Thrivent Choice Dollars

Attention all Thrivent Financial for Lutheran members! Don’t forget to direct your 2011 Thrivent Choice Dollars by March 31, 2012. Choice dollars are earned by eligible members based on their insurance premiums, contract values and Thrivent Financial volunteer leadership. Thrivent Choice Dollars replaced the Thrivent Congregational Matching Funds in 2010. Now you have the choice to direct donations to an eligible Lutheran organization instead of a church committee. Any choice dollars given to Zion will go to benefit the youth and their summer mission trips to Wyoming & New Orleans.

You can designate your choice dollars donations online at www.thrivent.com or by calling 1-800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) and state “Thrivent Choice”. If you have any questions regarding Thrivent Financial, you may contact local financial representatives Ron Sheltra or Travis Brietling at 801-485-5900.

Remember to act by March 31, 2012 so that the money does not go to waste! It is a use it or lose it policy.

Marva Rose Hartse Wolcott
February 6, 1919-December 25, 2011 

On Christmas Day, we celebrate Emmanuel, “God-with-us” in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas Day became Marva’s homecoming, when she completed her earthly baptismal journey.

Marva celebrated many homecomings along the way. Her home became a place of hospitality, welcoming all who would visit, especially from her greeting place “out front.” Family and neighbors and friends were always welcome.

Marva was at home in Zion’s faith community, and deeply missed Sunday worship because of ailing health. Still, she cherished being at home, on the davenport, resting in grace, holding hands in the embrace of her beloved husband, Vern.

God made a home with Marva on March 6, 1919 in waters of holy baptism. In these waters, the promise was planted deep in her heart that our Lord would always make a home for her, at all times and in all places. This is the “goodness and mercy” that followed her all her life, with Vern, beloved family, neighbors and friends.

So, even through tears of sorrow, we celebrate the homecoming of Marva Wolcott, because God has crowned another of God’s believing saints with the homecoming gift of life eternal.

Confirmation Happenings
Confirmation ministry is a pastoral and educational ministry of the church that helps the baptized through Word and Sacrament to identify more deeply with the Christian community and participate more fully in its mission.

We believe to help our Confirmands “identify more deeply with the Christian community” requires participation from the community.  Please pray for our Confirmands - Aubrey, Claire, Glenn and Preston.  Please consider providing lunch or participating in a calendar session on a Sunday to support pastoral education with the students following worship.  For more information, contact the church office or Marci Hall (raskhal96@gmail.com).

Feb 3-4: Souper Bowl of Caring Retreat
Overnight retreat at Zion with Confirmands and confirmation students

Feb 5: Souper Bowl of Caring Worship
Youth lead the 10:30am worship

Feb 22: Ash Wednesday-meet from 6pm to 8pm at Zion. Confirmands meet with Pr. Steve during the soup supper at 6pm and attend worship at 7pm

Adult Education Sunday Mornings in February: 

Lament often sounds like despair, the opposite of faith. Yet Martin Luther taught that it is precisely in the places where we least expect to find God, in suffering, pain, disaster, catastrophe - and in the cross - that God is clearly present. All are welcome to continue this study which began in January with Pr. Steve Klemz. Meet at 9:15am in the atrium.

S.H.A.P.E.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).God wants all of your being to go into loving and serving Him; to find your best fit in ministry, put all of who you are into all of who He is.

Your life is like a puzzle. The pieces fit together to make a whole you. When you combine your spiritual gifts, personality, passions, ability and experience, you will discover a picture which shows how you can best serve the Lord with maximum effectiveness.

To do this, we need to learn our S.H.A.P.E. (idea introduced to Saddleback by Rick Warren and explained in greater detail in Erik Rees’s book “S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique S.H.A.P.E.).

S = Spiritual gifts (What are you gifted to do?)
H = Heart (What passions do you have?)
A = Abilities (What do you naturally do better than others?)
P = Personality (How has God wired you to navigate life?)
E = Experiences (Where have you been and what have you learned?)

Watch for more information in the coming months about this concept and learn more about your S.H.A.P.E.

Diana Robertson (Spiritual Enrichment council member)

 Wine & Cheese Party

Saturday, December 10, 2011

This year, Marsha Gilford & Gordon LaFleur will host the event from 6:00 - 9:00pm at their home:
Bring: Appetizer, hors d’oeuvre or dessert to share, along
with a bottle of your favorite wine or other beverage choice.

Dress: As you like; Suggested donation: $5.00

A sign up sheet is posted in the narthex. Please sign up!

 December Family Fun Activity

Gingerbread Houses

Start planning your decorations & designs for Zion’s annual Family Fun Gingerbread House Activity to be held on Sunday, December 11, 2011 at noon in the Terrace Room.  This activity is for the young in age and the young at heart, so everyone is invited to participate in this festive holiday event.  It is very important that everyone SIGN-UP for both the number of houses needed and the number of adults & children attending the lunch to ensure we have enough houses/icing and enough food.  The sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board outside of the library.

Items that are provided:  Soup, bread and drinks (for the meal); Pre-made graham cracker houses & royal icing for decorating (for the activity).

Items that are needed:  PLEASE bring at least one decorating item per participant to share (e.g. cereal, candy, coconut, ice cream cones, pretzels, fruit roll ups, licorice, etc.). 

If anyone is interested in helping to build the houses, please let me know. A donation of $2 per person to help cover the cost of the houses and meal is suggested (but not required).

Please contact Angie Reuschel at  aclmom86@msn.com with any questions, to help volunteer for this activity, or even to RSVP for the event.   We hope to see you there!

The beauty of Advent has begun to make itself felt with the changing of the season.  Following that, the Worship Committee will decorate Zion’s sanctuary with poinsettias - the gorgeous “Christmas rose” - again this year. Please prayerfully consider your participation in our yearly tradition and donate one of these beautiful plants. Each donated plant may go home with its family after the holiday season. Please fill out a form and place it, along with your donation ($10.00 per plant), in an envelope (please mark the envelope “Poinsettia”). Thank You.  We will be taking orders for poinsettias through Sunday, December 18th.

Harmon’s Grocery Stores just announced that 12,000 turkeys were delivered to the Utah Food Bank in November. This includes the 3,700 needed for the Crossroads turkey giveaway! All turkeys were purchased or donated as part of the Gift for a Gift Campaign. BIG THANK YOU’s go to everyone in every congregation who purchased a turkey gift certificate. All turkeys purchased above what Crossroads can use are going to the other charitable food programs around the state. Support from all of the congregations is always the key to success in this effort. Again, thank you for your continued support of Crossroads Urban Center and Harmon’s.

Christmas Worship Schedule

Saturday, Dec. 24th

6:00pm
Worship with Carols

11:00pm
Candlelight Worship

Sunday, Dec. 25th: 10:00am

Sunday, Jan. 1st: 10:00am

Sunday, Jan. 8th: 8:15am; 10:30am
Education hour: 9:15-10:15am