The Sheppard’s PenMarch, 2020

“Where’s the battle?”“The pen is mightier than the sword.” This adage refers to communication being more powerful than violence, and was originally penned by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 in his play “Cardinal Richelieu.” If one takes this phrase literally, the phrase is foolish. A sword will do more harm to an enemy than a pen when used in a physical attack. But what about the fight that happens without weapons? What about the fight that doesn’t appear to be a fight but appears to be complete capitulation?Our Lord Jesus came to save the sinners of this world by fighting an amazing fight. In this fight he defeated his enemies. But what kind of fight was it? Jesus allowed himself to be arrested. He even told the armed men who came to the Garden of Gethsemane that he was the one they came to arrest. He went with them willingly. While Peter was ready to fight with his sword, Jesus stopped him because this fight would not be won with arm’s strength or the blade of a sword.Jesus came to lay down his life and thereby win the victory over those who would see all of us, all people, suffer for eternity in hell with them. Jesus won the victory, not by calling for legions of angels to protect him from those who wanted his death – hanging upon the cross doesn’t look victorious to those who stand witness – but through the shedding of innocent and holy blood. Jesus made this sacrifice before his Father’s throne for us, and won the victory according to the plan of his Heavenly Father.Lent is about to begin. Our theme for this Lenten season is: “The Son of God Goes Forth to War.” Throughout our midweek services we will again witness our Savior’s Passion. We will view his fight, his battle

for the redemption of souls. We will view his victory as he rose from the dead on Easter.

4  Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who are you looking for?” 5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus told them. Judas, the betrayer, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they backed away and fell to the ground. 7 Then Jesus asked them

again, “Who are you looking for?” “Jesus the Nazarene,” they said. 8 “I told you that I am he,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the statement he had spoken: “I did not lose any of those you have given me.”

(John 28:4-9)

Church Council HighlightsCurrent Mt. Zion Church Council Members:

President: Mark RoederVice President/Financial Secretary: Mike MeekerSecretary: Rick RetelleTreasurer: Todd ZellmerWorship Elder: Tim LynchMember Nurture Elder: Steve OhlrichFamily Nurture Elder: Rick NiemuthEvangelism Elder: Justen NiemuthSupport Elder: Ken Hielke

Need to update and fill the Mt. Zion organizational chart. Put entry into the bulletin that

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may positions are easy and do not take a lot of time and anyone can volunteer. 2. Welcome home event will be Oct 27th. The Evangelism Elder and Nurture Elder will workon this. 3. There will not be a Thursday service on July 4th.4. There will be a donut and coffee social prior to and during the next Quarterly Votersmeeting on July 28th. The meeting will be held downstairs. 5. Elections – the following positions will need to be filled next year: Worship Elder, VicePresident, Treasurer, Nurture Elder. 6. Need to update and fill the Mt. Zion organizational chart. Put entry into the bulletin thatmay positions are easy and do not take a lot of time and anyone can volunteer. 2. Welcome home event will be Oct 27th. The Evangelism Elder and Nurture Elder will workon this. 3. There will not be a Thursday service on July 4th.4. There will be a donut and coffee social prior to and during the next Quarterly Votersmeeting on July 28th. The meeting will be held downstairs. 5. Elections – the following positions will need to be filled next year: Worship Elder, VicePresident, Treasurer, Nurture Elder.

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6. Need to update and fill the Mt. Zion organizational chart. Put entry into the bulletin thatmay positions are easy and do not take a lot of time and anyone can volunteer. 2. Welcome home event will be Oct 27th. The Evangelism Elder and Nurture Elder will workon this. 3. There will not be a Thursday service on July 4th.4. There will be a donut and coffee social prior to and during the next Quarterly Votersmeeting on July 28th. The meeting will be held downstairs. 5. Elections – the following positions will need to be filled next year: Worship Elder, VicePresident, Treasu

Ladies’ Aid HighlightsLent Suppers

Following is a schedule of the hosts/suppers and pastor rotation for the Lenten season.

Date Servers Entrée Preacher

Feb. 26 Kids Care BBQs SheppardMar. 4 LWMS Taco Bar HaaschMar. 11 Ladies’ Aid Chicken Noodle Soup StelterMar. 18 Sr. Choir Chili ZietlowMar. 25 Working Hands TBA Vicar DeyApr. 1 Youth Group Baked Potatoes Sheppard

LWMS Spring RallyLutheran Women’s Missionary Society

Spring Rally3

April 18, 2020 at Mt Zion

You will be hearing more about this rally as the time draws nearer. Joanne Gregor and Dianne Witkowski met with the Beaver Dam Circuit officers and have planned A MISSION INSPIRED day. Here are some things to look forward to:

Giving of time, talents, and monetary contributions On March 1st and 8th there will a door collection for Mission work. The money collected will be given to three projects: 1. Brazil to purchase Bibles. 2. Ukraine project - World missions. 3. Outreach to Asians - Home Missions. Thank you in advance for your generous donations to spread the word of the Lord.

On April 18th, 2020, Mt. Zion will host the Spring Rally. Our chairlady for the event is Joanne Gregor. We need many ladies to help make the rally a success. All ladies of Mt. Zion are members of LWMS. We hope that you will be willing to serve on a committee or two. Thank you in advance for volunteering your time and talents to the mission rally.

Beth FlunkerBeth Flunker, a missionary wife from Brazil, will be the afternoon speaker. Here are some excerpts from her latest correspondence:

Greetings from Brazil!.... One evening last week Charlie and I were sitting on the porch, trying to cool off before bedtime, and he brought up the following question: what do we do if one of us dies when we are on two separate continents? After all, with our ages in the high seventies and low eighties it is quite possible. It wasn't hard to decide. If Charlie dies here while I am in the

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states, he would be buried the next day, as he would if I were here, with a regular funeral service. And if I die in the U.S. while we are apart, I will be cremated and then a memorial service can be held whenever it is convenient.

But the next day Gilberto was here for some other reason, and we decided to tell him about these plans, since he would be responsible for the burial here in Dourados. At first, he thought we were joking, but when he saw we were serious, he was glad to know our plans, and said he would be happy to have a funeral for Charlie here. Then he said something interesting. "l pray now and then that the Lord would leave you here a while yet, for us to learn more from you." And that is what Charlie's role here is: a teacher and a mentor. We are blessed to have 4 other men besides Charlie who can hold church services. There is Gilberto, who can write his own sermons, but always has Charlie check them before they are printed. (We are also blessed that for all his ministry Charlie has written out his sermons in full. So, we have a database of some 850 sermons which can be used by those men who are not ready to write sermons for themselves.) Gilberto earns a living with his truck, on short hauls. Since he is independent, he can work only when money is really needed in the family. He usually is teaching at least one membership class during the week; he and his wife visit members a lot. Gilberto takes over full time while Charlie is in the U.S. - something he truly loves. We help financially during this time, so he doesn't have to be driving truck so much.

Pastor Roberto preaches now and then, when a long weekend brings him to the city from the rural district about 60 miles from here where he earns a living driving rural school bus. He lives there during the week,

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and it is too expensive for him to drive home every weekend. So, he preaches when he is here. Usually he uses the sermon that has been indicated for that Sunday from the database, since he has no access to a computer or internet where he lives.Then there is Cristiano, who also uses the database sermon indicated for the Sunday but retypes it to fit his own vocabulary and style. He has a powerful voice and is getting over his nervousness, so that the people enjoy having him lead the service. Cristiano is 22, and in his third year of college in computer science.

Finally, there is Julimar, Pastor Roberto's 27-year-old son, who also uses the indicated sermon for the Sunday but sometimes adds personal anecdotes.

Every three months Charlie makes out a list of sermons to fit the Sundays and gives each man the list. They can choose when to preach. If there is no sermon in the database for a Sunday, then either Charlie or Gilberto must write one to preach that Sunday. The congregation pays a gratuity to the Brazilian Sunday preacher.

So, we are blessed, all of us, in doing the Lord's work, no matter where we live. May His blessings be with you in the coming month.

Please consider helping with the rally before and during. Contact Joanne Gregor if you wish to do so. Hope to see you at the rally.

Helping HandsMt. Zion’s Helping Hands continue to serve our members. If you are interested in

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becoming a technology helping hand, can help in other ways, or know someone that needs assistance, please fill out a blue form found on the table by the window as you enter church, or you may contact Lisa Tremore at 920-229-1297, Tammy Niemuth at 920-299-0240 or Joanne Gregor at 920-896-1518. If you need assistance of any kind, please do not feel like you are imposing; this is why Helping Hands exists!

New BabyCongratulations to Nick and Caitlin Goeldi on the birth of their second child, Vincent Donald. He was born on January 25th.

Meet The Confirmands

Sam Jung is the son of Deanne and Mike Jung. He was born February 7, 2006. Sam’s favorite Bible verse is “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved

me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20. His favorite Bible story is The Parable of The Ten Virgins found in

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Matthew 25. His favorite free time activities include baseball, basketball and fishing. He also enjoys participating in the marching band, jazz band and concert band. Currently, Sam is a student at Ripon Middle School and plans to attend Ripon High School in the fall. His future plans are to be a biologist or musician.

Madelyn was born On August 1, 2006, to Scott and Mandy Schuld. Her favorite Bible verse is “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34. Her favorite Bible

story is Jesus feeding the five thousand found in Matthew and John. Madelyn attends Ripon Middle School and plans to go to Ripon High School in the fall. After graduation she hopes to become a nurse practitioner. Madelyn enjoys drawing, playing piano and reading.

Phone DirectoriesThe new church phone directories are now available. One was put in each family’s mailbox. If for some reason you did not receive one, please contact Jo Meeker. Many thanks to the ladies who helped assemble and staple the booklets!

Monday Bible Study

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Just a reminder that the time of the Monday night Bible study has changed to 6:30pm. Join us as we continue to gain enlightenment from the book Prepared to Answer.

Church Email AddressOver the next 2-3 months or so, we will phase out the current church email address (mtzionripon@centurytel.net), and publicize the new email address (mountzionripon@gmail.com). Please make this change on your phone directory and in your email contact list.

Boxtops for EducationThe Boxtops for Education are going digital. There are still some food containers that have a label to clip, but many already say, “No more clipping. Scan your receipt. See how at BTFE.com.” This means, in order to give credit to Peace Lutheran School, those who have smartphones will need to download an application (app) to your smartphone, and then scan your entire receipt. If you wish to keep collecting points for Peace, and need help with the new method, ask Sue Sheppard.

Powerpoint Slides for Lent

This year for the first time, we will have the midweek Lenten services on the screen. Thank you to the

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volunteer who puts the slides together every week, and to the young people who run the slides for services!

WLA TheatreThe WLA Theater Departments presents Matilda, the Musical on March 12-15, 2020. Tickets are $8 for students and $12 for adults. Mt. Zion would like to take a group of people to the Sunday, March 15 – 2pm performance. A group of tickets has already been purchased; if you are interested in going with the group, please sign up on the sheet on the bulletin board by the office by March 8th. Of course, you are welcome to go to a different performance - tickets are available from the WLA office (920.921.4930) or online at hometowntickets.com.

Second ImpressionsLooking for another great place to get lightly used items? Check out Second Impressions Thrift Store in Fond du Lac. The store opened about 2 years ago. To quote from their website: “Second Impressions strives to repurpose lightly used clothing, furniture, and house-ware products through our Christian based retail store.

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Our mission is for residents of Fond du Lac and the surrounding areas to have access to good quality, affordable products, in a clean, comfortable, Christian

atmosphere. Profits that are generated from these sales are used to support Winnebago Lutheran Academy as well as other charitable organizations throughout East Central Wisconsin.” Second Impressions is located at 325 Winnebago Dr., Fond du Lac. Their phone number is (920) 907-9900, their email address is secondimpressionsfdl@gmail.com and their website is www.secondimpressionsfdl.com. Store hours are Tues-Fri 9am-6pm, and Sat 9am-3pm. See the website for information on making donations (what is accepted and what is not) and volunteering your time.

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Featured RecipeCornflake Chicken Breasts For Two

Sue Sheppard

2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 1 largeone sliced in half length-wise

1/3 c. Mayonnaise1 ½-2 c. cornflakes (measure, then crush)1-2 T. grated parmesanSalt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Measure out the mayonnaise (more or less as needed), and place in a medium shallow bowl. Crush the cornflakes until there are only a few coarse crumbs (I use a ziplock bag and rolling pin). Add the parmesan, salt and pepper to the crumbs; other spices can also be added. Shake crumbs and spices until combined, then empty onto a plate. Take each chicken breast, cover with a thin layer of mayonnaise, then press both sides into the cornflake crumb mixture. Put chicken on a baking sheet (grease the sheet if you wish) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear.

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March BirthdaysLaurene Henning 3/1Ellony Lietzau 3/1Jean Lynch 3/2Randy Weckwerth 3/2Erin Lind 3/3Corvin Chappa 3/5 Timothy Kranz 3/5Richard Kutz 3/5Benjamin Sprague 3/5Tyler Dibelius 3/6Matthew Hartman 3/6Harley Dorsey, Jr. 3/7Robert Hartman 3/7Deanna Krahn 3/9

Hunter Schneider 3/10 Ted Machmueller 3/11 Alexee Nitzke 3/12 Spencer Nitzke 3/12 Terry Dolderer 3/13 Ellie Ewald 3/13 Michael Holland 3/15 Jenna Klettke 3/15 Memphis Long 3/16 Jade Walker 3/16 Amber Taylor 3/17 Kelly Frank 3/18 Connie Klettke 3/20 Sara Wagner 3/20 Jacob McCulley 3/22 Melvin Schultz 3/22 Benjamin Weiske 3/24 Eugene Schliepp 3/25 Shawn Schliepp 3/26 Karl Goeldi 3/27 Don Hollander 3/27 Marilyn Ninneman 3/28

Birthday Club Celebration: March 1st

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AnniversariesSteve and Jan Ohlrich 3/6Bob and Shirley Erdmann-Schroeder 3/20

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Mt. Zion MessengerMarch, 2020

Mt. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church320 Mt. Zion Dr. Ripon, WI 54971Pastor Michael Sheppard

Church Office: 920-748-5641Church Email: mtzionripon@centurytel.netChurch Website: www.mtzionripon.org

Pastor’s Office: 920-748-9734Pastor’s Email: revmikesheppard@gmail.com

The deadline for the April newsletter will be Friday, March 20th. Please email the church office, Mary Clement (maryclement1940@icloud.com) or Sue Sheppard (sheppwoman52602@yahoo.com) with articles. We’re always looking for human interest news from our members! If there is any incorrect information, please let us know that as well.

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