Zion Notes & News

Meals Ministry

Christian Life’s “Meals Ministry” is an incredible blessing to so many people in our church & 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 – all in Christian love. If you would like to make a financial donation, please designate your gift “Christian Life Meals”.  Meals are prepped and delivered on the third Thursday of each month. 

Zion Lutheran Church on Facebook!

If you have a personal Facebook account, log in like normal, then search for “Zion Lutheran Church Paullina Iowa”.  You’ll find a lot of the same content there that is available in this newsletter and on Zion’s regular website, just on a different platform.  We are hoping to reach more people, in a format that they are already familiar with, on a more regular basis.  Check it out!  And then share it with your friends! 

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 information. These booklets are located in the document 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.

Zion St John RaiseRight / Scrip

RaiseRight/Scrip is a great way to raise money for Zion’s commitment to Zion St John School. The discount and/or rebate earned is designated to the fund(s) of your choice: tuition for your family or 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.   Check the School website for more info: zsjpaullina.org/scrip.php  If you have any other questions, please contact Paul & Janet Miller or Kari Kent – RaiseRight Coordinator at 515-333-1841. 

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.