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AUGUST 17, 2025

THE TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

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.

Worship at 9am*

Livestreamed on YouTube

(*links on the website should be updated before end of day each Thursday)

Brian's Blog: Sending Cathy Gero on her way

For the past nine months, by the grace of God, Cathy Gero has been present with us here at Prince of Peace. Cathy is in a process of discernment for ordination. As part of that, she was assigned to us as an “intern.” In a very short time, Cathy truly has made an impact on our community.



Cathy was a regular at our Wednesday morning services, occasionally leading us and preaching, and always joining in the worship and prayers. As well, she was present with us on Zoom nearly every day for Morning Prayer. Those who got to know Cathy through these intimate services have been blessed with a special friendship.

Those who were able to participate in her Lenten Study on The Sermon on the Mount witnessed Cathy’s gifts as a teacher. As she guided us through Jesus’s foundational lesson on how to live a life pleasing to God, we got the sense that Cathy is someone who truly desires to please God.

The children who attended Vacation Bible School encountered Cathy every day as she worked with them at the Imagination Station. And it was apparent that Cathy took seriously the saying that the Kingdom of God truly does belong to the children.

And Cathy demonstrated that she has a servant’s heart. Among other things she did to care for people in our community, every Sunday on her way home to Santa Clarita, she brought a little bit of Prince of Peace to our own Marge Stanton, who is in assisted living there.

All the while, Cathy has been meeting with the POP discernment committee, to help her discover what God has called her to do and be. Prince of Peace has been an important way station on her journey, but the time has come for us to part ways.

Perhaps the best way to think about this is not that Cathy is leaving. Instead, we are sending her to carry her smile, her love for people, and her heart for God to other people and places. We are sending her, with thanks, to the ministry that God has called her to.

Sunday, August 17, is Cathy’s last day with us. Please take a minute to wish her well. And may her journey bring a blessing to her, as she has been a blessing to us.

SUMMER SUNDAYS ARE HERE!

From now through September 7, we will have just one service at 9am. It is time to enjoy fellowship, extend a special welcome to guests, and experience tasty snacks each Sunday. As in past years, members take turns bringing fruit, veggies, and sweet snacks.

• If your LAST NAME begins with     M – P:  August 17

Sunday, August 24 will be our farewell to John Arnold, with food provided by his family. The Sunday School will be serving ice cream on August 31.

• If your LAST NAME begins with     Q – Z:  September 7

(our last Summer Sunday!)

Please bring your food contribution READY TO SERVE (include serving spoon or fork and baked goods pre-cut). Remember to take your serving dish and utensils home.

Prayer of the Week

Heavenly Father,

I recognize that the sons and daughters we have on earth

are gifts from You and belong to You.

Bless my children

and strengthen me that I may be the parent to them

that You call me to be,

demonstrating the sacrificial love

that Jesus modeled for us all.

Help me to recognize that it’s impossible to be a perfect parent.

Help me resist the urge to be the parent that society tells us to be

and rather, to love and nurture my children as You call me to.



In Your name I pray.

Amen.

(from hallow.com)

If you would like to submit a Prayer of the Week, please send it to Cara Gordon at office@popwh.org. Thank you!

SUNDAY SCHOOL: What’s in Your Backpack? This week: "The Folder" This Sunday in our What’s in Your Backpack? series, our focus school supply is the folder. Just like a folder keeps our papers organized and helps us remember what we’ve finished, God wants us to keep a "folder" in our hearts – filled with memories of all the good things He has done for us. We remember to trust God when we look back at all the things He has done for us.

In Joshua 24:1–15, Joshua reminds God’s people of His faithfulness through the years, encouraging them to trust and follow Him. Our kids will learn that when we “count our blessings” and remember God’s past help, our trust in Him grows stronger for the future.

Let’s encourage our children to keep their hearts organized with gratitude—because God’s track record is perfect!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IS OVER!

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make VBS 2025 a success! Please click here (https://www.popwh.org/vbs) to see videos and photos!

God bless you and all the children Jesus entrusted in our care!

Blessings,

Alma Fountain

AUGUST HEALTH MINISTRY NEWSLETTER - Recently a large section of the northwest San Fernando Valley was without a clean water supply. People were urged to drink bottled water or disinfect their water before consuming it. Please click on this link to find out more about what's going on, or pick up a printed copy in the Narthex this Sunday. (Thank you, Ann Lowe!)

WATER 

Recently a large section of the northwest San Fernando Valley was without a clean water supply. People were urged to drink bottled water or disinfect their water before consuming it. For me this was a reminder that it is important to have stored water in case of emergencies. So, how much should you have?

Recommendations:

Experts generally recommend having at least 1 gallon (128 ounces) of water per person per day. You should have at least a three-day supply. [1]

• You are not expected to drink the entire gallon each day. Use rest is left for washing/cooking needs.
• Bottled water comes in many sizes. Pick one that suits your storage options.
• While the water in sealed bottles does not expire, manufacturers often have a recommended shelf life. This related to the fact that the plastic bottle may begin to degrade after two years giving the water a plastic taste.
• It is a good idea to keep track of the age and condition of your stored water. If you see leaking or discoloration, it should be replaced.

What should I do if I don’t have enough stored water? There are a variety of ways to disinfect water:

• Boiling: Boiling is the best method. Filter water if it is cloudy. Bring the water to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Let it sit to cool. Store in a clean container.
• Bleach: Use regular, unscented bleach with 6 or 8.25% of sodium hypochlorite. Filter the water if it is cloudy. Use 2 drops of bleach for each quart of water. Let it sit for 30 minutes. It should have a slight chlorine odor. [2]
• Filters: There are a variety of filters used during camping that are approved to disinfect water.
• Iodine: Special iodine tablets to disinfect water are available as well.
• NOTE: Pool water is not recommended for drinking due to the chlorine/salt and possible contaminants in it. In can be used to flush toilets.

As we heard in Cathy Gero’s sermon on August 10^th, being prepared gives us confidence to handle challenges, but most of all it gives us time to see God in the actions of others and to help others.

___________________________________ 

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/water-emergency/about/how-to-create-and-store-an-emergency-water-supply.html

[2] https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/emergency-disinfection-drinking-water

WOODLAND HILLS LIBRARY BOOK SALE: The Friends of the Woodland Hills Branch Library (located at 22200 Ventura Boulevard) is holding its August Book Sale this Friday, August 15 from 9:30am to 4pm, and Saturday, August 16 from 9:30am to 3pm. Special Friends night is tomorrow, Thursday, August 14 from 3pm to 7pm. Every child will receive a free book! Cash and checks only, please. Proceeds help fund programming for the library. For more information, please contact Mary C. Schaffer, President, Friends of the Woodland Hills Library, at (818) 512-4880.

DOK SUNDAY: Sunday, August 17 is designated as DOK Sunday. Members of our local chapter will take part in the worship service and include a short summary of the many benefits of membership. The goal of Daughters of the King is the spreading of Christ's Kingdom. It is an opportunity to commit to a life plan (Rule of Life) that includes prayer, service, and spreading the Word. Each Daughter determines that commitment individually. We also "scoop up" members of our praying congregation to help us with all church events, such as last year's Day of Reflection and Prayer. We pray weekly for the Clergy, the prayer slips submitted each week, and for our nation.

Our local chapter invites ALL to a Tea on September 14 for ALL parish members, male and female, to visit and to learn about the ways we can impact our communities through prayer. Mark your calendar for these two DOK dates!

Welcome to

Congregation Corner!

The first member to visit us here at Congregation Corner is Christine Lehman (who works in our Church Office)! Let’s jump in, shall we?

Some Basics

Tell us a little about yourself – your name, age, where you were born, how long you’ve been at PoP and some of the ministries you’ve been involved in.

My name is Christine Lehman. I'm 66 for a couple more weeks. I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and migrated West back in the ‘80s. I joined Prince of Peace in June 2022, and you’ll normally find me at the 8am service. I was in the choir for a while; dabbled in the Prayer Shawl Ministry; have helped out in Sunday School; currently serve on the Vestry; visit the Motion Picture Home once or twice a month; and work in the Church Office producing the weekly Bulletins and The Happenings.

What languages can you speak?

I'm great at English, dabble in Spanish (gracias, Duolingo!) and can chant a little Church Slavonic and Romanian.

Do you play any musical instruments?

I love to sing (Karaoke and Byzantine/Gregorian chant), and was pretty good at the flute in grade and middle school, but lost my embouchure in college.

Any tattoos? Yes, four little dots left over from the radiation treatment I had for breast cancer – my badge of honor!

How about pets? Right now, we’re down to just one: a sweet, elderly, mostly toothless cat named Buddy, who’s been with us for quite a while now.



What are some of your favorite things?

Book/author? Really hard to answer this one. I'm a confirmed bookworm since childhood. But if I were stuck on a desert island, I'd probably be happy to have C.S. Lewis' Narnia series with me.

Music genre/song? Comedy/novelty songs, like Weird Al Yankovic (“Everything You Know is Wrong”) or the late great Tom Lehrer (“Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”).

Play/movie? Romantic time travel/supernatural tearjerkers, like “Somewhere in Time” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.”

Board/card game? Chess, please! My husband and I play two or three games after dinner and I win about a third of the time.

City (American or foreign)? I really enjoyed visiting Pittsburgh, PA with my husband, Steve Petach, many years ago and wouldn’t mind going back someday. I’ve never been outside the continental US. I’ll rewrite this if I ever do!

Where would you never go again? Branson, Missouri! I went to college a few miles from there back in the ‘70s, and remember it as a nice, old-fashioned little town. But since then it’s become this super mega tourist trap, and I just don’t think it would feel the same.

Family

Who is/was the most influential person in your life? My dad, Bill Lehman, who died two years ago. He was an English teacher, a bookworm, and a musician, all of which had a huge influence on me. I still benefit from his encouragement even today.

Are you married? Yes, to Steve Petach. We met when I was on a blind date – with someone else! We were married in April 2007.

Any children/grandchildren? No, but several wonderful nieces and nephews.

Education/Occupation

Where did you go to school? Because my dad was a teacher, we moved around a lot. My favorite high school was Sacred Heart in Sedalia, Missouri, and I went to college at the School of the Ozarks, near Branson. (My major was Early Childhood Education, but I quit when I went out practice teaching and realized small children in large groups made me very, very nervous!)

What is/was your career? After leaving college, I worked at Fireman’s Fund in Tustin, then PricewaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles, as a Word Processing Operator. Nowadays, I do pretty much the same kind of work in the PoP Office. I also worked as a call screener at KFI AM 640 (talk radio) for four years back in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. That was fun!

Recreation

What do you love to do for fun/relaxation? I love to read, sketch, hike (well, okay, walk!), and did I mention read? (Yeah, well, I’m a bookworm!)

Travel? My husband and I both love trains, so whenever we get a chance, we’ll hop on board! I also enjoy going on long, aimless, scenic drives through the local hills, cranking up the radio and singing along!

Bucket list? (Done and not yet done)

I would really love to go to Canada, and perhaps ride the Trans Canada Rail! 

If you'd like to participate in Congregation Corner, please take a questionnaire from the Narthex, fill it out, and return it to the office (or email it to office@popwh.org). We look forward to getting to know everyone better!

August 10th 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.



• 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.

Prince of Peace Church

5700 Rudnick Ave,

Woodland Hills, CA 91367

+1 818-346-6968

office@popwh.org

or

comm@popwh.org