AKCLI Update

As AKCLI looks into 2021, please be praying for these upcoming projects:

  • The Lord is bringing more children to The Village of Hope with special needs. These children are a severely unserved segment of the rural population.  The School of Hope wants to build a classroom for special needs students and a classroom for Preschool and Kindergarten children.
  • The Hope College of Education is beginning an intensive agriculture education program to prepare teachers to teach agriculture. Funds are needed to provide scholarships for motivated, but poor, rural students.
  • The Village of Hope needs to build more housing for students of the college and mission team members.
  • The bakery at The Village of Hope is now up and running. Benedict and Kathleen Schwartz thank Zion members for helping to make this happen.  The photos are of the new bakery.

Learn more at akclivillageofhope.com

Redeemer Update 2022

Our mission partner, Redeemer Lutheran Church, in North Minneapolis is a multicultural and multiracial congregation. Zion and several Lutheran congregations help support Redeemer with prayer, financial gifts, and volunteering.

The call process to replace retired Pastor Kelly Chatman was delayed, yet they hope to have a new pastor in place by Easter Despite the challenges of the past two years, Redeemer has found creative ways to still worship and do meaningful outreach to their neighbors. Like at Zion, good weather allowed outdoor worship for several months. Their non-profit, Redeemer Center for Life, as an agent of hope and transformation, provides safe and affordable housing, youth workforce development, and other opportunities in the community. Their annual Christmas store, in partnership with many other congregations, was once again a success. The youth and education team creatively adapted education and activity programming to collaborate more with other churches and do more outside. New neighborhood outreach activities are being planned as Redeemer continues to be a beacon of hope in North Minneapolis.

Dementia Caregiving

To tell about myself and my faith journey is not easy, as there are many emotions that surface when I do. I was born in Charles City, Iowa, and when I was seven years old, my parents, sister and I moved to Maple Grove, MN. One of my most life-changing events occurred when I was sixteen. My family and I were in a car accident. The accident took the lives of both of my parents. After that, I was very angry with God, but I soon found that staying angry was not the way to go. With my faith in God, my desire to help hurting people started growing then.

After my parents’ death, I moved back to Iowa to live with relatives. I joined the Methodist church that my grandparents belonged to. After high school, I moved back to Minnesota.

Pete and I were married 43 years ago at St Raphael’s Catholic Church in Crystal. We lived for many years in Crystal and Brooklyn Park. We have two children (son and daughter) and 4 grandsons. We adopted our children at the ages of 8 and 9. Both of them came to us with their own childhood pain and struggles. With the guidance of God, we were able to help them find their way. God’s gift of bringing our children into our lives has been a blessing in so many ways. It’s always enjoyable spending time with our family.

I joined the Catholic Church four years after Pete and I were married. When we moved to Buffalo and found Zion we decided to leave the Catholic Church. Before deciding on Zion, we had visited a number of other churches. It was very important to us that we find a church that was welcoming and comforting. I wanted to be sure that Pete felt that way because he was leaving the Catholic Church after attending it his whole life.

Pete and I became members of Zion 20 years ago. I will always remember how welcoming Pastor John and Pastor Ed were to us. It wasn’t long after we joined that Pastor John and Howard Burgdorf wanted us to go to leadership training for Stephen Ministries. It meant so much to us to be asked to serve as Stephen Ministry Leaders at Zion. To be part of a caring ministry, with a focus of helping others was very important to us. We held this role for approximately nine years.

Since joining Zion I’ve also been involved in a number of other ministries which include: Women’s Ministries, New Member Committee, greeting and serving coffee on Sunday mornings, Harvest of Hands, serving communion, Lutefisk Dinner, 40 Days of Purpose, Bible studies, and 40 Days of Community.

I became Community Coordinator for Buffalo Area Dementia Friends when it was formed 3 1/2 years ago.

My journey of starting to learn about dementia began almost 7 years ago when Pete was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I remember how devastated and overwhelmed we felt, wondering what was ahead, and wondering, what next? When I look back now, I realize how thankful I am that we got his diagnosis when we did. However, the first doctor we went to said there wasn’t anything wrong with Pete. I knew there was, and I was going to find an answer to the changes I was seeing in him. After consulting with a different doctor, we were referred to a neuropsychologist who gave us the diagnosis. Although I was trying to convince myself that this wasn’t really happening, I also remember Pete saying, “maybe it won’t get all that bad.” We both found that talking with Pastor Ted was strengthening in helping us to see that we weren’t alone. After talking with him, we were much more receptive to the shock of what was happening in our lives, and we decided that we would be open about his disease. And we’ve found that being open about Alzheimer’s has been a good thing. After Pete’s diagnosis, his neuropsychologist, suggested that it would be good for me to find a support group. The closest one that I could find at that time, was in Becker, which was available to me once a month. Pete joined a respite group there which provided him with fellowship, activities, and socialization.

As I was experiencing my own struggles as a caregiver of someone with dementia, I also was hearing the struggles of others in my support group. I started thinking about how helpful it would be if we had supportive resources for the caregiver and care receiver living with dementia in this area.

During this time I heard about ACT on Alzheimer’s, a national organization that had a Dementia Friendly initiative program. After discussion with Pete, we agreed that getting in involved with ACT on Alzheimer’s would be a great way of helping others, as well as educating and bringing awareness to our community.

With the help of a close friend, and the Director of the Buffalo Adult Day Program at Parkview Care Center, where Pete was attending, and from Central Minnesota Council on Aging we started pulling together members of different community organizations to form Buffalo Area Dementia Friends, and the Action Team was started. Pete was able to attend a number of the meetings in the first year.

Two years ago this coming March, Pete started living at the Glen Buffalo Memory Care, as it was no longer possible for me to care for him at home. With God and my faith, I have been able to move on, but that’s not been easy. I miss having Pete at home. The loneliness gets very difficult at times. I hold onto the fact that he wanted us to pursue this initiative program, which has now become Buffalo Area Dementia Friends. He will always be my top priority!

I’m amazed at the number of people in this community who have shown an interest in this program and have joined the Buffalo Area Dementia Friends Action Team. I’m very thankful and appreciative to the staff and members of Zion for their support in helping those with dementia.

What we want is to have is a community that is informed, safe, and respectful of people living with dementia and their families. We want a community that has supportive features and fosters quality of life for everyone.

Enter the Bible

Pastor Kari Bahe

Looking for some help with New Year’s Resolutions?  If you have decided to learn more about the Bible or to spend more time getting to know the scriptures, there is a wonderful resource available at enterthebible.org.

A wide variety of learning tools await you. It is a local gem that has world-wide reach. Every article, video, and podcast is either written or reviewed by Luther Seminary professors. Unlike some websites the information on Enter the Bible is accurate and as a bonus, it contains a sound Lutheran understanding of the Bible. Luther Seminary, located in St. Paul is the ELCA’s largest seminary and has some of the most thought-provoking and skilled Biblical scholars in the world on its faculty.

There are courses [free] to take at your own pace, timelines to help you place the events of the Bible in order, videos, and a “Got Questions” section for all those things you want to know about the Bible but have felt too foolish to ask.  The website is for glancing at and for in-depth study.

You’ll find topical Bible studies like “Falling out of Grace and Finding Home” and “How the Book of Job Changed my Life” or take a course to study the Bible book by book, gaining interesting insights along the way.

The mission of Enter the Bible is to “help everyday disciples and spiritual seekers engage in Scripture in ways that are thoughtful, accessible, and faithful.” I highly recommend it!

Enter the Bible

Redeemer Center For Life Thanks

Zion continues to reach out and support our Mission Partners in various ways.  For years Zion has been providing quarterly payments to Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis and to All Kids Can Learn International (Village of Hope) in Zambia.  Both of these Mission partners along with Mission Jamaica are three global mission partners that we at Zion support.  For the past few years our annual Zion golf outing proceeds have been distributed to these mission partners.  In 2021 the proceeds were earmarked for Redeemer Center for Life (RCFL)’s Attainable Housing Program.  Specifically for a new water heater for an apartment building.  Through Zion and the Buffalo Community we were able to send RCFL a check for $5007 to help purchase the water heater.  We received the following thank you from them:

Thank you so much for your extremely generous donation to RCFL from the proceeds of your golf tournament.  We are so grateful to be the recipient of this fundraising effort and it seems like the event was a huge success- CONGRATS!

We really appreciate Zion’s commitment to our partnership and this donation is a particularly impressive example of stewardship and investment in RCFL and your dedication to us.  Thank You!

We are thrilled to be able to use these funds to continue updating and renovating our affordable housing.  Thank you so much for your ongoing investment in our work and mission in North Minneapolis!
Sincerely, Bex Klafter, Director of Donor Development, Redeemer Center for Life

The Global Mission Committee thanks everyone for your continued support of our mission to reach out and support our partners in their efforts to improve their lives.  God has blessed us by providing us with the opportunity to share our gifts with others.

Tax Benefits of Donating Stock

“Remember this – you can’t serve God and Money, but you can serve God with money.” – Selwyn Hughes

Stock donations have tremendous value for Zion.  In fact, it is almost always better to donate appreciated stock, electronic fund transfers (EFTs), or mutual funds than it is to donate cash.

Why?  One simple reason: donating stock to Zion allows you to avoid capital gains tax.  This means church gets the full value of your stock, potentially increasing what otherwise could be a cash donation by 37%.

For example, an appreciated stock worth $10,000, if sold, may result in $2,000 of capital gains tax – leaving you $8,000 to use or donate.  Instead, you can donate the stock or mutual fund directly to Zion.  Zion then receives the full $10,000 value, and you write the full $10,000 value off your taxes too!**

Another benefit of considering donating stock is a great opportunity to reevaluate your investment portfolio and make sure you have a healthy portfolio diversification.

In order to receive the best tax deduction, you should donate appreciated stock that you have held for more than one year.  You will get the tax deduction equal to the current fair market value – not what you originally paid for the stock.  So, you’ve increased your deduction, just by owning the stock.

However, an underwater stock or fund is not a good candidate for donating. In this case, it is better to sell the stock and donate the funds as cash.  Zion receives the same amount either way, but if you sell the stock you can take the full capital gains loss and still deduct the donated cash amount from your taxes.

For instructions on how to transfer stocks, EFTs, or mutual funds to Zion, please contact Steve Peterson in the Zion office.

**As with all financial and tax implications, please consult with tax and/or financial professionals to ensure all current laws are taken into consideration.

Looking Back on 2021

I’ve had a pretty obvious theme for most of my articles this year – Change. We continue on that theme for this month. But first I would like to update everyone on some of the things that have occurred over the past year.

At the December 2019 Congregational Meeting two items were voted on and passed by the Congregation:

  • The purchase of 3 acres for future expansion of our cemetery
  • The capital campaign fund raising drive to update the Sanctuary

Both of these items have been completed. The additional acres have been purchased and this will provide room for expansion for many years to come. I would like to thank the Schroeppels for their legal services to help make this happen. Of course, the Sanctuary project was completed and it looks great. Thank you to all of the volunteers and staff who helped move pews, tear up carpet, sand window trim and door frames and dozens of other tasks.

More recently we were able to update our audio/visual tech equipment and now have live streaming of the Sunday worship. Now those who cannot attend in person can watch a live service at home. Just one way we continue to try to bring the spiritual home of Zion’s members a little closer – even if they can’t be there in person.

One change I’m happy to see is the growing number of members who are coming to in-person services on Sunday. Just a few months ago we might have seen a little over 100 people combined between the two services. Now, with Sunday school and confirmation back in full swing, we are steadily seeing over 300 people on Sunday. While that isn’t pre-COVID attendance it is a positive trend. Hopefully we will be able to continue that trend into 2022.

It’s been an honor to serve as Council President this year. At the January 2022 meeting the Council will be electing new officers. I have one more year of my term on the Council so I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the work Pastor Bahe is doing with the Transition Team and how that will give the Senior Pastor Call Committee some strong direction next year in their search for a new Senior Pastor. As always, your thoughts, concerns, and questions are always welcome. You can contact the council via email at council@zionbuffalo.org.

Is Zion a Healthy Congregation?

Pastor Kari Bahe

It’s not so much that we are afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear. It’s like being between two trapezes.  It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer.  There’s nothing to hold on to.
~Marilyn Ferguson, American Futurist

Zion has been through a great deal of change, and one might expect to encounter all sorts of ‘unhealth’ because of that.  Zion, however, continues to be a welcoming community with healthy ministries and an abundant hope. Zion has strong, healthy programs and a strong, healthy worship life.  No congregation is completely healthy. Congregations are, after all, made up of forgiven sinners, so there is always some ‘unhealth’ to be expected in each congregation. Interim periods give congregations time to intentionally look at the health of the system and address areas of concern as well as celebrate areas of strength.

You are a congregation that serves with strength of purpose and commitment. It is easy to see that the people of Zion have a deep love for ministry. Zion is blessed to have strong, committed key leadership and staff in place. Zion also has a wonderful sense of humor, which is an indicator of great health—you laugh together! That is meaningful. You also cry together, and serve together and most importantly, you seek God together.

What Next?

There is one great flaw in the quote above by Marilyn Ferguson. It may seem as if there is nothing to hold on to. But the reality is, we have God to hang on to. Even better:  we know God hangs on to us, tightly, constantly, and lovingly.

Zion is a congregation with a long history of relying on the constant promises of God. Throughout times of change, Zion has remained a force for good in the local and global community. Zion has a long-standing reputation of knowing what it means to be a people called by God to serve the neighbor. That is just one of the many blessings that makes this congregation so strong. Reliance on God and a firm commitment to serve with care for others is a constant for Zion. Which makes all the change you’ve seen in the last while manageable. Every congregation in the world has been forced to dramatically change in the past 18 months. Now, every congregation has a new reality and opportunity. The congregations that make a healthy transition will extend the reach of the Gospel message in new and creative ways.

So, How Do We Do This?

The transition will come about as we take time to pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit regarding the next chapter of Zion’s ministry. We collectively need to transition into this new future. We are in the process of collectively asking several questions about the future:  how can we be best situated to welcome the new senior pastor? what needs to change? what should stay the same? where is God guiding us? what needs does the community have? what is God’s preferred future for Zion? what is God’s dream for this congregation as you continue to serve the Gospel in this new chapter?

Why Don’t We Just Form the Call Committee and Start Interviewing?

A wise person once said that the healthiest of congregations will recognize that transition and change are two different things.  A change is something that happens to you.  A transition on the other hand is something that happens within you. For example, you get a new job that requires a relocation. The change is that you must move to Texas. The transition is that you are no longer living in Minnesota. Making the change requires packing and moving.  But the actual transition happens when you realize you can no longer go about your life in the same way you always have. To be sure, some things will be the same, but some things must change. For example, now that you live in Texas, you will no longer need to wear wool sweaters in January.

If you don’t make a transition, your change will just be the proverbial moving of the chairs. Which means if you keep wearing wool sweaters in January, you’ll be boiling hot in Texas! It is essential to take time to realize what transitions you need to make. Likewise, congregations are healthiest when they intentionally take time to transition into their next chapter.

Add to that reality a world-wide pandemic. Congregations have not seen this much change in ministry since the Reformation.   The shift in how people are attending and engaging in church means that we need to be even more intentional with transitions. Being open to the creative work of the Holy Spirit is an essential part of transition. Zion has adapted quickly and has made meaningful changes along the way. We will continue to do so, which may cause us to be even more expansive in understanding what ministry looks like in this new reality. I believe God is calling us all to something creative, bold, and expansive for the sake of the Gospel.

Because transition is a process by which people unplug from the old world and plug into a new world, we can see that transition begins with an ending and finishes with a beginning. And our God is all about taking what seems like an ending and transforming it into a beautiful new beginning. You have great opportunity before you as people of God. God has this all figured out and God is in control. God is holding you lovingly into this new future!

 

Teen Talk 2021.12

Teenagers, by definition, are not adults. They don’t think things through and they make questionable decisions. Think back to when you were a teen. Did you ever do anything half thought out, plain dangerous, or just wrong? My guess is, you did. When your teen messes up, it’s a possibility that your teen may compound this error with another and lie to you about it.

Teens usually lie for two reasons.

  1. Self-preservation: teens are motivated by freedom. They may hide evidence or omit some details to avoid losing their freedoms.
  2. Because they love you and value your opinion: Teens have told us often that there is nothing worse than looking into the eyes of their parent/guardian and seeing disappointment. They love you and they don’t want to hurt you.

Your teen may pretend otherwise, but your opinion carries tremendous weight. So what should parents do when this happens?

We have some suggestions for you. In order to restore trust, your teen needs a clear path forward.

  1. Change your own perspective. Yes, your teen has messed up. But what if this is a golden opportunity to get a glimpse into what’s going on in your teen’s life? What if this is the teachable moment they need to avoid future mistakes, or you can use it as leverage as a way to lead to honest conversations?
  2. Check your anger at the door; it’s tough as parents not to be scary, when we are scared. But anger is usually the tip of the iceberg with fear, rejection or embarrassment being underneath. Honesty about your true emotions will have a more lasting impact on your teens. Remember vulnerability breeds vulnerability. If you expect your teen to be honest with you, lead by example.
  3. Ask your child what they would do in your shoes. It may get them to see the situation from a different perspective and have some empathy for you.
  4. Natural consequences work the best. If your child stole your car and you take away their phone for a week you aren’t emulating the real world. But if they steal your car and you don’t let them use it for a period of time, you do. It’s important to establish a clear link between actions and consequences.
  5. Teach them they can accelerate trust by over-communicating with you. Explain to your teens that communication tells the adults in their life that they desire to be trusted again.
  6. Ask the question what they learned from this. This will guide them through some self reflection and move them towards self governance, which is the ultimate goal.

Parenting teens is tough, and no one has the perfect way to do so. No one always knows exactly what’s right for each of our children, but Jesus does. We can take his example and trust He is partnering in this journey with us.