October 22 was a day of celebration for Zion handbells and the congregation. The small set of 37 bells/3 octaves that was purchased in 1983 has grown into a 5-octave set, chimes, and lots of wonderful music over the past 40 years. On October 22 Jane Hruby, the first director and initiator of funding the first handbells, worshipped at Zion along with her husband Jim and daughter Pam. We are thankful for Jane and for all of the ringers who
It has been exciting to watch the building spring to life this fall. Kids are filling the building in Sunday school, confirmation, and youth group. Many of the local Scout groups are back having fun on Monday nights. Folks have been attending Bible studies and other fellowship events. The sounds of vocal and bell choirs fill the halls on Wednesday evenings. Zion is bustling! And now, as fall slowly slips away, we are fervently preparing for the winter season with
Did You Know: Nearly 1/3 of all charitable giving occurs in December. And 10% of all giving is done the last three days of the year. Reasons People Wait Until the Last Days of The Year to Give Taxes Many people wait until the end of the year because gifts given at this time of year can be used against their income tax. Procrastination People can sometimes be lazy. We are called to shepherd our flock of people. Sometimes our
A huge thank you to all the wonderful donors and volunteers who were able to make winter much warmer and brighter for hundreds of kids and their families with warm coats, winter accessories, and thousands of slightly used clothing items in the Blessing Closet! You helped give 564 coats to 144 families and 394 kids. What a blessing! Below are the details for Blessing Closet and Coats for Kids and Mobile Food Shelf: Zion Blessing Closet Ministry Families Served—144 Children
We currently have three mission partners- Mission Jamaica, All Kids Can Learn International (AKLCI), and Redeemer Lutheran Church. For the past few years, Zion’s Global Mission Committee has identified a special project that is beyond our annual support for our partners. This identified special project then becomes our focus for the annual golf event. On a beautiful late August day, 63 golfers and six event helpers had a wonderful day raising over $5100 for this year’s special mission project “The
Zion continues its support of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Tetiana Chibova is a thirty-year-old woman with two children, Sofiia, eleven, and Olena, seven. They are from the city of Kherson, not far from Odessa. About a year ago, after her husband was killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she and her children escaped to Norway where they awaited an opportunity to come to the United States. Buffalo residents, Keith and Nancy Markwardt offered to be their official sponsors.
