of peace, the refusal to kill is not a sign of weakness but a witness. Yet war demands that we abandon this witness, that we exchange enemy-love for lethal obedience. It trains us to believe that killing can be virtuous, that moral formation must bend to national survival. In doing so, war exacts a deeper cost than death – it asks us to surrender a central claim of our discipleship. The most considerable sacrifice war demands is not the loss of life, but the loss of our reluctance to kill.
That moral break – the one that trains people to quiet their conscience, override their mercy, kill without hesitation – damages the soul. And those wounds don’t stay on the battlefield. They come home with soldiers. They sit next to us in the pews. They show up in stories of moral injury and spiritual fatigue. When we honor soldiers for taking life and expect silence for the toll it takes, we reinforce the lie that violence can be holy and has no individual or corporate spiritual costs. We sin against the Gospel.
So, we pray. But we pray differently. We pray as people who lament this war and the stories told to justify it. We pray for those who have died and those who will die. We pray for soldiers, not with amorphous calls for safety, but with genuine concern for their hearts and their spiritual health. And we pray for the church—that it would be a place where truth can be told, where wounds can be named, and where the peace of Christ is not just a word but a way of life.
This doesn’t mean we, as the church, blame soldiers. It’s quite the opposite. As one Christian body, we walk with them, we listen to them, we learn from them. We love them enough to tell the truth. We don’t expect them to carry the weight of our silence. This war with Iran, like so many wars before it, will be cast as regrettable but necessary. But necessity is not the church’s measure of morality; faithfulness is. And faithfulness to Jesus Christ – who loved his enemies, who refused to bring violence to them, who forgave those who killed him – gives no room for supporting acts of aggression cloaked in the rhetoric of security.
There will be calls for clarity, but those calls will be met with calls for unity. There will be calls for unity, which are often calls for silence. Silence is not neutrality. It is consent. Let us be clear: we do not consent. We will not bless these bombs. Our faith is deep and strong enough to bear the burden of not approving something morally while loving all people harmed on both sides and serving those who serve. We believe in a church that is against war in its theology and theory and practices peace in its life together. We believe in a Gospel that does not need missiles to make it real. And we believe in a Christ who still calls his followers to love beyond borders, beyond fear, and beyond the rationalizations of empire. Christ for the world, we sing! War is a failure of imagination. The church is supposed to be an alternative. Let us live like it.”
Bishop C. Andrew Doyle and Stanley Hauerwas, “The Church Cannot Bless War”
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ENCOUNTERING JESUS
The Gospel lessons in the Lenten lectionary have a common thread of encountering Jesus.
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On Lent III (March 8), from John 5, we are told of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, with the offer of living water.
The text of the anthem for Lent III is by fellow parishioner Bonnie Ferron, written for this series.
LIVING WATER
We would see Jesus in the living water
he offered to the woman at the well.
In giving tender compassion he taught her
how divine love would break dark evil’s spell.
He offers you the living water, come take,
the source of life your everlasting thirst to slake;
I AM the living water that your soul will satisfy;
that you may never thirst, that you may never die.
The original music by Boude Moore is a chorale, the hymntune Charterhouse (# 590 in our hymnal) accompanied by a flowing stream of triplets intended to evoke the living water.
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On Lent IV (March 15), the lesson is drawn from John 9 detailing Jesus’ encounter with the man blind from birth. Jesus heals him that the works of God may be revealed in him.
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Finally, on Lent V (March 22), in John 11, Jesus encounters Lazarus calling him forth to life restored that the Son of Man may be glorified.
John 12:21 quotes Greek visitors “We would see Jesus.” Jesus said to them “If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am there will my servant be also.” This verse is set to new music for the chant of preparation throughout Lent.
New Offertory anthems have been prepared for each of the five Sundays in Lent, as well as Easter, when we encounter the Risen Christ.
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ALTAR FLOWERS: No flowers during Lent; however, now is the time to make a donation toward our glorious Easter celebration! Please use the blue envelope in the pews to remember a loved one, thank God for His many blessings, or for any other thanksgiving you may have. The Altar Guild will again decorate the church for Easter with your kind donations!
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DAUGHTERS OF THE KING and EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN invite families to share Lent in a special way.
COME ONE, COME ALL:
Experience Lent through 12 meditative practices!
Join us this Saturday, March 7, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon.
You may drop in or spend the morning sampling the stations we have prepared:
- Pray in the Chapel
- Experience the Stations of the Cross
- Walk the Labyrinth
- Revisit contemplative practices
- Make an Anglican Rosary
- Worship through singing
- Take a tour of the new Pantry
- Visit with a priest
- Experience healing prayer
- Bring your children to enjoy the activities Alma has planned.
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LENTEN OUTREACH
The Prince of Peace Outreach Committee has selected the Ahi Arab Hospital in Gaza City as the recipient of our 2026 Lenten offering. Ahi is owned and operated by The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which operates several schools and other health facilities, including the Hospital. For decades, this hospital has provided essential medical services to its community and is now one of the few fully operational hospitals left to serve the entire population. Nearly 99% of Gaza’s population now lives in poverty and cannot afford medical care. Your belief in healthcare as a human right enables Ahli to continue offering services without cost, ensuring that financial hardship does not determine who receives treatment and who goes without. For more information, please visit afedj.org.
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To donate, scan this QR code; go to https://secure.myvanco.com/YGJC/campaign/C-YGK4; or write a check to Prince of Peace and write "Lenten Offering" in the memo line.
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Prayer of the Week:
For Courage to Accept God's Healing
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Righteous God,
in humility and repentance
we bring our failures in caring, helping, and loving,
we bring the pain we have caused others,
we bring the injustice in society of which we are a part,
to the transforming power of your grace.
Grant us the courage to accept the healing you offer
and to turn again toward the sunrise of your reign,
that we may walk with you
in the promise of peace
you have willed for all the children of the earth,
and have made known to us in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
(from Ash Wednesday Year A, Revised Common Lectionary)
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BIBLE STUDY: All are invited to participate in a weekly Bible Study of The Acts of the Apostles. When and Where: Every Sunday at 9:00 AM in the Community Center.
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LENT EVENTS
Opportunities for prayer and reflection during Lent include and a Bible Study and a weekly Prayer Circle. Details:
-- Lenten Bible Study: “Let not your hearts be troubled”: Jesus’ Farewell Discourse:
- A Study of John chapters 13-17.
- Sundays: February 22, March 1, 8, 15, 22.
- 11:30-1:30 in the Family Center
-- The Prayer Circle: In peace we pray to you, Lord God.
- A quiet time of prayer for our needs and the needs of the world.
- Wednesdays in Lent: February 25, March 4, 11, 18, 25
- 5:00-6:00 pm in the Chapel
Watch this space for more Lenten events!
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SUNDAY SCHOOL
CAMP ABIDE: STAYING CLOSE TO JESUS
Lesson: Putting the Tent Up
Our camping adventure continues in our Lenten series, Camp Abide: Staying Close to Jesus! When you go camping, pitching a tent takes careful attention. If you rush or ignore the directions, it won’t stand strong.
Our Bible story is The Transfiguration (Mark 9:2–13), when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a mountain. There, they saw a glimpse of Jesus’ glory. Peter was so amazed that he wanted to build shelters (tents!) and stay right there. But God’s voice reminded the disciples of what mattered most: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
One Thing (IT) to Remember: When we stay close to Jesus, we learn that Jesus deserves our attention.
Our memory verse for the series reminds us of God's faithful work in our lives: "God began doing a good work in you. And he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again. I am sure of that." – Philippians 1:6 (ICB)
God bless you and all the children Jesus entrusted in our care!
Blessings,
Alma Fountain
Prince of Peace Children and Family Ministry is dedicated to be a safe place to GROW in faith, have fun in fellowship, live the Word and share God’s love.
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MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP
The curriculum for early 2026 will be several video and discussion series from Open Life Church, including "The Virtuous Life": who the Holy Spirit is, what He does, and how He empowers us; and "Reconciled": how to navigate our relationships with others in new and better ways – with God's help. Classes are held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month at 10:00 AM in the Youth Room.
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RECTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE
We have finally been given permission to start forming our search committee to look for our next rector. Anyone who is interested in being part of this committee, or would like more information, please contact Bill Prescott. We will have no more than 7 people on this committee. We want to make sure we have a good cross section of the people in our parish. Time will be involved. The committee will meet with the diocese, have meetings with candidates, view livestream services from their parishes, set up meetings here at Prince of Peace, and so on. This committee does not choose the candidates. The committee interviews the candidates chosen by the diocese, narrows down the list, and presents the finalists to the vestry. The vestry will have the responsibility of choosing our next rector.
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LOOKING TO GO DEEPER INTO YOUR CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL LIFE?
(Order of the Mustard Seed)
A number of years ago I was wondering if there was more to being a disciple of Jesus than I had experienced. My wondering, searching and prayer led me to The Order of the Mustard Seed, a New Monastic Community. You can read more about new monasticism by clicking this link.
The Order of the Mustard Seed is a part of the 24/7 Prayer Movement. Some of you are familiar with this movement, having participated in the Prayer Course, the Lectio Divina Course, the Unanswered Prayer Course, or the How to Have a Quiet Time Course, most of which are taught by Pete Grieg, founder of the 24/7 Prayer Movement.
Each year the Order opens itself up to people who want to explore becoming part of this movement, and the Season of Exploration is officially open! If you would like more information about The Order of the Mustard Seed please feel free to contact me (randreasoner@gmail.com) or you can click this link (register here) to sign up for an information session with the Order.
May this season of Lent be one of growth and discovery for you.
Grace and Peace,
Rand Reasoner+ OMS
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This week's prayer requests and thanksgivings have been compiled and are available here for your prayers and meditation. Updated prayer requests are printed on a WEEKLY basis.
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Please submit your prayer requests and thanksgivings in church on the yellow or blue prayer slips, OR by clicking on the "Submit a Prayer Request" button at the bottom of this page.
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