Mt. Z

ion Ev. L

utheran Church

320 Mt. Z

ion Dr.

Ripon, W

I 54971

The Sheppard’s PenBy Pastor Sheppard

As Lent and Easter approach, our attention shifts to our Savior’s Passion. The accounts of our Savior’s suffering and death upon the cross mean much to us because Jesus redeemed us. Our sins are the reason he suffered. Our sins earn death which our Savior willingly endured for us.One part of our Savior’s life on earth leading up to his suffering and death is his prayer for those whom the Father gave to him. Knowing that he would suffer and die, he prayed for his disciples, and he prayed for those who would believe in him through their message, including us.He prayed that those whom the Father gave him would be with him where he is. He prayed that they would see his glory since now the time had come for his glorification. His glory on the cross was not seen with human eyes, but it is seen through faith. The disciples saw his suffering and death and later would understand that in those hours Jesus was glorified. They would share that glory with others.Through faith we too know our Savior’s glory. For we see his glory in the pages of his Word. We see his glory as he keeps his promises. And when he fulfills his promise of eternal life, we will see his heavenly glory, the glory that was his from eternity.

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1After Jesus had spoken these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you. … 6  I revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have held on to your word. … 9  I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, because they are yours. … 20  I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. … 24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am so that they may see my glory—the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. (John 17:1,6,9,20,24 EHV)During this Lenten season, ponder the Savior’s suffering and death for us and view his glory.

Council HighlightsMembership Changes: Austin Fischer transferred from St. Paul’s, North Fond du Lac; Dennis Hamer transferred from St. John’s, Markesan.

Tyler Picchiottino was released from membership.

Hearing Loop Fund:There is now a dedicated fund to contribute to a possible hearing loop for our church. Thank you to those who have already contributed! Watch the newsletter and the church bulletin for updates.

Council Positions:If any voting member is interested in the Worship Elder position or the Evangelism Elder position, please speak with Pastor Sheppard or Mark Roeder.

Church Website:

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Mt. Zion has a new website that is also mobile friendly! The address is the same: www.mtzionripon.org. Please give any feedback on the website to Sue Sheppard.

Ladies’ Aid HighlightsLWMSThe spring rally will be at St. John, Pardeeville on April 22, 2019. All ladies are welcome, so mark your calendars.

Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus In the HeartlandThe 56th annual convention will be held June 27-30 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines, IA. It is hosted by the Wild Rose Circuit. Save $20 by registering early now through April 1st. Online registration and more information can be found at www.lwms.org.

Befriend A Missionary Correspondence from our previous missionaries

Dear Friends in Christ,

WOW!!! Thank you so much for your awesome words of encouragement, support, and prayer in all of the Christmas cards you sent. What a fun surprise!!! Our kids loved opening them with us. Thank you for thinking of us and reaching out in that special way.

We had a great Christmas celebration and are getting ready for an outreach event to celebrate Chinese New Year. We pray that God blesses your ministry throughout 2019. In Christ,

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Pastor Geoff and Alicia Cortright, Silas, Hannah, and MiraSaviour of the Nations, Vancouver, BC, Canada ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear All,

Thank you so much for your cards and information. Thank you so much for your support both spiritual and physical. Nongkhai’s mission is a blessing. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

May God bless you all.Tom and Kay ChaleunsoukNONGKHAI, Thailand

Flooding at the Lutheran Bible Institute in AfricaOne of our Befriend a Missionary assignments, Pastor Paul Nitz, is part of the One Africa Team and teaches at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe. Fellow missionary John Roebke, Communications Director for the One Africa Team, writes, “On 10 January 2019 heavy rains in Malawi’s capital city of Lilongwe led to flash flooding that killed two people and damaged the homes of 984 people. Several bridges were severely damaged. The hardest hit areas of the city included the campus of the Lutheran Bible Institute, where we are training the future pastors of the Lutheran Church in Central Africa. The LBI campus is located on the slope of a hill and is surrounded by a brick security wall that is about 10 feet tall. Although the wall has several drainage outlets, several of them were blocked with trash and debris. After three hours of non-stop rain, a portion of the wall collapsed. This released a tidal wave of water that gushed down the campus slope towards the homes of the people who live

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adjacent to our campus, including the home of LCCA pastor Kesten Chinyanga.At the request of the community’s traditional headman, LBI faculty members visited the affected people and delivered gifts of money and maize (corn) to people who had suffered the greatest losses. Our visitors were somewhat surprised to hear accusations that someone had intentionally broken the wall to cause destruction to our neighbors’ homes.Three days later, representatives from the LBI met a second time with the headman and members of the community. At that time we learned that some members of the community threatened to hold a vigil in protest against the LBI. Our representatives assured the community leaders about our solidarity with them during this difficult time, and took them on a walking tour around the campus to show them what steps we have taken to control the flow of water across our property. Working together with our neighbors in love and humility, the LBI faculty listened to the community leaders’ suggestions on further steps we can take to mitigate flooding in the future. One proposal is to construct a large drainage ditch that will shunt water away from our neighbors’ homes. In fact, a drainage system has already been designed by Gary Evans, one of the current CAMM staff members in Malawi and a civil engineer by profession.Even in the midst of suffering, God continues to hold his protecting hand over us and our community. This recent natural calamity has given us the opportunity to demonstrate Christian love and compassion for our neighbors, and to witness to them about the ‘fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins; and

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sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains’ (CW 112, v1).”

Helping HandsMt. Zion’s Helping Hands continue to serve our members. Please let us know if you, a family member, or a friend needs help. If you are interested in becoming a helping hand, please fill out a form found on the table by the window as you enter church, or you could contact Lisa Tremore at 920-

229-1297, Tammy Niemuth at 920-299-0240 or Joanne Gregor at 920-896-1518.

Thank You, Helping HandsFrom Carol Rosenberg

  “Thank You!” These words are used so often, but do people really think what they mean?    “You’re welcome” doesn’t seem to be used very often any more. Instead of saying, “you’re welcome,” many reply, “Thank YOU.”    The Helping Hands organization at Mt. Zion has certainly lived up to its name. The snow in my driveway and on my sidewalk doesn’t stand a chance. I am so grateful for Helping Hands and their snow removers!!!  All I can say is “THANK YOU”. God Bless and keep you in His care.    

New Members

Dennis Hamer is one of the new faces here at Mt. Zion.  Dennis lives in Ripon and works for Barricade Flasher Service which has facilities in Oak

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Creek and in Marquette.  He has a son living in Ripon with a 5-year-old granddaughter.  He also has a daughter in Florida who was married last September.  Dennis loves the outdoors. He likes running, hiking and riding his motorcycle. Welcome to the Mt. Zion family, Dennis!

Another new person who has joined us is Austin Fisher, who transferred into our congregation from St. Paul’s in North Fond du Lac.  Austin is a lineman for Alliant Energy.  He lives on the Ripon side of Green Lake and is also an active

outdoorsman. He is a hunter and also active in snow sports.  In September, Austin and Taran Smith, another new member, are looking forward to being married here at Mt. Zion.

Taran is originally from Oshkosh and works at Mercy Medical Center in the ER department. She also goes to school full-time, studying in the field of Human Resources.  She is a very busy lady!  In her spare time she likes to cook and bake, read and travel, and is also busy getting ready for the wedding.  Both Austin and Taran said they were looking forward to meeting the people of the congregation. Welcome!

Meet The Confirmands

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Several young people will be confirmed this spring. In this and the two subsequent newsletters, brief biographies and pictures will be included.

Clayton Ewerdt is the son of Ben Ewerdt and Jen Thiem. He was born December 15, 2004. Clayton enjoys playing basketball and operating his remote-controlled car, Traxxas. His favorite Bible verse is John 3:16 (For God so loved the world, that he

gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.). Clayton doesn’t have a favorite Bible story, but enjoys many like Noah’s Ark and the miracles Jesus performed. Clayton will be attending Ripon High School in the fall.

Kacin Vande Berg is the son of Jaclyn Vande Berg and Zach Bryant. He was born April 19, 2005. Kacin enjoys the outdoors, especially when he is duck and goose hunting or fishing. David and Goliath is his favorite

Bible story. Colossian 3:17 (And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.) is his favorite Bible verse. In the fall Kacin will be attending Ripon High School.

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Ally Bradley is the daughter of Andy and Alicia Bradley. She was born November 30, 2004. Basketball, track and writing are activities in which she participates. She also enjoys learning how to play new

instruments like the guitar, ukulele and piano. Noah’s Ark is Ally’s favorite Bible story, and her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 30:5 (For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.). She will be attending Ripon High School in the fall. Ally would like to be a school counselor or middle school teacher.

Lenten Soup Suppers and RotationDate Servers Entrée Preacher

Mar. 6 Senior Choir Chili SheppardMar. 13 Working Hands Turkey/Rice Soup DietscheMar. 20 Ladies Aid Veg. Beef Soup StelterMar. 27 LWMS Chicken Noodle Soup ZietlowApr. 3 Kids Care BBQ DietscheApr. 10 Youth Group Baked Potatoes Sheppard

Seminary Food Pantry Collection From now until March 17th, Mt. Zion will be collecting items for the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Food Pantry. One of the greater needs is money for gift cards. Checks can be made payable to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary; please give monetary donations to Sue Sheppard. The pantry can also use the following:

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Rice, Macaroni & Cheese, Flour, Cooking Oil, Spices (any kind), Canned FRUIT, Soup (any kind), Canned Tomatoes- especially diced, Pasta SAUCE, Cold Cereal, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Ketchup, Mustard, Gluten-Free Items, Toothpaste, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Diapers (sizes N-4), Laundry Detergent, and Shampoo.

WELS News

WELS Hymnal Project: Cut Hymns FeedbackHere is an update from the Hymnal Committee on the hymns that had been on the cut list:“From July of 2017 through March of 2018, the WELS Hymnal Project published nine segments of our current body of hymns, indicating which of those hymns were initially designated to be cut from inclusion in our next hymnal. As we did, we invited feedback from WELS members. Anyone interested could cast their vote for up to ten hymns from each segment, indicating that they would prefer to see those hymns kept. Among the nine different segments of the list, more than 8,000 responses were received. The window for submitting feedback closed on May 1, 2018.Shortly thereafter, the Hymnal Project’s Executive Committee discussed the results of that feedback. The Executive Committee decided to take the twenty hymns that the most people wanted to see included and put them back into consideration for the final list.Those twenty hymns are:

13 There's a Voice in the Wilderness Crying 106 Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain 112 There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood 129 Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed 158 I Am Content! My Jesus Lives Again 213 Forever with the Lord 242 Oh, that I Had a Thousand Voices 260 Let All Things Now Living 284 How Precious Is the Book Divine 295 Dearest Jesus, We Are Here

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322 On What Has Now Been Sown 345 In the Cross of Christ I Glory 347 Jesus! and Shall It Ever Be 368 O Savior, Precious Savior 433 Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me 473 Savior, I Follow On 488 Savior, Thy Dying Love 505 Love Is the Gracious Gift 566 We All Are One in Mission 571 From Greenland's Icy Mountains

In addition to putting these twenty back into consideration, the feedback we received will be beneficial as we do our final work on the list and things like balance across the various sections of the hymnal comes into play.We are extremely grateful for the time and effort people took to provide us with feedback.”

Featured Recipe

Ho-Ho CakeDoug Jahnke

1 box dark chocolate or chocolate fudge cake mix¾ c. sugarA pinch of salt½ c. butter (not margarine), softened2 tsp. vanilla23c. shortening5 oz. can evaporated milk1 can ready-to-spread chocolate frosting

Bake the cake mix in a 9x13 pan as directed on box. Let cool. Beat the sugar, salt, butter, vanilla, shortening and evaporated milk for 10 minutes or until thick. Spread on top of cooled cake. Microwave

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the can of frosting for up to one minute. Spread over cake.

March Birthdays

Laurene Henning 3/1 Ellony Lietzau 3/1 Laura Weckwerth 3/1 Jean Lynch 3/2 Randy Weckwerth 3/2 Erin Lind 3/3 Corvin Chappa 3/5 Timothy Kranz 3/5 Richard Kutz 3/5 Benjamin Sprague 3/5 Tyler Dibelius 3/6 Matthew Hartman 3/6 Harley Dorsey, Jr. 3/7 Robert Hartman 3/7 Deanna Krahn 3/9Hunter Schneider 3/10Ted Machmueller 3/11Ellie Ewald 3/13

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Michael Holland 3/15Jenna Klettke 3/15Memphis Long 3/16

Jade Walker 3/16Amber Taylor 3/17Kelly Frank 3/18Connie Klettke 3/20Sara Wagner 3/20Steve Kemnitz 3/21Beverly Luther 3/21Gordon Anderson 3/22Jacob McCulley 3/22Benjamin Weiske 3/24Shawn Schliepp 3/26Karl Goeldi 3/27Don Hollander 3/27Marilyn Ninneman 3/28

Birthday Club Celebration March 3rd

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Anniversaries

Steve and Jan Ohlrich 3/6

Mt. Zion MessengerMarch, 2019Mt. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church320 Mt. Zion Dr. Ripon, WI 54971Pastor Michael Sheppard

Church Office: 920-748-5641Church Email: mtzionripon@centurytel.netChurch Website: www.mtzionripon.org

Pastor’s Cell Phone: 920-745-0883Pastor’s Email: revmikesheppard@gmail.com

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The deadline for the April newsletter will be Friday, March 22nd. Please email the church office, Mary Clement (maryclement1940@icloud.com) or Sue Sheppard (sheppwoman52602@yahoo.com) with articles.

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