Intentional Interim Ministry

Pastor Kari Bahe

Well…I had a good laugh today—shouldn’t we have at least one good laugh every day?  I decided to look up the word interim. The phrase that popped up as a synonym for interim is makeshift.  Not exactly how I see my ministry with you at Zion!

Let’s move on to a different synonym; thrown together.  Nope, not how I see my work at all–just ask my family about my careful, well-thought-out, and annoying lists.  Although, thrown together could have some wonderful ties to how we think of the Holy Spirit’s work in bringing congregation and pastor together. When a pastor accepts a call to serve in a congregation, we trust that the Holy Spirit has put us together for the work of ministry in this time and place. So, in that sense, I am glad to be thrown together with you by the Holy Spirit. I look forward to seeing what the Holy Spirit is up to as we seek to discern God’s preferred future for Zion.

On to some other synonyms for interim–caretaker, transitional.  Better, but not inclusive of how the Lutheran church approaches interim ministry.  To make sense, another word needs to be added to interim and it is an important addition. That word is Intentional. I am called here to serve as your Intentional Interim Senior Pastor. An intentional interim period for a congregation is deliberate and purposeful.

Intentional interim ministry is not a new thing in the Church. Since 1970, the Church has been addressing the needs of congregations by developing a specialized approach to interim ministry.  To that end, I have been trained by the Institute of National Association of Lutheran Interim Pastors.   That training helps me pay attention and listen to the inner workings of a congregation. To that end, the first major task of intentional interim ministry is to:  stop, look, and listen.   As I do so,

I covenant with you:

  • To take time to listen to you. I pray that you will share with me your hopes, dreams, questions, and inspirations for the ministry ahead.
  • I covenant to keep you informed. I pray that you will take time to intentionally invest in staying informed by listening, participating, and trusting.
  • I covenant to pray for you. I pray that you will do the same for me.
  • I covenant to remind you that this congregation belongs to God. To remind you that God has, is, and always will lead and guide this congregation. I pray that you will rest secure in that knowledge.

Thanks be to God who has equipped us.

And who will direct us in all we do together!

I look forward to getting to know you and the ministries of Zion. I am always open to questions, comments, and suggestions along the way. May God keep us laughing and focused on God’s way while we are called together for ministry in God’s so loved world. See you at Zion!

Pastor Bahe began her ministry at Zion on September 20. Pastor Bahe and her husband live in Big Lake and she has experience with a variety of churches and roles. She has served small, medium, and large congregations including Mount Olivet. She also served in the Bishop’s office for the Eastern North Dakota Synod.

Giving to Different Ministries

Dirk

Did you know that you don’t have to limit your electronic giving to just the General Fund or the Building Fund? In addition to the General and Building funds, Zion maintains a Special Projects account with over 50 specific line item ministries and programs. We recently updated online giving options. The link to the website is Zionbuffalo.infellowship.com/OnlineGiving.

Here are just a few of the options you now have to give directly to a program or ministry:

  • General Fund
  • Building Fund donation
  • Mission Donation
  • Zion Foundation Donation
  • Cemetery Fund
  • Seasonal Donation
  • CYF Ministry Donation
  • Other Donation

Some of these main categories have subcategories. If you choose Mission Donation, for example, you can then further choose Global, Local, or World Hunger. If you choose, CYF (Children, Youth and Family) Ministry you can choose the subcategories of Sunday School & Elementary School ministries, Confirmation & Middle School ministries, High School ministries, or Bible Camp Scholarships. If you can’t find what you are looking for, you can choose Other and write in the ministry or program you want your donation to go to. Or contact Steve Peterson at steve@zionbuffalo.org to work out the details of your offering. You can give a one-time special offering to a program or ministry, or you can set up reoccurring offerings.

You can set up your online giving via Automatic Clearing House (ACH) transactions, also known as Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), or using a credit card. ACH transactions, typically, do not charge a fee, but you should check with your bank. Credit card transactions will incur a transaction fee that has to be paid by the church, but the website gives you an option to increase your giving by 2.5% to help offset that fee.

No matter if you give electronically, during worship, or mail in your offering, thank you for your generous and continual giving to Zion. Your gifts allow Zion to carry out our mission to share Christ’s word, strengthen faith and serve those in need.

Good for the Giver

Tom

If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else. —Confucius

There are many ways that giving is beneficial to to the giver: gratitude, cooperation, social connection, health. In this article, I will focus on recent studies of giving and happiness.
As the purse is emptied the heart is filled. —Victor Hugo

Studies comparing donors and non-donors indicate that those who give report that they are 43% happier than those who do not give. In addition to their self-reported happiness, giving has been proven to reduce anxiety and lower stress – both of which can increase happiness levels. (Linked In, Catherine (Katie) Chapman, Philanthropic/Charitable Consultant)

A 2007 experiment using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) found giving simulated the ventral striatum. That brain region is associated with a range of rewarding stimuli, from cocaine to art to attractive faces. The results suggest that giving, in the form of charitable donations, is inherently rewarding. (Harbaugh, Mayr, and Burghart)

A 2014 book by two Notre Dame social scientists, called The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose, combined in-depth interviews, national surveys, and group observations. They determined that “the more generous Americans are, the more happiness, health, and purpose in life they enjoy. This association…is strong and highly consistent…. Generous practices actually create enhanced personal well-being. The association…is not accidental, spurious, or an artifact of reverse causal influence.”

The scientists made this conclusion. “People often say that we increase the love we have by giving it away.” In this, they write, “generosity is like love.”

Finance Report 2021.07

John

Here is a summary of Zion’s financial information as of the end of July 2021.  General Fund income for the month of July was just over $51,000 which is about 8% lower than what was received in July of 2020.  Expenses for the General Fund were about $54,500.  This is about 5.8% more than was spent in July of 2020.  For the month General Fund expenses exceeded income by about $3,400.  We anticipate that expenses will continue to increase as we work our way back to full staffing and programming.

Building Fund income for July was almost $12,000.  This is almost identical to the Building Fund income of July 2020.  In both cases, the income was about $1,100 less than the monthly mortgage payment.

Year to date, the General Fund income exceeds our expenses by about $31,000.  However, this income is about $13,500 less than what was received at this time last year.  The General Fund cash on hand as July 31 was about $284,500.

The Building Fund year to date income is a little over $92,000 compared with $91,500 received by this time in 2020.  This is about $4,600 less than our mortgage payments.  The Building Fund cash on hand is just over $56,000.

Thank you for your continuing financial support of Zion’s mission.

Council Update 2021.08

Last month I compared where our church and congregation is currently to looking at the horizon in anticipation of the sunrise and what it will bring. While there are still a lot of questions yet to be answered some things are moving ahead. The Sunday school program is coming together for this fall, staffing vacancies are starting to get filled, the music programs are getting rolling and our Sanctuary project is closer to completion with the news from the contractor that the pew cushions should be done very soon.

All of this is positive news for our congregation. While Pastor Dave’s transition may have many in the congregation feeling a sense of loss we should all be happy for him and his family for the opportunity he has been given to share his gifts with his new congregation. I want to personally let him know that his work here not only helped Zion through this period of transition but was truly appreciated by the people of Zion and those he directly impacted. Best wishes in your new church.

Now, for the main item of my update for this month. I am very happy to announce that we have a new Interim Senior Pastor. Pastor Kari Bahe has accepted the synod’s call to be Zion’s interim pastor while we go through the process of calling a new Senior Pastor for the congregation. We are currently going through the formal process with the Minneapolis Area Synod to complete the formalities but Pastor Bahe will be starting with Zion on September 20. Pastor Bahe and her husband live in Big Lake and she has experience with a variety of churches and roles. She has served small, medium, and large congregations including Mount Olivet. She also served in the Bishop’s office for the Eastern North Dakota Synod. She has experience with congregations in transition and is excited to be able to serve Zion Lutheran as we transition into our new future.

I will close with this. When you are at church on Sunday or at a committee or volunteer gathering and you see a member of the Zion staff. Stop them and say Thank you. They have been going above and beyond to keep things moving forward at Zion and we should all be thankful for the dedication they have shown over the past 18 months.

God bless.

Confirmation Update Fall 2021

By Tammy Zumbusch & Holly Husom, Interim Confirmation Coordinators

Among the many things COVID took from us, community seems to be one of the greatest longings crossing all generational lines. We need each other. Even more than that, we belong to each other. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he writes;

So, in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

We miss you. All of you. Even those we’ve never met.

In the New Testament, ekklēsia (Greek for church) always refers to people, never the place where they meet. Zion is quite literally,Confirma You.

With all the uncertainty of the last year and quite possibly more on the horizon, a few things remain certain. We love Jesus. We love Zion. And we love middle schoolers.

All that to tell you, we are SO excited to be partnering with Zion and leading confirmation this year! We know it’s short notice which is why we are changing the start dates to early October, allowing parents and kids to get reacquainted with the school schedule, and us to be totally prepared to welcome the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders with open arms!! Registration is now open at ZionBuffalo.org/confirmation to anyone interested! You need not be a member of Zion to attend. Please reach out to us at confirmation@zionbuffalo.org if you have ANY questions at all. confirmatIn times of uncertainty one thing remains steadfast. His love for us. We can’t wait to share that love with you and your kiddos! Eeekk!

The Green Season

We are in the middle of the great, green, growing season in the church. That’s how Godly Play, a Sunday school curriculum I taught for some years, describes the season after Pentecost.

The church year begins at Advent, which usually begins right after Thanksgiving. Advent comes in with a rush, as we prepare for the Christ light to come into the world, and then moves into the magical celebration of Christmas. After Christmas, the church year offers a bit of a midwinter breather during Epiphany, but then, before you know it, Lent has arrived, and we are busy again with the buildup to Holy Week and Easter. After that, it’s only a few more weeks until the fiery excitement of Pentecost. It can feel like all the action of the church year is packed into the six months between December and May.

Then summer arrives, and the whole thing slows down. There are no major church holidays, no change of liturgical colors and seasons. Just the slow progression of one “green” Sunday after another. This year, we will count 25 Sundays after Pentecost before we come to a new church season later this fall. After the fast-paced first half of the church year, all those green Sundays in a row can feel a little strange, even a little monotonous. Christians even call this season “ordinary time” because it is so consistent.

Sometimes, I wish the green season were shorter, or maybe even sprinkled with some fun church holidays. But other times, I realize this season is its own gift. In the rhythm of our northern hemisphere, it is a time for resting and playing through the long summer days.

Spiritually, this can also be a great time for growing – as the color green implies. Christians often set goals for the season of Lent, trying out new spiritual disciplines or breaking bad habits. But I have found that most years, the six weeks of Lent fly by before I’ve made much progress toward my intended spiritual goal. But the great, green, growing season is four times longer than Lent! Plenty of time to try, fail, and try again. Plenty of time to grow.

During the season after Pentecost, the lection readings for Sunday mornings move through one Gospel per year; this year it’s Mark. That kind of focus gives us the chance to really linger in the stories about Jesus’ life and teaching, to hear the whole story rather than just bits and pieces, to dive more deeply into this particular Gospel writer’s perspective. This fall, the Sunday Gospel readings will walk us through the second half of Mark, during which Jesus offers repeated teachings about what it means to be a disciple. It’s the perfect time for us to think about our own journeys as disciples of Christ and ask how we might keep growing in our faith.

So as summer draws to a close and the fall rush of school and work picks up again, remember that you are still rooted in the great, green, growing season for another few months. What might this season have to teach you this year?

Camp Wapo 2021

Zion had 54 campers, 1st-12th grade, attend Lake Wapogasset Bible Camp this July. Although church staff couldn’t be onsite for the whole week this year at Wapo, Angela Bengtson and I were excited to go for a day visit. Here’s what our day was like…

We spent the morning at Camp Wapo. For COVID safety, Wapo’s daily chapel service was held outdoors this year, but students were just as enthusiastic about dancing and singing! After chapel, campers split into their cabin groups for Bible study. Angela and I each joined a different cabin group of Zion campers to learn with them about the Old Testament prophet Amos. After Bible Study, we played some field games and delivered all the cards parishioners had written for Zion campers. We made sure to visit with as many Zion campers as we could, and of course, snap some photos of them enjoying their time at camp. Over lunch, we got to catch up with Pastor Suzi, former Zion Associate Pastor who now serves as Wapo’s Director of Programs and Retreats. Pastor Suzi is doing great and loving camp life!

In the afternoon, Angela and I went over to Wapo’s second site, Ox Lake, to visit Zion’s middle and high school students. Campers were spending the afternoon on the lake, so we hiked out to join them. We hadn’t packed our swimming suits, but I did get to go canoeing with some Zion campers – who were great paddlers! When we got back to camp, we shared snacks and conversations with campers until dinner time. With perfect timing, a downpour arrived just as we were all sitting down for tacos, but we were still happy for the much-needed rain. After dinner, Angela and I said farewell and headed back to Buffalo. Thanks, Wapo staff and Zion campers for making our first visit to Wapo so fun!

Fall 2021 Youth Group

Thankful that Covid restrictions have lightened up, we can meet again safely outdoors! We had our first-ever outdoor movie – we saw the movie Grown Ups. We had many new faces and enjoyed hearing the laughter and seeing the smiles! We look forward to doing it again soon!

We are getting together a few times a month – any incoming 9-12 graders and 2021 grads are welcome. We meet (weather permitting) in the back by the fire pit at 6:30 for s’mores and fellowship! The next youth night dates are August 11th and August 25th.

All 9th-12th grade students are welcome to come to launch the 2021-2022 school year with some Gaga Ball, snacks, and an outdoor movie on Wednesday, September 1, at 6:30 pm! This fall, starting September 22, the youth group will meet Wednesday nights at 6:30 pm in the Youth Room. The youth group schedule rotates between Bible studies, service projects, and just-for-fun social nights.

We have a rotating group of adult leaders who will guide conversation with our high school students on Wednesday nights. If you’re interested in volunteering with the youth group, please email Bristol.

We hope high schoolers will also come early on Wednesdays to join us for Community Supper, 5:00-6:00 pm, and worship in the sanctuary, 6:00-6:30 pm. All ages are welcome to supper and worship, but this worship service will be especially family-friendly and geared toward youth, including lots of leadership opportunities for middle and high school musicians.

The 2021 Youth Gala was put on hold because of Covid restrictions, but we are moving full steam ahead for 2022! Mark your calendars for the March 5th weekend! If you are interested in getting involved we would LOVE to have you join us for our next meeting/s! We are looking for adults that want to help us lead the kids thru this dinner theatre event and young adults (confirmation age thru Senior high) that would like to be involved! We will have opportunities for everyone and anyone that wants to help out! (NOTE – any confirmation age student can use hours towards service hours! Great way to get service hours AND have fun doing it!!)

Please reach out to Karie at 763.229.3586 for information or to get involved in any of the above!

LASTLY – we are looking to fill a few spots on our very connected Youth Board… we service confirmation age thru Senior high and would love to have a few new faces/voices to help us decide and navigate our new year with fresh ideas! If you are interested – we meet once a month (Thursday night at 5:30) for an hour. We have a great group already in place and hope you would consider joining us!

Sunday School Joy

Kristin

Hello Zion Kids and Families!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! Guess what? We have really missed seeing all of you! I am happy to share with you the excitement and energy are beginning to build over here at Zion! I am bursting at the seams with JOY, to welcome back our children and families to Zion Sunday school this fall! As you plan your child’s fall activities, we hope Sunday school will be a part of your family’s schedule.

Sunday school is open for children ages 3-Grade 5. If your child is 3 years old (and potty trained) by September 1, they are ready for Sunday school.

“Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them.” Matthew 19:14

We can’t wait to see you and teach our Zion KiDS to: Know God’s Love, Invite Others, Do like Jesus, and Strengthen Families!

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to connect, please reach out. I am here for you and your families.

Cheerfully in Christ,

Kristin