Eye on Zion. From the Desk of Pastor Lee February 2017

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1 Eye on Zion From the Desk of February 2017 Immediately the father of the child cried out, I believe; help my unbelief! -Mark 9:24 A father s desperate plea. His son was being tortured by a spirit that left him mute and foaming at the mouth. It was an ailment that his son had suffered since he was a young boy. Hoping for a miracle, the father brought his son to Jesus disciples, but they were not able to do anything. So, the father brought his son directly to Jesus, begging Jesus, if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us. Jesus reminded the father, All things can be done for the one who believes. That is the trap belief. It sounds like such a simple condition. All we have to do is believe. This simple condition, however, seems to be forever out of reach for us. We can yearn for belief, wish for it and desperately want it; however, belief, like faith, is not something that we can manufacture for ourselves. Perhaps, this is why the father answered Jesus call to believe by saying, I believe; help my unbelief! Despite what many television preachers and prosperity Gospel salespeople will try to sell us, belief is not as easy as turning on a switch. None of us can simply believe at will, no matter how much we want to believe. Belief is born through time and experience. In addiction recovery groups, there is a slogan that says, Fake it until you make it. In terms of belief, this means to act as if you believe even when you are struggling to believe. This faking is not dishonest; rather, it is helping to build that time and experience in us that leads to belief. Instead of belief being a switch to turn on, it is a path on which we travel. The Holy Spirit guides us down this path that we would never travel on our own, helping us one step at a time to act in belief even before our will can believe. There are many ways to fake it before we make it. We can set aside a short time each day for simple prayer and Bible readings. We can come together with other Christians, letting the faith of the group strengthen us. We can make regular use of God s means of grace in Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. In short, we can be in community together with our God and with each other, walking the path of belief together when we do not have strength in us to walk that path alone. Like that desperate father of long ago, we do not have to wait to believe to act in belief. We can turn to our God even in times of severe doubt and confess, I believe; help my unbelief! Your Friend in Christ,

2 From the Pastor: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, There's an old joke that, while it names Lutherans, I suspect could be applied to most "mainline" Protestants and Roman Catholics: Q: What do you get when you cross a Lutheran with a Seventh Day Adventist? A: Someone who goes door-to-door but has no idea what to say! There's something both funny and just a little bit painful about that joke precisely because it's true. Lutherans...and Presbyterians and Methodists and Episcopalians and Roman Catholics, as well... get incredibly uncomfortable when we talk about evangelism. That is largely because we assume that evangelism refers to just that sort of door-to-door encounter. A kind of fire-and-brimstone approach to sharing the "love" of God wrapped in the threat of God's judgment. You know, "God loves you so much that God wants to spend eternity with you...but if you don't believe this, then God will send you to hell." (Something a theologian, Karl Barth, once called "the gospel at gunpoint"). But that's not really what evangelism is about. The word itself comes from a Greek word meaning "good news," which we often translate "gospel." So evangelism is nothing more and nothing less than sharing the good news of just how much God loves us and the world. More and more, experts on evangelism are admitting that going door to door or approaching strangers at the mall to confront them about their salvation is just not an effective way to share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. In fact, just the opposite. It sends people running in the opposite direction because it feels like they are being attacked. So you can let go of any guilt you might be feeling because you are not brave enough to do that kind of evangelism. It doesn't work anyway. Effective evangelism is best done in the context of an existing relationship. There needs to be trust between two people before talking about spiritual matters will be helpful or meaningful. If you want to help someone come to faith in Jesus Christ, you first need to become their friend so that what you eventually say about Jesus will have some credibility with them. When the time comes that a spiritual conversation does happen naturally, share from your own experience what faith in Jesus has meant to you. Tell them how your relationship with Jesus has changed your life for the better. Talk about how Jesus has gotten you through times of crisis. Share the joy of knowing you are loved by God. There is no need to pull out your Bible and start hitting them over the head with Bible verses they won't really understand anyway. That learning can come later. Just be a safe person with whom they can ask their "God" questions. You don't have to have all the answers. "I don't know. What do you think?" or "I don't know, but my experience has been " are good responses to try when you don't know what else to say. You can always suggest they talk to a pastor about their questions. You could ever offer to go with them to your pastor if it would make them more comfortable. Evangelism isn't something we need to fear. God doesn't want us to force the issue with people so that they feel cornered or attacked. If you know someone who needs to know Jesus, start by being their friend. That is the best way to show them the love God has for them in Jesus Christ. Grace and Peace,

3 DISCIPLES OF THE PLAINS Parish Council Meeting Minutes December 1, 2016 (unapproved) Disciples of the Plains Parish Council met December 1, 2016 at St. John, Kensington. Council members present were Dennis Lehmann & Tom Bose (American); Paul Merklein & Sharon Krafft (Emmanuel); Linda Miller & Bill Molzahn (St. John); and Bob Lamp & Ricky Solida (Zion). Pastoral team members present were Pastor Lorna Paulus & Bennight. Russell Dettmer, Parish Treasurer was also in attendance. I. Call to Order - The meeting was called to order by Chairman, Dennis at 7:30 p.m. II. Devotions - Pastor Lorna read an Advent devotion taken from a post on the Central States Synod website. III. Approve Agenda - It was decided once again to table the Mutual Ministry recommendations on ministry review and evaluations until the next meeting. Bob made a motion to approve the agenda as amended. Ricky seconded. Motion carried. IV. Prior Meeting's Minutes - Linda moved and Paul seconded to approve the minutes of the September 26th meeting as printed. Motion carried. V. Treasurer's Report - After Russell gave a summary, he pointed out the following: Reconciliation Committee met November 27th (no discrepancies found) and Ashby House checks were mailed. Discussion was had about the CCLI license reporting requirements. The 2017 Parish Budget was approved by the church councils and will be included in their congregational Annual reports. Ricky moved, Linda seconded, and motion carried to approve the Treasurer's report as printed. Russell left the meeting at this time. VI. Other Reports - (A) No Communication Coordinator's report available. (B) Pastors' Reports - and Pastor Lorna submitted printed reports. commented on the Phillips County Ministerial Alliance. Bob moved and Paul seconded to approve the Pastors' reports. Motion carried. (C) Reconciliation Committee - see V. Treasurer's report notes VII. New Business - (A) Budget Approval - see V. Treasurer's report notes (B) Recruitment of new Parish Council members - a member from each congregation will join the Council (two year term); and take office February 1st. VIII. Next Meeting is scheduled for February 23rd at 7:30 p.m. at Zion. IX. With no further business, the meeting adjourned with the Lord's Prayer. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Krafft, Secretary

4 Council Minutes January 4, 2017 (unapproved) The monthly council meeting of Zion Lutheran Church was called to order by President Ricky Solida on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at 8 p.m. Members present: Ricky, Bennight, Dennis Keesee, Kim Overmiller, Cheryl Keesee and Sue Kipp. Absent: Steven Rust. Financial records were not able to be audited due to meeting early to approve the budget before the annual meeting. led the group in prayer. The agenda was approved after one addition to New Business with a motion by Cheryl and seconded by Dennis. The minutes were approved with a motion by Dennis and seconded by. The Pastor s report and Treasurer report was not available. Team Reports: Congregational Life, Property, Trust Fund, Parish Council, and Missions and Membership did not meet. Parish Ministry report was given by Kim. The Christmas program went great and the Wednesday night at Zion started January 4., and Music, reported Epiphany service is set for January 6, 2017, and worship service will use the Haugen setting. Old Business: The software for improved documentation is in process. Zion s Annual Meeting is scheduled for January 22, 2017, with a potluck following worship. The 2017 proposed church budget was reviewed and several changes were made with the council approving the budget to be presented for vote at annual meeting. Dennis received the quote from Yanda Music for the sound system. The bid was for $13, to replace all speakers, wires, jacks. The decision was tabled to allow Dennis to complete adequate research into all options. New Business: The council supported s suggestion to sponsor the Luther movie at the theater to celebrate the 500 TH Reformation Anniversary. He will check into details and report at next month s meeting. The next meeting will be Monday, February 13, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. Steven is scheduled to audit the financial records. The meeting was closed with the Lord s Prayer. Sue Kipp, Secretary Ash Wednesday Schedule March 1, :00 Zion Lutheran Church Imposition of Ashes with Holy Communion. A Simple, spoken service offered as an alternative to the evening service. 2:00 Phillips County Retirement Center Imposition of Ashes with Holy Communion An ecumenical service with the residents of PCRC 7:30 Emmanuel Imposition of Ashes with Holy Communion This is the main Ash Wednesday observation with music and hymns.

5 Zion Lutheran Church th Street Phillipsburg, Kansas (785) Church s zionlu@ruraltel.net Pastor s leebennight@gmail.com Anniversaries 2-16 Bob & Deena Lamp (37 th ) 2-26 Jerry & Vivian Meyer (35 th ) Parsonage Phone Pastors Cell Phone (785) (785) Pastor: Lee Bennight Editor: Deanna Ewing, Parish Secretary 2017 Church Council President: Ricky Solida Vice-President: Tamra Griffey Treasurer: Dennis Keesee Secretary: Leanna Driggs Congregational Life Team: Cheryl Keesee Property: Steven Rust Finance Team: Dennis Keesee Trust Fund Committee: Dennis Keesee Parish Ministry Team: Schedule 10:30 Service Newsletter Deadline for the next issue is February 15, 2017 ACOLYTES 5 Madison Solida 12 Lauren Gibbs 19 Devin Johnson 26 Theo Keesee LECTORS 5 Marci Rust 12 Erin Patton 19 Theo Keesee 26 Ray Zillinger GREETERS 5 Jeff & Tamra Griffey 12 Kim Overmiller & Girls 19 Brad & Shellie Lare 26 Melvin & Grace Grau Birthdays 2-02 Ray Zillinger 2-03 Trenton Solida 2-09 Hunter Ewing 2-10 Brandi Buckley 2-12 Aaron Beckman 2-13 William Keesee 2-14 Jordan King 2-22 Lynda Riley 2-28 Jonathan Schoen USHER CAPTAIN 5 Howard King 12 Karin Patton 19 Janet McCall 26 Howard King ALTAR GUILD Marci & Pat Rust Happy Valentine s Day February 14th

6 Zion Lutheran Church February 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 6:30 pm Youth Night Meal Confirmation/ Youth night :15 am Early Bird Bible Study at Shelly Ann's Cafe Confirmation/ Youth Night Evening Bible Study at Zion Hospital Run :30 pm Council Meeting Confirmation/Youth Night :15 am Early Bird Bible Study at Shelly Ann's Café Confirmation/Youth Night 7:30 pm Parish Council Meeting at Zion 9:30 am Morning Circle Bible Study Pastor Lorna

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