I think almost everyone has heard the phrase “patience is a virtue.” We are counseled to be patient and good things come to those who wait. Of course, it can be easier said than done. Ask any seven-year-old during Christmas time. The members of Zion have had many opportunities over the past two years to work on this virtue. We have managed through adversity and change far beyond anything our church has ever seen. Throughout, we have asked questions like

Okay, I’m being a little bold to title this as “Spring” considering on April 15 it snowed most of the morning and the forecast has the temperature in the low 30’s but it is still spring. What I really want to talk about is a different kind of spring – “awakening.” We have just celebrated Easter. Now we are entering another very busy time for our congregation, and my message is focused on a need for people. That’s right, people.

On a Sunday in early March, I was chatting with some members of the congregation about various things, as I like to do before and after services. During a couple of these conversations, I heard a recurring theme come up regarding in-person services. The recurring theme was about how these members had realized how much they missed being physically in church with other people. To a person, they basically said “It wasn’t until I was back in the Sanctuary that

I would like to start off by answering what I believe will be a question many of you reading this article will be asking yourself. “I thought he said he would not be serving a second term as council president.” So did I. At the beginning of this year I was given the opportunity to serve on the Buffalo City Council to fill a vacancy for the remainder of a departing councilman’s term. Given the duties of this role, I

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

Hello Zion Lutheran Church. In case you haven’t noticed the year is slowly transitioning into fall, and it has been a beautiful fall so far. My segment of the newsletter this month will be short and to the point. We have our congregational meeting coming up along with the Christmas season, and there are a lot of things to get accomplished yet this year. First, let’s start with worship. I’m very happy to say that our Sanctuary services have seen

As you can see from all of the articles in this month’s newsletter, there is a lot going on at Zion. We have ample opportunity to share our time, talents, and treasures with the church and the community. I hope as we start to get closer to the holiday season, you think about how you can become an active part of Zion’s Ministries. Currently, we continue to work with the Minneapolis Area Synod to identify Interim Associate Pastor candidates and

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

I will make a confession. I’m not really a morning person. But, I’m married to a morning person and almost every job I’ve had in my adult life has required an earlier than preferred wake-up call. To be clear, this isn’t really a complaint. I really like those early hours of the morning as the sun is coming up and life starts to stir. Whether it is sipping a cup of coffee on the deck before getting ready for work

Looking back over the past 15 months it would be fair to say that change has been a constant theme. Whether it has been related to COVID19-related changes or the broader world, change is the reality we live with today. But change can mean many things to many people. Depending on the situation, it can be a time of worry or a time of hope. Having worked in a corporate setting for over 25 years I’ve seen how change can