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MAY 2005 Newsletter Special Council Meeting Envisions THE GOAL
The Church Council called a Special Meeting for Sunday, April 17th, for the specific purpose of laying out a course for our FIVE-YEAR PROPERTY RENOVATION PROGRAM. With almost all members of Council present, we approved the appointment of our Property Renovation Task Force - Brian Walters, Darlene Milavickas, Marilyn Espe-Sherwindt. We then turned to the plan presented by Brian Walters, which laid out both a five-year vision and a plan for year 1. The five-year vision anticipated work on the restrooms in Year 1, the sound system in Year 2, additional sanctuary improvements in Year 3, kitchen renovations in Year 4, and acoustical challenges in Memorial Hall in Year 5. Since the refurbishing of the restrooms is more clearly in view for Year 1, the details were spelled out in greater detail. Total Costs were estimated at around $8,500.00, which included major refurbishing of the Main Hallway Restroom and some minor improvements in the Memorial Hall Restrooms.
YEAR 1: RESTROOMS (These estimates are quite solid.) $ 8,500.00 ZION'S CONGREGATIONAL MEETING: (MAY 18, 6:15 P.M.)
Great News From The ZION SUNDAY SCHOOL
Sunday, May 1: Practice for Mother's Day Program & Craft during Sunday School May will be another busy month as we wind down the Sunday School year. We will be practicing for our Mother's Day Program on Sunday, May 1st, and also doing a special craft. The Mother's Day Program will take place in the Sanctuary on Sunday, May 8th, during the Sunday School hour, toward the end of our Mother's Day breakfast. We will be celebrating Pentecost - the birthday of the Christian Church - on Sunday, May 15th. Our last Sunday of the Sunday School year will be Sunday, June 5th, and we will begin Summer Sunday School Sunday, June 12th. This summer the children will be together as a group working on skits, games and crafts. We have a lot of great activities planned! We are also looking for children who would like to sing solos, duets and trios throughout the summer during the 10:30 a.m. service. Please have your children let us know if they are interested! WE NEED YOUR HELP! Monday, May 2, will be spring cleaning day for the Sunday School! Anyone who can help is greatly appreciated! We will start with a light salad & dessert at 6:00 p.m. Bring your cleaning supplies!!! We hope to clear out all the clutter and get our rooms into shape! Thanks!!! THE RITE OF CONFIRMATION: Our blessings and congratulations go out to Nicole Ross, who will affirm her baptismal vows through the celebration of confirmation on Sunday, May 15, at the 10:30 a.m. service. Join us for this wonderful celebration!
We enjoyed another well-attended Council meeting, as we took up the topic of forming a Membership Covenant, which makes explicit what member involvement would need to look like if Zion were to become as healthy as we can be, as healthy as we should be. We will continue to improve this document on Sundays at our Crash Course on becoming a Purpose-Driven Zion. We examined income and expenses, and decided to divide our seasonal offerings with two-thirds going to current expenses and one-third to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund. We set May 18th as the date for our Congregational Meeting, when we will discuss our grand vision for Zion's FIVE-YEAR PROPERTY RENOVATION PROGRAM, with specific plans for Year 1. Carol Rossbach and Chuck Danner will represent Zion at the Northeastern Ohio Synod Assembly on April 30, 2005.
Under the newly organized Clothing Closet Ministry only clothing apparel will be accepted. The hours will remain the same as the Food Pantry, namely, the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Summer season clothing will be accepted from May to September. Fall and winter clothing will be accepted from Octo-ber to March. April may be closed for reor-ganizing & cleaning. All garments must be dry cleaned or laundered, pressed, and in good, wearable condition. Buttons and zippers must be intact. Please, no out-of-style or outdated clothing. Clothing apparel may be dropped off at the Church Office on Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Acceptable summer clothing (from May to September) will include: for Men - light weight pants, jeans, shorts, polo or golf shirts, short sleeve dress shirts, light jackets; for Women - slacks, jeans, shorts, blouses, skirts, dresses, robes, light jackets; for Children - all (girls & boys) clothing, ages 3-13. Acceptable winter clothing (October to March) will include coats, sweaters, pants, turtleneck tops, knit shirts, hats & gloves (if new) for Men, Women, and Children. As mentioned above, we will no longer receive such things as craft items, household items, furniture, towels, linens, shoes, purses, belts, knick-knacks, hangers, toys. Goodwill accepts these items. We extend our thanks to those who helped reorganize and clean the overstocked Clothing Closet. It was an overwhelming job, but most of the clothing was distributed to other needy centers in the area. Volun-teering their services were: Chuck Danner, Lynn Todich, Flo Jensen, Evelyn Moore, Candice Cavender, Charles Cavender, Carol Rossbach, Edna & Dick Smith, Rick Hooten, Tim Himebaugh, and Betty Tracy. May Anniversaries & Senior Birthdays
05/09 James & Susan Whalen 05/22 Wayne & Janet Slease 05/23 Larry & Evelyn Moore 05/30 Herbert & Cheryl Beadle 05/29 Gladys Miller A Note to Our Readers:
Women of Zion: The Annual Spring Meeting of the LUTHERAN WOMEN'S LEAGUE Auxiliary of St. Luke Community will be held on Monday, May 9, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel at St. Luke's. The Canton Zion Puppet Players will present the program. Our business meeting will discuss leadership, membership and service projects. To provide for the comfort and welfare of the residents of St. Luke's we are asking that individuals or women's groups provide some personalized items (his or hers). Please bring the items to the meeting or leave them at the front reception desk. Any of the following items would be welcome: lap robes, small decorative pillows, quilts or comforters, washable robes (men or women), bingo prizes, personal grooming products, cosmetics, jewelry, and the like. Gift packets will be made from these items. And, as usual, all women are welcome to share your smiles, love, and joy to these dear residents. Please note that Zion's LWL Auxiliary membership drive will be held on Sunday, May 15th. Memberships are only $1.00, or give as you desire. A collection basket will be placed in the Narthex at Zion. Please give generously to help purchase the needed service projects. Thank you. Questions? See Ruth Elsass or Betty Tracy, our Lutheran Women's League representatives. Please, don't forget that our women meet for a Bible study on the third Tuesday, May 17th, when the lesson will focus on Luke 12:16-32. Jesus invites us to consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. With neither toil nor worry, God provides for their needs. We need to trust in God for what we truly need. Everyone is invited. All women are welcome.
These are times for taking the first steps toward ZION200. These steps lead us on a path to strengthen the Body of Christ at Zion spiritually, financially, and physically. Strength in all these areas are the attributes of a healthy congregation doing the work God has called us to do. While the topic of stewardship in the church can be a delicate subject, it is one that needs to be revisited periodically. Each of us has to prayerfully consider our giving to the church. While this is a matter between each of us and God, there are a few scripture verses that may give food for thought. God says in Deuteronomy 8:17-18, "Do not say to yourself, my power and the might of my hands have given me this wealth. But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth; that he confirm His covenant that He swore with your fathers, as He is doing today." St. Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians 9:7, "Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." In our worship service we give thanks for what the Lord has given us - our time and our possessions, signs of His gracious love. Are we showing our thanks to the fullest? When considering our offering each week, let's ask ourselves if we are honoring the Lord with our best? Our first quarter has been a good one, with income above what we budgeted; expenses have also exceeded what was budgeted, leaving us with a deficit of $500. Our need, as our budget requires, is $18,000 a month to do the work our Lord calls us to do. Let's prayerfully consider what our commitment to Zion should be. The Stewardship Ministry Once again, with Dale Jacobs preparing our dinner the second Wednesday in April, a great group of men enjoyed exceptional burgers, with all the trimmings, baked beans, and potato salad. Our conversation quickly turned to our plans for the Mother's Day Breakfast. Lorin Beaber is putting together a fabulous plan to make sure that all goes well. The food will be unbelievably delicious; the service, at the table (no buffet lines for the women we cherish); and the involvement of the Men of Zion will set a new record. From there, out attention turned to an Outside Work Day on Saturday, April 16th. What an outstanding success this workday was! It was like days gone by: twenty-three hard-working men and women, enjoying the camaraderie of breakfast together, followed by walking the grounds, cleaning the beds, pounding the pavement, tweaking the twigs, and shooting the breeze. Chris Thomas did an exceptional job with the pancakes. Faye Shankle and Ruth Elsass did important preparatory work on Friday; then Fred Elsass and Verle Elsass got us going early Saturday. Our thanks, too, to Chuck Danner, Dave Bower, Garry Leed, John Davis, Linda Ross, Chuck Heller, Lorin, Corey and Jaret Beaber, Mary Humbert, Tim Himebaugh, Dean Yoder, Gary Horton, Mike Babich, Wayne Snyder, Pastor Sherwindt, Adam Schrader, and a surprise visitor from Faith United Methodist, who saw us working and decided to join in the fun. How about that! What a great morning. We're looking forward to Zion's next Work Day. In the meantime, get with the program and join us on May 8th for the Third Annual Mother's Day Breakfast. Ladies, say YES to our invitation. Men, say YES when you hear us ask, "Please help!" Our South African Festival Shows THE WAY
Zion will host a South African Festival on Sunday, May 22nd, as our Synod's last opportunity to lift up the 2005 Youth Mission Trip to South Africa. The Stark Chapter of Thrivent has agreed to match $1,500.00 of the offering received at this Gathering. We have great surprises in store for the afternoon, and we have invited Pastor Paul Lintern - very entertaining, a great story-teller and motivational speaker, who has specialized in youth ministry throughout his career - to lead worship and introduce us to all sorts of new discoveries about how our connections with South Africa enrich our worship and praise, through singing, dancing, laughing and clapping. Our local service team with Thrivent will match $800.00 of the funds we raise through selling South African Take-out Dinners, which will be absolutely delicious: roast pork loin, great vegetables, with "pop & sauce" (a South African staple that consists of a polenta-like bread covered with a tomato-based vegetable sauce). You'll love it; so will your friends and neighbors; and all for the low, low price of $7.00 per take-out dinner. We hope to raise money for the Synod's Youth Mission Trip with the South African Festival, and for our Restroom Renovations through the sale of these South African Take-out Dinners.
To Pastor Sherwindt and Chuck Danner, Barb Achauer Please note the following address changes: Mrs. Ruth Brigham Mrs. Mary M. Brown Dave & Renee Palumbo OPEN DATES FOR CHANCEL FLOWERS: We have a couple of open dates in May, May 8 and May 22. If you wish to reserve one of these dates, please make it a point to call Susan Heyard (330-499-9858), or call the Church Office (330-499-3909).
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