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Zion Lutheran Church gives away a half-million dollars By Buffy Pollock Updated: Oct 13, 2022 03:08 PM A A Debbie Bowman, Zion Lutheran Church Council president, is seen Thursday outside the church at the corner of Oakdale and Fourth streets in Medford. Members of the recently disbanded congregation donated more than $100,000 each to five local social service organizations. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Five social service organizations were presented with six-figure checks Thursday — tallying more than a half-million dollars — from the sale of the recently disbanded Zion Lutheran Church. Gifted during a short presentation at Medford Gospel Mission, the checks were intended to “continue the legacy of Zion Church,” said church council President Debbie Bowman, by rendering aid to community members in need. The checks — for $104,392.26 apiece — were handed over to representatives from ACCESS, St. Vincent de Paul, The Salvation Army, Maslow Project and the Gospel Mission. The church council, who voted in January to put the church up for sale and sold it to Pacific Bible College in May, spent much of the spring and summer collecting and packing up the church history for preservation by local and state historical societies. They also were tasked with how to handle the proceeds from the sale of the church property. Church officials elsewhere in the state suggested the money be sent north, but church members said church council Secretary Nancy Swan “would be keeping it in our community, thanks.” The Zion Lutheran Church, Medford’s longest-running and oldest, was founded in 1897 by German missionaries from Michigan. Church members voted in January to put the property up for sale and vacated in mid-July. The property was sold to Pacific Bible College, which plans a campus on the property. Bowman, whose grandfather was a founding member of the church when it met in a house on Rose Street, said church members were pleased with the church’s future use and excited to support social service organizations in the Rogue Valley. Being stewards of the church’s remaining assets, Bowman said, was the church council’s “final duty.” “We all agreed that we wanted the building proceeds to go to five organizations that did the most good in our community,” she said. “We all came up with a list, and then we voted on our favorites.” The organizations that received checks help with everything from providing shelter and meals to offering assistance for utility bills, diapers, clothing, furniture or even a place to have mail delivered or take a hot shower. “We’ve been busy these last few months trying to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. When we got our letter from the Department of Justice saying that we could disband, everything was rolling right along, and this was the final thing we had to do,” she said. “It was important to us that our legacy live on in the community.” Bowman said church council members nominated local agencies and voted on their top five. Council members were also mindful of organizations that had long been supported by the church before it disbanded. She noted, “ACCESS was an important one for us to contribute to. We have sponsored the west Medford food pantry throughout the years — for at least 30 years that I’m aware of — and we wanted that work to continue.” A single mom when her sons were growing up, Bowman, 69, said she and others from the church had ties to all the organizations that received the checks. “St. Vinny’s helped me many times when I got in a jam and couldn’t pay a bill or couldn’t make my rent. And I’ve been to the (ACCESS) food pantry many times. On the other side of it, as my situation improved, I donated furniture and clothing to the various places,” she said. “I guess it all comes full circle.” Bowman said Pacific Bible College officials plan to keep a large timeline, drawn on the wall by church families, of memorable moments in the church and those families’ histories, and they will preserve the signature stained-glass windows of the historical Gothic sanctuary. Maj. Randy Mulch, who attended the ceremony on behalf of The Salvation Army, said his own life had been impacted when he attended a Lutheran kindergarten. “That impacted my life in a significant way, and here I am, all these years later. I’m really moved at the generosity of the Zion Lutheran, to make sure that even in the midst of the congregation disbanding, to see that your legacy continues,” said Mulch. “As we look at all of these organizations and the lives that are impacted, that 50 years from now, somebody or somebodies — some individuals — will say I remember my life being impacted … and that would have been made possible through the legacy of Zion Lutheran.” ACCESS food programs director Marcee Champion said that with rising food costs and increasing need in the community, the donation was a huge help in feeding community members in need. “It’s nice to have some money we can kind of save in reserve,” she said. “So often, we have funds that have to be spent a certain way or in a certain amount of time. Food costs are going up substantially, and we’ve been struggling to make things go even further. We’ve had a more than 60% increase in requests for food since January. It’s really sad that the church had to disband, but it’s very touching they chose to continue their legacy in this way.” St. Vincent de Paul President John Vinatieri was touched by Bowman’s stories of her life being impacted by help from St. Vincent. “Debbie told me that she had a period of time where she was struggling and she had come to us and got help with rent and some other things,” Vinatieri said. “The closing of the church is a really sad thing, but the fact their legacy is going to live on through all of us who will be able to use that money to help clients, that’s really special. It’s just really amazing how things get paid forward.” He added, “We’re just honored to be a part of this and really grateful for the donation. To know that we helped someone during a hard time in their life — and now they’re helping us to continue doing the good that we do. The money will be put to good use.” Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal