News and updates
FAITH WEAVERS: Faith Weavers takes place every Wednesday evening at Zion Lutheran Church from 5:15PM-6:45PM as long as school is in session, or otherwise announced. Reminder, there will be no Faith Weavers this Wednesday, November 26th, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We will resume normal classes the following week, December 3rd. If your child is between Kindergarten and 6th grade, please consider having them join us for another year of faith building, fun, and fellowship! Parents can find more information and register on our church website under “Educational Ministries” and “Faith Weavers.” We hope to see you soon! Also, if you would be interested in donating to support this program, besides monetary donations, included below is a list of some requested food items. As always, your support and encouragement is greatly appreciated!
Please put non-perishable donations in the marked bin in the kitchen with a note (from who, for who) and alert church staff about your donation. Cold items should be put in the refrigerator, and frozen items should be placed in the freezer. For more information, contact Mr. Jareske.
For December
1. Packages of hotdog buns
2. Bottles of mustard
3. Bottles of ketchup
4. Cans of mandarin oranges
5. Packages of hamburger buns
6. Rolls of 85/15 or 80/20 ground beef
7. Packages of brown sugar
8. Cans of corn
9. Jars of pizza sauce
10. Bags of shredded mozzarella cheese
11. Jars of apple sauce
FAITH WEAVERS HELP: As this weekly event is dependent on the teamwork of volunteers and supporters, we are once again putting out the call for assistance. If you feel called to help this year by serving in some capacity, week to week, please contact Kim Baumann, Suzie Wachter, or Mr. Jareske (402-329-4313) in the near future. Volunteers can be 7th grade and older. We are still looking for individuals to assist with our various stations, cooking meals, and helping with serving the meals, without cooking. As such, if you believe that you might be able to help in one of these ways, please let us know as soon as possible.
ZION TUITION ASSISTANCE FUND:
If you would like to help provide students with a Christian education, please consider donating to the Zion tuition assistance fund. It is easy to donate! Make checks payable to Zion Lutheran School and just write in the memo tuition assistance. Have a special student in mind for assistance? Contact the school office at 329-4658 to set up a donation for them.
SCRIP:
Mrs. Anson is still taking orders for scrip. They are due every Monday by midnight. If she doesn’t have what you need on hand, orders may take up to one week before they are available.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
If you have announcements or upcoming events you would like posted or announced, please contact the church office by noon on Wednesday. Also, if anyone has updates to their address, phone number, email, or member status, please notify the church office of any changes.
USHERING:
If any youth students would be willing to assist during church services on Sunday mornings, please call 402-329-4313 to let the church office know. We are currently looking for both ushers and technology booth assistance, and training will be provided for anyone willing to serve in either capacity.
TECH HELP:
If you have a general interest in sound, video, or computers, and would like to use those talents to help on Sunday morning, please call the church office (402-329-4313) to inquire. We are currently looking for a few new people who would like to assist in the technology booth running the sound board, managing the video camera, and/or running the slides, and if you would like to help in this way, an opportunity to receive some training can absolutely be organized.
VISITOR CARDS:
Please make sure to have visiting family members, or new visitors, fill out the visitor cards, not attendance cards, if they are only attending for the week.
COOKIE AND CANDY FUNDRAISER:
Need cookie and candies for Christmas? Let us help! We are proud to announce that the Fusion Youth Group will be offering the Christmas Cookie and Candy Fundraiser once again this year. As before, we will be taking pre-orders by calling Derek Jareske (402-385-8381) by December 3rd, and we will have these items available for pickup on either December 13th, 10AM-12PM in the Zion kitchen, or December 14th, following the 9AM church service and the 2PM Children’s Christmas service in the narthex. Only a limited number of pre-made platters will be available for those who do not pre-order. All funds will go toward paying for youth activities. For more information about how this can be completed, and our varieties, please check the flyer on our church website or call Derek Jareske.
Options include: Dozen Decorated Sugar Cookies ($15, pre-order $12), Dozen Undecorated Sugar Cookies (pre-order only $10), Large Platters of Cookies and Assorted Candy ($45, pre-orders $40), and Small Platters of Cookies and Assorted Candy ($35, pre-order $30)
Some dairy free cookie choices can be made available as a pre-order option, only. Base prices will be increased for this option to account for the extra price of dairy free items and special ingredient alternations.
COOKIE BAKING:
To prepare for our upcoming cookie fundraiser, the Fusion Youth Group is currently planning to bake cookies and candy on the evening of Friday, November 21st, beginning at 6:00PM in the Zion kitchen. Although plenty of help from both youth and parents is required, we will not need the whole group, so if you would like to help on this evening, please let Mr. J know (dcejareske@zionlutheranpierce.com) as soon as possible. We are planning more opportunities to help in the next several weeks, so if you are not able to help on this occasion, you can plan to help in the near future. Alternatively, if you would like to complete some baking on your own, in your own kitchen, please speak to Mr. J about getting the information needed to complete this endeavor. Thank you!
FOOD DRIVE:
Zion Lutheran Church and School will be hosting a food drive to help stock our local, Pierce community, food pantry from November 10th to November 26th. Any non-perishable food items, nothing past date or home canned, are welcome, but if you would like to address some of the more direct needs of the food pantry, they are requesting cleaning products, dish soap, toilet paper, body wash, tomato juice, canned vegetables, and laundry detergent. Students and school families may drop off items to their Zion School classroom, and congregation members and other members of the community may drop off items at both the school and church offices. A basket for donations will also be available in the church narthex before and after church services through November 26th.
Galatians 5:13 reminds us, “. . . through love serve one another."
THANKSGIVING SERVICE:
The Thanksgiving service has been changed to a Thanksgiving Eve service on Wednesday, November 26, at 7pm.
NOVEMBER 30 SERVICE:
The service will be at 8am, instead of 9am, so that Pastor Tuma is able to be at both church services. Sunday School will follow the service at 9am.
CONFIRMATION:
Reminder, there will be no Confirmation classes for public school 7th and 8th grade students this Wednesday, November 26th, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Regular classes will resume the following Wednesday, December 3rd, and continue through December 17th.
CARDS:
Our assortment of greeting cards has been recently re-stocked! We have everything from anniversary cards to sympathy cards, so if we are in need of cards for your next occasion, check with us first. We will also be offering our yearly Christmas card sale during the four Sundays in Advent, which begins on Sunday, November 30th, so please look for our table in the narthex if you need to re-fill your supply of Christmas cards this year.
PASTOR INSTALLATION:
Our interim Pastor, Pastor Bernhard Huesmann, will be installed on Sunday, December 7, at 9am.
CHURCH CARE TEAM:
The Church Care Team will be decorating for Advent on Friday, November 28, at 9am. Saturday will be a second decorating day if needed with time TBA. All are welcome to join!
HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH MEETING:
Our next monthly meeting for high school youth students, 9th through 12th grades, is scheduled to take place today, November 23rd, from 5PM to 7PM in the Zion youth room. If you are considering joining us for this great opportunity, consider bringing a friend along, as well! A meal will be served, and no money is needed for this portion of the meeting.
SOUP SUPPER AND PAX CHRISTMAS:
The Zion Lutheran School PTLS and Zion Lutheran Church Youth Group invite everyone to join us for a special evening of food, fellowship, and Christmas celebration at our Sounds of the Season event on Sunday, December 7th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The evening will start with a Free Will Donation Soup Supper from 5:00pm–6:45 p.m., featuring warm soups, good company, and the welcoming of our Interim Pastor, Pastor Bernhard Huesmann. Following the meal, the ZION PAX Team will present their annual Christmas concert, “Light of the World!” — a joyful celebration of Christ’s birth through music and message.
A COZY CHRISTMAS:
An evening of music and poetry featuring Poet Tanner Olson & Musician Blake Flateley. Friday, December 5, at 7pm at 1C| The Sanctuary. 2200 28th Avenue, Columbus, NE 68601. Before the program, they will be serving a warm cinnamon and chili dinner from 5pm-6:45pm. Dinner will be offered for a free-will donation.
7TH ANNUAL DRIVE THRU LIVE NATIVITY:
St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pierce is hosting their 7th Annual Drive-thru Nativity for 2 days only. It is free and every year the theme changes. This year it is Joseph’s Journey. Friday, December 5, from 5:30pm-8:30pm & Saturday, December 6, from 4pm-8:30pm.
ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOKLETS:
The booklets will available starting on Monday, November 24, in the church office and NARTHEX. Reminder that the first Sunday in Advent is November 30.