BAPTISMS FOR DECEMBER:  

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 December in previous years: 

Sharon L. T.            Dolphis V. S.          
William G.M. M.       Jody A. H.    
Anson P. G.             Colton S. H. 
Chase M.P. H.          Emma R. B.    
Donald G. J.            Jordan N. A. G.

Bradley C. J.            Myles L. L. G.           
Albert J. R.              Ulrich F. A.

IN OUR PRAYERS: 

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

Phyllis A. - Concordia Place  

Claire D. - Fred Douglas Lodge

Dorothy H. - Luther Home 

Anne M. - Concordia Place

Alfred T. - Red River Place, Selkirk  

Melita T. - Luther Home

Ollie Z. - Fred Douglas Lodge

WEEKLY BIBLE CONVERSATIONS:

Bible Conversations are held each Wednesday at noon. Bring a bagged lunch – coffee & tea provided. We are currently doing an interactive Bible study based on ‘The Chosen’.

All are Welcome.

SLZ SUNDAY SCHOOL:

December 17th will be the Sunday School Christmas Party – we will also be having a Bake Sale Fundraiser that day! Please let the SS Staff know if your child(s) will be attending the SS Christmas Party to ensure we don’t forget anyone.

ANY Donations for baking that day will be greatly appreciated and accepted. Thank You!

WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP VOLUNTEERS:

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

TRANSIT PLUS: (Did you know?) Those of you with longer memories might remember when Handi Transit stopped coming to St. Luke’s Zion (and all other locations that were not on a bus route).  These days, Handi Transit has morphed into Transit Plus, which now goes anywhere within the city limits.  This change in policy is because there are now several areas in the city with no bus service. Thus, those who qualify for Transit Plus can arrange for transportation to the church for worship and for other events. 

WEEKLY SUNDAY SERVANTS VOLUNTEERS:

We NEED volunteers:

*Readers:

All Sundays through to Dec. 31st

*Communion assistants: 

All Sundays through to Dec. 31st      

- 2 communion assistants each week

*Counters: every Sunday we need 2 people to count

*Ushers: When possible we would like to have 1 volunteer to Usher. This would entail greeting people and as well counting those in attendance.

If you are available please sign-up on the sheet on the table or let Joanne Janzen know either by text, email, phone call or in person.

We appreciate all those who have volunteered up to this point. Thank You

ONLINE WORSHIP:

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

-Sign into your Facebook account and search for @stlukeszion.  Video will not appear until the live stream begins, usually a few minutes before 10:30 am.  You can also view it any time after that.

-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.

Thank you to all of you who have joined our Sunday Worship Services online and who have sent in their offerings by mail, e-transfers and in-person.

Your offerings are greatly appreciated.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH:

Covenant Church (653 Knowles Ave) invites you to celebrate the coming of the King this Christmas season with three fundraising performances of Handel’s Messiah on Fri, Dec. 15th, Sat, Dec. 16th and Sun, Dec. 17th.. The Friday and Saturday’s performances will be at 7:00 PM and the shortened Sunday matinee at 3:00 PM will have exciting features for families with young children. The concerts will feature a 90-voice community choir highlighted by up-and-coming soloists and 20-member chamber orchestra directed by Dr. Stuart Sladden. Admission is $30 for the Friday and Saturday performances and $15 for Sunday (children 12 and under are free on Sunday). Tickets can be purchased by following the link at covenantcrc.ca All proceeds from the event will be going towards Harvest Manitoba, a charity that collects and distributes nutritious food to hungry Manitobans.

Luther Village is seeking new Board members:

Have you ever wanted to get involved in helping shape the present and future of our camp?
Looking for a way to give back to Luther Village?
Do you have skills that might be an asset to the board and the community?

If you are interested or have more questions about available positions, terms and time commitment.

Please email the Board Secretary Megan Schwartz at board@luthervillage.ca

Christmas at Trinity Food Pantry:

The Trinity Food Pantry (TFP) continues to operate out of Saint Katerie Tekakwitha Roman Catholic Church. It is still known as Trinity Place to remember the history of Trinity Lutheran Church at Flora and King. Katerie was a Mohawk woman who survived a small pox epidemic. She is the first indigenous saint in North America.

During COVID Harvest Manitoba experienced a great increase in demand for food. Hamper distribution was reduced from every two weeks to every four weeks. However, the hampers did not double in size. So families have to make do with less food even as prices have risen. There was also a decline of in-kind donations because congregations did not gather for worship. TFP continues to supplement the hampers with fresh produce and high protein foods purchased with donations from congregations and individuals. Congregations are challenged to include a monthly contribution in their annual budget.

For the December hamper distribution Christmas presents will be given to all the children. TFP would appreciate receiving donations to help cover the cost of these Christmas gifts and the cost of additional high protein foods, such as canned meats and fish, vegetables, soups and peanut butter. Women’s sanitary products are always in short supply.

TFP normally provides hampers to about 26 households that include 60 adults and 30-35 children. Coffee and treats are served on hamper day in a Coffee Corner. TFP volunteers and staff from Saint Katerie interact with hamper recipients. It is a time to just sit and listen to their stories. These stories are often about illegal evictions, betrayal and missing persons.

As Christmas approaches donations will help bring cheer to many households living in poverty. Checks marked Trinity Food Pantry made out to Grace Lutheran Church are greatly appreciated.

For more information contact Don Engel.

204-663-5932 or pastordonengel@gmail.com

LUTHERAN URBAN MINISTRY:

November 2023 News from your Ministry Manager

Cold weather has reminded us all that winter is on the way! Extreme cold, gusty winds, slippery and snow-covered sidewalks really affect the everyday life of those who mostly walk to all of their destinations. We are really grateful for donations of mitts, gloves, scarves, toques, socks & gently used men’s/women’s winter jackets, boots.

Resilience and good humour are words that always come to mind to describe our Urban community. Inner strength has been honed by setbacks and the daily struggles of food and housing insecurity, as well as difficult events of life, grief and loss.

Losses within our urban community are always heard with so much sadness. Within the past seven days a 19- year-old young man, and a man who had developed serious health issues in recent years have both passed away. Both came to the Urban for many years and we will remember and miss them.

Some of our circle topics in the past month: The Boy and the Starfish Story – the power of small acts of kindness; God will not leave us alone; Life anecdotes.

“Depression” was the topic in our Mental Wellness Sharing Circles in the first week of November with facilitators from the Canadian Mental Health Association Manitoba/Winnipeg. These are taking place the first week of each month on Wednesdays at our Men’s Lunch/Sharing Circle and our Women’s Sharing Circle, and also at our Thursday Co-ed Sharing Circles – from September 2023 to April 2024. Good information and terrific discussions in all three circles. The topic for the first week of December is “Stress Management”. Mental wellness topics are applicable for people of all walks of life. Also, great conversations and topics in the other circles during the month including “how is your week going”?

To our Urban Community and our MNO Congregation Members and Clergy- please drop by anytime to our:

Sunday Worship Service: door opens at 1:00 p.m. with coffee/tea. Worship service 1:30 – 2:15 p.m.

Men’s Lunch/Sharing Circle every Wednesday - Downstairs at Noon Please stop by at 12:00 p.m. Noon (ring the doorbell) for lunch and great fellowship and conversation!

Women’s Sharing Circle every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. (until 3:30 p.m.) Please arrive at 2:00 p.m. (ring the doorbell) for coffee/tea/dessert and great fellowship and conversation! Women’s Drop-in every Wednesday from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Please drop in (ring the doorbell) for coffee/tea/cookies and visiting together! Kids & grandkids welcome to come with you and we have colouring and arts and crafts to keep them busy.

Co-ed Sharing Circle every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (please arrive at 4:30 p.m.) Please stop by at 4:30 (ring the doorbell) for great fellowship and conversation! And coffee/tea/dessert.

- Rhonda Gorham,

Ministry Manager, Lutheran Urban Ministry Corp.

Coping with Loss Workbook: Healing Grief & Loss

“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.”  WINNIE THE POOH

Grief Workbook PDF for Download

(copy link into browser)

https://mindremakeproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/COPING-WITH-LOSS-Final.pdf

Canadian Lutheran World Relief's (CLWR)

Gifts from the Heart catalogue is available now! Bring a smile to your loves one this Christmas season with a meaningful gift that shares hope with someone in need. New gifts in this year's catalogue include school meals in Nicaragua and clean water at women's centres. Watch your mailboxes and inboxes for your copy, or visit CLWR's website when you click here!

Opportunities Within the ELCIC:

CLWR: Consultant - Gender Based Assessment Plus and Vulnerability Analysis
Our partner organization Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) is seeking to contract a consultant for Gender Based Assessment Plus and Vulnerability Analysis for its Nature Based Solutions project in Cameroon and Chad. The consultant will report to CLWR's Program Manager responsible for the Nature Based Solutions Project. As international travel is a requirement, the position is classified hybrid/remote. To view the full job posting and to learn how to apply, please click here. Interested applicants should apply by Friday, December 8, 2023.

The Presbyterian Church in Canada: Employment Opportunity
The Assembly Council of The Presbyterian Church in Canada is looking for a qualified candidate to fill in the position of Intercultural Liaison. This position is a General Secretary level appointment of the General Assembly on nomination of the Assembly Council. This position is a five-year appointment and is open to all qualified individuals within the Reformed faith tradition. Interested applicants are to submit their resumes and cover letters by January 15, 2024. For a full description of this position, please click here.

World Council of Churches: Programme Executive, Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation (IRDC)
The World Council of Churches is looking for qualified candidates for the position of Programme Executive, Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation (IRDC) and will be based in Geneva. For more information and how to apply, please click here. Deadline for applications is on December 17, 2023.

Anglican Church of Canada: Program Associate and Program Coordinator Positions for Indigenous Ministries
Our full communion partner the Anglican Church of Canada has several job openings that you may be interested in. These include: Program Associate, Indigenous Ministries and Coordinator, Indigenous Ministries. For a full description on these job openings and to know how to apply, please click here. Deadline for applications is on January 14, 2024.