AUGUST 2005 Newsletter
FIRST, AROUND THE WORLD: It is that time of year when we invite your help in supporting Lutheran World Relief. We are continuing our Stewardship Projects of Health Kits and School Kits. The back-to-school sales are beginning now, and these sales provide a good opportunity to help us assist gathering together the various items we need for these kits. Here's what is needed:
SCHOOL KITS HEALTH KITS Spiral notebook Hand towels Blunt scissors Bars of soap Rulers 12"/metric Toothbrushes Erasers (2 ½") Toothpaste Pencil sharpeners Combs Unsharpened pencils (with erasers) Nail files Crayons (8 to a box) ¾" Bandaids Colored construction paper Wash cloths 12" x 14" cloth bags with handles Please place the items in the sewing closet in Luther Hall - that's the middle closet - in the space marked for Stewardship LWR. If you don't have time to shop, a monetary donation may be left in the Church Office. We thank you in advance for your assistance.
Serving Christ boldly,
The Women of ZionAND RIGHT HERE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: The work of Zion's Food Pantry goes on right through the summer. In fact, our Food of the Month for August will be jelly. Strawberry or grape would be just fine. With kids heading back to school, these are the kinds of items our families will need. Since jams and jellies have been so expensive at the Akron-Canton Food Bank, your purchasing these items for us would really help. Please note that our schedule has changed. We will be open for service on the 3rd Tuesday in August. Then, in September we begin our new pattern of opening our doors on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month. This will help us complement other area pantries that are open the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month.
God Bless Everyone,
Shirley Cavender and Margaret Porter
NORTH CANTON'S CO-ED SOFTBALL LEAGUE
North Canton's Coed Softball League:
Team Zion finished the regular season with 3 wins and 3 losses. We played our first round robin playoff on July 24th against Trinity Baptist Church. We made very few errors on defense, hit the ball great, and won the game, 14 to 1. Now we move on to round 2. Zion will play Church of the Lakes on Sunday, July 31st, at 3:00 p.m. on Field #3 at Dogwood Park. If we win that game, we will play in the championship game at 4:00 p.m. that same day. Why not come out and cheer us on? The Championship Game will be followed by a family picnic at Dogwood Park at 5:15 p.m. for all of the teams, their families and supporters. There will be great food to share, since this will be a potluck covered dish event! Join us as we celebrate a great season with some great fellowship! Win or lose, we'd like to extend our thanks to everyone for your support during this season. We hope to see you at our final game!
Great News From The ZION SUNDAY SCHOOL
UPCOMING EVENTS Sunday, August 28: This is the Last Day of Summer Sunday School at Zion
Sunday, September 4: There is No Sunday School on Labor Day Weekend!
Sunday, September 11: Rally Day! Rally Day at Zion, 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Sunday, September 18: Children's Choir Practice begins, 9:10 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, September 18: The New Sunday School Year really begins, 9:30 a.m.
SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL
Summer Sunday School will continue through Sunday, August 28. There will be service projects, crafts, games and more throughout August. Please have the children dress comfortably because some of the activities will take place outside. Join us for the remaining summer fun!RALLY DAY AND THE NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL YEAR
We are looking forward to Rally Day and the start of the next Sunday School Year in September! We have a year of great stories, children's programs & music, and service projects planned. Rally Day will be September 11, 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 am. Rally Day is for the whole family, with activities and refreshments for all ages. Sunday, September 18, will be the first day of the Sunday School Year. Sunday School will follow the children's choir practice each Sunday! The children's choir will practice Sunday from 9:10 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. They will sing once a month at the 10:30 a.m. service. Suzanne Walters will be directing the children's choir this year! We are looking forward to a wonderful year of lessons and music!CONFIRMATION CLASS
Confirmation classes will start again on Sunday, September 18, at 9:15 am in the Resource Center. This class is for all of our 7th and 8th graders.
The Women of Zion are getting ready to Act Boldly in the Fruit of the Spirit. That is the nine-month Bible study based on Galatians 5:22-23, which our women will follow on the 3rd Tuesdays from September 2005 through August 2006. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." There are nine gifts for nine months. We will begin our study on Acting Boldly at our August meeting. The study will show us how, as Christians, we can act boldly through our unique God-given gifts. The key, according to Pastor Sue Gamelin, is talmao and parrhesia, to act despite our fears and to act out of passion. If you would like to preview a sample session, check it out online at www.lutheranwomantoday.org
Laura Thompson led her first meeting as our new Council President. She launched into an outline of the budget process, with John Long, Finance Ministry Chairperson, as our special guest. The hope and goal is to have a Proposed 2006 Budget ready for approval at our Congregational Meeting in late October. Ministries will have their input for the budget process ready in time for our August 9 Council Meeting. The Finance Ministry will meet to prepare their draft of the 2006 budget on August 14. The Steering Ministry will review this draft at our September 6 meeting, and pass it along for Council consideration. After said consideration and subsequent changes, it is expected that at our October 11 Council Meeting, we will recommend the Proposed 2006 Budget for congregational approval in late October.
In addressing some issues of fairness that were overlooked in the 2005 budget, at the recommendation of Mutual Ministry, we revised upwards by $10 the amount that we pay Adam Schrader each time he mows Zion's grass; at the same time, we offered a one-time gift to Helen Alex for our having overlooked a compensation increase for the five months she served us as our Church Office Secretary in 2005.
In addition to receiving 11 new members at last month's meeting, we were happy to re-receive Kathie Valentine into the congrega-ional family. Kathie is Nikki Kitzmiller's mother, and Jim & Stella Smiley's daughter.
In addition to Laura Thompson serving as our new Council President, we welcomed Sharon Stout as our new Worship Ministry Elder, Lorin Beaber as our new Property Ministry Elder, and Steve Ross as our new Caring Ministry Elder.
The work of Zion's Food Pantry goes on right through the summer. In fact, our Food of the Month for August will be jelly. Strawberry or grape would be just fine. With kids heading back to school, these are the kinds of items our families will need. Since jams and jellies have been so expensive at the Akron-Canton Food Bank, your purchasing these items for us would really help. Please note that our schedule has changed. We will be open for service on the 3rd Tuesday in August. Then, in September we begin our new pattern of opening our doors on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month. This will help us complement other area pantries that are open the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month.
God Bless Everyone,
Shirley Cavender and Margaret PorterTHE NEW FOOD PANTRY SCHEDULE:
SUMMER: Pantry is open two Tuesdays this summer, July 19 and August 16, from 1 to 2 p.m.
FALL: Beginning in September, we will be open only the 1st and 3rd TUESDAYS of the month.
1st and 3rd Tuesdays:----- September 6th and 20th,--- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
1st and 3rd Tuesdays:----- October 4th and 18th,------- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
1st and 3rd Tuesdays:----- November 1st and 15th,---- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
1st and 3rd Tuesdays:----- December 6th and 20th,---- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
August Anniversaries & Senior Birthdays
ANNIVERSARIES FOR AUGUST
August 13 Steve & Margaret Porter
August 17 Ron and Carole Singer
August 23 Mike and Rosalie Babich
August 29 Dan and Linda Wilson
August 29 Steve & Karen Amatangelo
AUGUST SENIOR BIRTHDAYS
August 4 Cora (Corky) Lanzalotta
August 4 Robert (Bob) Leed
August 9 Larry Moore
August 20 Ila Mae Givler
A Note to Our Readers:
If you would like your anniversary information included in The Zion Herald,
just let the church office know by calling , 330-499-3909.
Cottage Meetings
We've had two, one at the home of Fred and Carolyn Elsass, and one at Edna Fischer's. Folks like the home-y touch. 16 attended one, 17 another. We're off to a great start. Coconut cream pie, strawberry and cream cake, chocolate chip cookies, cheese cake, fresh-baked bars of all sorts, and much, much more. In addition, we've enjoyed some very engaging conversation. Yes, the flags came up at Fred's, but also the need for becoming more intentionally inclusive, more effective at delegating for the sake of inclusion, adding ministers to the work of ministry we do at Zion. We know that with three worship services, with members old and new, with the lives of individuals and families moving in every which direction, we all feel a bit fragmented and discon-nected. So, we've got to do more to let our members know what we're doing, what we're inviting them to do, how we do it, and who's included. Good ideas all. We're moving ahead, and these cottage meetings are helping. Make sure you attend yours.
Wow! Did we hit a wall in June! We were doing exceptionally well through the first five months of the year, with an operating deficit of right around $1,000 through May. Then June struck: four Sundays, making income a little light; plus, some quarterly expenses for insurance and leasing agree-ments, a surprise here and there, and wow, a $6,000 deficit! No doubt about it. We're going to need your vigilance when it comes to giving during the summer months.
The truth be told, we have a lot for which to be thankful half way through the year. We needed to take our eye off the budget for a moment in order to raise our sights, and focus on renovating our restrooms. We've already raised what we thought we'd need, and there are still more pledges coming in. That's good, because the building needs it; and everything you give for our Property Renovation Program will go to improve the condition of our building.
We've got our work cut out for us. Getting back out of this short-term hole will require discipline, vigilance, and generosity; but there can be no doubt that Zion is more than capable of the generosity required to reach, and surpass, the goals we've set. We thank you for your commitment to God's work. We trust that God - and you - will provide.
Vacation Bible School at Zion 2005
Kingdom of the Son - A Prayer Safari
This year a great group of "tourists" joined us for a Prayer Safari to the Serengeti Plains, July 11th thru 15th, for Vacation Bible School. The children spent a week at the Kingdom of the Son learning all about the Lord's Prayer and why praying to God is so important. They learned great stories of prayer and miracles, along with Swahili words and phrases, and much information about Africa & safari animals. The week's themes were GOD LISTENS, GOD PROVIDES, GOD FORGIVES, GOD PROTECTS and GOD RULES!
We had between 68 and 76 children each day. The children experienced a wide variety of activities during the week - great lessons, music, crafts, games, a safari hunt, great food, several community service projects, a Wet & Wild Day at the Water Hole, and Safari Fun Day.
Once again, service projects were an important focus of the week. What better way to teach the children about God's love! First, we were able to collect $599 in offering this year. We had a contest each day between the boys and girls to see who brought in the most money. The boys won 3 days, the girls won 2 days; but everyone was a winner with this project!
Along with additional matching funds from Thrivent, we will donate half of the offering money to the Stark County Hunger Task Force, and the other half to Stand with Africa to help with hunger, AIDS and peace in Africa. The children made us very proud as they joined together to help others!
The children also brought in a multitude of food for our Food Pantry, filling the baskets in our Market Place in Luther Hall. Another service project allowed the children to put together 28 school kits with additional miscellaneous supplies for the children of our Food and Clothing Pantry families! Thank you to everyone for your overwhelming and very generous response to our request for school supplies!
Finally, the children created enough quilt squares for Zion's Comfort Givers to sew 10 quilts. One of these quilts was raffled off at the Ice Cream Social, raising $178 for our VBS Program. Jayne Schrader was our quilt raffle winner this year! The other quilts will be sent to Lutheran World Relief. Our VBS kids served God well with the awesome work they did this week on all of our service projects!
We had a great group of Safari Guides (aka, teachers) this year. They put in a lot of time and hard work to make this year's program a great success. I am so grateful to them and their assistants for the awesome job that they did! The children had such a great time and loved their teachers! As always, music was one of the highlights of VBS thanks to Suzanne Walters. She did an amazing job with the kids teaching them the songs, motions, dancing and sign language.
It was so wonderful to watch the children sign the Lord's Prayer! She put together a wonderful program for the Ice Cream Social, an evening that parents, family and friends truly enjoyed. Our crafts were once again outstanding thanks to the creativity, patience, organization and flexibility of Carol Rossbach, Anna Mae LeBeau, Mabel Kolarik, and Flo Jensen.
Pastor Sherwindt was able to help teach the lesson of the day each morning with Tootsie Rolls -his talks were fun and really grabbed the kids' attention! Pastor was also our special speaker on Wednesday. He spent time with each of the classes teaching them about Africa and sharing with them his slides and experiences. I know the kids really enjoyed it!
The week finished out with Wet & Wild Day at the Water Hole on Thursday, the Ice Cream Social, which was sponsored by Thrivent on Thursday night, and Safari Fun Day on Friday, where the kids enjoyed a carnival, a bounce house and games!
Our kitchen crew, led by Shirley Cavender and Darlene Milavickas, gave us a fun menu of "safari" foods that the kids loved! VBS was so successful due to the contributions of all involved - the staff, the children, their families and the congregation. Thank you to everyone who donated supplies, food, money and/or their time!
This year was once again truly amazing! Because of the all the people who helped with teaching, music, crafts, games, food, videos, service projects, quilting, story-telling, copying, counting, setting up, cleaning up, and everything else, both planned and unanticipated, our program was such a great success.
Zion is very blessed with a great group of volunteers who make our VBS program one of the best! Please make sure to read every single name we've listed on the page of volunteers that follows. Everyone's flexibility, time commitment and hard work are invaluable! I could not do it without everyone's help and support, and for that I am grateful from the bottom of my heart!
Thank you again to all involved!
Debbie Fox
VBS Chair
We Proudly Present Our VBS Volunteer Staff
Kingdom of the Son - A Prayer Safari
VBS Chair and Tour Guide: Debbie Fox
Safari Guides:
Pre-K: Danielle Frock K1: Melissa Riffle Kindergarten: Valerie Cizek 1st & 2nd Grade: Melanie Slease 3rd & 4th: Renee Schrader 5th & 6th: Chuck Danner and Chris Thomas Assistant Guides:
Pre-K: Connie Frank, Kayle Frock and Ethan Frock K1: Tina Morris and Alexa Konowal Kindergarten: Annie Frosyth, Alex Robbins and Anna Sherwindt 1st & 2nd: Julie McCartt, Kelly Fischer, Chloe Horger and Matt Slease 3rd & 4th: Taryn Fischer, Erik Hilson and Josh Roan Nursery: Richelle Hilson and Ashley Sir Louis
Music: Suzanne Walters
Crafts: Carol Rossbach, Anna Mae LeBeau, Mabel Kolarik and Flo Jensen
Games & Outdoor Activities: Sharon Stout, Taylor Roman and Cheryl Roman
T Shirt Day Craft Leaders: Amy Mathie, Susan Forsyth, Johanna Henderson, Annie Forsyth,
Diane Antenuce, Taylor Roman and Cheryl Roman
Registration: Darlene Milavickas, Sharon Stout and Johanna Henderson
Special Speaker: Pastor Mark Sherwindt
Newsletters: Lisa Roman
Decorations, Props & Prep Work: Lisa Roman, Carol Rossbach, Mabel Kolarik, Mary Humbert,
Anna Mae Lebeau, Janet Slease, Melanie Slease, Connie Riffle, Melissa Riffle,
Tina Beaber, Renee Schrader, Sharon Stout, Darlene Milavickas, Doug Roman,
Chris Thomas, Alexa Konowal, Taylor and Brooke Roman
Kitchen: Shirley Cavender, Darlene Milavickas, Ashley Porter, Amy Porter, Charlie Cavender,
Sharon Stout, Johanna Henderson
Video: Chuck Danner
Other Youth Volunteers: Becca Coulter and Chad Riffle
Quilters: Joyce Gibeaut, Helen Heller, Betty Tracy, Edna Smith, Linda Wilson,
Mabel Snyder, Ruth Elsass and Pat Stayer Thrivent for the Ice Cream Social & matching funds
Food Donations: Gail Vogt for the hot dogs
Meet Some of Your fellow Members at Zion
INTRODUCING YOU TO GERT MEYER
Visiting with Gert Meyer was such a pleasant and interesting experience that we'd like to share it with you. Since she has been a life-long member of the congregation, many of you know her, and some are related to her; but that had not been true in our case, so it was time for, 'Can We Talk'.
Gert was born Gertrude Mae Newbauer on October 11, 1919, in North Canton, into a family of three sisters and two brothers. She was the youngest. Her parents were farmers. They are a large close-knit family.
Gert was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church. She and Mabel Snyder are long time friends and the only two remaining members of their confirmation class. One of Gert's older sisters became a deaconess in the church, Sister Viola Newbauer. She is pictured on the chart in the narthex along with previous pastors.
Gert was a member of the 1937, graduating class of No Ca Hi (North Canton High School), then located on Charlotte Street. She went to work at the Hoover Company after graduation, and worked there about two years until she married Jim Meyer. Jim had graduated from the same high school a year ahead of her. Jim played baseball and football with Gert's brother, and the two got acquainted when he came to the house. They dated through their last years at school. Jim had been a Catholic, but became a Lutheran in 1937. They were married October 21, 1939, and were married for almost 65 years before Jim's death on June 3, 2004.
Jim joined the Hoover Company as an apprentice in tool and die making. He later became involved in quality control. They moved to Dayton in 1941, where Jim was employed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Their first child Karen was born there in 1942. Missing their families, and with the gasoline shortage making traveling difficult, they returned to North Canton, and Jim went to work at Westinghouse. He later returned to work at Hoover, again in quality control until his retirement in 1976.
Jan was born on September 6, 1945. As an adult, he also worked at Hoover and later married Judy who was a beautician. Another son Michael was adopted. The family had now returned to Zion Lutheran. As a young member, Gert sang in the Junior Choir. As a young wife and mother, she taught Sunday School, joined the (then) Altar Guild and made, along with another member, a surplice for one of the pastors. Her service of greatest longevity was that of Flower coordinator, which she did faithfully for thirty-seven years.
It is not uncommon for long-time Zion members to have a whole host of connections within the Zion church family. Gert is no exception. Chuck Danner is a cousin of Gert's. Ruth Storch is her sister-in-law. Fred Elsass' mother and her mother were cousins.
Her daughter Karen and husband Dave Sitzman live in Arizona. They have three children and four grandchildren. Son Jan and his wife Judy moved there a few years ago. They have two children and two grandchildren. Son Michael lives in the area and has one child. Realizing Jim's health problems, Karen and Dave came to North Canton, took her parents to see the Waterford, where there was an apartment available, and made arrangements to sell their house, and all in one day. Things were sorted, packed, and moved, and the couple settled in their new home at the Waterford. What a blessing to have such help with such a big job.
Gert is a gracious lady who likes the color pink, and carnations because they stay nice so long. Roses are pretty too. Many favorite Bible passages come to mind and How Great Thou Art is a favorite hymn. Meeting for lunch each month with the nine remaining classmates from high school is fun. Life at the Waterford since Jim's death in June of 2004, is comfortable and companionable. We were happy to put a few more details to knowing the lovely lady we see at most Saturday services.
Mabel Kolarik and Juanita Bathol
Thinking Fondly Of Members Past
On July 1, 2005, the Rev. Kenneth Roberts died at Manor Care Nursing Home in Westerville, Ohio. Kenny was led to Zion by the Holy Spirit through the outreach of Ellis Kile. Through his high school years he was a dedicated and active member of Zion's church family. After graduating from Hoover High School in 1961, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics at Capital University in 1965. He remained in Columbus, and walked across the street to the Lutheran Theological Seminary, where he completed the requirements for a Master of Divinity, and was certified for Christian Ministry in The American Lutheran Church in 1969.
After ordination, Kenny served parishes in Detroit, Michigan, and Columbus, Ohio. Pastor Roberts served the Church in ways too numerous to mention in this brief note; but some highlights of his rich and full ministry include the good news that he provided outreach to over 17,000 students at the Ohio State University, that he found ways to offer a resource ministry for fellow clergy, that he founded, developed, and coordinated inner-city ministries in Detroit and Columbus, and that he served as the news editor, and later as chief editor, at The Lutheran Standard, the signature publication of The American Lutheran Church.
In 1989, Kenny was honored as an "Outstanding Alumnus" of [what is now called] Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He was an inspiration for all of us who knew him at Zion, and he will be greatly missed by a large group of families, many, many friends, and his wife, Marilyn.