Week of December 28, 2025

Christmas – New Year’s Edition of the Weekly News

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! • We wish all a merry and blessed celebration of Jesus’ birth. May the joy of His coming fill you with joy, love, and peace throughout this upcoming year. We want to thank all those who are making our worship at Prince of Peace/Príncipe de Paz so special this Christmas and NYE: musicians, choir, worship planners and worship servants, those up front and those behind the scenes. Thank you and God bless you all!

This Sunday: “The Refugee Is our Refuge” • Matthew 2:13-23; Galatians 4:4-7; Isaiah 63:7-14 • When God’s only-begotten Son took on human flesh, the Incarnation ushered in a whole new reality for the One who is both fully God and fully human. The Almighty became vulnerable—fragile, dependent, and exposed to the dangers of this world. When King Herod sought to destroy Him, Jesus and His family fled to Egypt as refugees, trusting God for safety and survival. This child, once forced to flee, has become our refuge. Through Him, God gives us His Spirit, so that we are no longer slaves to fear, but children of God—adopted, claimed, and made heirs of His promise.

Post-Christmas Worship Schedule • Join us as we continue our celebration of the birth of Jesus and look ahead to a New Year of God’s love and faithfulness!

Sunday, December 28 — normal worship schedule (9:00am Traditional; 11:00 Contemporary; 11:00am Culto español)

 New Year’s Eve Worship — Wednesday, December 31
6:00pm                  Traditional Worship with Holy Communion
7:30pm                   Vísperas de año nuevo

Holiday Office Hours of Operation • The church office will be closed Wednesday, December 24 and will resume regular office hours on Friday, January 2. Church staff members are available to serve you by appointment. As staff will be in and out of the office during this time. Please call ahead if you are planning to stop by or have a need. For pastoral emergencies, please feel free to contact Pastor Ken (703) 338-4387, or PastorBorges (407) 777-5119, directly.

Sunday Nursery • 9:00am – While our 9:00am nursery is not staffed, but parents are welcome to use this space with their children, providing their own supervision, and watching the livestream.
11:00am – Our trained, background-checked volunteer will continue caring for children ages 6 months to 5 years during the 11:00am services.See DCE Eric for more information!

Bible Classes
Adult Sunday Morning Bible Class at 10:00 am • The class is led by Jim Essig. We are studying the Gospel of John. Classes are in the Music Room during our 10:00 am Education Hour, between 9 am & 11 am worship.

SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR AGE 4 – GRADE 5: resumes January 4
Youth Bible Class – 10:00am • The youth bible class meets in the board room (church office) for Bible study. They will be looking at what the Bible says about serving him as a teen and having bible-based discussions. Be sure to have the bible app downloaded onto your phone!

The Mid-week Bible Class for Adults • resumes January 7 • Wednesday Mornings 9:30am – 10:30am in the Board Room. Led by Pastor Ken, we look ahead to the Scriptures for the upcoming Sunday.

Are you looking for meaningful daily devotions that connect with everyday life?
• Our Daily Bread. “Helping you connect with God. Every day. Every way.” | https://www.odb.org/
• Lutheran Hour Ministries https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/

Altar Flowers • Sponsor Sunday Altar Flowers in celebration of a special occasion or in memory of a loved one. Please fill out the form online or contact our church office. https://poporlando.breezechms.com/form/flowers

PoP Kids “Noon” Years Eve Party – Wednesday, December 31 at 10:00am – 12:00pm • PoP Kids (Ages 4-Grade 5) and their families are invited to a NOON Years Eve Party, celebrating the New Year with a countdown to the Noon Year. It’s a great way for kids to enjoy the celebration without staying up late. There will be activities that include games, crafts, a dance party, contests and more. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Stay Connected by Getting the E-blasts from Prince of Peace! • News and Updates on Wednesdays, Weekly News on Saturdays, and special features. Sign up at https://bit.ly/poporlando-sign-up

Thank You! Pastors and Staff Appreciation Gift • Our Personnel Committee and Board—and staff—are grateful for all those who have responded to the invitation to consider giving a special donation for an end-of-year gift to pastors & staff. Thank you for your generosity. We are grateful for our gifted and dedicated staff, and above all we invite you to continually hold them up in prayer—that is the greatest gift you can give.

Holiday Shopping Made Easy – Gift Cards Through RaiseRight! • The Gift Card program through Raise Right supports our youth ministry.You can use this ID code: CFA82EEB65547 to identify Prince of Peace Youth as the organization to benefit from your order. Please go to RaiseRight.com or download the free app on your phone.

Preschool Wish List– Please consider shopping our preschool’s Amazon Christmas Gift Wish List this Christmas season. Items purchased will be delivered directly to our school for the children to use in their classroom. Please use this link and thank you for supporting our church’s preschool ministry! Merry Christmas from your preschool staff and students! https://amzn.to/4rNZtm5

Thrivent Choice Dollars • Support Prince of Peace by directing your Thrivent Choice Dollars^® today. Simply go to www.Thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more or call 800-847-4836 and say “Thrivent Choice” after the prompt.

Fruits of Faith
Sunday, December 21
9:00 am Traditional: 110 | 11:00am Contemporary: 65 | 11:00am español: 95 | TOTAL: 267

Giving: Thank you for your faithful engagement in our ministry through your gifts and offerings.
December 7 offerings    $16,310
December 14 offerings $18,435
December 21 offerings $  7,770
Needed each week: $11,032

Would you be in a more favorable tax position if you make an IRA gift to Prince of Peace? More members over 70½ have chosen to make a donation to Prince of Peace through their traditional IRA. Directing all or part of your RMD to the church is a Qualified Charitable Donation (QCD) that can benefit Prince of Peace without those dollars being included in your taxable income. Learn more by clicking here https://bit.ly/ira-charity-gifts.

Is the Stock Market Up? —Consider making a special year-end gift of appreciated stock, mutual fund, or another asset. The best assets to use for a gift are those that have been appreciated significantly, such as publicly traded securities, mutual funds, or real property. Assets you’ve owned for more than one year may qualify for a full range of tax benefits. Learn more by clicking here https://bit.ly/donate-appreciated-assets.

Stewardship Update (Worthy Is the Lamb): Thank you to all those who to this point have responded to our stewardship campaign. There is still time! We have continued to receive responses through the past week, and if you have not sent or brought yours in, there is still time for yours to be added. We have exceeded the number of responses from 2024 and 2023, and the number of responses keeps growing—our goal is 100 or more responses. We invite every family to share their prayerful, confidential response so we can celebrate what God is doing! You count!

PRAYERS – To add someone to this list or update us on their status, please email prayers@poporlando.com.

Prayers of Comfort: We continue pray that Jesus would surround these several families—and all those who grieve—with His comfort and peace:

• Lindee Owens and the Owens and Katt families at the death of Lindee’s husband, Jim Katt (services Jan. 10 at 10am)
• Dennis Sibly at the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, Cindy Sibly (services Jan. 17 at 11:00am)
• Karen Adkins and family at the death of her husband, Jeff Adkins (services Jan. 24 at 3:00pm)
• Ellen Boogher and her family at the death of Ellen’s husband, Chuck Boogher (services Jan. 31 at 11am)

Lord Jesus, you are the one who has victory over death and you have given us a life that will never end. Comfort those who grieve and remind all Your people that You are the resurrection and the life, and You will raise us up on the last day.

Receiving Care through Hospice: Ron Henderson (in Texas), Merle Kroeplin, Lori Lawicki (Vanessa Vaché’s sister-in-law)

Hospitalized: Pete Spudich • Recovering at Home or Rehab Facility: Maggie Steinke, Julio Aviles (hip replacement), Curtis Harris (hip replacement), Joe Heinz, Judy Holzscheiter, Jim Ingersoll, Susanne Johnson, Ava Lindsey (12 y-o granddaughter of Chris & Vicki Stork), Stephen Monroe (friend of Carrie Tedford), Jeff Powell, James Stanley, Shirley Stockett, Gene Terrenova, Zaida Vargas, Carla Warnock

Receiving Treatments: Jayson Gerken, Tim Smith (friend of the Pirinos), Erica Aviles (DIL of Julio Aviles), Sarah Von Braun, Sylvia & Maurice Bourgeois (Judy Finnie’s sister and BIL), Mark Cotton (Judy Finnie’s nephew), Bob Denton, Jim Flynn, Joanne Hahn, Michelle Hollingsworth, Becky Rouse Jones, Cameron LaPointe, Bill Maneri (friend of Ken & Judy Holzscheiter), Lisa Repalo, Elena Santana, Jeff S, Barbara Smith (mother of Brooke McKinnon), Tina T, Amber Vittone, Debbie W, Brenda Williams

Healing and Strength: Dan May (husband of Dana Youtz), Karen Adkins, Dave & Mary Ann Ault, , Ron Bledsoe, Deaconess Ligia Borges, Rebecca Brooks, Linda Dicks, Sarah Dierking, Bob & Virderie Eldredge, Judy & Jim Finnie, Daryl Flynn, Louanne Fussell, Michael Halstead, Ron Howard (Gwen Taliver’s son-in-law), Pam Ingersoll, Chris & Kristen Ivanic, Jerry Jordan, Larry Martinez, Michael McCarty, Karen Melick, Maddie, Tausha Miller, Camille Neville, Raya Pokigo, Raven, Miriam Rivera, Sheila Roberts, Pam Robertson, Nitza Rohena, Rex Serio, Angie Shroyer, Hannah Steinbronn, Carmen & Juan, Rosalee Wessel, Ted Wessel, Betty Wienrich, Cricket Winters, Leon W, Linda Zamsky

Continued Care: Pat C., Kelly DeFrietas, Al Dicks, Bob E, Linda House, Linda Jackson, Bill Jordan, Otto Krumpholc, Mary K.M, Jean LaPointe, Micki LoBue, Connie Lerchen, Mario Muniz, Todd O, Betty Schnell, Michael, Noel, & Roger V; Jerry Warnock

Family & Friends: Michelle S. Chapman’s mother (cancer), Rob and Lori Angus, Everette B., Delores B, Michael B, Sean Brownstein (Rita Santana’s friend) Evelyn Brucks, Donna C, Danny Conlin, Rennie Conyers, Elizabeth Dawson, Howard Dion (uncle of Judy Finnie), Mike Ritzel (Judy Finnie’s nephew), Steven Dorsagano, John Elmore, Amanda Fearce, Joanne (Jeanette Gabay’s sister), Rick Perre Haley, Christina, Stephanie, Joanne, Ruth Johnson and Nancy Schloemer (sisters of Kathy McCartin), Vesta & Mark Sauter (aunt and uncle of Leah McCormack), Rex Seeds (friend of Barbara Hahn), Matthew, Michael, Samantha, Jason, Daniel Baudry, Fran Federman, Jim Obenour, Carlyn and Sarah (fighting cancer), Cindy Rock, Jean Rogers (Jim Finnie’s aunt), David Rodgers, Karla Schloemer, Brandy (Karen Melick’s friend), Vern (friend of Shar and Frank Dluhy), Pat Williams, Karen Wahl, Fred Thomas, Eric Shrieves (partner of Lynn Olglesby)

Special: Heavenly Father, thank You for the greatest gift: Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Help us joyfully unpack and share Your love, peace, and presence with others this Christmas. • We pray for all those who are suffering, in need, or anxious during these uncertain times. • We pray for our nation and our world: Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord Have mercy. • Watch over our first responders and keep them safe.

Prayers for those in the military or deployed, especially those connected with our PoP/PdeP family: Jake Allison, Sam Beasley, Zachary Carbonell, Billy Embach, Kyle Holysz, Matthew Rojas, Meghan Rojas, Amanda S, Greg S, Geoffrey, Antonio Watt, Anthony Witcher, Isaak Allan

Preschool Prayers – Class of the Month: This month we pray for our friends in the Tiger Cubs Class (3-year olds) – Ms. Glenda, A’Zarayah, Aidan, Alyssa, Caleb, Diago,     Dylan, Georgette, Jed, Kevin, Sabrina, Saskya, Aaron, Ian, and Max. We ask the Lord to keep these little ones in His constant care and to pour out His blessings upon their families.