LutherFest Picnic 2011

 The annual Thrivent Financial for Lutherans LutherFest Picnic will be held on Saturday, August 20, 2011 from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm at Murray City Park (5300 S Parkside Dr ~ 495 E) pavilion #2 by the amphitheater.  Food will be served from 12-1:45 pm.  Murray Police will be doing a presentation at noon followed by Murray Fire at 1pm.  There will also be a bounce house and booths with items for sale and information to be ascertained about Lutheran related activities.  If you are interested in setting up a booth, please let me know.  Come and enjoy an afternoon with other Lutherans and meet your Greater Salt Lake Chapter Leadership Board and Financial Associates Advisors.  Paper products will be provided but feel free to bring your own eco friendly items.

Thrivent will be providing brats & hot dogs while area churches will be contributing towards the rest of the food and refreshments.  Zion has been asked to provide refreshments.  Therefore, there will be a cooler across from the church office for any donations of individual bottles of water, cans of soda, or individual juice drinks that you would like to donate.  Items will be collected through Sunday, August 14.  Monetary donations to be used to purchase refreshments may be placed in the offering with the notation of LutherFest with checks being made payable to Zion Lutheran Church.

If you have any questions, you may contact Angie Reuschel at aclmom86@msn.com.

FROM UGANDA:Thank you! Those words don’t come close to expressing the appreciation I feel to all who donated panties to women in Uganda. I wish that like the Eskimos who have over 200 words for ‘snow,’ we had more words for THANKS so you could better understand how honored and humbled I was by your support.

It would have been fascinating if the TSA folks had stopped to consider - what were four women doing with over 600 pairs of underwear? The healing focus for this trip was on women and children. Girls miss almost one week of school each month because they don’t attend when they are bleeding (or ‘experiencing,’ as they call it) and we left 25 extra kits in one school for the girls who were not there for that specific reason - the teachers just know. Missing one week each month puts them behind and the teachers were probably more thrilled than the students when we brought the reusable pad project! Olivia (pictured) taught four groups of women to use and make them; for themselves, for their daughters, and then as a micro-industry.

And that was just part of an amazing trip in so many unexpected ways. This type of trip helps create a truly global community - thanks for being part of it.  Vickie

Vickie Venne, MS, LGC, Senior Genetic Counselor,
Genomic Medicine Service

 DETOX CTR/VOA BBQ:

“It was just a little something that I put together over the last two or three days.”  This was Ethel Olson’s response to the delicious macaroni salad she prepared for 110 people.  The salad was served with brats and homemade cookies prepared by Zion hosts for the 25^th Anniversary for the Adult Detox Center, Volunteers of America.  There was a great spirit in the evening and, as Zion does best, hospitality was shared and celebrated.  Thank you to all who made this an evening to remember:  Abel Klemz, Ethel Olson, Linda Hoge, Marion Ayers, Jaime Klemz, Len and Jennie Johnson, Marsha Gilford, Liz Prystas, Chet and Marilyn Johnson, Norma Klemz, Kurt Olson, Bob and Tracy Hackworth, Mike Hutchinson, Pastor Steve Klemz, Erin Basta.  

The Lutheran faith is one of ten religions memorialized in bronze and stone at the newly opened “Garden Place and Walk of Pioneer Faiths” park. The dedication took place on June 29th. This is part of “This Is The Place Heritage Park” on Sunnyside Avenue. Go check it out!

Check out the article in the Deseret News, Sunday July 3, 2011

http://desne.ws/jl4fer

The Sunday Morning Bible Study led by Alyce and Denny Gross will finish on May 15, 2011 and return again in September.  Have a wonderful summer!

NAME, CONTACT INFO, AMOUNT

Rocky Mountain Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), www.rmselca.org, $56,000

Crossroads Urban Center, www.crossroads-u-c.org, $ 2,000

Volunteers of America; Homeless Youth Resource Center, www.voaut.org, $ 1,000

Emergency Assistance, Pasto,r $ 1,000

Family Promise, www.fpsl.org ,$ 1,000

Good News Jail Ministry, www.goodnewsjail.org, $ 500

Malagasy Companion Synod, www.oikoumene.org, $ 750

Christ the King Mission Church, www.christthekingutah.com, $ 2,000

Volunteers of America; Adult Detoxification Center, www.voaut.org, $ 1,000

TOTAL $65,250

 Mission/Outreach is a three legged stool with the legs being comprised of Zion, the Rocky Mountain Synod, and the ELCA. We sometimes forget how important our presence is to support the stool. The websites are listed in the above table to give you an opportunity to explore how your donations are used and to show how important you are in helping those in need. We also donate directly to charities that are not directly aligned with our Synod or ELCA. These charities will be discussed in future articles. This month we will focus on our Synod and the ELCA. 

Rocky Mountain Synod: We belong to the Rocky Mountain Synod (RMSELCA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). Our Synod giving goes to the RMSELCA and approximately 50% is then forwarded by the Synod to ELCA. There are many services we support through our giving to the RMSELCA. These services are identified on the “mission/outreach” tab on the home page of their website.

 ELCA: There are also many Mission/Outreach opportunities with ELCA, which are listed under the “Congregational and Synodical Mission” tab on the left side of the home page of the ELCA web site. The sub-categories under this tab are: Congregational Centers for Mission; Synodical Directors for Evangelical Mission; Ethnic Specific & Multicultural Ministries; Leadership for Mission; Poverty & Justice Ministries/Lutheran Services in America; Advocacy 

Under the “Poverty and Justice/Lutheran Services in America” is a search engine that can be used to locate the Lutheran Social Service of Utah. Their web site is www.lssu.org. The following services are offered through the Lutheran Social Service of Utah: Aging Services · Elder House “Home-Like” Assisted Living Program; · Information and Referral for In-Home Care Assistance 

Children, Youth & Family Services · First Generations Literacy Programs - Holiday Giving Program ; · First Generations Literacy Programs - Science, Art, & English (AfterSchool); · International Adoption Program; · Judicious Discipline Parent and Teacher Workshops 

Congregational & Chaplaincy Services · 2002 Olympic Chaplains Network 

Consulting and Education Programs · Continuing Education Programs; · Inter-Generational Workshops 

Emergency Services & Disaster Services · Disaster Response Programs; · Voucher and Other Support 

Immigrant, Refugee & International Services · First Generations Literacy Programs - Cultural Immersion Programs; · First Generations Literacy Programs - Holiday Giving Program; · First Generations Literacy Programs - Science, Art, & English (AfterSchool); · Judicious Discipline Workshops (offered in Nuer, Arabic & English); · Literacy Services for Men, Women and Children; · More Blue Sky Center 

As you can see, the donation we make to the Rocky Mountain Synod is available to many organizations that help our neighbors, both near and far. Prayer is also an important contribution. Please visit these websites and pray for the work that is accomplished by our partners and for those who are in need of assistance. And remember, you are an important participant in the work that God expects of us to help those who are in need. 

Mike Hutchinson, Congregational Council—Outreach

On March 11 an 8.9-magnitude earthquake caused severe damage and led to a tsunami that overwhelmed cities and farmland in Japan. Tsunami warnings have been raised around the Pacific Rim. ELCA Disaster Response is monitoring the situation and preparing this church’s response, both internationally and domestically as needed.

Your gifts to ELCA Disaster Response, designated for the Pacific Earthquake & Tsunami, will be used entirely (100 percent) in response to this disaster.
You may also choose to give to ELCA Disaster Response where the need is greatest — enabling our church to respond where help is needed most around the world and close to home.

The ELCA invites gifts to ELCA Disaster Response in order to continue its work in Japan and surrounding region.

Please visit ELCA Disaster Response for more information and worship resources.
Other Ways to Give:
Check or money orders sent to:
ELCA Disaster Response
39330 Treasury Center
Chicago, IL 60694-9300
write “Pacific Earthquake & Tsunami”
on your check’s memo line.
Credit card by phone: 800-638-3522
Credit card contributions may also be made via mail

Observe Lent a New Way

What are you giving up for Lent? So often during Lent, we focus on our chocolate cravings or feelings of self-denial. We forget the spiritual discipline and reflection of Lent and the feast of grace that comes with this time of fast.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service invites you this year to observe Lent a new way. www.lirs.org

Take a 40-day Lenten journey with Nabila and her family, refugees who fled the Taliban. As we hear of ongoing suffering in Afghanistan, pause to reflect on this family’s search for peace. As we wait for the celebration of God’s peace through Christ, pray for our sisters who struggle for security. As we hope for the transformative power of reconciliation with Christ, remember refugees who could find no justice in their homeland.

Subscribe to LIRS’s Lenten devotional series to receive free weekly e-mails to guide your reflections and prayers. Each week’s message will help you feast on a different aspect of grace: justice, wisdom, grace, hope, presence, abundance and peace.  Go to www.lirs.org.

Thank you for joining us!

interfaithprayservcolor

InterFaith  Prayer Service for Utah Immigrants

Thursday March 3 2011

7:30 pm

The Catherdal of the Madeleine

Salt Lake City

All are welcome as we gather to seek and pray for a more just treatment of immigrants in Utah.

Follow link for Salt Lake Tribune article of Pastor Steve's Press Conference

Religious leaders ask lawmakers
 to push for federal immigration reform - ksl.com

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=833&sid=14123271