Zion Lutheran Church

09/02/2026

Over the next few years, Iowa District East – LCMS will be hosting liturgy workshops in different areas of the district. Their first Liturgy Workshop will be held at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls on November 14, 2026. President Saunders will be presenting on Something is Happening Here: The Transcendent Power of the Liturgy. Breakaway presentations will feature by Rev. Jon Ellingworth (Rubrics) and Rev. Matthew Baker (Music). There is no cost to attend but a free will offering will be taken. Lunch is being provided by Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. To register online,
https://lcmside.org/liturgy-workshop-reg/

08/08/2026

Zion's youth went mini golfing this past Wednesday at Mini Pines Golf Course. Everyone had a fun time playing together before heading back to school in a couple of weeks!

07/30/2026

Zion's youth spent a couple of hours over the lunch hour today at Mission of Hope. Serving as a meal sponsor for their Daily Hot Lunch Program is one of the most popular ways to serve at Mission of Hope. Zion's youth provided the food and the manpower for the meal today, serving the less fortunate members of the Cedar Rapids community.

07/27/2026

Our brother in Christ, Martin Jochimsen, was called home to Glory on Saturday, July 25.

The family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Marion. A Funeral Service will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 31, 2026, at Zion Lutheran Church, located at 201 First Avenue, in Hiawatha, Iowa. Burial will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday at Clinton Lawn Cemetery in Clinton, Iowa.

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” Revelation 14:13 (ESV)

View Martin August Jochimsen's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

07/25/2026

Our last night of VBS had us outside once again enjoying the beautiful weather as we learned all about Jesus appearing before Paul in Acts 9:1-19. After Jesus rose from the dead, He remained on earth for forty days before ascending to the Father in heaven. Ten days later, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost, and through their message, thousands became believers in Christ. But there were many Jewish people who did not believe that Jesus was the Savior. Paul was one of these unbelievers. Paul’s hatred of the believers was so great that he asked the high priest for permission to hunt down those belonging to “the Way” and bring them to Jerusalem to be imprisoned. But God had other plans for Paul. Jesus appeared to Paul on the road and changed his heart. Paul became, as God told Ananias, “a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

Our Bible verse for the night was from what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” We, like Paul, can feel the weight of our sin. We may even feel that we are too bad for God to love and forgive us. Nothing can stop God from loving us.

For all of those in attendance this past week, thank you so much for sharing your child(ren) with us this week to participate in an exciting week at Vacation Bible School. We hope your child had fun and made some new friends. We also pray your child learned about Jesus, our Savior and Lord. The good news is that our adventure of learning that Jesus is always there for us does not end when the TROPICAL TREK VBS is over! When we come together for worship and hear God’s Word, Jesus, our Savior, is present with us, just as He was at VBS! We encourage your family to regularly worship our one true God.

Thank you so much to the many Zion members who volunteered and served their Lord this week at Tropical Trek VBS in whatever capacity you served. Your help was truly appreciated! God bless all of you!

07/23/2026

Wednesday night at VBS, we heard all about Jesus rising from the dead to save us from our sins. Jesus’ followers had lost all hope after seeing Him die on the cross and His body laid in a tomb. But Jesus rose from the dead, just as He had promised! Even children sometimes feel hopeless, worn down by the troubles of this world. Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope! We have a God who keeps all His promises. We have hope and new life in Him.

Our Bible verse for the night was:
You, O Lord, are my hope, my trust. Psalm 71:5

07/23/2026

Support Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca at Summer Fest 2026 on Saturday, July 25!

All funds raised will support the summer camping program. Starting at 10:00 AM, try fun camp activities, like horseback riding, canoeing, swimming, and the climbing tower/zip line. Then have lunch and bid on live auction items. The online auction is currently open and accepting bids through 4:00 PM on Friday, July 24.

07/22/2026

Last night was a great night to be outside for Tropical Trek VBS! Zion was blessed with 78 children attending VBS last night where they heard the Bible lesson from the Gospel of Luke about Jesus and Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus was lost in sin. His greediness and love of money distanced him from God. Jesus, in His love and mercy, found Zacchaeus and changed his heart. We also become lost in sin when we put earthly things above God. But Jesus doesn’t give up on us. He seeks us out and offers His love and forgiveness, bringing us back into a loving relationship with Him.

Our Bible verse from last night was from the book of Isaiah...
You are precious in My eyes . . . and I love you. Isaiah 43:4

07/21/2026

Despite the storms that rolled through Hiawatha right before VBS last night, Zion actually was blessed with an additional six students, bringing our total VBS attendance to 75 children. Because of the wet weather, we had to pivot with our schedules and move VBS games to tonight and work on another great craft project last night. No one seemed to mind at all!

Tropical Trek's lesson for the night came from the Book of Ruth with the story of Ruth and Naomi. Naomi and Ruth felt lonely when their husbands died. God found them in their loneliness and gave them a new family. There are times when we also feel lonely, however we are never truly alone. God is always with us, loving us and caring for us. He invites us into His family through Jesus.

Our memory verse for the night was:
"Fear not, for I am with you." Isaiah 41:10

07/21/2026

Tropical Trek Vacation Bible School kicked off at Zion this past Sunday night. We were blessed with 69 kids in attendance that night as we heard all about how Jesus came to seek and save us.

Our Bible lesson for the night came from Exodus 1:8–14, 22; 2:1–10 where we learned how God saved baby Moses. Jesus came to seek and to save! God saw the troubles of His people in Egypt. He saved Moses’ life and delivered His people from their troubles. God finds us in our troubles too. He sees our struggles, and He cares. He helps us and saves us from our greatest troubles through Jesus.

Sin and evil in the world cause suffering and threaten our safety.
Our heavenly Father sees the troubles we are experiencing, and He cares. He intervenes to help and save us.

Our Bible verse for the night was:
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you. Psalm 50:15