Pastor's Page
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Dear ones,
I am very excited about several activities and developments within the church. Worship Schedule Change will go into effect the weekend after Labor Day. The Worship Table will also take advantage of this return to the program year to re-institute some beloved ritual practices that we eliminated during the pandemic. Virtually nothing will change with our blended worship service on Saturdays at 5:00 PM. However, several changes will come to our Sunday morning worship service. First and foremost, the worship time will change to 10:30 AM. We recognize that some liked the 9:30 AM time slot and that change is difficult. It is our hope that all our worshipers will be able to make the adjustment. New staff have been hired to help us do the ministry we are called to do. Zion and I personally, have been blessed to have long-serving employees. However, last fall, Michelle Martin who had been with us for nine years, left our employment, and a month later, Kaari Wentz who had been with us for ten years left. Both left to advance their personal lives. After they left, we encountered a couple of bumps in the road, but now we have solid and steady employees to help us advance the ministry we do together. Jodi Hanousek, a member of Zion, was hired on December 5 of last year, as our Parish Administrator, and Arianna Toth, also a member of Zion joined the staff on July 24 as our Communications Administrator. We are blessed by these two who love the LORD and love his church. Membership Ministry has resumed. This ad hoc committee reaches out to our members we haven’t seen in a while with the hope of re-engaging them in ministry with us, their church family. This ministry has been dormant through the pandemic because we understand that many had concerns about their level of contact. We are hopeful that this fall will be the right time to come back. If you received one of the committee’s letters, please consider coming back. You belong here. We belong together. Fall Bible Study will resume in late September. I will be leading a study I am calling, “Looking Forward to Mark.” As you may know, the lectionary, that three-year cycle of readings from the synoptic gospels, prescribes that beginning with Advent 2023, the primary gospel readings will come from the Gospel of Mark. So I will lead a detailed examination of the Gospel of Mark, including those passages of Mark that the lectionary never prescribes. I think it will be fun, informative, and will prepare us for the lectionary year of Mark. The study will be offered twice a week; on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00 PM and on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM. Please plan to attend. I think the knowledge you will gain will make weekly worship more interesting and will bring you closer to our Lord Jesus. |
The 2024 Annual Stewardship Campaign will be a three-week campaign beginning the weekend of October 1st, that I have entitled, “Where Your Heart Is.” I enjoy stewardship campaigns because they are a great opportunity for us to be reminded to ponder how we live out our devotion to our God and Savior Jesus Christ, through his bride, the church. As you know, inflation is wilting away at our budget. And this year we have lost some very dedicated and generous members. I hope we can learn from their example and live generously. I am already praying for the success of this campaign. I am looking forward to this program year, working to further develop the lives of discipleship of all who come to Zion and bring us all closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Changing Hearts Ministry is restarting with New Beginnings Outreach Ministry. Church. We have invited them to attend the Prayer Breakfast here at Zion on September 30. Additional ‘point’ people are needed for this wonderful outreach ministry. Contact Sandy Bieltz 330-881-4726. The Living Photo Directory needs updated. You may send the office a new photo of your family that we can enlarge for the wall. Watch for updates as we offer a few ‘picture days’ this Fall. With you on the journey of faith, Pr. Jesse |
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