The Monthly Messenger
Future Messengers will highlight selected
parts of the liturgy.
THE PEACE OF THE LORD BE WITH YOU . .
..
The greeting of Christian brothers and sisters by
passing the Peace has from the beginning of the
church has been a pivotal point in our worship. In
the earliest writings, dated during the same time as
our earliest New Testament writings, the ‘Kiss of
Peace’ was part of the community worship. It is
not incidental to our worship but an intentional ac-
tion that is explained by this quote from our ELCA
worship resources:
First be reconciled to your brother or sister. . .
The presiding minister offers these words: "The
peace of the Lord be with you always." The congre-
gation responds "And also with you." The members
of the congregation are then invited to "share the
peace" with one another.
What does this really mean?
Sharing God’s peace is not simply offering a
friendly hello to those sitting around you. Sharing
God’s peace is not a time for catching up on news
with your neighbor or for reminding someone
about an upcoming meeting. Sharing God’s peace
September 2019
Worship With Us
Sunday Schedule
9:00 am
Praise and Thanksgiving Commun-
ion
Sept. 1
Proverbs 25:6-7, Psalm 112, Luke 14:1,
7-14
By God’s grace in holy baptism we have
a place at the banquet table 0f the Lord.
When, by power of that same Spirit, hu-
mility and mutual love continue among
us, the church can be more inviting still.
Sept. 8
Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 1, Luke
14:25-33
Called to contemplate the cost of disci-
pleship today, we might be helped by
translating Paul’s request to Philemon
into our prayer of the day: Refresh my
heart in Christ .
Sept. 15
Exodus 32:7-14, Psalm 51:1-10, Luke
15:1-10
Our God wills to seek and to save the
lost is not only a holy hope, it is our on-
ly hope.
Sept. 22
Amos 8:4-7, Psalm 113, Luke 16:1-13
Apart from the generosity of God we
have nothing—we are nothing. By
God’s gracious favor we have every-
thing we need.
Sept.29
Amos 6:1a, 4-7, Psalm 146, Luke 16:19-
31
Consideration of and care for those in
need is an essential component of good
stewardship.
(Continued from the first page.) HONORING BIRGER
does not require each worshiper to offer a sign
There has been a date change for the
of God’s peace to every other worshiper pre-
celebration Saron is planning for Birger
sent.
Pearson. Due to a surgery date for a
hip replacement on September 13, we
The “exchange of peace” (also commonly called
are moving the celebration date to Sat-
“sharing the peace” or “passing the peace”) is
urday, November 9th, 5pm, at Saron
an act of reconciliation that serves as a transi-
Lutheran. This will give Birger time to
tion point between the Word and Meal portions
heal and be at his best for this special
of the liturgy.
day.
As stated in The Sunday Assembly:
Birger has made many contributions to
The exchange of peace is a ministry, an an-
the church, especially as a gifted organ-
nouncement of grace we make to each other, a
ist for the congregation and a major
summary of the gift given to us in the liturgy of
force behind the addition of pipes for
the Word. This ministry we do to each other is
our organ. In the larger church Birger,
far greater than a sociable handshake or a rit-
as a linguist and religious scholar, has
ual of friendship or a moment of informality.
made significant contributions to the
Because of the presence of Jesus Christ, we give
historical and biblical knowledge of the
to each other what we are saying: Christ’s own
larger church.
peace. Then, having been gathered by the Spi-
rit around the Risen One present in the word,
Mark your calendar for November 9th
we turn to celebrate his meal.
for a time of music, reflection, and a
fabulous meal. If you are newer to Sa-
Each congregation develops, over time, a per-
ron this will be a fun and informative
sonality: some more outgoing and exuberant
time to learn a bit of Saron’s history
and some more reflective and restrained. How-
and enjoy the music that is part of our
ever when passing the Peace it is important to
heritage.
remember the intention of the action. No
where else in our lives are these words said on
a regular basis, let them be said with joy and THANK YOU SUZANNE,
intention. AND please stay for coffee and a
cookie following worship so you can catch up Suzanne has served as Stewardship
with friends during the Fellowship time. chair for over a dozen (that’s 12!) years
Pr. Sheri and we are grateful for her passion and
work on behalf of Saron. She will soon
turn to a new ministry of her choice. We
know that whatever that ministry deci-
Prayers sion is will bring the same energy and
Continued prayers for comfort and healing for love for Jesus Christ to the task. Thank
Jerry Emery, J.D. Clatterbuck and Dave Cook you, dear Suzanne. We are waiting to
and the family and friends of Peter Bernek. see where you will focus your love and
passion next. You are loved.

Pr Sheri and the Church Council

STEWARDSHIP

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the
cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foun-
dation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fel-
low began to build and was not able to finish’” Luke 14:25-33

This is such an exciting time at Saron, full of potential and forward movement. With ex-
citement also comes some anxiety - when we think of all the potential we also must
acknowledge the risks. Anticipating those risks is a way to focus and plan to bring the
potential into reality. During the months of September and October we will, together,
make decisions on the funding of our 2020 operating budget - with the goal of receiv-
ing Commitments to fund that budget on November 3. What we budget will fund all the
ministries of Saron, including the salary and benefits of a new pastor. Each one of us
has a stake in the ministries of Saron and so has a responsibility to participate in the
funding. This is how you can participate in this important Stewardship year:

listen to the Stewardship sermons on September 8th and September 22 and the temple
given by Pr. Sheri on October 27.
read the Stewardship articles in the October and November Messenger
reflect on the materials you will receive from the Finance Team, Council, and Steward-
ship Team paying particular attention to the idea of proportional giving.
be prepared to make a thoughtful commitment to the ministries of Saron Lutheran and
her future by returning your Commitment Card on November 3

Jesus talks about money a lot in the Gospels: sometimes he uses money, other times he
uses words such as wealth, treasure, possessions, or talents. It is our Christian calling
to make decisions about our wealth that reflect the values that we hold as members of
that elusive place called the Kingdom of God. It is now and not yet. As a community of
Christ let all who encounter our ministries say, The Kingdom of God has come near.

In anticipation of many Saron ministries in 2020,

Pr Sheri, for Stewardship

Sanctuary Denomination
Voting members of the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly ap-
proved a memorial that declares the ELCA a sanctuary denomina-
tion. The ELCA is the first North American denomination to de-
clare itself a sanctuary church body. As a sanctuary church, the
ELCA is committed to serving and supporting migrant children
and families in communities across the country. The ways we
practice sanctuary will look different for everyone, but welcom-
ing people is not a political issue for us—it is a matter of faith.
Talking points videos, posters and educational resources are
available at ELCA.org/SanctuaryChurch.
Rally Day—Second Sunday School
Calling all children to come and join a time for
Sunday School on September 8. We will begin
in the church service and go to the Fireside
Room after the reading of the Gospel. Your
teachers: Nancy Sappenfield, Katie Hair and Te-
rese Hair are anxious to teach you.
We invite high school students to meet after the
service in the Fireside Room. We will be choos-
ing our high school curriculum and plan to meet
on the second Sunday after the service.
Truly hope to see you there!!!
Church Directory
The office staff with the assistance of Suzanne
Tengelsen, will be updating the church directo-
ry. It is our hope to have it available by early Oc-
tober. Please let us know if there are any chang-
es in the listing that we currently have. Also, we
need the month and date of your birthday.
Please e-mail the church with changes to sa-
ronlutheran@att.net or call the church office
838 7695.
Send Cards
You may send cards to Dave Cook:
Oak Valley Care Center, Rm. 304-B
275 S. Oak Avenue
Oakdale, CA
Labor Day:
Office Closed September 2nd. Have a safe holi-
day.
Welcome Baby Jameson!
On August 31, Katie and Garrett
Bomer welcomed their first baby boy,
Jameson Hendrik Bomer. He weighed
8 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 inch-
es long. If you haven’t seen his ador-
able picture yet, it is on the church
bulletin board in the fellowship hall.
Thank You
Our thank you to Phil Sandall who
keeps our back-lot mowed, cleared of
debris, and looking nice. Thank you
Phil for a job well done!
Thank you to Kathy Pendleton who
has cleaned and painted the doors
leading to the back lot. Great job
Kathy!
Dear Members od Saron Lutheran,
Thank you so much for your recent
gift to Mt. Cross! Your generosity in
helping make it possible for 700 peo-
ple to attend camp this summer, and
we wouldn’t be more grateful! Thank
you so much for your support!
Peace,
Adam Erickson
I have enjoyed worshiping here. Such
a warm and welcoming church. I ex-
pect to be back here mid-January.
This church will be in my thoughts
and prayers. Thanks. Peace,
Betty Farver
6341 Buffie Court
Burke, VA 22015
or email to farvr@aol.com
C.A.R.E.
C.A.R.E. Please bring boxed items (cereal,
hamburger helper, etc.) to assist with the
distribution of food for those in need. We
have been told by the Director this these
are the most important items needed this
month. Of course, your monetary dona-
tions are always appreciated.

Women’s Breakfast
You are invited to attend the monthly
women’s breakfast at 8:30 am on Satur-
day, September 7 at Niftip Restaurant in
Riverbank. Call the church office if you
have questions.
Deadline
If you wish to attend the musical
“Beautiful,” the deadline for signing up is
September 1.
Senior Activities
Please join us at the Community Center
for “Good Ole Days” on September 25th
from 1:30-3:30 pm. This will be a fun
event. We will play back to school bingo
and participate in a ukulele sing along.
Come for refreshments. Come
for fun.
Saron Lutheran Church Annual
Bunco Night
See you, Friday, September 6 is our annu-
al Bunco Night with proceeds going to
EMA food vouchers for use at local mar-
kets during the holidays for those in need.
6:00 pm is dinner and sign in and at 7:00
pm the game begins. Tickets are $20 each
that includes bunco, potato bar and
drinks. The raffle tickets are available sep-
arately. Come join us for a fun night of fel-
lowship and food. You might even win a
prize! If you have any questions, please
contact the
church office.

Loss of a Spouse

Please join us for this encouraging semi-

Pictures from
nar on Saturday, September 7 at Escalon
Covenant Church. For info: grief- National Night
share.org/loss/events/1917 Out
 FELLOWSHIP
Fun Bunch

National Night Out

Saron Lutheran's National Night Out celebra-
tion, honoring our local first responders, was a
huge success!

Approximately forty police, fire and rescue

personnel, along with Escalon City officials,
joined a nice Saron membership turnout to cre-
ate a true community gathering.

Our guests were greeted with plenty of smiles,

handshakes and thanks for their service to our
community.

The event's Fiesta theme was fun and fes-

tive! The build-you-own taco bar was a hit and
our special live music truly put a spring in our
steps and made the fiesta festive!!!
Thank you again to Gene
Bartolomei for sharing
his talent!
 Those That Serve

Serving Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 29

Altar Guild J Matt D Grabow T Hair P Strand K Gonzalez
Flowers N Sappenfield C Holck
Greeters R & R Cohagan K Reestierna C & R Jilbert R Scholz J Matt
E Scholz
Musicans B Dahlin S McGowan S McGowan S McGowan S McGowan
Usher M Cole M Cole M Cole M Cole M Cole
Lector B Sappenfield J Emery C Holck D Wright
Refreshments C Holck F & G Hanlon
Assisting Min- D Grochau C Shipley K Linn K Reenstier- T Hair
ister na
Communion J Matt D Grabow T Hair P Strand K Gonzalez
Assistants M Olson D Strand S Tengelsen L Spurgeon
Money K Pendleton D Grabow N Sappenfield
Counters N Sappenfield B Emery

September 12
Witness & Service Committee 9:00 am
Church Council 6:00 pm

September 3
September 20
Journey Toward Justice
Kid’s Night Out 5:30 pm

September 4
October 6
Education & Youth Committee 4:00 pm
Blessing of the Animals

September 6
November 2
EMA Bunco 6:00 pm
Kris Kringle

September 8
November 9
God’s Work, Our Hands
Honoring Birger 5:00 pm
Sunday School Rally and New Member Welcome

December 31
September 10
Bring in New Year’s at Saron
Finance Committee 3:30 pm

September 11
Fellowship Committee—Fun Bunch 11:00 am