November 2017 Zion United Church of Christ 2301 Indian Mound, Norwood, Ohio 45212 www.zionchurchucc.org 513-531-5400 Felt the Call By Rev. Scott Casebeer When I first felt the call to ministry, I had doubts and reservations about, well, almost everything. I annoyed my pastor with question after question of theology, the purpose of the church and if God had really called me, or if I had some vision as the result of a bad burrito. He smiled at me, affirmed that my anxiety was normal, and said that if he had to give me one piece of advice, it was this: It s all about relationships. It s all about relationships. Jesus said as much. He said the whole law, the universe, and everything was about love of God and neighbor. He also said that where two or three come together in his name, he is also there. Our God is a God of relationships. As I start my ministry with you, I am focusing on building relationships. I want to get to know you, your story, your beliefs, your doubts, your joys, and your struggles. I want you to know that I am on this journey with you as we strive together to discern what God is up to and how to follow Christ (and when it s just another bad burrito). I am willing to be vulnerable with you and will provide a safe place for you to be vulnerable with me. In order to help facilitate this relationship, I want to be available to you, so we can have those sacred conversations. Let me know if you want to get lunch or dinner, go on a hike, share some coffee, or enjoy a local Cincinnati beer. I also promise to do my utmost to shape worship, programs, and my sermons to help you to grow in your relationship with God. Dorotheos of Gaza, a sixth-century Abbot of a monastery, preached a sermon on the importance of relationship. The sermon was in response to his fellow monks who were grumbling that they were unable to love God properly because they had to put up with one another's ordinary, irritating presence. During his sermon, he asked them to visualize the world as a great circle whose center is God, and upon whose circumference lie human lives. "Imagine now," he asked them, "that there are straight lines connecting from the outside of the circle all human lives to God at the center. Can't you see that there is no way to move toward God without drawing closer to other people, and no way to approach other people without coming near to God?" It s all about relationships. Let s make them good ones. I am honored to be your pastor. Pastor Scott s working hours are Monday 9-5, Tuesday 9-5, Wednesday 8-3, Thursday 9-5 (from home), Friday and Saturday off and Sunday, well, you know. For the months of November and December, Pastor Scott can be found on Tuesday Nights from 6-7 p.m. at the Indian Mound Café. Stop in and share a beer and some conversation. You can also come to the Brick Coffee Company in Norwood on Wednesday mornings from 8-9 a.m. and get a cup of coffee with Pastor Scott. The best way to contact Pastor Scott is by emailing him at revcasebeer@gmail.com or calling the office (513) 531-5400.
ZION UCC FOOD PANTRY STATISTICS October 2017 Total Expenditures for October: $3,271.26. Number of Households: 195 73 Seniors (Age 60 & Older) 210 Adults (Age 18-59) 89 Children (Birth to age 17) 372 Persons Served As always, special thanks to our monthly supporters: Holy Trinity Catholic Church, the Norwood Business & Professional Women s Club, Norwood Presbyterian Church, New City Presbyterian Church, New Haven Missionary Baptist Church, and Trinity Pentecostal Church for their donations. Thanks to The Apartment Association Outreach, Holy Trinity giving tree, and Direct Sales for their food and personal care donations. Total amount received from donations for October: $1,275.00 Aggregate Pantry Statistics for January - October 2017 Total Expenditures: $22,340.41. Number of Households: 1,803 657 Seniors (Age 60 & Older) 2,027 Adults (Age 18-59) 820 Children (Birth to age 17) 3,504 Persons Served
by Lynn Winkler Financial Matters ZION UCC INCOME AND EXPENSES THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2017 Income from Offering and Memorials $93,761.99 Income from Rent and Parking $13,750.0 Income from other "use of bldg." $2,000.00 Income from Other Sources (Misc.) $3,438.93 Income from Trust Fund (Transfer) $10,909.03 Income from Community Dinner $645.20 Income not related to budgetary item (pass-thru items) $27,713.89 Income from Holiday boutique/bazaar $57.00 Income from Dividends $2.16 Income from Capital Improvement (Transfer) $4,300.00 Income for Church Renovation $16,062.05 Transfer from renovation fund $4,268.86 Income from 125 th Anniversary Ornament Sales $340.00 Income year-to-date $177,249.11 Expenses year-to-date $186,816.95 Income minus expense -$9,567.84 And God is able to provide every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work -2 Corinthians 9:8 It really is that time of year when the Lead Team has asked all the ministry teams to provide a budget for the coming year. It is very helpful in budget planning to have some idea where at least part of the income will come from. A key factor in the church budget; therefore, is the commitments made by the Congregation to provide financially through monetary offerings. In order to be a good steward, we all must play our part in making a financial commitment to Zion Church. Naturally, we all aren't prepared to give the same percentage of income. Some may not feel able to give, but there's a responsibility in stewardship to try as best we can with whatever means we are given. Remember the saying" Stewardship is not about giving something, it's about giving everything?" No, that doesn't mean you should turn over all your worldly possessions, but it does mean to give as you can, everything you can. Don't forget that stewardship is made up of time, talent and treasures, so you must also seek to help as time allows and use your God-given talents in support of your church too. PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESINGS FLOW! How will you choose to thank God for all that has been given to you? Look for a commitment/pledge card to come your way in the near future. Then take the next step in good stewardship. Fill it out! Don't stop there, look for opportunities to help where needed and share your time and talents.
Looking down the road, the Zion crafters are planning to have some items for sale each Sunday in December, and don't forget about Norwood Christmas Town the first Saturday in December. Zion will be represented there as well. This would be a great chance to support both Zion and the community AND get some unique Christmas gifts. Speaking of one-of-a-kind gifts, DON'T FORGET the ZION 125th anniversary ornament available while they last at only $10.00, sure to be a cherished possession. Time, talent and treasure are words used most often when speaking of stewardship. Please remember that any and every little bit of time, talent and treasure helps Zion UCC Thank you for being good stewards of Zion UCC. 500 Reformation Study 2017 marks 500 years since the Protestant Reformation. To commemorate this historic occasion, Pastor Scott will teach A four week study on the History, and the Theological heritage, of the Protestant Reformation. We will be using the 500 study guide from the Stillspeaking Writers Group to lead the discussion. "This study guide celebrates the United Church of Christ s Reformation heritage by lifting up some of the Reformation s central claims. There is beauty here. And ugliness too. Inasmuch as ideas can thrill, these ideas are thrilling. Brace yourself." from the Foreword In addition to the reading and discussions, we will view short videos about some of the key reformers like: Marin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli (we have a hall named after the last one!). Come Join the conversation! Sundays, November 19-December 10 From 9am-10am
Who Are the Poor? Photo courtesy of K. Dobson The poor are the center of the Church. But who are the poor? At first we might think of people who are not like us: people who live in slums, people who go to soup kitchens, people who sleep on the streets, people in prisons, mental hospitals, and nursing homes. But the poor can be very close. They can be in our own families, churches or workplaces. Even closer, the poor can be ourselves, who feel unloved, rejected, ignored, or abused. It is precisely when we see and experience poverty whether far away, close by, or in our own hearts that we need to become the Church; that is, hold hands as brothers and sisters, confess our own brokenness and need, forgive one another, heal one another s wounds, and gather around the table of Jesus for the breaking of the bread. Thus, as the poor we recognise Jesus, who became poor for us. 125 th Anniversary Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Zion, happy birthday to you. Yes, it s true, our beloved Zion is 125 years old this year. The theme colors used to tie in the 125 th celebrations are royal blue and silver. We have ordered a special ornament that we will be selling to celebrate this anniversary. We think you will all like to get at least one for yourselves and maybe extras for family and friends. Dawn Winkler designed the ornament. They will be selling for $10 each. See Lynn or Karen for yours.
Community Dinners - 2017 Attendance Costs 2017 2017 January 52 January $152.06 February 73 February $110.71 March 65 March $165.93 April 62 April $152.51 May 0 May 0 June 82 June $113.44 July 59 July $121.91 August 67 August $135.40 September 61 September $175.37 October 59 October $216.75 November November December December Total 580 Total $1,344.08 Donations (Cash) in 2017 $645.20 Donations (Food/Goods) in 2017 $595.68 Cost to Zion -$103.20 A special thank you to Steve and Dorothy Boehner for the ground beef and desserts and Gail Snow for the plates and cups. Your generosity makes the Community Dinners a success. Special thanks to the people below for all their help in preparing the meal this month. Pastor Scott Gail Snow Stephanie Ginter Marcia Silber Angela Farmer Karen Alsip Lynn Winkler Judy White Marie Paddock Thanks to James Russell for checking our guests in and to the members of the community who helped clean up after the dinner. Thank you everyone for making the Community Dinner a success. Costs of Dinners $2,023.51 $2,191.64 $2,414.53 $1,915.98 $2,103.36 $1,037.73 $1,295.83 $1,344.08 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Attendance 767 892 908 894 855 840 516 580 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
PRAYER CONCERNS AND JOYS Ruth Dunker Wilma Hensler Zion Congregation Rev. Dave Schwab and Family Our Leadership Team Our Ministry Teams Our Spiritual Life Team Zion Search Committee SPECIAL CARE MEMBERS Ruth Hull Christine Parker Dorothy Winkler BEREAVEMENT Family and friends of Geneva Becknell (mother of Donna Winkler) PRAYER UPDATES AND REQUESTS Aunt Bootsie (aunt of Gail Snow and Rose Holland) prayers for healing Phillip Craig (Karen Alsip's cousin) prayers for peace and love Rose Holland prayers for healing Catherine Tate (resident of Indian Springs) prayers for healing Judy A. (resident of Indian Springs) prayers for healing Freida (resident of Indian Springs) prayers for healing Mark Ginter (brother of Dave Ginter) prayers for peace and comfort Donna Farrell s mom prayers for peace and strength Harold and Phyllis Steger prayers for peace and strength Maryellen Giesman prayers for peace and strength Vano Kiboko prayers for support Bob and Kay Stevens prayers for peace and strength
HAPPENINGS AT ZION November 4 November 5 November 7 November 12 November 14 November 18 November 19 November 21 November 23 November 26 November 28 6:00 p.m. 125 th Anniversary Gala 10:30 a.m. Worship 5 to 9 p.m. Leo Coffee House 8:30 a.m. Lifeline Screening 10:30 a.m. Worship 2:00 p.m. Installation of Pastor Scott 5 to 9 p.m. Leo Coffee House 5:00 p.m. - Community Dinner 10:30 a.m. Worship Leadership Meeting After Service 5 to 9 p.m. Leo Coffee House HAPPY THANKSGIVING 10:30 a.m. Worship Hanging of the Greens after Worship 5 to 9 p.m. Leo Coffee House December 15th Come join us for our last movie night of the year. On December 15 th we will be showing Polar Express. Doors will open around 6:00 p.m., show will start around 7:00 p.m. Please bring an appetizer to share and your own drinks. We will be serving hot chocolate as a special treat. Calling All Photographers Calling all photographers, many pictures have been taken this year of events in the life of the Congregation. We are going to put together a memory book celebrating all we have done throughout the year, this includes memories associated with the 125th Anniversary and memories of the life of the congregation. We are requesting you send your pictures to the attention of the Church office with "125 pictures" in the subject line. We would like to have these sent to us by the beginning of December, so we have time to compile and follow up. Happy Birthday!!! November 6 Tina Costanzo November 7 Brian McMullen November 10 Karla Smith November 10 Adam Ginter November 12 Kevin Burke November 13 Angie Imm November 15 John Winkler November 16 Eric Winter November 19 Leatrice Niederhelman November 21 Ruth Hall
Zion Mission Statement Our Mission Statement is the way in which we seek to live the Vision of our church out. It is: Because we believe that people and creation are important to God: we lovingly embrace our neighbor humbly welcome the stranger gently encourage the seeker teach and train the believer tenderly care for the hurting practice good stewardship of God s resources while prayerfully working to build God s new world of peace and justice in the here and now. Our Mission Statement is the way in which we seek to live the Vision of our church out. It is: Because Pastor: Rev. Scott Casebeer Church Office Administrator: Amber Givens Editor, Zion News: Rose Holland Housekeeping and Grounds: Luis and Adriana Hernandez Minister of Music: Judy White Organist: Claire Lee Leadership Team: Rose Holland, Karen Alsip, Angela Farmer, Jeff Burke, Sheri Hursh Ministry Teams: Bob Smith, Building & Property Angie Winter, Christian Education Rose Holland, Community Dinner Dorothy Boehner, Food Pantry Karen Alsip, Hospitality Ministry Rick Hursh & Jeff Burke, Media/Marketing Lynn Winkler, Stewardship Joyce Hull, Worship Spiritual Life Team: Dorothy Boehner, Donna Farrell, Stephanie Ginter, Evelyn Hoffmeister, Donna McMullen, Judy White, Lynn Winkler, Angie Winter, Rick Hursh and Eric Winter Special Care Members Ruth Dunker New England Club, 8135 Beechmont Avenue E-126, Cincinnati, OH 45255 Wilma Hensler Glendale Place, 779 Glendale Milford Road #410, Cincinnati, OH 45215 Ruth Hull Brookwood Retirement Home, 12100 Reed Hartman Highway, Cincinnati, OH 45241 Dorothy Winkler Brookwood Retirement Home, 12100 Reed Hartman Highway, Cincinnati, OH 45241