Zoar Church, Tofte, MN is affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ May, 2016
Gathering Room Thrivent Action Team Volunteers
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-May Sermon Series -
Come, Now is the Time to Worship!
Psalm 95 says, "Come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker." Trends in worship attendance across the country suggest that for many Christians the invitation of the Psalmist gets drowned out by the din of the modern world. So what's the big deal about worship? Can't you worship God just as well on the Golf course as you can in a church? What's worship supposed to be all about anyhow? These are the questions we’ll be looking at during our upcoming series of messages:
➢ May 15 “Spirit & Truth - Pentecost” ➢ May 22 “Prayer & Praise”
Fishing Stories Still Needed!
If you have a favorite fishing story you’d be willing to share, I’d love to include it in the June sermon series, “Gone Fishin’ -
The Fishing Stories of the Bible”. Give me a call or send it to [email protected]. ~ Pastor Daren
Paint, Faith, Action!
Volunteers Make-Over the Gathering Room
Saturday April 23, 2016 brought a great group of people together from our community. We all came together for a purpose - to give the Gathering Room at Zoar Church a makeover! A member of our congregation spent the week prior getting the walls prepped for painting. We were thankful to have this part of the job completed before we all gathered that morning to start the project. (Thanks Spencer!)
We started by hauling everything out of the room to get a clean space. Other jobs included sanding and staining shelves that were in the room in order to reuse them (they look new!), scraping old glue off the floor from the old carpet, and moving all furniture out. The energy was amazing and we got the job mostly done within the four hours that we were there together. The room looks great and will be so much fun to use for many purposes within our church: Bible studies, Youth and Family activities, coffee time and visits after Sunday morning worship, small group prayer meetings, and other activities our church would be open to hosting. We prayed together, worked together, and ate together that day. The room was filled with energy, joy, a sense of community, and a strong sense of accomplishment. We had a lot of fun and created a fresh space that will be used for years to come! Thank you Action Team!
You can be part of an upcoming Action Team too! There are action team projects planned to update the church office and paint the church exterior. Breakfasts and fundraisers this year will also be funding these projects and upgrades to our kitchen. If you have an idea for an action team that benefits our church community or the greater Tofte-Schroeder North Shore community, let us know and we will help you get it organized and underway! ~ Michelle Blanck
Zoar Church Office Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wed. and Thurs. • www.zoarchurch.org. • (218) 663-7925 • [email protected] 1
Zoar Church, Tofte, MN is affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ May, 2016
Caring for God’s Creation
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”
~ Psalm 24:1.
It seems as if every day we are beset with news that we are destroying our planet. The monarch butterfly is facing extinction because of genetically modified crops that kill the milkweed plants that sustain them. Groundwater is polluted by by runoff from chemicals used by agri-business to increase yield. Rainforests are clear cut to make way for cash crops.
The news is distressing. What can we do to be good stewards of God’s creation? The answer seems daunting. We recycle, compost, carpool, and use energy efficient light bulbs. Whenever possible we purchase locally grown food and fair trade items. Somehow, though, it seems like our efforts are as effective as the drop in the proverbial bucket.
One person cannot do it alone. If, however, many of us work together, good things can be accomplished. You may remember the palm fronds that decorated the sanctuary on Palm Sunday: families who live in small South American communities select and harvest the palm fronds. Zoar church helped to support those families. We were one of 2,100 Lutheran congregations to purchase the fair trade palm fronds. In doing so, we helped to protect the rainforest in which the palm trees grow. Working together we can make a difference. ~ Diane Parker
-May Mission Support Project-
Adult and Teen Challenge
Our mission for May is Teen Challenge of Duluth. On Sunday, May 29th a choir of 10 to 12 young men from Teen Challenge will be at Zoar to sing and give their testimonials. If past visits are any example, it will be a very moving service! This organization has been instrumental in changing the lives of many young men who have been headed in the wrong direction - using drugs and alcohol and in trouble with the law. With the help of Teen Challenge, they have found Jesus and have turned their lives around. ~ Polly Erickson
Spring Thaw
Lord, melt the cold snows of my heart,
And let them become
a rushing,
roaring,
river of living water.
~ Marsha Hansen
Summer Youth Camperships
Zoar Church will be offering camperships for the 2016 summer season. Camperships are $100 each to be used toward the fee for attending any Bible camp, Christian outdoor adventure camp, or another Christ-centered outdoor learning opportunity. Pastor Daren is happy to suggest good Christian camping programs locally or across the country. Parents and young people are encouraged to find a program that they are most interested in.
Eligible young people include Zoar member or associate member children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, and Birch Grove Good News Club students and their siblings ages 6-18. Applications should be made by May 20. Awards will be announced byMay 30. Include the applicant’s and parent’s name, address, and telephone number, the name and address of the camp or program, the dates of the camp or program, and the relationship of the applicant to a member or associate
member of Zoar Church or the Birch Grove Good News Club. Applicants should also relate how they feel this experience will benefit them in their faith journey. Send applications as an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Campership Application.”
Zoar Church Office Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wed. and Thurs. • www.zoarchurch.org. • (218) 663-7925 • [email protected] 2
Zoar Church, Tofte, MN is affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ May, 2016
International Worker Ministry
Sharing Jesus’ love with neighbors
from around the World
In the parable of the sheep and the goats Jesus tells his listeners that on the last day his true followers will be told, “I was a stranger, and you invited Me in.” Later He told his disciples, “Go into the world and share the
Good News with everyone.”
We have a great opportunity each summer to live the gospel - the world comes to us as student workers from all over the globe arrive in Cook County to live and work. For many of them this will be their first experience away from their home country, their first experience living around Americans and you may be the first Christian they might have ever met. The leadership team of Zoar Church has committed to working with other churches in Cook County to reach out to international workers this summer. There are four ways we are asking members and friends of Zoar Church and others in the Tofte-Schroeder community to become involved: 1. Welcome Dinners
Together with Lutsen Lutheran Church, we are planning to host two welcome dinners. One dinner will be in early June and another is planned for late June. Members and friends of Zoar Church are asked to help prepare food for these dinners and meet international workers who are employed at Lutsen Resort, BlueFin Bay, and by other employers in Schroeder, Tofte, and Lutsen. 2. Bicycle Lending
In cooperation with the UCC Church in Grand Marias, Zoar Church will be a satellite for their bicycle lending program. International workers who need a bicycle to get around will be offered the use of a bicycle furnished through this program. You can help by donating a bicycle you aren’t using anymore, providing some bicycle maintenance, or perhaps storing a few bikes at the beginning of the season while we are gearing up to distribute them.
3. Befriending Groups
International students often come to the North Shore from an urban area and may be unaware of how remote it is here. They’d love to get out and see what the North Shore has to offer! We are asking members and friends of Zoar Church to form groups of 2-4 people to befriend some international workers. You might take a few hiking on a state park or national forest trail, go fishing on Lake Superior or an inland lake, or hunt for agates on a beach. You might take some up into GrandMarais or down to Duluth on occasion. You may find one of them needs someone to talk to from time to time about something that is going on in their life as they are away from home and you might find an opportunity to share your faith. 4. Worship Outreach
Some international visitors may be uncomfortable walking into a church for worship because they are afraid they might not be welcome. However, if someone is offered a ride to worship and greeted warmly at the door, they may cherish it forever. This summer we are asking members and friends of Zoar to volunteer to provide transportation to worship services. We are also asking everyone to greet international visitors warmly on Sunday morning, ask them about their stay here and be willing to lend a listening ear and an encouraging smile. If you are willing to serve your international neighbors in any of these areas, please call the church office or send an email to [email protected].
Next Month
In the next issue of “The Beacon” look for more information on Summer Good News Club, an update on the Bell Tower Project, more details on Gone Fishin’-
The Fishing Stories of the Bible, Summer Worship Services at Father Baraga’s Cross, a report from the Zoar Church leadership team, Confirmation, Remembering
Your Baptism, and more. Zoar Church is a vibrant worshipping community and we’d love for you to be a part of what God is doing among us. If you have an article or creative writing for “The Beacon” please submit it to: [email protected].
Zoar Church Office Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wed. and Thurs. • www.zoarchurch.org. • (218) 663-7925 • [email protected] 3
Zoar Church (LCMC) PO Box 2098 7239 W. Highway 62 Tofte, MN 55615
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Good News Club kids show us their Mission Hygiene Kits. The
first week of May was the last week of Good News Club for the
school year, but look for more information next month about
Summer Good News Club coming up in August!
Missionary Kits
In April we put together Mission Hygiene Kits in
Good News Club! We were learning about
missionaries all around the world. Missionaries go
to places around the world and teach about Jesus,
how he loves us, and how he is good to us.
Missionaries also help people with their health. I
learned about jungle pilot Nate Saint who died
when he was telling people in Ecuador about Jesus.
I also learned about Father Baraga who was trying
to go from Michigan to Grand portage to help
people in Grand Portage who were sick. A storm
came up and he was blown to the Cross River in
Schroeder. He prayed a prayer of thanks and built
a cross out of logs. It was replaced by a stone one
later. The hygiene kits we put together had a
toothbrush, hand towel, wash cloth, soap, a nail
clipper, a comb, band-aids, and a note from Birch
Grove Good News Club. The health kits will be sent
somewhere in the world where refugees need them.
~ Sophia Blanck
Youth and Family Nights: May 8 - Bible Skits and Drama, May 15 - Worship & Praise with Dave,
May 22 - Campfire at Tofte Park, No Youth and Family Activities May 29.
Bible Study: Tuesdays at 10:00 - All Are Welcome ! • North Shore Care Center Worship: May 22