FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 20th, 2020
ONLINE WORSHIP SERVICES & MEETINGS ~ CLICK HERE: Online Worship Services / Meetings
This week’s message from our Pastor, Steve Leiser:
As followers of Jesus we pray that we are wise stewards of all the gifts God bestows upon us. With these gifts we venture forth as God’s servants generously sharing our talents, time, and wealth with our church and our neighbors. In doing so we are simply being the people God creates us to be. As people of faith we draw hope and strength from knowing that God who calls us also sustains us during challenging times as well as times of celebration.
Christ’s Peace, Pastor Steve
JOIN US FOR ONLINE MEETINGS and WORSHIP SERVICES THIS WEEK: CLICK HERE
Sunday, September 27th at 10:00 am ~ Online Spoken Word Service: CLICK HERE
Meeting ID: 565-414-081
Those serving us online this Sunday with Pastor Steve Leiser:
- Assisting Minister: Julie Cooper
- Reader: Liz Novack
- Music: Mary Antinori
- Zoom Monitor: Jennifer Lopansri
OTHER MEETINGS FOR THIS SUNDAY:
- Sunday School with Ms. Erin ~ Sunday, September 27th at 10:45 am via Zoom. A link to these zoom Sunday School classes will be available to you HERE (Meeting ID: 780 5264 4418). Please contact Erin Thomas or the office for the PASS CODE. Contact Erin Thomas at: erinmoffat@gmail.com
- First Communion Discussion ~ Sunday, September 27th at 11:00 am via Zoom. CLICK HERE for meeting.
- New Member Discussion ~ Sunday, September 27th at 11:30 am via Zoom. CLICK HERE for meeting.
- CONFIRMATION RETREAT ~ Sunday, September 27th at NOON. If you are unable or feel uncomfortable to attend in person, please CLICK HERE for retreat meeting via Zoom.
- MIRROR LAKE HIGHWAY CLEANUP ~ Sunday, September 27th at NOON. See below in Announcements.
We sincerely thank you all for your generous offerings electronically and through the mail. Please note to NOT leave cash in our mailbox at the church, please slip your cash offering through the entrance doors. To donate online, please click here: GIVE NOW
~ ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS WEEK … ~
HIGHWAY CLEAN-UP ~ Join us for our annual Mirror Lake Highway cleanup. Our stretch is mile marker 22 to mile marker 24, by Provo Falls. The date is Sunday, September 27. We will meet at the small dirt parking lot by Mile Marker 22 at 12 noon. Hopefully, we will have a beautiful fall day, but be sure to dress for the weather and bring gloves. Also, we are still in a Covid situation, so please bring a mask. I know we are outside, but want to make a statement that we are following protocol. Questions, call Randy or Cheryl Thomson at 435-649-8339.
BOOK STUDY FOR OCTOBER / NOVEMBER ~ Explorations of race and faith: Book discussion on Sunday mornings on “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing Brown. ALL ARE WELCOME to join via Zoom on Sunday mornings in October and early November from 9:00 – 9:50 am to discuss this book and explore what it can teach us about race, our lives, and the life of our congregation. The book can be purchased in paper or electronic formats CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE. We’ll start October 4 with conversation about chapters 1 and 2. If you have any questions, please contact: PEGGY CAIN at 435-655-0596 or mcain@xmission.com
40 YEARS SINCE FIRST WORSHIP SERVICE / 35 YEARS SINCE CHARTER OPENED
Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church recognizes the 40th anniversary since the first worship service was held in Park City, Utah. That first service was held on September 14, 1980. We want to thank all those that have been involved with the congregation over the years, as well as your generosity to support SOTM. To learn more about a brief history of SOTM, CLICK HERE
The Rocky Mountain Synod has many opportunities including Adult and Young Adult education. These are also Study Guides or Meetings / Discussions on Zoom. Please see the following links if any of these interest you.
- Living Faith: Church in Society – a New Adult Forum/Small Group Discussion Guide: CLICK HERE
- “Life for Today and Hope for Tomorrow” on September 24th at 6 pm via zoom. For more information and to register: CLICK HERE
- Fall ABIDE Group – ELCA Young Adults registration is now open: CLICK HERE
- Rocky Mountain Synod Women’s Organization September Newsletter: CLICK HERE
- ELCA – “Stories in Action” 2020 – 2021 virtual annual book: CLICK HERE
DIGITAL HOLY COMMUNION ~ Please join us ONLINE and come prepared with the elements (wine / grape juice and bread / wafer) on the FIRST SUNDAY of each month to partake in Digital Holy Communion. Our next Digital Holy Communion will be Sunday, October 4th at 10:00 am. If you do not have the elements at home, please contact the office for individual prepackaged communion cups that have grape juice and wafer all in one. Email the office HERE and let us know how many you will need. Thank you!
WHATS FOR DINNER? Are you tired of What’s for Dinner or are unsure about eating out? We will have recipes posted every 2 weeks, so you can try them at home and then we will discuss the recipe with our “What’s Cookin’ Chats” on an afternoon via Zoom. Come join our Recipe Exchange group, by participating in the chats and help by submitting a recipe for us all to try. RECIPES CLICK HERE for those that are submitted, the latest one will be the first one listed. If you would like to contribute a recipe, please email to the office at: office@shepherdofthemountains.org. Our NEXT What’s Cookin’ Chat will be held on Sunday, October 4th at 4:30 pm at this zoom link (Meeting ID – 857 3178 0510): CLICK HERE
~ STAY SAFE and STAY HEALTHY ~
DR. GOOD’S – WEEKLY COVID-19 UPDATES ~ We will be posting information pertaining to the pandemic weekly here. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO to see the weekly update that Dr. Michael Good, CEO shares with healthcare professionals. We will have weekly discussions with Dr. Jennifer Leiser to discuss the video and article, so that you can better understand the Covid-19 virus and what we can expect in the coming months. These meetings will take place on Zoom after worship on Sundays. CLICK HERE to join the Zoom Meeting for Sunday, October 4th at 12:00 pm – NOON.
SUMMIT COUNTY REQUIRES FACE COVERINGS IN PUBLIC: By order of the Summit County Health Department, face coverings must be worn in any indoor spaces open to members of the public, as well as indoor or outdoor community gatherings over 50. Joint Public Order 2020-08, Effective June 27, 2020. CLICK HERE
~ Reoccurring Meetings ~ (some of these groups are not meeting right now due to Covid-19)
Bluegrass – 5:30 pm on the last Thursday of the month
Praise Band – 7:00 pm every Wednesday
AA – 7:00 pm every Wednesday (co-ed), 7:00 pm every Thursday (men only)
Alzheimer’s Support Group – Meets 1:00 pm – 3rd Wednesday of every month
Monthly Committee Meetings:
Council – 6:30 pm, 2nd Monday of the month – (10/12/20 via Zoom)
Education/Youth – 9:45 am, 2nd Sunday of the month (TBA)
Executive Committee – 12:00 pm varies (TBA)
Fellowship – 11:00 am, 2nd Sunday of the month (10/11/20 via Zoom)
Finance – 5:30 pm, 4th Monday of the 1st month of the quarter (TBA)
Property – 6:30 pm, 4th Monday of the month (9/28/20 via Zoom)
Social Ministries – 11:00 am, 2nd Sunday of the month (10/11/20 via Zoom)
Bereavement Team – TBD
Stewardship – 7:00 pm, 1st Monday of the month (TBA)
Shepherd Connections – 11:00 am 2nd Sunday of the month ( 10/11/20 via Zoom)
Worship/Music – 11:00 am, 1st Sunday of the month (10/4/20 via Zoom)
~ Lectionary Bible Readings ~
Lectionary Bible Readings for Sunday, September 27, 2020: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32, Psalm 25:1-9, Philippians 2:1-123, Matthew 21:23-32
~ PLANNING AHEAD… Announcements ~
Please view the Worship Schedule and other events happening this week on our CALENDAR ~ Calendar is subject to change due to our current gathering situation ~
~ YOUTH ~
SUNDAY SCHOOL VIA ZOOM ~ Greetings! The congregation of Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church will continue to offer Sunday School for our children. This year Sunday School will be every Sunday at 10:30 am via Zoom with Ms. Erin. A link to these zoom Sunday School classes will be available to you HERE (Meeting ID: 780 5264 4418). Please contact Erin Thomas or the office for the PASS CODE. These classes should last no more than 10-15 minutes each Sunday. With great joy we again look forward to being with your children each Sunday morning. Please encourage our children to attend Sunday School. Encourage them to invite their friends! Invite your friends! We look forward to seeing you on Sunday mornings now and throughout the coming church year!
~ Christ’s Peace, Erin Thomas, Children Christian Education Coordinator and Pastor Steve Leiser
~ COMMUNITY EVENTS ~
TBA when it is safe for everyone to gather again.
~ONGOING AT SHEPHERD OF THE MOUNTAINS~
SHEPHERD OF THE MOUNTAINS ON-LINE GIVING PLATFORM – TITHE.LY – We now have an On-line giving button on our web page to make it more convenient for members and visitors to contribute to SOTM. The donor has the option to cover the processing fees for the church or if they decide not to, SOTM will cover the administration fees that are processed through Tithe.ly. To give on line – click here: GIVE TODAY This is a simple way to give if you don’t have cash or a checkbook on you at one of our worship services. Thank you for supporting Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church!
AMAZON SMILE – Help donate to Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church with every purchase you make on Amazon, click on link: AMAZON~SMILE
LIVING LUTHERAN MAGAZINE– SEPTEMBER ISSUE HAS ARRIVED! If you would like a copy of of any issue mailed to you or left at the front door, let the office know and we are happy to take care of that for you. Either email or call the office: office@shepherdofthemountains.org or 435-649-2233.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SYNOD – Shepherd of the Mountains is part of the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod. For information, click on this link: RMS ELCA
RECYCLING– Thank You to all of you who are recycling at SOM. It’s a big job to take these items to the Recycle Center and if you would like to help in this wonderful “Save our Earth” mission, please contact Mary Antinori (801-243-9635) to help her out. Also, please remember that if cardboard is contaminated with food particles, it can not be recycled. SHEPHERD OF THE MOUNTAINS HAS JOINED RECYCLE UTAH’S GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM– This program is a resource that helps us operate in a more sustainable manner through education and goal setting. We’ve identified three goals for 2019 – 2020: 1) increase recycling and awareness in the building, 2) explore lighting efficiency options in the building and parking lot and 3) evaluate our energy usage throughout the building. Additional information on the program can be found at www.recycleutah.org/green-business-program. Please contact Julie Cooper, Mickey Palomaki or Mary Antinori to join our team or get the scoop on what we’re doing to achieve our goals.
FOOD PANTRY – We are not excepting donations at this time at the church. We suggest you drop off your pantry donations to the Christian Center of Park City on Deer Valley Drive. Thank you!
EYEGLASSES FOR THE LIONS CLUB – Always in need for Prescription Glasses and Sunglasses. Please donate to the wooden box by the office or leave in the mailbox.
WENDY’S WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY WORKOUT – Every Wednesday, 7:00 am – strength, core and balance. Right here at SOM. Just $5.00 per class.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – These are postponed in our church building until further notice. Please reach out to one another and offer prayer for each other.
BOOK CLUB – Next Book Club meeting will be held on Thursday, September 17th at 7:00 pm via Zoom. The book is “Hoax” by Britan Stelter. If you would like to join the meeting, please contact the office for the meeting ID on Zoom.
SOLAR SYSTEM PERFORMANCE: JULY/AUGUST 2020 – The solar system was almost a maximum contributor to all of our power needs and more during the reporting period, 32 days. The solar system generated 2,383kWh during daylight hours of which 1,748 kWh was put back into the grid (sold back to Rocky Mountain Power (RMP)). 1,077 kWh was used during daylight hours to direct cover SoM use. SoM used 635 kWh from the grid during night (low solar generation hours). That puts total SoM use of electrical power at 1,166 kWh.
Since the solar panels were producing far more electrical energy than we were using, we offset the direct use from the grid and banked 1,217 kWh for use next Winter. We were not charged for any draw from the electrical grid and only had to pay the $10 fee for being connected to the power grid.
Another way of looking at the situation is that the solar panels, as a member of SoM, “contributed” about $120 to the SoM General Fund and “pledged” to contribute at least another $120 in November and/or December. ~ Tim Fehr
Sunday Servants – These are on HOLD until we gather again safely in the church building. HOWEVER, if you would like to be an Assisting Minister, Reader or Zoom monitor on any Sunday, please let the office know. We are hoping to be worshiping in person soon, although we are being very careful as we see an increase in Covid-19 cases each day. PLEASE STAY SAFE and HEALTHY!
There are many opportunities to serve during our worship services. We need additional volunteers. Worship takes 20-25 people to assist every Sunday. If you would like to assist, here is the list of the people who do the scheduling:
Assisting Ministers, Communion Assistants and Readers – Val Thurnell: vthurnell@gmail.com
Altar Guild, Bread Bakers and Greeters – Pam Evans: evansstrayhome@aol.com
Counters – Jim Hier: jimhier@gmail.com
Keyboard – Stephanie Hurt: saamhurt@allwest.net
Fellowship – Ann Hoffman: sagahoffman@msn.com
Ushers – Randy Thomson: thomson@xmission.com
Acolytes – Pastor Steve: steveleiser@comcast.net
~ In Our Prayers ~
We ask your continued prayers for Healing and Wholeness for:
John Sandstrom, Cara, Bonnie, Marge Neumayer, Keith and Sharon Lilley, Leslie Smith, Guadalupe Montes De Oca Ruelas, John Knudson, Lizzy, Lori D, Thomas Ryan, Kitty, Kira, Dylan Wilcox, Jim VanderLinden, Kimberly Gosell, Barbara Lubin, Jill L., Aunt Lou, Robert Howell, Sam, Bonnie Futch, Mary Jane Schmidt, Pat Rusk, Marlene, Bob, Vera Palomaki, Marge, Mugridge Family.
SOM Prayer Chain
We are updating our prayer chain. We have kept everyone on the list that has been added in the last 3 months. We will rotate names off the prayer chain after a month unless we receive a request to keep a name on. Please contact JJ Ehlers, jrhehlers@sisna.com or call her at 435-647-0977, to add a name to the chain. Thank you!
Housekeeping
The date of the E-pistle is figured from “the first day of the week,” the day of Resurrection–Sunday.
The deadline for Sunday Bulletin Announcements is NOON of the previous Wednesday. Please send them to the Church Office.
The weekly E-pistle is an internet ministry of the congregation of Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church. All announcements or subscriber list additions/subtractions should be sent to the Office Administrator, at office@shepherdofthemountains.org. Deadline is THURSDAY at 12:00 noon for the following week.
Please note our church office hours are: Monday – Friday, 9 AM to 2 PM. Friday’s may be a modified schedule in the office. Thank you !