"May you believe the truth about yourself always, no matter how beautiful it is"

ABOUT US

NEW TO PRINCE OF PEACE?

We teach:

That God is still speaking, that grace is amazing and failing is a way of finding God.

Our young people that they possess gifts for the mending of the world, right now.

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We sing:

Hymnbook songs, rhythms from Africa and Taize chants from Europe, melodies from Central America, gospel songs from America.

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We combine:

The wonder of the child with the wisdom of the elder and mentor each other in holy questioning and hope.

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We tell:

Babies (and remind each other) to believe the truth about themselves always - no matter how beautiful it is.

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We bless:

People for what they are doing in their daily lives - convinced that God needs us more in the world than in the church building.

 

Find out more about our parish below.

OUR HISTORY

 

It is good to savor the story we live from in this place.

FOUNDING

1959

1959 was a conventional, conservative time - the Cold War raging and the US conducted the first successful intercontinental ballistic missile test in February at Cape Canaveral. Russian influences were a full-blown paranoia nationwide turning citizens against each other and against their clearest values as Americans; It was a segregated, racist time, when black lives truly did not matter. US Flag sales were up as two additional states were added to the 48.

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In that time, and in this place, a little band of mostly 20 and 30-something Lutherans did this practical thing, this prophetic, radical, sacred, faithful thing: they built a liberal church, and on Sunday mornings, in the elementary school gymnasium, they sang, Holy, Holy, Holy  out of a red hymnal as our first pastor, Pastor Holy, came down the aisle. They began to imagine a spiritual home where others could only see an orchard. It would eventually become the launching place from which generations of people would “practice” our faith.

THE 1960's

1960

Those who joined in the 1960’s stabilized this start up congregation during a turbulent time of change in our land. So many changes were happening. You worshipped with the Red Service Book and Hymnal led by Pastors Holy, Fransen and Knudsvig. During that time our favorite hymn was, I Love to Tell the Story and we built storytelling into our DNA.

THE 1970's & 80's

1970-80

People during these decades were the ones who said this is a house still under construction - building the existing sanctuary and making it larger than needed with room around the communion table for more. Members read the Little Ole column each month in the newsletter. The favorite song of the day was Beautiful Savior, which was sung out of green hymnals. And Pastor Baardseth greeted us each sermon with “Grace and peace!”

THE 1990's & 2000's

1990 - 2000

During these years we were still a house under construction as space was added for a pre-school, youth room, meeting rooms and offices- equipped with computers of all things! The hymnal turned color again, this time to blue and we sang, I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry the most, especially the line, “not too old, no longer young.”

 

This is a time not unlike the 1960’s with lots of cultural changes. But God’s word is alive. Our task is to lead by feeding famished, fearful people courage, food, Word and community. Yes the hymnal changed color to cranberry and our favorite song also changed - as we love to sing God’s words, You Are Mine, words that remind us, “do not be afraid I am with you…”

THE PRESENT

2019

Now that you have read some of our story it is our hope that you would add your voice to our story. Years ago our charter members wondered… What kind of church are we going to make here? What kind of church are we going to be? They were imagining the church we are today.

  • A people who tell the sacred stories of our oneness in Christ.

  • A people who gather to coax those stories out of one another because we trust the Spirit of the risen Christ lives in each of us.
     

Led by the Prince of Peace we are a shalom home - and we are a house still under construction; standing in need of everyone’s creative hand. We are a cauldron of imagination, where the fires of justice burn. A place that today moves people out the door with the shout, “Go in peace. Serve the Lord” convinced that God needs us more in the world than inside our walls. This is the calling and the joy of this community of faith. Old people, young people, all of us together.

DIRECTIONS

 

Find directions on Google Maps

FAQ

 

FAQ

What does it mean that you are a Lutheran church?

We are a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
that means:
- We stand in a Lutheran tradition which goes back over 500 hundred years.
- Our Lutheran way is open minded, open hearted and musical.
- Our trust in one another is centered in baptismal promises, to believe the
truth about ourselves and one another – no matter how beautiful it is.
- Our governance is deeply communal, deliberately discerning; council
members in this church are nominated during worship each fall.
- We are politically purple — and see our diversity as a gift.
- Lutherans are mystics, at ease with mystery, ambiguity, and imperfect truths.
- We value humility and we are at our best when we are human and laughing,
erring and willing to be fallible, falling down and getting up again, inspired by
the God of second chances for those who keep flunking sainthood.
- Lutherans stand in loving opposition, to those judgmental, end of the world
focused churches. Instead we are prisoners of hope, drawing our circle of
inclusion wide - living by grace



You have a Peli Preschool and Family Center. What does Peli mean?

Peli was the name of a pelican puppet that was a prop for a giving campaign
in the early 1990’s. Yeah, that campaign did not last long but we built a whole
educational ministry around that goofy puppet of a bird.



You have your own cemetery?

About the same time we launched our preschool we also decided to accept a donation of farmland and develop a cemetery. In the beginning we thought it would be a holy space to honor our elders as they eventually passed through death into our Lord’s eternal care. But when several of our first burials were children we learned lessons on the preciousness of life. Now each Memorial Day over 100 of us gather at our cemetery to teach our children how to honor those saints who have died.



I am spiritual but not religious. My past relationship with organized religion has been… complicated. Would I be welcome at PoP?

Welcome? You would fit right in as we appear to be as disorganized as they come. Actually we are people who strive to be led – by the Holy Spirit - and sometimes the Spirit’s leading escapes our logic.



What do worshippers at Prince of Peace see as your purpose?

Rooted in the Word God’s living word is out to change us and connect us. Inspired by the cross We believe in suffering made whole, in second chances, that failure is not final and that God is with us in the dark places. Making God visible Church is a “we” kind of thing and “we” always means – one more. Welcoming Encouraging, listening to, doing mercy, without walls, extending blessing… Sharing Our gifts for the healing of the world – right now. Serving Wherever we go we are sent as God’s servants to do God’s work with our hands.



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