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Why Join a Church?

by Vicar Lisa Rygiel.

Today, I wanted to reach out to those people who faithfully attend church but have never actually joined the church. Some people don’t see the need to join a local church when they are already a member of the universal Church. For many Christians, membership sounds stiff, something you have at your bank or the country club, but too formal for the church. Even if it’s agreed that Christianity is not a lone ranger religion, that we need community and fellowship with other Christians, we still bristle at the thought of officially joining a church. Why all the hoops?

Here are just a few reasons why church membership matters.

  1. In joining a church, you make visible your commitment to Christ and his people. You state before God and others that you are part of this local body of believers. It’s easy to talk in glowing terms about the invisible church-the body of all believers near and far, living and dead-but it’s in the visible church that God expects you to live out your faith.

Real fellowship is hard work, because most people are a lot like us-selfish, petty, and proud. But that’s the body God calls us to. The New Testament has no record of Christians floating around in “just me and Jesus” land. Believers belong to churches. Hebrews 10 tells us that we need each other to carry out our calling.

“24And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another….”

  1. Making a commitment makes a powerful statement in a low-commitment culture. Many bowling leagues require more of their members than our churches. Where this is true, the church is a sad reflection of its culture. Ours is a consumer culture where everything is tailored to meet our needs and satisfy our preferences. When those needs aren’t met, we can always move on to the next product, next job, or next whatever.

Joining a church in such an environment makes a counter-cultural statement. It says “I am committed to this group of people, and they are committed to me. I am here to give, more than get.”

  1. We can be overly independent. In the West, it’s one of the best and worst things about us. We are free spirits and critical thinkers. We get an idea and run with it. But who is running with us? And are any of us running in the same direction? Membership states in a formal way, “I am part of something bigger than myself. I am not just one of a hundred individuals. I am part of a body.”

 

  1. Church membership keeps us accountable. When we join a church, we are offering ourselves to one another to be encouraged, rebuked, corrected, and served. We are saying, “I am here to stay. I want to help you grow in godliness. Will you help me to do the same?”

 

  1. Joining the church gives you an opportunity to make promises and the congregation the opportunity to support you. When you join the Lutheran church, you promise to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. The congregation agrees to support and pray for you in your life of faith.

Membership matters more than most people think. If you really want to be a counter-cultural revolutionary, join your local church!

Third Sunday in Advent -- December 15, 2024

10 a.m. Worship with Communion

 

Announcements

Angels in Aprons

The Angels in Aprons Ministry began in 2018 when Pastor Andrea thought it would be a wonderful idea to copy what her mom did at her parish in Iowa– cook for others in need. Lanae Rossi (who is a saint with Jesus now) and Lynn Chase volunteered to spearhead the ministry. There were originally 14 volunteers but over time (because of moves, etc.) the number dwindled, and we are down to six participants now -– Lynn, Cherie Holder, Peggy Gustafson, Jo Moss, Sharon Sorenson, and Julie Wersal.

In 2023, the Angels didn’t have any “missions” and in 2024 we didn’t have any missions either mainly because of good health? as well as the state of flux Zion’s has been involved with this year. The Angels in Aprons Ministry basically gifts food that may be needed for a parishioner/s because of an illness, a surgery, a death, an accident, or any other need.

The food gifts are prepared by the volunteers and taken to the kitchen in the Fellowship Hall. The gifts are then either picked up by the recipients or taken to the mission recipient by a member of the Angel Ministry. All the volunteers cheerfully gift their time and their food to the mission at hand.

Due to a resurgence in interest in the Angels Ministry, we would like to reintroduce the Ministry in 2025. If you would like to gift your chef’s talents, please contact Lynn Chase (coordinator) cochase07@gmail.com to sign up to be on the list. Once a “mission” is identified (either by church staff or a parishioner), Lynn sends out an email to all the volunteers and anyone who can help does. Obviously, not all volunteers can help every time but, in the past, the gifts that are given are abundant and are very much appreciated by the recipients.

Thanking you in advance,

Blessings and Bon Appetit

Lynn Chase

Council Meeting Notes

Zion's Lutheran church council met for their regular meeting on Sunday, December 8. Vicar Lisa began the meeting with prayer. All officer reports were approved as submitted.

Vicar Lisa continues her studies with the last session beginning Jan. 27. Mike McNeil will continue to lead the study on Stewardship following our First Sunday Potluck in January. Becky McNeil will lead a bible study using the book "The Bible from Scratch, The New Testament for Beginners" starting in January. There will be a separate study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

We are officially a Reconciling in Christ church partner! We are searchable on the Reconciling Works website. We were able to collect approximately $400 for our annual donation on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Vicar Lisa's internship is ongoing through the end of January. The Internship Committee, of Julie Wersal, Mike & Becky McNeil, Jo Moss, and Sharon Sorenson meet each week to discuss and complete the reviews and paperwork required by the Synod and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.

We are looking for two volunteers for the Board of Trustees who will oversee the Samuels Trust Fund. The trust fund is managed with the help of our representative from Charles Schwab. We also are looking for two volunteers for the Audit Committee which will join Jan Ratliff in reviewing the financial policy and procedures at Zion's. If you are interested in serving on either of these committees, please see Julie Wersal.

Norine reported that we served close to 900 meals on Thanksgiving. We will be doing a 5-Loaves delivery on Dec. 28 and the committee is looking for homemade Christmas cookies to include in the packages.

The Budget Committee will meet on Dec. 18. Mike, Mark, and Julie will be reviewing our insurance policy and the changes submitted to us by Church Mutual Insurance. If you are interested in serving on the church council, please let any council member know.  The Annual Meeting is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2025.

Respectfully submitted,

Julie Wersal, Council President

  • Fellowship Time: Join us after worship today in the Fellowship Hall for coffee and conversation, Let’s Chat.
  • Senior Christmas Gifts: Remember if you have senior citizen Christmas gift wish envelopes, please take the gift-wrapped presents to the First National Bank main lobby, or given to Jo to deliver, no later than Dec. 17.
  • Weekly Bible Studies: Zion’s weekly Bible Study is on hiatus until after the holidays. It resumes on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, with the continuation of The Bible from Scratch, series, now focusing on The New Testament for Beginners. See the newsletter for more details.
  • 2025 Church Directory: It’s time to update information for the 2025 Church Directory. If you have updates to your information or photo, let Julie Wersal know.
  • Blue Christmas Worship: Zion’s Blue Christmas Worship service of comfort begins at 5:30 on Dec. 21, in the sanctuary. It provides a quiet and contemplative experience that respects those who are walking through grief or struggling in other ways. The reasons to attend are many, the purpose is to remember that God is good. God is strong. God is near.
  • Christmas Eve Worship: Zion’s traditional Christmas Eve worship will be a candlelight service that begins at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 24, in the sanctuary.

E-formation – Third Sunday of Advent
Dec. 15, 2024

This coming Sunday we light three candles on the Advent wreath. While our society goes crazy with Christmas preparations and the northern hemisphere grows darker each day, we gather to hear John the Baptist urging us to accept God’s good news.

Luke 3:7-18

Scholars judge John the Baptist to have been one of the Jewish eschatological prophets who urged that the people repent to escape divine punishment. Yet Luke turns this genre toward Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. To the accounts in Mark and Matthew of John the Baptist’s preaching, the evangelist Luke adds the passage about tax collectors and soldiers, another example of Luke’s benign attitude toward the Roman Empire and his stress on universal salvation.

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Speaking before the reforms of King Josiah in the seventh century bce, the prophet Zephaniah condemned especially Israelite idolatry and the society’s oppression of the poor. God has commanded obedience to the covenant, and God will punish offenders. However, here in the conclusion of the book, the prophet sings joyfully about God’s promised salvation. As was common in ancient Near Eastern literature, the city is described as female, and the deity as male. Extending the sexual metaphor, the god stands inside the city, enlivening it. The male rejoices over the female (v. 17) and covers her shame with himself (v.19).

Philippians 4:4-7

Paul, writing to the church in Philippi sometime in the 50s, testifies to the joy he receives from his faith in Christ and his expectation that the second coming is near. Even in prison, he urges gratitude and contentment in the peace of God.

Zion's Lutheran Church

A Reconciling in Christ Community

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785