COMMUNITY
Blessing of the Animals
Sunday, October 3 at 11:45
God has given us animal friends to bless our lives, and we're grateful for the joy they bring to our families. Now it's our turn to reciprocate and bless our furry, feathered, and finned friends!
It's become traditional to gather on the Sunday closest to the feast day of St. Francis (Oct. 4). Francis was a great lover of animals and viewed them as our little brothers and sisters. So, you're invited to join us on Sunday, October 3 after worship. Please bring your favorite "little brother" or "little sister," and we'll gather outside near the front doors of the church building for a blessing and a treat. (Don't worry: We'll keep the human and pet treats separate!)
Christian Education Opportunities
for the Whole Congregation
As twenty-first-century Americans, we live in a society where most people don't know the biblical narrative of salvation. In fact, today even many members of Christ's church struggle to articulate the stories that are so integral to our faith. So, beginning in the second half of September, Zoar will enter into a multi-faceted, congregation-wide time immersion into the biblical narrative of salvation. As our guide we'll be using a new multi-age curriculum based on Dan Erlander's book Manna and Mercy: A Brief History of God's Unfolding Promise to Mend the Entire Universe. Listed below are some of the ways we'll be exploring and deepening our knowledge of Scripture and God's saving plan for this world God so loves.
Sunday School: Our children in kindergarten through sixth grade soon will be receiving packets of interactive material based on Manna and Mercy to use at home. Pastor Michelle has been adapting the material to suit our congregation's needs, and Connie Tye has assembled packets which will be delivered to our Sunday School families in the next couple of days, along with some special treats provided by Zoar's Evangelism Team.
On Sunday, September 19 at 9:30 am, we held our first Zoom Sunday School story and conversation time. Amy Aamodt did a wonderful job teaching the creation story, and the kids enjoyed interacting with her. Thank you, Amy! This coming Sunday Connie Tye will teach the story of God's creating Adam and Eve.
Children's Time: During Sunday worship, Pastor Michelle and, occasionally, others will draw on the Manna and Mercy material to help tell and explore the biblical stories and deepen understanding of our faith.
Older Teens and Adults: Pastor Michelle will be highlighting some of the material from Manna and Mercy in sermons and newsletter articles. The Thursday morning Bible Study may enter into a more in-depth exploration of certain Bible stories.
Thursday Morning Bible Study: Our group has decided to do a deep dive into the biblical salvation story using Manna and Mercy as our study guide.
Confirmation: Confirmation will begin October 3. The time and other details for gathering will be shared with parents in the next few days. Pastor Michelle has decided to use Manna and Mercy with the confirmands this year, so that the whole congregation will be "in synch" with studying the Scriptures. We'll pick up Grace Alone in confirmation next year, as we turn our focus to the Small Catechism.
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Congregational Meeting
Sunday, September 26 at 11:45
Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend either in person or online, according to what works best for you. In order to make this work, we'll use a camera so that those at home can see those who are in the sanctuary, and we'll use a TV screen in the sanctuary, so that those who are in the sanctuary can see those who are at home.
This meeting will give you the opportunity to hear updates from Zoar's mission and ministry teams, ask questions, and offer comments. Among other things, the council will also update you on where things stand with regard to COVID, Zoar's finances, the new sound system, wifi improvements, and plans to improve our organizational record keeping. We hope to see you there.