Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 96 East Allendale Road

Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 Office: 201-327-0655 | Fax: 201-327-9800 | Facebook: ZionlutheranSR

zionsaddleriver@optonline.net

www.zionsr.org

TRUMPET May 2019 Newsletter

Dear Fellow Members and Friends of Zion, May 1, 2019 Alleluia! Christ is Risen! As I stood before the 150 people that attended our 11 a.m. Easter Service, let me say that was amazing to see our church filled – such beautiful sight to behold! There are so many thank yous to be shared, starting with Pastor Schatzenbach for serving on Palm Sunday (we wished him well on his retirement in July). We are going to miss his support and guidance as we continue with the Call Process. Thank you to Jean Jones and Elaine Sipala for organizing the craft workshop and refreshments after the service. Our Maundy Thursday service with Pastor Bowman was very moving as we learned much about that night and washed one another’s hands. Thank you to Ken Jones for leading our lay worship service on Good Friday. Good memories and fellowship were shared with Pastor Roy & Shannon Almquist at a special dinner held in their honor Saturday night before Easter. Thank you to Tom Wegman & Russell Onody as they prepared a delicious Easter Breakfast. Our Easter service itself was so uplifting with beautiful music, fragrant flowers and a genuine feeling of love among all of us. A special Thank You to Inserra Supermarkets/Shop Rite for their very generous donation of all the flowers on the altar. Volunteers are needed to assist with the Paterson Men’s Shelter food preparation, delivery, and serving for the upcoming months – please check the Narthex for the sign-up sheets, or contact Phil & Donna Ciulla – donnaciulla@optonline.net. A special concert will be presented by Dr. Ed Hedlund at Fellowship Hall on May 11th – the flyer is attached. The Annual Barn Sale will soon be underway! Many volunteers are needed to make this a successful fundraiser! I hope you will consider giving of your time to help support this event. Thank you to the WELCA ladies for leading this fundraiser. Our Beatles concert is scheduled for August 10th – Britt Jannelli is for chairing this event. Please mark your calendars and start inviting your friends!! Blessings to you all ~ Faithfully yours, Karin Topp, Council President

A Letter from our Vice Pastor… What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? I clean. Peter knows to let me work it out when I break out the sponge in the kitchen or flit through the house straightening and tidying things up. Recently, I discovered the Netflix series Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. A whole show about order and cleanliness? Yes please! I was hooked. I binged a few episodes watching how Marie Kondo eagerly uncovered neglected clothes and pried open junk drawers. While homeowners were overwhelmed by their stuff, Marie Kondo gently coached them to keep only “what sparks joy.” Seeing how their homes and lives where changed, I began to practice what I learned from the show. I began to fold my t-shirts into compact rectangles. I took a trip to The Container Store and spent countless minutes contemplating which bins would fit my stuff. I reorganized drawer after drawer, and I did feel lighter and happier. There are many great benefits of tidying up such as reducing stress, generating gratitude, and practicing good stewardship of our belongings. These benefits can be so alluring that we begin to believe (as with many self-help books) that if we only apply the “KonMari” method, everything will be OK. If only I can contain my mess, my life will dramatically change. Marie Kondo calls this the “magic of tidying.” “Not only will you never be messy again,” Marie Kondo writes, “but you’ll also get a new start on life.” (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, 7). In short time, I had become an evangelist for the show and for the KonMari method. When I was sharing my new discovery with a friend, she pointed me to an article in the Living Lutheran magazine about what tidying up can teach us about grace. As I read, my eyes were opened to the truth of tidying up: “Tidying up illuminates our insatiable hunger for someone who will save us from our messiness…. Unfortunately, we cannot KonMari our way to redemption.”i The truth is, we will be messy again. No matter what process or techniques we apply to contain our mess, it still spills over. Think about it: if God, who created order out of messy chaos in the beginning, is still working to redeem this messy world, who are we to think that we can fix it? We cannot KonMari our way to redemption. Happiness is not found in a self-help book but in the arms of our redeemer, Jesus Christ. This is the simple truth. Jesus knows and sees your mess and clutter, and loves you anyway. I should mention, as I began to clean up my home, I skipped over the first step of tidying up. Discard first. Here’s a good lesson we can learn from Marie Kondo. Before you begin organizing and tidying, first discard the things you don’t want to keep. Without discarding first, we hold on to things that no longer serve us. I invite you to let go of everything that doesn’t serve you. Let go of your shame. Let go of your should haves, could haves, would haves. Let go of your worry and fear. Let go and declutter everything that tries to separate you from the love of Jesus Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Jenny McLellan

i From Erin Strybis “What Tidying Up Can Teach Us About Grace,” Living Lutheran, https://www.livinglutheran.org/2019/01/what-tidying-up-can-teach-us-about-grace/

Happening at Zion in May

May 1 Quilters May 2 AA Meditation 6:30 – 8 pm; Choir 8 – 9 pm May 5 Sunday School 9 am, Worship 10 am, Confirmation 4:30-6:00 pm May 8 Quilters May 9 AA Meditation 6:30 – 8 pm; Choir 8 – 9 pm May 10 Synod Assembly May 11 Synod Assembly, Schubert Piano Concert with Ed Hedlund 7:00pm May 12 Sunday School 9 am, Worship 10 am, May 14 Committee Meetings May 15 Quilters May 16 AAA Meditation 6:30 – 8 pm; Choir 8 – 9 pm May 18 Paterson Men’s Shelter Dinner May 19 Worship 10 am May 20 Communiversity at Good Shepherd, in the parlor (Pearl River)

Pastor Rich Bowman’s class – 7- 8:30 pm – Zion members welcome! May 21 Council Meeting May 22 Quilters May 23 AA Meditation 6:30 – 8 pm; Choir 8 – 9 pm May 26 Worship 10 am - Lay Service with Chip Antonelli preaching May 27 Memorial Day office closed May 29 Quilters May 30 AA Meditation 6:30 – 8 pm; Choir 8 – 9 pm

EMBRACING THE WONDER ~ Luke 24: 1-12 Festival of the Resurrection (Easter), April 21, 2019

Zion Lutheran Church, Saddle River, NJ + The Rev. Roy Almquist After I graduated from seminary I had the opportunity to study at Oxford University in England. Shannon and I rented a strange bed-sitter on the Banbury Road, north of the city. Our lodgings featured a shower in the kitchen and a shared bathroom down the hall outside our flat. We had great fun living in that quirky space. Fast-forward twenty-five years and we returned to Oxford, this time as tourists, along with our adult daughter Ingrid who was living in England at the time. We were determined to find that charming brick house where we had lived in our student days. We found the house and, to our delight, it was now a small hotel. We needed a place to spend the night and they had one room. When we got to our room, we discovered that it was precisely the same room we had rented in 1966. I have that same feeling this morning. I served Zion Lutheran Church for eleven years, a rich and wonderful time in our family life and my ministry. When I left in 1984, I could never have imagined that I would ever again stand in this pulpit on an Easter Sunday morning! But here I am thirty-five years later … and I feel blessed to have this opportunity. This morning we celebrate Easter, the Festival of the Resurrection of Our Lord. This observation is the most wonderful and the most troubling event in the Church Year. We love the joy and the beauty of Easter – the glorious music, the splash of flowers, the happiness of children. Who does not like the Festival of Easter? But at the same time Easter is a most disturbing occasion. To begin with, we cannot agree on what actually happened on that first Easter morning. In reality, we have not one Easter story but more like twelve Easter stories in the Scriptures and no two are precisely the same. What happened at the tomb that first Easter was entirely between Jesus and God. All the Evangelists can do is declare that something did happen and it changed everything. But beyond that … Easter is a mystery. Easter is a wonderful time to say to those who find the Resurrection a little hard to believe ~ You are in good company! The claim that one who died has come back to life is at best counter-intuitive. Our experience is that when people die they stay dead! Nevertheless, today we proclaim that Easter is the Church's bold insistence that something remarkable occurred on that first Easter morning. We cannot argue the Resurrection. All we can do is encourage believing people to become the Resurrection through the way we live our lives in the world. We cannot prove Easter, but we know in our hearts that something happened and it was a game changer. For that reason St. Paul is insists:

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. … But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. [I Corinthians 15: 14, 20]

When we lived in Saddle River from 1973-1984, our daughters were young and we had no backyard in that little house that was our parsonage home. When the Fellowship Hall was built the pastor at that time had no children and so the leaders determined that the backyard of the parsonage would provide valuable parking spaces. As a result, we lived in the midst of a cemetery and our children, Ingrid and Karin, spent endless hours playing "ghost in the graveyard" and games that involved hiding behind head stones or climbing under taxus shrubs. We had friends who thought that raising children with a cemetery for a backyard could cause psychic trauma for our kids … but I think not. At the very least they grew up knowing some of the realities of life and death … why graves are dug … the regular patterns of grief … and the clear rule that you cannot bring fresh flowers to mommy from an afternoon burial! Easter reminds us that we are never too far removed from the graveyard. Our faith was formed in a garden tomb by an event that showed that God's love is stronger than human hate and evil deeds. In our Gospel lesson this morning we find three grieving followers of Jesus ~ Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, the mother of James ~ journeying early in the morning to provide the prescribed ritual for anointing the body of their beloved Lord. Something unexpected, inexplicable, troubling, and exhilarating occurred. As in all the Easter stories what happened does not translate well. Nevertheless, we tell their story. Wherever you are in your life journey, I hope the truth we proclaim today can touch your heart and fill you with joy in believing. • If your life has been marked by emptiness and despair, I pray that Easter can fill you with

hope. • If you have been struggling with loss and grief, I pray that Easter can give you the

possibility of going on, changed, but with new confidence. • If your life has been marked by blessings, to you I say: Let your blessing be a source of

blessing for others! Wallowing in goodness and comforts can turn your head and lead you away from your faith journey.

This morning I hope you can join with me in saying … I believe the Resurrection I believe the Resurrection because of the incredible enthusiasm of the disciples, who moved from cowardice to courageous commitment. I believe the Resurrection because of all the many people I have seen in my fifty years of ministry who have been transformed from the confusion, fear, and despair to become a force that has transformed the world.

I believe the Resurrection because I have experienced the presence of the Risen Christ in my life! The Resurrected Christ has given me the ability to move on after burying a child, the strength to stand with people in their hour of loss and despair, and the courage to make difficult decisions when that has been required of me. So today we do not argue ~ we proclaim our Easter hope based on what we see in people's lives. We sing with those who are joyful ~ we celebrate with those have been through a personal Good Friday to now live in hope. I am convinced that when you see God through the prism of Easter, you know that nothing will ever happen to you that you and the God of Easter cannot handle. Christ is risen … Christ is risen indeed! Amen.

The letter below is from Thoai & Thuy Khieu – Zion sponsored their family to come to the United States in 1975. Although they were unable to travel and be with us for Easter, we are remembered by them.

MAY ALTAR GUILD ANNOUNCEMENTS

Altar Guild would like to give a special thanks to Gwen and Jimmy Colaianni. Our altar vases were in desperate need for a makeover and with their donation we were able to have them fully refurbished! They are as good as new and ready to shine on our altar this Easter season.

We would also like to a thank Karin Topp for coordinating our Easter flowers this year with Shop Rite. Shop Rite very generously donated all the flowers to us…what a wonderful Easter gift!

The flowers were beautiful on our altar and hope you enjoyed the variety this

year. All the proceeds from our congregation’s orders can now be used to purchase a new Christmas tree this year for the sanctuary.

Thank you to Ingrid McMahon for beautifully landscaping our memorial garden!

Altar Flowers If you know of any dates you would like to place flowers on the Altar, please email – zionsaddleriver@optonline.net or call the church office (201) 327-0655 and we will place your name on the flower chart in advance of it being posted in the Narthex (2019).

The cost of each vase: $20.00. The following dates are available:

2019

May 5 June 9, 16, 23 & 30 (1 vase available on the 9, & 23) July 14, 21 & 28 (1 vase available on the 21) August 4, 11, 18 (1 vase available on the 11 & 18) September 1, 15, 22 & 29 (1 vase available on the 15 & 29) November 3, 17 & 24 (1 vase is available on the 17) December 1 & 15 (1 vase available on the 15)

Call Committee | April 2019 Update

Members: Anne Naramore (Chair), Tom Wegman, Cathie Smeedy, Lisa Raffaelli, Cartney Ezyk, Nina Peterson

In mid-March, the Call Committee received a potential pastor candidate from the Bishop. After we reviewed this candidate’s Personal Ministry Profile and various online materials both individually and together as a team, we made arrangements to interview the candidate virtually. This interview took place on April 1st. We liked the candidate so much during the interview that we made an offer to bring the candidate to New Jersey for an in-person interview. Unfortunately, after 24 hours, the candidate informed us that she would be declining our offer to move forward to the next stage of the process with Zion. The candidate did not feel that Zion was the right opportunity at this stage of her life and career. Both the Call Committee and our Bishop were very disappointed in this news as we felt strongly that we had a great candidate for Zion. So, we are now “back to the drawing board” – waiting for another candidate to be presented by the Bishop. As hard as it is, we need to have faith that God knows when the time will be right for us to have a new Pastor! In the meantime, we must enjoy the supply pastors and pray that another candidate comes our way soon. With Christ’s Love, Anne Naramore

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

96 East Allendale Rd, Saddle River NJ 07458

SCHUBERT Die schöne Müllerin

Ed Hedlund, Tenor

Susan Gadd, Piano

Saturday May 11, 2019 at 7:00pm

followed by a Reception

Freewill Offering

Zion’s 5th Annual Barn / Garage Sale Saturday, June 15, 2019 8 am – Noon & 1pm - 4 pm

Spring clean now and make room for NEW!!!

Clothing Collection Only BEGINS on Wednesday, May 15 10 am to 12 noon / 6pm – 9 pm @ Fellowship Hall Clean, wearable, clothing will be accepted. If possible, bring clothes on hangers. Collections: Monday - Friday from 10 - noon, Wednesdays 6-9 pm, some Saturdays & Sundays Clothing Collection ENDS on Sunday, May 26 from 11:30-1 pm Non-Clothing / Household Collection BEGINS on Sunday, May 26 from 11:30-1 pm We will continue to collect Monday - Friday 10-12, Wednesday 6-9 pm, Saturday, June 1 and 8 ALL COLLECTIONS END on Sunday, June 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

CLOTHING HOUSEHOLD/GARAGE SALE ITEMS

All sizes: men, women & children Glassware, dishes, kitchen gadgets

Clean clothing only — Baskets, pots & pans,

Coats, jackets, hats Electronics and office equipment

Sweaters, shirts - all types Drapes, linens-please measure & tag

Slacks, shorts, jeans Handyman & sports stuff

Shoes, sneakers, sandals Sheets, towels, blankets-please indicate size

Casual and dress attire Baby equipment

Pajamas Lighting, lamps

Maternity Toys, dolls

Infant clothing Games, puzzles, crafts

Fitness apparel Candles, silk flowers

Purses Art, Frames & Holiday items

Jewelry Paperback & hardcover books

NO textbooks, magazines or encyclopedias - No Printers or Computers

We also need shopping bags with handles (paper & plastic - Grocery store & Dept. store size)

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - A signup chart will be available in the Narthex.

Congratulations to our 2019 High School Graduate Casey Bonomo will be graduating from Bergen Catholic High School on June 2. He will be attending West Liberty University in West Liberty, West Virginia where he will play baseball and major in Business and Sports Management. Congratulations to our 2019 College Graduates Nicholas Bonnett from NYU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Real Estate. Serena Grecco from Johnson & Wales Union, with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management. Ellie Hughes from Florida Atlantic Union with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing. William Hughes from Champlain College with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business. Christopher Koski from Pace University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and a minor in Fine Arts. Carly Thomson from Stockton University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Science. Zackery Tyler from Champlain College with a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Networking and Cyber Security. Jennifer White from Colorado College with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Policy. Congratulations 2019 Master’s Degree Graduate Lauren Raffelli from Rutgers University with a Masters of Dance from the Gross School of the Arts.

Thank you to all at Zion for hosting the Eighth Annual Susan Zabransky Hughes Memorial Run /Walk. The Run for Sue Committee and the Boro of Saddle River are so very grateful for Zion’s hospitality. The weather was perfect for our 500 participants. Priscilla and Karin were invaluable throughout the planning. Thank you to all who participated and volunteered. This is truly an event that requires “all hands on”.

Thank you again. xo Susan & Bill Zabransky

Here are a few pictures taken courtesy of Lisa Raffaelli ~

Pictured above - Adam Stewart, Phil Hirsch, Lisa Raffaelli, Sue Witte, Mark Binz

More Friends and Family of Zion Members!

Pastor Jenny’s Vacation

Pastor Jenny will be on vacation from June 2nd-June 7th. In case of a pastoral please contact the church office 201-327-0655.

Confirmation

Field Trip: May 4th 5:30 pm meet at Redeemer in Ramsey to carpool to Greenwich, CT to see Fr. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, speak. Students, parents, and faith mentors are encouraged to hear this inspirational talk about Jesus showing up in the midst of rehabilitating gang members in LA. Class: May 19th at 4:30-6 pm at Redeemer. The topic will be about the discipleship practice of sharing your faith. What happens if I doubt what I believe? Class: June 2nd at 4:30-6 pm at Redeemer. The topic will be about the discipleship practice of service. What does it mean to be Christian in the world? 2nd Year Students (those who will be confirmed this year on June 9th) will remain after class on June 2nd from for 6-7 (pizza provided) for a discussion with the pastors about what comes next. How will you live into your baptismal promises after you are confirmed? This is REQUIRED for students who will be confirmed. If you are unable to attend, you need contact Pastor Jenny to find a time to meet.

Youth Co-Op: Awake-A-Thon!

Awake-a-thon: noun 1. A 24-hour event in which youth try to stay awake the whole time in order to fulfill pledges. 2. A crazy fun youth event packed with outings, service, and worship. What to expect: Youth from the ELCA Bergen County Churches will come together to go for a hike at Ramapo, do a service project, go for a scavenger hunt at the mall, play silly games, campfire worship, karaoke, and more. Pledges: Each youth will ask members of their congregation to pledge money for every hour they can stay awake. All the proceeds will go to Camp Koinonia. The longer you stay awake, the more generous we can be toward Koinonia, our beloved church camp. We will meet at Calvary at 10 am on Saturday June 1st and conclude at 10 am on Sunday, June 2nd. Please let Pastor Jenny McLellan know if you can come jmclellan@calvaryluth.org.

Be Generous: Make a Pledge to our Youth and Koinonia

Zion’s youth will be asking for pledges throughout the month of May for the Awake-a-thon on June 1st. We ask that you make a pledge that will be multiplied by each hour the youth stay awake. For instance, if you pledge Suzie Q $5, and she stays awake 20 hours, you will give $100. Flat donations are also welcomed. All the proceeds from this event will be given to Camp Koinonia. Please give generously.

SIMPLY E-GIVING PROCESS

Help Us Grow Through e-Giving In just seconds, you can make weekly offering, respond to an appeal or pay for events, programs and activities. • Give anytime, anywhere using your computer or mobile device.

• Make regular church offerings without writing a check or preparing envelopes.

• Schedule recurring contributions so they arrive even when you can’t attend service.

• Give using your debit/credit card or banking information.

If you would like to give electronically, go to

www.zionsr.org/give or contact Stephen at stephen@zionsr.org

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saddle River

96 E. Allendale Road Saddle River, NJ 07458

www.zionsr.org

FELLOWSHIP HALL

Facility Available For Rent

Includes the Hall, Stage, & Kitchen (on-site parking)

Available for Rent for All Occasions

Non-Members: $425

For more information, please contact: Zion’s Church Office at 201-327-0655

ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

We began our Brick Garden in 2008. Some of the bricks are memorials of loved ones, some are in celebration of loved ones and some are in celebration of life. We invite all of you to

participate and add to our garden with any memory or celebration you would like to preserve. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Each 4x8 brick costs $75 and will match the existing bricks in the garden.

Yes, we’d like to reserve a permanent brick. Please engrave our brick as follows: 18 Characters per line

3 Lines only ANY SYMBOL IS CONSIDERED ONE SPACE (PERIOD, COMMA, DASH)

ALL TEXT IS CENTERED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED 4 x 8 Brick

4 x 8 Brick

EXAMPLE

G O N E W T O N H I G H L I O N S S T A T E C H A M P I O N S 2 0 0 2 , 2 0 0 3 , 2 0 0 4

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM AND YOUR CHECK PAYABLE TO: Zion Lutheran Church

(please note “Memorial Brick” in the Memo) mail to the church or put in the collection plate

Name: ________________________________________ Phone: (_______) _________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________________ Email Address: _______________ _____________________________Amount paid: ___________________

Signature: ______________________________________________________________

Your signature verifies that the above lettering is what you desire to be on the brick

If you have any questions, please call Jean Jones @ 201-445-6715 or email: jjones1818@hotmail.com