Thank You … from Charles Wallace
Dear Zion friends,
Vicarage ended on July 14 and it’s hard to believe it’s already over. While the year started as a step into the unknown, it ended up being the most formative year of my pastoral training. The Lord was surely at work through preaching, teaching, visitation, outreach, and a whole lot more.
There were certainly moments this year when I felt confident and moments when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. There were things I had learned about in the classroom that suddenly became very real when I was sitting across from someone who needed to hear the Gospel. There were also lessons that no classroom could have taught me. Through all of it, God continued to provide opportunities to learn, to grow, to serve, and most importantly, to point people back to Christ.
Click below to read the complete story …
Dear Zion friends,
Vicarage ended on July 14 and it’s hard to believe it’s already over. While the year started as a step into the unknown, it ended up being the most formative year of my pastoral training. The Lord was surely at work through preaching, teaching, visitation, outreach, and a whole lot more.
There were certainly moments this year when I felt confident and moments when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. There were things I had learned about in the classroom that suddenly became very real when I was sitting across from someone who needed to hear the Gospel. There were also lessons that no classroom could have taught me. Through all of it, God continued to provide opportunities to learn, to grow, to serve, and most importantly, to point people back to Christ.
As I look back on my vicarage year and look forward to my final year at the seminary – I know that none of this was possible on my own. I have been blessed by the amazing support system of my family, my amazing wife, my friends, and wonderful supporters like you, my church family, at Zion. Long before seminary even began you all have been an encouragement, and for that, I thank you. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. It has meant more to me than I know how to put into words.
As I enter this final year, I am so grateful for all the ways the Lord has worked through you all to help prepare me for whatever He brings next.
In Christ,
Charles Wallace
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
LWML MITE CHALLENGE
September 2025-2027 Mission Grant No. 8
Building A Place of Care
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch | $60,000
Creating a Healing Space
The Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in Minot, North Dakota, serves children, ages 7-18, who experience severe psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and/or developmental challenges due to the trauma of abuse, neglect, addiction, violence, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. With the money from this grant the Ranch will build and furnish the Reflection Room which will serve as a safe and calming environment to support the emotional!, spiritual, and psychological well-being of the children and the staff. The doorway to Gospel-centered healing for a child begins with an environment that communicates love while consistently meeting their most basic needs for safety and shelter.
Click below to read the complete story …
LWML MITE CHALLENGE
September 2025-2027 Mission Grant No. 8
Building A Place of Care
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch | $60,000
Creating a Healing Space
The Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch in Minot, North Dakota, serves children, ages 7-18, who experience severe psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and/or developmental challenges due to the trauma of abuse, neglect, addiction, violence, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. With the money from this grant the Ranch will build and furnish the Reflection Room which will serve as a safe and calming environment to support the emotional!, spiritual, and psychological well-being of the children and the staff. The doorway to Gospel-centered healing for a child begins with an environment that communicates love while consistently meeting their most basic needs for safety and shelter.
The Reflection Room will provide space within Zurcher Cottage, a psychiatric residential treatment facility on the Minot campus. Here the children and staff will have a place to pray, meditate, find solace, and spend time in thoughtful reflection. This all aligns with the Ranch's commitment to trauma-informed care and holistic Christ-centered wellness for the children.
Since 1952, the Ranch has touched the lives of more than 43,000 at-risk children and their families. The staff meets the children where they are with their affliction with Christ-centered hope and healing. The children come from across the United States. The team of professionals combine best-in-class psychiatric care with best-in-class Christ-centered spiritual care, unlike any other organization in the nation.
The Zurcher Cottage is a state-of-the art facility designed with the most current knowledge of trauma-informed care, emerging brain research, and the experiences of the staff in mind. Without the intervention of the professional providers, teachers, and caregivers at the Ranch, these children often face futures of despair that only perpetuate the cycle of trauma. During their time at the Ranch, children learn to see the world differently, feel the love of God through those who care for them, and begin to look to the future with hope.
Mite Boxes are distributed to every woman in an LWML society, and often to each member of the congregation. In fact, any woman, man or child can use a Mite Box! Recently Zion Sunday school joined our efforts by distributing Mite Boxes to our SS students for use at home. Local societies submit Mite offerings to the appointed district officer. Mite Box contributions amount to millions of dollars that fund district and national mission grants and implement the LWML program.
VIDEO: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 - Technical Trouble
Each service at Zion Lutheran Church (normally the first of our two Sunday services) is streamed LIVE on our YouTube channel. These streams are for Sunday’s, Wednesday’s, Lenten, Advent, and special services. The entire service is streamed from beginning-to-end. Weddings and Funerals can also be streamed, if requested in advance.
The service for Wednesday, September 9, 2026 could not be streamed due to technical difficulties.
However, you can listen to the readings and sermon using the following link: READINGS & SERMON
Bulletin for Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Sunday Bible Studies
Archive of Bulletins
2:00 p.m. - Worship Service
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study: I Samuel
This service will be LIVE STREAMED on our YouTube Channel
Audio: Readings & Sermon for Wednesday, September 9, 2026
This audio-only file includes all the readings from scripture, along with the sermon — and when available, the announcements, adult choir, men’s choir, and/or bell choir. Also posted along with the audio file is the text for all the scripture readings, and a link to the current bulletin, and our YouTube channel if you prefer to watch the LIVE Stream.
Bulletin for Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Sunday Bible Studies
Archive of Bulletins
2:00 p.m. - Worship Service
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study: I Samuel
This service will be LIVE STREAMED on our YouTube Channel
First Reading – 2 Kings 6:1-23
Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.
And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.
As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.
Second Reading – Philippians 1:21—2:11
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Ten Commandments
What is the tenth commandment?
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not entice or force away our neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals, or turn them against him, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
Bulletin: Wednesday September 9, 2026
Download/view the latest bulletin. It’s filled with our hymns, the order of service, all the readings from scripture, prayer requests for family & friends, service participants, communion statement, about our worship, the schedule of events for this coming weeks, along with announcements, news updates, happenings, and more!
Bulletin for Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Sunday Bible Studies
Archive of Bulletins
2:00 p.m. - Worship Service
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study: I Samuel
This service will be LIVE STREAMED on our YouTube Channel
Rally Day 2026
Join us Sunday, September 13th at 9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
A new school year is beginning, and it’s the perfect time for children, and adults, to Rally Back to a Sunday routine centered on the study of God’s Word.
Coffee, juice, warm cinnamon rolls, bagels and more!
Each child will receive a Rally Day goodie bag
After the opening, students will meet their teachers and be dismissed to their Sunday School classroom; adults/teens will stay in the Fellowship Hall for Bible Study
Join us Sunday, September 13th at 9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
A new school year is beginning, and it’s the perfect time for children, and adults, to Rally Back to a Sunday routine centered on the study of God’s Word.
Coffee, juice, warm cinnamon rolls, bagels and more!
Each child will receive a Rally Day goodie bag
After the opening, students will meet their teachers and be dismissed to their Sunday School classroom; adults/teens will stay in the Fellowship Hall for Bible Study
Happy Labor Day from Zion Lutheran Church
A Prayer for Labor Day
God, our Creator, by the power of Your Word, You spoke creation into existence. On the sixth day, You created man, male and female, in Your image. You commanded them to have dominion over Your creation, making them stewards and caretakers of the earth. On this day that celebrates the labor of workers everywhere, bless all those involved in honest work. Work through them to bring order to the world You created. Hear our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen
A Prayer for Labor Day
God, our Creator, by the power of Your Word, You spoke creation into existence. On the sixth day, You created man, male and female, in Your image. You commanded them to have dominion over Your creation, making them stewards and caretakers of the earth. On this day that celebrates the labor of workers everywhere, bless all those involved in honest work. Work through them to bring order to the world You created. Hear our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen