Zion s Good News. MARCH Worship and Learning Schedule MARCH Sunday Morning Worship 9:00 a.m. March 4, 11, 18 and 25. First Communion March 11

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1 Stratford, WI We re on the web! Zion Lutheran Church 700 North Second Avenue Phone: Fax: Address Service Requested Non Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Stratford, WI Permit No. 6 ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH Zion s Good News MARCH 2018 MARCH Worship and Learning Schedule Sunday Morning Worship 9:00 a.m. March 4, 11, 18 and 25 First Communion March 11 Tuesday Morning Bible Study 10:00 a.m. March 6, 13, 20 and 27 Contemplative Worship 6:00 p.m. Thursday, March 22 Palm Sunday March 25 Maundy Thursday March 29 See page 6 Good Friday March 30 Stations of the Cross Private Devotions Noon 3:00 p.m. Worship at 5:30 p.m. See page 6 Easter Worship 6:30 a.m., 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Communion will be served at all services. Breakfast served from 6:45 a.m. 7:45 a.m.

2 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 As I m writing this, we are only a week into Lent and already tragedy has caused deep concern in my heart. Sometimes hard and painful things happen to people they get sick or even die. I m still reeling from the horrific death of students in Florida. Ash Wednesday s You are dust and to dust you will return, was branded in my brain, as well as on my forehead, this year. Loss is a part of life; I realize this. Sometimes we lose a pet, or a family member leaves for a while, or even forever. Sometimes these things happen to other people, and sometimes they happen to us. The scripture verse above reminds us that God is close to us when we are sad, when we feel broken and angry and alone even when we do not feel God close to us. When I think about this journey of Lent I can t help but look forward. The end of Lent is Easter and Easter tells the story of Jesus resurrection from the dead, but not before he faces the cross. It s a tremendous help to me in times of sorrow to know we have a Savior who knows deep and real pain. Many of Jesus friends abandoned him. Jesus was beaten, and people said awful things to him and about him. He felt alone and scared. And then he died. God knows what our worst feelings feel like. And God has promised that he will never leave us when we are alone. My thoughts and prayers have been with the families of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This is a very lonely, dark time for them. I ve made a point of writing the list of names into my prayer list as a reminder. Take some time with your family this Lenten season to name a person or persons who are having a hard time. They can be inside your house or outside (and it s ok to name yourself). Think of ways to reach out to them and let them know they are not alone. Take some time to pray together for these people. Whether you know them or not, they need your prayers. Pastor Sue YOUR CHURCH STAFF COUNCIL MEMBERS President: Brenda Castellano V. Pres.: Becky Curtis Secretary: Angie Guralski Treasurer: Marge Redetzke Evangelism: Cory Wiesman Faith Formation: Jackie Fischer & Kaitlyn Ulrich Property: Lee Spindler Stewardship: Amy Cournoyer Worship: Lois Miller PASTOR: Sue Eidahl Home Phone: eides@zionlc.com DCM: Craig Gauerke Phone: craig@zionlc.com Secretary: Lori Lang office@zionlc.com WAYS TO CONNECT WITH ZION Write us at Zion Lutheran Church, 700 North Second Ave, Stratford, WI Phone us at :30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or leave a voice mail message. Or us at office@zionlc.com or directly to s above. WEB SITE: TRADITIONAL WORSHIP 9:00 a.m. INDEX Page 1 March Schedule 2 Pastor Sue s Letter 3 Craig s Letter 4 Book of the Month / J-Team and Little Lutherans / Scholarships 5 I AM Statements of Jesus / Could the World be about to Turn? 6 Maundy Thursday and Good Friday / Lenten Challenge / Lilies 7 Council Minutes / Building Update 8 Wall of Support / High School Youth Group / Pie Sale / Faith Formation Team Meeting 9 Walking Together / Pastoral Acts 10 Birthdays and Anniversaries 11 Church Staff and Index Pull out: March Calendar and Serving Schedule NEWSLETTER DEADLINE The 21st of each month. ANNOUNCEMENT DEADLINE Wednesdays by 9:00 a.m. WEEKLY Goes out on Monday morning. office@zionlc.com to be added to the receiver list. PLEASE keep the office updated: Address & changes Births, Deaths, Hospitalizations Phone / Cell changes 2 11

3 MARCH BIRTHDAYS 3 - Heather Pupp 4 - Gary Lang 5 Wynn Schoenherr 7 - Travis Moen Russ Dahlke Heather Trachte 8 - Denise Marg 10 - Isaac Kramer Anna Spaeth Megan Johnson Sandy Grell 11 - Jordan Weber Colin Cole Brenda Castellano Addison Beining 12 - Scott Trachte 13 - Kathy Zuelke Macey Kilty Maxwell Fischer 14 - Ruby Thompson 15 Evalyn Joswiak 16 - Emilie Greenberg Malia Hoesly Finley White Dayton White 18 - James Carpenter 19 - Tom Schoenherr 21 - Dan Weber Shane Moen Amii Kreft 22 - Shirley Skerhutt Brian LaSee 26 - Diane Dennee Bernie Huser Chris Murphy 28 Michelle Multerer Jordy Trachte Avery White 29 - Charles Foley Mackenzie Frueh Opal Ford-Werner Natalie Messerschmidt 30 - Olivia Ballerstein MARCH ANNIVERSARIES 6 - Russ & Cheryl Dahlke 12 Gary Plank & Dar Pawlik Plank 19 - Douglas & Marilyn Bolen 24 Jim & Cory Wiesman 25 - Ron & Shelby Schmitz I would like to share with you a few excerpts from an article by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson in the March 2018 issue of Sojourners magazine titled, Bowling Together - Rejecting the Heresy of Individualism. In this article, Granberg-Michaelson argues that a community needs to be more than just a collection of individuals. Another way to look at this is, there must be more members who can say me for the community, than those who say the community for me. What a profound statement, which we all should think about and pray about going forward. To me this above statement echoes thoughts from two great leaders from America s past. When John F. Kennedy said, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country. And, when Ronald Reagan said, we can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. All three of these statements get to the core of what the community of Christ is all about. Shedding our individualism and becoming one community for the greater good. A final thought from Granberg-Michaelson, which truly sums up the New Testaments message regarding community life. Much of the New Testament is devoted to explaining, exhorting, and instructing those who follow Jesus what it means to live together as a community, experiencing the gifts of the Spirit, and demonstrating the unity and reconciliation that is God s gift. Thus, the metaphor of existing together as one body highlights powerfully the intrinsic interdependence of every member with one another. One s relationship to God is placed in a new relationship of love to one another. This is not an optional choice, but a defining connection. Christian faith, incorporating us into the reach of God s grace, binds us to one another as Christ s body. This Christian understanding of community clarifies that those who follow Jesus are not a random collection of individuals. We are ONE in Christ. Craig Gauerke, DCM 10 3

4 Book of the Month: 1 st Corinthians Each day of the week read the same verses three times. Try different speeds of reading. What words stick out to you on Monday may be different on Friday. Think about the meaning in your life, and the lives of others around you. Enjoy! Walking Together 2018 The church has left the building to be the church! Week of March 4 th : 1 Corinthians 3:16 Week of March 11 th : 1 Corinthians 6:12 Week of March 18 th : 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 Week of March 25 th : 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Little Lutherans (Kindergarten 3 rd Grade) and J-Team (4 th 6 th Grade) will meet on Wednesday, March 7th and March 21st, at 3:00 p.m. Scholarships Available Zion Lutheran Church provides the following scholarships for graduating high school seniors: The Marie Zuelke Scholarship (1): $500 scholarship, with an extra $100 if the graduating senior attends a Christian college or university. The Grace M. E. Carpenter Memorial Scholarship Fund (2): $500 scholarships given to two graduating seniors. Come and join us for the 9th annual Walking Together event! This day of learning and workshops is designed each year for people from around the synod to worship and collaborate, hear about best practices in congregations, get inspired and experiment with new and creative ministries, and gain some helpful tools to use in their congregations. Saturday, March 17, 2018 Davies Center UW Eau Claire 35+ Workshops will include topics like: Story, Identity & Stereotypes; Holy Cow! I Never Knew That About My Church!; Emerging Adults Left With Elvis; Come - Picture the Bible; Worship Live; Faith, Science & Our Stewardship of Creation; The Dos and Don ts of Marketing in Your Church...and many more! Online registration can be found on the synod website nwswi.org in the calendar of events. Cost $20 per person (includes lunch). If you are planning to further your education and are a confirmed member of Zion Lutheran Church, you are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Applications can be found on the Zion Lutheran website under Ministries, Faith Formation then Contact Information & Important Docs. Due Friday March 30 th by 8PM (No late submissions accepted) PASTORAL ACTS Baptism of Kolton Joseph Zimmermann, son of Brooke Zimmermann. 4 9

5 WALL OF SUPPORT Want to support Zion Youth get to Houston, TX? Pick a donation slip from the Wall of Support. Return donation to the Church Office by April 1 st. It is that simple! TOPICAL & RELAXING Meet in the NEW youth room in the education wing, down stairs to the left. 7:30 8:30PM I AM Statements of Jesus Join us for worship on Wednesday nights when we will look at some of the names Jesus gave himself, those beginning with the words I AM. Jesus identified himself with the holy name of God, the name God gave to Moses when he set the people of Israel free from slavery. He is the I AM, the God who saves and sets people free! March 7 I AM the Door March 14 I AM the Resurrection and the Life. March 21 I AM the Vine Worship begins at 5:30 p.m. Soup and Sandwich supper follows. Pumpkin Blueberry Raspberry Blackberry Pecan Apple Cherry Caramel Apple Custard Peach $8 per π Pre Order Now!!!! Delivered on 3/25/2018 Basket with order forms and $$ drop will be in the Narthex. Pay in advance or at delivery. Proceeds to help benefit the National Youth Gathering Group. Contact Keith at for more information. Faith Formation Team Meeting March 6 th 7:00PM - 8:00PM Anyone who has a passion for youth ministry programming is welcome to come. Contact Craig, DCM for more information. Could the World be about to Turn? Sunday Morning Worship Lent is something of a journey of discovery, where we face ourselves and God s dreams for us. We also acknowledge the distance between who we are and who God is calling us to become. In Lent we recognize that we are waiting for the powerful movement of God to usher us into a life larger, fuller, deeper, and more spirit-inspired. In other words, we journey with Jesus through death to the incredible wonder of resurrection life. Could the World be about to Turn? March 4 Walking with Authority March 11 "Walking Among Snakes March 18 Walking Through Death to Life March 25 Palm Sunday Passion of Mark April 1 Easter Who s Fooling Who? 8 5

6 Maundy Thursday Worship - 5:30 p.m. Love One Another, will include a reading of the Passover Text. Hand Washing and Holy Communion. Good Friday Worship - 5:30 p.m. Good Friday Tenebrae Service will include I witness reports from the Last Supper, Garden of Gethsemane, and Golgotha. LENTEN CHALLENGE As January s floods revealed, Malawi s climate is challenging. They have seven to eight months without rain, followed by torrential downpours pounding their parched landscapes. Climate change may make things worse, but the pursuit of charcoal and firewood, and the wholesale destruction of indigenous forests in favor of maize, has left the country vulnerable. Forests regulate water flow and protect topsoil. Restore the forests and you will go a long way to preventing flooding. Design the forests along holistic permaculture principles and you will achieve much more: water harvesting, fuel wood, high-quality timber, indigenous forest restoration and highly diverse food production. In a country where almost half the children under five are malnourished and chronic hunger is common, any holistic solution must consider food sovereignty. The Lutheran Church of Malawi is supporting this work. They are training pastors to train congregations in the work of permaculture. The cost for training each pastor is $1000. Our Lenten Challenge is to raise enough to train the pastor of our sister congregation of Mpenda. Simply write Malawi on your check and we will get it to the right place. Lilies will be used to brighten our sanctuary for Easter. They may be given in honor or memory of family and friends. Lilies may be taken home following worship on Easter morning. Lilies are $10.00 and the deadline is Palm Sunday. Palms will be used for Palm Sunday. If you would like to help pay for palms please do so. Yellow order forms for Lilies and Palms are available in the Sanctuary, or call the office. Council Minutes Zion Lutheran Church Council met on Monday February 26, 2018 President Brenda Castellano called the meeting to order. Angie Guralski led with devotions. During the meeting the council: Approved the Secretary Report. Approved the Treasurer Report. Approved the Ministry Team Report Pastor is working on Holy Week services, Contemplative Services will be held on the 4 th Thursdays of the month, Craig is getting to know people yet working on High School Youth Group and VBS Day Camp, Observing other events and programs New Council Members will be installed on February 25 th Council members new and old will be serving Lenten Supper on Feb 28th Council will be serving Fellowship on March 18 th Reminder to all teams to get the spring cleaning done by Easter Walking Together will be held March 17 th Paul and Sandy Untiet will be representing Zion at the Synod Assembly on June 2 nd & 3 rd Respectfully submitted by Angie Guralski, Secretary * A full copy of the Secretary s notes is in the office. Building Update 2018 Payment Bi-Weekly Start Payment Interest Principal Ending Dates Balance Amount Paid Paid Balance 11/10 & 11/24 $430, $3, $1, $1, $ 428, /8 & 12/22 $428, $3, $1, $1, $ 426, /28 $426, $20, $.00 $20, $ 406, /05 & 01/19 $406, $3, $1, $1, $ 404, Total monthly principal payments $ 25, Total monthly interest payments $ 3, Balance of loan as of $ 404, Partners Bank Building checking acct balance as of $ 27,