Weekly News from Zion and our Ministries Under the Cross, especially Evergreen Academy

November 16, 2022

Remembering Our Dear Friend, Bill Haar

As we celebrate the end of our church year with Christ the King Sunday, we will also be remembering our dear friend, Bill Haar, as we dedicate our new prayer garden in his memory immediately following our worship service.

The three Eagle Scouts-to-be – Ernest Cook, Anthony Leone, and Joao Melo – who envisioned and built the sacred space will be present with us on Sunday. Bill's sisters have sent words to share, and we will give glory to God for Bill and all the saints who have gone before us with a very brief dedication service.

Bonus: These three selfless young men are holding their Eagle Courts of Honor at Zion on Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, and the entire congregation and Zion community is invited to attend.

As you are preparing to travel, host, or participate in Thanksgiving meals and celebrations, please take time to worship with us virtually on Tuesday, November 22nd at 7:00 p.m. on Facebook Live (only).

We will sing several hymns of gratitude, hear from God's Word, and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to God for all the ways God has and continues to bless us!

Interactive, Holiday Fun for All Ages in Worship? Yes!

Join us for our special Hanging of the Greens worship on Sunday, November 27th. This will be an interactive learning experience as we explore the meaning of our holiday decorations and put the finishing touches on decorating our beautiful church sanctuary for Christmas!

More information about Wednesdays in Advent to come, BUT – This year's book study is "Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers." Author Elizabeth Mae Magill presents the strategies for churches to host relational, rather than transactional, food ministries.

As we prepare to open Nina's Place, please plan to join us. Books are available for free to all who sign up in advance, thanks to a Thrivent action team grant. If you'd like to reserve a book, please email Cantor Kurt Schmidt by the end of this week.

Opportunities to Serve Joyfully & Give Selflessly

We need more shelving units for Nina's Place!

We are doubling down on the number of shelving units we need. The space is bigger than we thought! Please make a donation to our Facebook giving campaign today and share the campaign to your Facebook news feed. To visit Nina's Place on our website, click here. Literally every dollar helps!

We have received $1,757 so far from contributions directly to Zion and those made through our Facebook giving campaign. Please continue to share the opportunity to give with family, friends, and any businesses you know who believe in addressing food insecurity at the local level.

4th Annual

Reverse Advent Calendar

A joint church, preschool, and community project to benefit Nina's Place

This yearly service project has become a Zion tradition, made so much more successful because of partnering with our preschool families at Evergreen Academy.

In this project, rather than taking an item out of an Advent calendar each day, we reverse the action by giving an item each day. We’ve made it easier the last two years by setting aside weekly donations for the four weeks in Advent, the church season preceding Christmas and the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Collection boxes will be available during the week in the Evergreen Academy office and on Sundays in the Church Sanctuary. If you want us to do the shopping for you, click here to give online and choose "Reverse Advent Calendar" as the fund. Thank you for your generosity!

Week 1

November 27 to December 3

Church: Socks & Washcloths

Preschool: Socks & Washcloths

Week 2

December 4-10

Church: Cans of soup and big boxes of cereal

Preschool: Canned vegetables, canned fruits, and cans of soup

Week 3

December 11-17

Church: Granola/cereal bars, Pop Tarts, Cans of tuna/chicken, and Vienna Sausages

Preschool: Single-serve applesauces and single-serve puddings

Week 4

December 18-24

Church: Single-serve crackers (cheese & peanut butter), boxes of pasta, and spaghetti sauce

Preschool: Boxes of pasta, spaghetti sauce, and boxes of mac & cheese

This Sunday: Christ the King Sunday

On the final Sunday of the church's yearly calendar, Jeremiah’s promise of the execution of “justice and righteousness in the land” finds ironic fulfillment in the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. It appears utterly contradictory that a king should be crucified with a criminal. This victory appears for all the world as humiliating defeat. Yet through the gate of death Jesus opens the door to paradise.

Readings

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Colossians 1:11-20

Luke 23:33-43

• Two AA Groups meet weekly in Katie Luther Chapel: Women's AA (Mondays at 7:00 p.m.) and Old Timers AA (Saturdays at 7:00 p.m.).
• To claim a special date for altar flowers on a Sunday morning, contact Cantor Kurt Schmidt. The cost of the arrangements is $40 and you may take the flowers home after Sunday morning worship.

Zion is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community, and extends God's radical welcome to all people, because we're all created in God's image.