A Message from Pastor Summer -- March 2018

“In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”  -     2 Corinthians 5:19

The headlines over the past week have been dominated by the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.   As we pray for the families, the school, and community, we struggle with the impact of such an act of violence.  What is our response as God’s people?  Standing in the shadow of the cross, another act of violence that Christ transforms, what we are called to do becomes clearer.  As Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, the heart of the Good News is that, in the cross, Christ reconciled the world with God.  The gulf between us was bridged and the wall came down.  In this act of love, we were reclaimed.  All the barriers we erect, sin, fear, doubt, hatred, were removed.  This extraordinary act of sacrifice and love was the very opposite of any and all acts of violence.  The cross was the ultimate act of love.  Easter, with the proclamation that Jesus is risen, is God’s affirmation of the power and victory of that act of love.  As God’s people, we are called into the world to be ambassadors of this good news of reconciliation and healing.  In other words, we are to be about the business of acts of grace.  Acts that are intended to unite, build up, and foster compassion.   

In the weeks ahead, we will be in the good news business.  We will be involved in acts of grace.  On March 3-17, we will be hosting Family Promise once again as we provide shelter and support for the homeless in our community.  On April 6-7, we will be participating in Feed My Starving Children, putting together thousands of individual meal packets to be distributed to hungry people around the world.  On April 28, we will be hosting another Tag Sale for the community to raise money for Family Promise, our partner in ministry addressing the needs of the homeless.  All of these acts of grace are designed to build bridges, bring people together, and make a difference in the world.  Beyond these acts of our community of faith, there is action we can take in our own lives.  Whether in our schools, our workplaces, or our community, we can be people of grace through all that we do and say.

What can we do in response to acts of violence?  We can be God’s people.  We can be ambassadors of reconciliation.  We can be involved in acts of grace.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

February Council Highlights

The Church Council met on February 15th.  Highlights include:

· Courtney Rzeplinski reported that the Workshop Rotational Model (WoRM)     Sunday School program is off to a great start.

· The Council voted to participate in the state-funded “NJ Direct Install” program, which will convert all CEB lighting to LED and replace two of the existing large HVAC units, with the state of New Jersey covering 70% of the cost.

· The Sexton Task Force has voted to hire a new Sexton, beginning April 1.

· The Council is focusing on the needs identified during the Council Retreat that was held in January.  Committees are prioritizing work to be done.

· The Noisy Offering has returned for Lent.  A specific ministry/mission of Zion will be highlighted each week.

The next meeting of the Church Council will be on Thursday, March 15th.  Meetings are open for all to attend.

REFLECTIONS ... by Joanne Rupp

Holy Week is approaching and I am thinking about the three services held at Zion prior to Easter. Sometimes I feel that people think church is for Sundays. Thursday, Friday and Saturday not so much. You don’t know what you are missing.

 Maundy Thursday, the night of the Last Supper when Jesus broke bread with his disciples, is when our First Communion class receives communion for the first time. To see the delight in the faces of these children warms your heart. I love to watch them strip the altar in preparation for Good Friday. We leave the church in silence seeing the bare altar.

On Good Friday we hold a Tenebrae Service, which is an ancient tradition that means “shadows” or “darkness”. Our service focuses on the seven last words of Jesus.  There is large cross that holds seven candles plus the Christ Candle. The candles are extinguished, one by one, as Scripture readings tell the story. After the last candle is extinguished the Christ Candle is removed and the church is plunged into darkness. We wait in the dark for the “Symbolic Loud Noise” that symbolizes the closing of Christ’s tomb. This always makes me jump even though I know it’s coming. The Christ Candle comes back into the church, symbolizing Christ’s resurrection.

The hymns on Good Friday are hauntingly beautiful. They stay in your head. The Parish Choir is always excellent. The drama of this night stays with you. My mother used to say, “There is no Easter without Good Friday”. The joy on Easter is all the greater after the somberness of Good Friday.

I confess that I, the chairman of the Worship and Music committee, have never attended the Holy Saturday service. I know it starts in the Memorial Garden (weather permitting), there are candles, and the people who attend love this service. I know this is not the year for me to start since there will be a grandchild in the house. Maybe it will be the year for you.

Try to make the time this year to remember that worship isn’t just on Sunday.

Meet Our Members

Jim & Linda Dierking

Jim and I were born and raised in Staten Island, New York.  We were members of Zion Lutheran Church in Staten Island.  We moved to Toms River, NJ when our daughters were in 2^nd and 4^th grade.  That was 32 years ago.  We were members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Beachwood, NJ.

We were the high school youth advisors for a total of 17 years between the two churches.  Our work with the youth enabled us to keep the lines of communication with our two daughters open.  Tara and her family are members here as well and our daughter Beth and her family live in Bethlehem, PA. 

Presently we are living with Tara, Rich, and our grandsons (Pepe family).  We are looking to find a ranch in the area, as we no longer need a two story colonial.  Downsizing will be a challenge, as our last home was very large.  However, it is time to condense.  Our grandson Brian will be excited when we find our next home, because he will gain his bedroom.  He has been an amazingly good sport about it.

Tara and I have joined the bell choir.  We both played at St. Paul for many, many years and really enjoy it. 

Everyone here has been extremely welcoming and it feels good to be back at Zion Lutheran Church.

Jaime & Jodi Ennis

Jaime and Jodi were married at Zion in June 2017 and they currently reside in Califon, NJ.  They moved to the area about 1 1/2 years ago and are in the process of renovating their house, hoping the major work will soon be done!  They are expecting their first child at the end of March, so Jaime is busy working on the nursery and preparing for their bundle of joy. 

Outside of all the renovation and baby-prep work, Jaime enjoys motorsports and skiing and Jodi enjoys yoga, dinner with friends, and painting (when time allows). They both love to travel and have a long bucket list of places to go and things to see.  In the meantime, they are enjoying getting to know the local area and meeting new people.  

Rich & Tara Pepe

Rich and Tara and their three boys, Brian, Kevin and Alex, relocated to Raritan Township, NJ last summer from Toms River, NJ.  Rich and Tara met in high school in Toms River, NJ and have been married for 16 years. 

Rich recently accepted a new position as the Assistant Business Administrator for Edison Township Public Schools.  Tara is co-founder and Director of Finance at Foundation Academy Charter School in Trenton. 

Brian will be 13 in April and is currently in 7th grade at JP Case Middle School.  Kevin is turning 11 on March 1st and is currently  in 5th grade at Reading-Fleming Intermediate School.  Alex turned 8 in October and is currently in 2nd grade at Desmares Elementary School.  All three boys play baseball and Rich coaches, so the family spends a lot of time at the baseball field!  Brian and Kevin play the trumpet.  Kevin and Alex participate in Cub Scouts.

Youth and Family Ministries Update

Dear Members and Friends,

Can you believe I have been with you now for 7 months?  It feels like just yesterday I was being interviewed for the position of Director of Youth and Family Ministries.  Together, we have come a long way in a short amount of time.  As my role continues to grow, so does my excitement!  Zion is an amazing church to be a part of.  There are so many wonderful things that happen here, and I am so blessed to be part of the life of the church.  In the upcoming weeks, I will get to spend the holiday time of Lent and Easter with you.  I look forward to sharing in this important season and to witness how our church celebrates the risen Christ! 

I cannot wait for our Sunday School to begin the unit on Holy Week and Easter.  So far, the students have loved the WoRM (Workshop Rotational Model).  We have even had some new families join us for Sunday School!  In February, three 4th and 5th grade students from Zion attended the Elementary School Retreat at Crossroads.  Please see the article below to read about their experience.

Blessings,

Courtney Rzeplinski

Elementary Retreat at Cross Roads

On February 16-18, three of Zion’s 4th and 5th graders, Jessica Mendenhall, Reina Schumann, and Rosa Spann, attended the   Elementary School Retreat at Cross Roads. The theme of the retreat was “Human Kind—Be Both”, and the focus was on what it means to be called by God to be kind to ourselves, our neighbors, and our world.  Here is some of what the youth had to say about their experience.  Special thanks to Brooke Schumann for accompanying the girls as Zion’s chaperone.

Jessica Mendenhall:  The elementary  retreat was very fun. One thing I really liked  was the games in the rec hall.  I was excited we got to take part in communion.  If you ever go to Crossroads trust me you will enjoy it!

Rosa Spann:  The winter elementary school retreat was very fun.  My favorite part was when we went on a hike.  It was a beautiful forest and was magical with the snow falling.  I was surprised that everybody was very outgoing.  At meals, people would say "Hello, my name is ____.  What's yours?"  Also, everybody acted like they already knew each other and would walk right up and ask to play.  Overall, the food and movie were good, the counselors were nice, and the stations and activities were fun.  I had a great time and I would love to go back.

Easter Egg Hunt -- March 31

Please join us for Zion's annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m.  Bring a basket and your running shoes!

News from the Social Ministry Committee

Feed My Starving Children — April 6 & 7

We are once again hosting a FMSC mobilepack event at the CEB April 6 and 7th!  Registration for packing is through the FMSC website www.fmsc.org.  Spots do fill quickly.  If you would like to pack but don't see any openings please contact Rebecca Melick directly at (908)229-3744.  Additional volunteers will be needed for those days to check in packers and provide food for the FMSC staff and Zion volunteers. 

Tag Sale  — April 28

Our Tag Sale this year is planned for April 28th, with a rain date of the following Saturday.  Proceeds will once again provide funding for children of Family Promise to attend Cross Roads summer camp.  It's time to start looking around our homes for saleable items.  Residents of Oldwick can sign up to sell items on their property and for a $25 donation will be included on our map.  Limited spaces will also be available for the flea market in the CEB parking lot, for the same donation fee.  This is a really fun, community-building event at Zion.      

Coffee Drive for Faith Kitchen

Thank you to all who donated coffee for Faith Kitchen.  We collected 162 pounds!

Let Me Tell You a Story...

As Zion’s 300^th anniversary approached, we looked at some special works we could do to mark this event.  Beginning in mid-2011, members were asked to make a three-year pledge on top of their annual pledge to the general fund.  This was our Mission 300 (M300) campaign.  The request to the members was to give first, give intentionally, give proportionately and give generously.  By doing this they would also be giving cheerfully.  The campaign raised over $510 K over the three-year period.  This was on top of annual budgets ranging from $468-480 K.

The proceeds were allocated into three main areas:  Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.  The focus of the Yesterday area was restoration work at the church and the parsonage.  The funds in the Today category were used for debt reduction on the mortgage and some special functions.  The funds in the Tomorrow category were used primarily to begin Edna’s Haven, a new ministry to help the homeless.  This service is located at Faith Lutheran in Dover, NJ. 

Many members had a personal favorite among these areas and there was lively discussion on how the money would be divided.  Reasons to direct funds into the various categories were listed and the council and congregation listened to each group and addressed the suggestions.  The final allocation was a compromise that gave each area some, but not all, of what was requested.  It was:

Restoration:                       $300,000

Special functions/Debt    $102,600

Edna’s Haven                      $100,000

Campaign costs                 $    9,000

Total                                       $511,600

The overhead costs were less that 2%.  Again, like with the CEB mortgage, Zion had show that it had the heart and the resources to take on a 3-year project equal in scope to its annual budget.  Looking back, I think we can agree it was a good decision.  As the oldest Lutheran congregation in New Jersey, we made out 300^th anniversary a noteworthy time in our history.

Why am I telling this story?  Council will be asking the congregation to consider a similar move of some of our outreach ministries which are currently being supported outside the GF into the budget for 2019.  There are several parallels to the M300 campaign we made after much discussion in 2011.  Zion will have to decide how to respond to this idea.

Look for additional stories in the newsletter on this concept.

Peace,

John Rustwick

March for Our Lives -- March 24

The Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry NJ is organizing buses to join the March For Our Lives – DC Official in Washington, DC on March 24.   The march begins at 10 am in DC, so the group will meet at 5:30am and the busses will pull out at 6:00am.  The ratio of youth (13-18) to adult is required to be 5:1.  LEAMNJ will offer pre-march on-line training, and educational and worship opportunities on the ride down.

Registration and additional information about this event can be found at www.leamnj.org.

Women of Zion -- Bollywood Dance Fitness Class

All Women of Zion are invited to the Bollywood Dance Fitness Class on Thursday, March 8th, at 7 p.m. at the Christian Education Building.  We can all be Bollywood Dancing Stars for a night!  And it doesn’t matter how well we do because we’re all beginners.  Mostly, this is a chance to have a fun experience!  Our instructor is Shalini, who led our chair exercise class last year.  She asks that we be prepared as follows:  Wear sneakers and loose clothes, and drink at least 8 oz. of water before class.  Friends are welcome – just be sure everyone is signed up on the sheet in the narthex.  Please contact Anita Zarate with any questions.

Book of Faith -- Noon on Wednesdays

The Book of Faith will continue to explore the Acts of the Apostles this month.  Come join the conversation.  You won’t be disappointed.  We are on chapter 16.  The adventure continues! 

Vespers -- March 1 and 15

This month, Vespers will meet on March 1st and 15th.  There is a Soup Supper at the CEB at 6 p.m. followed by Vespers at 7 p.m.  This worship experience has been deeply meaningful to many people.  Please join us!

Lunch Bunch -- March 8

The Lunch Bunch will be going to Dora  Restaurant on Main Street in Clinton on March 8.  The phone number is 735-4171.  Join the fun.  We’ll be looking for you!

Discipleship -- March 22

Discipleship will be meeting on March 22.  It will begin with a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. and move to discussion at 7:30.  The theme will be interpreting scripture.  All are invited.  We would love to see you there!

A Message from Pastor Summer -- February 2018

On February 14, Ash Wednesday, we begin our Lenten journey once again.  Prayer is one of the great spiritual disciplines of the season.  In Confirmation Class, we explore prayer as we look at the Lord’s Prayer.  That discussion leads to many questions.  When do we pray?  What do we pray for?   Do we fall asleep when we pray at night?  The list goes on.  Of course, the central question is why pray.  What do we believe happens in prayer?

The Confirmation Class always wrestles with these issues.  On the surface, prayer seems to be our requesting God to act.  Does that mean that God would not act unless we pray?  Does that mean that God is unaware of what is happening in the lives of people?  If we prayer more often or have more people pray is God more likely to do something?   Most classes do not like where these questions lead and so they open themselves to interpretation.

What if we begin with the understanding that prayer doesn’t really change God, prayer changes us.  We don’t convince God to act, but in praying, we open ourselves to the grace of God that is already in action.  For the person for whom we pray, we don’t convince God to do something, but we pray for that person to become more open to a loving God who is already at work. 

I believe this is the power of prayer and why we need to be continually in prayer.  As I look at my own life of prayer, I am amazed at the number of times I have prayed to God to be with me only to discover that, once again, God is already there.  Or I have prayed for forgiveness only to discover that, once again, I’ve already been forgiven.  I have prayed about situations only to have my prayer change me within those situations.  On the other side, when others have prayed for me, like when I was in the hospital.  Those prayers had the power to help open me to a gracious God who already held me in his hands.  And for that reason, those prayers meant the world to me.  There is power in prayer.  It is the grace of God that changes us.  My prayer is that we continue to pray through this Lenten season and beyond and allow ourselves to be open to a gracious God who is already at work in our lives and the lives of others.

Peace,

Pastor Summer

January Council Highlights

The Church Council met on January 18th.  Highlights include:

· The balance of $8,916 that was carried over from the 2017 General Fund will be applied to our 2018 Capital Reserve budget line so it is accessible for needed work on the church properties.

· The proposed budget for 2018 was reviewed and accepted, to be passed along for the congregation’s vote at the Annual Congregational Meeting on February 11.

· The 3-part Synod-sponsored seminar, Cultivating Congregational Cultures of Generosity, has concluded.  One of the biggest conclusions was the importance of being completely transparent with the congregation in telling the full story of all that we are doing.  The President’s Report, as part of the upcoming 2017 Annual Report, goes into that detail.

· Four new families were approved to be accepted as members.

· A new Sexton is being sought for the church and CEB.

· There was a great response of people interested in learning to make Chrismons.

· Council approved the Boy Scouts request to use the back lawn of the CEB for a game area with a portable Gaga Pit.

· During the congregational meeting, children will be invited to make Valentine’s Day cards to send to our sick and shut-ins.

· After reaching out to the ELCA Disaster Relief Director, we were instructed that Puerto Rico no longer needs supplies like batteries and flashlights, but needs cash and workers to rebuild.  The Caribbean Synod is fixing up a camp they have to house mission workers.

· On February 23^rd, there will be an Olympic Lock-In for grades 7-12.

Thank you to:

* Joanne Rupp for painting all of the Sunday School rooms and hallways in preparation for the new Sunday School Workshop Rotational Model (WoRM) program.

* Peter Melick for removing the Christmas tree (and thanks to all who helped decorate and undecorated the church for the holidays).

* John McAleer for fixing the heating elements at the CEB.

* Harold Wrede for oversight of the CEB septic repair needed over the holidays.

* All of the crafters who made Alternative Giving gifts.  (This year, they raised the most money ever--$1,760!)

The next meeting of the Church Council will be on Thursday, February 15th.  Meetings are open for all to attend.

Church Council Retreat

It doesn’t seem possible that January is over already! However, our Church Council took this month to review all of the accomplishments of Zion last year. We did a lot and we were excited about the resurgence of energy that grew last year. Looking towards 2018, we came up with another set of even higher goals. You will hear more about this in the months to come, but here are a few things you will be hearing about:

· Live streaming of the church service

· Better explanations in the bulletin of our church practices

· Mission trips to Puerto Rico

· New and improved website

· More options for giving besides just in the offering plate

· More activities for youth, and the start of a group for younger aged kids

· More outreach with email and Facebook newsletters describing all calendar events

· Renewed maintenance of membership reaching out to all

· The creation of a Job/Talent Directory

· More fellowship for all, while also adding targeted events such as things for moms or men

· The creation of a long-term spending plan

It was good to dream and think about all that Zion can do to impact our members, friends, community and the world. Feel free to reach out to any council member with your ideas or suggestions!

Committee assignments for 2018 were also made. We welcome your participation and involvement in any of these committees.

Christian Education- Meghan Stanski

Evangelism- Zaida Durham (liaison is Judy Formalarie)

Finance- Rick Schroeder (liaison is Todd Rothermel)

Parish Life- Bob Durham

Property- John McAleer

Shepherding- Rich Schumann

Social Ministry- Rebecca Melick

Stewardship- Todd Rothermel

Worship and Music- Joanne Rupp (liaison is Janet Hornich)