BAPTISMS FOR FEBRUARY:  

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 February in previous years: 

Madison T.          Ben S.          

Tyson C.             Neveah T.              

Brendyn K.         Elliette G.

Madison S.         Nevaeh V.

Ashley S.

IN OUR PRAYERS: 

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

Phyllis A. - Concordia Place  

Doreen S. - Luther Home 

Alfred T. - Red River Place, Selkirk   

Melita T. - Luther Home  

Alice V. - Middlechurch Home   

CONFIRMATION:

Our shared confirmation classes continue the winter session on Zoom until Tuesday, March 1st.  Classes are on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm.

BIBLE CONVERSATIONS:

We will be meeting on Wednesdays at noon. 

Bring your own bag lunch – coffee and tea provided.  We will wear masks and practice physical distancing except when eating and drinking and reading.  As at a restaurant, please ensure that you have been vaccinated.  All are welcome!

SUNDAY SCHOOL:

We are happy to announce that we will be back to in-person classes beginning on Sun., Feb. 6th, 2022.

YEAR END - THANK YOU!  

After having been over $17,000 short at the end of November, we ended 2021 with a deficit of $1,697. Thank you for your continued support of the ministry we do together through St. Luke’s Zion!

ANNUAL REPORTS: Please send any reports to the church office or to Joanne Johnson ASAP.  Thank you!

SLZ ANNUAL MEETING:

The AGM for St. Luke’s Zion is set for Sunday, February 27th at 11:30 am.  This will (hopefully) be both in person and on Zoom.  As the time draws closer, we will communicate some more details about the meeting.  Meanwhile, Annual Reports will be available on Sunday, February 13th.  Most will receive it via email, but printed copies can be requested by contacting the church office.

YOUTH:

Sun. Feb 13th - Junior Youth (gr. 3-6): details to come

Contact Lisa if you have/ know someone in grades 3-6 who would like to be included and added to email invites.

Hi all SLAW Youth and Families,

As many of you may have seen (or not) I have accepted the Co-executive director position along with my husband Ad, and we are very excited to start this new journey.

That means I will be leaving my position as youth ministry coordinator at our shared youth ministry at Sherwood Park, St. Luke's Zion and Abundant Life. I was waiting until I meet with the shared youth ministry steering committee this morning, to let you know some of the plans going forward. I am leaving with a sad heart but hope that many of the connections made with youth and families will continue to Luther Village and hope to see many of you there- fingers crossed that there will be a Thanksgiving retreat this year at LV.

I will be staying on for the next while in a part time capacity (one month, two ?) to make sure there is youth ministry now and going forward. I will be working with the steering committee to help them in next steps in hiring a new youth ministry coordinator.  The position might possibly change but we will be looking into what we value most and best ways to continue that going forward.

Please feel free to reach out to me, I am very open to hearing and sharing your concerns and comments with the committee.

Please know that I am I will do my best to help make sure everyone feels included and that those connections remain so very important.

Lisa van Dijk
Youth Ministry Coordinator 
Abundant Life -Sherwood Park -St. Luke's Zion
(204) 293-6357   splc-youth@live.ca 

LUTHER VILLAGE:

We hope you are as excited as we are...

Registration opened on Monday, January 24, 2022.   All registrations will be done ONLINE! Please visit our website to register for any of our programs/cabin rentals at that time!  

www.luthervillage.ca 

New Co-Executive Directors at Luther Village:

The Luther Village Board of Directors is excited to introduce our new Co-Executive Team! Please join us in welcoming Ad and Lisa van Dijk, who will be sharing their knowledge and skills in hospitality, cooking, property, and youth and family ministry with the Luther Village community. We look forward to working together with Ad and Lisa to grow and nurture the Luther Village Community!

ONLINE WORSHIP:

For those who would like to join in our online worship, here's how to do it:

1. If you have a Facebook account, sign into Facebook and search for @stlukeszion.  The video will not appear until the live stream begins, which is usually a few minutes before 10:30 am.  You can also view it any time after that.

2. With no Facebook account, go to Facebook.com/stlukeszion.  Click on "Not now" when it asks you to sign in or to sign up.  You should be able to view the service any time after 10:30 on the same day as it is recorded. 

WORSHIPING IN PERSON:

While we do continue to livestream our Sunday worship, here are a few things you might want to know about coming in person:

-The first time you come, you will be asked for proof of vaccination if you are 12 or older.

-Our Covid Covenant is in effect, available in the previous newsletter or on the St. Luke’s Zion website.

-Every other pew is roped off so that nobody is sitting directly behind you.

-You may wish to bring your own elements for communion, especially if you a) have allergies, or b) are concerned about plastic waste.  Otherwise, prefilled cups containing a wafer and red grape juice are available.

-Most of the service can be followed on the screen, but a small number of printed bulletins are available for those who require them.

OPTIONS FOR OFFERINGS DURING COVID:

1. Sign up for PAR.  This is an automatic debit on the 20th of each month.  It costs 50 cents a month. 

2. Give through the MNO synod website (mnosynod.org).  However, Canada Helps receives 4% of each donation.

3. E-transfers are now available by contacting Sharon Appler.

4. Send in the mail.

5. Drop them off at the church.  Thank you!

DEPOSIT KEYS: If any of you have a deposit key at home and are not currently counting or depositing the offering, please return it to the church.  There were at least 3 or 4 of them with orange ribbons that have all disappeared….  Thank you!

LUM (Lutheran Urban Ministry):

January 2022 News from your Ministry Manager – Happy New Year from the Urban!

2022 begins with prayers and fresh hopes of an end to the pandemic this year. Lockdowns, city restrictions and limited services available in the city have a huge impact on those who struggle with life circumstances such as poverty, food and housing insecurity, physical and/or mental health issues. On top of that for families are the stresses related to off and on again online learning for their children. The individuals and families of the West End of Winnipeg are people of strength and resilience in the midst of adversities. We’ll all have a lot to catch up on when our sharing circles start up again!

This ongoing pandemic continues to have an impact on our ability to feel connected to each other, and for many, has increased feelings of loneliness and sadness. For those who have lost loved ones during the past two years, it has been impossible to mourn and gather in the old ways.

This extreme cold weather makes it so difficult for individuals and families living with uncertainty:

· insecure housing situations, drafty rooms, high heat costs;

· for those living in inner city apartment blocks, the worry that a fire might break out in one of the units in the building - with homelessness possibly for everyone in the block as a result;

· high cost of city transit when having to count every loonie and toonie. Consequences:

- having to walk to the nearest convenience store for groceries at high cost in cold weather or not having the opportunity to price shop at more than one larger grocery store.

- cancellations of rides from a friend or relative due to vehicle breakdowns of older cars in cold weather and no alternative transportation.

Gratitude for all the people who helped to make our Urban Christmas turkey sandwich lunch and gift bags for kids/youth, women and men such a tremendous success on December 19th. This is the second pandemic year that it was all distributed outside the side door - but wonderful!

Pandemic Notes: Pandemic worries are not yet over in Winnipeg and the Urban continues with the following:

Until Further Notice: the Urban is continuing the suspension of all regular programming (coffee hours, sharing circles, men’s group, worship services, etc.) in the lower level of Lutheran Church of the Cross, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Struggling and vulnerable single people and families (in the same numbers as pre-pandemic times when we were open downstairs) are continuing to come to the Urban - bagged lunches 4x/week are distributed outside (Wednesday men’s lunch, Wednesday & Thursday supper times and Sunday lunch). Our meal teams are happy to help us in this way and we are so very grateful for this. Our website calendar shows available dates for meal teams. Fellowship is happening briefly in the parking lot as long as weather permits! Worship services and sharing circles will resume when the pandemic is over.

· We have changed our pre-pandemic emergency food bags to an equitable “one food item” (if enough in our pantry) per person (two items if a family) once or twice each week during the distribution of bagged lunches. Gloves, socks, seasonal jackets etc. (and weekly bread/pastries) are also distributed outside.

· Masks and 2 m social distancing continue to be mandatory on the church sidewalk and parking lot. The line sometimes overflows to the city sidewalk if necessary and all current gathering sizes are enforced as per provincial regulations. The Urban provides a disposable mask if needed.

The Lutheran Urban Ministry has so much gratitude for our volunteers and the meal teams; for the pantry donations, for the prayers; and for all those who donate financial support toward our operating expenses.

Our website: www.theurban.ca. Check out our new video on our website, “Urban Gratitude”!

Please keep our vulnerable Lutheran Urban Ministry community in your prayers. Please contact me: rhonda@theurban.ca for additional information, or to have your meal team added to the calendar.

Kind regards, Rhonda Gorham

Ministry Manager, Lutheran Urban Ministry Corp.