Weekly News from Zion and our Ministries Under the Cross, especially Evergreen Academy

November 23, 2022

From our Congregation Council, the directors and teachers at Evergreen Academy, Cantor Kurt Schmidt, and the entire Zion & Evergreen family, we send our very best wishes and pray God's blessings for a safe, joyous, and fun Thanksgiving celebration!

Starting the Year Off Right

As with every change of seasons in the church year, we also change our worship elements to reflect the mood and intent of that particular season.

Beginning this Sunday, we are also making a change that we know will have more meaning and permanence beyond just Advent: that of using the "Prayer of Good Courage" as our post-communion prayer weekly. This prayer appears in our ELW hymnal as part of the Evening Prayer liturgy, but has been used in many other liturgical places.

If you take just a moment to read the prayer, you'll notice several things. First, the prayer acknowledges that so much of our lives is unknown to us, the "ventures of which we cannot see the ending." Second, the prayer asks God for faith and "good courage." Do we ever need that! And finally, God is leading us wherever we go.

This prayer, for the greater Zion community, is a preview of our emphasis in 2023 to bring together faith and work; in other words, connecting what we do as the church with what we do in our professional lives, even if we happen to be retired. We want everyone to know that, whatever your role and place in our society,

You matter to God.

What you do matters to God.

You are making a difference.

God would not call, lead, and support us if God did not love us. We hope that this prayer and the year to come will be a resounding affirmation of every person's worth, dignity, and impact in everything they are and in everything they do.

Living in Good Courage,

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

We Need Your Help

Anyone who is available is welcome and encouraged to join us as we prepare for the "Hanging of the Greens" by bringing down our Christmas decorations from the storage loft, assembling trees, hanging garland, and setting up our manger scene. There will be a job for all abilities and skill levels. We are planning to meet on Friday, November 25th at 3:00 p.m. in the church sanctuary.

Save the Dates!

Please plan to join the community for our Wednesdays in Advent, beginning with dinner and fellowship. Soup and salad will be provided. Please bring something to share, if you can.

A Zoom link for the study will be forthcoming, and the Prayer of the Day will be livestreamed on our Facebook page.

Opportunities to Serve Joyfully & Give Selflessly

We are thankful for your generosity!

The Facebook giving campaign for Nina's Place ends on Thanksgiving Day! Please let your family and friends know about this wonderful community outreach project and ask them to donate! To visit Nina's Place on our website, click here. Literally every dollar helps!

We have received over $2,100 so far from contributions directly to Zion and those made through our Facebook giving campaign. Please continue to share the opportunity to give with family, friends, and any businesses you know who believe in addressing food insecurity at the local level.

4th Annual

Reverse Advent Calendar

A joint church, preschool, and community project to benefit Nina's Place

This yearly service project has become a Zion tradition, made so much more successful because of partnering with our preschool families at Evergreen Academy.

In this project, rather than taking an item out of an Advent calendar each day, we reverse the action by giving an item each day. We’ve made it easier the last two years by setting aside weekly donations for the four weeks in Advent, the church season preceding Christmas and the birth of our Lord and Savior.

To see the full Reverse Advent Calendar, click here and scroll down.

Collection boxes will be available during the week in the Evergreen Academy office and on Sundays in the Church Sanctuary. If you want us to do the shopping for you, click here to give online and choose "Reverse Advent Calendar" as the fund. Thank you for your generosity!

Week 1

November 27 to December 3

Church: Socks & Washcloths

Preschool: Socks & Washcloths

This Sunday: First Sunday of Advent

Our church year begins again with the "Hanging of the Greens" service, filled with readings, prayers, and explanations of the significance of our seasonal worship decorations. This will be a fun celebration for all ages, including some interactive participation. You won't want to miss it!

• Two AA Groups meet weekly in Katie Luther Chapel: Women's AA (Mondays at 7:00 p.m.) and Old Timers AA (Saturdays at 7:00 p.m.).
• To claim a special date for altar flowers on a Sunday morning, contact Cantor Kurt Schmidt. The cost of the arrangements is $40 and you may take the flowers home after Sunday morning worship.

Zion is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community, and extends God's radical welcome to all people, because we're all created in God's image.