September 2021

Monthly Messenger
Saron Lutheran Church

From the Pastor’s Desk Events in September

As the month of August comes to a close and the month of 9/6 Labor Day: Office Closed
September begins, I find myself appreciating the end of the 9/9 Church Council
warmer weather, and I am even finding it helpful to grab a 9/11 Bishop Rohrer Installation
sweater as I run out the doors in the morning. While the 9/12 Grandparents Day
autumnal equinox isn’t celebrated until the 22nd of this 9/25 KKM Presale
month, I am already starting to feel fall in the air.
Mark your Calendars
As we respond to the changes in weather and our farmers
begin the almond harvest process, I believe that we are 10/3 Blessing of Animals
reminded of our connection to the earth, to God’s creation. 10/9 Golf Tournament
Psalm 24:1 reads, “The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in 10/31 Reformation Sunday
it, the world, and those who live in it.” The Earth where we 11/6 Kris Kringle Market
live is connected to God and we are connected to one 11/7 All Saint’s Sunday
another. As inhabitants on this Earth our actions, behaviors, 11/21 Thankoffering Sunday
and patterns have an impact on all of our earth-bound
neighbors.
Join us for Worship!
From September 1st through October 4th, churches from
different denominational traditions around the world,
Sundays at 9:30 am
including the Lutheran World Federation, invite churches to In the Sanctuary or
celebrate the Season of Creation. Beginning in 1989, the on the Saron Lutheran Church
Season of Creation is an opportunity to focus on prayer and Facebook page
advocacy for the Earth in the midst of the long season of For those attending in person, face masks and
Pentecost. For the next several Sundays we will be social distancing are strongly recommended
reflecting on how we are interconnected and dependent on to prevent the
the incredible Earth that God has given to us to enjoy and spread of COVID-19.
care for. Bulletins are sent via email every Friday.

In Love and Peace,

Saron Staff
Pastor Callie Torres
Callie Torres, Pastor
Ann Shaddix, Secretary

Office Hours
Monday through Friday
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Saron Lutheran Church
1742 North Street, Escalon, CA 95320
saronlutheranescalon.org
209-838-7695 | saronlutheran@att.net

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President’s Message
Did you know that Escalon has a population of
7590 people? People are everywhere, yet some feel
alone. Often, we get so involved in our daily lives
that we don’t take the time to really get to know
others. We tend to stay in our small social circles
where we feel comfortable.
New Council Members Installed
Saron’s Church Council members and officers were
installed in worship on Sunday, August 1st. Please
hold the council members in prayer as they
diligently work to make decisions for the life of the
congregation. Council meetings are typically the
second Thursday of the month at 5:30 pm.

It is important that we at Saron have a presence in

our community. Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the
world and proclaim the gospel to the whole
creation.”

This past month, we at Saron participated in both

National Night Out and Park Fete. We reached out
to our community and encountered new people. We
invited people to church and to our upcoming golf
event. We opened the door and gave others an
invitation to be in our community; to get to know
us. National Night Out

Being in church on Sundays is definitely important

but we need to follow Christ every day and in the
context of all of our individual communities. That’s
where we will see ministry happen.

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light

shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in
heaven.”

Your Sister in Christ,

Lisa Alessi
Council President
National Night out was on Tuesday, August 3rd!
Thanks to all the volunteers that came together,
tasty tacos and nachos were enjoyed by many of the
first responders in our community: fire fighters,
police officers, and emergency medical technicians.
They marked their approach with sirens in the
ambulance, fire truck, and police cars. After filling
up on tacos at Saron they visited six other locations
in Escalon. We give thanks for the incredible work
that they do to keep our community safe and we are
grateful that we had an opportunity to celebrate
them!

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Park Fete
Park Fete was held on August 6th & 7th on Main
Street in Escalon. Hundreds of people gathered to
enjoy music, fair treats, rides, and support local
artisans. Pastor Callie and several volunteers were
also there to share the news about our church at a
Saron Lutheran Church booth! We had a chance to
talk about worship, share about events coming up,
and make some new connections! Karen P designed
a beautiful banner with the church’s name on it, so
you couldn’t miss us. The parade on Saturday
morning was a real highlight. See the photo with
Ann riding with the Senior Fun Bunch!
Historic Building Saved By Grossi
Family
Back in 1936, the Escalon Lumber Yard was built
and served our community for many years.
Recently, Saron Lutheran’s Grossi family bought
the building and gave it a major facelift. Larry and
Shannon Grossi, along with the help of their son
Harrison, have transformed the historic building
into a beautiful multi-use facility which includes,
office space, warehouse space and retail.
The Grossi family has lived in Escalon their entire
lives and have seen so many historic buildings
vanish. “We bought this landmark to keep it alive.”
said Larry Grossi. With a great deal of planning
and labor, their dream has come alive.
Now known as, “The Merchant Yard” located at
1445 First St., the historic building has retained the
character and look of the past Escalon Lumber Yard
but is fresh, bright and upscale. Escalon is now
home to a wine bar aptly named, “Lumberyard
Cellars”. Enjoy a glass of wine on the patio,
indoors or in their wine tasting room.
Additionally, you may browse for women’s and
children’s clothing at the newly opened, “Pencie &
Ginger” boutique or book at photoshoot at, “Studio
Off Main”, a photography studio, also at The
Merchant Yard.
There are many other business in this new and
thriving complex. Take a stroll, check them out and
admire the craftsmanship of this beautiful remodel.
Thank you to the Grossi family for saving this
historical building for future generations to enjoy.
EMA Food Voucher Fundraiser
$300 was raised at the D’Boni’s pizza fundraiser on
August 18th! The money will go to purchase food
vouchers for families in need over the holiday
season. More donations are needed! If you would
like to donate directly to support EMA Holiday
Food Vouchers you can place a cash donation in an
envelope marked “EMA Fundraiser” or write a
check to “Saron Lutheran Church” with “EMA
Fundraiser” in the memo. Every little bit helps!
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Thank You
Thank you for the gift of a Scholarship for $500.00
for each of us. Thus will be very helpful with the
purchasing of books for college at MJC.
Julie Avila and Katie Avila.

A California Runestone
This is an article written by our very own Birger
Pearson and was featured in the Viking Heritage
Magazine in April of 2003.
On a visit to Sigtuna one fine day in June 1981, I
stopped to admire a beautiful runestone in front of
St. Per'sruined church. I was intrigued by its text,
in eleventh-century Futhark: ...nuntr * lit
* raisa * stain dhina * at * sik * kuik...n *. "[An]
und had this stone set up for himself while he was
still al[iv]e." I took a picture of it, and said to
myself, "I'd like to have a stone like that some
day."
David worked on the stone in his spare time, and
it was finished in June. I call it
“Fridhemstenen” (The Fridhem stone) after the
name we have given to our place. We had a
dedication party at Fridhem soon after, led by the
local godhi (myself), with readings from
Havamal, “consecration” with the sledge serving
as a Thor’s Hammer, and libations of beer poured
out of a drinking horn. It was all in good fun,
which even our local Lutheran pastor enjoyed.
The congregation consisted for the most part of
svenskättlingar (Swedish descendants), but we did
include a couple of Norwegian friends.

Anund’s stone inscription is not unique. I know of I suppose that people who drive by our place
four other examples with the same formula, all don’t know what to make of my runestone. After
four set up by Jarlabanke at Täby, in Uppland. all, there aren’t many like it in these parts. Some
(See Sven B. F. Jansson, Runes in Sweden, pp. probably regard it (and its owner) with some
108, 121.) suspicion. But I'm happy to tell its story to
whoever is interested.
Fast forward to April, 1994. I had just retired
from my professorship and moved to a country
home outside of Escalon, California. I received a
telephone call from my son David, then working
as a plumber on a job site at Oakhurst, near
Yosemite, California. “I found a great
piece of granite for your runestone,” he said. I
rented a flat-bed truck, drove up to Oakhurst, and
my son had the stone placed on the truck. (He
paid the operator of the crane a six-pack of beer.)

I brought it home, dug a trench, and slowly

lowered the stone into the trench. A neighbor
came down with his tractor and righted the stone
into position. My son David volunteered to chisel
the inscription for me.

Using Anund’s stone as a model, I traced the

inscription inside a coiled serpent, with a square
cross (crux quadrata) within the coil (see photo),
using a red felt pen. David "carved" the stone by
hand with steel chisels and a hand sledge. The
inscription reads: *** Birkir * lit * raisa * stain *
dhina * at * sik * kuikuan * tauit * risti ***,
“Birger had this stone set up for himself while he
was still alive. David carved.” I added the last two
words to credit my son for all of his work.
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As you are all are probably aware, the 15th Annual
Saron Lutheran Community Golf Tournament will
be held on October 9th.
DON'T STOP READING BECAUSE YOU DO
NOT GOLF!
All of us can help with this MAJOR Saron
Lutheran Church event.
#1 - Do you golf or does ANYONE you know golf?
Please grab a flyer and give it to them or we can
email them a digital copy! Just call me or the office
and we will email the flyer to all of your golfer
family members or friends!
#2 - Do you know someone who owns a business
who would like to sponsor a golf hole or could
donate a raffle prize or silent auction item? They
will get advertisement in our program. Ask your
hair dresser, your gardener, your family and
friends!
#3 - Do your make a craft item that you could
donate to on the silent auction? Do you
bake? Would you be willing to make cookies once
September C.A.R.E. Donations
Please bring bread to give to C.A.R.E. to assist
those in need. Other items are (cereal, boxed meals,
canned foods and fruits) are also welcome. If you
choose to make a monetary donation please make
your check payable to Saron Lutheran Church and
note C.A.R.E. as a memo or on your offering
envelope.
Women’s Breakfast
Mark your calendar for our monthly women’s
breakfast on October 2nd, 8:30 am at Perko’s on
Oakdale Road in Modesto. Please let us know at the
church office or call Louise or Ann as we will need
to let the restaurant know how many to expect.
a month for 6 months to provide a cookie
subscription? Be creative! Think out of the box!
#4 - Can you volunteer on the day of the
event? Would you be able to man the lunch
station? Could you help with beverage
sales? Could you help set up tables and
chairs? Could you assist with the check in process?
This is a HUGE fundraiser for Saron and we would
like ALL hands on deck! This event raises money
for coats and shoes for kids in need at Dent
Elementary, funds our Technology Outreach
Ministry and also funds our Saron Lutheran
building Maintenance fund.
If you are not aware, all of our air-conditioning
units are very old. We will need to replace them
sooner than later. Each unit costs $10,000
each. We have a minimum of nine left to replace,
over time. The funds from the last golf tournament
plus a portion of this tournament will replace one
unit.
Please do what you can to support this event. If we
all work hard together, we can add to our much
needed building maintainence fund.
Please participate. Please feel free to call me
directly to discuss any questions you may
have. Let's work as a team to accomplish our
goals!
Thank you!
Lisa Alessi
Golf Tournament Chair Person
Bishop Rohrer’s Installation
Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer will be installed as the 5th
Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod on Saturday,
September 11th at 2:00 pm at Grace Cathedral in
San Francisco. In-person attendance has been
limited due to concerns of COVID-19, visit
www.spsbishop
installation.com to
find a local watch
party or stream on
your own. All are
invited to join and
celebrate this
important day for
our synod and our
church!
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Kris Kringle Market Update
Please mark the dates of September 25th and
November 6th on your calendar. We will be having
an outdoor presale for Kris Kringle Market in front
of church on September 25th from 9:00am-1:00pm.
At that time we will also start taking orders for the
succulent pumpkins which will be available for
pickup on Saturday, October 23rd. These are only
available from preorders so we know how many to
make.
Our hope is to have an in person KKM sale on
November 6th and after church on Nov 7th and
thereafter online. Of course, this will be dependent
on conditions at the time.
We hope many of you have been working on items
to sell and would very much appreciate you calling
the office to let us know what is coming so we can
plan. Please bring any items for sale to church no
later than Sunday, Oct. 24th, except for baked
goods which can be brought on Friday, November
5th, or the morning of November 6th. Thank you
everyone for making this a successful event each
year!
Women’s Prayer Group
Incredible things happen when women get together
to pray for one another, for the church, and the
world. Plans for a weekly women’s prayer group
have begun! A time and date has not yet been set,
once a group gathers, the schedule will be decided.
If you are interested in participating please talk to
Pastor Callie or Mary B.
Bible Study - Returning Sept 12th
After a long hiatus, Bible Study is returning to
Saron Lutheran Church! Bible Study is a wonderful
opportunity to delve into scripture, appreciate the
historical context, and reflect on what God’s Word
means for us today. To start, we will be meeting on
the second Sunday of each month at 8:30 am, prior
to worship. The first Bible Study gathering will be
on September 12th. Hope to see you there!
Grandparent’s Day - Sept 12th
Grandparents’ Day is a celebration of grandparents
and the special relationship that they have to their
grandchildren! It is celebrated in many countries
around the world and in the United States it is
celebrated each year on the Sunday after Labor
Day. All grandparents, grandchildren, and great
grandchildren are invited to come to worship and
celebrate this special day!
Blessing of the Animals - Oct 3rd
Mark your calendars for Blessing of the Animals on
October 3rd! Worship will be outside and leashed or
caged pets and animals are welcome to attend.
Photographs of animals are also welcome. During
the service we will worship together and all animals
will receive a special blessing!
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We are a congregation called to faithfully follow Jesus Christ by sharing the inclusive love of
God with our neighbor using our gifts joyfully in worship and service.

Together we use our gifts to move into God’s future inviting all we encounter with the hope
of the Gospel

September Birthdays Saron Lutheran Church Council

01 Jerry Emery Lisa Alessi, President
Sylvia McGowan Louise Spurgeon, Vice-President
Becky Emery, Secretary
03 Jorge Torres Dave Strand, Treasurer
04 Samantha Shipley Krista Adametz
10 Richard Jilbert Laurence Peters
11 Turner Hewitt Gary Thomasser
17 Birger Pearson
22 Sharon Harrison
30 Shari White October Messenger Deadline
If you have any news or announcements that you
would like included in next month’s messenger
please submit it to saronlutheran@att.net by
Monday, September 20th.

Find Us On
Facebook
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@SaronLutheranEscalon
and look for the photo of
our church. Follow for
Wednesday devotionals,
Sunday worship, news from
our church, and more!

Contact Pastor Callie

If you have any questions, suggestions, or prayer
concerns please feel free to contact Pastor Callie at
pastorcallie.saron@gmail.com or 209-425-3390.
(text/call). She is eager to hear from you! Saron Lutheran Church is part of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America