Zion Lutheran Church - Sunbury, Pa Called by faith to share Christ s Love with all people

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1 ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH 15 S. 5th St. P.O. Box 605 OFFICE HOURS- Mon- Fri. - 9am- 4pm. Phone (570) zionsunbury@ptd.net SEPTEMBER 2018 NON-PROFIT.ORG. U. S. POSTAGE PAID Sunbury, PA. PERMIT No 167 Zion Lutheran Church - Sunbury, Pa Called by faith to share Christ s Love with all people Sunbury, PA Address Service Requested 12 THE MESSENGER Sunday Ministries September-see below Midweek Ministries 4:30pm Bible Study/ Supper 6:30pm Midweek Worship ansunbury.com Sunday, September 2 15th Sunday after Pentecost 9:00am Worship Sunday, September 9 16th Sunday after Pentecost 10:30 am- Unified Worship in the Garden 12:00 pm-lunch / Service Projects Sunday, September 16 17th Sunday after Pentecost 8am- Worship in the Chapel 9:15am-Rally Day 10:30am- Worship in the Nave Sunday, September 23 18th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, September 30 19th Sunday after Pentecost

2 Sunday, September 9th, :30am Worship in the Garden (weather permitting) Celebrating who we are as The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Service activities offer an opportunity for us to explore one of our most basic convictions as Lutherans: that all of life in Jesus Christ every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God s grace. Food Drive for Troops-This year, we are collecting specific food items to send care packages to our U. S. military troops stationed in Syria: You can help by donating packets of: tuna, chicken, ramen noodles, nuts, crackers, etc. Supporting Students Collecting hand sanitizer, box tissues, dry erase markers and glue sticks for classrooms in the Shikellamy School District. 70 sheet notebooks, 30 centimeter rulers, (or rulers with centimeters on one side and inches on the other), hand pencil sharpeners, pairs of safety scissors w/ embedded steel blades, unsharpened #2 pencils w/ erasers; black or blue pens (no gel ink), boxes of 16 or 24 crayons, 2 ½ erasers. Ministry to residents of Sunshine Corners, an assisted living center in Sunbury. Our youth will be visiting the residents on Day of Service. Meals to Shut ins making and delivering a meal to members and friends unable to worship at Zion with us. The Hospitality Committee leads this outreach. "Tea at the Towers" with residents of the River Front Apartments. Donations needed: cookies-drop, bar or sliced. Sandwiches-any type cut into halves. Please identify if nuts or almond flavoring are used in items. They can be dropped off in Room 203 the morning of September 9th. Please contact Cindy Spang at or Audrey Brosius at if planning to donate or with questions. 2 Birthday Blessings to... September 1 John Shainline Brady Wolfe September 2 Nancy Ditty September 3 Bill Beck John Edwards Marsha Eichner September 4 Mary Weaver September 5 Holly Zimmerman September 6 Jay Umholtz September 7 Emily Engle Jim Siegfried September 8 Debra Gottshall September 9 Nancy Burns Bethany Deppen September 12 Alexandria Heim September 11 Melanie Moore September 13 Linda Kistner September 16 Stacey Ranck September 17 TJ Burk Linsey Fasold Jordan Kuhns Kathryn Kunkel September 18 Kelly Troupe September 19 Ronald Gay Paula Shoch September 22 Barbara Smillie September 23 Theron Conrad Matthew Williams If you are a member of the congregation, have a birthday in this month, but are not listed, please or call the church office. 11 September 24 Gail Burns James Fleming Marianne Weaver September 25 Dorothy Moyer September 26 Gail Dvorshak Jesse Moore Harper Scholl September 27 Brian Gheen Adelyn Henry Bill Lenker September 28 McKenna Beck Lawrence Becker September 29 Jackie Burk David Eichner September 30 Sarah Young Wednesday Night Ministries Discussion Group 4:30pm Room 203 Worship 6:30pm Chapel See you there!

3 Sunday, September 16 5:30pm Youth Olympics 2018 Open to anyone in 6th 12th grades Join in for an evening of fellowship and fun competition! Youth from Zion and other local faith organizations (and their friends) will gather with us for an evening of Stewardship at Zion How do you serve your church? Worship is the heart of a congregation s life and so affects and concerns us all. The Worship and Music Committee needs people interested in best implementing our faith expressions amidst the growing challenges we face. This month s meeting : 6:30pm. The Property Committee oversees the building and grounds. Zion is a glorious facility built to serve God s glory...imagine what the corner of 5th & market might be if it was gone! Become a steward in this regard and you will literally serve the Lord s House! They meet the 1st Tuesday in October at 6pm. all new Olympic events, medal ceremony and pizza! See you then...bring a friend! 10 Make your Reservation NOW for Congregational Night Out! We will be enjoying the Valley Players Dinner Theater ; Cliffhanger - a mystery-comedy by James Yaffe about a college professor entangled in a murder! The production will be held at the Packer House, Sunbury, on November 2nd. Reservations: must be made in advance of the show, by contacting Bob Zimmerman by September 17th. As someone who enjoys a good political discussion, I ve found myself strangely quiet these days. I have cut down on my viewing of Cable news shows, and have avoided conversations that I know will end in political debate. I ve grown tired of words spoken without any apparent thought behind them and of experts seeking to monopolize air time to promote their theories. The goal is to win the argument, the election, the admiration of others, with little regard for seeking real solutions to today s problems, for the truth. It s hard not to get swept up in the emotion, and to repeat one sides talking points. Yet I wonder if seeking the truth and looking for practical solutions to life isn t best served by putting away the endless talk about our opinions, and instead, learning to listen. In John 6, Jesus teachings were very hard for people to understand. They offered a different way of being that didn t fit into people s ideas of how life should be. As a result, many of his followers simply left and went back to the way things had always been. Yet, when Jesus asked his disciples what they would do, Peter responded, Where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. They didn t fully understand what Jesus was saying nor the consequences. They only knew that in Jesus, there was truth and life. We proclaim that same message as the church today. It is captured well in the words of a song, Word of God Speak : I'm finding myself at a loss for words-and the funny thing is -it's OK The last thing I need, is to be heard-but to hear what You would say Word of God speak! Would You pour down like rain? Washing my eyes to see Your majesty. To be still and know that You're in this place Please let me stay and rest in Your holiness- Word of God speak! MercyMe - Word Of God Speak Lyrics MetroLyrics These days, I believe this is at the heart of our mission and purpose as the Church of Jesus Christ. We are not to somehow make room for Jesus within our lives, our politics, our hopes and aspirations, but to allow the truth of God s love to shape our lives, our politics, all of who we are. On September 16th, Rally Day, we will once again kick-off our Fall Christian Education programming, with one goal in mind: to seek-to be open to God s word and spirit, and to listen to what Christ is up to within our world. Come, join in, as we seek the truth together! 3 -Pastor Rich

4 September 9/2/18: Worship Service 9am Nave Day of Service 9/9/18 Unified Worship 10:30am Garden 9/16/18: RALLY DAY 2 Service Worship Schedule resumes for Fall 8am Worship in the Chapel 9:15am Growing in Faith Together Rally Day! 10:30am Worship in the Nave The Church Office/ Building will be closed Monday September 3rd in observance of Labor Day. President Chris Minnich Secretary Kim Crissinger Zion Council Officers 4 2nd Sunday Fellowship Group will NOT meet in September so that everyone will have the opportunity to participate in Day of Service. 2nd Sunday WILL take place on the second Sunday of the month in October. Watch for details about our next outing! Vice President Ben Heim Treasurer Cheryl Beeler When days get shorter and kids and teachers head back to school, it means that Rally Day is just around the corner time to kick off another year of spiritual growth and learning! Rally with us September 16 th as we bring Christ and our call to discipleship back into focus with some new programming times and ideas! The following will be available Sunday mornings: 9:15a-10:15: Sunday School: Elementary School-aged Children 9:15 10:15: Adult Sunday School, During 10:30 Service, after the Children s Sermon, until Communion: Sunday School for Children ages 3, 4 and 5 years In addition to Sundays, the following classes/activities will be offered: Wednesday Night Discussion Group Youth Group Growing in faith is not a linear process it is a life-long journey. From our youngest members to those who have received their 50 year cross, it takes effort to set time aside during our busy weeks to focus on where God is leading us. But you don t have to go it alone! The Christian Education Committee will be trying new programs and schedules in an effort to ensure that every member of Zion has the support they need to continue forward on their spiritual path. We need your ideas and feedback as we seek to shake things up a bit! On July 31st, for the second year, Zion volunteers manned the food stand at the Beck Back to School Event coordinated by the United Way. The event encourages youth as they get ready to start classes in the fall to let them know their community cares. It is always a pleasure to see David Laudenslager who interns at the United Way and helps coordinate this event. I would like to thank Marianne Menapace and her granddaughters, Mike Dock, Larry Herrold, and Robin Kerstetter who worked at the food stand. Also, a special thank you to all who provided treats for the children. Please continue to watch for ways that you can use your God-given strengths to serve others in the community and the world. What inspires you? Please share your ideas with members of Zion's council. -Kim Crissinger 9

5 Be a Singer! Be a Ringer! You can still join Zion s Chancel and Bell Choirs. All abilities are welcome. Singers rehearse Wednesdays at 7:30pm in the chapel. Ringers rehearse at 6:30pm in Room 109-ground floor. Stephen Ministry Corner Our first month of member outreach and home visits was declared a success! Many thanks to the volunteers who selflessly gave time to visit some of our fellow parishioners who have not been able to worship with us as frequently as they would like. We plan to continue this ministry and have more homebound members who would enjoy visits. With that, we are seeking a few more volunteers (4-6), even a married couple to visit another couple, to help with visitation. It only takes about two hours per month, ability to share conversation, a laugh and a prayer. Will you consider helping us with this mission? Think about your talents and if you d be willing to help please contact Amy Minnich at Elijah s Bowl Saturday, September 15th Food 9am Table 10am First Presbyterian Church Market Street Sunbury Youth are encouraged to come and help out! Zion is collecting... Box-Tops for Education to benefit schools in the Shikellamy School District. Box-Tops (found on many brand-name foods and other items) can be brought in throughout the year. Look for the little blue mailboxes in the designated area of the nave and outside the office. This month we are also collecting items for Day of Service: School supplies Non-perishable food see page 2. Attention Crafters!!! The Mission Mall craft group will resume meeting this month, making crafts to benefit the charities of represented at Zion s Mission Mall. Join us for the fun on September 10th (Monday) at 6:30 pm in Room 203 All project materials are provided! Please RSVP to Amy Hoffman or Dolores Geise ( ) 5 Zion Book Club s September's selection is The Summer I Dared by Barbara Delinsky. The discussion on this book will be led by Cheryl Beeler. Our monthly Meeting is Wednesday, September 12th At 1:30pm in the Church Parlor. October's selection is Call the Nurse by Mary MacLeod.. Our meetings are the 2nd Wednesday of the month! New members are always welcome!

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