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ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING - Sun., March 21st
Zion’s Stone Church will hold its re-scheduled end-of-the-year congregational meeting immediately following worship on Sunday, March 21sr (at about 10:30 a.m.) We will move from the sanctuary and reconvene in the Sunday School auditorium for the meeting. The agenda, as is the case each year for this meeting, includes a full review of all 2009 financial statements from the church treasurer and all other committees and organizations of the church. This is the meeting at which we look back at what God has accomplished among us and through us in the year just ended and look forward to the opportunities and challenges that await us as we strive to love and serve God and our neighbors in our life and ministry this year.
The reason this meeting was postponed and re-scheduled to March 21st is, as most of you know, the congregational survey we asked all confirmed members to complete in January and February. The number of surveys you returned and the volume of comments you gave us required more time for organizing and formatting for presentation to the congregation than could be accomplished by Feb. 21st. Now we will be able to present the results and have conversation on what it all might mean for us as a church in ministry together. It is important that all members attend this meeting. Confirmed members who have communed and contributed in the current or preceding year (for the purposes of this meeting – in 2008 or 2009) will be granted voice and vote at the meeting.
OUR MISSIONARIES
Once upon a time it was a common thing for a local congregation to be in a relationship with a missionary or a missionary family serving the Lord and the Church in some foreign land. In many respects the missionary endeavor has changed as the world has changed. The work of the church in what we might call “third world” countries is being done by the church in those places and the leadership now, for the most part, comes from the native people themselves. Nevertheless, even though the nature of the work has changed, the church here is still sending missionaries to assist the local churches in those parts of the world and we can and should be supporting that work as best we can.
Our church budget for 2009, planned all the way back a year ago, called for us to begin supporting missionaries through both the UCC and the ELCA – this year to an amount of $750 each. This summer the church board looked at some options, a variety of possible missionaries doing work in a variety of places, and made some decisions on getting this support off the ground.
We will begin supporting two missionary families doing ministry in Africa. They are: The Rev. Dirk Stadtlander and his wife Sarah, ELCA missionaries doing ministry in the West African nation of Senegal and the husband and wife team of Pastors Scott Couper and Susan Valiquette, UCC missionaries serving in South Africa.
The Stadtlanders are Midwesterners, Dirk from Iowa and Sarah from Minnesota. They met at Luther College in Iowa from which they both graduated in 2000. Dirk graduated from Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa in 2005 with a Master of Divinity degree; Sarah from Clark College, also in Dubuque, also in 2005 with a MA in education. They have a daughter, Eva, born in 2004. They completed training in the French language and in African culture in Burkina Faso, West Africa, in 2006. Dirk’s call is as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Senegal working in Christian Formation and Leadership Development.
Scott Couper was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He graduated with a BA from The American University in Washington, DC, in 1994 and from Chicago Theological Seminary with his M.Div. in 1999 and was ordained that year. He is also working on a Ph.D. in history from The University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, Republic of South Africa. Susan Valiquette was born in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated with a BA in religion and communication from Wright State Univ. (Ohio) in 1992 and from United Theological Seminary, New Brighton, Minnesota with her M.Div. in 1995 and was ordained that year. They have a son, Micah and a daughter, Madeline. Scott serves with the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) as a pastor of a congregation in the Kwazulu-Natal Region. Susan serves as the chaplain of Inanda Seminary in Durban, South Africa – a UCCSA church-related school founded in 1869, that was the first secondary-school exclusively for African girls in southern Africa.
More information on “our” missionaries can be found on the bulletin board in the church narthex. Your prayer support for them will be greatly appreciated.
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY – 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon YOU ARE INVITED to join us as we continue our weekly Bible Study at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays. We meet every week from 10:30 a.m. to noon and really enjoy getting into God’s Word together. We have a great time together: we learn a lot and we laugh a lot as we read God’s Word and share our faith stories. We have had up to 17 people around the table but there’s always room for a few more, including you. Come for the learning, the fun, the coffee, and the growth in faith. You won’t regret it – That’s a promise!
Right now we’re finishing up our study of the Book of Exodus – the story of God’s chosen people, Israel, from slavery in Egypt to the redemption wrought by God through Moses and the beginning of their journey to the Promised land. We’ll be completing Exodus by the end of March and then, after Easter, we will move from the ancient story of Israel in the Hebrew Scriptures to the last book of the Christian Scriptures – the Apocalypse of John, the Book of Revelation.
What does Revelation have to say to us today? So many scholars, commentators, and teachers have so many different ideas on the subject. Was John really writing to us, the church of our day, or was it directed to the life and situations of believers in his own day? What really matters is how God speaks to us today through the text, how we can discover new insights into God’s grace and living our lives as disciples of our Lord Jesus. Please join us.
WEDNESDAY MORNING PRAYER – 9:00 a.m. each week.
There is no time in a day or in a week when it isn’t appropriate to worship our Lord. If you have the time, we invite you to join us on Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. for a spoken service of Morning Prayer, the traditional old service that used to be called “Matins.”
We have a small gathering each week, just a handful of faithful souls who have made this an important part of their midweek devotional routine. We give glory to God for all his many blessings and we ask his blessing on our days. Scripture is read along with a commentary reading from across the vast scope of Church history from the first few centuries right into the 20th century and there is a time of reflection from Pastor Mike on what the message might be for us in our lives of faith.
If you have thirty minutes to spare on Wednesday mornings, we hope you will consider joining us. MONDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY – March 1st, 15th & 29th, 7:00pm
It has been a great experience to have so many different people come out over the first months of our new evening Bible Study group. There has been such great sharing of our faith stories as we have talked together about how the Bible functions in our lives and in the ministry of the church. Our series on the authority of Scripture will be wrapped up in the next session or so and then we will begin a new study on the Letter of James. We invite you to join us as we learn and share and grow together in the Spirit of God. Preparation for FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
As is our tradition here at Zion’s Stone Church, we will be celebrating with our Fifth Graders as they receive their First Holy Communion on Palm Sunday, March 28th. In preparation for this significant celebration, our 5th graders will have a series of four class sessions of First Holy Communion instruction. These sessions will be held on Monday evenings in March, from 5:00-6:00 p.m., on March 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd.
As is always the case, we believe we know who all of our 5th graders are and have made contact with them and their families. If, by some chance, we have missed some-one we are deeply sorry and ask that you contact the church office and please come and be a part of these classes. We want to include everyone in the preparation and in God’s grace in the bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. A Word of Thanks
In case you don’t know . . . the wine we use in our celebrations of Holy Communion is a local product from right here in West Penn Township. The Troxell family at Galen Glen Winery has been very gracious to us in giving us significant discounts to their regular prices. We felt it was important that we support local business and our local economy so we decided to get our wine at Galen Glen even before their discounts became part of the deal. Our thanks to everyone involved there at Galen Glen. 2010 CHURCH BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The 2010 Church Board members are:
Gene Raymond – President Kirk Arner Dwane Miller
Peter Uhlig – Vice-President Tyler Schlecht Larry Stival
Margaret Martinez – Secretary Dan Algard Devin Meiser
Charlotte Fritz - Treasurer (officer but not elected board member) Committees and Board Members serving
Property: Larry Stival, Peter Uhlig, Tyler Schlecht, Dan Algard, Devin Meiser
Worship & Music: Margaret Martinez
Finance: Kirk Arner
Personnel: Peter Uhlig, Larry Stival, Tyler Schlecht
Fellowship/Fundraising: Larry Stival, Dwane Miller
Technical/Communications: Gene Raymond
Stewardship ]
Evangelism/Mission ] – no one serving – congregation members needed
Long Range Planning] For the church’s life and ministry to be as effective as possible, we need to make use of the varied gifts, interests, and abilities with which God has equipped our members. In addition to the board members listed above, many members also serve on committees and we need more – we need you! If any of these committees strike your interest, please speak up and get involved.
Thoughts on how we confess our faith
The Apostles’ Creed is our primary statement of faith. It is our declaration to each other and to the world of exactly what we believe about God and about ourselves as the people of God in Jesus Christ. The text of the creed has been handed down from generation to generation throughout the history of the Church beginning either in Greek or in Latin in earlier centuries before finally appearing in the familiar form around 700 A.D. Somewhere along the line it was translated into the languages of our particular faith traditions, i.e. German and English.
In the most recent years those worshipping here at Zion’s Stone Church have confessed our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed in three slightly different forms. The Service Book and Hymnal (SBH) of the Lutheran Church, The Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (and the UCC), and The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration which we use now. While there are distinct similarities among the three, no two of the three are exactly the same; each has its specific uniqueness. Some say Holy Ghost while another says Holy Spirit. Some say Jesus descended into hell while the third says “into Hades.” Some say “we believe in “the holy Christian church” while the third says “catholic church.”
A newer translation, widely and ecumenically accepted across much of the length and breadth of English speaking Christianity, was introduced here on October 1st. We used it for a number of weeks and asked for feedback. Some came forward and said it was more difficult to say because the version in their memory was so strong that it became hard to read different words. Some said that while they would prefer the more familiar version, they would be okay with using the newer one if that’s the way we decided to move. At the Nov. 12th Board Meeting we discussed this matter, considered your comments and the reasons for using the new standard version. The Board’s final decision was a vote to continue using the newer version feeling it might be more helpful as we seek to reach out to our neighbors, especially new residents moving into the community.
The Board wants you to know that voices on both sides were heard and all possibilities were seriously considered before the decision came to a vote. We thank all those who were willing to speak up and voice their feelings on this matter. It is only through this kind of open sharing that we can deal with the important matters of our worship life and our ministry with one another and to our community in a positive and most effective way.
However we put the words together, whether in forms that reach back to the earliest days of the church or in modern forms seeking to speak to 21st Century people, the bottom line is that our faith is in God. Apostles' Creed (English Language Liturgical Consultation - 1988)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen Nicene Creed (English Language Liturgical Consultation - 1988)
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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