interested in membership or ANNUAL MEETINGSstorage.cloversites.com/zionlutheranchurchofamor... · David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.

Inside this Newsletter

1-2 General Information 3 Pastor’s Paragraphs 4 Intern Offerings / God’s Acres 5 Troy’s Tidings / Library 6 Musically Speaking 7 Sunday School 8 Financial Reports 9 Council Corner / Council Minutes 10 January Birthdays, Action Groups and Anniversaries Wrapper - Calendar Gronbecks’ Christmas Greeting

ZION’S MISSION STATEMENT We are claimed, gathered, and sent forth to serve and witness in Jesus’ name.

NEW MEMBER

SUNDAY

Sunday, January 10th

Please contact Pastor Jim, Intern

Pastor Jon, or the church office if

you or anyone you know is

interested in membership or

associate membership.

ANNUAL MEETING VOTING C10.05 Voting by proxy shall not be permitted. Absentee ballots shall be permitted and will be available in the church office. Please contact Lynn at 495-2563.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Have a prayer request? Call the

prayer chain:

Bob Roberts 495-3524,

Barb Bjorgo 495-2152,

Galen & Laura Youngsma

495-2681,

Betty Johansen 826-6834 and

Yvonne Erickson 495-3321

First Communion Classes—we

will begin classes for students in

grades 4 and up January 3rd

at 5 p.m. We will be meeting at

5 p.m. Sundays January 3, 10, 17

and 24, so please make plans for

these classes.

Baby Shower!!

For: Bridget Irene Rundquist

When: Sat, January 16, 2:00 p.m.

Where: Zion Fellowship Hall

ANNUAL MEETINGS

January 24th, 2016 The meetings will begin

immediately following the worship service.

Church congregations are legally incorporated under the state laws in which they are located. Those laws necessitate that members hold an Annual Meeting each year to report their performance. This obligation holds for every church in the U.S.A. Annual Meetings are informational and should benefit those as citizens and church members. Be notified the Annual meetings of Zion Lutheran Church of Amor will be held on Sunday, Jan 24th at Zion at 11:00 a.m.

ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AMOR ANNUAL MEETING ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AMOR FOUNDATION ANNUAL MEETING

2

FROM THE OFFICE

Your 2015 contribution

statements and your

2016 pledge information

will be available

Sunday, January 17th

.

Treasurers

Reminder to the groups that have

checkbooks … You need to have

them balanced and in the church

office by Thursday, January 7th

so

our auditors can review them the

following week. We also need your

financial summaries by Thursday,

January 7th

. Quite a bit of

information has to come together

for us to start printing the annual

report. Thank you for your support! You may email your reports to

[email protected].

Thank You….

To everyone who offers to help at

Zion throughout the year. You are

very much appreciated!

Office Staff, Lynn & Cynthia

Notary service is available in the

office. Services are free of charge

to members and associate members.

Please see Lynn in the church office

for more information.

QUILTING

The Zion quilters will

begin quilting again

on Monday, January

4th

at 8:30 a.m. We would love to

have you join us!

From October to December 2015

the quilters made and gave away

167 quilts! 98 were given locally

and 69 were shipped to Lutheran

World Relief.

Grace gives you the ability to try again tomorrow;

Excuses allow you to give up.

YOUTH NEWS

CONFIRMATION

CLASS

6:00 p.m. at Zion

Wednesday, January 6th

Snacks: Drake Family

Wednesday, January 20th

Snacks: Gibb Family

Roller Skating and Pizza at

Zorbaz

Sunday, January 10th

at 3:30 p.m.

CHURCH CANCELLATIONS

With winter weather here be aware

that Zion’s church cancellations

will be posted on

the website

www.zionamor.org

or

broadcast on KBRF 1250, KJJK

FM 96.5, or WDAY TV.

Remember to offer your neighbor a

ride in the winter months.

You cannot grow a good life with bad thoughts.

DORCAS,

MARY &

RUTH

CIRCLES

will be meeting jointly in Jan., Feb.,

and March.

The Wednesday, January 20th

meeting is at Zion at 1:30 p.m. with

the Ruth Circle hosting.

Zion West Valentine’s Party

The annual Zion West Valentine’s

Party will be on Sunday, February

14, 2016 beginning at 11:00 a.m. at

21565 E. Mewes Rd., Queen

Creek, AZ. Anyone in Arizona at

that time is welcome to join us.

Please email or call us with your

current email address, street address

& phone number so we can send

directions and details.

Dennis & Jayne Westlind

480-802-0994 [email protected]

OUR SYMPATHIES in the death

of their loved one:

Mickey Hanson and family on the

death of Bill Hanson.

Warren Ketterling and family on

the death of his Dad.

Lowell Wilcox and family on the

death of his brother, Rick Wilcox.

Lois Eid and family on the death

of Paul Eid.

CONGRATUALTIONS to Intern

Pastor Jon and Tiffany Rundquist

on their new daughter Bridget Irene.

Bridget was born on

Dec 16th

.

Grace is big; Excuses are small.

Mortgage Report

Payoff Balance as of 12/28/15:

$28,785.54

Daily Interest: $ 3.58

3

Pastor’s Paragraphs

Dear members and friends,

Happy New Year! I hope

your Christmas celebrations were

meaningful and fun. As we move

ahead into the New Year, we have

some things going on that I’d like

to share with you.

First Communion classes

will be held in January beginning

on Sunday, the 3rd at 5 p.m. This

will be for anyone 4th grade or

older, and will be held for four

Sundays in January. Anyone is

welcome.

You will notice a suitcase in

the narthex during the month of

January. The Mission Jamaica

group has the suitcase out for

anyone to contribute items that

can be used at Westhaven or

given to the family for whom we

will be building a home. You can

include toiletries such as: soap,

toothbrushes, toothpaste,

shampoo (remember that our

recipients will be black so get

shampoo designed for their hair),

towels, washcloths, bed linens,

basic kitchen supplies, etc.

Please no motel size toiletries—

they don’t go very far. Our last

Sunday for collection will end Jan.

24th so we can pack them to bring

along. We also will bring King

James Version (KJV) Bibles in

good condition. A box for these is

located outside my office. Also,

please remember to pray for the

group and for the people of

Jamaica. We covet your prayers

for health, safety, and a positive

mission experience.

In the next month we will

be receiving information on a

program titled, ALPHA, that the

pastors in the OTC LYO will be

sponsoring. It will take place at

Faith Haven Bible camp just south

of Battle Lake. ALPHA is a ten

week study of the basics of the

Christian faith. We are inviting

people of all ages to take part in

this interesting course. You will

meet new friends, have great

fellowship, and learn more about

our Christian faith. Please plan to

join us. More information will be

available shortly. Troy Olson, our

OTC LYO Youth Director is heading

it up and all the pastors will be

participating. Invite your friends,

neighbors, and anyone who may

want to learn more about our

Christian faith. Carpools to Faith

Haven can be arranged.

Our Lenten Season begins

early this year with Ash

Wednesday falling on February

10th. We will have our Ash

Wednesday Service at 6:45 pm

(without a soup supper on Ash

Wednesday). The pastors and

youth director of the OTC LYO will

be doing a ‘round robin’ this year,

which means the pastors will be

switching up churches and you will

have a different pastor preaching

here each of the five weeks of the

Lenten Season. We will have our

Soup Suppers beginning on

February 17th at 6:00 pm. It will

be a lot of fun and interesting

having a change of pace this year.

We, then, will not have members

sharing their faith stories this

year. Zion will be doing the

Holden Evening Prayer service this

year, so you will have different

people leading it each week. That

should be interesting!

Looking WAY AHEAD, if

there is interest in having a

Minnesota Twins game trip again

this year please let me know early.

We have to reserve tickets way in

advance to get the great seats we

had last year. Some possible

dates are: June 23, July 6, August

11, or August 25.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Jim

Zion Amor,

Hello! Greetings from

Liptovsky Mikulos, Slovakiea!

Again thank you for supporting me

and being a part of sharing the

Good News and the English

language in Central Europe! I came

here to serve and am loving that!

Also I am learning how to better

serve others by the way student and

teachers welcome and treat me! I

feel I have a good support system

between the Lutheran Church here,

the Youth Group and 1 teacher’s

family in particular that has become

my “Slovak Family”! Teaching is

GREAT! I teach students age 15-

19 mostly, with 2 classes each week

with Elementary Students age 8-12!

All of my classes are called

conversation classes and we do just

that!

We learn vocab about a

topic, for example, family, food,

transportation and one advanced

class: the science behind

Superheros! Then with the vocab

we discuss preferences, ideas,

debates and questions to gain

experience using English in

different conversations. The older

students know English quite well

and I can converse with them

normally. The younger ones are

also good, but I talk slower and

watch my word choice. I’m

learning a ton about teaching from

the other teachers and students.

The mountains are gorgeous

and I spend as much time as I can in

them! Fall colors are behind MN, I

see pics of our area and am in

AWE! God paints a beautiful fall.

I saw the God’s Acres article.

Awesome to see it alive and

functional thanks to lots of helpers!

I’m praying with and for you at

home now.

In Christ, Marty Charest.

4

INTERN OFFERINGS

In those days a decree went

out from Emperor Augustus that all

the world should be registered. This

was the first registration and was

taken while Quirinius was governor

of Syria. All went to their own

towns to be registered. Joseph also

went from the town of Nazareth in

Galilee to Judea, to the city of

David called Bethlehem, because he

was descended from the house and

family of David. He went to be

registered with Mary, to whom he

was engaged and who was

expecting a child. While they were

there, the time came for her to

deliver her child. And she gave

birth to her firstborn son and

wrapped him in bands of cloth, and

laid him in a manger, because there

was no place for them in the inn.

(Luke 2:1-7 NRSV)

Bridget Irene Rundquist was

born on Wednesday, December

16th at 12:28pm. My daughter came

into this world during a snowstorm.

Ever since we knew she would be

coming in December, we knew that

our daughter was going to come

during a snowstorm. We just knew

it. And, we were anxious about it

too, knowing we didn’t want to be

stranded in the middle of the

snowstorm giving birth to a baby in

the car.

Tiffany was to be induced

on that Wednesday because of non-

serious conditions, and Tuesday the

snowstorm was just beginning. So,

Tiffany and I made the wise

decision to get a hotel for Tuesday

night so we didn’t have to leave in

the middle of the fateful snowstorm.

So, upon arriving at the aptly-

named AmericInn in Fergus Falls, I

walked up to the desk to get our

keys to the room. I said to the lady

at the desk, “I say, is there any

room at this inn? My wife is very

pregnant and I hope there is room at

this inn. And no, my name is not

Joseph.” The lady at the desk

looked at me quizzically and

continued on with the business of

getting the room; seemingly

unphased by my attempt at a joke.

I told the nurses this story

when we arrived at the hospital the

next morning, and by the time all

the nurses had heard my joke, each

had told me how funny they thought

the joke was. So, all day, before,

during, and after the birth of my

second child, nurses were

entertained by my attempt at a joke.

The situation seemed apt for

such a comparison. Giving birth to a

child at Christmastime and we were

staying at an Inn the night prior.

And yet, there are either people who

still have not heard the miracle of

Christ’s birth to understand the

association, or don’t understand the

association to why we’re

celebrating this holiday anyway.

Jesus is the reason for the season

anyway, right?

I honestly don’t know if the

lady at the hotel was Christian, and

it was my assumption that she was.

But in this time of increasing

populations of “the non’s” and the

apathetic, are we turning people

away from the even the basics of

Christianity? To the point that

people don’t even know of the

Christmas Miracle anymore?

We’re entering uncharted

territory in the church, just as the

Magi didn’t know what to expect

when they finally caught up with

Jesus and his family. In January, we

celebrate the arrival of the Magi to

Jesus, and how Jesus is being

revealed at different points in his

ministry to different people. How

are you revealing Jesus to people in

your life? Through humour?

Through the acts of service you

participate in? Through the active

conversation about faith with your

neighbors? How are you spreading

the Good News and revealing Jesus

to folks? How is Jesus revealing

himself to you in your own life?

Merry Christmas and Happy New

Year from the Rundquist Family

Thank you from the God’s

Acres Team!

There was much progress in God’s

Acres during 2015. God’s Acres

was blessed with donations and

support from individuals,

families, organizations, local

businesses and many hard working

volunteers. We thank the Zion

members who designated

their Thrivent Choice Dollars to be

directed to God’s Acres. We share

the profits of the Pancake and

Sausage Breakfast with the Quilters

and appreciate your support for that

event. God’s Acres insurance is

provided by Zion Foundation.

God’s Acres does not receive funds

from the Zion operating budget and

all of this support is what makes

completion of projects possible.

Thank you all so much!

5

TROY’S TIDINGS

“51”. That’s how

many boxes of food

the 45+ youth and

adults of the OTC-

LYO packaged on December 13th

totaling 11,016 meals to feed people

in need. In addition to flying past

our goal of packing 10,000 we

learned that 20% of the food

packaged on Sunday stays locally,

while the other 80% is shipped to

Haiti. As Holly Weller put it,

“Watched our fellowship hall turn

into a food packaging assembly line

in roughly 25 minutes and over 40

kids and 15 adults fill the room with

excitement and energy to package

11,016 meals… What a powerful

way to spend an afternoon!” A

great day indeed, awesome to see

how we are better together! Thank

You to everyone who helped out,

and supported the project with their

donations, we couldn’t have done it

without you! Up next we’ve got

our annual Roller Skating and

Zorbaz night in Perham, on January

10th

. So mark your calendars!

Troy’s Devotional:

Growing up we had several new

neighbors and I wanted to share one

of those new neighbor experiences

with you. The Little Boy, (our new

neighbor) walked up and said,

“Hey”, to which my mom

responded, “This is Jill, and this is

Troy, and I’m Suzanne”. All he

said was “Hey”, leading my Mom

to reintroduce us all again. This

went on for three rounds with my

Mom introducing us, and him

responding “Hey”, until finally she

got frustrated and said “No, I’m

Suzanne!” And again he said

“Hey”. My Mom went inside

exasperated and the three of us kids,

just played around of hide and seek.

This time of year we can feel a little

like my Mom did, exasperated,

misunderstood and ready to head

inside. We begin to wonder if the

baby born on Christmas knows us

or cares for us or is more like my

neighbor who just blankly looks at

you and says, “Hey”. Well I’ve got

some news for you, we have a God

who loves us and knows us by

name, who sees us in our

brokenness, on good days and bad,

and says, “You’re worth it”. That is

why Christmas happens, because

we are loved beyond compare by a

God willing to come for us in the

form of a baby laying in a manger.

Jesus comes, not to give a generic

“Hey”, but to say to each of us, “I

Love You”. May the truth of our

Saviors birth sink in more and more

each day.

ZION WON THE PENNY WAR!

So…Pastor Jim and Intern Pastor

Jon will be wearing ‘80’s rocker

wigs at the January 10th

Service.

Zion raised $377.30 while the other

churches added over $20 to our

tally – so our total was just over

$400.00.

Thanks for supporting the youth

food packing event!!

The cemetery

committee has decided to help

with balancing next years budget by

asking the council to not put the

cemetery in the budget for 2016. This does not mean that we

don't have a need for funds, but we

are counting on Zion's members and

friends to give memorials in honor

and remembrance of friends, family

and loved ones.

An excellent time to give is

Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day,

the anniversary of the passing of

someone close to you or a day that

might have been important to you

or your loved one.

Thanks, Dan Thorson

LIBRARY NEWS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

If you are a person who does New

Year’s resolutions, this year resolve

to check out the church library and

find a book or DVD. Remember

the library has something for

everyone. COME BROWSE.

BOOK SALE

February is “I Love To Read”

month. In observance of this

month, the library will be selling

some books which are duplicates in

the library collection. So bring your

change along for a free will offering

on Sunday February 14th

. This will

offset the budget given to the

library by the church council.

BOOK DISCUSSION

Book discussions will resume on

Thursday, February 4th

with The

Language of Flowers by Vanessa

Diffenbaugh. Carol Gealow will be

the facilitator. Eighteen years old

and emancipated from a childhood

spent in foster care, Victoria learns

she has a gift for helping others as

she struggles to help herself find

happiness.

Betty Johansen 826-6834

-------------------------------------------

Grace understands

the bigger picture;

Excuses fixate on the small details.

Grace says “mistakes aren’t fatal;

Excuses use mistakes as

a reason to quit.

6

MUSICALLY

SPEAKING

“Peace on Earth”

Last December, the

Musically Speaking article

mentioned some of the Advent and

Christmas lyrics I admire and enjoy.

This year when the choir received

its December Call to Worship, I was

surprised to see Sonja had

coincidentally chosen a song I’d

quoted. The message

of its lyrics has remained with me

throughout 2015, although I’ve

already forgotten which or

how many verses we recently sang.

Many readers may

remember reading “Evangeline,”

“The Song of Hiawatha,” or “Paul

Revere’s Ride” by Henry

Wadsworth Longfellow, and some

may even remember he authored the

beloved carol, “I Heard the Bells on

Christmas Day.” Historians also

have his journals that document

Longfellow’s hopes and concerns,

joys and tragedies. His Christmas

Day entries are especially heart

wrenching, and by Christmas of

1863, he was too despondent to

write one.

However, a year later and

months away from the end of the

Civil War, he wrote the poem

“Christmas Bells” on December 25,

1864. Originally composed of seven

stanzas, verses four and five reveal

images of a country impacted by

deafening cannons, struggling

families, and mounting casualties.

Today, these two verses are

usually omitted from hymnals and

books of carols (Meyer. “I Heard

the Bells...” Huffpost.com ).

Longfellow’s words in verse six are

heavy with the pain and turmoil of

war. And in despair I bowed my

head; “There is no peace on earth,”

I said; “For hate is strong, and

mocks the song of peace on earth,

goodwill to men!”

Historians may never know

what prompted the optimism of the

poem’s final verse. Yet

the power of its words, set to a

gentle melody by Jean Baptiste

Calkin, rightfully converted

Longfellow’s poem to the carol we

know today (Studwell. The

Christmas Carol Reader).

Then pealed the bells more loud and

deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He

sleep; The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail, With peace on

earth, goodwill to men.” It is no

surprise this song, written while our

country was so divided, resonates

with us in the 21st century. Our

hearts seem filled with fear, our

country consumed by conflict, and

the world overwhelmed with

turmoil. Indeed, there may be no

greater music than a treasured carol

that wishes us “peace on earth,

goodwill toward men.” There are

many fine interpretations on

YouTube and CDs. One of my

favorites is by Casting Crowns; you

can listen to it at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

M7670CXvPX0.

The choir is taking a brief

winter break. Perhaps a New Year’s

goal could be to join us when we

resume in early February.

~ Sandra Sedivy 218-495-2139

Grace offers courage; Excuses propagate fear

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Zion Friends, Another VERY SUCCESSFUL "Giving Tree" Project, thanks to ALL our Zion Members & Friends !!!!! This is our 7th year of being involved, and every year I am so overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and loving hearts!! We were able to help 33 families in the Battle Lake School District, which totaled 69 kids. Three weeks ago when I hung the tags on our "make-shift" tree, (of which there ended up being 92 gift tags and 33 Larry's tags = 125 total tags), I always keep my fingers crossed that they will all disappear.......and every year, they FLY off the tree (white board)!!!!! On December 13th, all the wonderfully wrapped gifts were loaded in my Jeep, along with $820 for Larry's Gift Cards, and another $550 to the High School Student who needed help to come up with funds to go to New York City for the Choir Trip in May. The reactions from the School Staff always makes me so proud to be a part of this Project, and all of you TOO should be just as proud of yourselves for all you did to make all those families so happy and appreciative. So again, MANY THANKS to everyone who helped with this very special project .... once again I am OVERWHELMED with your "heart-felt" giving !!!!!!

Christmas Blessings to You All !!! Tanya Hensch - G.T. Elf

7

Sunday School News

Sunday School and Jo & Dough at 8:40 a.m.

Schedule:

(Dec. 27 & Jan. 3 NO SUNDAY SCHOOL-holiday break)

Jan. 10: Sunday School

Jan. 17: Sunday School

Jan. 24: Sunday School, Annual Meeting

Jan. 31: Sunday School

December 20th

was ourr Sunday School Program.

Thank you to Ann Gibbs for the organization

and leadership. Great job everyone!

Parents please continue to bring your children to Sunday School

regularly after the Christmas season. There’s so much more for them to

learn and experience about Jesus!

Do you desire to learn more about the Bible? To

help children learn the Bible? To see children

apply the Bible to their everyday lives? Do you

want to make a difference in a child’s faith life? If

so, volunteering at Sunday School is for you! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Family Bread

If you think about the ingredients that go into making a bread: the eggs, the flour, the sugar,

the water, you realize that none of these elements are very good if at all on their own. But when you mix them

together, adding just the right amounts (and no more than is needed), you get a delicious bread. You get something

that tastes good that all people can enjoy.

In the same way, all of us, the congregation, are a part of a larger family. We each bring something to the mix. But

when we mix together, we are better than when we are alone. This is what it means to be part of God’s family-

coming together to do God’s work.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ZION-AMOR CHURCH STAFF

Pastor....................James O. Gronbeck

Intern Pastor ….……....Jon Rundquist

President ................. Yvonne Erickson

VP……...…....................Carol Gealow

Secretary.......................... Amy Drake

Treasurer.......................Virgil Hoistad

Office Manager…......….Lynn Melchior

SS Coordinator…..………..

Organist..........................LaVerne Nelson

Choir Director.................Sonja Holmgren

Contemporary Dir...........Sonja Holmgren

Custodian/Janitor..............Karen Umland

8

ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AMOR TREASURER’S REPORT November 2015

Nov Year to Date 2015 Budget

Income Actual Actual Budget Used

Sunday Offering 29,284.00 236,329.48 281,941.00 83.82 %

Special Offering 393.00 4,233.00 5,900.00 71.75 %

Other Income 1.73 3,104.74 1,125.00 275.98 % Total Income 29,678.73 243,667.22 288,966.00 84.32 %

Expense

Our Benevolence 1,508.00 18,382.34 21,046.00 87.34 %

Missions -1,581.86 7,612.67 13,900.00 54.77 %

Pastoral Compensation 7,945.31 87,398.41 95,745.00 91.28 %

Pastoral Expense 194.92 3,702.56 5,100.00 72.60 %

Intern Expense 2,913.59 33,867.06 37,051.00 91.41 %

Evangelism 191.60 663.93 1,000.00 66.39 %

Education 360.55 6,676.27 8,020.00 83.25 %

Library 0.00 352.96 400.00 88.24 %

Music & Worship 463.25 13,700.22 16,327.00 83.91 %

Altar 118.56 485.31 450.00 107.85 %

Secretary Salaries 2,977.61 33,921.38 38,400.00 88.34 %

Stephen Ministry 0.00 173.20 100.00 173.20 %

Office 913.53 10,849.88 15,170.00 71.52 %

Stewardship 0.00 165.49 450.00 36.78 %

Planning 0.00 709.00 600.00 118.17 %

Property & Management 1,022.31 23,018.70 33,407.00 68.90 %

Maintenance & Repairs 95.97 2,079.54 1,800.00 115.53 %

Capital Improv/Emerg Op 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 % Total Expense 17,123.34 243,758.92 288,966.00 84.36 %

Income Less Expense 12,555.39 -91.70 0.00

ATTENDANCE/CONTRIBUTIONS

2014 November

2015 November

Date Attendance Contributions

Date Attendance Contributions

2-Nov 175 $5,960.50

1-Nov 157 $9,148.00

9-Nov 140 $4,636.50

8-Nov 145 $3,261.00

16-Nov 142 $2,643.00

15-Nov 147 $2,634.00

23-Nov 189 $3,656.00

22-Nov 163 $11,487.00

Thxsgv 11/26/2014 61 $305.00

Thxsgv 11/25/2015 60 $393.00

30-Nov 121 $3,719.50

29-Nov 120 $2,754.00

TOTAL 828 $20,920.50

TOTAL 792 $29,677.00

Sun Ave 153.4

Sun Ave 146.4

Restricted Funds November 2015 Flowers 404.91 Improvement Fund 1,133.97 Designated Giving 30.00 Food Shelf 1,359.15 ELCA Malaria 0.00 Sunday School 2,199.12 World Hunger 230.00 Building Fund 82.57 Cemetery Fund 413.76 Library Fund 432.46 Memorials & Gifts 1,842.43

Music Fund 7,716.39 Youth Group 1,792.60 Debt Reduction 914.00 Found. Pass Thru 200.00 Military Support 81.00 Sunday School Projects 0.00 Stephen Ministry 385.64 Fair Trade Coffee 112.05 Organ Fund 5,692.77 Pancake Breakfast 0.00 God’s Acres 774.00

Men’s Group Funds 229.82 Mission Jam Pass Thru -501.13 Building Gifts 128.77 Courtyard 247.44 Twins Game 0.00 Helping Hands 6,339.16 Jamaica House 0.00 Funeral 3,942.75 Totals $39,390.45

9

COUNCIL CORNER Name: Warren Ketterling

Years on council: 1

Zion member for: 3 years

Phone: 218-862-5009

After my youth was spent in

North Dakota, my family moved to Morris, MN in 1961

and I graduated from high school the following spring,

then attended U of M, Morris graduating with a degree

in Biology in 1966. Not feeling ready to take on the

world just yet, I entered Medical School the next fall

and four years later had another degree, my MD. Still

not ready for the world, a residency at Hennepin

County Medical Center followed. There we really

learned how to take care of the acutely and chronically

ill.

Finally, in 1974, I was eager for a real job and

opportunity knocked with an offer to join the Fergus

Falls Medical Group and I found myself busy there

doing diagnostics and primary care as well as critical

care, dialysis, endoscopic procedures and

administrative board work for the next twenty-one

years. My next 17 years were spent at the Mayo Clinic

in Rochester concentrating on initial evaluation, a

diagnostic plan and summary with a plan for treatment

for patients referred to Mayo from all over the world.

We always loved the lakes and when I retired in

2012 we moved back to Otter Tail County and to West

Battle Lake where we spend our time in all things

related to water, yard work, family and of course the

Zion Lutheran Church of Amor. I was particularly

attracted to the music programs associated with church

and would encourage anyone interested in singing to

join us in the choir.

SUMMARY OF ZION COUNCIL MINUTES

December 9, 2015

These are condensed and not approved

Secretary’s Report: Carol Gealow moved the

November report be approved after replacing

September with “October” in both the note for the

secretary’s and treasurer’s reports. Seconded by Neal

Johnson and approved.

Treasurer’s Report: Duane Hovland moved to

approve the Treasurer’s report for November pending

review. Seconded by Stan Fetters and carried.

Committee Reports & Letters:

Moving Committees Forward – monthly

committee meetings are scheduled for the 2nd

Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for team

leaders and 7:00 p.m. for teams.

WELCA – the group has their budget ready for

next year.

Pastoral Reports:

Pastor Jim – shared a thank you letter from

Luther Seminary for the Foreign Aid

Endowment Fund (est. 1975) which provided

financial aid this year to doctoral students

from other countries.

Intern Jon

Business:

2016 Budget Recommendation – Virgil

presented the Finance committee’s proposed

budget for next year. A special council meeting

is scheduled for Jan. 10th

to vote on final

approval of the budget.

Background checks approval – Liza shared the

final background check policy with the council.

Warren Ketterling moved to approve the policy

with the final changes as discussed. Wayne

Jones seconded the motion and it carried.

Nomination Committee update – (Amy, Connie

Hanyzewski, LaVerne Nelson, Tom Verhelst).

The committee needs to meet, discuss potential

nominees, and call them. There are four council

positions to fill.

Homework for January – SWOT review,

council members need to fill out their

evaluations and bring them to the meeting on

January 10th

.

Other – Help is requested for keeping the

entryways and sidewalks cleared of snow this

winter.

Council meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m. closing with

the Lord’s Prayer.

Kindness is in our power

even when fondness is not.

10

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS

1 Dan Bladow

1 Theresa Lopez-Moen

1 Karen Sondrol

1 Jim Spilde

3 Matt Gronbeck

5 Bobbi Tamke

6 Gary Johnson

7 Vicki Rode

7 Patricia Jones

7 Betty Schwankl

7 Crysta Hanson

8 Leigh Barry

8 Richard Narum

8 Lisa Leuthner

9 Inga Nelson

10 Steve Severson

10 Kaylie Olson

12 Jana Rinke

13 Linda Olson

15 Jay Johnson

15 Sue Krohn

15 Doris Wilcox

16 Jan Sanders

17 Janet Nermoe

17 Diane Weeks

19 Marilee Domier

19 Nancy Osland

20 Bob Bjorgaard

20 Duane Hovland

21 Linda Erickson

21 Chuck Sherbrooke

23 John Esser

25 Hannah Solberg

25 Jude Hagemeister

26 Darrell Wicklund

27 Ken Amundson

28 Barb Boyer

28 Dave Horner

29 Matthew Erwin

29 Keith Ross

31 Katrina Roberts

JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES

2 Harlan & Inga Nelson

2 Jim & Kristin Wherley

3 Jeremy & Tina Bladow

10 Ron & Carole Runningen

22 Robert & Kathy Bope

January Action Group Leaders: Duane & Nancy Hanson

864-8246

Vern & Muriel Foster 495-3440

Barry, Laramie & Jessica

Chase, Charlee, Alexa, Lanston

Barry, Leigh & Shanna

Cody, Lauren

Enerson, Darryl & Terry

Erickson, Linda

Erwin, Dave & Kelly

Fleischauer, Stuart & Christine

Gibson, Garrison, Calista, Macy

Harder, Alan & Muggsy

Hoeft, Kathy

Hovde, Lyle & Sylvia

Hovde, Ben

Miletto, Steve & Kay

Morris, Jon & Liza

Petschl, Norma

Seeman, Craig & Pasibeth

Crisavydenil, Clodarl

Thorson, Dan & Sandi

Wilcox, Lowell & Doris

Friends-of-Friends Fighting hunger in Otter Tail

County

8th

Annual Charity Event

Saturday, Jan. 23rd

5:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Social & Silent Auction, Dinner

Thumper Pond, Ottertail

Tickets $50.00/person

Includes dinner, drink ticket, cash

bar, auction and loads of fun.

Contact Mary Phillipe at

218-736-5147 for more

information.

The evening’s proceeds will

sponsor the Children’s Backpack

Program and feeding

the hungry in Otter Tail County.

Safe travels and blessings on

those participating in Mission

Jamaica!

Also don’t forget to fill the

suitcase(s) with items for the

Jamaica poor before they leave!!

(See Pastor Jim’s article for more

information.)

February Action Group

Leaders: Byron & Tanya Hensch

864-5473

Brian & Peggy Bladow 864-5073

----------------------------------------Albright, Larry & Ardyce Bladow, Andy & Tara

Ava, Layla, Vance

Bladow, Jeremy & Tina

Laiken, Bricker, Marlie

Bope, Rob & Kathy

Erickson, Dennis & Deb

Gibbs, Ann & (Brian)

Henry, Eleanor

Hildebrand, Mark & Brenda

Lehne, Floyd & Nellda

Long, Ryan & Bev

Olson, Jim & Nancy

Nelson, Harlan & Inga

Saunders, Brad & Stefanie

Skylar, Ethan, Payge, Chase

Stone, Cory & Shale, Shawna,

Nathan, Iver, Anders

Tweeter, Jim & Rhonda

Weng, Robert & Deborah

Willey, David & Carol

-------------------------------------------------

Three boys are

in the school yard

bragging about

their fathers. The

first boy says,

"My Dad scribbles a few words on a

piece of paper, he calls it a poem,

and they give him $25."

The second boy says, "That's

nothing. My Dad scribbles a few

words on a piece of paper, he calls

it a song, and they give him $200."

The third boy says, "I got you

both beat. My Dad scribbles a few

words on a piece of paper, he calls

it a sermon, and it takes eight men

to collect all the money!"

The Alpha Program is a series of

10 sessions exploring the basics of

the Christian faith designed to

create conversation. It’s just an

open, informal and honest space to

explore and discuss life’s big

questions together. Starting

Thursday, Feb 25th

at Faith Haven.

Questions? Contact Pastor Jim at

495-2563.