THE GUIDING LIGHT
January 2021
“Celebrating God as We Serve Others”
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church From: Pastor Leena 454 Miller Street Hello everyone! Wow another year Pembroke, ON 2021 and another shut down. Not a K8A 5Z4 problem, right? We have this isolation Phone: thing down pat after nine months now th 613-732-8792 into our 10 month. Church services in Fax: 613-732-1650 person have been put on hold for at E-mail: [email protected] least a month. We will continue to Website: www.zionlutheran.ca record the services weekly to be posted to the internet and to Cogeco TV. We Office Hours: have the Epiphany series of sermons Monday, Wednesday, Thursday from the ELCIC bishops which we will 9am – 12 noon share. Following the Christmas season, we come to the season of Epiphany in our worship calendars. Epiphany stands for the commemoration of the Baptism of Christ. We celebrate this season because we The Guiding Light January 2021 Page 2
recognize Christ as the Messiah and the Son of God. We are also in winter, a bleak time of year where longer dark nights are still the norm. Light came to us at Christmas, we stand at the side of the newborn babe, leaning in with admiration, in awe, we are wide awake and knowing that nothing will ever be the same. It is another shut down due to COVID-19, yet we are called to be the church even when not able to gather in the Church Building. We are encouraged and Jesus calls us to be good neighbours, and we all find a way to be church, via phone calls, emails and wearing our masks and staying 6 feet apart and avoiding large gatherings . We can do this! Stay well and we will continue to stay in touch by phone, email, the internet, TV broadcast services, Facebook and newsletters. You are are in my Prayers, Peace to you, Pastor Leena
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Minutes ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH - Council Meeting Tuesday, November 5, 2020
Present:Chair Susan Dupuis, Vice Chair Ellen Vandersleen. Members: Pastor Stephen Scheidt, Rick Gerundin, Jill Kellough, Denise Schizkoske, Gerry Vandersleen (treasurer), Wilmer Verch, Patricia Wegner. Secretary: Karen Gauthier. Excused:Scott Lange, Diane Leeder, Diana Wegner.
Guests: Carol Boldt, Emma Rabishaw, KoitRull, Blaine Sack, Gayle Seegmiller, Debbie Wegner.
Opening: The meeting was opened at 7:00pmbySusan Dupuis.Opening devotions were given by Jill Kellough.
Agenda: The agenda was reviewed. Additions:Pastor’s Report, social ministry report. Motion to approve agenda: Ellen Vandersleen. Seconded:Denise Schizkoske.
Minutes: The previous council meeting minutes of October2020 were reviewed. Motion to approve minutes:Patty Wegner. Seconded:Rick Gerundin.
Finance Report: Treasurer GerryVandersleenreviewed the balance sheet and income statement. From the income statement, Gerry highlighted that regular offerings are down, but total receipts are also down compared to last year. Benevolence payments are at the same point as this time last year. The church’s net income is in a better position than last year mainly due to government funds through the CERB and CEWS Covid assistance programs.The garage sale raised The Guiding Light January 2021 Page 4 over $4500.00 and will be split between the Robbie Dean Centre and our new video equipment. We are well situated for payment of the new video system.
Pastor’s Report: Pastor Stephen Scheidt gave the Pastors Report as follows:“Our Confirmation and All Saints celebrations went well despite the Covid 19 restrictions and limitations. Thanks to our singers and cantor for sharing their gifts at these celebrations and for Diane and Koit for setting up and lighting the candles on the Baptismal shelf. The Lutheran Study Bibles arrived in time to given as gifts to the Confirmands. Having two celebrations on Reformation Sunday was a very good idea, as we would have exceeded our Covid space limitations without them. Wesley Weichenthal has passed away and his graveside service will be held on Friday with family and close friends only. There was a graveside service for Inez Kelly on Oct. 8, and interment for Grant Klawitter on October 9 and a Funeral for Hilda Klawitter on October 10. We keep Arnold Hoffman in our prayers as he is in ICU and is very ill. We look forward to having Rev. Michael Hackbusch with us as a Guest presider and homilist. He is a Lutheran chaplain stationed in Petawawa. A letter from him that gives a bit of background about his work will be distributed to all who come to worship on Sunday, November 8. He has not presided at a Lutheran liturgy for over a year now, so he is thankful for this opportunity.”
Correspondence:No correspondence tonight.
Committee Reports: Property- heating repairs on the boilers are complete. Window and roof repairs are underway. A new contractor has been sourced and roof snowstops will be installed by December 1. Social ministry- Dec. 9 will be meal prep for our shut-in members (with November 17-19 scheduled for preparation of turkey pot pies).The Boys and Girls Club are presently doing take-out for their members (no sit-down meals), so we have offered to prepare a meal, which they will package and distribute (this will happen sometime in the New Year). The Guiding Light January 2021 Page 5
New Business: Susan’s business (in council discussion). Pastor Reble will be here Dec 5 council workshop. Motion: In follow up to the discussion held at the October council meeting, a motion was passed by the majority of council regarding use of space by the ‘We Get To” group of Narcotics Anonymous. This motion was proposed and voted on through the email process outlined by our National office. The motion, dated October 14, reads: “Zion Church council approves renting space to “We Get To” group of Narcotics Anonymous. The cost will be covered in the form of a donation to the church”.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at7:45pm and closed with the Lord’s Prayer. Motion to adjourn: Ellen Vandersleen. Seconded: Wilmer Verch.
The next Church Council Meeting is scheduled forDecember 8 at 7:00 pm. Devotions will be given by:Susan Dupuis.
W & M - Meeting Minutes - Monday, November 30, 2020 Celebrating God As We Serve Others
Present: Pastor Stephen, Gayle Seegmiller, Debbie Wegner, Blaine Sack, Koit Rull, Emma Rabishaw, Carol Boldt, Joan Lehman
Regrets: Scott Lange
Welcome and Opening Devotions: Gayle welcomed everyone to the meeting. Debbie opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Agenda: Approved
Approval of Previous Month’s Minutes: Completed online
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Committee Reports:
Pastor Stephen’s report: ● Minor changes will be made to the service to keep it within an hour. This is to ensure the service is completely recorded for broadcast on Cogeco and the church website / facebook page.
Blaine’s Report: ● At times, problems with the microphones have made it difficult to hear the Minister and Worship Assistant. This will be addressed before Sunday’s service. ● Leaving the church door unlocked and unattended has raised questions about how we ensure Covid 19 protocols are followed as well as other safety concerns. When the doors are not monitored someone could enter the building undetected. Gayle will bring the concern to Susan Dupius’ attention. ● A new supplement to the Evangelical Lutheran Worship Book called All Creation Sings has been released. It contains a comprehensive collection of hymns and anthems. The committee gave approval for the purchase of the Accompaniment Edition and Pew Edition (approximately $95.00).
Christmas Services: ● Christmas Eve services will be held at 11:00 am, 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm. This will allow time for the necessary cleaning to be done between services. ● The 11:00 am service will be recorded. It will be uploaded to the church website and Facebook page so those who choose not to attend this year’s Christmas Eve worship because of the pandemic, can still enjoy the service at home. ● As per Public Health direction, attendance at church services cannot exceed 100 people. Anyone planning on attending worship on Christmas Eve is asked to call the Parish office @ 613-732-8792 between 9:00 am and noon, Monday to Thursday up until December 21st to pre- register. This will help ensure we do not exceed capacity. ● People will be notified about pre-registering through email, the The Guiding Light January 2021 Page 7
Guiding Light, the church website, the Facebook page and weekly announcements. ● Volunteers will assist Jean with the registering people for Christmas Eve services. ● Individual candles will not be used this year during the singing of Silent Night. Instead, a symbolic candle at the front of the church and vigil candles on the altar will be used.
Miscellaneous ● A request to have an offering prayer added to the worship service was discussed. Pastor Stephen will include the offertory prayer into the prayer of the day.
Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 6, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m.
Farewell To Pastor Stephen & Jan Due to the province-wide lockdown, our scheduled farewell to Pastor Stephen& Jan will not be happening on Sunday, December 27th. Please forward your best wishes to them both through mail or a phone call. We will plan a special farewell once we are able to gather together again. Susan Dupuis
Annual Reports Service Broadcast On Cogeco Annual Reports are due into the Cogeco Community Channel is office by Wednesday, January 20, now broadcasting Zion's services 2021. Please keep checking our at 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon on website for future details about our Sunday mornings, a week later. annual meeting.
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Notes and News
December Closing It was announced today by the Ontario Government that the province will go into lockdown beginning December 26, 2020.
We recorded the first service on Christmas Eve and it is available for viewing on-line.
After Christmas Eve we will not be holding any in-person services until further notice.
We will begin recording a service in January.
We will post updates as to the reopening of in-person services once more information is available. Watch for this information on our church webpage Zionlutheran.ca, our Facebook page Zion Lutheran Church Pembroke and on our church voicemail 613-732-8792
It is important that we all stay vigilant in our precautions to prevent the spread of the covid-19 virus. Our celebrations of the birth of Christ looked very different this year. A quieter time with small numbers of family members allowed us time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
Please continue to pray for all people who were alone this Christmas, for those who are ill and for our first responders.
May Christ fill you will peace this Christmas and into next year.
Susan Dupuis, Church Council Chairperson
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Report from the Call Committee
Hello everyone…As our process begins my goal is to keep you up to date at each step. First let me tell you who the members of the call committee are. Mona Zadow Scott Lange Emma Rabishaw Susan Dupuis Pam Duplessis Sherri Phannenhour Doug Malliff
My thanks to each of them for agreeing to help out with this important ministry.
Our group met with Pastor Doug Reble…assistant to the Bishop on Dec 5th. He brought forward names of 4 pastors that he knows of that he has spoken to that are contemplating a move for several different reasons. He has sent them our recently updated congregational mission profile, they will read it and if they are interested in perhaps looking in the feasibility of an interview in Pembroke they forward their profile ( resume like) to Pastor Reble. He has set a date of January 11th as the deadline for their submissions. He will then forward them to me…the call committee will meet and review the profile(s). If there are any that we feel would be a good fit for us they will be contacted and a Zoom interview will be set up. We may interview any or all of them depending on the committee’s decision.
Right now that’s as far as we will go with the process but there will be another report next month and of course if there is anything pressing I will make a congregational announcement. Stay tuned and please remember Zion in your prayers that our search is fruitful and we are blessed with a new pastor. Please do not hestitate to contact me if you have any questions/concerns/comments. Everyone’s voice is important and I am open to listening to anyone.
Debbie Wegner, Call committee chair [email protected] 613-639-8101 ..cell
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A Time for Reflection
I wrote this article December 9 to be included in the January issue. As it reflects my thoughts at the time, I will leave the wording as is.
As we prepare for our Christmas celebrations that will likely look very different this year, I also look back on the time that has passed. I would never have imagined in January what a different path we would be on. So many changes that occurred due to the Covid-19 virus. Our in-person gatherings on Sundays had been stopped. I have never before used in- person when referring to a worship service. This forced a small group in the congregation to “get with the times”, step out of our comfort zone, and find a way to continue to reach out with a regular weekly service. We used technology to put together a service (the behind-the-scenes work was big) and learned how to upload it to the internet for our members to view. We then realized that the need for an upgrade in our camera equipment was necessary to continue this ministry. The congregation supported us through their financial offerings and people can now watch the services on Cogeco as well as through our website. We are committed to continuing to bring the Word of the Lord out to the larger population. One of the positives of the virus. Unfortunately, we were not able to have full funerals for the many members that we lost this year. Our hearts were with the families as Covid restricted them from being with the family members at this most difficult time. Some of these restrictions are still in place as we work towards flattening and eliminated the curve. Due to the virus, we also reached out to many of our shut-in families offering to deliver a printed copy of the service. Often from their porches they smiled and waved to the person delivering the paperwork. In some cases, they may not have seen others in person due to the lock down. This is also a service that we would like to see continued, especially for those who are not able to see us on cable or the internet. Weddings, confirmation, baptism, anniversary, birthday and other celebration were postponed or celebrated in a much smaller way. In some way, I feel that this slowing down and having quieter celebrations can make the event more meaningful. Maybe not. For many of us it is easy to say “there will be many more Christmas’ to get together”. Unfortunately, this is not true to everyone. We need to make every day and every event special in whatever way we can. Again, Covid may be forcing us to view life a bit differently. Most recently Pastor Stephen advised us that he would be ending his time The Guiding Light January 2021 Page 11
with us due to health issues. We are so very sad to see him go and pray that he returns to good health in the coming year. We also thank the Lord for allowing us to having him over the last year. He brought such peace and calm during the days that we struggled to adjust to the Covid crisis. He has brought us this far and we are now stronger to keep moving forward. Our world will look different at this time next year when we reflect on 2021. I believe that we will still have many positives that we will be thanking God for giving us. It is our faith that enables us to deal with the uncertainty of what is yet to come. I am so very blessed to be a part of Zion and the wonderful friends and family that I have here. I thank God for each and every one of you and wish you a special time this Christmas season and good health in the coming year.
Susan Dupuis
Baptisms
Name: Huxley Lillian Lange Date of Birth: September 29, 2020 Date of Baptism: December 19, 2020 Parents: Hilary Silliphant & Scott Lange Sponsors: Karen Boire & Cory Deschamps
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From the Treasurer
Zion’s Income and Expenses as of December15, 2020 The weekly amount of $5,352.26 is needed to cover our budgeted costs. Of this weekly amount $4,590.38 comes from PAR and regular offerings and $761.88 comes from hall rent, house rentals, solar panels and other revenue.
Offerings $185,011.62 Missions and Outreach $2,801.51 Other Donations $7,069.00 Solar Income $13,107.79 Other Earned Income $11,832.69 Fundraised for general use 0.00 Total Income to Dec.15 $219,822.61
Benevolence Expense $20,000.00 Directed Gifts Expense $2,494.51 Committees Expense $3,919.50 Utilities Expense $19,584.71 Church Insurance $16,784.82 Property Maintenance $8,093.73 Other Operating Expense $26,752.51 Net Payroll after $62,951.05 CEWS&CERB Benefits Expense $37,891.25 Expense Total to Dec.15 $198,472.08 Net Total for 2020 $21,350.53 Previous Surplus/Deficit $7,000.68 Net Equity to Dec.15,2020 $28,351.21
To all that attend Zion, I hope this edition of the Guiding Light finds you in good health. These are challenging times with Covid-19. Thank you to Pastor Stephen and everyone who help in making a wonderful service each week. Our offerings are down over $23,000.00. Our net total is being helped by approx. $40,800.00 in less operating and payroll expenses. We have received help from the government subsidy programs. Without this help we would be in a deficit. The CERB relief program has been discontinued though as of September 15th due to the church now being open. We have not qualified for any CEWS relief last 2 months and will be minimal going forward. This had been applied to the payroll line. We have set up e-transfer to the church’s office e-mail [email protected] for online donations. You can still mail your cheque or arrange to drop off at the office. Pre Authorized Remittance (PAR) is another way to give weekly whether you’re away or here. Contact the church office at 613-732-8792. Thank you for your continuing support. May God bless you and keep you safe, Your treasurer, Gerry Vandersleen
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Last Refuge Locked Down
Our premier has no control over the Ottawa Sun not publishing on Christmas Day. He certainly had control over locking down our places of worship, again. There weren’t many joyful members leaving our last Christmas eve service of the day at 8pm. We had excellent protocols for COVID-19 down to a science. With services at 11am, 2pm and 7pm our church custodian faithfully carried out the necessary cleaning between services. I was worship assistant at the 7pm service and really had difficulty refraining from singing during the familiar Christmas carols. Nobody knew I was humming from behind my mask. Well maybe there was one. The one thing that was keeping me stronger during these trying times is now gone, again. Sure I can kneel by my bed with my hands clasped and pray to my creator. {If I can get down and back up again.} The preceding act cannot replace the feelings one experiences by attending our familiar place of worship and volunteer to help make it a memorable activity. Sure eats away at my shield of optimism and positivity. Oh well I can always look forward to reading the Sun tomorrow. I certainly enjoyed worship assisting with Pastor Stephen for the last time. I hope Santa left him a new set of dinosaurs around the manger under the tree, for him to amuse himself with during his retirement. I may sound as though I am making light of the situation small businesses and their employees are in but be assured I am not. Much of my empathy passes on to all who have endeavored in so many ways to succeed. Stay safe, faithful, happy and healthy and I hope to see my fellow members of our wonderful congregation at Zion in a month. GOD BLESS Jean and once again thank- you for all your positive thought and assistance during the past year. It certainly has been a new, enjoyable experience for me.
Submitted by Wayne Kirk
January 2021
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 New Year’s Read Isaiah Day 60:1-6
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2nd Sunday Read 7pm Epiphany Read Read Psalm Read Acts After Psalm Narcotics 1pm Staff Genesis 1:1- 29 19:1-7 Christmas 72:1-7, Anonymous Mtg. 5 10-14 Read Read Matthew Ephesians 2:1-12 3:1-12
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Baptism of Read 1 7pm Read Psalm Read 1 Read John our Lord Samuel Narcotics 139:1-6, 13- Corinthians 1:43-51 Read Mark 3:1-20 Anonymous 18 6:12-20 1:4-11
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 2nd Sunday Read 7pm 1pm Staff Read Psalm Read 1 Read Mark after Jonah 3:1- Narcotics Mtg. 62:5-12 Corinthians 1:14-20 Epiphany 5, 10 Anonymous Annual 7:29-31 Report Submission Deadline
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 3rd Sunday Read 7pm Read Psalm Read 1 Read Mark after Deuterono Narcotics 111 Corinthians 1:21-28 Epiphany my 18:15- Anonymous 8:1-13 20 31 4th Sunday after Epiphany