August 2021

Monthly Messenger
Saron Lutheran Church

From the Pastor’s Desk Events in August

“I just want to encourage anyone who has felt like their 8/1 Blessing of the Backpacks &
faith is being stretched to remember that God is with you Installation of Council
and for you. And if your neighbor is stretching you to love 8/3 National Night Out
bigger, love bigger. If your neighbor is stretching you to be 8/6-7 Park Fete
more patient, do the best you can… but know that God 8/15 Baptism
adores you, I adore you, and if you got a little extra time
this weekend tell people you are grateful for them and you
love them too.” Mark your Calendars
These are just some of the words the new bishop of our 9/12 Grandparents Day
synod, Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer, shared in a recent interview 10/9 Golf Tournament
on Good Morning America. I appreciate the incredible 11/6 Kris Kringle Market
wisdom that they share and the hope it brings me for the
church. In the journey of faith we are called to be stretchy,
capable of being transformed by God to better show love Join us for Worship!
and patience to our neighbor. When rigidity threatens to set
in, causing us to be stagnant, we run the risk of missing the Sundays at 9:00 am
truth of the living gospel and overlook the incredible power In the Sanctuary or
of God. Instead we are continually invited to follow a God on the Saron Lutheran Church
who adores us completely and continually invited to be a Facebook page
part of a community where we can express gratitude and For those attending in person, face masks
love for one another. I pray that as we enter a new month of and social distancing are strongly
ministry together it is marked by stretchiness, adoration, recommended to prevent the
gratefulness, and, most of all, love. spread of COVID-19.
Bulletins are sent via email every Friday.
In Love and Peace,

Pastor Callie Torres Saron Staff

Callie Torres, Pastor
Ann Shaddix, Secretary

Office Hours
Monday through Friday
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Saron Lutheran Church

1742 North Street, Escalon, CA 95320
saronlutheranescalon.org
209-838-7695 | saronlutheran@att.net

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In Memoriam Lutheran Understanding of the
Sacraments
George Marcus Hanlon In the 16th century, Martin Luther cultivated a new
Born: May 10, 1937 understanding of many teachings of the Catholic
Died: July 13, 2021 Church, one of them being the understanding of the
A Memorial Service will sacraments. The Catholic Church taught and still
be held on Saturday, July teaches that there are seven sacraments. Luther
31st at 10:00 am at Saron. disagreed with that teaching about the sacraments,
A luncheon will be held especially since not all seven were accessible to all
afterward. people.

Instead, Lutherans believe that there are only three

requirements for a religious ritual or rite to be
considered a sacrament:
 It is commanded by Christ
 It uses common earthly elements
Marian Elizabeth Heurlin  It conveys the promise of the gospel
Born: July 16, 1824
Died: July 22, 2021 Based on these requirements, the Lutheran tradition
A Memorial Service will teaches that there are only two sacraments: Baptism
be held on Friday, July and Holy Communion. Baptism was commanded by
30th at Saron at 1:00 pm. Christ in the Great Commission (Matthew 26:16-
20), uses the common element of water, provides
forgiveness of sins and salvation, and marks us as a
part of the community of Christ. Holy Communion
was instituted by Christ at the Last Supper with the
words “do this in remembrance of me,” uses the
common elements of wine and bread, and is a
tangible reminder of God’s incredible grace. You
can find more information about the sacraments in
Luther’s Small Catechism or ask Pastor Callie.

Congratulations
Adeline Mary Anderson was born to Katie and
David Anderson on July 2, 2021. She weighed 7
pounds 15 ounces and was 19.5 inches long at birth.
Adeline will be baptized in worship on August 15th.

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 Getting to Know You:
Katie Bomer
1. Please share about your family (heritage,
culture, parents, siblings, etc.)
I was born in the Bay Area but moved to
Calaveras County at a young age and grew up
there. I loved growing up in such a small and
unique community. I have one older brother,
David who is also a music teacher. My parents are
Dave, who does golf course/range and sporting
design and Terri, who is a college and career
counselor. Music has always been an integral part
of my life from a young age as my grandpa Jack
was a professional jazz pianist and instilled a love
for music in us. I actually met my husband Garrett
at drum major camp in high school so you can say
music totally guided my whole future. Garrett is
currently finishing up the sheriff’s academy and
will be a deputy for Tuolumne County once he
graduates. Together we have a son, Jameson who
will be two on July 31st. He is our pride and joy.
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
2. What lead you to your current career path?
I began taking piano lessons at the age of 4 and
fell in love with music. I then learned cello,
trumpet and eventually settled on a focus of
percussion. I participated in various youth
symphonies and honor bands growing up. I was
drum major for my high school marching band for
two years in high school and this experience led
me to wanting to be a music teacher. I went to
University of the Pacific for my undergrad in
Music Education and am currently going into my
7th year of teaching music. I went back to school
a few years ago and graduated with my Masters in
Education (while 8 months pregnant). I love
teaching music to elementary students as they are
so excited to learn!
3. What are some of your hobbies and interests?
Although music is an integral part of my life and
one of my main hobbies, I also love the outdoors
and hiking. We love to host bbqs for our friends
and family. A fun and unique hobby I have is
trapshooting. I was a competitive shooter starting
from the age of 9 and have been on a few state
and national championship teams.
4. What brought you to Saron?
When I first moved to Escalon in 2015, I was
invited to the Bunco fundraiser at Saron and
absolutely loved it. In fact, my family and I have
participated every year since. In 2017 Jackie
Sappenfield, a long time family friend of my
husband’s and member of the Saron family, told
me that Saron was looking for a pianist for their
early morning services. I was so excited for the
opportunity. Over the past 4 years I have learned
so much and feel so blessed to be part of the
Saron family.
5. Do you have a favorite scripture to share?
1 Corinthians 13: Was recited at my wedding.
6. Anything else you’d like to share?
I love having the opportunity to make music in
such great fellowship at Saron!
Psalm 150:3-6
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Note about Worship Time
As many of you already know, your Church
Council voted to move our worship time to 9:30
a.m. beginning Sunday, September 5th. This was
done with great consideration and discussion.
Numerous members have indicated that the
current 9:00 a.m. worship time is a hardship for
them. Families with young children often have a
difficult time getting everyone ready, some
seniors have slowed down and the extra half hour
would be helpful to them, and lastly, we have
some members who travel quite a distance to
worship with us.
Even within our Council, we had people on either
side of the issue. I, personally, preferred the
earlier 9:00 a.m. service time. This time enables
me to attend church and still get the boat out on
the lake by 11:00. Then, the epiphany hit us as a
Council. If that small time change would enable a
few more people and families to attend worship
on a more regular basis, perhaps the extra half
hour earlier on the lake was not so important.
Additionally, in the coming months, Bible Study
will begin again and may precede worship.
Make a Joyful Noise!
Are you interested in sharing your musical gifts
with our church? Saron is interested in organizing a
choir again to enrich the worship life of the
congregation. At this time, we are getting a feel for
who might be interested in participating and once
enough voices are gathered, we can begin
rehearsing and sharing music. If you are interested
in learning more about singing in the choir, please
talk to Karin R. or Pastor Callie.
Your Council decided to accommodate the
request to worship at 9:30 a.m. and it was
announced at our the Congregational Meeting in
June. At that time there were concerns raised.
Some members preferred 9:00 a.m. Some
members were not pleased that the topic was not
put to a congregational vote.
As a Church Council, in an effort to have all
members be heard, we have decided to try the
9:30 worship time beginning September 4th and
then readdress the issue, as a group, at our Annual
Meeting in January.
We ask that you consider all sides of the issue and
pray for guidance.
Your Sister in Christ,
Lisa Alessi
Council President
Council Installation
Saron’s new council members and new council
officers will be installed in worship on Sunday,
August 1st!
Thank You to Phil
Our appreciation to Phil S., outgoing Church
Council President, for his years of service as
President. Phil provided support during the
pandemic and through times of not having a pastor.
Your work and dedication to the church is sincerely
appreciated.
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Blessing of the Backpacks
The new school year is already starting! Let us send
all the students and teachers in the congregation
with a new school year blessing. If you or someone
you know is a teacher or a student of any age, invite
them to worship on Sunday August 1st, and
encourage them to bring their backpacks, bookbags,
or just themselves!
August C.A.R.E. Donations
Please bring canned milk to give to C.A.R.E. to
assist those in need. Other items are (cereal, boxed
meals, canned foods and fruits) are also welcome. If
you choose to make a monetary donation please
make your check payable to Saron Lutheran Church
and note C.A.R.E. as a memo or on your offering
envelope.
Grandparents’ Day
National Grandparents’ Day is coming September
12th and you are encouraged to bring your
grandchildren to church. Did you know?
Grandparents Day is an official national holiday,
signed by President Carter in 1978 and celebrated
on the first Sunday after Labor Day. Let the
children come!
National Night Out
Please plan to come for National Night Out (August
3rd) to thank all those that help to keep our
community safe. The congregation will begin
enjoying the Taco Bar at 5 pm and our guests are
expected around 6 pm. Gene Bartolomei will
entertain us his beautiful accordion music.
Fund Raiser for the Escalon Ministerial
Association
Instead of a Bunco Night, a new fundraiser is being
organized to assist those in need during the holiday
season. Keep your eyes and ears out for more
information coming soon! Monetary gifts are
always welcome and checks should be made to
Saron Lutheran Church with “EMA fundraiser”
noted in the memo. Please call Becky E. if you have
any questions.
Golf Tournament
Mark your calendar for the upcoming Golf
Tournament on October 9th!
Share about Saron at Park Fete
Saron Lutheran Church will have a table at Park
Fete in Escalon on Friday, August 6th (4:00 pm -
closing) and Saturday, August 7th (9:00 am -
closing). This will be an opportunity for our
neighbors to learn more about the ministries of the
church, the Lutheran tradition, and the people in our
congregation. Our booth will have information,
flyers, music, and a fun game to play to win prizes.
Pastor Callie will be at the table through the whole
event and is looking for volunteers to sit with her to
share about life at Saron. If you are interested in
helping please email saronlutheran@att.net. Even if
you can’t sit at the table, we hope you come by and
say hello!
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We are a family of God, forgiven and restored through Jesus Christ, whose responsibility it is
to share God’s message of new life for all people. We are here to serve God, our
congregation, and our community; trusting in God’s grace and setting an example by our
own lives. We are committed to loving one another and sharing the Gospel of Christ so that
all may be welcomed into his family.

August Birthdays Saron Lutheran Church Council

01 Lucille Mammen Lisa Alessi, President
12 Frankie Olson Louise Spurgeon, Vice-President
20 Sensie (Dahlin) Becky Emery, Secretary
Dave Strand, Treasurer
21 Caterina Grossi Krista Adametz
31 John Avila Laurence Peters
Gary Thomasser

September Messenger Deadline

If you have any news or announcements that you
would like included in next month’s messenger
please submit it to saronlutheran@att.net by
Friday, August 20th.

Find Us On Facebook
Search for
@SaronLutheranEscalon
and look for the photo of
our church. Follow for
Wednesday devotionals,
Sunday worship, news from
our church, and more!

Contact Pastor Callie

If you have any questions, suggestions, or prayer
concerns please feel free to contact Pastor Callie at
pastorcallie.saron@gmail.com or 209-425-3390.
(text/call). She is eager to hear from you!

Saron Lutheran Church is part of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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