August

August 26 will be a significant day in the life of our parish. On that day we will gather together with our sisters and brothers of St. John and St. Paul to commemorate and celebrated the 50^th Anniversary of our Wyneken School. As to the particulars -

11:00 am- Seminarian Kyle Brown a Wyneken graduate; currently in his final year of study at the Ft. Wayne seminary will be the speaker for this celebration service at St. John Bingen!

12:00 pm- Lunch will be served. An Open House will run throughout the day. Nine Mile is catering! Pulled Pork sandwich, baked beans, potato salad, chips and a drink for $9! Kid friendly 12 and under menu includes Chicken Strips, Mac-and-cheese, fruit and a drink for $9! YOU MUST PURCHASE FOOD TICKETS WHEN YOU RSVP, NO ADDITIONAL LUNCH FOOD SALES SOLD THE DAY OF THE EVENT. There will be representatives present in the gathering before and after church to take you reservations and answer any questions.

Until 3:00 pm- Enjoy Kid Games, Dunk Tank, Whip & Chill ice cream and 25 flavors of shaved ice for sale at the event.

Certainly education stands at the center of our life together in our congregation. For 180 years the instruction of God’s people and especially the youth has been an integral part of our life and work. It is essential as we teach and model the faith.

One of Martin Luther’s more famous quotes is “When schools flourish, all flourishes.” Luther urged that the Scriptures be the primary text in the schools at every level. His oft-quoted and very important statement reads, “I would advise no one to send his child where the Holy Scriptures are not supreme. Every institution that does not unceasingly pursue the study of God’s word becomes corrupt.” He then further reminds us that the freedom to provide sound Christian schooling is the very freedom of the Gospel itself.

We have been blessed by the ministry of our Wyneken Memorial Lutheran School. It is the church’s school. May the Lord continue to bless this important work of our parish ministry. Come join us August 26 for this celebration event.

This month of August will be a time of transition in our neighborhood.  Pr. Christopher Maronde will be installed at St. John Lutheran Church, Bingen on Sunday August 5 as Associate Pastor. Pr. Daniel Brege will be transitioning to the office of District President during the month of August. He will remain as Associate Pastor at St. Paul yet his responsibility in the parish will be extremely limited as the duties of the District President are immense. Presently St. Paul is forming a call committee and will be issuing a call for a Sr. Pastor in the near future. On September 9, Rev. Dr. Brege will be installed as President of our District while Pr. Brock will be installed as 4^th Vice President of our District.

The Indiana District covers the entire state of Indiana and the northern third of the state of Kentucky. It consists of 235 parishes, 53 pre-schools, 50 elementary schools, and three parochial high schools. There are an estimated 102,000 persons which make up our Indiana District. Past presidents of our district include the following pastors:

Rev. Edgar C. Rakow, 1963–1970

Rev. Elwood H. Zimmermann, 1970–88

Rev. Reuben Garber, 1988–91

Rev. Timothy E. Sims, 1991–2003

*Pr. Sims served Emanuel New Haven. He confirmed, ordained, and installed me here at Zion

Rev. Daniel P. May, 2003–2018

*Pr. May for a number of years served as Pastor at St. Peter in Ft. Wayne Tammy's  home parish