The February 2015 Volume 26 Number 2 Zion Lutheran Church TOWER Topics Rev. Scott Torkko - 231-468-2224 email: [email protected] 231-775-9821 Zion Lutheran is dedicated to loving and living the word of God. God’s love Could we with ink the ocean fill, were the whole sky of parchment made; were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretch’d from sky to sky. —Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai (Adapted modern version) ©The Newsletter Newsletter, 2015 What’s Inside … Baptisms.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deaths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Just a Thought by Judie. . . . . . . . . . . . . Kids Hope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noisy Offering News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prayer Requests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Precious Gems Charity Event. . . . . . . . Report the News.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thank You Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Valentine’s Day Dinner. . . . . . . . . . . . . Weather Cancellations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women’s Book Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Women’s “Lunch Bunch”. . . . . . . . . . . 4 8 4 6 3 8 2 5 9 7 5 3 5 5 Continuing prayer requests: * * Claudia M Mayme G Ongoing prayer requests: * * * * * * * * * New prayer requests or updates: * * * * * * * * * * Louise W., hospitalized Rick W, Dianne N’s brother, stroke recovery Dan C, surgery recovery Doris H, Malinda S’s grandmother, health issues Bill D, Bill & Anne K’s friend, stomach cancer Hailey M, Don & Jan F’s 6-year-old great granddaughter, surgery recovery of repair of hole in her heart Janet S, bone cancer Elaine Ss, wrist surgery recovery Norma J Bob D, health issues Dawn R Ken S, thyroid cancer Tami G, LaVonne E’s daughter Sandy F, LaV’s daughter, cancer Laurie Vn, John & Maxine S’s daughter February 2015 Please note … Friends and family members will be listed for one month. Please contact the church office, after the one month period, if you wish them to be included another month. Providing proof If we are to accept the teaching of Jesus at all, then the only test of the reality of a man’s religion is his attitude to his fellow men. The only possible proof that a man loves God is the demonstrated fact that he loves his fellow men. —William Barclay ©The Newsletter Newsletter, 2015 Battling cancer: * * * * * Barney P, Laura P’s husband Beverly (B) R June E Bill A Elaine W Carl R Ken W Frieda V Elaine S, Parkinson’s Tower Topics Page 2 Weather Cancellations at Zion Please use the following instruction to see if worship or special events are canceled at Zion due to the weather: The Lenten season begins February 18 with Ash Wednesday communion services at both Noon and 7:00 p.m. Midweek Lenten services will then be held each week from Ash Wednesday, February 18, through Good Friday, April 3, at both Noon and 7:00 p.m. Hosts needed to have Lenten Meals At present, no one has stepped forward to coordinate either the afternoon or the evening Lenten meals so there will be no meals this year. In the next couple of weeks, should volunteers step forward to take on the responsibility of coordinating these meals, we will inform you of the change in the bulletin. February 2015 Tower Topics 1) Contact the church office: 231-7759821 2) When the Voice Mail picks up, select “2” for worship times 3) Listen to the worship time message, which will tell you if services/special events are cancelled. If the worship time message simply gives the worship times, then worship is still on. 4) We will make every effort to have a decision about canceling worship by 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. 5) Please use good judgment about whether it is safe for you to be out on the roads even if worship is still taking place. Questions? Please contact the church office (775-9821). Page 3 Out With the Old, In With the New January – the start of a new year – a fresh beginning and our thoughts go to putting our lives in order … cleaning closets, discarding the old; ridding ourselves of unwanted excess pounds …unwanted clutter … unwanted stressful activities … mending rifts and disagreements and improving relationships. “Out with the old, in with the new.” Yet after a few weeks, all the best intentions slip away and we find ourselves taking the path of least resistance. The pizza is too good to resist; the closet and garage cleaning can wait until spring; the emotional relationship fences in need of mending can be put off for a while and before we know it, nothing much has changed except the number of the new year! Yet is that so bad? Maybe it’s time to look at life with a different perspective – through eyes that see the good in our lives, focusing on the fact that we have the food to eat rather than our excess weight; that we have closets filled with clothes to wear, rather than the way they’re stored; that we have a garage despite its cluttered condition and that we have family and friends, despite occasional relationship upsets. February 2015 Tower Topics Perhaps “out with the old” could be revised to reworking the old and being grateful for having the opportunity to improve whatever needs improving and being willing to make the effort to do so. “In with the new” may apply to a new way of looking at life and how we live it. If we hold fast to all that is good in our lives and make every effort to improve it, we will start this new year on a good note and in harmony with our best intentions. Just a thought … from Judie On January 4 we welcomed Eric Cole Wilkinson into God’s kingdom and our congregation through Holy Baptism. Eric was born on June 20 to Travis and Jessica (Brackenrich) Wilkinson, and his baptismal sponsors are Curt and Jennifer Brackenrich. We rejoice at Eric’s rebirth through water and the Word! Page 4 Zion Book Club Please plan to join friends from Zion, as the Youth present a fund raiser, on Saturday, February 14. A Swiss steak dinner, with all the bells and whistles, plus a fun evening can be yours for just $10 a person. From appetizers to delectable dessert the Youth will work hard to provide a great evening for you. Appetizers will be served at 6:00 p.m. with dinner to follow. The money raised will be used to help our Youth attend the ELCA National Youth Gathering being held in Detroit this summer. Invite friends, family, and others who are looking for a nice way to spend Valentine Day! Tickets may be purchased from the youth, Pastor Scott, Penny Stange, or Heidi Fenner. Precious Gems Annual Charity Event The Precious Gems Home for Women will be hosting their Third Annual Charity Event at the Lucas Rehoboth Reformed Church. The event will be held Saturday, February 21, at 6:00 p.m. The event will include a Fiesta Dinner, a silent auction, two musical performances, and personal stories. The theme this year is “My favorite…” You can decorate tables or baskets with your favorite sports team, color, movie or some other favorite. If you are interested in attending, decorating a table, or donating basket or auction item of some sort, please contact Precious Gems by calling (231)468-2053 or by email at [email protected]. February 2015 Tower Topics On Tuesday, February 10, the Women’s Book Club will meet in the Hope Room at 6:30 p.m. The Zion Book Club will discuss “Nights in Rodanthe” by Nicholas Sparks. This is a romantic love novel If need a copy of the book, please contact our February hostess, Arline Wiggins. Women’s “Lunch Bunch” Clam Lake Brewing is the destination for the February Lunch Bunch. All ladies, and their friends, are invited to join them Thursday, February 19, at noon. Please just let us know you (and your friends) are joining us, by signing up on the sheet posted on the bulletin board at church. If you have any questions, please contact our February hostess, Beckie Kanipe. Page 5 Back to the winter theme, here is a quote from Verna M. Kelly: Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they do when they stick together. What a crazy winter we are having! We never know quite what to expect. One thing that our Kids Hope students can depend on is that their mentors will be there! We are so fortunate to have a dedicated group of mentors. If someone is going to be gone, they do their very best to find a substitute for their student. That brings me to a need that we have at this time. We really need people who will substitute in our program. A substitute is called on occasionally and can say no if the time doesn't work out. The rewards are great and the best part is having an opportunity to meet and help some pretty wonderful kids. Please give some serious thought to helping in this way. We can also always use new mentors! You can contact Joan or Linda if you are willing to help or if you have any questions. We are presently making plans for the rest of the school year. It doesn't seem possible that it can be speeding by so quickly. In February we are planning to have a "Girl's Afternoon Out" after school. We will have games, crafts and snacks. In March we hope to have all of the students go to the Cadillac-Wexford Public Library for a special presentation by the wonderful Mrs. Tracy. February 2015 Tower Topics Let's all be like the snowflakes and make great things happen for our students, mentors, prayer partners, support people and school staff. You can be an important part of all of this. Yours in Christ, Linda and Joan Page 6 Thank you for your awesome outpouring! Our support of the Food pantry in 2014 The people of Zion have once again shown their generosity by responding overwhelmingly to the Stitchery Group’s request for hats, mittens and scarves for grade school children around the Cadillac area to be placed on the Mitten Tree during the Christmas season. Our Mitten Tree was covered from top to bottom, with no space remaining. Even the box for overflow was stuffed with hats, gloves, mittens, headbands and scarves of every color and style. Many young ones, who come to school with bare hands or heads in this cold weather, will now be provided ways to keep warm from the many items donated by the people of Zion Lutheran Church. The Zion Lutheran Stitchery Group thanks you all for your caring donations! Well done good and faithful servants…………….. As in previous years, the food items collected each month in our food pantry were taken to the King’s Storehouse Food Pantry at the First Baptist Church. They are always very grateful that we help fill their pantry with food and nonperishable items. This could not be done without the help of our church members who give of their time to help deliver these items. It is greatly appreciated. Our Zion Food Pantry collected a total of 2,040 items in 2014 or an average of 170 items per month! May God bless this mission that it may continue for many years. Love me not? Your “loud noise” was SO appreciated. Last November we took a “Noisy” Offering to benefit Winton Hills Community Church where our youth served during the summer while on their mission trip. Winston Hills wrote to say “thanks for the donation and time you spent helping beautify.” February 2015 Tower Topics A girl asked a boy if he loved her, and he replied, “Yes, of course.” “Would you die for me?” the girl wondered. After a brief pause, the honest lad said, “No, mine is an undying love.” ©The Newsletter Newsletter, 2015 Page 7 Helping the food pantry with our “Noisy” Offering Our February “Noisy” Offering is designated for the King’s Storehouse Food Pantry. So save up your pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters and bring them in February 22 to help us make a “loud noise” of caring for those going hungry in our local community. We extend our sincere sympathy to the following Bob Harcourt and his family. Bob’s brother, Roger, passed away December 18. A Memorial Service was held Tuesday, December 23. We also extend our sympathy to Susan Meyer and her family. Susan’s father, Wilber Ringler, passed away before Christmas. We extend our sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Donna Whaley. Donna entered the Saints Triumphant Wednesday, December 31. Her Service of the Resurrection was held at Zion Monday, January 5 Laws or love? St. Valentine’s sacrifice Businessman John Barrier, unrecognizable in jeans and a T-shirt, cashed a check at his longtime bank. But the teller refused to validate his parking ticket, saying Barrier hadn’t made an official transaction. A manager agreed, saying rules were rules. Barrier then performed a major transaction, withdrawing $1 million and taking it elsewhere. He got his parking ticket validated after all. What a great illustration of the perils of legalism, when man-made laws become more important than people. Jesus repeatedly healed and “worked” on the Sabbath, much to the dismay of religious leaders. He was concerned about people’s hearts, not their appearance. What matters more to you: laws or love? Appearance or substance? A heart examination may be in order! ©The Newsletter Newsletter, 2015 February 2015 Tower Topics Every February 14, we celebrate the loved ones in our lives with cards, flowers and chocolate. But Valentine’s Day has another meaning that’s been lost. First declared a holiday by King Henry VIII of England in 1537, it commemorates the beheading of St. Valentine on February 14, 270 A.D. His crime? Performing wedding ceremonies after Roman Emperor Claudius II had outlawed marriage. Valentine was martyred for faithfully doing the work God had given him. Although it’s good to celebrate love and marriage, let’s also remember the courage of a man who gave his life following his convictions. ©The Newsletter Newsletter, 2012 Page 8 ** HELP US REPORT THE NEWS ** Do you know about an upcoming event, new program, or other item of interest that should be included in the newsletter? Does your committee have a newsworthy item to report? If so, please fill out the following form and drop it in the Parish Administrator’s (Marilyn’s) mailbox. The deadline for submission of news articles is the second Friday of each month. News received after that date will be published, if room allows, or in the next issue if still of interest. Your name ___________________________________________________ Your phone or email address _____________________________________ Name of the event or activity ____________________________________ Date and time of event _________________________________________ Group involved ______________________________________________ Other information (Who? What? Where? When? Why?)_______________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ February 2015 Tower Topics Page 9