St. Peter Lutheran Church
2929 F.M 972 (at F.M. 1105)
Walburg, Texas 78626

Office: (512) 863-5600
Worship Services - each Sunday 10:15 a.m.
Holy Communion - 1st & 3rd Sundays

Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ Texas District

St. Peter Lutheran Church at Walburg, Texas
2026 - All Rights Reserved

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Last Updated:
Jul 30, 2026

St. Peter Messenger Newsletter: August 2026

“The Lord of the Seasons” by Pastor Phil Daniels

A few years ago I was talking to a farmer about how great it was that we were getting some rain finally after such a long dry spell. The farmer sighed and patiently explained that the rain wasn’t so good at this stage in the year because it was the harvest time. It showed how little I know about farming. At least I’m not alone. It is always interesting watching those shows where people who have not been farmers attempt to do farming or learn about farming from years gone by. There can be no more humbling experience than realizing just how little we actually know about a subject.

August is a time when a great many harvests happen. The farmers are busy bringing in the crops they’ve watched over all season. Soon they will be able to put away the fears from this season (in order to prepare for the fears for next season, of course). It is a weird mixture of skepticism and optimism, it is, if you will, a kind of hope. The humorist Will Rogers once observed, “The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.” You have to believe that through it all, after everything you’ve seen this year, that the harvest will be enough.

This same inability to grasp hope in the midst of the heat and storms of our day and age affects people in the church. We are bombarded with bad news, scary trend lines, or perhaps a gut feeling that things aren’t as they should be. Despair is easy to give into when the day changes on us. I may not know much about farming, but I can tell you that the answer is the same when that despair hits us: We are to remember that the Lord of the Seasons is still in control. He has been faithful before and will be faithful ahead.

Sometimes we just don’t realize we’re in the middle of a harvest. Sometimes we don’t

understand what a harvest looks like. Sometimes it’s been such a difficult year that it is easy to lose hope in this year’s harvest. But maybe it’s because we aren’t seeing the harvest as Christ sees it. Because Christ sees the field of possibility when we only see the problems; he sees the harvest beyond the toil. Learning to trust that he will tend his field — in planting, caring, and harvest — is learning what true hope really means.

So when you feel unsure, when you feel it’s been a rough season, when you wonder if you will be able to make it through another harvest, remember that Christ has looked out on the field, and He is not worried. He knows the harvest is coming.

ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING

July 14, 2026

Stephanie opened the meeting with a devotional message and a prayer. Council & Pastor shared prayer concerns.

Minutes: were approved for the June 9 meeting and the June 19 online vote. Council received a draft copy of the June 28 Congregational Meeting minutes for the congregation to approve at Annual Congregation Meeting.

Treasurer’s Report: June’s total income was $38,577 and expenses were $27,209, leaving a monthly net income of $11,367. Total income included a one-time $10,662 deposit from Investment Income. The year-to-date net income is $20,051.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Finance: Church savings funds were renewed for 3.5% interest at Huntington Bank.

Fellowship: Successful ‘Feeding the Homeless’ effort in Georgetown on Friday, 6/10/26.

Outreach: We continue to share water bottles at San Gabriel Park on the 3rd Saturday each month, still at 9am.

Faith Formation: Vacation Bible School at St. Peter at Sunny Creek Mobile Home Park is coming on July 27-29. A New Testament study session is underway based upon 1 & 2 Peter.

Worship: The sanctuary piano needs tuning. Council approved payment for tuning. Carol T agreed to provide interim help during the search for a new permanent organist.

Properties: A new A/C unit has been purchased, installed and paid. The small water heater in the parsonage was leaking; Mike has replaced it.

OLD BUSINESS

Parsonage Roof: Council agreed to move forward with Scott Ellis at E4 Construction for the metal roof on the parsonage at his bid price of $33,500.

Office Assistant: Still working to load the job description to the Indeed.com website. Council agreed to add a statement that hiring is contingent on results of financial, criminal and prior employment background checks. Doris C agreed to continue forwarding emails from the church email account to the person(s) responsible for responding. Pastor Phil will investigate ways to auto-forward email messages via Co-Pilot. Jim K volunteered to maintain the St. Peter membership and attendance records in the church software.

LCMC Reminders: The LCMC Texas District Gathering will be in New Braunfels on Friday & Saturday, 7/31/2026 & 8/1/2026. The LCMC National Gathering will be in Des Moines, Iowa from October 4-7.

NEW BUSINESS

Insurance Renewals: The Workman’s Comp and General Liabilities policies renewed on 7/11/26 without review and without our receipt of the General Liability policy. Looking for a volunteer with knowledge of insurance to review and recommend future policy updates.
Pastor’s Annual Evaluation: Per our Constitution, Council Officers scheduled Pastor’s annual performance review. Members are welcome to contact Council Officers with positive feedback and/or constructive inputs prior to September 1.

Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 7:26pm with a prayer and the Lord’s Prayer.

FELLOWSHIP NEWS FOR AUGUST 2026

THANK YOU to everyone who came out and beat the heat to Feed the Homeless. A special thank you to those who prepared food: Reta M, Kathi N and Charlotte S. On the menu was Sloppy Joe's, breakfast corndogs, corn, salad, chips and Icy Pops. Thank you to those serving the homeless food: Reta M, Kathi & Shawn N, Dale & Charlotte S, Jim K, Tricia B, Debby I, Chic & Dana P. We fed around 25 people in high temperatures. The good Lord provided us with a great breeze.

GOLDEN OLDIES Tuesday, August 4th at 12:00pm. A potluck meal at noon will be followed by fellowship and domino games of 42 and Mexican Train. Please invite your family, friends, and grandchildren to join us. If you have never played dominoes, no problem – we love teaching new players.

LADIES DOMINOES Tuesday, August 18th at 1:00 pm. Hosted by Kathy Bi and Kathy Bo. We play Mexican Train dominoes. Please invite friends, family and neighbors to join us.

LOOKING AHEAD: Labor Day Celebration on Sunday, September 6th following regular worship service. Hot dogs will be provided, asking congregation to bring a side dish OR a dessert. Please invite family and friends to join us for fellowship and dominoes.

WORSHIP COMMITTEE

The Worship Committee met on Tuesday, July 14th at 5 PM, to make plans for the summer season at St. Peter.

We are looking into getting a new organist/pianist, so if you know of anyone who is musically inclined please let Kathy B know.

Mary B brought up the Christmas cantata and checking about the payment of Carol T for playing at rehearsals as well as the cantata. Jill M took this matter to the church council and they approved payment through the church.

Mary B noted that the piano and organ have not been tuned in about 2 years and requested the council check into having this maintenance completed. Jill M checked with the council for the approval to have both the piano and organ checked, which the council approved.

Hymns were picked from Sunday, August 2nd, through Sunday August 30th.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 6th at 5 PM. We are taking a short break from meetings however if you would like to join us in October please do, we always can have some new ideas for our church services.

LADIES AID NEWS

Gwen E opened the meeting. Kathy B shared a devotion based on Hebrews 12: 2 from Daily Guideposts by Doris Haase. The message in a sermon related to being uncomfortable wearing a red, white, and blue outfit. However, the colors of the flag have both historical and salvation significance. Red signifies sacrifice; white, purity; and blue, the comfort of heaven. Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfector of faith, offered the greatest sacrifice. Joyce C has the August devotion.

Kathy B shared The Caring Place Newsletter with a picture of Dick B.

Gwen E and Vinette M volunteered to take flyers seeking a pianist/organist to Southwestern University and Mary Hardin-Baylor University.

The quilters have completed 79 quilts and sold two.

We are planning a burger fund raiser in the fall.

Our July benevolence recipient is the Central Texas Food Bank. We also are investigating options for a VBS participant who didn’t pass the eye test. The Sandbox at Madelin’s Place, the recipient of our April benevolence, invited us to tour their facility in Hutto, so on July 20, after Tai Chi, we lunched at Texan Café and Pie Shop in Hutto, and then visited The Sandbox. Lunch was yummy and The Sandbox at Madelin’s Place was enlightening.

Christmas in July goody bags were prepared and delivered to shut-ins.

Thank you to all who helped fill the bags and those who delivered the bags. What an awesome treat!

Our next meeting is August 4 at 11:00 A.M. Plan to stay for Golden Oldies lunch and dominoes.

A New Season of Learning

As we prepare to flip the calendar to August, there is no denying it’s back-to-school time! Stores are showcasing all the school supplies front and center. Moms and Dads are taking their kids shopping for new clothes and shoes and backpacks and a never-ending list of things that every parent hopes will help their son or daughter learn and grow in the new school year. Soon churches will be blessing backpacks, praying for schools, and teachers, as the buses begin to roll. For many, the end of summer is a reminder of fresh starts and new learning.  

What if this became a life-prompt for our discipleship journey? As I write this, we will soon be gathering in New  Braunfels around the theme CALLED. Together we are exploring 2 Timothy 1:9 and are reminded that God saves us and calls us with a holy calling, not because of anything we have earned or accomplished, but according to his own purpose and grace. That is where the Christian life begins. Yet Paul does not leave Timothy, or us, there. In 2 Timothy 2:2 he instructs young Timothy what those who are called are to do next: What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Notice the sequence Paul describes here: He taught Timothy. Timothy is then to entrust that same teaching to other faithful people. Then those faithful people are in turn to teach others. That is four generations of discipleship referenced in a single verse! This is how the gospel moves through history: from one disciple to another, passed down from one generation to the next. Every follower of Jesus is simultaneously a learner and a trainer: We never graduate from Jesus’ discipleship training, always both learning from those who are ahead of us and teaching those who are coming after us. With that in mind, let me ask you two questions to ponder:

First, how is God calling you to keep on learning? Perhaps you join a small group or Bible study, or ask another believer to meet with and mentor you for a while. The One who called you longs to keep forming you by His grace and for His purpose. So how is God calling you to continue to grow and mature in your faith life in this new season?

Second, whom will you teach? You do not need a theology degree to be faithful to the call in 2 Timothy 2:2. You need only to faithfully pass on what you yourself have received. Teach a child, mentor a new believer, or open your home and your Bible to a neighbor. Invest in someone who will receive the Word of truth from you in the hope that in the same way one day they may invest in another.

This is the very heart of our shared mission as a District: to multiply disciples and churches. Through intentional relationships we seek to equip leaders, strengthen congregations, and inspire gospel mission. When we gather each year in July, it is never our finish line. Rather this is the starting line for a new season of learning and growth in faith. I pray that we may be hungry and eager learners and diligent, humble and faithful teachers, so that the good news we have received keeps on multiplying and being handed down from one generation to the next.

Pastor Bryce Formwalt is the Director of Mission Growth for LCMC Texas District and Program Director of Harvest Workers, an online ministry training program (learn more at www.harvestworkers.net). Residing in Georgetown, Pastor Bryce is available to coach congregations on mission. Please contact him with any questions or comments: 512-942-7776 or bryce@lcmctexas.org.

© 2026 Bryce J. Formwalt, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.

August 2026