News Archives - Page 9 of 23 - Zion Lutheran Church

Foundation Blessings

12/21/2022

The Zion Foundation is a blessing which carries out ministry and mission through financial grants. The Zion Foundation was officially formed in 1978. It is a result of some great forward-thinking leadership. A Foundation is a non-profit corporation with the general purpose and plan to receive financial gifts and hold the principal of such gifts in perpetuity. Which means, that Zion Foundation monies remain intact and only interest income is used for disbursement of grants. According to the bylaws of

Lenten Giving 2023

12/21/2022

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22 Lent is a season of forty days (not counting Sundays), beginning with Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, leading up to Easter Sunday. It is a time of repentance, self-examination, reflection, and preparation for the coming of Easter—a time to grow spiritually in our relationship with God. During Lent, some may wish to give up something or take on something new, such as regular Bible reading or reaching out to find new ways of

It Is Official: We Have a New Senior Pastor!

12/08/2022

On Sunday, December 4, the congregation voted unanimously to extend a call to Rev. Kari Bahe to serve as our Senior Pastor. Although pastors have 30 days to decide whether to accept a call or not, by the next day, the Bishop had received Pastor Bahe’s decision to accept the call to serve as our next Senior Pastor! Thank you to the members of the Transition Team and Call Committee for their work and dedication throughout this process. “I thank

Avoid Phishing Scams

12/05/2022

We have received reports of more attempts to scam our members and attenders by someone pretending to be Pastor Bahe. The email message claims to be from Pastor Bahe and generally asks you to reply to the email because there is a request she wants you to handle confidentially or discretely. Unfortunately, because the emails are from someone impersonating Pastor Bahe, there is very little we can do as a staff to prevent this. However, there are a few things

Annual Meeting 2022

12/05/2022

Thank you to everyone who attended the congregation’s Annual Meeting and Call Meeting on December 4. The following were elected: Josie LaFave, Cheryl Schmidt Bohnen, Tamara Wuollet, and Andy Kohls for three-year Church Council terms. Ashley Mattson and Chuck Mattson for two-year Church Council terms (to finish out the terms they were appointed to last year). Dale Schmidt for a one-year Church Council term (to fill an open position). Susan Davis, Lexi Goos, Vicky Kath, Missy Sjolin, Kelly Hanson, and

ELCA Good Gifts

11/21/2022

ELCA Good Gifts are the perfect gift for the giver who wants to make a difference—and for the receiver who has everything! The Lutheran Church has always made Christ known in both word and deed. One way we do that is by providing meaningful resources to people in need, both in our country and all over the world. The ELCA provides a wonderful avenue for gift giving, appropriately called: “Good Gifts”. The ELCA Good Gifts website (ELCA.org/goodgifts) provides the best

Call Announcement

11/21/2022

On behalf of the Senior Pastor Call Committee and the 2022 Church Council, Call Committee Chair Eric Mattson and I would like to inform the Congregation of the Call Committee’s recommendation. After working through the Transition Committee process, creating a Ministry Site Profile to help define Zion’s current and future needs, and meeting with our Minneapolis Area Synod representative, the Committee chose to interview an internal candidate on the recommendation of the Synod. The Call Committee invited Pastor Kari Bahe

Year End Charitable Giving Strategies

11/20/2022

It’s smart and responsible to take advantage of available tax benefits when giving to a worthy charity like Zion. Following are a few ideas you may want to implement before the end of the year. Donating Appreciated Securities Stocks and other securities like mutual funds that have gained value since purchase can be tax-efficient charitable giving tools. Don’t sell the investment, pay tax on the gain, donate the proceeds and take your charitable deduction on the value of the proceeds.

Fling Wide the Door!

11/20/2022

In a culture that is forever trying to sell us on the lie that there won’t be “enough” to go around, the Advent theme of “fling wide the door” is a welcomed image. Or, is it almost an impossible concept? What comes to mind when you think of a door flung wide open? Wastefulness: “Close that door! We are not living in a barn!” Wandering: “Ah, the door is wide open, I can do anything!” Wild abandon: “Life is full

Family

11/14/2022

The interesting thing about writing these newsletter articles is I’m writing them a month before you read them. It’s like those movies that jump around in time during the story and you never know if you are in the present (i.e., the past) or in the future (i.e., the present). So, please indulge me as I address events from October and November, as well as thoughts about the congregation as we enter the Christmas season. Why the title of family?