BAPTISMS FOR MAY:         

Inspired by the congregational pledge made in the service of Holy Baptism (see page 228, EvLW), we will be including names of those baptized at St. Luke's Zion in our monthly newsletters. 

We hope this will be a reminder to lift them up in prayer, wherever they may be in their faith-walk. 

The following were baptized in the month of May in previous years: 

Brittney E. M.
Driano D. S.
Molly M. S.
Brooke D. A. W.
Chloe A. M.
Slater C. S.
Austin C. S.
Thompson M. W.
Jordan A. A.
Jaxon T. L.
Sharon E. A.
Tayla D. A.

IN OUR PRAYERS:

Please remember in your prayers our shut-in’s in long term care:

Helen B. – Holy Family Nursing Home

Laura G. - Red River Place, Selkirk

Albert J. – Middlechurch Home

Agnes J. – Middlechurch Home

Irene K. - River Park Gardens

Anna M. – Fred Douglas Lodge

Mary M. – Luther Home

Elfrieda S. - Luther Home 

YOUTH:

May 7th - Youth and Campus Service in Waldersee

May 12th – Girls Night at Lisa’s

***Prairie Fire is looking for guitarists! To apply and audition, contact Pastor Tyler: tgingrich@elcic.ca

YOUTH PAINT NIGHT FUNDRAISER:

The Youth will be hosting a Paint Night fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. on May 24th, 2017 at St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church. Whether you are experienced or if you've never painted anything but your walls this is an event you won’t want to miss!  There's no experience necessary and fun is the only requirement and you will go home with your own original painting.

Tickets are $45.00 each – limited seating 30 people – all 3 church’s (ALL, SLZ, & SPLC) will be involved in this event. To secure your seat please email Lisa van Dijk at splc-youth@live.ca or call / text 204-668-1779.

CLAY 2018 - Save the Date! 

The planning team is happy to announce the dates for CLAY 2018 in Thunder Bay, ON. Lutheran and Anglican youth from across Canada are invited to meet in Thunder Bay from August 15th – 19th.

It is sure to be an amazing time! Watch for more details over the new few months.

2017 SUNDAY SCHOOL WIND-UP PICNIC:

On Sunday May 28th following Worship. Weather permitting we will hold our picnic outdoors; however if weather will not cooperate then we can just as easily have it indoors. Everyone is invited to attend. Come out and join us!!!

TODDLER SESSIONS: 

As of May 7th, 2017 we will have completed the second toddler session from September 2016 to May 2017. The toddlers have enjoyed their time listening to stories, coloring, crafts, playing musical instruments, singing, going for walks, having fun together as well as having brief appearances in the Christmas & Easter plays. We look forward to another upcoming year in September with NEW adventures for our little ones. If you have a toddler who is 18 months old by September 2017 and you would like to register him/her for the next session please join us at our annual Corn & Weiner Roast and Sunday School registration on Sept.10th

As well If you would like to email your toddlers information you can email either joannejanzen007@mymts.net or stluzi@mymts.net  

Watch for details in the August newsletter.  

Thank You

SLZ JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

HELP WANTED: The following opportunities for service continue to be available.  Can you help?  

All training is provided:  *Ministers of Transportation (People need rides to church!)  

*NEST Board Member   *Choir Members    *Sunday Servants

Let Pastor Lynne know if you are able to help

LUTHER HOME:

Annual Rummage Sale will be on June 3, 2017 in the Luther Home Rec-room, 1081 Andrews Street, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  (proceeds go to the Resident/Family Council). Needed are donations of new/used goods, kitchen wares, furniture, books, baking and misc. items which can be dropped off at recreation office or call Liz @ 204-336-5380. (No used mattresses, old tv’s or used clothing please).

All donations are greatly appreciated.

NEWS FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK: 

Please hand in any Items for the June newsletter by May 26th to Joanne Janzen or email to the church stluzi@mymts.net or joannejanzen007@mymts.net Thank You!

NEST:       

     NEST has completed one sponsorship in the past NEST fiscal year, from March 1, 2016.   Hani Issa, his wife Slvana and their three children are originally from Iraq.  This was a BVOR sponsorship under which members of Messiah Lutheran Church provided caregiving and household goods, while financial support was shared by Immigration Canada and NEST, with some help from Messiah Lutheran.  On September 28, 2016 the Issas moved to Windsor, Ontario to be closer to Hani’s brothers and their families.

     At present NEST has seven outstanding sponsorships, covering a total of 33 persons.  

Included are the same four outstanding full sponsorships as a year ago, in various stages of processing by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).  Under a full sponsorship, NEST provides all financial support, caregiving and household goods.

     In the past year, NEST has submitted applications to IRCC for three nominal sponsorships, under which relatives or others in Winnipeg have agreed to provide all caregiving, household goods and financial support for the following persons.  

     NEST hopes for speedier processing of refugee sponsorships, and we look forward to the arrival of persons in our current outstanding sponsorships.  We can dream that peace will come to all areas of the world and that fewer persons will need to flee their homes.  Meanwhile, we hope that NEST can help at least a few of these to a happier and more peaceful future.  It seems that NEST will likely have enough money to cover our present needs, barring too many unforeseen events.  We have been blessed with several excellent new caregivers, in addition to faithful repeaters, but we welcome more still, as several large families may arrive close together. 

     A heart felt Thank You to Doreen Thorlacius for guiding NEST as chair these last 2 years, and for her faithfulness serving alongside her husband Ernest Bergbusch who has also chaired NEST’s meetings. Ernest’s experience in Foreign Canadian Consults has been invaluable to NEST.

Up-Ccoming Events:

*NEST General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. at the Grace Lutheran Church. All are welcome to attend! Refreshments to follow.

* NEST Potluck Dinner will be held on Friday, May 28th, 2017 at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, 5635 Henderson Highway in Narol.

- Dorothy Handkamer

***NEST’s full Annual Report is posted on the bulletin board.

CLWR:

Global Encounter to Jordan and Holy Land  Young Adult Bursary
Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) has invited the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) to nominate two youth (young adult) representatives to attend the upcoming CLWR Global Encounter to Jordan and the Holy Land, which takes place January 18 to February 1st, 2018.

-One rep is to be a young adult under the age of 25.  
-The other rep is to be a rostered minister under the age of 35 years. Consideration will be given to those who are in their first call; others are invited to apply.

CLWR will subsidize 50% of their costs through the Ruth Jensen Fund. The nominee will be responsible for the balance of $2500.
Eligible members of the ELCIC who wish to be considered for this opportunity are asked to submit a letter of application that includes: Name, email, phone number, mailing address, congregational membership, and synod. A response, of approximately 200 words, to the question:  

“Why I would like to participate in the 2018 CLWR Global Encounter.”

The deadline for applications is May 15th, 2017. Nominations to CLWR will be made by National Bishop Susan Johnson. Applications shall be forwarded to Rev. Paul Gehrs, Assistant to the Bishop, Justice and Leadership pgehrs@elcic.ca  

Additional information about the CLWR Global Encounter is available at: http://www.clwr.org/News/news-brief.cfm?news_id=503
For questions regarding the ELCIC nomination process, please contact Rev. Paul Gehrs   pgehrs@elcic.ca     204-984-9156

TOGETHER IN CHRIST:

Roman Catholic- Lutheran 2017 Study - From Conflict to Communion:  The Diocese of Winnipeg, The Diocese of St. Boniface and the MNO Synod have cooperated to bring about 6 gatherings of Lutherans and Catholics in 2017. We thank the five Winnipeg sites for agreeing to be hosts. You are invited to attend any or all of the following gatherings:

-May 23rd  at 7 p.m. - Study at St. Vital Roman Catholic Parish

-June 20th  at 6 p.m. - BBQ and Study at First Lutheran Church

A poster with full details is on the bulletin board in the narthex.

MUSIC CONCERT:

Faith Peters music students Music Concert will be held here at SLZ early in June. Watch for details in the June newsletter.  Thank you!

LUM:  

Eighty people attended the Urban worship service this Easter Sunday and one hundred people sat down to lunch afterward! All of the prayers read from the Urban prayer bucket on Sunday Urban worship services throughout the year were added to the Easter Vigil fire at the joint Lutheran Church of the Cross/First Lutheran Easter Vigil on April 15.

Lots of smiles at the Urban – the snow is gone, sidewalks are bare and people are walking in with a spring to their step!! Very few people who attend the Urban use bus passes/tickets so that good walking conditions make a huge difference. Most live in the West End neighbourhood but many walk from the downtown area & from the other side of the Arlington Bridge.

The Urban is grateful to the meal teams who fill so many of our calendar dates for Wed. and Thurs. evening meals & Sunday lunch after the worship service. One congregation drops off dozens of sandwiches every month that we incorporate into the Wednesday Men’s Group lunches.

Every week, various MNO congregation members drop off groceries collected in church narthexes. The donations of groceries for our emergency food draw on Sundays enable us to give out five bags of canned goods/peanut butter/Kraft Dinner every week. One of our board members updates a weekly spreadsheet of those whose names have been drawn in the previous 5 weeks and oversees a fair system on Sundays when Urban community members add their names to the draw bucket. Community members are eligible to add their name for the draw every six weeks. Emergency food is given to those who attend the Urban who are experiencing urgent circumstances - their names are added to the same spreadsheet. The need is great & we ensure fair distribution of the Urban resources.

We are so grateful for the used sheets/pillowcases/ blankets/towels donated to the Urban. These are placed at the back of the room on a banquet table (and taken the same day) and are so appreciated by people who need them. Many of those in our Urban community experience precarious living circumstances that necessitate starting over – eviction; leaving a bad rooming house; leaving a bad relationship; or moving to an apartment/rooming house after couch surfing with friends/family.

No-Charge Family Bingo Night is held right after the Urban evening meal on the 2nd Thursday of every month and organized by board members Monica and Janet. Everyone plays, including the children, (six games, two cards) and everyone gets a prize! The prizes are donated household goods (kitchen items, toys, DVD’s, quilts, games, purses/backpacks, smaller electronics that work – the kind of items that people put in garage sales). It’s a safe place to come for a great family evening for our Urban community.

Our weekly Trauma, Grief and Loss Circles running from November 2016 to June 2017 are bringing a new sense of community through the healing process of the sharing of stories. The eight facilitators chosen to lead these circles all bring their special gifts of knowledge, insight, perspective and guidance. We are so grateful to the ACTS of the MNO for granting us the opportunity to run this program.

Kind regards,

Rhonda Gorham
Ministry Manager

Lutheran Urban Ministry

LUTHER VILLAGE NEWS:

Work Weekend: May 12-14: Extra hands & lots of energy are always appreciated to help with special projects or general clean up and opening. Meals and lodging are provided for volunteers in exchange for work and skills. Consider bringing your family to work alongside you. Weekend begins Friday evening with snack at 8:00 pm and ends Sunday mid-afternoon. Contact the camp office at lv@luthervillage.ca to register.

Bikeathon: June 2-4: For 30 years we have hosted a fun-raising cycling weekend; this is our 2nd largest LV fundraiser. It’s a great way to combine exercise, fellowship & raising money for LV. Join us & ride; you can bring your family too.  Check out luthervillage.ca/bikeathon for details.

MNO SYNOD:

Our synod is hosting the 2017 National Church convention July 6th - 8th, (Thursday to Saturday) at the University of Manitoba. This is in keeping with the new convention format, fewer delegates, no banquet and delegate departures on Saturday rather than Sunday. However, volunteers are required to flesh out the Local Arrangement Committee (LAC) and to provide support for the many convention activities. We currently hold the convention every two years and the synods alternate hosting the event. Given the two year rotation, the format for support and running the convention has been established and the volunteers will be well briefed for their chosen activity. 

Volunteer positions for LAC:
Vice-chair                    Secretary         Office  

Head Steward             Head Usher     Registration

Information Desk         Transportation            

Sub-committee chairpersons

Worship Offering Counter

To volunteer or for further information contact Norman Coull at: Phone: 204.885.1692
Email: ngcoull@mymts.net

West Kildonan Horticultural Society:

Fiesta Day Plant Sale

June 3rd, 2017   10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Come Rain or Shine!

SEVEN OAKS ARBORETUM

Partridge Ave. & Andrews St.

(Behind the Fire Hall on McGregor St)

Plant Sale: annuals, perennials, herbs and more...

Bake Sale   Silent Auction   Garden Treasures    Garage Sale Items

West Kildonan Farmers Market:

1680 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB

Open on Saturdays from July 5th thru September 27th  from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

GIFTS FROM THE HEART:

are meaningful and tangible gifts that will share God's love with the world. 
There is something to inspire and delight your friends and family members on any special occasion. 
No matter which you choose, the gifts you give are saving and changing lives.

Pick up your copy of ‘Gifts From The Heart’ catalogue today (SLZ) or you can give a Gift from the Heart online today at www.clwr.org/gfth

GRIEF SEMINARS:

Palliative Manitoba offers monthly grief seminars hosted by Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Cropo Funeral Chapel. Palliative Manitoba recruits experts in the field to speak on relevant topics associated with grief. Staff and experienced bereavement volunteers are available at all grief seminars to provide supplementary support.

The seminars are free and are open to the general public.

Cropo Funeral Chapel:

1442 Main Street, Winnipeg
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Tuesdays

*please note the change to the day of the week

 May 9th, 2017 - Grief Can be Complicated 
June 13th, 2017 - Who Am I Now?
Sept.12th, 2017 - People Just Don’t Understand
Oct.10th, 2017 - Family Dynamics
Nov. 14th, 2017 - Using Rituals in Loss and Grief
Dec. 12th, 2017 - I’m Not in the “Holiday” Mood

Chapel Lawn Funeral Home:

4000 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Tuesday

May 23rd, 2017 - Moving On…Isn’t Forgetting
July 25th, 2017 - Grief Doesn’t Take a Vacation
September 26th, 2017 - Hope During Grief
December 5th, 2017 - The Holidays Can Be a Difficult Season

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

We thank you for our mothers to whom you have entrusted the care of every precious human life from its very beginning in the womb.

You have given to woman the capacity of participating with you in the creation of new life. Grant that every woman may come to understand the full meaning of that blessing, which gives her an unlimited capacity for selfless love for every child she may be privileged to bear, and for all your children.

Watch over every mother who is with child, strengthen her faith in your fatherly care and love for her and for her unborn baby. Give her courage in times of fear or pain, understanding in times of uncertainty and doubt, and hope in times of trouble. Grant her joy in the birth of her child. 

To mothers you have given the great privilege and responsibility of being a child's first teacher and spiritual guide. Grant that all mothers may worthily foster the faith of their children, following the example of Mary, Elizabeth, and other holy women who follow Christ. Help mothers to grow daily in knowledge and understanding of your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and grant them the wisdom to impart this knowledge faithfully to their children, and to all who depend upon them. 

Assist all "spiritual mothers", those who, though they may have no children of their own, nevertheless selflessly care for the children of others -- of every age and state in life. Grant that they may know the joy of fulfilling this motherly calling of women, whether in teaching, nursing, religious life, or in other work which recognizes and fosters the true dignity of every human being created in your image and likeness. 

We beseech you to send your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to all mothers who sorrow for children that have died, are ill or estranged from their families, or who are in trouble or danger of any kind. Help grieving mothers to rely on your tender mercy and fatherly love for all your children. 

We ask your blessing on all those to whom you have entrusted motherhood. May your Holy Spirit constantly inspire and strengthen them. May they ever follow the example of Mary, mother of Our Lord, and imitate her fidelity, her humility, and her self-giving love. May all mothers receive your Grace abundantly in this earthly life, and may they look forward to eternal joy in your presence in the life to come. 

We ask this through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. 

                                                      AMEN