The Messenger. Don t Worry, Be Happy Pray! September Rev. Erika Wesch Church Council

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1 The Messenger September 2016 Little Zion Lutheran Church Rev. Erika Wesch Church Council Barry Bowman Mike Famularo Donna Haskins Monica Hoover Jan Johnson Jane Kershaw Joe Leiss George Moyer David Nyce John Scott Patty Slater Lee Smeltz Staff Patti Ditzel, Organist Denise Famularo, Financial Secretary Doug Johnson, Treasurer Lee Smeltz, Facilities Manager Lisa Travis, Director of Music Ministries Cheryl Gustafson, Administrative Assistant Don t Worry, Be Happy Pray! Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. - Philippians 4:6 It was exciting to watch the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. What a great opportunity to see the amazing accomplishments of the Olympians! During an interview, the men s synchronized ten-meter platform diving team from the United States shared their strategy with Team USA ( In an article posted on August 8, Team USA reported, Standing on the platform before their final dive at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, David Boudia and Steele Johnson recited Philippians 4:6, a Bible verse about anxiety. They smiled, fist-bumped and executed a back 2 ½ somersault with 2 ½ twists in the men s 10-meter synchronized diving competition. Take a closer look at Philippians 4:6. The charge, don t worry is an incredible challenge. It would take Olympic-style training to go through life without worry, and it requires quite a lot of discipline to take everything yes, everything - to God in prayer. During Little Zion s Vacation Bible School the first week of August, one of the things the children learned about is how God calms. The day we focused on the Gospel story of Jesus calming the storm while traveling on a boat with his disciples, I led the children in a guided prayer experience that I repeated with Little Zion s church council the following week. I commend the prayer experience to you as an encouragement to practice the discipline of taking everything yes, everything - to God in prayer. (Adapted from the Cokesbury VBS curriculum, Surf Shack: Catch the Wave of God s Amazing Love. ) Think about something you are really worried about, for example: your health or the health of a loved one, financial stress, going to a new place and not knowing anyone, a life transition or a new experience you are anticipating. (Continued on pg 2)

2 (Continued from pg 1) Now follow these instructions: Place your hands on either side of your head. Gently rub your temples. When you feel the worry come all the way to the surface, pull it away from your head with both hands. Now roll the worry into a ball with your hands. Keep rolling that worry ball smaller and smaller, until it s the size of a little marble. Next, pray to the God who has the power to calm you when you are worried. Every last worry, Every last care, I give them to you, Lord. I give them in prayer. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Keep rolling the worry ball smaller, and smaller, and smaller until it completely disappears. Repeat this prayer experience often, and share it with others who are worried. While we may fall short of the challenge, don t worry, we are given the opportunity to let our requests be made known to God every hour of every day. We see, at the foot of the cross, that Jesus is with us, and guides us through the storms of life. Yours in Christ, Pastor Wesch For your Convenience During Sunday Worship: Large Print Bulletins and Worship Materials are available. Hearing Assistance Headphones are available for use during worship. Land and Seasons Service Sunday, September 18 10:15 Please join us in celebrating the beginning of fall with our special folk song based service Of the Land and Seasons. The acoustic group will provide special music. Acoustic group will practice on Monday, September 12 at 7:00. Sunday, September 18 After Worship Following our Land and Seasons worship service*, join us by the gazebo (or inside Fellowship Hall if the weather doesn t cooperate) for our annual church picnic. Pork BBQ, hot dogs and beverages will be provided. Members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert if you are able. We will also need many hands to help with set-up and clean-up. See the sign up sheet at the Sign Up Center. *NOTE: Only one service at 10:15 am on September 18.

3 September means the beginning of our choir year! Rehearsals begin on Thursday, September 8. Senior Choir (teens and adults) meets at 7:30 pm on Thursdays. The choir sings each week at the 10:15 am service and occasionally at the 7:45 am service. No experience needed. All are welcome. First practice is September 8. Junior Choirs (2 nd through 8 th grade) meets at 6:30 pm on Thursdays. This choir will participate in a festival on March 25, 2017 (We do this every 3 years). Middle school ages are included in this choir for the festival. The choirs will be divided as needed during the year. First practice is September 8. Cherub Choir (3 yrs. through 1 st grade) meets during the 9:00 am Sunday School hour. A schedule will be sent in early September. Teens that are interested in singing or playing their instruments are always welcome to help with worship. Talk to Patti Ditzel or Lisa Travis. Steeple and Stained Glass Windows Capital Campaign Little Zion s congregation unanimously approved a capital campaign of $50,000 to fund projects to restore the church s steeple, roof and stained glass windows. So far, the steeple contract has been awarded and work will take place at different stages through next spring. We expect to award the stained glass window project this month. We are about one quarter of the way to raising the funds we need to get the job done. As of August 14, LZ members have donated $12,214.00! Check the progress toward our goal on the poster in the narthex. If you would like to make a contribution, use a Steeple and Window campaign fund envelope from the display. For questions about the projects, please speak to Lee Smeltz. If you have any questions call Lisa Travis at or music@littlezion.org Join the Garden Club! You ll find much more than a garden variety of activities! We are reorganizing the garden club and would like to invite you to become a part of the new group. We are also looking for someone that would like to lead the group. The Garden Club is a group who is dedicated to keeping the church grounds looking welcoming. We help with clean-up to prepare the property for beautiful spring blooms, summer flowers and keeping things tidy throughout the year. Little Zion s campus is quite large and well landscaped, so many hands make those chores lighter. Any time that you want to pull weeds, spread mulch or edge, we welcome the help for keeping this beautiful property looking great! Contact Joyce Smeltz or the church office with your questions.

4 Saints and Sinners Graveyard Tour Mark your calendars! On Saturday October 15 at dusk, the Little Zion Dead Heads will be presenting the First Annual Haunted Graveyard Tour. After putting up with over 20 years of having the stones, earth and peace of the cemetery disturbed by the Dead Heads, our Saints and Sinners of the LZ graveyard have decided to return the favor and invite visitors; church members, their families, friends and the general community. Of course hauntings do not happen all by themselves. We will need lots of help! Attend our planning meeting on September 4 after church or visit the Sign up center to help with this exciting event! If you have questions, please contact Curt Keyes at Vacation Bible School 2016 We had a great week of Vacation Bible School at Little Zion's "Surf Shack with over 40 children registered. Thanks to all who helped to prepare the felt and sandpaper for the VBS craft that was sent to the Irente School for the Blind in Tanzania. So many people made it possible to "catch the wave of God's amazing love!" A special thank you to our VBS staff who shared God's love throughout the week. We are grateful for Lisa Travis, Gail and John Woehr, Lindsay Magill, Covington Smith, Cheryl and Connor Magee, Patty Slater, Paulette Gerhart, Jenn Flynn, Cheryl Gustafson, Anna Barndt, Jane Kershaw, Barry Bowman, Joan and Lee Liepin, Christian Barndt, Lauren Guthre, Nick Leiss, Sarah McCormick, Jasmine Casper, Madison Skrzat, Angelina Pawling, and Shayla Good.

5 Join the original walk event in the United States! Fight hunger globally and in your local community! CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by religious groups, businesses, schools and others to raise funds to end hunger in the U.S. and around the world. With your help, vulnerable children are reaching their milestone 5th birthday healthy and well nourished. Struggling families are learning new farming techniques that help them put food on the table and earn much-needed income. And, impoverished communities are developing reliable systems to provide safe, clean water. Participation in this event is literally changing lives. Those of us in the Indian Valley area are able to support Church World Service's CROP Hunger Walk by joining either the Pennridge Walk or the North Penn/Lansdale Walk. Here is a list of local Crop Walks in which you can participate this year: North Penn/Lansdale October 9, 2016 LOCATION: Trinity Lutheran Church 1000 Main Street Lansdale, PA Registration: 1:00 pm Walk Start: 1:30 pm CONTACT: Sue Jurina programassistant@mannaonmain.org Pennridge/Perkasie October 9, 2016 LOCATION: St. Andrews Lutheran Church 20 Dill Ave. Perkasie, PA Registration: 12:30 pm Walk Start: 1:00 pm CONTACT: Mary F. Long maryflong@hotmail.com Backpacks for Better Beginnings Little Zion is once again collecting monetary and school supply donations for an organization called Backpacks for Better Beginnings. The donations will serve underprivileged children in the City of Philadelphia. While you are out shopping this back-toschool season, please consider sponsoring a backpack for $15 or purchasing some supplies for those who would otherwise go without. Drop off your donations at Little Zion. All are welcome to help to assemble backpacks at 9:00 AM at Little Zion on September 11th in honor of the ELCA s God s work. Our hands. Sunday. Needed Items: School bags (most needed item) Marble notebooks Two-pocket folders Pencils Colored pencils Large pink erasers Rulers Supply boxes/plastic pencil boxes Glue sticks Blunt scissors Boxes of 24 crayons Hand sanitizer Dry erase markers and erasers Boxes of tissues

6 Prayer for the Irente School for the Blind Little Zion has recently partnered with the Irente School for the Blind in the Northeastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. We are excited for the possibilities that come with our partnership! On August 25, 2016, Pastor Brad Burke, Mrs. Joanne Carlson, and a delegation from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod traveled to Tanzania to visit with leaders, congregations, and schools in the Northeastern Diocese. While there, Pastor Brad Burke delivered crafts made for the students at the Irente School for the Blind by children at Little Zion s Vacation Bible School (and with the help of adults who prepared the materials). Our partnership with the Irente School for the Blind includes mutual prayer, that is, prayer for one another s ministries as God works in our midst. Join us as we pray for the students and staff of the Irente School for the Blind. Holy God, we praise you for the opportunity Little Zion has been given to partner with the Irente School for the Blind. We pray for the students, and we give thanks for the education and the guidance the students receive. We ask for your continued presence with Mama Ruben, the director of the school, with the staff, and with the students as they learn and grow. Thank you for uniting us in the name of Jesus. Amen. Sunday School begins September 18 at 9:00 am. Children 4 years-6 th grade meet downstairs in the Sunday school building. Confirmation classes also meet downstairs. All others are welcome to join the adult forum in the Fellowship Hall. Fall Clean- Up Day Saturday, October 29 Come out for a morning of yard clean-up on October 29 beginning at 9:00 am. We will clean out the flower beds around the church and church house and do some other outside chores before winter. Coffee and donuts will be available! We have tools bring your gloves! Harvest Home On Sunday October 9, Little Zion will again celebrate Harvest Home. The church will be decorated with quilts, Indian corn and cornstalks. We will be collecting non-perishable food for Keystone Opportunity Center. Thanks in advance for your support!

7 Sunday Worship at 7:45 am & 10:15 am Sunday School for all ages at 9:00 am (except where noted) Every Monday: Boy Scout Troop 16, 7pm, Church House Every Monday: Cub Scout Pack 10, 7pm, Fellowship Hall Every other Tuesday: Girl Scout Troop 7077, 6:30 pm FH Every Wednesday: Deadheads, 9:00 am 3rd Wednesday: Eastern Star, 7pm Every Friday: AA & Al Anon, 8pm Every Sunday: Confirmation Class, 9am (Starting 9/18) Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Notes: Nursery care is available at 10:15 am Children s Message at the 10:15 am service. 4 Worship 9:00 am service 5 Labor Day Church Office Closed 6 7 Property Committee 9:00 am-12:00 pm 8 Choir: Jr: 6:30 pm Sr: 7:30 pm Patriot Day Worship 7:45 am & 10:15 am God s Work, Our Hands 12 Quilters 1-4 pm Acoustic group Practice: 7pm Finance Mtg 7pm 13 Church Council Meeting 7:00 pm 14 Property Committee 9:00 am-12:00 pm 15 Choir: Jr: 6:30 pm Sr: 7:30 pm :00 am Sunday School & Confirmation Class 10:15 am Land & Season Picnic after Worship 19 Quilters 1-4 pm 20 Faith Formation Meeting 7:00 pm 21 Property Committee 9:00 am-12:00 pm Women of Little Zion 12:00 noon 22 Autumn Begins Choir: Jr: 6:30 pm Sr: 7:30 pm Worship 7:45 am & 10:15 am 9:00 am Sunday School & Confirmation Class 26 Quilters 1-4 pm Property Committee 9:00 am-12:00 pm 29 Choir: Jr: 6:30 pm Sr: 7:30 pm 30

8 The Church Council approved a donation of $500 from the Mildred Mitchell Outreach Fund to support End Hunger Now Northeast, the meal packing event being sponsored by the Upper Bucks Conference on September 11, 2016, at St. John's Lutheran in Spinnerstown. For more information or questions, please speak to any council member. Council meetings are open to congregation members and are held in the Fellowship Hall on the 2nd Tuesday of the month beginning at 7:00 pm. 10/2/2016 Lutheran Community 2:30 10/7/16 Confirmation Retreat 10/9/16 Harvest Home Sunday 10/15/16 Saints and Sinners Graveyard Tour 10/16/16 Praise Service 10/17/16 Bishop s Convocation 10/29/16 Fall Clean Up Day 10/30/16 Reformation Sunday Sept 1: Sept 2: Sept 5: Sept 6: Sept 8: Sept 10: Sept 13: Sept 14: Sept 17: Sept 19: Sept 22: Sept 25: Sept 28: Sept 29: Sept 30: This Month s Birthdays George Moyer Vanessa Bargher Kay Stout John Gerhart Lucy Magill Stephen Micsion Doris Kaucher Charlie Merrill Caryl Sitarski Verna Constanzer Brandon Trulock Donna Barndt Michele Micsion Wayne Slater Christopher Famularo Erv Kaucher Steve Barndt Note: The information for the birthdays listed in the newsletter comes from Little Zion s membership database. We would love to include your birthday in our monthly newsletter. If your birthday isn't listed, please contact the church office. We will be happy include your information in our database. Submissions for the October Messenger issue are due to the church office by September 15. Send your information and articles to administrator@littlezion.org. Little Zion Lutheran Church at Indianfield