BAPTISMS FOR JANUARY:  

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 January in previous years: 

David A. C.                           

Mercedes R. W.

Destiny R. M.          

Mary B. M.

Sara A. M.

Elizabeth S. M.

Alison L. W.

Charlee J. P. C.    

Elle A. N.  

Kate E. M. 

Garrett J. H.       

IN OUR PRAYERS: 

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

Phyllis A. - Concordia Place  

Dorothy H. - Luther Home

Doreen S. - Luther Home 

Alfred T. - Red River Place, Selkirk  

Melita T. - Luther Home

In Memoriam 2022

Rest eternal grant them, O Lord;

And let light perpetual shine upon them.

Alice V.

Louise S.

Brigitte N.

Cliff K.

Eugenie M.

Dolphis E. S.

Roy M.

Henry H.

BIBLE CONVERSATIONS:

Will resume on Wed., Jan. 4th, 2023 at 12:00 noon

All are welcome!

Bring a bagged lunch – coffee and tea will be provided. See you there!

COUNCIL MEETING:

The next council meeting will held on Jan. 10th at

7:00 p.m.

SUNDAY SCHOOL:

Remember to get your video in by Jan. 7th ????

Regular classes will resume on January 8th, 2023.

See you then!!!

CONFIRMATION CLASSES:

JUNIOR YOUTH (SLAWG-JR - Grades 3-6) – All are invited to Grace Lutheran for games and a light snack on Sunday, Jan. 15th from 1-3 pm.

Please RSVP to Rheanna by Jan. 8th (204-294-6823).

CLAY 2023:

Here's some basic info:

   - Registration opens early February

   - Gathering registration cost is $575. 

   - MNO is planning a bus trip, flying into Toronto, and spending 3 days in southern ON before going to the gathering. MNO is estimating that the total cost per participant (including CLAY registration) will be in the $1200 range, but that will largely depend on airfare. 

   - We hope to fundraise to help cover costs, and SLAW also has a fundraising account with significant funds that can help for our youth group.

WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP:

There is a sign-up located on the bulletin board for those of you who wish to sign-up to make coffee, tea, baking etc.  Thank You for those who have already signed up.

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.

MNO:

Our newsletter is our primary way of communicating with members and congregations, and we want everyone to be informed in a timely manner.

click on the following link  MNO Synod Newsletter

ELCIC: Gifts From The Heart

Help us Care for Children in Cameroon

Within this program, 60 children suffering from extreme poverty receive support with school tuition, supplementary food for their diets and emergency medical care.

Donations can be made through any MNO Synod congregation by marking “Kids in Cameroon” on your offering envelope.

Booklets are available on the table in the narthex.

If you would like to receive ELCIC News directly? From information and resources, to upcoming events

click on the following link  sign up for ELCIC NEWS today

LUTHERAN URBAN LUNCHEON:

please plan to help in any way you can with this ministry.  We will need helpers to —- shop for the groceries …assemble the lunch bags at 10:00 a.m. on January 28 … deliver the lunches on Sunday following worship.  Our meal team has been active in this project for several years … let’s continue again this year!

LUM (Lutheran Urban Ministry:

December 2022 News from your Ministry Manager

Since March 2020 we have continued to err on the side of caution with re-opening downstairs with worship services and sharing circles. Many people who attend the Urban have underlying health issues. We are planning our first worship service since the pandemic began in mid-January 2023 with Pastor Barry Bence leading the worship. He plans to have a candle lighting in memory of family members and friends who have passed away since our last in-person service. Masks will be required and will be removed when receiving communion.

We plan to resume sharing circles sometime in February as well, and these are in the planning stages. For the time being, masks wearing will still be required to be worn on the church property when picking up a bagged meal and also indoors when our worship services and sharing circles resume. During sharing circles, social distancing of chairs and mask wearing will also be required - a cordless microphone will be passed from person to person because many people are very soft spoken and masks make voices so much quieter. We will be inviting pastors and congregation members to ring the doorbell and come and sit with us in our sharing circles when they resume.

Bagged meals will continue Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from the side door after we re-open downstairs. Those attending the worship service will also receive their bagged lunch when they exit the church after the service. Those who prefer to can eat their bagged lunch at a table downstairs after the service instead of taking it home.

As 2022 comes to a close, the Urban is grateful for the continued financial support in so many ways that make the Lutheran Urban Ministry possible. I am particularly grateful for the volunteers who help me every week and for the meal teams, and the congregations who donate food items for the pantry and all who help to make these bagged meals and emergency food possible. We are currently distributing 1,200 – 1,400 bagged meals per month (4x/wk).

As this year comes to a close, we pray for our much-loved Urban community. We pray for those who are lonely, worried, cold, scared, homeless, struggle with food insecurity, housing insecurity, struggle with a disability or illness, an addiction, grief, and loss. We pray for the missing Indigenous women and girls and we pray for the families of those who have been found murdered.

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.

Our website: www.theurban.ca. 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.

NEWS from NEST:

NEST is taking on the refugee sponsorship of single man from Afghanistan.  He speaks English fairly well and we hope he'll arrive within a year.  

NEST has caregivers for this sponsorship, but it would be good to have a few more, including some people close to his own age (late twenties).  

We’ll be looking for household goods later, and we ask that you keep us in mind if you’re able to hold onto such things for awhile.  

Please call Doreen 204-334-8819 or Ursula 204-487-3840 or Jim Mair (the Chair of NEST) 204-632-4757 if you can help or have questions.

From the files…

Faith-based Gardening:

            A few years ago, Roy Meakings planted a few things out behind St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church in Winnipeg.  He dug up some rows by hand, only to discover some very poor soil with lots of stones and bits of concrete in it.  Because of this, he made some little hills out of leaves and grass and whatever he could find in order to see what would grow. That first year was hard, and sometimes Roy felt like giving up.  However, he stuck with it, leaving it to God to water the garden and also to give the growth.

            While that first year produced quite a modest crop, each year since then has gotten better.  A rototiller has helped greatly in digging up the soil, and every so often Roy has been able to add some soil that shows up via one of the neighbours near the church.  It is generally not topsoil, and often has bits of plastic, concrete or stones that need to be dug out.  However, every little bit of organic material helps.

            As of 2015, Roy has several garden plots on the go out behind the church, including what he has dubbed the “LUM garden.”  The produce from this garden was delivered to the Lutheran Urban Ministry in Winnipeg – things like potatoes, beans, carrots and beets.  This particular garden plot, according to Roy, was the worst piece of land that he had ever seen.  God has taken the fallow ground and made it fruitful!

            When Roy started out that first year, he really didn’t know what would happen.  While he had some thoughts initially about a community garden, to this point that hasn’t worked out.  However, several members of St. Luke’s Zion have joined Roy in planting a few rows out behind the church, just to see what will grow.  Thus far, the produce has made it to LUM, to a local farmer’s market, to the youth group, and to various individuals who just happened to stop by.

Roy planted, God watered, and God gave the growth.  Thanks be to God!                                  

-- Pastor Lynne Hutchison,

St. Luke’s Zion, Winnipeg