Friday Friends have been meeting at 9:00 am (on Fridays, of course) at Peace Lutheran Church for more than a decade. We meet for fellowship, Bible study, and to help our church community, local community, and the world (through Lutheran World Relief). Opening with Bible study, our studies originally focused on women of the Bible. Most recently, we have been using the ELCA’s Gather magazine to guide our discussions. And (of course) every Lutheran gathering includes treats and coffee!

Following Bible study and fellowship, the Friends retreat to their workroom for a variety of annual service projects. These include assembling kits for distribution through Lutheran World Relief.

• School kits: notebook, ruler, pencil sharpener, scissors, pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, eraser; the kits are placed in backpacks.
• Baby care kits: tee shirts (no onesies), sleepers, cloth diapers, socks, diaper pins, receiving blankets, hand towel, bar soap; each kit is wrapped in a receiving blanket.
• Personal care kits: towel, bar soap, toothbrush, comb, nail clipper.

(Donations for kits for Lutheran World Relief are gratefully accepted.)

Another  project of Friday Friends and the Peace Lutheran community is the annual Giving Tree. Members choose tags from a Christmas tree in the narthex. Each tag has an item written on it: kids’ clothing items, diapers, personal care items, presents for adults, Christmas candy, can of popcorn, or a quilt are typical suggestions. The Giving Tree collection goes to needy local families, and Grace’s Place has assisted us in distributing the gifts for the past several years.

The Friday Friends also prepare one-of-a-kind gift baskets for Peace Lutheran’s annual Trivia Night, which is open to the local community.