July 2015
The Pastor’s Ponderings Pastor David’s cell phone—348-330-4170 and email address—fleeneda@gmail.com This is the second of three newsletter articles on three classic attributes of Lutheran Christianity. 1. We are catholic. (June) 2. We are evangelical. (July) 3. We are reforming. (August) I hope you find them helpful. Have a question or comment? Contact Pr. David at fleeneda@gmail.com. Likewise, they (the evangelical churches) teach that human beings cannot be justified before God by their own powers, merits, or works. But they are justified as a gift on account of Christ through faith when they believe that they are received into grace and that their sins are forgiven on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins. God reckons this faith as righteousness (Rom. 3:21-26 and 4:5). -The Augsburg Confession, Article IV, translated from the Latin text.1 “Evangelical” is a curious word in American Christianity. When you hear the word, what do you think of? If you’re like me, you think of a particular group of American Protestant Christians, who emphasize conversion, a certain code of behavior, and at least in this part of Indiana, a particular style of worship focused on praise music, Scripture, and a sermon. You may think of the so-called “Christian Right” and politically active organizations
led by Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Or, you may think of Billy Graham, who led crusades across the country to bring the gospel to millions. The truth is that the term “evangelical” is very ancient, going back to the New Testament itself. It comes from the Greek word euangelion, (you-ahn-GEH-lee-ahn), which simply means “gospel”, which itself refers to the good news of Jesus Christ. The term shows up throughout Paul’s letters and the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, translated variously as “gospel” or “good news”. Jesus’ very first sermon, according to Mark, is the euangelion of God. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” –Mark 1:14-15 Later on, this term came to be applied to the authors of the Gospels. They are often called “the Evangelists”, because they reported Jesus’ ministry and the good news they found in his death and resurrection. They, along with Paul, laid the groundwork for the Church to become a gathering of evangelists, whose purpose is to spread the good news of Christ’s death and resurrec-
tion, which makes us right with God. Fast forward about 1500 years. In 1519, Martin Luther and papal champion Johann Eck met in a debate at Leipzig, in which Eck, following a long tradition of naming heresies after their founders, denounced those who agreed with Luther’s theological positions as “Lutherans”. Luther himself, as discussed in the article last month, intensely disliked the term, preferring the simple term “Christians”. Over time, the churches of the Reformation would unite under the term “evangelical”. This is still the case in Germany, where Lutheran and Reformed congregations are united as the evangelische Kirche (“evangelical church”). We can see a remnant of this emphasis in the original name of our church, the Evangelical Lutheran Zion’s Church, and in the name of our denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is perhaps past time that we Lutherans reclaimed the word “evangelical” as ours, too. Not with all the additional political and moral baggage laden with it, but in its original sense of pertaining to the gospel. God calls us to be a people, so filled with the good news of new life and salvation, that it comes bursting out of us. God calls us to be a people centered in the work of Jesus Christ – people who know
_______________________________ 1 From The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, ed. Kolb and Wengert, (Fortress Press: Minneapolis), 2000, pp. 39, 41.
July 2015
The Pastor’s Ponderings continued that all of our work as a church community can only be centered in what Christ has already done for us. God calls us to be a people who know that the Church can never be simply a voluntary organization, a
group of like-minded people, or a “social club with sacraments”, but is a group of sinners who are made saints by Christ. God calls us to be like Paul, like
Martin, like the four Evangelists, and especially like Jesus. God calls us to be evangelical. With love, Pr. David
A Statement from the Council on Giving As members of Zion Lutheran Church, we can give thanks to God for many things. We have a beautiful worship space with excellent acoustics, which is not only used for our Sunday worship but also serves as a space for community concerts. We have dedicated lay ministers who enhance our worship with music and look after the administrative affairs of the congregation. We have a young, capable pastor who has served our congregation for nearly five years and hopes to continue to serve the people of Zion and Blackford County in the years to come. Our congregation, however, like every other congregation, has had increased expenses related to our ministry. For example, our insurance premium, through no fault of
our own, has risen substantially. The church building and parsonage have required increased maintenance, and the cost of health insurance through the ELCA plan has risen over 10% this year, after we enjoyed a reduction in rate last year. In short, we find that if we were to pay all of our obligations through June 15, we would be approximately $4,460 in the hole. There was no sudden expense that got us to this point; we have simply, as a congregation, not supported the cost of our ministry that we approved in our budget for this year. Each week, you can see budgeted and received amounts in the bulletin, and we consistently fall short of the budgeted amount. As a council, we see a number of reasons
for this. Our congregation has gotten smaller over the past few decades as the county population has decreased, so the potential pool of givers is smaller. Some givers also give at a similar level to what they gave five or ten years ago, which does not keep up with our expenses. The council is telling you this, not to blame any of you, but to inform you of the situation we are in. We hope you will consider increasing your gifts to your congregation, so that we can continue our ministry in this community, the wider church, and the world. If you have questions, please talk to Jody Stanley, the congregation’s Vice President.
Zion’s 2015 Council Members Elder & President ............................................ Chris Coy Elder & Vice-President ............................... Jody Stanley Secretary ........................................................ Anita Reid Deacons ....................................................... Cindy Knote Scott Clamme Drew Walker
Trustees .................................................. John Hendricks Chris Stroble Tom Armstrong Treasurer....................................................Max Langdon Financial Secretaries .............................. Sandy Langdon Madeline Lennon
July 2015
May Council Minutes Congregation Council met on May 14, 2015. Present: Chris Coy, Sandy Langdon, Max Langdon, Jody Stanley, Madeline Lennon, Pastor Fleener, Scott Clamme, John Hendricks, Drew Walker and Anita Reid Absent: Chris Stroble, Cindy Knote, and Tom Armstrong, The meeting was called to order by Chris Coy. Devotions were given by Drew Walker. Jody Stanley made a motion to approve the minutes. John Hendricks seconded the motion. The Council/Congregation Retreat was added to the agenda. Pastor's report: Visited 4 shutins, 6 sick visits , 1 pastoral visit and 6 home communions. The Soul Care team visited 3 shut-ins, 1 sick visit and 1 home communion. The C. S. Lewis study is conducted on Sunday mornings with young adults and on Tuesday evenings. Tuesday evening classes will meet in May and June. Christian Education: The kids continue to review the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed on Sunday morning. Parish Education will meet to discuss curriculum for the fall. Pastor has met with pastors Dustin Jones and Wes Rediger to talk about Vacation Bible School to be held July 6-10. This year will be another Holy Land Adventure. Zion is responsible for finding tribe leaders and supplies for the tribes. Isola Banter has taken care of the crafts. A training session for VBS is scheduled for Sunday evening, June 14 from 6:30—8:00 PM at Trinity. The Easter breakfast was successful, bringing in $1664. The estimated cost is $3243 for the Nation-
al Youth Gathering trip, leaving a balance of $1579. A deposit of $100 was mailed to the hotel and the registration fees of $1875 were paid. Pastor's activities during April: April 2-5—Holy Week services: Maundy Thursday, 2 Good Friday services (1 at Zion and the community service at First Wesleyan), Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday April 6, 13, 20, 27 - Joe and Jesus at Common Grounds April 7, 21, 28 - volunteered at Food Pantry April 7, 14, 21, 28 - C. S. Lewis class at CTS April 9 - Blackford County Ministerial Association meeting and John XXIII board meeting April 12 - Part of a donor appreciation event at John XXIII Center April 13 – Grace Village board meeting April 14 - ECIC ministerial meeting at Our Savior’s in Alexandria April 15 - took Drew Walker on hospital visits April 17 - Luthermania fundraiser for Grace Village at Church of the Cross in Muncie April 27 - first new member’s class with Bree Hendricks, with Shay Clamme as sponsor April 30 - participated in a Thrivent Action Team event at Second Harvest in Muncie Pastor will be at a retreat at a monastery in Iowa May 22-31. Pastor Rudy Mueller will have pulpit service. Pastor will be on vacation June 22-28. Committee reports—Worship/ Music/Memorial: Met on May 6th and selected music through the end of May. Paraments for the altar in
Fellowship Hall were discussed. Council reports—Deacons: 4/2 - 42 attended, 39 communed, 4/3 26 attended, 4/4 - 13 attended, 4/5 117 attended, 100 communed, 4/12 - 65 attended, 58 communed, 4/19 79 attended, 65 communed, 4/26 71 attended, 68 communed. Two request for utility bill assistance were granted. Trustees: Reported that custodian will do small painting projects. Treasurer's Report: given by Max Langdon He stated that the general fund is very low. There was some discussion on reasons which included lower attendance. Possible ideas to build up membership were discussed including some planned special events. Motion to approve the reports was made by John Hendricks and seconded by Sandy Langdon. Old Business: Possibility of getting AT&T U Verse for internet and long distance service for the church. Discussion on sending letters to inactive members and then following up. New Business: Gutters and drains need to be cleaned at the parsonage and the carpets need to be cleaned. A new computer and software were purchased for the church office. Pastor will check on dates for a Council/Congregation Retreat. Next meeting will be June 11. Madeline Lennon will have devotions. Max Langdon made a motion to adjourn. Scott Clamme seconded. Respectfully submitted, Anita Reid, Recording Secretary
July 2015
July Lectionary Readings Pentecost 6 - July 5th 1st Reading - 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Psalm 48 2nd Reading - 2 Cor. 12:2-10 Gospel - Mark 6:1-13
Pentecost 8 - July 19th 1st Reading - 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 2nd Reading - Ephesians 2:11-22 Gospel - Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Pentecost 7 - July 12th 1st Reading - 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 2nd Reading - Ephesians 1:3-14 Gospel - Mark 6:14-29
Pentecost 9 - July 26th 1st Reading - 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalm 14 2nd Reading - Ephesians 3:14-21 Gospel - John 6:1-21
Vacation Bible School Our Vacation Bible School, "Hometown Nazareth", will be held July 6th-10th, from 6-8 PM at Trinity United Methodist Church, jointly with Trinity and First Presbyterian. VBS registration forms are
available on the Deacon's bench at the back of the nave. If you can help, please pick up a volunteer form on the Deacon's bench and turn it into the church office.
Official Notice Please note that Zion’s SemiAnnual Meeting will be held following the worship service on Sunday, July 26th.
Zion’s Congregational Retreat Zion’s Congregational Retreat will be held on Saturday, August 22nd, at Lake Placid, 397 S - 200 E, Hartford City, 8:30 AM—3 PM. The Rev. Dr. Robert Saler, from Christian Theological Seminary, will present on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian. Meals will be served. No additional cost for participants. A sign up sheet is on the bulletin board in the narthex.
Sun
5 Pentecost 6 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Holy Communion
12 Pentecost 7 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship
19 Pentecost 8 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Holy Communion Pr. James Hilleson
26 Pentecost 9 9:00 AM Sunday School 10:00 AM Worship Followed by Zion’s Semi-Annual Meeting
Mon
6 9:00 AM Joe & Jesus July 6th - 10th 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Vacation Bible School at Trinity UMC
13 9:00 AM Joe & Jesus at Common Grounds
20 9:00 AM Joe & Jesus at Common Grounds
27 9:00 AM Joe & Jesus at Common Grounds
Tue
7
Wed
Thu
Fri
4
Sat
National Youth Gathering
6:00 PM Vacation Bible School at Trinity UMC
17
24
31
25
18
11
3 8:00 AM YAH Breakfast at Richard’s Restaurant
12:30 PM Lunch with Pastor at the Pickle
National Youth Gathering
4:30 PM Council Meeting 6:00 PM Vacation Bible School at Trinity UMC
16
23
30
10
2
6:30 PM Evening Prayer 7:00 PM Worship/Music/Memorial Committee Meeting
8
6:30 PM Evening Prayer
July 15th - 19th National Youth Gathering in Detroit
6:00 PM Vacation Bible School at Trinity UMC
15
22
29
9
1
July 2015
6:00 PM Vacation Bible School at Trinity UMC
14
21
28
6:30 PM Evening Prayer
National Youth Gathering
The Zion Herald July 2015 “Happy are those whose strength is in God, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.” (Psalm 84:5)
Zion Lutheran Church 308 S. Monroe Street Hartford City, IN 47348
Serving the Lord in Gladness David Fleener, Pastor Church Office: 348-3157 Zionluth.hc@gmail.com www.zionhc.org
Sunday School at 9:00 AM followed by Worship at 10:00 AM
July 2015
July
Lay Ministry Servers
Birthdays
Greeters July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26
Chris and Tiann Coy—Jim and Betty Rinker Edi Tarter—Barb Hardwick Barb Hardwick—Eldon Willmann Buck and Kathy Sharp—Steve and Viola Willmann Ushers
July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26 Lectors July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26
Chris Coy Carolyn Goetz Cindy Knote Sandy Langdon
Assisting Ministers July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26
Sarah Fleener Mark Prout Denise Hile Mark Prout
Ashley Boozer Linda Walker Debbie Walker Eldon Willmann Tryce Hendricks Kevin Miniear John Hendricks Rick Seiver Paige Walker Nancy Cortright Alison McCammon Kim Winningham Joyce Colbert Bill Hiday Evelyn Forsberg Marilyn Scott Jessica Avant Kean Coy Sandy Langdon
7-1 7-1 7-5 7-5 7-7 7-8 7-9 7-9 7-15 7-21 7-21 7-22 7-23 7-23 7-24 7-24 7-30 7-31 7-31