Zion Notes & News

Midweek Lenten Services

Wednesday Evenings @ 7:00p thru April 9th.

Fellowship following each service provided by Pairs & Spares 

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Maundy Thursday

with Holy Communion

Thursday, April 17 @ 7:00p

Easter Sunrise

Sunday, April 20 @ 7:30a

Good Friday

with Holy Communion

Friday April 18 @ 7:00p

Easter Festival

with Holy Communion

Sunday, April 20 @ 9:30a

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Church Office Hours

Regular Church Office hours are 10:00a - 3:00p Mondays thru Thursdays, closed on Fridays.

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All exterior doors to the building will be locked while School is in session.  Please call the Church Office at 949-3910 to be let in, or 949-3915 for the School Office.

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As always, for any pastoral concerns, feel free to call Pastor Meyer on his cell @ 712-261-1774.

Adult Bible Class & Sunday School

Adult Bible Class begins at 10:45am each Sunday. Junior High and High School Youth are welcome at our Adult Bible Class as well.  

Sunday School, for children ages preschool to 6th grade, begins at 10:30 each Sunday.  We always welcome more substitute teacher volunteers for Sunday School.  All teaching materials are provided.

Take advantage of this opportunity to grow in your faith! 

Thrivent Choice Dollars

Do you have a Thrivent account?  If so, you may have Choice Dollars that you can assign directly to Zion Lutheran Church. However, you need to do this by end of day tomorrow March 31st or those dollars will go elsewhere! You can direct your Dollars by calling 800-847-4836 and saying “Thrivent Choice” at the prompt. You may be asked for your Thrivent member ID or birthdate. A Thrivent phone rep will work with you to direct your Choice Dollars. 

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Upcoming Meetings

Tuesday    April 1st    7:00p    Women’s Bible Study
Thursday    April 3rd    7:00p    Men’s B & B
Tuesday    April 8th     7:00p     Women’s Bible Study
Tuesday    April 8th     7:00p    ZSJ School Board
Thursday    April 10th     7:00p    Christian Life
Monday    April 21st     7:00p    Elders
Monday    April 21st    7:30p    Council
Thursday    April 24th     7:00p    Men’s B & B
Tuesday    April 29th     7:00p    Women’s Bible Study

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Please see the April Calendar for other events and activities!

Bible Study Groups

Women’s Bible Study group is meeting in the ZSJ cafeteria on Tuesday evenings at 7:00p. We are looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer. Please note we will not meet on April 15th (due to the Seder Meal), nor April 22nd (due to Cherokee LWML Spring Rally). 

Men’s B & B Study group continues to meet twice each month on Thursday evenings.

Choir Notes

Practice will be held on Sunday, April 6th at 8:45a. The choir will sing during the service on Palm Sunday, April 13th and on Easter Sunday, April 20th.  All voices are welcome to join us and make a joyful noise! 

Did You Know?

You have access to the full Membership Directory, church calendar (including birthday and wedding anniversaries), current prayer concerns, and the current week's Messenger.  All of this is available right here on our website!  However, you need to set up a member login in order to view these "member only" features.  To get a login, please send an email to zionsec@tcaexpress.net (be sure to include your name in the email), then just follow the instructions from there to set your own username and password.  

The rest of the website is visible to the public (no login required).

Prayer Chain via Text Message

Periodically, we receive a prayer request to be sent out to Zion’s Prayer Chain via text message.  This way, the saints of Zion can take those petitions before God on behalf of their fellow members.  If you would like to be added to that text message list, all you need to do is pass along your cell phone number to June or Pastor and we’ll get you added!

Meals Ministry

Christian Life’s “Meals Ministry” is an incredible blessing to so many people in our church and community. The recipients express so much appreciation – not just for the food, but also the phone call, the personal connection, and the time spent visiting together while delivering the meals. This ministry continues to provide caring service to others in Christian love. If you would like to make a financial donation, please designate your gift “Christian Life Meals”. 

Automatic Offering with e-Giving

Look for the "Joyful Response - Electronic Offering Program" forms located in the narthex.  Please fill this out and return it to the church office in order to set up a new e-giving schedule for yourself!                               You can sign up at any time!

You can also set up e-giving for yourself right here!  Giving options have been updated to include Christian Life Meals and Sunday School / Parish Education, in addition to regular Sunday offerings.  You can choose a one-time gift or a recurring gift.

Of course if you have questions or would like help in setting up e-giving, please feel free to contact June in the church office.

Printed Sermons and Regular Mailings

Pastor Meyer continues to make printed copies of his sermons available each week.  These copies are available for you in the narthex each Sunday.  In addition, the printed sermon along with a copy of the worship bulletin and Messenger are being mailed out each week to a fair number of our members who are homebound or residing in care centers.  If you know of any members who would enjoy receiving these weekly mailings, please let the Church Office know.

You can find copies of Pastor Meyer's typed sermons on this website.  Click the "Sermons and Services" link under the "Worship Resources" tab at the top of this page.  Clicking each date will then open a new tab with the Sermon text for that Sunday.  

Monthly Newsletters are being distributed at church, usually on the last Sunday of the month.  If you are unable to attend Church on that Sunday, your Newsletter can be mailed to you if you’d like.  Just give a call to the Church Office to let us know. 

Memorial Guides

Not many people think ahead to write down their personal information and wishes to help plan for their visitation and funeral when God calls them home to heaven.  In order to help with that, we've put together a folder that allows you to record this vital info.  They are in the rack at the back of church and you're welcome to take one home.  Once you've filled it out, please tell your family where the booklet is kept so that they can easily access it when the time comes.

Spring Fling & Silent Auction

Zion St John 5th – 8th graders will be presenting Murder on the Monkey Express on April 12, 2025.  Doors open at 5:30. Silent Auction from 5:30-6:30. Dinner will be served at 6:30. Show begins at 7:30. Tickets: $20 adults, $15 children 10 and under. $10 for general admission (no meal and no reservation required). Forms to purchase tickets are available in the back of church or you can call the school office at 712-949-3915. 

A list of auction items is available in the back of the church. The auction is also online at the Zomer Auction website:

https://zomercompany.com/site/auctions/current-auctions/

Scroll down until you see the ZSJ logo to access our auction. Bidding will close on April 12 at 6:30p. Items can be picked up at the completion of the Spring Fling on April 12 (approx 8:30p), April 13 from 2-4:00p, or by contacting 712-348-6768. Thank you for all of the great donations we received! 

Zion St John RaiseRight

RaiseRight (formerly Scrip) is a great way to raise money for Zion Church's ongoing commitment to Zion St John School.  The dicsount/rebate earned is designated to the fund(s) of your choice: tution for your family, tuition assistance for another family, general school improvements, or any combination of these funds.  It's your choice!  You do not need to have a student enrolled at ZSJ to participate in the program - extended family and friends are welcome to participate, too. 

RaiseRight can be used for just about any purchase including groceries, clothing, gasoline, entertainment, dining out and travel, etc.  Any sales or coupons offered by the businesses can be used at the same time - RaiseRight is just your form of payment.

Example:  You purchase a Prairie Market RaiseRight gift card at face value, and spend it at face value.  Prairie Market donates the 5% rebate to ZSJ, saved in the fund(s) of your choice.  Prairie Market RaiseRight cards can be applied as payment on your account there, if any.  If you prefer, payments on account of $500 or more can be handled for you.

Joe's TV & Appliance in Orange City and Greenworld in Sioux Center and Orange City will send a rebate check if you mention ZSJ RaiseRight at the time of purchase, and pay for your item(s) in cash or check before you leave the store.

More info can be found on the School website: https://zsjpaullina.org/scrip.php   If you have any other questions, please contact Paul & Janet Miller, or Kari Kent - RaiseRight Coordinator.

NLSA Accreditation for ZSJ

On March 21-23 (2021) Zion St John Lutheran School hosted six members from the National Lutheran Schools Association (NLSA) site accreditation team.  The members represented Lutheran schools from Iowa and South Dakota along with representatives of Iowa District West and East.  The purpose of their visit was to review the school's self-study report and evaluate the school on seven key standards related to NLSA accreditation.

The standards in which the school was evaluated on were: 1) Purpose, 2) Relationships, 3) Leadership, 4) Professional Personnel, 5) Teaching and Learning, 6) Student Services, and 7) Facilities.

These standards were evaluated via interviews with staff, parents, pastors, principal, and constituents of the school.  Outcomes related to Christian perspective and student learning were also evaluated through many classroom observations.

Principal Schouten is happy to report that after a thorough evaluation process Zion St John Lutheran School has been accredited by the NLSA, which is also recognized by the state of Iowa.  We received an overall score of 2.63 which is comparable to the national average of 2.67 for accredited Lutheran schools.  As a school we were able to reaffirm the positive things we are currently doing and also plan to improve in certain areas moving forward so that we can continue, in partnership with parents and congregations, to provide a Christ-centered educational program that educates the whole child.