Baby, it’s Cold Outside!!
In fact, as we look out our window at the snow blanketing the ground here in Glen Rock today, it’s partly cloudy, 27 degrees with winds out of the east at 3 mph causing it to feel like 23 degrees. No big deal, right? If you’re headed out, you’ll be sure to wear a warm coat, warm gloves, and warm socks – and don’t forget the hat and scarf as well.
The bad news is that there are people in York County who are living on the street or have a long walk to work or school and don’t have those items. Brrrr!! That is miserable and can be dangerous.
The Good News
The good news is that our Zion Family has been able to help. Once again as in previous years, we have stepped up throughout December and filled our Gifts of Warmth Tree in the Fellowship Hall with hats, scarves, gloves, socks and more. Specifically, we gathered: 86 pairs of socks, 50 hats, 28 sets of gloves, 5 hat/glove combos, 2 hat/glove/scarf combos, 4 leggings, 4 pairs of slipper socks, 1 scarf, 3 child’s pant/top combos, 1 child’s top, 1 child’s undies, and 1 fleece blanket.
The Christian Education Committee wants to thank everyone who donated to help fill the Gifts of Warmth tree this year. Our campaign has ended for this year, but we hope you’ll begin setting aside items for December 2020. Bless you, one and all!!
Who Will Benefit?
Bev Reindollar will be delivering all the Gifts of Warmth to the Salvation Army in York today.
We offer a big Thank You to Bev and the Christian Education Committee for giving us yet another way to open our hearts to those less fortunate.
If you would like to know more about the Gifts of Warmth Tree or the Christian Education Ministry, just check out our website or contact Bev Reindollar (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). You can also speak with any of the members of the Christian Education Committee which includes:
Lois Goodling
Gevene Harden
Pam Hoffman
Jeff Hoffman
Bill Ream
Gloria Ream
Jim Ream
Bev Reindollar
Evelyn Roser
Pam Spangler.
They would love to share details and answer your questions.
On a wet and chilly afternoon in mid-December, 2019, a small convoy made its way through our area from Glen Rock to York and back again. It carried 16 of Zion's member -- from the young to the young-at-heart -- all eager to bring Christmas carols and cheer to our "Zion VIPs" who welcomed us eagerly. Of course, the VIPs are those special longstanding members of our congregation who can no longer make it to church on Sundays. Some are now residents in local nursing facilities and others live at home.
Our first visit was to the Brunswick at Longstown facility in York. Then on to the Spirit Trust Lutheran Villages of Sprenkle Drive and Kelly Drive and finally to Country Meadows before heading back to Glen Rock for a local home visit.
At each stop, we offered a Christmas Gift Basket full of greeting cards, gifts, and home-baked goodies to our VIP and then left them with a few christmas carols, always ending with a round of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". In each case, we were met with big smiles and excitement; and facility staff and residents were also delighted.
We filled the air with Christmas cheer as we sang everything from "Joy to the World" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem" to "Silent Night", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and so many more. It was dificult to know who was happier -- the VIPs and their friends or we, the Carolers. Suffice it to say that we all had a wonderful afternoon; and by the time we arrived back at Zion, we were already talking about doing it again next year.
Congratulations are in order for our 2019 Carolers: Tom Bailey, Diane Bortner, George Brown, Felicia Ernst, Sandy Fair, Mariane Harden, Butch Hengst, Jeff Hoffman, Pam Hoffman, Gloria Ream, Evie Roser, Shirley Seitz, Alice Simmons, Pam Spangler, Tom Spangler, Marian Williams.
Of course, a huge Thank You to Marian Williams who heads up the Visitation Ministry and to her committee which also includes Gloria Ream, Alice Simmons, Terry Cox, Marilyn Cox, and Brenda Davis. They take care of Zion's VIPs throughout the year with cards and visits.
If you'd like to take part in this ministry or know of a member of Zion who is confined to home or a facility and would welcome a visit from us, please contact Marian Williams (717-235-1978 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
On October 27, 2019, the congregation and many neighbors and friends came together to enjoy a piano and organ recital in the sanctuary here at Zion Lutheran Church.
Nick Galanaitis, Jacob Ziegler and Ian Hoke performed many selections from Mozart, Chopin, Bach and others including original pieces by Nick Galinaitis. The Zion Gethsemane Choir took part in the performance as well. We were treated to a piano and organ duet, a four-handed piano duet, and we even took part in singing some familiar hymns.
Nick Galinaitis is the Director of Music at Zion Lutheran Church and St. Jacob's Lutheran Church in Glen Rock PA. He studies with Dr. David Kreider and has performed for venues including the L.A. Breakfast Club in Los Angeles, CA, and for the Arts for Hearts Sake Recital Series hosted by the Villa Assumpta in Baltimore, MD.
Jacob Ziegler is the Director of Music at St.Mark's Lutheran Church in Hampstead, MD. He teaches organ at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD, and has studied with Ted Dix as well as Dr. Tim Murphy at Towson University where he obtained his Masters in Organ performance in 2019.
Ian Hoke is the Director of Music at Keysville Lutheran Church in Keysville, MD. He studies with Dr. David Kreider and has performed for many recitals at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. He currently studies music at Carroll Community College.
The congregation at Zion Lutheran Church is honored to have been designated as an important historic structure by the Glen Rock Historic Preservation Society. To mark this occasion, the GRHPS dedicated the 2019 Historic Landmark Plaque during a ceremony on Sunday, October 27, 2019. The plaque has been installed just to the right of the main entrace to the sanctruary. The presentation shared the high points of Zion's history and importance of Zion Lutheran Church in the borough of Glen Rock.
Zion Council member, George Brown, composed the verbiage on the plaque which he gleaned largely from the book titled "Zion Stands With Hills Surrounded: A History of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church", by Dr. Charles H. Glatfelter. Dr. Glatfelter was a local historian and author, born and raised in Glen Rock and personally familiar with Zion's history which dates back to 1860. The original brick church was completed in 1863, replaced by the current stone structure in 1905.
We here at Zion are honored to have our church recognized, and we were certainly pleased to host the Plaque Dedication and to welcome many neighbors and friends from Glen Rock and the surrounding area to the event.
We hope you will drop by and view the plaque when you have a chance; and, in fact, you can learn more about Zion's history and view the video on our website.
Trail of Doom - a perfect theme for Halloween
Youth Group meetings usually take place on Sunday evening; but this being the week leading up to Halloween, we couldn't resist a little extra fun. So we moved our meeting to Friday evening and added a pizza party.
Our topic for the week being "Trail of Doom", we focused on activities to show that disciples of Christ follow Jesus no matter the costs. It is learning about how following Jesus is not always easy and how we face challenges every day. Realizing that there are challenges is the first part of following Christ.
To observe this spooky season, we took some time for some Halloween games as well.
If you would like to learn more about our local Youth Group here at Zion Lutheran Church in Glen Rock PA and perhaps think about joining in our fun, then just visit our website and/or contact Kelley Fisher (410-598-0586) or Bill Ream (717-873-4821). We'd love to hear from you.
Nestled in the mountains of Adams County PA, Camp Nawakwa is home to the ELCA Lower Susquehanna Synod Middle School youth retreat, ALiVE.
This year, the weekend was filled with games, music, lessons and fellowship centered around the theme of "HOPE". Allison and Owen enjoyed making new friends in small groups.
Our theme scripture for the weekend came from Romans 8:24-26, CEV: "And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it. In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words."
Friday night, large group games were played in the dark with glow sticks and flash lights in upper camp. The 2019 ALiVE band played great music! The campfire Saturday night did not disappoint.
We hiked throughout Camp Nawakwa and walked through the Labyrinth. We also enjoyed the beauty and serenity of the chapel in the woods, the outdoor classroom, and the scenery all around us.
We enjoyed Sunday morning worship with communion, overlooking apple orchards.
We also enjoyed a family time together each night before bed. We talked about the lessons and stories that were 
shared throughout the day. We shared with each other our fears and hopes. Not just hopes for a better tomorrow, but how we can help to put things in motion and advocate for things to shine a light on the concerns we see in the world. With God and the Spirit, we have hope and can make a difference in this world.
By the time our retreat ended, we each came away having made new friends and new memories, feeling hopeful and inspired to shape the future.
If you would like to learn more about our local Youth Group here at Zion Lutheran Church in Glen Rock PA, then just visit our website and/or contact Kelley Fisher (410-598-0586) or Bill Ream (717-873-4821). We'd love to hear from you.
Great Weather - Great Food - Great Fellowship
We welcomed a record-breaking crowd at this year's annual congregational picnic on Sunday, July 28, 2019, at Goodling Park in Loganville. We gathered on a hot but breezy day, and Pastor Doug DeStephano (of Christ Lutheran Church in Loganville) joined us in worship with beautiful music by our own Nick Galinaitis.
By the time our worship service ended, this crowd was hungry and more than ready for chicken BBQ, baked potatoes, cole slaw, applesauce, and rolls. Hot dogs were available for good measure. Even this meal would not be complete without the cakes, pies and cookies of every possible description -- all donated by our congregation.
Once everyone had enjoyed lunch, it was time for games -- indoor and outdoor. Indoors, many of us played BINGO until there were no prizes left to win. In the meantime, outdoors, the kids and many adults had fun with water games, a very spirited volleyball game, and more fun as the afternoon wore on.
But wait, there was more to come! The whole crowd lined up for their dish of Carman's Ice Cream to round out the day. It was a tired but happy bunch who left Goodling Park that day, and they were already thinking about next year.
Many thanks to the Christian Education Committee for making this event happen and to Pastor DeStephano and all those who assisted with the worship. Thanks also to the many other members of the congregation who helped with all the set-up, clean-up, and errand-running. We couldn't have done it without all of you.