Welcome

Congratulations on your decision to commit to this Journey of Faith

with the church family at St Peter's in Lancaster, Ohio. 

How exciting to imagine the adventure God has laid out for us as we journey completely through his Word, the Bible.  We are recommending

 The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language from Eugene H. Peterson

as the preferred Bible version for the year ahead.

Our Sunday scripture readings are from the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) Bible.  This translation is considered by many (especially in the ELCA)   to be the version most true to the original Greek and Hebrew texts.  However, for this journey, Pastor Klatt has recommended The Message version.  “Especially for reading the Old Testament, The Message just makes sense.  With the goal of understanding the entirety of the Bible and how both Old and New Testaments connect the story of our salvation, The Message is easy to read and to understand.  ”  Eugene Peterson, pastor and translator, worked from the original Greek and Hebrew texts to create The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Written in American-English, the words we use in our daily conversations at home and in the workplace, The Message captures the vitality and directness of the original languages.  There are even options, both in book format and online, to see both NRSV and Message versions together in parallel format. 

If you need help in locating The Message Bible for your use, contact the church office at 740-653-1950 or stpeterslancaster@sbcglobal.net

While the road may sometimes be long and a bit bumpy,

we can continue to move forward by staying connected

and keeping our eyes on the destination. 

You may use this blog

• to connect to the assigned reading schedule,
• to view thoughts and questions for consideration submitted by Pastor Emil and the church staff,
• to post your own questions and comments on the readings and the journey itself,
• to discuss those ideas with other members who are also participating in this program
• and to connect to other sites that should serve as resources for your journey.

Included in this blog is a link to the Enter the Bible web site created by Luther Seminary.  This is a wonderful companion site to your journey with information on each book of the Old and New Testaments - summaries, outlines, background, introductory issues, theological themes and often video commentaries from Luther Seminary professors.

We will try to preview and highlight those pieces that seem especially significant from Enter the Bible as we journey through the year so that you might include them in your own journey as you are able.