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About Us
Our Church
We are a gathering of the disciples of Jesus Christ committed to support one another while reaching out to our community with a word of hope and grace. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Lutheran Christian congregation providing a full range of Christian ministry to the village of Dauphin and its surrounding area. Centered in Word and Sacrament, we bear faithful witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, while caring for our neighbors.
Michael Fischer
Pastor
Pastor Michael is a native-Pennsylvanian. He is married to the love of his life, Rose. They met while attending Penn State, and have resided in York County since 2012. They have had several moves over the course of their marriage, including five years in Arizona, and eight years in Massachusetts. Rose is an Occupational Therapist.
Prior to enrolling at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 2004, Michael had a career in the business world. His last position in the corporate world was as Relationship Manager for a large insurance company headquartered in New England.
After graduating with honors in 2008 from Gettysburg Seminary, Michael was called to serve a congregation in the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, area. He is a Board Certified Chaplain and served as campus Chaplain for eight years at an Assisted Living in York County. He completed his training for Intentional Interim ministry through the Lutheran Transitional Ministry Association.
Pastor Michael enjoys hiking and kayaking. He is a Cycling (“Spin”) instructor at a local gym, and he enjoys lap swimming. He enjoys a good John Grisham novel, reading historical fiction, the TV shows Doc Martin and All Creatures Great and Small, time with family and friends, travel, and daily walks with Rose. He views faith as a life-long journey, one that is never “done,” as we continually grow in our awareness of God’s presence in our life and in our world.
Douglas A. Bonsall
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Doug is originally from the Millerstown, PA area and a ‘76 graduate of Pennsylvania State University.
He worked for 36 years with the Public School Employees’ Retirement System before retiring. Along with his position as Director of Music at Zion Lutheran, he also holds part-time positions as a health care communications consultant with HOP Administration Unit, and Director of Operations/Office Manager/Webmaster for PA Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (PAPERS). Although a frequent substitute organist at Zion for many years, Doug took the position as Director of Music in 2012.
Tracey Sudia
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Tracey has been a member of Zion for 28 years. She has been married for 30 years and has two grown sons.
Tracey worked for 15 years as the Computer Technician for Central Dauphin School District before retiring. She took the position as Zion’s Office Administrator in 2016. She lives in the Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin and enjoys volleyball, tennis, and spending time with family and friends.
Church Council
Zion’s Council is made up of 9 members plus the Pastor. Floyd Bechtel is our church treasurer, with Sonia Evans as our assistant treasurer, and Dee Wesner is our financial secretary. Members are elected for a 3-year term and can be in office for two consecutive terms. If you have a church concern, please talk to one of the council members.
Our Church Family
Mick McCommons – President
Kevin Musselman – Vice President
TomScott – Secretary
Floyd Bechtel – Treasurer
Sonia Evans – Asst. Treasurer
Dee Wesner – Financial Secretary
Doug Bonsall
Tammy Calhoun
Judy Harner
John Mimnall
Catherine Smith
Monica Wesner
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
is one of the largest Christian demoninations in the United States, with about 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. For us, as the ELCA, this faith comes through the good news of Jesus Christ and gives us the freedom and the courage to wonder, discover and boldly participate in what God is up to in the world.
Lower Susquehanna Synod
With 234 churches and over 86,000 baptized members, our synod is one of the largest of the 65 synods in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the fifth largest Protestant denomination in the United States.
Lutheran World Relief
works with local partners to provide lasting solutions to poverty. Pencils, a toothbrush, a quilt…ordinary items we take for granted become treasures in the hands of their recipients. Zion participates in the LWR worldwide kit program. Our gifts of time and resources are beautiful expressions of God’s love and grace to those in greatest need.