April 2024

Monthly Messenger
Saron Lutheran Church

From the Pastor’s Desk

Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
These words ring out on Easter Sunday and continue to
resound for the next 50 days of the season that has become
known as Eastertide. Our celebration of Easter continues as Events in April
we contemplate along with the disciples what it means to 4/6 Breakfast Bunch at 8:30am
live in a post-resurrection reality. Everything has changed, 4/10 Prayer Circle at noon
God’s love is stronger than the tomb, death no longer has 4/13 Crafting Gathering at 9:00am
the final word! 4/14 Young Families at 11:00am
Alleluia! He is risen! 4/18 Council Meeting at 5:00pm
4/20 White Elephant Bingo
After Jesus’s death and resurrection, the disciples needed to 4/21 Bible Study, after worship
hold onto what united them: the common mission that they 4/27 Love Escalon
shared, and the love of God revealed to them in Christ.
Through seasons of doubt and despair, missteps and Mark your Calendar
challenges, they needed the reminder that no matter how
alone they may have felt, they were never far from God’s
5/4 Pancake Breakfast
love. No matter what, they were always part of the broad
5/19 Pentecost Sunday
family of faith. This is true for us as well.
6/15 Talent Show
As we continue to contemplate the unity that we have in
Christ, there are several opportunities to gather together at
Saron this month! Enjoy a delicious breakfast together with Join us for Worship!
the breakfast bunch, put your artistic skills to use at the
crafting gathering, enjoy some silly fun at White Elephant Sundays at 9:30 am
Bingo, serve our community on Love Escalon Day, and
much more. The most important time that we gather is each In the Sanctuary or
week when we hear the Word of God, we feast on God’s on the “Saron Lutheran Church”
grace, we lift prayers to our creator, and join our voices Facebook page
together to sing hymns. May these opportunities to come Bulletins are sent via email every week.
together and practice the unity we are called to be a
blessing. Saron Staff
In Love and Peace, Rev. Callie Torres, Pastor
Pastor Callie Torres Louise Spurgeon, Secretary
Melanie Tunison, Office A ssistant

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

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 Vanco may or may not become your personal
preference for giving your Offerings to Saron
Lutheran Church. It only serves to expand our
flexibility in methods of giving. If you have
questions about Vanco, please feel free to contact
me.

Blessings!
Ministry Reports Sylvia McGowan

Treasurer’s Report Service & Support

I hope each of you had a wonderful Easter
celebration this year. He is risen! He is risen A crafting day is scheduled for Saturday April 13 in
indeed! the fellowship hall. We will be crafting
ornaments. Please come and join us for food fun
I am excited about a new giving opportunity at and fellowship on April 13th at 9am.
Saron Lutheran Church called Vanco. It is an easy Rosemary and Pat
online method to give our Offerings. The online
link is https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZKR1. Once
you’re viewing Vanco, you will see “tiles” for
different giving categories. You can select General
Offering Envelope, Lenten Outreach, C.A.R.E.,
Altar Flowers, or Thankoffering. After you click on
the blue “Give” box, you enter how much you want
to give. You can choose a one-time gift or a
recurring gift. You can choose paying with a Debit
Card, a Credit Card, or through your bank account.
Property Report
Vanco can also be accessed through our church Our parking lot is being resealed the first week of
website https://saronlutheranescalon.weebly.com . April. Please make note that the parking lot will be
When you click on “Give” at the top of the home closed on April 5 and 6.
page, you will see the giving “tiles”. Kathy Pendleton
Lastly, here is a QR code to quickly access Vanco.

One advantage to giving through Vanco is not

having to write out checks anymore from your
checking account. Worship Matters
Our Saron technology expert, Steve Rose,
researched Vanco and tested it saying the site is
secure. This is good news for our collective “peace Pastor Vacation
of mind”. Pastor Callie will be out of the office the first week
of April. Pastor Victor will be leading us in worship
on April 7th.

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Hymn Suggestions Appreciated
Do you have a favorite hymn that you haven’t heard
in a while? We want to know! Forms will be
available in the back of the sanctuary starting April
7th so you can write down your favorites and share
them with those who are planning worship each
week.
Young Families Gathering
Sunday, April 14th at 11:00 am
Families with young children are invited to come
together for a time of story, fun, and fellowship as
we look at the story of Jonah and the big fish.

Bible Study
Sunday, April 21st after worship
We will be discussing 1 John 3:16-24 and the call to
lay down our lives for one another.

Baptism
Sunday, April 14th
Join us in celebrating the baptism of Brianna Lynn
in worship! Brianna and her family have been a part
of our church family for a few months and have
gotten connected with our Young Families. We are
so excited for this step of faith in young Brianna’s
life.
White Elephant Bingo
& Finger Food Pot Luck
Saturday, April 20th at 5:00pm
Back by popular demand! Invite your family and
friends for this fun-filled evening of frivolity and
food!

Just bring a wrapped or bagged gift item for the

prize table. Did you get yet another candle or crock
pot for Christmas?!? Wrap it up! If you don't have a

Events and Fellowship gift to bring, that's ok… If you have more than one,
please contribute! Yell BINGO and pick a prize!

If you can bring a finger food to share, please do!

Breakfast Bunch This event is sure to be good for a few laughs so
Saturday, April 6th at 8:30am don’t miss it! Can’t wait to see you there.
All are invited to breakfast at Perko’s in Riverbank.
Please RSVP to Dorene at (209) 605-0951 so we
have a headcount! All are welcome.

Prayer Circle
Wednesday, April 10th at noon
All are welcome to gather in Pastor’s office for a
time of prayer and fellowship.

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GOOD Grief:
An End of Life Workshop Series
Wednesdays in May
There are so many decisions that need to be made as
we or our loved ones approach the end of life, and it
never hurts to start thinking through these decisions
early! All are invited to attend the upcoming
worship series, GOOD Grief. On Wednesday
evenings in May at 7:00 pm, guest speaker s will
share topics such as making medical decisions,
attending to financial matters, working with a
funeral home, and planning a memorial service.
Check the announcements for more information
coming soon
. nominated to attend the Churchwide Gathering in
CARE Sunday
Sunday, April 28th
Please bring your donations of Peanut Butter on
Sunday the 28th for C.A.R.E. Other non-perishable
food items or monetary gifts are always accepted.
Recap of Conference Assembly
On Saturday, March 9th, representatives from the
churches in the Sierra Central Valley Conference
gathered together for the annual Conference
Assembly. Our time together began with a bilingual
worship service led by Pastor Callie and Pastor
Nelson Rabell (Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria
Peregrina). We then moved into a business session
where Pastor Karen Johnson (Faith Lutheran
Church/Mountain Ranch Lutheran) was elected dean
of the conference, individuals were nominated to
serve on the Synod Council, and people were
2025. Afterward, we enjoyed a lovely lunch and
spent time in fellowship. Thanks to all who attended
as representatives of Saron, to all who helped set up
and clean up, to Victor for playing piano at worship,

In the Community and to Lori for providing the lunch. It was a gift to
be able to host our siblings in Christ!

Escalon Senior Fun Bunch

Wednesday, April 17 2:00pm-4:00pm
At the Escalon Community Center. Theme: Let’s
Get Carried Away. Entertainment provided by
Powerhouse Dance Studio. Free, fun, refreshments,
prizes!

LOVE Escalon
Saturday, April 27th
Let’s work together as a community and show love
for our town on April 27th. Projects include
C.A.R.E. Cleanup, maintaining planter boxes on
Main Street, painting the parking lot at the Escalon
Youth Center, helping with Senior Bingo at the
Library and more! Sign up at loveescalon.com/
Projects. Projects are available in Modesto, Oakdale,
and Ripon too!

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 Huge Thank you to Julie!
Over several weeks Julie shampooed all of the pews
in the sanctuary. What an incredible act of love!
Thank you so much for your hard work and diligent
care in making our sanctuary clean and welcoming
for all!

Members Serving Saron Back Lot Clean-Up Help

Thanks so much to Timmy, Daniel, and Michael for
Office Hours and Coverage their help in disposing of branches from the tree in
Office hours are Tuesday-Friday from 9:00 am to our back lot!
noon each week. Louise is in the office on Mondays, Thanks also to Phil for mowing the back lot to keep
Tuesdays, and Fridays, and Debbie covers the office it passable and safe for walkers.
for us on Thursdays. Feel free to reach out to them
with questions about worship, bulletins, scheduling,
and giving. If you need any assistance with or have
questions about things about the website, social
media, posters, or the messenger please reach out to
Melanie, who works from home on these items.
Thanks to Louise, Debbie, and Melanie for all that
they do!

Palm Sunday
A big thank you goes out to Kathy and family for
the palm decorations for the sanctuary and
procession on Palm Sunday!

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 We are a congregation rooted in tradition, open to new opportunities, and
called to follow Jesus by sharing the welcoming love of God.
With openness of heart and spirit, we invite you to come join us!

Saron Lutheran Church Council

Ann Shaddix, President
Heather Thomasser, Vice President
Kathy Pendleton, Secretary
Lori Armstrong
Janet Casaus
Sylvia McGowan,
Peter Kler

April Birthdays May Messenger Deadline

If you have any news or announcements that you
4 Ashley Dahlin would like included in next month’s messenger
4 Ann Shaddix please submit it to saronlutheran@att.net by
4 Amelia Torres April 24
7 Julie Rose
13 Larry Grossi
16 Julie Avila
16 Katie Avila
17 Katy McNinch
20 Dick Kershner
24 Robert Dahlin
28 Faye Hanlon
28 Teresa Olson
29 Peter Kler

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