Zoar

During this season of Lent, our Thursday morning Bible study group has been exploring a small book that offers great insights into some of the characters on the fringes of the Palm Sunday path. The book is titled An Unlikely Lent: Extraordinary   People of the Easter Story.  Using the insights we've gleaned from the author, United Methodist pastor Rachel Billups, along with our own God-given gift of imagination, we've been able to step back and take a fresh look at the Palm S

Leprechaun Trap Dateline - Zoar Lutheran Pre-School, Canby OR During the wee hours of March 17, a group of mischievous leprechauns created havoc and chaos in the pre-school room. " We knew this was a possibility ," said preschool teacher Mrs. Kim. " We built and set out leprechaun traps, but that didn't stop them from creating a huge mess. There is green and rainbows everywhere !" No one was at the church at the time and no other rooms or areas were affected. A highly skilled

I feel like the gospel of John is love wrapped in a hug wrapped in a blanket. And today's gospel blanket is equal parts warm and fuzzy and uncomfortable and scratchy. Now our synoptic gospel writers Mark, Matthew, and Luke, tell the intimately familiar Last Supper story of Jesus breaking bread and sharing wine and saying the words we hear each time we come to the communion rail. Fun fact: Mark's and Matthew's Jesus says "Take; this is my body." (Matt. 26: 26, Mark 14: 22) whi

I wonder: Who else besides me is struck by how eerily on point today's gospel reading is? {Show of hands, if that was your reaction as you listened... ] In this passage from Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples, "You will hear of wars and rumors of war," and before Jesus even finishes his thought, our finite human brains are already off to the races, thinking, "Whoa! The Middle East and much of the rest of the world are under fire and on fire.... Does that mean we're living

Today's gospel is the story companion to Jesus's riddled question that stumped his enemies in Mark Chapter 11. The chapter just before today's gospel is Mark's version of the Palm Sunday text that we heard last week. And then after riding through the streets on a colt, Jesus goes to the temple and what does he do? That's right, he overturns the tables of the moneychangers and says, '""Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'?" But you

For almost 10 years, Zoar Lutheran Church has provided storage space and volunteers to support a Furniture Ministry in partnership with Love Inc. of Clackamas County. Families in Clackamas County that need furniture and/or basic household good can arrange pick-up of these items on scheduled Saturdays [check the Zoar Lutheran Church calendar] or by calling Love Inc at 503.650.0153. If you have furniture or houseware to donate, please contact the church office at 503.709.3557.

Confession #1: It's kind of a tough call, but 'Lent just might be my favorite season of the church year. Over the years, I've enjoyed the Lenten focus on spiritual practice and self-reflection because it reminds me to slow down - at least a little bit!... So, I'm curious: Does anyone else have a particular fondness for the season of Lent? [Show of hands, if you do!...] Yeah, so some of us appreciate the gifts of Lent. BUT at the very same time, I'm aware that some of us also

Zoar Lutheran Church partners with Love INC of Clackamas County offering a furniture and household goods to families in need in the Clackamas / Marion County area.

If your life has been affected by someone else’s drinking, you’ve come to the right place. We are an anonymous fellowship of people who feel their lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking.

One Sunday morning, a long time ago, I sat quietly on the wooden pew, wedged between my dad and my stepmother, staring down at my little legs dangling several inches above the floor. My dad had just retrieved me from Sunday School, where the teacher had asked our class whether we knew what the word "reverent" meant. When we responded by shaking our heads "no," she informed us that "reverent" means "quiet" and "respectful" in God's house. Then she asked the class another quest

The first time I met God face-to- face was when I was struck by lightning. I was about 19 or 20 years old and pumping gas for boats at a marina on Lake Erie in Ohio. My college didn’t start school until later in the summer than everyone else, which meant that I was often working alone on the dock and there weren’t as many boaters out that time of year. The dock was a rectangle with gas pumps on three sides where boats could pull up with a small shack in the middle that housed

Zoar received this letter from the Kiwanis Club thanking us for our participation in the annual Food and Toy Drive. Canby Kiwanis Community Food and Toy Drive

Pastor Joshua Stager was invited to share a message with the congregation while Pastor Michelle enjoyed some vacation time. There are no written notes for the sermon, but you are welcome to listen to his message from our YouTube channel { CLICK HERE } beginning at 37 minutes 30 seconds or just enjoy the entire worship service. "I Have Come Not to Abolish but to Fulfill"

If you were in worship last week, you may recall that after John the Baptist has been arrested, Jesus, who's been divinely commissioned and spiritually prepared to manifest God's saving presence, takes up his cousin's prophetic mantel. Matthew the Evangelist tells us, "From that time on, Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near "' Again, if you were here last week, you may also remember my saying that the word "repent" essentially means "pay a

Ash Wednesday Prayer  February 18, 12 pm   In preparation for our Lenten journey, we will gather in the Kindness Room for a short noon-time service of prayer with Scripture readings, a reflection by Pastor Michelle, and the imposition of ashes, which remind us of our mortality and our dependence on God’s care. Holy Communion will be celebrated.   Ash Wednesday Worship  February 18, 7 pm   We will gather in the sanctuary to receive ashes as a reminder of our mortality and our

Find out if a summer program is right for your family - program information and registration are available using the link below.

Zoar Lutheran Church and Canby Kiwanis serve a free dinner to the community each Tuesday from 5 – 6 pm. We served 6,528 meals over 52 weeks in 2025.

Zoar seeks to follow Jesus's example of inclusion by welcoming and affirming all, including all whom the world attempts to separate, divide, or isolate. We are committed to fostering social justice and racial equality. The Zoar community is committed to the ongoing work of welcoming all ages, races and ethnicities, physical and mental abilities, marital, economic and legal statuses, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions, as well as all theological per

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany, January 25, 2026 Isaiah 9:1-4 and Matthew 4:12-25

A 90-minute training to help households, congregations, and neighborhoods to begin preparing together, building resilience rooted in relationships and mutual care.