Monthly Newsletter of Zion Lutheran Church Dear Friends in Christ, Lent begins on February 14th with Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday we will have two worship opportunities for you 12:00 noon and 5:30pm. After Ash Wednesday, all mid-week worship services will be held at 5:30pm. This year we will be following the series The Signs of Lent. During the weeks of Lent our worship will be based on the concept of road signs and how their messages apply to our life in Christ during the season of Lent: U-Turn, Stop, Merge, Yield, One Way, Dead End. Like signs we see along the roads that tell us what to do, we see signs along the way on our Lenten journey that show us the way to Christ. In our Ash Wednesday worship on February 14, we are reminded to make a U-Turn, turning away from our sins and turning back to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I encourage you to make the commitment today to go on this Lenten journey at Zion Lutheran Church. It will be meaningful for all and spiritually moving as well. See you there!!! Pastor Ron
Please Note: The Atrium glass doors entrance on the parking lot side will be open during the week between the hours of 8am 3pm. All other doors will remain locked. Pg. 2 Sunday School News Many thanks to Dan McGookey for committing to teaching the 5 th and 6 th grade class. All teachers and substitutes are filling out paperwork to have a background check. We want to make sure your child is safe at all times. Breakfast is served every Sunday morning to the children and adults who gather together for Sunday School. It is a great time for fellowship. Dorcella Sunday got the breakfast going and Peggy Jander has also been assisting. We could really use volunteers to sign up in the Atrium to help provide breakfast food, serve, and clean up afterwards. Any help that you could offer is greatly appreciated. Council Highlights Voted on upgrading the sound system due to the current frequency being sold. Voted to proceed with the capital improvements and automating the bells since the funds are available. The moveable wall has been put on hold since the price quote was for only the actual wall/door combo. It did not include the cost of getting the area prepared for the installation of the wall/ door combo. 2018 Council Officers & Members Wilfred Crenwelge, President Jim O Neal, Vice President Harold Lotz, Treasurer Florence Rogers, Secretary Members at-large: Mark Becker, Perry Strackbein & Virginia Soell
Pg. 3 MIDWEEK WORSHIP Signs of Lent This is a worship series for Lent that we will be following at Zion based on the concept of road signs and how their messages apply to our life in Christ during the season of Lent. Here are the dates and themes for our Lenten journey: Ash Wed, Feb 14 @ 12noon & 5:30pm U-TURN Wed, Feb 21 @ 5:30pm STOP Wed, Feb 28 @ 5:30pm MERGE Wed, March 7 @ 5:30pm YIELD Wed, March 14 @ 5:30pm ONE WAY Wed, March 21 @ 5:30pm NO OUTLET (There will not be any meals provided during Lent.) P /P S, M 25 @ 8 10:30 H W B D : March 26 @ 7am at Holy Ghost (Zion having devotion) March 27 @ 7am at Zion (Bethany having devotion) March 28 @ 7am at Bethany (Holy Ghost having devotion) M T, March 29 @ 5:30pm G F, March 30 @ 5:30pm (German & English) E S, A 1 Easter Sunrise Vigil on Cross Mountain @ 6:30am Easter Services @ 8am & 10:30am Breakfast @ 9am Flowering of the Cross @ 9:15am You can order an Easter Lily for $8 in honor or memory of a loved one beginning Feb 25 March 11. Watch the bulletins for order forms.
Pg. 4 Lutheran World Relief Personal Care Kits February is the month of Hearts, Love, the color Red, and the time we think of others in our world who are in need of the very basic personal care items such as: 1 large sturdy Comb 2 bars of bath-size Soap 1 metal Nail Clipper 1 Toothbrush 1 regular size, dark color Towel Please stop by the display of Red Hearts in the Atrium and make your selection of items to purchase. Place the purchased items into the labeled baskets on the WELCA table. Our goal is to fill 100 kits. Will you help us in the is worthy cause? Blood Drive Update A big thank you to those who provided home baked cookies, the shift workers, the communities support, and the 35 generous committed donors who rolled up their sleeves to give a gift of life. This year 35 pints were collected, one pint per donor. Zion has been hosting Blood Drives since 2006, and has provided a total of 389 units total for the community during those years. Our turn comes around about every year and a half. In addition, in recent years, platelet donations have been received. That's a lot of cookies that have been baked, also! Thank you, Zion for being "doers". Your Zion Coordinators, JT & Carolyn Smith Ruby Koennecke
Special Concern As a member of Zion, ALL WOMEN are part of our organization. Our purpose statement defines us As a community of women created in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to grow in faith, affirm our gifts, support one another in our callings, engage in ministry and action, and promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society, and the world. We gather monthly for Bible Study on the first Thursday of the month at 1:30pm in the Sewing Room. Other ways we serve are on Altar Guild, cheer visits to shut-ins, food for bereaved families at funerals, distribution of Altar Flowers, and Laborers of Love (making quilts and gathering kit materials for Lutheran World Relief and supporting special charitable projects.) We thank you for your support. Little Lambs Update Spring is coming and so is the Easter Bunny! We are beginning to plan for the annual Easter Egg Hunt for the Little Lambs students, Zion Church children, and any Fredericksburg kids. We always have a good time with plenty of food for everyone. The Easter Egg Hunt will be on the church front lawn on Saturday, March 31 at 10:00am, Easter of course is the following day on Sunday April 1st. We will begin collecting plastic Easter eggs filled with wrapped candy for the event. You may place them in the green wagon in the Atrium, we are going to need a lot of eggs, THANK YOU. The Little Lambs Advisory Board will provide all the lunch food (for parents and guests also!) Pg. 5
SHUT-INS CelesteCare 2230 N Llano: LOUISE THOMAS Knopp Healthcare & Rehab 1208 N Llano: LUCYLLE KUNZE DWIGHT WEIRICH MARGARET WILKE Knopp Nursing & Rehab 202 Billie Dr: ARTHUR REEH, JR. Windcrest 210 W Windcrest: DAVE MAYER FBG Nursing 1117 S Adams: ROSALEE HEIMANN HARRIET SCHLAUDT GENEVA SCHWARTZ Pg. 6 We had 4 confirmation youth and one adult attending Camp Chrysalis's 10 Commandment Retreat on the weekend of Jan 19. Attendees, pictured from left to right were: Vanessa Pitts, Ty Mudd, Jonathan Mudd, Brandon Pitts, and Judy McGookey. Through educational games and activities as well as Bible readings and study groups, we learned the 10 commandments and how to remember them by using finger signs. Ask one of these people to show you the finger signs their group developed to remember what the commandments are and which number is assigned to each one. Our youth made many new friends and had so much fun! Thank you, congregation members, for supporting these youth by sending them to camp for this amazing educational and fun opportunity! Congrats to Kurt Grunau who will turn 90 on February 24! Congrats to John and Carolyn Weaver who will celebrate 35 years of marriage on February 26!
Pg. 7 Statistics Attendance: Early Late Jan 7 38 67 Jan 14 31 71 Jan 21 34 53 Jan 28 35 75 General Fund Offerings: Jan 7 $ 7,253.00 Jan 14 $ 3,370.00 Jan 21 $ 2,928.00 Jan 28 $ 5,930.28 Total $ 19,481.28 Building Fund Offerings: Jan 7 $ 145.00 Jan 14 $ 273.00 Jan 21 $ 150.00 Jan 28 $ 41.00 Total $ 609.00 January s Totals Sutherland Springs $ 710.00 Gen Fund Rev & Exp for DEC: Gen Fund Revenue Total $ 45,853.58 Gen Fund Expense Total $ 41,742.99 2017 Year-to-Date thru DEC: Revenue/Expense $(11,379.19) From Reserve/Conting. $ 11,379.19 Remaining Rev/Deficit $ 0.00 Thank You Notes Thank you to Jodi Kasper, Randy McBride and John Weaver for serving on the Council the last three years. Thank you for your kind words, cards, memorials and prayers with the passing of my dad, Wesley Kozielski. We couldn t have made it through without our church family. Wonderful memories of dad will help heal the pain of his loss. Thanks again. ~Laurie Hartmann CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS TO-DATE: $61,091 MONTHLY CONCERN UPDATES: Sutherland Springs $710.00
Zion Lutheran Church (830) 997-2195 www.zion-lutheran.com 426 W. Main Street (church location) 415 W. AUSTIN ST ( ) Fredericksburg, TX 78624 Bulk Rate US Postage Non-Profit Organization Fredericksburg, TX 78624 Permit #103 SUNDAY WORSHIP 8AM & 10:30AM Worship Service with Communion 9:15am Sunday School Opening 9:30am Sunday School 9:30am Adult Bible Study Office Hours Monday Friday 8am 3pm Pastor Ron Windecker prwzion@gmail.com Pastor s Office Hours: Mon & Wed 9am noon Parsonage Phone: 997-4264 Christi Fowler, Administrator 997-2195 zionfbg@gmail.com Council Members President, Wilfred Crenwelge Vice President, Jim O Neal Treasurer, Harold Lotz Secretary, Florence Rogers Mark Becker Virginia Soell Perry Strackbein