Zion United Church of Christ

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1 Zion United Church of Christ 816 Faraon Street St. Joseph, MO (816) Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you are welcome here! Pastor s Musings Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord [a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:13-15 The New Year brings a fresh start. We make our resolutions. We promise ourselves that we will be healthier. We hope to reduce our vices and increase our virtues. Gym and weight loss program memberships abound. We will get our blood pressure and everything else checked that we have been putting off. Yes, these are all good things to do: good self-care. We will be able to do our best work at living, being in relationship with God and each other, and in doing the work of being God s people in this world when we take care of our sacred bodies, minds, and souls. Like the author of Colossians, we may find that this is a good time to work on forgiving as God has forgiven us. May we clothe ourselves in God s Love. God give us the heart to share Love Divine with all whom we encounter. Clarity is not easy, but it is healing. Compassionate clarity in self-reflection gives us a chance to heal what is broken in ourselves, our relationships, and our community. Here at Zion, with the program New Beginnings, we are looking for new ways of seeing and being. We will pray that we will be a people with the peace of Christ ruling our hearts and God s compassionate justice becoming more and more visible in our attitudes and actions. As one community of God s Love in the one body of Christ which is the church universal, let us walk together in this fresh New Year: Zion, where all are welcome! Much Love, Kimi Messenger - January

2 Acknowledgments/Announcements Dear Joyce & Zion Prayer Quilters, The quilt you made for my mother, Mary Ann, is beautiful! She was very emotional when I told her that each knot tied came with a prayer for her. Please thank all who worked on it. Mark and I keep praying the Holy spirit will touch her heart in only the way HE can. Sincerely, Mary (Mark s sister) Dear Ladies, Thank you so much for the beautiful prayer quilt I received recently from Lora Crowley that you all had a hand in making for me, I m done with four of the six treatments of chemotherapy that are needed and I m feeling better and stronger after each one. Your thoughtfulness was much appreciated! Sincerely, Staci Gray Update on Gofundme.com campaign for Exterior Renovations: At last count, we have just one donation left before we qualify for matching funds from Clairnel. What an excellent job everyone is doing! Thanks, Julian Brown Thank you all so much for the beautiful prayer quilt. Roger and I very much appreciate the many prayers offered up for him during this very difficult time. He is doing much better and hopefully we ll be heading home soon. Sincerely, Roger & Gloria Crouch Thank you one and all who helped in any way to make the Holiday Pot Luck on the 20th a happy occasion. Thank you Kimi and Greg for the carol music. Thank you, too, to the Quilt ladies who brought, assembled and distributed gifts for the shut-ins. Quilt ladies on vacation until Thursday, January 7th. Should you know of someone who might need a prayer quilt, please contact Marge Buescher or Nancy Belcher Current amount collected for New Beginnings Program is $1,013. We re 36% of the way there! Messenger - January

3 Annual Christmas Letter Dearest Members and Friends of Zion United Church of Christ, Right now people of Zion, we are in the season of waiting and anticipating. We wait for Emmanuel: God with us. We anticipate the return of longer days and the coming of the light. Both the light of a new year and the uncreated light: Jesus the light of the world. We wait to see people and perhaps places we have been longing for. This year families in our congregation have celebrated graduations, retirements, and the birth of babies. You, the people of Zion, are my joy and holy calling as you have called and installed me this sacred year. Zion, where all are welcome! Seeking to be church together, we have been journeying together through celebrations and sorrow. Here at Zion we have worshipped together, eaten together, and even cleaned together! We have shared our common lot together with each other, our greater community, and with God our Savior. Moving together, we have sought comfort and community as a people of the comma: listening for God who is still speaking. Through that discerning process you have called a Visioning Team to prayerfully and carefully consider the possibilities for the ongoing hope for our shared life together. With the approval of Zion s Administrative Council and congregation, the Visioning Team is coordinating our involvement with the New Beginnings Program to the congregation. Led by our Visioning Team, we also anticipate the start of contract with the New Beginnings program with the first visit from Dr. Peter Wells on December 9, So, in this season of waiting and anticipating, may we celebrate the journey in wonder, love, hope, and peace! A few hopes and prayers for this time: -May your travels and your staying at home be full of comfort, safety, and gratitude to God our Creator. -May you see Christ in all so that Christ may be seen in you. -May your holidays and common days be infused with the loving kindness and compassion of Jesus through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. Much Love! Rev. Kimi Yokoyama December 1, 2015 Messenger - January

4 Upcoming Events Messenger - January

5 Life at Zion The Visioning Team coordinated the Dec. 9th visit of Dr. Peter Wells. He arrived early in the afternoon and was given a tour of the church by Linda Stenger, Kimi Yokoyama and Bill Luce. Sam Crowley arrived later to answer any questions regarding building issues. Dr. Wells also met with Donna Minton in regards to church finances. He was shown around the church and parsonage. Afterwards, Dr. Wells went on a tour of St. Joseph and met with some members of the visioning team/ council before the 7 p.m. meeting of the congregation and Dale Parsons. We had a variety of members there, both old and new which gave an overall view from several perspectives of the members. Dr. Wells has requested some additional information to help him complete his report which we will endeavor to get to him. His report should be completed by late February, which will be followed by a series of meetings and workshops as the New Beginnings Program helps us plan Zion's future. GCF GCF celebrated the holidays by dining at Hamburger Mary s in Kansas City. We also adopted two individuals for Christmas. With help from the church, we were able to fulfill their Christmas wishes. We had a very good time wrapping presents for them. Mitzi delivered them for us! Thank you to everyone for your help! -The Visioning Team A big thank you to the Zion UCC "Noodle Making Crew", GCF, and all those who donated or coordinated to help make this year's Christmas so very special for The Haven and From l to r: Betty Davis, Marge Buescher, Judah House and Mitzi Teliczan, Shelley Kirschner two very special singles from our community. You are the best! GCF has planned another outing for January 2. We will have lunch at The Gothic Tea House. Lunch will be at 12:00. If you are interested, please contact Betty Davis to make a reservation. RSVP by December 30. The Gothic House accepts only cash or check. Souper Bowl Sunday February 7th Food collected will go to Interserv Food Pantry at Calvin Center Messenger - January

6 Christmas Poinsettias In Memory of Ben & Helen Prentiss --from Margo Prentiss In Memory of my Father Jacob McBeth --from Lux McBeth In Memory of Clarence and Virginia Vetter and Barbara and Dick Preble --from C. J. and Sue Vetter In Loving Memory of my Husband Warren Buescher --from Marge Buescher In Memory of Floyd and Marge Hoffelmeyer, Father and Mother --from Pamela Hoffelmeyer Rice, Linda Hoffelmeyer Stenger, and Richard Hoffelmeyer In Memory of Lindsey Hoffelmeyer and Elizabeth Rice (Daughter & Niece) --from Pamela Hoffelmeyer Rice, Linda Hoffelmeyer Stenger, and Richard Hoffelmeyer In Memory of Dan Stenger, Husband --from Linda Stenger In Memory of Elmer & Minnie Knapp and Richard Knapp (Grandparents and Uncle) --from Pamela Hoffelmeyer Rice, Linda Hoffelmeyer Stenger, and Richard Hoffelmeyer In Memory of our mothers and grandmothers Julia Kirschner and Doris Bennett --from George, Shelley, and Cody Kirschner In Memory of Jean Schneider --from Debbie, Megan, and Jack Corcoran In Memory of Fred Schneider --from Debbie, Megan and Jack Corcoran In Memory of Arthur and Frieda Robbins --from Betty, Danny, Stephanie, Michelle, Jamie, Trisha, and Dana In Memory of Russell Hoffelmeyer -from Mildred Hoffelmeyer Messenger - January

7 LITURGIST Volunteer needed (see Betty Davis) Usher Volunteer needed (see Betty Davis) Communion Prep Jim Maag BIRTHDAYS 1 Don Bisig 1 Chris Campbell 7 Clay Elifrits 12 Vance Baldwin 13 Laura Campbell 14 Gabe DeShon 19 Kyle Rehm 24 Lux McBeth 27 Lucy Goodman Messenger deadline is the 20th of each month. Submit items electronically to zionchurchoffice@yahoo.com OR place items in the basket on the counter in the church office. Thank you. Visit our new website! The Church Council has set Sunday, January 31st for Zion's Annual Meeting. Messenger - January

8 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 38:45a Choir 10:30a Worship/ Communion 10 8:45a Choir 10:30a Worship 178:45a Choir 10:30a Worship 248:45a Choir 10:30a Worship 318:45a Choir 10:30a Worship/ Annual Meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service January :30p GCF 6:30p GCF 6:30p GCF Messenger deadline 6:30p GCF :30a Quilting 9:30a Quilting 9:30a Quilting 9:30a Quilting 1 Happy New Year! Messenger - January