Thank You's Around For A Great Ride "Back To Our Future"
Thank You's and more Thank You's
Al and I both want to thank you for all your prayers and cards. Al is getting stronger every day. We especially want to thank Pastor Sherwindt and Chuck Danner for their hospital visits. Thanks to Pastor for his visit to our home, and to Dick and Edna Smith as well for their visit. It meant a lot to Al, and we felt all of the prayers.
We want to thank you both so very much for what you have done for us. It has really helped us out so much. Anyway, thank you so very much. Thank you so much for the turkey, the apple pie, the rolls, yams, corn, and stuffing. We appreciate your efforts so much. It will make our Thanksgiving brighter knowing someone is thinking of us.
and all of the residents of
the 42nd Street Group Home
We want to thank you both so very much for what you have done for us. It has really helped us out so much.
April, Jeremy, Brandi, Lexus
On behalf of the St. Luke Lutheran Commu-nity, we would like to thank you for your faithful generosity in sharing your monthly gift with the St. Luke Foundation. Your continuous caring through designated giving helps the Foundation keep its promises 'to provide care to senior adults in an environ-ment where residents can live in comfort and dignity in a Christian community'. It is because of Christian friends like you that we are able to provide quality care and assis-tance to our seniors. Thank you again. May God continue to bestow many blessings upon you as you have continually blessed the lives you've touched at St. Luke.
Director of Development
Great News From The ZION SUNDAY SCHOOL
Sunday, November 28: Children's Christmas Program Practice at 9:15 a.m. Sunday, December 5: Children's Christmas Program Practice at 9:15 a.m. Saturday, December 11: Dress Rehearsal for Christmas Program 10:00 a.m. Sunday, December 12: The Children's Christmas Program (at both services) Sunday, December 26: No Sunday School, No Sunday School for our kids!
Join us on December 12th at either the 8:00 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. service as the children perform A Traditional Christmas Pageant. This program will use scripture and our favorite Christmas carols to tell the story of Jesus' birth.
| The children will be practicing during the Sunday School hour for the Christmas Pageant in the Sanctuary. We will have a dress rehearsal on Saturday, December 11th at 10:00 a.m. We'll meet in the Sanctuary. There will be a Christmas Party after our Saturday rehearsal in Luther Hall with pizza and treats to celebrate the children's hard work. | 
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There will be one more Sunday School lesson on December 19 to finish up 2004. There will be no Sunday School on Sunday, December 26. Our Sunday School will resume the normal schedule on Sunday, January 2: choir from 9:10 to 9:30 a.m. & class from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m.
Note: The children's choir will practice from 9:10 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. each week starting again in January. There will be no choir practice in December because we will be working on the Children's Christmas Program.
| The Zion Sunday School Staff would like to wish all of our families a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and Happy New Year! | 
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Speaking about growth, we were happy to welcome two new members into the Zion church family: JEAN SCHECK, a fello snowbird and Florida friend of Don and Shirley Hertler; DAVE PALUMBO, the husband of Renee (Smith) Palumbo, and son-in-law of Dick and Edna Smith
The Trustees have scheduled TWO WORK-DAYS IN OCTOBER, one on Sunday, October 3rd, and the other on Saturday, October 9th. On Sunday, October 3rd, Shirley Cavender will prepare pizza after worship for lunch; and then we will focus on the outside of the church - washing the windows around the building, sealing the cracks on the blacktop parking lots, with some attention paid to some of the trimming and cleaning that needs to be done. Then, if the weather cooperates, we'll turn to the inside of the church on Saturday. That's Sunday, from Noon to 5:00 p.m., and on Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. until at least Noon (or later, if you're willing). Hope to see you there!
It was brought to our attention that the Vice-President of Council, Suzanne Walters, will most likely have to resign … because she is willing to serve as our Choir Director! The Search Committee met and, joined by Mutual Ministry's Amen, has recommended that Suzanne be invited to do exactly that! Everyone agreed that this was a great development. Suzanne Walters has served in the role of Choir Director before, several times, and we are happy to welcome her back to a role that suits her well.
The choir will begin rehearsing under her direction on Wednesday, October 20th, at 7:30 p.m. in the Choir Room. Please not the change of time and place. We should be ready to sing on Sunday, October 24th, with an encore performance at both services on the Festival of Reformation Sunday. The choir is determined to use this good news as an opportunity to start the year with a full complement of voices, including yours! If you have been putting off the decision to get back to singing with the choir, or to start singing with the choir, now is the time. We want you. We need you. We've got to have you. So, say YES when the call comes - and it will. You'll be glad you did, and so will we.
While we're on the topic, we received, with regrets, the resignation of Carol Grandjean as our Church Council Secretary. After trying the position out on a trial basis, Carol realized that over-extended commitments with work, family, kids' schedules, vacation patterns and the like made the demands of this important position more than she could juggle presently. Zion has been blessed with Jayne Schrader's willingness to assume the responsibilities of this position, beginning with our October meeting.
The Youth of Zion, in cooperation with the Clothing Closet and the Food Pantry, will once again sponsor a couple of families during the Christmas season, providing Christmas dinner (through the Food Pantry) and Christmas gifts for all the children (through your generosity). The items we need will be placed on our Giving Tree in the Narthex. You are invited to take one (or more) of our requests, purchase the gift, wrap it up, and return it to us by Tuesday, December 21st. Our youth will make sure that these gifts get to the families we've chosen. Since we already know families in the area who use the outreach services we provide through the Clothing Closet and the Food Pantry, these families will be the ones we serve with our Giving Tree. Thank you for your interest and support.
Giving with Involvement
Some time ago, as the story goes, a beggar was seen on a street in New York asking passersby for money. He was carrying a sign that said: "Know the joy of giving without the slightest gift of involvement." That must have been a tempting offer. One could give and be done with it. Nothing else required. Yet there is much wisdom in the old saying, "The gift without the giver is bare." Involvement is a plus, not a minus.
What if the giver took the time to talk with the beggar? What if the giver told the beggar about organizations or service agencies that offer much needed help and so much more? Christmas is a good time to remember these marvelous organizations. Why not volunteer your time, talent, and friendship to aid those who are having a hard time in life? That would be joyous giving with involvement, a perfect match.
December Anniversaries & Senior Birthdays
December 4 Jerry & Kathleen Iams
December 7 Barry & Susan Williamson
December 12 Charles & Shelley Shankle
December 12 Don & Shirley Hertler
December 15 Charles & Shirley Cavender
December 28 Fred & Carolyn Elsass
December 12 Fred Elsass
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 Helen Alex, 330-499-3909.
SHAMELESS IS BACK! Our Annual Youth Service, which is always scheduled for our Sunday Evening Service on the fourth Sunday in Advent, December 19th, will feature the band SHAMELESS for a great night of good food and fabulous music. Zion's Youth (and their parents, along with youth leaders) will prepare and serve the light dinner; and then our service will take a contemporary turn, with music for singing and dancing and praising God. Bring yourself! Bring your friends! Bring your neighbors! We will have a great time at Zion on December 19th!
THE LYO WINTER GATHERING is set for January 7-9, 2005, at the Holiday Inn in Independence. This weekend is an annual tradition of great fun for everyone, featuring lots of youth from all over northeast Ohio, with recreation, workshops, musical groups, special speakers, and much, much more.Our theme this year is "Back to Basics, with B.A.S.I.C.s standing for Brothers And Sisters In Christ). Bob Lenz, a very popular speaker from Winter Gatherings past, will help us learn to rely on one another as we rely on Christ. All youth, grades 7 through 12 are invited. See Pastor Sherwindt, Karen Kirk, or Wayne Slease with your interest.
THE 2004-2005 BIBLE BOWL will focus on the Gospel of Matthew. Wayne Slease and Todd Elsass are preparing Zion's team for the Canton-Massillon Conference competi-tion, scheduled for February 21, 2005, at 2:00 p.m., at St. Jacob's Lutheran Church, 1460 State Street NE, here in North Canton.
As we approach the holiday season, the needs of our clients reflect our changing weather patterns in northeast Ohio. In other words, think winter clothing. Updated lists itemizing our need for coats, scarves, boots, and the like will appear regularly on the door of our Clothing Closet. Check it out, please. Also, as was the case last year, we will be working with Zion's Youth in adopting several families for the Christmas season with a variety of gifts listed on our Giving Tree, which will appear in the Narthex with the First Sunday of Advent.
THANKOFFERING SUNDAY WAS A GREAT SUCCESS: The Women of the Church would like to thank the congregation for your generous support is making use of the Love Envelopes, which we provided with worship at our Thankoffering Service on November 14th, when Zion celebrated the work and witness of the Women of the ELCA. Once again, we exceeded last year's generosity, with an offering in excess of $963.00. This money is used to the work of our women locally as the Women of Zion support the work of the Women of the ELCA around the world.
LUTHERAN WOMEN TODAY:
The Women of Zion meet on the 3rd Tuesday for their monthly Bible Study, which focuses on the practical issues that are raised with the parables of Jesus. Each year we prepare for the coming of the birth of Jesus with great expectancy. We light candles, sing songs, decorate trees, put out our crèche. We're quite good at celebrating Christ's first coming, but are we as diligent in preparing for his second coming? How do we keep our lamps trimmed and burning? Join us on December 21st in Luther Hall at 9:30 a.m., when we will take a closer look at the story of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew 25.
ZION'S CHANCEL GUILD HOSTS THEIR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER in Luther Hall on Tuesday, December 14th, with a social gathering at 6:00 p.m., and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The food is always delicious, and the company, simply divine. Also, we would like to thank our women for their help in preparing a very tasty supper for our first Sunday Evening Advent Program of the new church year on November 28th.
Oh my, oh my, the great turkey race is over. But the race against hunger is not. Did you know that in this country 1 out of 4 children did not have a turkey on their table this past Thanksgiving? Our outreach here at Zion has become a key part of the North Canton community and the surrounding areas. Because of your generous contributions, along with funding from the Stark County Hunger Task Force, there were a few more turkeys on the tables of children.
We delivered complete turkey dinners to all 37 Siffrin group homes, the Findlay's home, the group at the parsonage, six clients from Senior Independence Care, plus all our clients. The dinners included an apple pie, rolls, vegetables, yams, pumpkin bread, noodles, stuffing, a bag of potatoes, and, of course, a turkey!
Four awesome things happened this Thanksgiving:
1. Two of our pantry clients baked cookies and donated them to our Siffrin friends. "Kudos to them!"
2. A client volunteered his time this past Tuesday and worked at the pantry from 9 until 2 p.m. "Kudos to him!"
3. The members of Curves on Market Avenue North, collected and donated 86 bags of potatoes. "Kudos to all of them!"
4. We were able to purchase 75 turkeys. "Kudos to everyone of you!"
Our final objective for the year is to be able to purchase 35 holiday hams for our clients. If you feel the need to help with this endeavor, hams or donations will need to be in place no later than Sunday, December 12th. I am sorry if it seems as though we are always asking for something, be it money or food. When Margaret and I took over the pantry we had two objectives in mind. The 1st objective was to collect and purchase food, and then be able to put it all together so that we would be providing nutritious meals. The 2nd objective was to be able to place protein on their tables each and every time they walk through Zion's doors. By far the latter has been the hardest and most expensive to achieve.
You do not have to go abroad to feed the hungry. Hunger is happening in your town, in your neighborhoods, and it could be happening to your neighbor. Preventing hunger is everyone's responsibility. Margaret and I are happy to do our part in the undaunting task and we appreciate everyone who helps us achieve the objectives.
The pantry runs on faith, and lots and lots of miracles.
Peace be with you,
Shirley and Margaret
THE MEN OF ZION met on Wednesday, November 10th, when we gathered for a delicious dinner of chili and corn bread prepared by Dale Jacobs. We then spent much of the evening wondering how we might contribute to the celebration of Zion's 190th Anniversary. Great progress was made in planning for a hay-ride, in volun-teering to make some follow-up telephone calls inviting members and friends to join us, arranging for refreshments, and helping with set up and clean up.
All agreed that it is important for Zion to remember our past, but it is even more important to plan for our future. A lively discussion about our discussion of The Purpose-Driven Church ensued, with many suggesting that we need to do even more to broaden participation in our efforts to learn more about becoming a "purpose-driven church. We are happy with the numbers that have shown up on Sunday mornings, and with the members who are supporting our three midweek discussion groups. We are also happy with efforts to enlist the involvement of Church Council members as participants and leaders in this discussion. Still, more needs to be done. Perhaps some afternoon workshops on Saturdays and/or Sundays will help to involve more members in the challenge of identifying realistic and measurable goals that will help us grow the church in love and service by grace.
Our Coed Volleyball League has finished it first half-season. Northminster Presyterian won bragging rights with a sweep of Zion Lutheran on Sunday, November 14th. We'll start up again on January 16th. We hope to have more teams playing and more courts to play on. It has really been great fun.
Remembering with Nancey - Peace and Pieces From Nancy Meuschke
[If your recall, we ended last month's edition with that wise morsel from Pastor Meuschke following Friday night football: "Seven days without pizza makes one weak". We pick up Nancy's letter with yet another reference to how busy life at Zion was way back when....]
I had come from a busy routine of teaching, friends, cheerleading advisor, mother of the quarterback, church activities, community activities, and a houseful of everyone's teenagers. My doorbell or phone was always ringing. Then Ann Gross, Charlotte and Gordon Carle, Ellis and Kathryn Kile, Mary and Bill Shields and their families entered our lives and we had extra grandparents, lunching buddies, card players, family gatherings and the list goes on and on. They joined us for holidays, birthdays and every celebration. Millie & Dave Klindworth shared their time and talents. Our family met folks from around the world joining the Tuckers as they entertained. We always tried to go where invited. We did not pick and choose. You did all that for us. NO INVITATIONBNO GO.
Evelyn and Larry Moore were a life saving team. She was not only the secretary but filled in many times as sitter and entertainer. She volunteered to register people at blood banks but she just didn't "do blood". (Just the sight of blood makes Evelyn sick). Susan Moore and Darlene LeBeau were trusted with our children. They "did good"! The church was bigger, the house was bigger, and we added twenty-three foster children to our lives, some good, some bad, but always in need. They were all abused, personally or physically. and that was before most folks understood abuse. Danielle and Julie were added to our family and we began the education of girls.
We said YES to the training of five seminary students and their families. It was not always an easy experience. A lot of extra time was spent preparing them for ministry. Some members helped prepare these and three other young men for the ELCA, sons of your congregation, Roberts, Gopp and Meuschke, also the groundwork for Edwards. We celebrated life and baptisms, joys and sorrows, young people in trouble always saying, "my parents will kill me". Pastor Meuschke did lots of funerals B but never for that reason B and weddings, where we were able to share in the life of your families and friends. Wish Pastor was able to celebrate fifty years with those he married at Zion! We did anniversaries, too. We always loved sharing with you.
Pastor's first cancer surgery was when our insurance insisted that we "paid in full" before we could receive a cent. The bill was $20,000.00! We looked at each other and figured by retirement time it might be paid. As in all situations, we prayed, "Pitched it UP and HE caught it!" A Certificate of Deposit at Zion came due and the Church Council found out about the bill. (We hadn't mentioned it to any one!) They said "Pastor, use this C.D. and when your check comes back, we'll invest it again." We were almost to the max of the $1,000,000 coverage. Insurance coverage has since changed; but some things did not change. During the cancer fight, Zion's prayers, calls, visits, gifts, flowers, meals, kid sitters, drivers, funding, and LOVE always abounded.