Advent

Wow it has been a long time since I have been on. The month of December is such a change for all of us. The weather becomes cold and we focus in on the holidays but what about making room for Jesus. As a liturgical church we try to hold off Christmas while the media has been pumping it out since October. Instead of battling it why not lay them side by side? In the midst of darkness and cold, talk about the light of Christ and the warmth of Christian fellowship. Talk about giving oursleves away in the name of Christ. Instead of a "making merry" why not searching for joy? The true gifts of Chrsitams are the relationships we are in which will sustain us through all of the seasons.

From the Pastor

As I go about my day and deal with the many changes life offers, my reactions sometime surprise me. Like yesterday, it was a beautiful autumn like day and felt fine but I kept thinking about the chores I had to do around home and the failing economy. Finally it struck me, “Why don’t you stop and smell the roses?” Too often we all live in a mindset of scarcity; high prices and not enough money. But why not stop and think about what we do have? Like the old hymns suggest, “Count your blessings one by one.”

Then it struck me - what would happen if we began to look, to really spend time, on all that we have? What if we began to list all of our blessings? Would that change our behavior today? Would that make us feel more grateful towards God? What would we discover?

· A new appreciation of life
· Notice a person in our life who cares about us
· Find a beacon of hope
· Approach life in gratitude for the abundance He has given
· Remember all that I can give back to life

Has being a member of Zion been a blessing? How?

I would like to have you join me in this process and over the next few months, let’s develop a “Book of Blessings.” This scrapbook would be filled with our personal thanks to God and others. We could share with members of our family or members of Zion. Maybe we could even preserve it for the future?

So when you come to have your picture taken for Zion’s church directory, sit a few moments and fill out a blessing tally.

See you in church,
Pastor Otto

September theme

Throughout the month of September I will focus on the idea that we challenge the forces of today by living out our faith in Jesus through a community of believers. Our community of faith is committed to "sharing Christ's love" in practical ways. By doing so we live out the challenge offered by the Apostle Paul in Roman chapter 12 verse 9 " Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor"

On September 7 we will use this passage to kick off our new year of learning by preaching on this theme: Healing the whatever culture" Maybe the most significant impact we can make on this world is by living a life filled with hope and joy. Joy based on compassion and servant hood.

ON September 14 we will follow that up with looking at Matthew 18: 21-3 and seeing of there are limits to compassion. What does it mean to forgive from the heart?

From the Pastor’s desk

Because you decided to be the church…
* Five young people had a terrific time at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Camp.
* Thirty children learned about power in Jesus’ name during Vacation Bible School.
* The Rogman family does not feel alone as they seek to rebuild their lives.
* Two young couples found a place to get married and begin their life together.
* Thousands were fed through Lutheran World Relief.
* Hundreds of NIU students heard the Gospel in the midst of tragedy and fear.
* Dozens of people gathered in Rock Island to accomplish the work of the Synod.
And you lived your faith in the midst of tornadoes and floods.

Keep up the good work. In times like these, there is no better time to live the Gospel. And keep being re-charged by coming to worship.

Pastor Otto

From the Pastor's Desk

The fourth item on our list of congregational values is volunteerism.
“We believe that everyone has a gift, which needs to be discovered, developed and deployed in ministry. We believe that our community of faith is stronger when all its members are involved in ministry.”

We are privileged to have a wonderful staff of people employed by Zion. But the real work gets done by you the member. If you look at any one of our ministries, it is the volunteer that make it happen. Thank you! We do realize that all our lives are busy and full of activities. What we ask is that you say “yes” at least once.

So in April during a worship time, we will offer to fill out a ministry questionnaire. We hope you will not only choose to continue what you have been doing and add one more thing. This way we will grow as servants of the living Christ and Zion will grow as well.

See you in worship, Pastor Otto

From the Pastor's Desk

We are a caring congregation committed to sharing Christ’s love with the world. That is who we say we are. As individuals and as groups, hopefully we keep looking for ways to express that mission statement. We also have some core values.

In this newsletter I would like to share with you another core value. As a Christian congregation we seek to offer opportunities to lead members of Zion to grow in their relationship with their Savior. Primary in this value is what we do in worship: Prayer, reading of scripture, singing, hopefully being inspired by the preaching and finally offering our gifts. But where else do we offer spiritual growth?

· Adult Forum and Bible studies
· Prayer Partners
· Men’s Group
· Faith Stepping Stones
· Women’s Meetings

Very shortly we all will have an opportunity to use this value. I invite you to join with me in our 36 hours of prayer. The prayer vigil is an opportunity for you to come to our church building and for one hour be in conversation with God. From 8:00 p.m. Good Friday until 6:00 a.m. Easter Sunday, members of Zion will praying and meditating. I invite you to sign up for an hour. You can be bring devotional material with you but we also provide you with some. Then as we celebrate God’s greatest miracle, the resurrection, you will have made a concrete step to grow in your relationship with your Savior.

There is planned an Easter Sunday Sunrise Service that will be different from past years. I invite you to come and experience the Resurrection.
See you at worship,
Pastor Otto