BAPTISMS FOR SEPTEMBER:                           

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 September in previous years: 

Jessica E.
Landon W.C.
Lisa M.
Hannah E.
Emersyn R.
Shasta D.
Tiara E.
Taven E.
Richard A.

IN OUR PRAYERS:

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

Helen  – Holy Family Nursing Home

Irene  - River Park Gardens

Lilla  - Luther Home

Elfrieda  - Luther Home 

Anna  – Fred Douglas Lodge

Laura  - Red River Place, Selkirk

Mary  – Luther Home

YOUTH:

Youth update Fall 2015 - As we start our fall planning for youth ministry, we can’t help but look ahead 11 months and begin to get really energized and exited. This is a CLAY (Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth Gathering) year. In August 2016 youth from all parts of Canada will travel across this amazing (and huge) country to meet in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island. The youth and leaders have already been talking about it a bit, plans are to fly to Halifax and then probably a three day Nova Scotia Bus tour and across to the island for the actual gathering. For some youth this will be their first gathering, for some maybe second or third, and for many youth this will be their first time as far away as PEI.  Over the next year there will be a lot of planning, preparing, registering and of course FUNDRAISING. We know that without the support of our congregations and the wonderful people in them, these opportunities for our youth might not be possible.

Looking forward to a great year—PEI here we come!!!

SHARED YOUTH MINISTRY UPDATE:

Recently the Steering Committee and Pastors received word that Kelly Speak would not be returning to the Director of Youth Ministry position for Abundant Life and St. Luke’s Zion.  As Kelly’s maternity leave was to finish at the end of August, action was needed right away in order to ensure that the youth ministry that Kelly began in both congregations can continue into the coming months and years.  Thus the steering committee met with both pastors and with Lisa van Dijk to discuss the next steps.

 As Lisa has been temporarily filling in for the past year and has already begun the process of getting to know the youth in both congregations, the half-time position was offered to her permanently.  Lisa has agreed to continue as the Directory of Youth Ministry for both congregations, with the hope that discussions can be held with Sherwood Park about sharing youth ministry in the future.

 In the meantime, two farewell events will be held for Kelly:  one at Abundant Life on Sept. 20 and one at St. Luke’s Zion on Sept. 27.  Both will take place at the 10:30 am worship service.  Thank you to both Kelly and Lisa for their contributions to youth ministry in our congregations!

“WE CARE” CHALLENGE:

The youth are challenging the congregation to help collect “We Care” bags for CLWR in the month of September.

We will be doing a Learning and Living Kit 

(school supplies); and will kick off the campaign on Sunday Sept 13th - collecting bags until Sunday October 4th.  We will have the “We Care”  bags available in September and filled bags can be dropped off at church or given to Lisa on Sunday September 27th (will be at SLZ). If you do not get a bag- just put in a grocery bag and we will put into the CLWR bags for you.

LEARNING AND LIVING KIT:

Nurturing the next generation:

• 3 lined notebooks

• 10 unsharpened pencils with erasers

• 1 metric ruler (30 cm), 1 pencil sharpener and 1 eraser

• 1 pack of crayons (or pencil crayons)

• 1 small and simple toy (new and not requiring batteries)

• 1 bar of soap and 1 toothbrush (new and wrapped)

• 1 tube of toothpaste (expiration date no earlier than one year. ​

CORN & WIENER ROAST 

Sunday, Sept. 13th        

A​ll Are Welcome!!! 

Please bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating. 

SUNDAY SCHOOL REGISTRATION:

Sunday School registration is also on Sunday, September 13th.  Please mark your calendars.  We look forward to seeing you!

THE URBAN:

*Upcoming Fundraiser: See Poster on the Bulletin Board for details J

We have been getting many new families in the past two months, as some of our people return to the Reservation in the summer and new folks move in, and the word is out about The Urban and it is good news. That being said, also means we need to re-stock the pantry, especially as the children are getting ready to return to school. Many people ask what we need which is broken down into two lists:
Non-Food:
laundry soap; underwear; men's/women's/kids
socks; school supplies for older kids (ages 14 and up); back packs for all ages; soap; shampoo/conditioner; toothbrushes; toothpaste; feminine hygiene; deodorant-men and women; towels; face cloths; toilet paper; can openers
Food:
canned meats; soups; noodles; pasta sauces
jam/peanut butter; rice; cereal; tea/coffee/instant coffee; easy open cans like: Klik, Sardines, Chef Boyrdee, Soups, Alpha-Getti, Ravioli; baby food jars; formula; pampers; bottles; juices; flour; rolled oats

A SONG & SONNET evening with Steve Bell and Malcolm Guite. Elim Chapel, 546 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB  September 10, 7:00 p.m.

Admission: $20 plus $1 convenience fee and GST.
Tickets available to download and self-print, or buy in person at Hull’s Family Bookstore, 1317 Portage Avenue. Buy Tickets Box office: 1.800.854.3499.
See more at: http://stevebell.com/schedule/#sthash.9EUkGamR.dpuf

NEWS FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK: 

Thank you to those who have submitted their items for the newsletter.

Please submit any items you may have for the October Newsletter by September 24th, 2015. Thank you!

THE ELCIC NATIONAL CONVENTION IN BULLET FORM:

*Dr. Marie Wilson from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

*Bishop Susan Johnson re-elected

*Authorized Lay Ministry for Word & Sacrament

*Restorative Justice / Criminal Justice System

*New Constitution & by-laws

*Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery

*Welcoming the Stranger

*ELCA Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

*Climate Justice

*Praying for those who have left the ELCIC

*Missing & murdered indigenous women

*End of life decisions & euthanasia

SLZ - HELP WANTED!

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

*Sunday School Superintendent, Teachers and Helpers!

*Ministers of Transportation (People need rides to church!)

*Banner steward (changes the banners as the church seasons change – must be able to climb a ladder – minor banner repairs as needed)

*NEST Board Member

*Choir Members

*Sunday Servants

LUTHER VILLAGE:

Village Vixens - Women's Golf Tournament on September 11, 2015 at Assiniboine Golf Club! Supporting our community!

villagevixensclassic   Ladies, we cannot express this enough…

ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE WELCOME!!!

Come enjoy the day with us for such a great cause    

**This Fall we are offering a time of Personal Retreat. You can make time for YOU at camp.
We are offering a place where rest is encouraged. You pick your dates from 1-5 nights during September 18-27. Cost of $20/person/night includes morning coffee, muffins and fruit. Explore the wonders of LV at your own pace and retreat. You are your own cook for other meals you provide in your cabin. It's time for you to take care of you. Call 204.898.4052 or email lv@luthervillage.ca for your reservation.
If that time frame doesn't work, come at another time and book a cabin for you and your family or friends.
25% discount off rates.
Thanks for supporting Luther Village.

N.E.S.T. NEWS:

Coming soon?   We hope to have a decision soon regarding the Sponsorship of a Syrian or Iraqui family (each consisting of parents with 3 young children). This is a “Blended Visa Officer Referral” (BVOR) family, where Canada Immigration covers the costs of the first half of the year and NEST the second half (and the TLC). Messiah Lutheran Church (Celebrating their 50th year) will be the “care givers” (but reportedly now on hold). It is hoped the family will arrive before Christmas.

The NEST Picnic was hosted by the Winnipeg Beach United Church, held on Sat. Aug. 15th at the Winnipeg Beach Provincial Park. Some 40 or so people enjoyed a hot sunny day. The potluck lunch was held in the Church Hall, with the hosts supplying the drinks & treats. As always the water-filled balloon-tossing and games were great fun. The Chartered Bus returned to the city around 3:00 p.m. Enroute all the “riders” had signed a Thank you Card for the Church’s invitation and warm hospitality.

There is no “news” regarding our Private Sponsorships of 4 African families. Applications have been “in the works” since 2008 and 2009. Since then some families have grown (new births) and subsequent applications made.

NEST is considering “Incorporation” as a protection for members and name (NEST), etc. There is an annual fee of $125.00.

Future Fundraisers:

1. Applebee’s Pancake Breakfast

   (early January)

2. Potluck Supper

   St. Nicholas Orthodox Church;

   Narol, MB (pre-Lent) (Family Church of Esther Juice (Howard Engel)

    

   NEST “Thanks” St. Luke’s Zion for your faithful financial and prayerful support.

    

   ***Next General Meeting is Tues. Sept. 29, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church. All Welcome! Refreshments follow meeting.                                           Dorothy Handkamer

The Lighter Side:

Q: How do you fix a broken pumpkin?
A: With a pumpkin patch

Q: What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter?
A: Pumpkin Pi

Expert tips to make you a better Gardener          by Canadian Gardening                    

1. Let all your planning ahead be for your plants; 
a year ahead for annuals, two years ahead for the biennials, an indefinite number of years ahead 
for the trees. — Christopher Lloyd

2. Walk through your garden to scout for insects and diseases at least once per week; caught early, problems are easier to treat. — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

3. Try to get a plant in the right place the first time around. Given the proper conditions, the plant will be happy and you’ll save yourself a lot of transplanting work.
— Karen York

4. Never plant trees that will become large with age too close to your 
house. — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

5. Consider your garden private territory. Critics are not welcome! Be honest about what you want, and don’t be concerned with what others may see. If you like woody plants, design a four-season shrub border. Besotted with peonies? Make 
a peony walk. Grow plenty of what you love; you don’t need an excuse 
for excess. Are there ever too 
many rose petals? — Judith Adam

6. Set your lawn mower blades at 7.5 centimetres or higher, and allow your lawn to go dormant during periods of drought. — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

7. Light in a garden is a quarter of the battle. Another quarter is the soil of the garden. A third quarter is the skill and care of the gardener. The fourth quarter is luck. Indeed, one might say that these were the four Ls of gardening, in the following order of importance: Loam, Light, Love and Luck. — Beverley Nichols

8. Don’t be afraid of change. Gardens, and gardeners, are always evolving. It’s part of the process 
so step in boldly and revamp that rockery, yank out those overgrown shrubs or transform that border into a veggie garden, a pond, 
a knot garden—wherever your imagination takes you. — Karen York

9. Always spend five minutes doing some warm up stretches and bends before undertaking strenuous garden work, and never do one task for too long at a time. — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

10. Climbers are among the most useful plants in any garden. They take up little ground space, and they can be employed for many purposes: to clothe a boring fence, to scramble over a dead tree, to frame an archway, to drape a wall, to disguise a shed, or to climb lightly onto a pergola. They demand comparatively little attention, once they have taken hold of their support, maybe a yearly pruning or a kindly rescue if they have come adrift in a gale. — Vita Sackville-West

11. Always water in the early morning; 
it reduces loss to evaporation 
and foliage dries off more quickly (helping to discourage disease problems). — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

12. Observe and chart where the sunlight falls in your garden throughout the course of one day 
in late spring, mid-summer, and early fall. Most people think they have more sunshine 
than they actually do! — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

13. Clean, sharp tools are 
easier to work with, and they do a better job. — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

14. For optimum plant performance, feed the soil with leaves and the soil will feed the plants. Cover all exposed soil with small or shredded large leaves. Stuff leaves under the skirts of shrubs. Dig leaves into vegetable beds. Leaves are the best nutrition for plants. — Judith Adam

15. If you were to ask me for my top kitchen-gardening tip, I’d say that you’d do far better to grow half the amount, but grow it twice as well. — Alan Titchmarsh

16. Select disease-resistant plants for a healthy garden. Many plants have inbred resistance to diseases, including some roses, phlox, bee balm and tomatoes. Plants that remain healthy all season produce more and better flowers and fruits. — Judith Adam

17. Pay attention. Look closely at your garden to understand nature’s complex web of plants, soil, sun, water, insects and wildlife. The greater this awareness the better you’ll know what to do and, more importantly, what not to do. — Karen York

18. Feed your soil (compost, composted manure, shredded leaves, seaweed)—it’s the foundation of every successful garden.
— Stephen Westcott-Gratton

19. Plant trees, shrubs and flowers that encourage wildlife in your garden to keep nature in balance. — Stephen Westcott-Gratton

20. Know the ultimate size of any plant and allow it space so you don’t end up fighting it, moving it or removing it. — Karen York