December 2017

The Pastor’s Ponderings Pastor David’s cell phone—348-330-4170 and email address—fleeneda@gmail.com

At the Gideons’

Pastor Appreciation

Banquet last month,

we saw a video of a

pastor sharing his tes-

timony on how the

Gideons changed his life. And what a

dramatic testimony it was! He told

the congregation about his atheistic

and abusive family of origin, sub-

stance abuse following a tour of duty

in Vietnam, promiscuity, involve-

ment in domestic terrorist organiza-

tions, and eventually, imprisonment.

It was in prison that he received a

Gideon Bible, which he was happy to

receive because it had thin pages for

rolling cigarettes! (He mentioned that

Louis L’Amour “smoked rough”.)

When he got to the Gospel of John,

he began to read it. He discovered

there the truth of what God in Jesus

Christ had done for him, and had a

powerful salvation experience which

would change his entire life.

What struck me as I watched

this was how extraordinary his ex-

perience was. Most of us don’t have

experiences like this. Most of us

have belonged to the Church our

whole lives, including those of us

who did not grow up Lutheran. We

may have a “wild oats” story or

two, but not a dramatic story of de-

pravity and redemption like his.

Sometimes these stories can

inspire us, but often they leave us

(or at least me!) feeling left out in

the cold. We who have not had

such dramatic experiences can be

left wondering if God really cares

about us. Where’s our dramatic, life

-changing story?

As we enter the Advent and

Christmas seasons, the Scriptures

call us to remember how God

worked in and through ordinary

people, even when they did not re-

alize it. From generation to genera-

tion, God communicated to and

worked through all kinds of people

in all sorts of ways. All of this culmi-

nated in the birth of Jesus the Christ

– an event far more ordinary on the

surface than we’ve been led to be-

lieve. The birth of a baby boy to a

teenage mother was (and still is) an

everyday occurrence in the world,

but this baby boy turned out to be the

embodiment of God’s Word. The

clearest way God communicates is

through a human being, whose story

becomes our story.

God still communicates that liv-

ing Word to us today. Word and Sac-

rament are the means God has given

to the Church to communicate that

Living Word, but God communicates

through our experiences all the time,

whether inside or outside our congre-

gation’s building. At this special

(and hectic) time of year, we may

find it helpful to remember that God

communicates through it all.

Love to you all,

Pr. David

Zion’s 2017 Council Members

Elder & President .......................................................................... Larry Hile

Elder & Vice-President ............................................................. Fred Walker

Secretary ............................................................................. Cathy Willmann

Deacons .................................................................................... Drew Walker

Allen Stallsmith

Mike Clamme

Trustees ................................................................................ Tom Armstrong

Mark Prout

Neil Stroble

Treasurer ............................................................................... Dennis Walker

Financial Secretaries ............................................................ Sandy Langdon

Anita Reid

December Birthdays

Betty Hendricks 12-2

Owen Ehlers 12-3

Cynthia Knote 12-3

Peggy Willmann 12-5

Ashley Armstrong 12-11

Brady Monce 12-14

John Hendricks, Sr. 12-15

Vikki Armstrong 12-22

Shelly McCammon 12-22

Mark Grile 12-23

Mary Ehlers 12-27

December 2017

Advent 1 - December 3rd

1st Reading - 1 Chronicles 1:1-10, 28

-37; 2:1-4; 3:1-4

Psalm 128

2nd Reading - Galatians 3:6-9

Gospel - Matthew 1:1-17

Advent 2 - December 10th

1st Reading - Genesis 17:1-22

Psalm 127

2nd Reading - 2 Timothy1:1-7

Gospel - Luke 1:26-38

Advent 3 - December 17th

1st Reading - Genesis 28:10-17

Psalm 146

2nd Reading - Titus 1:4-9

Gospel - Matthew 1:18-25

Advent 4 - December 24th

1st Reading - Ruth 4:9-22

Psalm - 1 Samuel 2:1b-10

2nd Reading - Galatians 4:1-7

Gospel - Luke 1:39-56

Christmas Eve - December 24th

Lessons and Carols

1st Lesson - Isaiah 9:2-7

2nd Lesson - Micah 2-5a

3nd Lesson - Luke 1:26-35, 38

4th Lesson - Luke 2:1-38

5th Lesson - Matthew 2:1-18

6th Lesson - John 1:1-14

1 Christmas - December 31st

1st Reading - Isaiah 61:10—62:3

Psalm 148

2nd Reading - Galatians 4:4-7

Gospel - Luke 2:22-40

December Lectionary Readings

Advent Dinner

Come and join us for the annual

Advent Dinner, December 10th,

following the worship service.

Bring a covered dish to share. Get

ready to enjoy music, playlets, and

homemade give-aways!

—Nyla and Jody

Zion’s Christmas

Eve service will begin

at 7 p.m. with music

provided by members

of our congregation.

Pastor Fleener will lead our service

of Lessons and Carols with a cele-

bration of Holy Communion. The

service will close with candle-

lighting and the hymn “Silent

Night”.

Offering received at the Ad-

vent services and at our Christmas

Eve service will be divided as fol-

lows: 50% to our local Food Pan-

try, 25% to Grace Village, and 25%

to the Wernle Youth & Family

Treatment Center.

Christmas Cantata

The Blackford

County Com-

munity Choir,

conducted by Pr. David, will per-

form Night of the Father's Love, a

cantata for the Advent and Christmas

seasons, by Pepper Choplin. The per-

formances will be here on Sunday,

December 17th, at 3 and 6 p.m. There

is no admission fee. A freewill offer-

ing will be taken to support the

choir's ministry.

Christmas Eve Service

Soup Suppers and Evening

Prayer Advent Soup

Suppers and Evening

Prayer begin on

Wednesday, Decem-

ber 6th. Supper is at 6

p.m., followed by worship at 7:00.

The Choir members will serve

the supper on Dec. 6th, Church

Council on Dec. 13th, and Nolan’s

Sunday School Class on Dec. 20th.

Donations to Wernle

Thanks to your

generous donations

Tim and Jody Stan-

ley delivered over

200 items to the

Wernle Youth & Family Treatment

Center in Richmond. They included

person care items, socks, towels,

and bedding.

A thank you letter has been re-

ceived from Wernle for your sup-

port. They are very thankful for the

items donated to benefit the chil-

dren who call Wernle their home.

December 2017

October Council Minutes Congregation Council

met on October 12,

2017.

Larry Hile, presi-

dent, called the con-

gregation council

meeting to order on

Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 7:00

p.m. Devotions were led by Allen

Stallsmith.

Present: Dennis Walker, Mark

Prout, Tom Armstrong, Anita Reid,

Cathy Willmann, Allen Stallsmith,

Sandy Langdon, Larry Hile, Fred

Walker, Drew Walker and Pastor

David Fleener

Absent: Mike Clamme and Neil

Stroble

Secretary’s Report was read and

approved as amended.

Add Items to agenda: Up to

$245 for mentoring background

checks

Pastor’s Report: Pastoral Care in

September—Pastor’s totals: 5 shut-

ins, 3 sick/hospital, 1 pastoral visit, 5

home/hospital communions.

Deacons’ Fund use in Septem-

ber—Check 1038 – $45 to The Vil-

lages at Van Cleve for rent assistance

Christian Education—Because of

the uncertainty of our youths’ sched-

ules, I am scheduling our confirma-

tion classes from month-to-month.

We will meet on October 15 and 22

this month.

The Parables in Matthew class

concluded on Tuesday, September

28th. We may have another study

next month. Considering an on going

Bible Study class.

Other events in September

3 – Worship at Crown Pointe

4, 11, 18 – “Joe and Jesus” lectionary

study at Common Grounds

5, 12, 19, 25 – Parables in Matthew

12 – Attended lectionary study with

Lutheran pastors at First Presbyteri-

an, Muncie

14 – Lunch at the Pickle with

Blackford County pastors

18 – Pastor Appreciation Luncheon

at the Senior Center

19 – ECIC Ministerium at Church

of the Cross, Muncie

20 – Reformation committee

21 – Lunch with Sr. Rita (3 parish-

ioners from Zion attended)

24-26 – IK Synod Professional

Leaders’ Conference at Clifty Falls

State Park, Madison, IN

Upcoming events: On October

14th, I will attend a benefit dinner

for Helping Hands at Lake Placid, a

pregnancy resource center which

opened a location in Montpelier.

Community choir rehearsals have

begun on Tuesday nights and will

continue through December.

My next Spiritual Companionship

Program class session is Fri., Oct.

20-Sat., Oct. 21 at Mahseh Center

near Kewanna, Indiana.

Committee reports—Worship/

Music/Memorial: Met September

21st. Picked out hymns for several

months. Meeting again in Novem-

ber.

Land Use: Larry Hile

Larry talked with Chris Coy

about using $300 from June Miller

memorial for plants, shrubs or flow-

ers.

Constitution Committee: Fred

Walker, Sandy Langdon and Mark

Prout

Lengthy discussion about pro-

posed changes to the constitution

and by-laws. No vote was taken.

Mission and Mentoring: Cathy

Willmann

Met Wednesday, October 11th.

Have 7 members (including Pastor)

interested in mentoring students at

Northside. Met with Dr. Biddle,

School principal, and Jenny Jacobs,

School social worker. We must have

an extensive background check be-

fore we can mentor. Cost is between

$25 to $35 per person. Requesting to

use approximately $245 from the

Rogers Memorial to pay for them.

Mark Prout made a motion to

accept the request. Sandy Langdon

seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Council reports—Deacons: Drew

Walker, Allen Stallsmith Attend-

ance and Holy Communion report—

9/3 - 66 attended, 61 communed;

9/10 - 72 attended; 9/17 - 75 attend-

ed, 74 communed; 9/24 - 75 attended

Financial Secretaries: Sandy

Langdon and Anita Reid

Loose offering discussion.

Should they continue to have it re-

ported separately?

Treasurer’s Report: Dennis

Walker

Loose offering has occasionally

been designated for special projects,

but now we have a separate place on

our envelopes designated for it.

Pastor’s discretionary fund and

the Deacon’s fund have been logged

but have never been reconciled.

There are also lots of missing bank

statements.

Met with Courtney Clay for the

final time and thanked her for her

help.

Debbie found $55.16 in a filing

cabinet that was to be used by trus-

tees, but hadn’t been used for several

(continued on following page)

December 2017

years. Mark Prout moved to put it in

the General fund. Fred Walker se-

conded. Motion carried.

Budget Committee will meet next

Monday at 7:00 p.m. in the library.

Fred Walker made a motion to

accept all committee and council

reports. Mark Prout seconded the

October Council Minutes continued motion. Motion passed.

Old Business: Reformation din-

ner - Thrivent funds were not ap-

plied for soon enough. Dinner is

October 18th. Cost will be taken

from the general fund.

New Business: Money from

background checks already taken

care of.

Closing: Meeting was closed by

all praying the Lord’s Prayer.

Next meeting: November 9, 2017

with Cathy Willmann giving the de-

votions.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Willmann,

Recording Secretary

We are adopting

three families from

Southside Elementary

that need a little help

for Christmas. Each

family has three chil-

dren and the ages range from 9

months to 15 years old. Typically

we buy each child an outfit, coat,

PJs, boots and a toy. We have spent

between $75-100 for each child pre-

Christmas Giving - “Adopt a Child”

viously. If you would like to

"adopt" a child, there is a sign up

sheet on the back table. We will

shop for the families on Saturday

December 16th. We will plan to

meet at the church at 12pm - go to

lunch - and then shop. We'd love to

have more shoppers! We have a

Thrivent Action Team card that will

cover the first $250 of costs. If you

would like to donate, you can add

to your donation envelope with the

memo Southside or put cash in the

basket at the back of the church. We

will have a wrap-

ping party on De-

cember 17th during

the Sunday school

hour (9am). There

will be donuts, cof-

fee and juice for all

our volunteers!

Members on Zion’s Visitation List

The following is list of the names and addresses of members on Zion’s visitation list. They would be happy to receive a Christmas card, a letter, or a visit during the Christmas season.

Betty Bell c/o Troy Bell 3709 Langhorst Ct. Cincinnati, OH 45236

Carolyn Chandler 1601 N. Richmond, Apt. #204 Hartford City, IN 47348

Rita Ferguson 422 S. Richmond St. Hartford City, IN 47348

Margaret Hunnicutt 801 Huntington Ave. Warren, IN 46792

Sue Rinker 1587 E - 075 S Hartford City, IN 47348

Imogene Schmidt 4571 E—200 S Hartford City, IN 47348

Russell & Joan Stanley 1925 Memorial Blvd., Apt. #313 Murfreesboro, TN 37129

Helen Stroble 801 Huntington Ave. Warren, IN 46792

Barbara Thomas 801 Huntington Ave. Warren, IN 46792

Bill Thomas 508 S. Poplar Hartford City, IN 47348

Mable Marie Uhrick, Room 301 c/o Waters of Yorktown 2000 S. Andrews Rd. Yorktown, IN 47396

Miriam Wise 1591 W - 100 N Hartford City, IN 47348

It's back! We're going caroling at Common Grounds on Thurs., Dec. 21st at 6:30 p.m. Bring the whole family! Cook-ies, hot chocolate,

and the Christmas spirit await you!

December 2017

Community Thanksgiving

Worship Service

92 people from Blackford County

churches attended our Community

Thanksgiving Worship Service on

Sunday, November 19th, and $361

was raised for Helping Hands and the

food pantry. Thanks to the Community

Choir for singing and to area pastors

for their leadership.

God's Promises

in Romans This Ad-vent, Pr. David will lead a ses-

sion on God's promises in Paul's Letter to the Romans on Wednes-days, Dec. 6th, 13th, and 20th, at 5 p.m., before the soup supper and worship.

Christmas Caroling

at Common Grounds

God’s Blessings to You this Christmas!

The Zion Herald December 2017

“Happy are those whose strength is in God, in

whose heart are the highways to Zion.” (Psalm 84:5)

Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. with Worship at 10:30 a.m.

Zion Lutheran Church

308 S. Monroe Street

Hartford City, IN 47348

David Fleener, Pastor

Church Office: 348-3157

zionluth.hc@gmail.com

www.zionhc.org

Serving the Lord in Gladness

December 2017 Lay Ministry Servers

Greeters

Ushers

Lectors

Assisting Ministers

Dec. 3 Steve and Viola Willmann—Larry and Virginia Langdon

Dec. 10 Louie and Joyce Willmann—Edi Tarter

Dec. 17 Claretta Dutro—Steve and Viola Willmann

Dec. 24 Pat Gillis—Barb Hardwick

Dec. 31 Becky Saylor—Louie and Joyce Willmann

Dec. 3 Drew Walker, Allen Stallsmith, Mike Clamme and Chris Walker

Dec. 10 Allen Stallsmith, Chris Walker, Neil Stroble and Larry Hile

Dec. 17 Mike Clamme, Chris Walker, Neil Stroble and Larry Hile

Dec. 24 Drew Walker, Chris Walker, Neil Stroble and Larry Hile

Dec. 24 Drew Walker, Allen Stallsmith, Mike Clamme and Neil Stroble

Dec. 31 Allen Stallsmith, Chris Walker, Neil Stroble and Larry Hile

Dec. 3 Virginia Langdon

Dec. 10 Neil Stroble

Dec. 17 Libby Stroble

Dec. 24 Sarah Fleener

Dec. 31 Megan Stroble

Dec. 3 Mark Prout

Dec. 10 Sarah Fleener

Dec. 17 Jody Stanley

Dec. 24 Mark Prout

Dec. 24 Sarah Fleener

Dec. 31 Jody Stanley

Acolytes

Dec. 3 Keaton Walker and Ryne Clamme

Dec. 10 Kaylin Clamme

Dec. 17 Keaton Walker

Dec. 24 Bryce Stroble and Sydney Stroble

Dec. 24 Kaylin Clamme and Ryne Clamme

Dec. 31 Keaton Walker