Social Ministry Update
Alternative Giving – Gifts to support a great cause (PACT for Animals, Safe in Hunterdon, Feed My Starving Children, ELCA disaster response) are still on sale through Sunday, December 6th at the CEB between services at Advent Parish Night.
Senior Baskets – Thank you for all of your donations! Social Ministry is now putting together 100 bags to be delivered to local food pantries by the second week in December. Cash donations are still greatly appreciated to keep this ministry going through 2016.
The Giving Tree – Don’t forget to return unwrapped gifts by December 6th.
Advent Parish Night – Join us December 6th at 4:00 for a fun evening of crafts, potluck supper and caroling. It’s not too late to participate!
Feed My Starving Children – Mobile Packing Event April 1 & 2, 2016
Our Mobile Packing event is quickly coming up on us! Over 2 days, we will have approximately 500 volunteers at the CEB helping us to pack meals for distribution to orphanages, schools and organizations in need across the globe. We are now assembling our Feed My Starving Children team and are in need of leaders for the following areas:
· Promotion — to reach folks in our local community
· Prayer
· Fundraising (although we have funding for 2015, we need to raise funds to support our event next year)
· Logistics — managing supplies, coordinating fork lift drivers and volunteers to set up and clean up during the event
· Volunteer Coordination — help to recruit volunteers, work with online registration system and manage volunteer rosters during the event
· Hospitality — greet, guide and direct packing volunteers, coordinate refreshments for volunteers
Please contact me if you, or someone you know, can help with one of these teams!
Rebecca Melick
(908)229-3744 or rrmelick@gmail.com
Advent Parish Night -- December 6
Join us December 6th at 4:00 for a fun evening of crafts, potluck supper and caroling. It’s not too late to participate! Please sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0944aeaf2aa4f94-advent
Women of Zion -- Christmas Cookie Exchange
Please join the Women of Zion at the Christian Education Building on Thursday, December 17th, at 7 p.m., for the annual Christmas Cookie Exchange. It's hard to believe it's already time for our annual cookie exchange and 2015 prayer pal recognition/2016 selection. We can promise good company and good food (cookies and Christmas punch) and good deeds. We'll again package cookies to give to those who are sick and/or home bound. Please sign up in the Narthex. Then bring yourself and three dozen cookies — and be ready for a lovely holiday gathering! Friends are very welcome. Please contact Anita Zarate (908-534-2994, anita.zarate@mac.com) if you have any questions.
Discipleship Group: The Early Church and the Pope
Join us at Discipleship. Because of Christmas, we moved Discipleship to the second week of December. It will be on Tuesday night, December 8, at the Christian Education Building. People will gather for dinner at 6:30, and at 7:30, an open discussion will begin around the early church and the emergence of the Pope. Everyone is invited to come. We always enjoy new people. Remember, you do not have to commit to the whole year. You can drop in any time and find a warm welcome, delicious food, and great discussion. We hope to see you the next time we meet, December 8 at 6:30 at the CEB.
Vespers -- Thursday evenings at the CEB
Vespers has returned to the Christian Education Building on Thursday evenings. There is a Soup Supper at 6:00, followed by Vespers at 7:00. This worship experience has been deeply meaningful to many people. This month, there will not be Vespers on December 17, due to the WOZ Cookie Exchange, nor on December 31, due to New Year’s Eve. Please join us!
Book of Faith
The Book of Faith will be discussing the book of James through Advent (December 2, 9, 16). This book has always troubled Lutherans, but there is much we need to hear. We meet at 12 p.m. at the Christian Education Building. Come join the conversation. You won’t be disappointed. The adventure continues!
Lunch Bunch - December 10
The Lunch Bunch will be meeting on December 10 at noon. We will be going to Spain 92, 1116 Rt. 202 South, Raritan. The phone number is 908-704-9292. Join the fellowship. We’re looking for you!
A message from Pastor Summer -- November 2015
There’s a part of me that always enjoys when science is stumped. Recently, I discovered that science doesn’t really understand why the colors of the leaves in fall are more vibrant some years than others. There are theories about having enough rain, or an early frost, or Indian summer. The old-timers in Vermont are convinced it’s the early frost, and I tend to agree, but no one knows why that’s true. Science is stumped at this point. The vivid reds, yellows, and oranges of fall defy explanation. We are simply left to enjoy the rainbow of colors and witness in awe God’s creation. I like that feeling. I like the thought of awe and wonder in the world. I believe we sometimes become jaded, cynical, and complacent. Our childhood sense of wonder is replaced with explanations and reasons. We stop looking around us and focus on only what is in front of us. We are no longer surprised. Somehow the world loses its magic.
The eastern world has always left room for wonder. It has always embraced mystery where we in the west have shied away. We in the west like explanations. We like reasons. It’s why we like science. But science doesn’t hold all the answers. The world is more wondrous and mysterious than we can imagine and time and time gain we rediscover that truth. Beyond the leaves of fall, the Gospel itself is a mystery. Grace, God’s undeserved love, is beyond explanation. It defies common sense. It is not rational. It is the stuff of wonder, mystery, and awe. It is to be celebrated and enjoyed. Grace is the color of leaves in the fall. A gift given that is embraced and welcomed and whose truth is real and powerful though never completely explained.
This year, I will simply enjoy the colors of fall. I will open myself to the wonder. I will see in the leaves not only the hand of God but also God’s grace.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
Social Ministry update
Alternative Giving
With the holidays soon upon us, the Social Ministry committee is here to help and has again put together a great selection of gifts that might be perfect for someone on your list. Gifts will be available for sale at the CEB between worship services starting November 8th through December 6th, including at Advent Parish Night. Put a dent in your list and help some great causes. Thanks again to Kay Beagle and Robbin Lamo for their craftiness in putting the gifts together.
$5 – Bell Ornament with paw print - PACT for Animals is a network of passionate people who provide temporary foster care to prevent companion animals from entering shelters due to temporary military or medical crises. www.PACTforanimals.org
$10 Angel Ornament – Safe in Hunterdon provides many services including a 24 hour hotline, temporary housing, legal advocacy, crisis intervention and community education to support adult and child survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. www.safeinhunterdon.org
$15 Cookie mix in jar – Feed My Starving Children was founded in 1987 as a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. Volunteers hand pack meals specially formulated for malnourished children that are then sent to partners around the world including orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs. Donations will be used towards Zion’s packing event in April 2016! www.fmsc.org
$20 Coasters – ELCA disaster response fund helps victims domestically and around the world who are impacted by disasters including recent wildfires in California, the earthquake in Nepal and flooding in Colombia. www.elca.org.
Senior Baskets
100 gift bags will be assembled and delivered to area food pantries to distribution to seniors in need in the weeks before Christmas. We need your help to fill the bags with special treats that most seniors would not get at the pantries. This year we are requesting the following items to include in our bags: stamps, tea, hot cocoa, hard candy, individual snack packs, puzzle books, slipper socks, lotion, and lip balm. Cash donations are also greatly appreciated!
**Please leave all non-cash donations at the CEB or in the narthex of the church. Items are requested by Sunday November 29th and will be packed and delivered the following week.
The Giving Tree
The Giving Tree will be up by November 22nd with names of 20 children from Family Promise who are in need. Social ministry is requesting 2 toys and one clothing item for each child. Gifts should be returned by 12/6.
Advent Parish Night
This year Social Ministry is hosting Advent Parish Night on Sunday December 6th. This event is not just for young families, and is loads of fun for all ages. We will begin with crafts at 4:00, potluck dinner at 5:00 and carols at 6:00. Come for the whole event just join us for supper and singing. Signups will be available in the narthex and via our online sign up tool. Stay tuned.
Feed My Starving Children
Many of you have heard, but we would like to announce that we are officially hosting a Feed My Starving Children packing event at Zion on April 1st and 2nd 2016! Thanks to the support of a generous anonymous donor, our costs for this year are covered. All donations gathered during our campaign will go toward payment for 2017 to make this hopefully an annual event. The generous donation takes the pressure off of the financial burden of raising more than $20,000 so that we can focus on reaching out to recruit the 500 volunteers that we will need for 2 hour shifts over two days. There will be much more information to come. Please contact Rebecca Melick if you have any ideas for local groups that we might contact and invite to this exciting opportunity!
News from the Worship and Music committee
CHRISTMAS DECORATING
Mark Saturday, December 19th, 9 am, on your calendar. Lots of hands are needed to help decorate the church for Christmas. Wreaths need to be hung, poinsettias arranged, the tree trimmed and more.
CHURCH CLEAN-UP DAY
Have you noticed that it is time to clean the chandelier globes in the church? We saw your eyes glancing upward and counting the number of bulbs that are burned out. Saturday, December 5th is the day to bring your dish towels and polishing cloths to the church to help get the church ready for Christmas. Anyone willing to climb the ladder to retrieve the globes should call the office or Joanne Rupp (832-5220 or jzrupp51@gmail.com).
CHRISTMAS CHOIR
Once again, we are offering the opportunity to those of you who can carry a tune to sing with the Parish Choir for a short-term commitment. The choir will be singing on Christmas Eve at the 7pm service. Choir rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 and Christmas rehearsals begin on November 4th.
Update from the Property Committee
FALL CLEAN-UP DAY
The Property Committee is hosting a Fall Clean-Up Day on December 5th, and is looking for help with work to be done at the church to make sure all leaves and debris are cleared, along with some tasks at the CEB. Folks willing to volunteer should bring outdoor tools for leaf clearing and general clean up.
PRESERVING OUR HISTORY
Church member Harold Wrede will be providing a PowerPoint presentation on the historical preservation projects that are being proposed to Zion’s members. The presentation will be in January or February, following the budget approval at the congregational meeting.
Women of Zion -- Thanksgiving Dinner
The Women of Zion will hold their annual Thanksgiving Dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 19th at the CEB. It will be catered by the Oldwick General Store and include turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, apple pie, pumpkin pie, cider, coffee and tea. The total cost is $28.00 per person, cash or check, payable to Anita Zarate and due to the office by November 12th. Please sign up in the narthex, and call Anita with any questions.
Lunch Bunch - November 12th
The Lunch Bunch will be meeting on November 12 at noon. We will be going to The Rail, 157 Main St., Whitehouse Station. The phone number is 908-534-0001. Join the fellowship. We’re looking for you!
Book of Faith – November 4 and 18 at noon at the CEB
The Book of Faith will be finishing the Bible and the Koran. Where are they the same? Where are they different? Then we will be venturing into something new. Come join the conversation. You won’t be disappointed. Join us as the adventure continues!
Vespers — Every Thursday evening at the CEB
Vespers has returned and the response has been strong. There is a Soup Supper at 6 p.m., followed by Vespers at 7p.m. This worship experience has been deeply meaningful to many people. Please join us!
Discipleship Group: The Early Church and the Pope – December 1
Join us at Discipleship! This month, because of Thanksgiving, we are moving Discipleship to the first week in December. It will be on a Tuesday night, December 1, at the Christian Education Building. We will gather for a Soup Supper at 6:00. This meal will be followed by Vespers at 7:00. At 7:30, an open discussion will begin around the early church and the emergence of the Pope. Everyone is invited to come. We always enjoy new people. Remember, you do not have to commit to the whole year. You can drop in any time and find a warm welcome, delicious food, and great discussion.
We hope to see you the next time we meet, December 1 at 6:00 at the CEB.
The Church Gathered
This past Sunday, we launched a time for conversation for people in our
congregation. The conversation took
place at the Christian Education Building at 10:00. We have only just begun. Our first meeting was simply to discover the
questions and concerns people had. We
wanted to know where we should begin the conversation. As we discovered, we all wrestle with faith,
with family, and with life. Personally,
I was moved by the breadth and depth of the questions. How do we interpret the world to our
children? How do we respond to the needs
of the world? How do we fish for people? How do we understand prayer when prayers are
not answered? How do we feed our
faith? How do we deal with adult
children? How do we juggle the demands
of life? What do we say about other
religions? The list goes on, but this
gives you an idea of where we will be spending our time. These will be the questions that launch our
effort.
I believe the conversation we are undertaking will be important in the life of our congregation. Where else can this conversation take place? The questions are critical. We all carry them around. We all want answers or, at least, some clarity. I believe this is one of the functions of a community of faith. God designed us to be in community. The scripture says where two or three are gathered, God is our midst. Part of the beauty of community is that, in a community, we have the opportunity to share with each other and experience that presence of God. In the Jewish community, it is understood that God is revealed in the conversation between people of faith. I believe that is true. I have heard the voice of God as we have discussed in the Book of Faith. I have heard the voice of God in the give and take of confirmation. I have heard the voice of God in the conversation around the table at Discipleship. My prayer is that we will also hear the voice of God as we gather for conversation on Sunday morning in the CEB. Join us this Sunday!
I believe the conversation we are undertaking will be important in the life of our congregation. Where else can this conversation take place? The questions are critical. We all carry them around. We all want answers or, at least, some clarity. I believe this is one of the functions of a community of faith. God designed us to be in community. The scripture says where two or three are gathered, God is our midst. Part of the beauty of community is that, in a community, we have the opportunity to share with each other and experience that presence of God. In the Jewish community, it is understood that God is revealed in the conversation between people of faith. I believe that is true. I have heard the voice of God as we have discussed in the Book of Faith. I have heard the voice of God in the give and take of confirmation. I have heard the voice of God in the conversation around the table at Discipleship. My prayer is that we will also hear the voice of God as we gather for conversation on Sunday morning in the CEB. Join us this Sunday!
Peace,
Pastor Summer
-----------------------
On September 20, we began a new pattern for coming together
on Sunday morning at Zion. We returned
to our regular schedule of worship at 8:30 at the church, but then things began
to change. We gathered for fellowship at
the Christian Education Building at 9:30.
At 9:45, we lifted our voices in song and joy. At 10:00, the young people headed to classes
and the adults stayed for conversation.
The plan is that every week, except on Family Worship Sunday, a new
question will be explored in this adult conversation. With suggestions from those who were
gathered, the discussion will range from prayer, to juggling life, to fishing
for people, to learning about other faiths.
This past Sunday, the question was “What does it mean to be Lutheran?”
and the new member class joined us. At
10:45, the classes and conversation ended and we had the opportunity to worship
at 11:00 at the church. If you haven’t
already, come and experience this special time yourself. You are even invited to bring others with
you. See you Sunday!
Conversation topics
for the month of October will be:
October 4 – How to
Fish for People — Kathryn Schaefer
October 11 – Family
Worship
October 18 – Growing
Older: Wills, Bills, and Continuing Care
– Scott Curtis
October 25 – When Prayers Go Unanswered – Pastor Summer
Have you taken the survey?
The congregational survey has arrived, and we
need everyone to fill one out. For those following Mission: Possible, you
know the group has been developing surveys for both the congregation and the
community as they work to develop a mission for Zion as we head into our 301st
year. The task force has been working hard, praying long, and discerning
carefully God’s call. The group felt that it was critical to listen to
voices around us both within and without, so we hope everyone will participate
in this effort
Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9323RH9 to fill out your survey. There are also paper copies available at the church and the CEB.
Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9323RH9 to fill out your survey. There are also paper copies available at the church and the CEB.
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