October 2022

Monthly Messenger
Saron Lutheran Church

From the Pastor’ Desk Events in October

“One man, Martin Luther, took a stand that literally 1 Women’s Breakfast
shredded the fabric of Europe. It changed theology, it 5 Prayer Meeting
changed politics, it changed society and it changed 9 Bible Study
political boundaries. It gave us a revolution in education, 16 Young Families Gathering
in literacy. There are many, many manifestations of the 19 Escalon Senior Fun Bunch
Reformation.” 20 Council Meeting
- Tom Rassieur 23 Commitment Sunday
30 Reformation Sunday
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther shared his “95
Theses” (also known as the “Disputation on the Power and
Efficacy of Indulgences”) with the church and the world.
What initially began as a critique of an unjust church Mark your Calendar
practice that harmed vulnerable populations, sparked the
Reformation. The Reformation spanned two centuries, 11/5 Kris Kringle Market
involved many theologians from all over Europe, and 11/6 All Saints Sunday
birthed the Lutheran faith that we continue to honor today. 11/20 Thankoffering Sunday
A single man and a single moment shaped the church and
the world forever!

Over 500 years later, we are still being re-formed as we Join us for Worship!
listen to the calling of the Spirit in our own lives and as a
church. We are in an ever-changing world and we are Sundays at 9:30 am
invited to continue to listen to what God has to share with In the Sanctuary or
us in this time and this place. Dear friends, this is the faith on the Saron Lutheran Church
to which we are called. Let us continue to share the spirit Facebook page
of the Reformation that is alive in For those attending in person, face masks
our church. and social distancing are recommended to
prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Reformation Sunday Bulletins are sent via email every week.
is on October 30th!
Don’t forget to wear your Saron Staff
Reformation Red!
Rev. Callie Torres, Pastor
In Love and Peace, Louise Spurgeon, Secretary
Pastor Callie Torres
Office Hours
Saron Lutheran Church Monday through Friday
1742 North Street, Escalon CA95320 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
saronlutheranescalon.org
209-838-7695 | saronlutheran@att.net
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President’s Message
We all know that nut harvesting time in the valley
involves an abundance of hard work. One of my
favorite jobs during harvest is hauling super carts to
the pick-up machine, as this job allows some time
for personal thoughts and contemplation.
So the next time you see the dust of harvest hanging
in the air, remember...sometimes we have to
experience the dust of life the see the beauty and
the opportunities.
Lisa Alessi, Council President

Sitting on the tractor, under a canopy of leaves, out

in the field, is peaceful and beautiful, but as we all
know, it can also be dusty; very dusty. As the pick-
up machine chugs down the rows, the amount of
dust produced often creates zero visibility. As the
dust dissipates, the remaining dust particles hang in
the air. The sunlight filters through the leaves of
the trees and reflects off of the dust, creating what I
refer to as, “God Light”. It is truly beautiful.

While observing these, "holy" rays of light, it

occurred to me that the dust, could be viewed as
symbolic of our daily problems. The dust, like our
problems, clouds our vision, distracting us from
focusing on greater things and spiritual growth.

The dust, conversely, makes it possible to see

clearly the, "God Light" and it's beauty. Our daily
problems give us the opportunity to self examine
and to bring our worries to God through prayer,
thereby building a closer relationship with our
creator and Heavenly Father.

I have realized that things in our life that we

perceive as negative, our problems, can be viewed
as opportunities; a way to learn, a way to grow and
become the person that God wants us to be.

What’s in the Pews? Volunteer Needed for Easter and

You may notice a few more things in the pews as
you enter the Sanctuary for worship on Sunday:
Bibles, With One Voice (blue hymnals). Lutheran
Book of Worship (green hymnals) Welcome Cards,
General Offering Envelopes, and ELCA World
Hunger Offering Envelopes. You are encouraged to
take a moment to look at these materials, fill out a
card with a prayer request, make a donation to
support people in need, and sing along with beloved
hymns!
Christmas Flowers
For Christmas and Easter, the altar is decorated with
beautiful poinsettias and lilies to celebrate the
specialness of these sacred festivals. A new
volunteer is needed to order, pick up, and place the
flowers. If you are interested in serving and
enriching worship in this way, please contact the
church office at 209-838-7695.

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A Fantastic Bunco Event!
A great time was had by all at the Bunco Fundraiser
on September 17th! Folks enjoyed tasty baked
potatoes and salad, savored scrumptious desserts,
played many rounds of bunco, and won fantastic
prizes!
Over $4,000 was raised to help families in need this
holiday season. Thank you to all who attended, all
who volunteered, and all who donated money and
prizes!
Women’s Breakfast - Oct 1st
Mark your calendar for the next Women’s Breakfast
on Saturday, October 1st. 8:30 am at the Perko’s in
Riverbank.. Please call Dorene to RSVP at 209-605
-0951, as we will need to let the restaurant know
how many to expect.
Prayer Meeting - Oct 5th
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I
am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20). Incredible
things happen when we get together to pray. Each
month we gather to pray for our church, the world,
and share prayer requests. The next prayer group
meeting will be on October 5th at noon and we will
be meeting at Deva’s Coffee Shop on J Street in
Modesto. All are invited, please join us!
Bible Study - Oct 9th
The next Bible Study meeting will be on Sunday,
October 9th after worship. Come and join as we
deepen our understanding of scripture, discuss the
life of faith, and share stories with one another as
we explore the lectionary readings together.
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Young Families Gathering - Oct 16th Donations Needed for Book Nook
and Puzzle Place
Families with young children, toddlers, and infants
are invited to gather on Sunday, October 16th at Planning is underway for our Kris Kringle Market.
11:30 am for fellowship, support, and an One of the new features this year will be a BOOK
opportunity to talk about faith for little ones. NOOK and PUZZLE PLACE, to sell books and
Sandwich fixings will be provided for lunch, puzzles as a part of the market, since we are a
please bring a kid-friendly side dish or a beverage congregation of avid readers and puzzlers!
to share. Bring a printed photo or two of your
family (pets included!) for a prayer activity. If you have any
Weather permitting, we will meet in the grass next gently used books or
to the playground on the west side of the church puzzles to donate
property. Hope to see you there! please bring them to
church or to the
church office during
the week. Your help
in this effort is very
appreciated. Thanks
to Betty for her
generous donation of
puzzles!

Escalon Senior Fun Bunch News
You are invited to call Ann Shaddix if you would
like further information at 209-505-7854.
BREAKING NEWS!
Santa will be at the Kris Kringle
Market
At great expense, organizers of the Kris Kringle
Market are flying in Santa, all the way from the
North Pole, to bring holiday cheer to Escalon!

Bring the grandkids, your neighbors and your

October C.A.R.E. Donations
The number of individuals needing assistance have
increased at C.A.R.E. This month we are asked to
bring different types of crackers. Please bring
your donations to the church by Sunday, October
23rd and it will be delivered to C.A.R.E. Monetary
donations are welcome as you are able,
friends to the Kris Kringle Market on Saturday,
November 5th from 9 am - 2 pm to take a free
picture with Santa.
Shop the KKM for gifts galore! Pick up some
baked goods to enjoy and to share. Plan on having
lunch at KKM too. The busy kitchen elves will be
serving what you need to fuel your shopping
extravaganza!

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Stewardship Temple Talk
September 18th, Sylvia McGowan
Good morning! Several months ago Gary
Thomasser spoke with us about a Stewardship book
he read that changed his perspective on stewardship.
I asked Gary if he would loan me his book and he
said yes. After reading the book, “Ask, Thank,
Tell” by Charles Lane, I learned a new, biblical
meaning of stewardship that I’d like to share with
you today.
What I discovered is that stewardship is an outcome
of a person’s relationship with God. Biblical
stewardship focuses on the giver, the follower of
Jesus, not the congregation. As followers of Jesus,
we can intentionally choose to grow in our
relationship with our Lord. So I asked myself,
“How am I growing in my relationship with Jesus
and what is the outcome of that growth?” For
example, in the springtime, we can see nature
growing new blossoms and then the fruit comes. So
again I asked myself, “What is visible about my
spiritual growth and the fruit of that growth?
Stewardship means using my time, my talent, and
my treasures (my finances) as a reflection of my
growing relationship with my Lord and Savior. As
you know, God is the owner of everything, even our
abilities and resources. God is the owner of my
time, my talents, and my treasures. What is my
response to the blessings I have received? Do I give
God the glory and ask God how I am called to use
what He has entrusted to me?
I’ve also been reading book by Bob Goff,
“Everybody Always”. Bob says the incredible
message is that Love came to earth to give…and
that we’re all tied for first place in God’s mind.
God loves each of us so very much. God doesn’t
want us to just study Him like He’s an academic
project. He wants us to become love, to pass along
His love. People who are becoming love take
action to make a differ ence. We can make a
difference by using our time, talents, and treasures
to the glory of God.
What are the tangible ways we can use our
treasures/our finances to become love and to
demonstrate our love? Some tangible ways I
thought of are: Lutheran Outdoor Ministries to
include Mt. Cross, Lutheran Social Services,
C.A.R.E., or at our church – the recent replacement
of several air conditioning units in order to provide
a comfortable space for all, or upkeep of our
beautiful grounds and building so we can show
hospitality to everyone who enters our doors. I’m
sure you can think of other tangible ways to become
love and demonstrate God’s love.
Next month, in October, our church will be starting
the annual Stewardship Drive for us to pledge our
time, talent, and treasures for 2023. How can we
make a difference? How can we become love?
Will you consider giving 1% more of your time,
your talent, and your treasures to grow in your
relationship with Jesus? I’m excited about what
the Lord wants me to pledge for 2023 and what fruit
will happen from my pledge. Just think about the
possibilities for 2023 for Saron Lutheran Church!
Each of us can choose to reflect Christ’s love, to
become love. Together, we can make a difference!
Commitment Forms will be mailed in
early October. Please complete
them and bring the forms to church
on or before worship on
Commitment Sunday, October 23!
Did you know you can list Saron Lutheran Church
as a beneficiary on your life insurance, bank
accounts, trust, etc. You can designate a percentage
to your family and a percentage to Saron Lutheran
Church. Have you recently reviewed and updated
your beneficiary forms?
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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

October Birthdays Saron Lutheran Church Council

2 Laurence Peters Lisa Alessi, President

4 Cindy Moreno Louise Spurgeon, Vice-President
15 Jennifer Shipley Ann Shaddix, Secretary
16 Mike McNinch Krista Adametz
18 Rosemary Scholz Lori Armstrong
21 Mark-John (Dahlin) Kathy Pendleton
Gary Thomasser

November 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
October 22nd.

Find Us On
Facebook

Search for
@SaronLutheranEscalon
and look for the photo of
our church. Follow for
Sunday worship
livestreams, 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.