Keeping in Touch: PoP’s Weekly E-news
June 9, 2026
Events and Ministry Opportunities at Prince of Peace and the House Next Door
This Week
Pastor Peter’s last Sunday at Prince of Peace. Please let us know if you plan to attend the Brunch. All are welcome to join us this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. as we celebrate Pastor Peter's retirement. Bishop Christa Compton will be with us to preside at the Thanksgiving at the Conclusion of a Call. Michelle and Mike Conk are hosting a Champagne Brunch immediately following worship. Please sign up in the Gathering Area or email Michelle at mm143@comcast.net.
There will be words of remembrance and toasts. Pictures you would like to share of Pastor Peter can be dropped in the Google drive (previously shared in an email from Dave Herrington) or physical pictures can be left in the office.
Daniel Marrone Ordination, June 13, 2026. Daniel was a field education student at POP from 2019-2020. The service will be held at 2:00pm at The Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, 333 North Main St., Manahawkin, NJ. We hope you are able to join in his celebration.
Piano Concert by Dr. Charles Frederick Frantz. Sunday, June 21 @ 4:00pm at POP. Works by Bach, Schubert, and Debussy.
Princeton PRIDE Day, this Saturday, June 13 For the third year in a row, POP will march in Princeton’s PRIDE Parade and have a booth at the After Party with information about the congregation and the House Next Door.
Lining up for the parade begins at 9:00am at the park in front of the Princeton Fire Department on Witherspoon St, marching will start at 10:00am and end at the Princeton YMCA where the After Party will take place.
If you would like to either help with setting up, manning the booth, or marching in the parade, please contact Con Sweeney for more details.
Upcoming Events
Farewell to Doug and Megan Helvering, June 28, 2026. Everyone is invited to bring a sweet or savory treat to share. Please also share photos that you may have.
Bobby Jo Valentine Concert, Sunday August 23. Bobby Jo Valentine is an explorative. hopeful, spiritual, queer artist who strives to make music and poetry that is good medicine for everyone. Bobby Jo has won multiple awards for his songwriting, given a TEDx Talk, and is a believer in the soft an steady power of everyday acts of love to heal our world. He uses his art to tell about his coming out journey. POP is cosponsoring this event with Emanual Lutheran Church of New Brunswick. More details will be available as we get closer to the date.
SUMMER DAY CAMP St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in East Windsor is hosting Cross Roads’ Day Camp again this year,July 13-17. Children entering grades K-6 are welcome to attend. Please invite your family, friends, and neighbors. Registration forms are available in the church office.
Service Opportunities
Books for the Taking Pastor Peter is cleaning out his bookshelves. His books can be found in the Gathering Area until Sunday. Please help yourself.
Peace Garden - POP’s Peace Garden volunteers have already planted many seeds and seedlings donated by Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) to help us feed those who experience food insecurity through Enid's Food Pantry at St. Barts. In just a few weeks we'll be supplying them with fresh produce! Volunteers are ALWAYS needed - NO experience necessary. We gather on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10-12 for now, but earlier as the temperatures rise. Contact Shari Rexroad, our Master Gardener, at srexroad915@gmail.com to be added to our email group for scheduling changes and announcements or JUST COME!
POP's Immigration Ministry needs volunteers and donations. I-RISE (Interfaith Refugee and Resettlement Services and Empowerment) continues to serve our immigrant neighbors in numerous ways. With funding cuts, there's even more need for volunteers to help with learning English or basic laptop use, drivers to deliver food bags, take them to appointments or to help them practice driving, or mentors to work with a 15-24 year old. Our volunteer team works directly with a Haitian family of 7 in Trenton as well as supporting other services and events through the Trenton office. Summer Camp Scholarship sponsors or gift cards for Uber, Lyft, Shoprite, Walmart, Visa or Mastercard and donations of gently used household goods or seasonal clothing are always needed. For these and other ways to help, see team members Joan New, Cathy Corcoran, Lisa Schott, or Nancy Reyes or email nancyauerreyes@gmail.com.
Monthly Food Donation for St. Bart's Throughout the month of June we are collecting rice and beans for St. Bart's. Please place your donation on the table in the narthex. If the church is closed, please leave your food offering in the bin outside of the Community Wing entrance. Thank you for your generosity.
Weekly Opportunities
Prayer Circle - Fridays from 1:30pm-2:30pm on Zoom As members of the Body of Christ, we are a people of prayer. All are welcome as our Prayer Circle gathers weekly for discussion, reflection, and prayer. The Zoom link for this ministry is sent, along with our prayer list, every Thursday via an email communication titled “Pray With Us”. Come once; come weekly!
Christian Focus - Wednesdays from 11:30am-1:00pm Christian Focus welcomes new members. We meet every Wednesday at 11:30 in the lounge. Bring a lunch if desired. Each session lasts until around 1 p.m. At the present time we are viewing and discussing a video series on the New Testament. The lecturer is Amy Jill Levine, a prominent Jewish professor. Each 30 minute video focuses on a different aspect of the New Testament including the Gospels, the letters of Paul and Revelation. It is interesting to get a different perspective. If you are interested in joining us, contact Phyllis Church at p.church@mindspring.com
Joyful Stitchers - Mondays at 7:00pm on Zoom Every week Joyful Stitchers, PoP’s stitching arts group, spends an hour knitting, crocheting and socializing. All are welcome to join us. If you don’t know how to knit or crochet and would like to learn, we can teach you! We have experienced knitters and crocheters who are happy to help anyone learn; and we have a good stash of yarn, needles, and crochet hooks to get you started. If you would like to join us, please contact Kate Chen at kcmchen@comcast.net.
Worship Assistants - Sundays at 9:30am We are always happy to have a variety of people participate in worship on Sunday mornings. You are welcome to serve as acolytes, lectors, ushers, greeters, prayer ministers and fellowship hosts. Please sign up at: https://bit.ly/pop-sunday-signup. The liturgy is the work of the people. We can’t do it without you! Thank you.
2026 Flower Chart The 2026 Flower Chart has numerous opportunities to designate altar flowers throughout the year. All are invited to remember a loved one or celebrate a special occasion by placing flowers on the altar. The flower chart is hanging on the bulletin board outside of the Church Office. The cost is $45.00. Thank you for enhancing our worship and adding to the beauty of our sanctuary.