Greetings from the Pastor:
August is typically a relaxing month as the congregation prepares for the start up of the new program year in September. September offers our End-of-the-Summer Labor Day Weekend Party on Sunday, September 5th, Rally Day on Sunday, September 12th, the beginning of the 2010-2011 Sunday School Year on Sunday, September 19th, and then on Saturday, September 25th, we host the Northeastern Ohio Synodical Women’s Retreat here at Zion. September promises to be active with all sorts of events at Zion. However, August has wound up with a pretty active calendar as well. We’ve got lots of things on the front burner, beginning with our need to take up the old carpet and roll out the new!
We’ve been thinking about new carpet in the Narthex, Main Hallway, and Church Office for quite a while now. Ever since the new HV/AC system has been installed, we have regarded new carpet as a nice finishing touch. The Men of Zion have been hosting Prime Rib Dinners to raise money for the new carpet since December of 2007; and with their help, our New Carpet Fund stands ready to help with $6,701.06 in the bank! That’s almost as much as we’ll need. Still, we will need to schedule a Congregational Meeting because this expenditure (1) was not included in the budget, (2) exceeds $5,000.00, (3) is not a congregational emergency, and (4) has not previously been approved. This is a great example of how the Zion Congregational Family has the final say about how we spend our money. Scheduling a Congregational Meeting in the middle of August – August 11, to be precise – is also a great example of living on the edge in wondering if a quorum is possible!
So, be sure to join us on the Wednesday evening of August 11. Dinner is served in Luther Hall at 6:15 p.m., with our Congregational Meeting to follow in the Sanctuary at 7:00 p.m. While you are at it, be sure to join us on the Saturday of August 21. That is the day of our Community Yard Sale, an experiment in mission as we seek to invite our neighbors to participate in what could be a great neighborhood tradition. We are trying to rent one hundred spaces on the lawn surrounding our parking lot. The cost is $10 for one space, and $25 for three. We hope to raise $1,000 for the ministry we do for our community through the Food Pantry & Clothing Closet. Since this is also the weekend of North Canton’s Main Street Festival, we thought we could advertise our Yard Sale by distributing flyers from our booth at the festival. Also, since this is the weekend of North Canton’s Main Street Festival, we can use your help hosting our booth.
If we can find the vendors that help us to rent one hundred spaces, and make it through the weekend of August 21—22, then we will be well on our way to celebrating the birth of another joyous tradition, the return of our End-of-the-Summer Party on Labor Day Weekend, when we will welcome Zach back for a Sunday afternoon of what promises to be great music, great food, and great fellowship! The good, old-fashioned, tail-gating Grill-off will surely prove to be yet another mouth-watering rendition of unbelievably delicious food; and we all remember how much fun it was to listen to Zach entertain us with his really talented ensemble of one. All I can say is that September 5th is a date you will not want to miss. So, mark your calendars for yet another high point of congregational family fun here at Zion Lutheran Church. We’ve got a lot going on with the new program year that begins in September; and it all starts in August.
In His service, and yours,
Pastor Sherwindt |
