October 2023

Monthly Messenger
Saron Lutheran Church

From the Pastor’ Desk

“God loves you. Jesus has faith in you. The Holy Spirit’s
got your back.” - Bishop-Elect, Rev. Jeff Johnson Events in October
These powerful words were shared with our newly elected 10/1 Young Families Gathering
bishop while he was in college discerning God’s call on his 10/7 Breakfast Bunch
life. Several years later, he offered this affirmation to all 10/8 Commitment Sunday
who were gathered at the Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly 10/15 Bible Study
last month. I was so struck by these affirmations that I 10/18 Prayer Circle
wanted to share them with you. Escalon Senior Fun Bunch
10/19 Council Meeting
“God loves you.” - We cannot do anything to separate 10/22 Baptism
ourselves from God’s incredible love. God showers us with 10/29 Reformation Sunday
steadfast and unconditional love that knows no bounds. Bible Study

“Jesus has faith in you.” - We each are given gifts and have Mark your Calendar
incredible potential within us. Jesus knows that we have the
capacity for love, service, transformation, and a firmness of 11/4 Kris Kringle Market
faith. 11/5 All Saints Sunday
11/19 Thankoffering Sunday
“The Holy Spirit’s got your back.” - We are never alone in 12/10 Santa Lucia Celebration
our journey. In the highest highs and the lowest lows the 12/24 Christmas Eve
Spirit is present guiding us, strengthening us, and offering 1/21 Congregational Meeting
us wisdom.

We have a busy month ahead with lots of wonderful and Join us for Worship!
fulfilling activities, but we can forget these fundamental Sundays at 9:30 am
truths when our mind is on other things. As we worship and
play, labor and rest, I invite you to deeply consider these In the Sanctuary or
words, allowing them to take root in your life. Who knows on the “Saron Lutheran Church”
what fruits God will raise up in our church community and Facebook page
beyond! Bulletins are sent via email every week.
In Love and Peace,
Pastor Callie Torres Saron Staff
Rev. Callie Torres, Pastor
Louise Spurgeon, Secretary
Melanie Tunison, Office A ssistant

Saron Lutheran Church Office Hours

1742 North Street, Escalon CA95320 Tuesday through Friday
saronlutheranescalon.org 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
209-838-7695 | saronlutheran@att.net

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Ministry Reports
President’s Report
It was a pleasure to share that Rev. Jeff Johnson was
elected as our Bishop. He will assume his
responsibilities on November 1, 2023. The delegates
from Saron, and voting members, were Kathy
Pendleton, Pastor Callie, and Ann Shaddix. We saw
in Pastor Johnson the many skills necessary to move
forward as a church and as a synod. He will
continue to be held in prayer as he serves his six-
year term. It is my hope, sometime in the future,
Pastor Johnson will attend a worship service at
Saron.
During our business session the council voted to
follow the guidelines of San Joaquin County and/or
the State if there is an increased concern about
COVID or another disaster. We welcomed the
positive feedback from one of our members about
the reminder calls that are being made.
Halloween is coming and Saron will have a booth to
greet and hand out candy to children of the
neighborhood.
A retreat is being planned for February 3, 2024, for
council and ministry team leaders. Please mark your
calendar.
Have a wonderful October and take a minute each
day to give thanks for your blessings. You are each
one of God’s blessings to me. You are welcome to
attend a church council meeting as a guest at any
time. If you have something to be discussed, please
contact me, and we will add it to the agenda.
-Ann Shaddix, council president
Property Report
The repair to the sanctuary ceiling has been
completed. While finishing the last touchups, some
additional roof leak areas were discovered. Louise
will contact our roofing contractor, Anderson
Roofing, to investigate and make repairs. The new
parking lot motion sensor lights have been installed
outside the kitchen and office areas. Future projects
will be additional parking lot lights and carpet
cleaning in the sanctuary and fellowship hall.
-Kathy Pendleton. property chair
Treasurer’s Report
Good news: our August 2023 revenue was greater
than our August expenses! My appreciation goes
out to each of you for your generosity. The bible
verse of 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first
loved us.” We share the love we receive from God
by giving our time, talent, and treasurers as a thank
you to God for all his many blessings. Your
offerings make a difference…YOU make a
difference!
After the last newsletter was printed, there was an
additional $48.60 that came in for the Spaghetti
Dinner Fundraiser, making the total $1,714.26.
Thank you again to everyone for your hard work to
contribute to our Major Repair Fund!
Treasurer’s Thoughts…
I am currently reading a book, “A Generous Life”
by David Green, the founder of Hobby Lobby. The
cover of the book caught my attention by stating,
“10 Steps to Living a Life Money Can’t Buy”. Mr.
Green reminds me that, “Everyone leaves a legacy.
Legacies cannot be neutral. Each person leaves
either a good legacy or a bad legacy. Thankfully,
we get to choose which kind of legacy we leave.”
As I ponder ideas in Mr. Green’s book, I am
listening to God and what He is speaking to my
heart. I want my money, time, and talents to glorify
the Lord. I want to live with a heavenly perspective.
What would You like me to do today, Lord?
Blessings!
-Sylvia McGowan, treasurer
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Service and Support Report—
Kris Kringle Market 2023
It’s that time of year again!! We are planning
another Kris Kringle Market this November. It will
be held Saturday, November 4th from 9 am to 2 pm
in the Fellowship Hall. We will be offering candy,
baked goods, jam and jellies for sale in addition to
our handcrafted items. There are new additions to
our handcrafted items made by some crafty people.
Books and puzzles will be available for sale again
this year. Please contact Rosemary if you have some
gently used books or puzzles to donate this year.
Julie Rose is working on a fabulous quilt for the
annual quilt raffle. I know it will be beautiful and
there will be many hopeful members and guests who
will be anxious to hear who will be lucky winner of
this coveted quilt! Be on the lookout for the quilt as
it will be displayed in our Fellowship Hall in the
coming weeks.
And we will have Santa in attendance again. A
certain someone has graciously agreed to don his
special suit again. Both children and adults enjoyed
his jolly presence last year. Be sure to bring your
phone so that you can get a photo of yourself with
Santa.
Again, Lori Armstrong has volunteered to have
another scrumptious lunch available to all that
attend our event. Chili and cornbread and dessert
will be available for sale on that Saturday.
On Friday, November 3rd, we will be setting up in
the Fellowship Hall. We will begin preparing for
Kris Kringle at 9 am Friday morning. Members are
asked to help with the Friday set-up if you are
available. Lunch will be provided and all are
encouraged to attend and enjoy the fellowship of our
members as we prepare for this fundraiser.
If you have items to contribute to Kris Kringle,
please contact Pat or Rosemary prior to November
1st. We want to be sure to allocate adequate space
for you to display your items for sale.
We have been blessed in previous years to offer the
Kris Kringle Market. It provides fun and fellowship
to our members. It promotes outreach in our
community as well as a financial donation to a
needy organization in our community. Please join
us in having another successful Kris Kringle Market
this year.
We had a special occasion last month in welcoming
Baby Teddy to our Saron Family. We had a baby
show to celebrate is arrival. Thank you to all those
who helped with the food and decorations for this
event. Baby Teddy is well loved by our
congregation. It was a special time for fun and
fellowship at Saron.
-Pat Strand, service and support chair
Worship Matters
Changes to Worship Service
Some changes are coming to our worship service for
the next several weeks! We will be returning to
more formal worship with albs, a procession and
recession, and we will be using liturgy and music
from Now the Feast and Celebration by Marty
Hagen. We look forward to having you in worship
as we continue our journey through the season of
Pentecost.
Worshiping with Children
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me” (Matt
19:14) and we are so grateful for the chatter,
exuberance, and blessing of little ones in worship.
Children and their families are, of course, welcome
to enjoy worship anywhere in the sanctuary, but if
little ones need a space to let out wiggles, color, or
play, there will be a dedicated place for children set
up in the social hall for them to enjoy. The doors at
the back of the sanctuary will be partially opened to
allow children and their adults to move back and
forth between the spaces. And don’t forget the busy
bags with crayons, books, and other activities which
are available in the narthex. If you can’t find them
ask an usher at worship!
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Welcome Seminarian Sarah Street
Sarah Street is a 3rd year seminary student at Pacific
Lutheran Theological Seminary. She will be joining
us at Saron for the next year as she completes her
degree and prepares for her year-long internship.
Sarah is currently enrolled in a preaching class and
will preach for us October 15th and will lead a short
text study in preparation for her preaching after
worship on October 8th.
She and her family recently moved from
Sacramento where she worked in Youth and Family
Ministry for the past 6+ years. The transition into
work in the church helped affirm and expand her
sense of call, leading to enrollment in seminary.
Sarah lives in Lathrop with her 5 year old daughter,
fully grown spouse, vibrant mother, their geriatric
cat and 2 year old puppy.
She is grateful for the warm welcome she and her
family has already received and she is looking
forward to getting to know Saron and all our
members better!
Commitment Sunday
Sunday, October 8
God is committed to us and the gospel compels us to
be committed and devoted to God and to the
church.
Saron is part of God's plan to touch people and to
make a difference in the world. We gather to
worship, to learn, and to create community. We
support our community by working together to
assist those in need and to share the good news of
Christ.
Let us show our devotion to God's plan for Saron
through our financial pledges.
A pledge is a thoughtful and reflective intention that
documents a person or a family's financial
commitment to support our church.
Pledges provide our Budget Committee with an
estimate of expected income which is essential to
the preparation of our annual budget and helps them
to responsibly plan for the coming year.
Let us show our love and commitment to our church
by funding our facilities, our staff, our programs and
our ministries. Let us be committed to God as he is
committed to us.
-Lisa Alessi
Please bring your completed commitment forms to
worship on October 8th! There will be a basket at
the back of the sanctuary to collect completed
forms. Extra forms will also be available. Our
commitments will be blessed during the service as
we anticipate a new year of ministry together!
Baptism
Sunday, October 22
Join us on Sunday morning during the regular
service for the baptism of both Teddy Kler and
Melanie Tunison. Cake and fellowship,will follow
after the service.
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Reformation Sunday
Sunday, October 29
According to legend, on October 31st, 1517 German
monk Martin Luther nailed his “95 Theses” to the
door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. While he
may not have actually nailed anything to a door, his
ideas about the church sparked something new and
the Protestant Reformation began! On Sunday,
October 29th we will be celebrating this legacy in
worship and exploring some of the important
theological ideas shared over 500 years ago that give
us our Lutheran identity today! Don’t forget to wear
your Reformation RED!
Events & Fellowship
Young Families Gathering
Sunday, October 1 after service
This month families with young children are invited
to come to a picnic after worship on October 1st at
the Children’s Play Park in Oakdale. Sandwich
building supplies and other picnic treats will be
provided. Friends are welcome, the more the
merrier!
Breakfast Bunch
Saturday, October 7 at 8:30am
Join us for breakfast at Perko’s Café in Riverbank.
Please RSVP to Dorene at 209-605-0951, as we
need to let the restaurant know how many to expect.
Prayer Circle
Wednesday, October 18 at 12:00 pm
The next prayer circle meeting will be on
Wednesday, October 18th at noon. All are welcome
as we gather to share concerns and pray together. No
need to pray aloud if you are not comfortable, your
presence would be blessing enough. If you would
like to lift up a person or a situation to be prayed for
at the next meeting please contact Mary B. or Pastor
Callie.
Bible Study
Sunday, October 15 and 29
After a break in September, we will be continuing
our Bible Study on the Apostle’s Creed. After
worship on October 15th the focus on the second
article of the creed, “I believe in Jesus Christ” and
after worship on the 29th the focus will be on the
third article, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” All are
welcome to learn, share stories, and grow in faith.
Trick or Treat Tent
Tuesday, October 31
In the evening on Halloween, October 31st,
volunteers are needed to help greet and share candy
with trick-or-treaters on Sierra Drive. Please contact
the pastor if you are available to volunteer. Don
your favorite costumes as we share Saron hospitality
with families in our community. Thanks to Katy M.
for the suggestion and for providing all of the
decorations!
Kris Kringle Market & Book Nook
Saturday, November 4
from 9:00 am-2:00 pm
Be sure to mark your calendar for our annual Kris
Kringle Market on November 4th!
We will again have a ‘book nook and puzzle place’
at our Kris Kringle Market. We would appreciate
any donations of gently used books and
puzzles. Please contact Rosemary if you have any to
donate, or bring them to the office.
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 Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly
Pastor Callie, Ann, and Kathy attended the Synod
Assembly in Burlingame September 15th-17th —
see the President’s report on page 2 for more
information!

Last Month at Saron…

Bunco Thanks!
I would like to offer a huge thank you to all of you
who pulled together to make our bunco outreach a
success! According to Pastor Callie we raised
around $4,300 for the Escalon Ministerial
Association to provide food vouchers for those in
need in our community during the holidays!

A special shout out to Karen, who printed all of our

flyers, tickets, and bunco scorecards, and sends our Thank You From the Kler Family
thank you notes, to Lori, without whose help we Dear Church Family,
wouldn’t have had such a great dinner, to Jerry for
doing all my running around and to he and Louise We cannot tell you how much we appreciate you all
for gathering all the raffle prizes and cash donations, as we welcomed our son Teddy into our lives. From
to Jenni for being MC extraordinaire and for running meals and treats dropped off the first week he was
the raffle, to Kathy for selling tickets and helping home, to the beautiful & sweet church baby shower,
Lori in the kitchen and helping Jenni with the raffle, to well wishes at church—we have felt so supported.
to our set up team of Rob, Kelly, Pete, Jerry, and You all have truly showered us with love. Thank
Louise, and of course to Pastor for selling tickets you so much!
and all the other things she does.
Love,
Special thank you’s to all the local businesses for
supporting us, especially SSJID for their $1,000 Peter, Melanie, Adelaide and Teddy
donation and to the individuals who provided raffle
prizes, including, Jenlane, Julie, and Lori’s family. I
apologize if I have inadvertently left anyone out as I
am sure there were others of you who pitched in
where needed, especially to taking down all the
tables and chairs and cleaning up. Lastly, huge
thanks to all of you who came and brought friends
and relatives to support this worthy cause.

Blessings to you all,

Becky

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 In the Community
Escalon Senior Fun Bunch
Wednesday, October 18 at 2:00 pm
All seniors are invited to the Escalon Senior Fun
Bunch on Wednesday October 18th from 2:00 pm to
4:00 pm. Come to the Escalon Community Center
for an Oktoberfest celebration with snacks, non-
alcoholic drinks, and a raffle. Feel free to wear your
lederhosen or a fall-colored outfit. Gene Bartolomei
will be playing the accordion for all to enjoy. It will
be barrels of fun and free to attend! Plan to come
and bring a friend.

C.A.R.E. Donations
This month our church is being asked to collect
different kinds of crackers to donate to C.A.R.E.
Please bring your donations to church by Sunday,
October 29th and place them in the basket marked
“C.A.R.E. Donations.” Monetary donations and
other donations of non-perishable food items are
always appreciated.

Closing Worship for Our Redeemer’s

Lutheran Church in Livingston
Nuestro redentor
Sunday, October 15

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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 Ann Shaddix, President
4 Cindy Moreno Gary Thomasser, Vice President
5 Jennifer Shipley Kathy Pendleton, Secretary
16 Mike McNinch Krista Adametz
18 Rosemary Scholz Lori Armstrong
21 Mark-John Dahlin Janet Casaus
Louise Spurgeon
Sylvia McGowan, Treasurer
Heather Thomasser, Recorder

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 25th

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

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