Bulletin: Wednesday February 19, 2025

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.
Bible Study (the Book of Malachi): 2:30 p.m
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

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BINGO NIGHT: Friday, February 28, 2025

BINGO NIGHT at Zion Lutheran Church
Friday, February 28th @ 6:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall

• FAMILIES WELCOME

• POTLUCK DINNER

• CHICKEN TENDERS PROVIDEDSign Up in the Narthex

• FUN & PRIZES

Trustee News

Have you ever wondered what the Board of Trustees does? In the simplest terms, we manage and maintain all church property. Whether it’s fixing a broken window, looking for ways to save on utility bills, hiring contractors, weeding a planting bed, or painting a classroom, we do what’s needed to keep our property in good condition. At times, that can seem like a daunting task, given the age of our buildings and the amount of wear and tear they ex-perience. Thankfully, we have a dedicated Board that unselfishly shares its time and talents with our congregation to accomplish this important work. And, just as importantly, we have a generous congregation that supports our work with gifts of time, talent, and finances. 

Last year, the Trustees identified over one hundred maintenance and repair tasks that needed to be done in the church, preschool, and parsonage and we were able to complete more than half of them. Here are some of the biggest ones: 

• Replaced all 96 fluorescent ceiling light fixtures in the preschool with energy-efficient LED units, saving the congregation almost $2,000 annually in electricity bills 

• New energy-efficient AC units in offices and other areas 

• Replaced worn out carpeting and window shades in the choir loft and conference room 

• Extensive electrical work in the parsonage 

• Built a deer-resistant enclosure for the parsonage vegetable garden 

• Reconfigured, weeded, and re-mulched the preschool playground 

• New Wi-Fi pods throughout the church, office areas, and preschool 

• Reorganized several storage areas for Sunday School and VBS 

• New cushioned chairs for the undercroft 

• Repainted the conference room, a preschool classroom, and other areas 

• Removed several large dead, or dying, trees and trimmed or treated others 

• Replaced corroded steel exit doors at the rear of the preschool and in the boiler room 

• Replaced the steep grass hill on the north side of the undercroft with decorative rock 

• Hired a new, more reliable snow-removal contractor 

• Mowed grass every week, collected leaves in the fall, and maintained all planting beds 

• Daily custodial services for the church and preschool 

Mike Debowski,
Head Trustee

The next time you see one of our Trustees -- Paul Hayes, Jim Oelschlager, Ben Meyer, Deborah Sterba, and Linda Kroeger -- let them know you appreciate what they do to keep our church, school, and parsonage in good shape. And the Trustees would like to thank everyone at Zion for your continuing support. We would love to have you join us next year! As the saying goes, “many hands make light work”, and we can always use some extra hands. God bless! 

– Mike Debowski, Head Trustee 

Community Event: Free Tax Assistance by VITA

Community Event: Free Tax Assistance by VITA
Free Tax Assistance by VITA at The Bible Chapel, 300 Gallery Drive, McMurray, PA 15317.

Monday through Thursday starting February 3, 2025 and running through April 10, 2025. Hours: 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
No appointment. First come, first served. NO NEW RETURNS started after 1:00 p.m.

Must bring: Last year’s tax return, ID for yourself and spouse, Social Security numbers and birthdates for yourself, spouse and dependents. All W-2 and 1099 tax documents (including Social Security 1099), 1095 health care statement and property tax receipts. Both spouses must sign joint returns.
CLICK HERE for a more detailed list

Federal, state, local taxes and property tax/rent rebate forms are prepared.
Questions? Call the IRS at 800-829-1040.
Online: search “VITA” at www.sqpavita.com. Please do not contact “the Bible Chapel.”

Note from Zion’s webmaster.
VITA prepared our taxes this year, and it was a great experience. Highly recommended — and it was completely free.

 

Focus on Fellowship

(Bottom right) Pastor Grimenstein and Deaconess Joanna present Amanda Parker and Katherine Hoffman of The Still Remembered Project with a $10,000 donation from Concordia Lutheran Ministries (CLM). Through it’s Angel Tear Grant program, CLM generously supports faith-based, non-profit organizations making an impact in our community. 

Zion hosted its first Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, January 18th in partnership with The Still Remembered Project (TSRP). More than 45 attendees from Zion, local LCMS churches and the community came together to pray and learn more about this local, faith-based organization that ministers to those who have experienced the loss of a child through miscarriage or stillbirth. 

After a delicious breakfast, attendees heard from Amanda Parker, Vice Chair of TSRP. She shared her families’ personal journey through loss, then discussed the variety of ways the group supports women, and men, struggling with miscarriage or infertility. Following a Q&A session, Pastor led prayers for those impacted by infant loss and for the ministry of TSRP. 

VIDEO: Sunday February 16, 2025 - Complete Service

View the bulletin for Sunday, February 16, 2025
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AUDIO: Announcements, Readings & Sermon for Sunday February 16, 2025

View the bulletin for Sunday, February 16, 2025
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Old Testament Reading -- Jeremiah 17:5–8 
Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 

Epistle Reading -- 1 Corinthians 15:1–20 
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the sixth chapter
[Jesus] came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. 

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: 
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. 
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 
“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 
“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. 
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 
“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.