#ComeHomeToZion this Easter season

Whether you are an old friend, or soon to be a new one,
this Easter season, #ComeHomeToZion  

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A Message from Pastor Summer -- March 2016

A Message from Pastor Summer

I have been spending a great deal of time over the past several months thinking and praying about the mission of our congregation.  As I thought and prayed, I was deeply interested in the congregational and community surveys.  I read and considered all the comments that were made.  In addition, I listened to the voices of the congregation from the December congregational meeting, the council retreat in January, and the Mission Task Force.  What I discerned was a compelling vision of who we say we are and what we want, or better, what we are called to be.  For me, the two intersect.  Our mission is to be a community of grace.

At our best, we have been that community.  What we have said as a congregation again and again is that there are three areas that define us.  They are worship, outreach, and community.  Worship has been and continues to be central to the life of Zion.  Survey after survey lifted up worship as one of the key strengths and callings of Zion.  Outreach has also been a hallmark of our congregation.  We have a long history of social ministry and deep commitments to ongoing efforts such as Family Promise, Faith Kitchen, and HCMAP.  We continue to find new ways to serve as we launch Feed My Starving Children this year.  Finally, community has been at the heart of Zion.  Relationships have been forged in the life of Zion that have provided care and support that have been deeply meaningful to people through their lives.  That story stretches back over 300 years.  Again, the surveys and conversations have made this clear.  Through worship, outreach, and community, we have been that place of grace God intended.

On the other side of the coin, if, at our best, we have been a community of grace, we have also fallen short.  It is clear from the surveys and conversations that we are very aware that we have not always succeeded at being a gracious place.  Those failures weigh on us.  We understand that we have been called by God to something more.   How do we make sure everyone is included?  How to we extend that word of invitation and welcome to everyone?  How to we care for all the needs of people both within and without our congregation?  This task is both challenging and exciting.  For me, the vision of Zion being a community of grace is both an affirmation of who we are at our best and a call to who God wants us to be.   As with any journey of faith, we are on the way, but we’re not there yet.  With all my heart, I want us to be that community of grace.  May God grant us the strength, wisdom, and heart to be such a community.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

Holy Week at Zion

HOLY WEEK AT ZION

Maundy Thursday – March 24^th

Supper at 6 p.m. (at the Christian Education Building)

Communion Worship at 7:30 p.m.

  

Good Friday –March 25^th

Prayer Service at 12 p.m.

Tenebrae Service at 7:30 p.m.

   

Holy Saturday – March 26^th

Easter Egg Hunt at 10 a.m. (at the Christian Education Building)

Easter Vigil at 7:30 p.m.

   

Easter Sunday – March 27^th

Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m. (at Round Valley Youth Center)

Worship at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. (at the church)

Social Ministry Update

Social Ministry Update  by Rebecca Melick

Coffee Drive for Faith Kitchen
Thank you to everyone who brought in cans for our coffee drive.  Zion collected 191 pounds this year, exceeding our collection from 2015!  This coffee will be delivered to Faith Kitchen in March when our volunteers go to prepare a meal for the hungry in Dover.

Feed My Starving Children
It’s hard to believe, but all of our spots are now reserved to pack 100,000 meals for children in need around the world.  There are still plenty of volunteer spots let to help set up and clean up for the event, as well as registration, hospitality and fork lift operation.  If there are any Zion members that have not registered to pack meals but would like to, please contact Rebecca Melick (908)229-3744, to be added to the wait list.

Family Promise
Thank you to all of the volunteers who prepared meals and visited with our guests in February: Stacy & Todd Rothermel, Christine Scarloss, Sue Swanson, Patricia & Justin Craig, Kay Beagle, Betty Lanka, Sandy Matsen, Linda Lovas, Angela Sztuk, Linda Held, Wendy Minerowicz, Robbin Lamo, Kathy Lundari, Nancy Neuweiler, Kelli Harris, Lindsay McDonald, Jann McAleer, Judy & David Formalarie, Brooke Schumann, Pastor Summer, John Rustwick, Barbara Surhoff, Linda Peters, Peggy Eppley, Elizabeth and David Blackwood and Kristina Maiwaldt.  A special thanks to the members of the Social Ministry Committee who spent countless hours to make this hosting event a success.  It is personally rewarding to see the families move out of the program to their new lives in permanent housing.  However, there are always more who need the services of this important program, the only shelter that offers housing to families with children in Hunterdon County.  

The Church Gathered

The Church Gathered by Colin Brokaw

The Church Gathered has been a great start to my Sundays, and I look forward to it every week.  After some time to grab some coffee and a bagel, we warm up with a few songs.  It’s been fun singing some of my favorite songs of my youth with my kids, now three and six years old. They’re a little shy about “singing out loud on the telephone wire” on Sunday morning in front of their cousins, but we’ll sing “All God’s Critters”, “Peace Like a River”, and the latest Bible School songs in the car throughout the week.

I do have to admit that my favorite part of The Church Gathered is when the kids are off to their Sunday School classrooms and the adults circle up to discuss the topic of the week.  I saw on the weekly “This Week at Zion” email recently that the topic for the upcoming Sunday would be “Kids Ask the Darndest Things”.  I was reading The Children’s Bible to Chloe that week when we came to the passage “all who are worthy will join God in heaven”.  I could feel the inevitable question coming, and knew I’d have something to share with the group on Sunday.  I think everyone enjoyed hearing how I did my best to come up with an answer.  It was heartening to hear that others had similar experiences, and I was encouraged that I probably did okay. 

Some of the past topics covered how to talk to your kids about the latest tragedy on the front page, how Lutheranism compares to other Protestant denominations, how to talk to friends or coworkers about your faith, and what do you do when prayers go unanswered.  Many of these conversations have been deep, some highly educational, and some emotional.  (We’ve laughed / we’ve cried…)  In all cases, we understood that we were not alone in how we thought about these topics.

A number of years ago I worked closer to Oldwick, and loved coming to Book of Faith over lunch break on Wednesdays.  As my job moved further away, I really missed that time for Bible study, conversation with friends, and soaking in Pastor Summer’s incredible depth of knowledge about church history and different ways to think about familiar scripture.  The Church Gathered has brought back a lot of what I was missing.  Best of all has been the opportunity to spend time with friends who attend a different service, making new friends, and getting to know everyone better through our discussions.  I highly recommend coming to The Church Gathered if you haven’t tried it before – it’s casual, you can just listen in if you want, and I’m sure you won’t regret it.

The Church Gathered begins immediately following 8:30 worship at the CEB.  Refreshments 9:30-9:45.  Singing 9:45-10:00.  Discussion 10:00-10:45.  I hope you’ll join us.

YOZ (Youth of Zion) Update

25 young people from Zion, Living Waters, and Zion Long Valley came together on February 26 for an overnight Lock-In.  We enjoyed fellowship, games, baking cookies, worship, videos, sardines, pizza, and more.  Our work project was to make 168 hats for those in need.  We even had the opportunity to try them out.  We're planning more events in the future, starting with the Egg Hunt on March 26. 

"Ways to Improve Your Balance" -- Women of Zion

Women of Zion -- Please join us for the “Ways To Improve Your Balance” Class.  Tuesday, March 15, 6:45 - 8:30 p.m., at the CEB.  The Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center is willing to offer us a this free class.  Since falling is such a hazard, particularly as we get older, improving our balance is crucial.  Come and learn some exercises you can do to help going forward. Just sign up in the narthex and wear comfortable clothes that night.  We’ll also have time socialize afterwards.  If you have any questions, please contact Anita Zarate (908-534-2994 or anita.zarate@mac.com).

Oldwick Town-Wide Tag Sale -- Saturday, April 30th

Oldwick Town-Wide Tag Sale
Saturday, April 30^th (Rain Date Saturday, May 6^nd), 8am –3pm
to benefit the food pantries in Clinton and Flemington

The Open Cupboard Food Pantry in Clinton and the Flemington Area Food Pantry are vital resources in our community, providing  food and personal care items for Hunterdon County families in need.  Zion Lutheran Church has been partnering with these organizations for over 20 years, hosting food drives and donating “Senior Baskets” for distribution to seniors during the Christmas holidays.  

As a proud supporter of these food pantries, Zion Lutheran Church will donate all net proceeds from the Oldwick Town-Wide Tag Sale to the Open Cupboard Food Pantry and the Flemington Area Food Pantry. 

We hope you will join us!  Clean out your closets and have your own tag sale on your property.  Keep the proceeds just send in your registration with $25.  All participants will have a Tag Sale sign placed on their lawn that will be removed the following day.   During the sale, maps will be distributed throughout the village with locations marked. 

Don’t have room to set up a site or live out of town?  Limited spaces will be available for a flea market at the Zion Lutheran Christian Education Building (CEB) 18 Miller Avenue.  Register to sell your items and keep the proceeds with $25 donation at signup.

Have items to donate?  If you have items to donate Zion will sell at the Tag sale with all proceeds going directly to the food pantries.  No clothing or books please.  Drop off location is at the CEB on Church Street & Miller Avenue:  Sunday April 17^th (11:00–2:00), Tues – Fri, April 19^th – 22^nd  (9:00-2:00), Sunday April 24^th (11:00-2:00), Tues-Wed, April 26^st – 27^th (9:00-2:00).

For additional information on the Tag Sale go to Zion’s website www.zionoldwick.com.  For questions, please call Rebecca Melick at (908) 229-3744. 

Vacation Bible School 2016

Join us June 27 – July 1, 9:30 am – 12:15 pm.  At Cave Quest VBS, we'll go spelunking through dark caves with Jesus as our light! Kids will learn that Jesus is the one who lights our way by giving us hope for each new day.  Cave Quest VBS is filled with incredible Bible-learning experiences that kids will see, hear, touch and even taste. All children, ages 3 through completion of 4^th grade, are invited to follow Jesus wherever he will lead them!  Don't forget to register with the church office by June 12.