FellowshipSPRUCE RUN

SPRUCE RUN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN ZION CHURCHFall 2015 Vol. 61, No. 3

Pastor’s CornerDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace, peace, and mercy be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

This edition of the Fellowship finds us excitedly looking ahead to the fall season and all of the good worship and fellowship opportuni-ties we will have at Spruce Run Lutheran Church. Before I discuss those things, I wish to recap some of the great things that have oc-curred since our last Fellowship.

As always, Spruce Run has pro-vided many opportunities for our church family to be united in fellowship and in our mission and ministry in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our worship attendance during the summer was very respectable even though many people travel during the summer months. One of the great things about our church fam-ily is that our members do, in fact,

ALERT! ALERT!BLOOD DRIVE

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LYO Breakfast

September 20th

You are needed for Spruce Run’s Blood Drive

Where: Spruce Run Lutheran Church

When: September 20, 2015 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Did you know?- One in three people will need blood sometime during their lives.- Blood lasts only 42 days. Your donation now is critical.- Close to 2,000 people need blood transfusions each day.- The materials used for blood donation are new, sterile, disposable, and used

only once by you. - The average body has between 8 - 12 pints of blood and can easily spare one.

Who can give blood?- Healthy people aged 17-75 that weigh at least 110 pounds and haven’t given

blood in the last 56 days. - Sixteen year olds may give blood with a signed parental consent form.- People age 76 and older can donate if they meet all criteria and present a

physician’s letter. - There are a few medical conditions that may keep you from giving blood. See

www.nybloodcenter.org for more specific info.

Ok, Great, What do I do?- Making an appointment is preferable, but walk-ins are welcome, too.- Bring a form of ID with your signature or your photo.- Eat your regular meals and drink plenty of fluids.- You will be asked to provide some basic information, answer questions about

your health history, have your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature taken (like getting a mini-physical!).

- Plan to spend about 30 minutes in total at the blood drive. - After a snack and a brief relaxation you can resume normal activity. You

should avoid lifting or engaging in strenuous exercise for 4-5 hours after giv-ing blood.

Questions? Call Denise at 908-835-1434 or Sara at 908-689-0716.

Come Hungry!9:15-11:00 AM

September - November

CelebrationsBirthdaysSeptember 4 Zackary Novak 7 Andrew Ettlemyer Lily Fielding 13 Jenna Baranek 16 Jason Mansilla Dottie Wilson 18 Ruth Ruediger 19 Kristen Cunningham 21 Sherry Baranek Jennifer Naumovitz 22 Jonathan Glahn 24 Christine Gorton 25 Cadence Grieder Cheryl Mrozek 26 Mary Gaydick 27 Gene Armbrecht 30 Parker Mayberry

Baptism Anniversaries

October 5 Jon Correll 6 Carole Fishburn Ron Lomerson 9 Gary Apgar Grace Clifford 13 Anthony Balzer 18 Dakota Jones 21 Paul Smith 22 Matthew Cordova Peter Desch 24 Ali Correll

November 4 Shirley Zwick 9 Mark Baranek 11 Cecilia Ossi 13 Gretchen Apgar 24 Judi Mansilla 27 Jack Eustace 28 August Knispel Ruth Ferik 30 Susan Dastis Janet Ledoux

September 7 Sharon Hogan 10 Jane Heeckt 14 Grace Hogan Allison Most 16 Rosemarie Adickes 19 Kristen Cunningham 21 Adele Benedikta Ossi 24 Donna Mayberry Dot Young 25 Paul Winch 29 Daniel Creasy Mark Creasy 30 Wayne Gaydick

October 1 Charles R. Shebey Nia Henry 11 Mary Gaydick 13 Nancy Bibinger 14 Paul Henriksen 15 Cheryl Mrozek 17 Gemma Ossi 18 Kelsey Jones 19 Jon Correll

22 Joseph Codis Christine Gorton 25 Justin Baranek 29 Dale Monroe, Jr. 30 Kenneth Peare 31 Charles W. Shebey Makeda Shebey

November 3 Landon Cordova 8 Carole Fishburn Jonathan Glahn Collin Peare 9 Lily Fielding 11 Olivia Gorton 14 Richard Glahn 17 Parker Mayberry 22 Nadia DiRe Logan Carpenter 23 Ali Correll 24 Ron Lomerson 25 Jenna Baranek 30 Colin Most

Wedding AnniversariesSeptember 15 Heidi & Vincent Cimilluca 17 Sherry & Mark Baranek Jon & Alison Correll Chris & Tony Jones 18 Frank & Cheryl Mrozek 19 Jane & George Creasy 23 Brande & Scott Grieder Amy & Adam Borchin 24 Susan & Gary Apgar

October 8 Leslie & Scott Talochino 10 Sara & George Armbrecht 14 Mary & Doug Downs

November 18 Roslind Jensen & Rob Ossi 22 Pastor & Ginny Ettlemyer

As we go through lists for the Fellowship, we find that there are names of people who have moved away or who have not attended worship or any church activities. “Celebrations” is not meant to be an official membership list. If there is a name of someone who wishes that their name be removed, please let us know.

Fall 2015- Page 2

News from Our Committees and Interest

GroupsWomen of the E.L.C.A.A beautiful summer day graced our annual summer picnic at the home of Janet Schmidling – a day of delicious picnic food, a very short meeting, and just enjoying each other’s company.

The annual convention of New Jersey Women of the ELCA will take place the end of September at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Beachwood, NJ. Olga Lanning will be our delegate andRuth Ruediger will be there as a Board member. Many interesting workshops are planned for the day.

Our thank offerings for the past sev-eral months have been sent to Safe in Hunterdon, Lutheran Social Ministries, and Hunterdon Interfaith Outreach Council. We have also supported the LYO group who attended the triennial youth convention in Detroit by donat-ing diapers to the Detroit Diaper Drive.

Our programs have been interesting, ranging from a discussion of a woman at the well (from “Bad Girls of the Bible”) to what it means to be “called.”

Ruth Ruediger

Tuesday QuiltersIs summer over?The Tuesday Quilters have been busy this summer with items that were on order and are now complete.

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Did everyone enjoy the beer at the pig roast? The quilters supplied one keg of beer, Oops! I mean birch beer.

In addition to sewing and quilting we also do a good job of spending money. We donated $600.00 to the Food Pantry, paid the postage for mailing the LWR Quilts, and do-nated $300.00 to LYO for the diaper drive.

Vacations get in the way of progress but are very much needed. We are back behind the sewing machines working on new interesting items. We are adding a few larger quilts, and more seasonal items.

If you have a free Tuesday morning drop in and spend some time with us, we start with coffee and a goody, then we go to prayer, then we are ready to work.

We are always looking for clean, new or used sheets, large, queen, or king size.

Rose-Marie Green

PreschoolHope everyone is enjoying their summer. Our summer camp this year was a success. We held camp for one week and the children seemed to have a wonderful time!

We are starting to get our classrooms ready for the 2015-2016 year! We have 32 children enrolled to start on September 15th. This marks the first time in over 10 years that we are completely full!

Our teachers have been working hard on cleaning and getting their classrooms decorated and ready for September. They have also been

Spruce Run Lutheran Church

MilestonesOur Sympathies:

...to Janet Ledoux, whose husband, John M. Ledoux, entered the Church Triumphant on August 4, 2015.

...to Mary Lomerson, whose brother, Joseph V. Prostak, Sr., entered the Church Triumphant on August 1, 2015.

Continued on page 5...

Dan Zhang, the newest Tuesday Quilter completed her first Lutheran

World Relief quilt!

Council MeetingHighlightsMay 12, 2015

~ 2015 NJ Synod Assembly is June 4th in Long Branch NJ.

~ Response to the new website has been good.

~ The Pig Roast is scheduled for June 6th.

~ Summer worship schedule & atten-dance were discussed.

~ 2015 distribution of benevolence was addressed.

~ Spring clean-up is scheduled for May 16th & 17th.

~ Repairs are needed to the fence & wood edging surrounding the playground.

~ The septic tanks at the church & par-sonage require maintenance.

~ Concrete repairs are needed at the church & parsonage.

~ The lower parking lot was graded & received additional gravel.

June 16, 2015 ~ There was 1 baptism in June.

~ Pastor will be away June 17th – 25th.

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~ Pastor attended the NJ Synod As-sembly June 4th.

~ The possibility of a pictorial direc-tory is being investigated.

~ Hosting a clothing drive was dis-cussed.

~ VBS is scheduled for June 20th – 23rd.

~ A 2014 financial audit has to be conducted.

~ A meeting of the property commit-tee has to be scheduled.

~ The non-functioning ovens were discussed. 3

Stewardship Thought of

the Day

G reat is our creator and,

I nterested in our spiritual path.

V alue of each gift shared is

E ver the love from those who have.

George CreasyStewardship Chair

Sing unto the Lord

You can hear the Chancel Choir sing every Sunday at the 11:00 AM worship service during Regular Worship Hours, or you can participate and sing with the Choir. Rehearsals resume starting September 13th at 10:00 AM and continue every Sunday in the Sanctuary. New voices allowed!

You can hear the Celebration Choir sing at Celebration Sundays, or you can join the Choir and enjoy singing without a weekly commitment. All are welcome to come as they are. Rehearsals for Reformation Sunday are Oc-tober 18 at 10:30 AM and October 25 at 10:15 AM. Rehearsals for All Saints Sunday are also October 25 at 10:15 AM and November 1 at 10:30 AM.

108 days until Christmas Eve! It’s never to early to start practicing for our special worship service. Last year we had several special musical perfor-mances that were enthusiastically received. If you would like to participate by playing an instrument or singing you are invited to contact Candy Peare at 908-534-9862. Our musical experience will be enhanced through your contribution.

CONGREGATION COUNCILPresident: Linda Cunningham....537-7308Vice President: George Creasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .537-4034Secretary: Sonia Cordova . . . . . . .537-2418Treasurer: Gail DeRemer............689-0943Financial Secretary:Paul Henriksen...........................835-9522Pastor: Rev. Gary V. Ettlemyer . . .537-2333Brad Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .638-8533Richard Glahn............................236-2771Rose-Marie Green......................735-4444Mary Lomerson..........................537-7377Ed Novak....................................619-1299Anthony DiRe........................... 537-4398Lori Terry........... ........................832-1573Doug Lanning................... 201-755-1306Elke Naumovitz......................... 782-5710

COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND LIAISON

Evangelism & SocialLiaison: Sonia Cordova . . . . . . . . . . . . .537-2418

Finance Chair: Brad Cox . . . . . . . . . . . . . .638-8533

Parish Education Chair: Patrick Clifford . . . . . . . . . .238-0126Liaison: Lori Terry.....................832-1573

Preschool Chair: Anne-Alderman Person . .832-1573Liaison: Pastor............................537-2333

PropertyChair: Ed Novak.........................619-1299

Staff Support Chair: Ruth Ruediger..................638-6661Liaison: Linda Cunningham.......537-7308

StewardshipChair: George Creasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .537-4034

IHN/Family PromiseChair: Wendy DiNapoli......973-568-5168

Worship and Music Chair: Ruth Ruediger ................638-6661Liaison: Sonia Cordova.............537-2418

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Superintendent Sharon Hogan.......................638-5624

Music Candice Peare........................534-9862

Pre-K and Kindergarten Lisa Ficano. . . . . . ....................238-3725Cecelia Ossi...........................638-5805

First and Second Grade Grace Clifford......................238-0126 Finn Fielding........................537-7195

Third and Fourth GradeLori Terry.............................832-1573Beverly Fielding....................537-7195

Fifth and Sixth Grade Jane Heeckt . . . . . . . . .. . . . .238-0126Seventh Grade (Confirmation I) Patrick Clifford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238-0126George Creasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..537-4034Eighth Grade (Confirmation II)Pastor Ettlemyer . . . . . . . . . . ......537-2333

STAFF

Pastor: Rev. Gary V. Ettlemyer...537-2333 Music Director: Candice Peare .534-9862Director, Handbell Choir:Diane Meyer............ . . . . . . . .735-8772Secretary: Wendy DiNapoli.. .537-4824Sextons:Rosemarie Adickes . . . . . . . . . .689-1895Sara Armbrecht . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-0716

FELLOWSHIP EDITORIAL STAFF

Jane Creasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .537-4034Wendy DiNapoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..537-4824

Fall 2015 Page 5

cleaning and weeding the playground surround. The rugs in the Fellowship Hall and classrooms have been cleaned. We would like to thank the AA meeting group for contributing to the cost of the cleaning.

Orientation is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15th with regular classes starting on the 16th.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year!

Patti Doscher

Sunday SchoolThanks to all who donated to our very fast paced Backpack collection this year. After a successful Teacher Appreciation breakfast, during which we gratefully said thank you to Lily Fielding as she heads off to college, we were taken off guard by the reminder of the collection already begun. Our congregation pulled together to complete 14 elementary and 12 secondary backpacks in 2 weeks. We appreciate all who responded to our call for support for this worthwhile program.

Now it is time to get ready for Rally Day, which will be September 13, 2015 from 9:30-10:00 AM. We will welcome our new teacher, Cecelia Ossi to our pre-K – K classroom and have a great time kicking off the year. We will meet in the sanctuary for opening and then proceed to the fellowship hall to celebrate our new year of learning about the love of Christ. Bring a treat to share and help us celebrate the start of our year.

All children between the age of 3 and 6th grade are welcome to join our Sun-day School, so please encourage all to come. Sign-up sheets are on the Sunday School bulletin board and if you have

Committees ...Continued from page 3

Continued on page 10...

Rally Day! September 13, 2015 9:30 - 10:00 AM

JOIN US!

The Opportunity to Serve

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September - November 2015

September 6Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost9:30 a.m.Ushers………….......................Dot Young

Brad CoxAcolyte……...........................Gemma OssiCrucifer…................................Paul SmithLector………..…..............Patrick CliffordWorship Assistant…..................Patty Cox

September 27Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers………….…................Amy Henry

Janet LedouxAcolyte…….............................Kara HenryCrucifer…..............................Cecelia OssiLector…………....................Janet LedouxWorship Assistant…......…..........Rob Ossi

11:00 a.m.Ushers………...........................Dot Young

Brad CoxAcolyte…….….....….......Bennett CliffordCrucifer…...........................Spencer TerryLector……….............................Brad CoxWorship Assistant......................Patty Cox

October 18Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers………….…................Amy Henry

Gail VajdaAcolyte……............................Kara HenryCrucifer…................................Nia HenryLector………….....................Katie DeschWorship Assistant….…..............Rob Ossi

11:00 a.m.Ushers………......................Matt Cordova

Lisa CodisAcolyte…….…...........….....Chase ShebeyCrucifer…...........................Grace CliffordLector………....................Patrick CliffordWorship Assistant..............Patrick Clifford

September 13Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers…………................Sara Armbrecht

Gene ArmbrechtAcolyte……............................Emily SmithCrucifer…................................Paul SmithLector…………................Sara ArmbrechtWorship Assistant….......….........Rob Ossi

11:00 a.m.Ushers………....................Danielle Beyers

Steven BeyersAcolyte…..........…......….Madeline BeyersCrucifer…...........................Grace CliffordLector………...........................Anne SainzWorship Assistant........…...George Creasy

October 4Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers………….….........Gene Armbrecht

Sara ArmbrechtAcolyte……...........................Gemma OssiCrucifer….............................…Nia HenryLector………......................Roslind JensenWorship Assistant….…..........Judi Mansilla

11:00 a.m.Ushers………....................Wayne Gaydick

Mary GaydickAcolyte……..........…............Grace HoganCrucifer…........…...............Grace CliffordLector………....................Wayne GaydickWorship Assistant…...........George Creasy

October 25 Reformation Sunday8:15 a.m.Ushers……….............…...Sara Armbrecht

Gene ArmbrechtAcolyte……..............................Paul SmithCrucifer…..............................Emily SmithLector…………................Sara ArmbrechtWorship Assistant…..............Janet Ledoux

11:00 a.m.Ushers………..........................Dot Young

Lisa CodisAcolyte…….….........…....Bennett CliffordCrucifer…............................Spencer TerryLector………......................Mary GaydickWorship Assistant...............Wayne Gaydick

September 20Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers………….........................Gail Vajda

Sara ArmbrechtAcolyte……...............................Lucia OssiCrucifer…...............................Cecelia OssiLector………….....................Judi MansillaWorship Assistant….…..........Judi Mansilla

11:00 a.m.Ushers……….......................Matt Cordova

Lisa CodisAcolyte…….…...........…......Chase ShebeyCrucifer…........….................Spencer TerryLector……….......................Ruth RuedigerWorship Assistant….....Linda Cunningham

October 11Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers……….….....................Amy Henry

Gail VajdaAcolyte……......................Andrew FieldingCrucifer…...............................Cecelia OssiLector…………................Beverly FieldingWorship Assistant…....…......Janet Ledoux

11:00 a.m.Ushers……….....................Danielle Beyers

Steven BeyersAcolyte……......…............Madeline BeyersCrucifer…........….................Spencer TerryLector………..............................Patty CoxWorship Assistant…...........Wayne Gaydick

November 1All Saints’ Day8:15 a.m.Ushers…………......................Amy Henry

Gail VajdaAcolyte……......................Andrew FieldingCrucifer…...............................Emily SmithLector……….........................Judi MansillaWorship Assistant….…..........Judi Mansilla

11:00 a.m.Ushers……….......................Steven Beyers

Danielle BeyersAcolyte……..................…Madeline BeyersCrucifer…............................Grace CliffordLector………...............Linda CunninghamWorship Assistant..........Linda Cunningham

Fall 2015- Page 7

November 8Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers…………..............Gene Armbrecht

Sara ArmbrechtAcolyte……..............................Lucia OssiCrucifer…..............................Cecelia OssiLector……….....................Roslind JensenWorship Assistant….….........Judi Mansilla

11:00 a.m.Ushers………...................Wayne Gaydick

Mary GaydickAcolyte…….….....…............Grace HoganCrucifer…............................Spencer TerryLector……..............................Lee WorsterWorship Assistant…...............Art Worster

November 29First Sunday of Advent8:15 a.m.Ushers…………..............Gene Armbrecht

Sara ArmbrechtAcolyte……..........................Gemma OssiCrucifer…..............................Cecelia OssiLector………….....................Katie DeschWorship Assistant….….........Judi Mansilla

11:00 a.m.Ushers….............................Mary Gaydick

Wayne GaydickAcolyte…….…...........….Bennett CliffordCrucifer…............…...........Grace CliffordLector……….....................Mary GaydickWorship Assistant…...........Patrick Clifford

November 15Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost8:15 a.m.Ushers………….…...................Gail Vajda

Amy HenryAcolyte…….............................Kara HenryCrucifer….................................Nia HenryLector…………...................Janet LedouxWorship Assistant….….........Janet Ledoux

11:00 a.m.Ushers………............................Lisa Codis

Brad CoxAcolyte…….….......….........Chase ShebeyCrucifer…........…...............Grace CliffordLector………..........................Fran WinchWorship Assistant…....................Patty Cox

November 22Christ the King Sunday8:15 a.m.U s h e r s … … … … . … . . . . . . . . . . . .

Janet LedouxAcolyte……......................Andrew FieldingCrucifer…..................................Paul SmithLector…………..................Beverly FiedingWorship Assistant….…................Rob Ossi

11:00 a.m.Ushers………............................Dot Young

Matt CordovaAcolyte…….…...........….......Grace HoganCrucifer…........…..................Spencer TerryLector………............................Anne SainzWorship Assistant….................Art Worster

Pastor’s Bible Study resumes on September 16th, meeting every Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM. Bring your own bible, or we can supply one.

Topics vary each week, and ques-tions and suggestions are wel-comed. Feel free to stop in when-ever your schedule permits it, or even more often!

It’s hard to believe that it is time to get ready for Jingle Bell Junction. It is fast approaching. Letters have been mailed to our vendors. Get ready to bake, eat and shop. This is a great time to come and support the craft-ers, quilters, visit Father Christmas, buy from our very own cookie ladies and youth. November 21st is the day. Mark it on your calender and get ready to jingle all the way to Jingle Bell Junction. Questions: Call Sara Armbrecht at 908-319-5055.

JINGLE BELL JUNCTION

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Righteous Recipes

Asian Noodle SaladGreat for parties!Make ahead!

2- 3 oz. pkg. beef flavored ramen soup mix

2- 10 oz. pkg. slaw mix

1 c. sliced toasted almonds

1 c. sunflower seeds

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. white vinegar

1. Take out flavor pack-ets, hold aside. Using your hands, crush noodles into a bowl.

2. Pour slaw mix on top, sprinkle on almonds, sun-flowers, and green onions.

3. Separately, whisk to-gether flavor packets, sugar, oil, and vinegar. Pour over slaw and mix.

4. Cover and chill 24 hours.

Submitted by Wendy DiNapoli

Pig Roast... By the NumbersI’m pretty sure by whatever criteria you use Spruce Run’s inaugural Pig Roast combo Yard Sale combo Book Sale was a big success.

Here are some of the highlights by the numbers:

5000—dollar goal for the whole event that was achieved (and then some)187—number of tickets sold (adults and kids)135—combined weight of two totally devoured roasted pigs5—number of fingers used in Marge Lanning’s ubiquitous salute (more fingers than in her usual salute)3—hour of the morning that the festivities began2—number of hams consumed (in addition to the pigs) along with assorted sau-sage and kielbasa. Lutherans apparently really like pork1—at least that many rabbits sold0—hours of sleep that Chef Harold “Danny” Moore was working withUnknown—pounds of potato salad, baked beans, and mac and cheese, etc. that we went through Also unknown—amount of watermelon, dessert and birch beer consumed

Some random observations:

Super cool move of the day—roasting one of the pigs roadside resulting in an unknown number of selfies with said spinning pig.Spontaneous order—what our congregation engaged in turning a slightly chaotic serving process into a smooth operation.Some of the people (there are far too many to list them all) that humble me with their commitment, hard work and generosity of time, effort and money—Pastor, Marge, Wendy, Brad and Patty, Mary and Ronnie, Anne and Vic and of course Dan Moore who donated and cooked all things protein.Whoever made the mac and cheese. That was really good. Keep it comin’.Our congregation is really terrific. To borrow part of a lyric from a Commodores’ song, our congregation is “mighty mighty.”

The day was a total blast. Let’s do it again!Doug Lanning(Go to page 14 for pictures)

SAVE THE DATEOur Roast Pork and Oyster Family Dinner and Bake Sale

will soon be upon us:A Tradition of over 100 Years!!

Saturday, November 7th, 2015 This dinner is one of our main fundraisers, so your help is needed to spread the word, help prepare, or attend the event yourself with family and friends.

Have you been on our website recently?www.sprucerunlutheran.com

Read daily Bible verses, keep up with upcoming events, see pictures, read the latest “A Stewardship Minute,” donate, read

the newsletter, check the Worship Server schedule, and MORE!

your fellow human beings. Fortunately GOD has made us ALL special and has given us the capacity for these vir-tues already.” Our coordinator, Wendy, and those who volunteered provided all that was needed to prove that state-ment to be true!

While the attendance for Vacation Bible School was somewhat low, I can honestly say that it was one of the best ever. Through wonderful lessons and very creative craft experiences, the young people in attendance learned that from all kinds of “weird animals,” Jesus’ love is one of a kind! Photos of the VBS program are available at our web site. (Reminder: the Spruce Run web site also provides daily bible verses!) We thank Gail DeRemer, Bob DeRemer, Mary Lomerson, and the volunteers for this meaningful time together.

As we look ahead to the fall, there are two new and very special activities in the planning stages. The first activity is a very important one for all mem-bers and friends of the congregation. We will be doing a new church photo

directory for Spruce Run Church! Through the expertise and services of Lifetouch Directories, we will be doing portraits of families and individual members and friends. The sittings will take place on October 29, 30, and 31st. There will, of course, be packages of photos offered at substantial discounts, but everyone participating will receive a free pictorial directory and 8x10 por-trait! There is no obligation to purchase

Fall 2015- Page 9

notice when someone isn’t at wor-ship. Whenever a church member asks about another who hasn’t been at worship, the common remark is, “I hope he (or she) is OK!” The next remark is usually, “I think I’ll give him (or her) a call.” In addi-tion to that kind of caring, many of our members are especially help-ful in keeping me informed when someone has been ill or who is in need of special prayer.

During the summer months we had several visitors, and that’s al-ways a good sign. One of the most common visitor comments is that our congregation is very friendly and inviting. Visitors also freely express their appreciation for our traditional worship and our weekly celebration of the Holy Eucharist at every service. There have been very few Sundays over the past eighteen years when Holy Com-munion wasn’t offered because I was away. In addition to what has just been said, I am happy to say,

also, that many of our members say they missed receiving the Blessed

Sacrament when they’ve visited other churches that still don’t of-fer it weekly. Some churches that normally offer Holy Communion weekly during the winter months actually cut back on the number of times they offer it in the summer! (Apparently, there are some who feel Jesus goes on vacation, too!)

This summer there were two out-standing events that underscore the very special mission and ministry opportunities available at Spruce Run. Our IHN hosting this sum-mer was simply great! Under the able leadership of Wendy DiNapoli we hosted five adults and six chil-dren under the age of five. The love and support provided by our mem-bers as well as the support volun-teers from St. John Neumann, Cali-fon was wonderful! I’ll leave it to another portion of this Fellowship for the details to be given. Thank you, one and all – and especially Wendy – for your special efforts! The planning, the hosting, and the follow-up involved take a lot more time than the one week the IHN guests are here. Prior to the IHN hosting, one of our Sunday bulletins included the following: “It takes a special person to volunteer for the IHN/Family Promise program. You will need to have a LOVE of helping others, some PATIENCE in dealing with people in crisis, COMPASSION for those in a dif-ficult situation, and RESPECT for

Pastor’s Corner...Continued from page 1

Continued on page 13...

any questions about our program or would like to volunteer of your time, talent, or treasures, please call me at 908-638-5624. Hope to see you on the 13th

Yours in Christ,Sharon HoganSunday School Superintendent

Finance CommitteeWe are just coming off a busy sum-mer, and our committee hasn’t met for quite some time, so there isn’t much official finance committee in-formation to pass on. However, I am happy to tell you that we appear to be a more cohesive, better informed congregation, and, while there is still plenty of work to do, we are getting back on track.

We’ve had numerous successful events this past year, including some exciting new initiatives, and are look-ing forward to more opportunities to serve together in the coming months. I am tentatively planning for a Fi-nance Committee meeting in early October – more to follow!!

Yours in Christ,

Brad CoxChairman, Finance Committee

IHNThis year we completed three sepa-rate weeks of hosting families from the Family Promise of Hunterdon County. TWO of those hostings were within three months of each other.

Committees ...Continued from page 5

From May 25-31, we hosted 4 adults and 7 kids. We had the help of thirty-four Spruce Run members, ten St. John’s folks, and five other eager helpers through Family Prom-ise. Cicely and her kids moved into their own house that week and the Jones family generously donated and helped move lots of furniture into their new place. The kids were so thrilled to have their own yard and kitchen!

Our last hosting was July 26- Au-gust 2. Thirty-one volunteers from Spruce Run Church and fifteen

volunteers from our very gracious support church, St John Neumann, provided coverage for the entire week. We housed four families, with six kids all under the age of 4. Thank-fully, the preschool has been very generous to let us use the outdoor playground, all of the toys outside and a large group of toys inside the Fellowship Hall. We had a lot of kids to keep enter-tained! Because it was summer, we were also able to use one of the classrooms down-stairs, which made hosting 4 families much easier.

Some changes have improved the ease of the hostings. One of these changes is the use of Signup Genius, an online sign up tool that allows people to go on any time and see what slots are available to volunteer, sign themselves up, and get a re-minder. This has proved very useful when coordinating volunteers from two churches. Also, we have des-ignated Thursday night as leftover night, so we can use up all of the de-

licious food that has been lovingly prepared all week.

Please feel free to contact me at 973-568-5168 if you want to of-fer any suggestions, ask questions about what being a volunteer at this program means, or you would like to make a donation.

Thank you, Wendy DiNapoli

VBS!

Spruce Run Lutheran Church proudly presented another fun Vacation Bible School in July. Bob & I worked for months creating and planning a special VBS outreach with the hopes and prayers of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I thank Bennett Clifford, our student helper as well as Mary Lomerson and Sarah Armbrecht for their dedicated enthusiasm and help! A special VBS thank you goes to Ron Lomerson for making balloon animals on our Carnival night and to Mary Lomerson’s friend who painted faces. I also want to thank Pastor for com-ing out every evening to share in the fun and for taking pictures. A special thank you to the parents who brought their children out all four evenings. We had seven children from four families participate in this very special church outreach. See page 15 for more pictures.

In His Service, Gail & Bob DeRemer.

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Committees ...Continued from page 10

LYOAnd so here I sit pondering the Detroit 2015 LYO Youth Gathering. I can’t believe that three years have already passed since we last visited New Orleans in 2012. This year’s gathering was nothing short of awe-some as we’ve come to expect. The 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering took place in Detroit, from July 15–19. Over 30,000 youth and chaperones attended this gathering, going out to over 600 different volunteer sites on the Proclaim Justice Day.

The theme for the 2015 gathering was “Rise Up.” Ford Field, hosted a mass gathering each evening the 15th to the 18th, and a final morn-ing service on July 19th. Each of the three full days of the gathering ( July 15–19) was designated for a different “practice” of faith.

As we arrived on Wednesday, our first full day was Thursday, July 16th. Our Proclaim Story Day (Synod Day) was a day of worship and bible study in which each church’s group met with other groups from the same synod. We spent the day with 400 youth and leaders from all over the state of New Jersey and partook in a series of exercises including: readings, singing, storytelling, dancing, question and answer sessions and watching videos. Each person was handed a small book when they arrived and had to fill it out as the day went along to create their “own” story.

New Jersey Bishop Tracie Bar-tholomew also spoke during the gathering and was very well spoken with just the right amount of comic relief. All in all, although the day seemed like it was never going to end, we had a good time. We had our Synod dinner on Saturday evening at the Redsmoke Barbecue restaurant.

On Proclaim Community Day, youth were encouraged to visit ex-hibitions, participate in sports and other activities, donate hair, blood, and money to build wells at the Cobo Center. Our Proclaim Com-munity Day took place on Friday, July 17th. We spent the majority of our day at the Cobo Center engag-ing in numerous types of activities. Ultimately we split up into two groups. Becky and the girls made their way over to the Children with

Hair Loss area where Kelsey and Grace both made hair donations to have wigs for kids made! Ulti-mately, over 650 people donated at least 8 inches of hair - that’s over 433 feet! Meanwhile Landon, Cooper and I made our rounds and ended up getting onto a few wait lists including ping pong, volley-ball, and ultimate frisbee. After playing with these young kids, I truly felt.....dare I say it...OLD! But, all in all we had an awesome day at the Cobo Center and met a bunch of people from all around the country. Proclaim Justice Day saw the youth coming together to complete volunteer service projects. Our Proclaim Justice Day was on Satur-day, July 18th. Our day started nice and early as we had to ready for an 8:45am pickup. We were part of the first group of 5,000 people heading out to do our day of service and convened at Detroit’s

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Committees...Continued from page 11

Hart Plaza. Hart Plaza is backed by the Detroit River and overlooks Windsor, Canada. The view was absolutely stunning. As it turned out, getting 5,000 people onto buses and into the city took longer than they expected! We made it onto our buses at right around 10:00 am.

Our service day had us heading out to one Rosetta Parks Boule-vard for a day of intense work. That particular day was the hottest one during the entire gathering with the temperature reaching a balmy 94⁰. We picked up trash (tires, bottles, cans, wood, siding, etc...), weeded,

shoveled dirt, raked, sawed, cut and dug. And it was hot! Thankfully, there was a water truck that made its rounds to keep all of us hydrated. There were also some good Sa-maritans that were bringing bottled water to all of us as well.

Although there were 40 of us work-ing together for 5 hours that day, with all that we accomplished, there was still plenty to be done. But, we did our best with what we had (there weren’t enough tools for all

of us to go around, so we took turns when we were able to). As we were leaving and heading back to the bus, there were locals standing on their porches and just clapping for our efforts. That alone made it worth the effort.

So, how did we proclaim justice? Here are some of the final statistics from the 2105 LYO Gathering in Detroit:• 3,200 vacant lots cleared of debris• 26 dumpsters filled• 1,847 mural boards painted• 600 neighborhoods affected• 319 vacant homes boarded up• Donated 607 pints of blood (78.7 gallons)• Collected 1 million diapers• 1,425 backpacks distributed• 36 urban gardens installed• 99 picnic tables built• 650 people donated over 433 feet of hair to children in need We came to Detroit unsure of what to expect. We built bridges, pro-claimed justice and put God’s work in Our Hands. This was the first time Detroit had hosted a gathering and I’m sure that it won’t be the last!

Anthony DiRe 3

New AND EasyWant to make a donation to the church? Want to buy a ticket for an upcoming fundraising dinner? What should you do? It’s as easy as easyTithe.

To make a donation, just go to our WEBSITE, and click on Donate. You will be directed to our own page on easyTithe where you can create an account with an email address and a password. Once you have that, you can make a one time donation or set up worry free recurring donations. This is especially helpful for those that forget to bring their envelope or check book to church, or go away for parts of the year or for summer vaca-tions. Why give? Read article below.

To make a reservation and buy a ticket for one of our events, you can also use easyTithe. When tickets are available, we will send out a link via our church wide email notifications. Then you just click on the link and you are ready to go. This provides an easy way to allow you to purchase tickets any time of day or night, and us an easy way to keep track how many reservations we have.

Five Simple Reasons to Give to Your Church1. Paul says in 2 Cor. 9:11 that “you will be enriched in every way to be gen-erous in every way.” Simply, God gives to you, so you would give generously to others.2. Paul continues “for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.” In other words, give thanks to God by giving to others. 3. “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” Galatians 2:10. In order for the church to do its work, it can’t rely on the money tree growing out back. There is a need. 4. In Psalm 112:9 it states, “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Your soul benefits from giving as well. 5. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). No explanation needed. Amen.

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photos but I have to say that from all the work from Lifetouch that I’ve seen, they do a very good job! With certain guidelines, the more people we have participate, the more benefits we receive, such as additional scrapbook activity pages for the directory. One of the things

I think is fantastic is the inclusion of special space for military pres-ently serving as well as veterans! Of course, we honor our military with our special bulletin board in the Lounge, but I think it’s great that we can honor them further through pictures of our military friends in this way! Details will be forthcom-ing in special emails and bulletin board inserts. Please set aside time on the dates indicated so that you can be included in our church fam-ily “album.”

Some months ago our special “Ide-ation Committee” discussed ways that we can improve our church finances but with the additional goal of doing activities that will make our neighbors and commu-nities more aware of our church’s presence, mission, and ministry. The first activity, of course, was our Pig Roast in June. It was a great success! Since June I have had many people outside the congregation say what a great event it was. One of the other ideas the Committee briefly dis-cussed was a special Blessing of the Animals, a tradition that has existed for hundreds of years and one that has been observed by many Luther-

an churches. While planning is still in the early stages, I can say that the event will be held outdoors under the big tree by the carriage house. There will be a brief worship/devotional time with appropriate scriptural readings, and the blessing of the animals. Other activities might include a special animal “dress up” competition and refreshments. Because this is a new activity, suggestions are welcome. We look forward to it!

Of course, the fall season finds us planning for our Annual Pork Roast & Oyster Dressing Dinner, and Jingle Bell Junction. It’s never too late to consider how you might support these great activities in terms of time and talent. If you haven’t been involved in the past, now is your chance to find out how truly wonderful it is to share in the fellowship while helping to sup-port our efforts at supporting outside causes. If you have been away during the

summer months, we look forward to seeing you as we return to our sched-ule of two celebrations of the Holy Eucharist at 8:15 and 11:00 AM each Sunday. Our weekly bible study is changing back to Wednesday morn-ings at 10:00 AM from the summer sessions on Tuesday mornings.

On another special note, our Spruce Run Preschool will be opening this year with a record 32 young ones, the first “full house” in its eleven plus years under our sponsorship! Our teachers

are already busily cleaning toys and equipment and setting up classrooms in anticipation of yet another great year!

Pictures? Blessing of Animals? Pork & Oyster Dinner? Church Picto-rial Directory? Bible study? Weekly Eucharist? Fellowship? Prayer? Yes! That’s Spruce Run Lutheran mak-ing Christ known and giving glory to God through mission and minis-try. You can be a special a welcome participant along with your church family and friends not only this fall but all year long, as I remain

Yours in Christ, DON’T FORGETREGULAR WORSHIP SERVICE BEGINSSEPTEMBER 13TH

8:15 AM11:00 AM

Pastor’s Corner...Continued from page 9

Reminder to parents: If your child has not received their First Holy Communion, you might want to consider doing it in the upcoming months. Instruction is done on an individualized basis. Speak to Pastor if interested.

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Pig RoastJune 6, 2015In Pictures...

The serving line is attentive and friendly!

Chef Moore perfecting the pig.

Ruth Ruediger and Sonia Cordova selling SRLC treasures.

Musical stylings by Walter Bibinger.

Enjoying Fellowship are left to right, Ginny Ettleymer and Janet

Monroe.

The LYO sells their baked goods for all

to enjoy.

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“Weird Animals” Vacation Bible SchoolJuly 20-23

In Pictures...

Playtime outside!

Washing of the feet.

Cady Grieder and Gail DeRemer

Kayla Meistrell showing one of the many creative projects.

Do you know any of these clowns?

Even the snacks resembled weird animals!

Ahh... they see the light.

Entertaining group activities.

Grace Hogan shows off her face paint.

For over two centuries, Spruce Run Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church has existed to draw people into a community of faith which proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament.

As we move into the next century, our sense of hope, strength, and grace–our Lutheran heritage–will nurture our Congrega-tion and we will reach out to the community through Chris-tian education, music, and service.

FellowshipSpruce Run Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church442 West Hill RoadLebanon TownshipGlen Gardner, NJ 08826-3252

www.SpruceRunLutheran.com

OurMission

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16