WHO WE ARE
Leading people to Christ through our example.
OUR MISSION
Celebrating over 200 years as a gathering place for all God’s people, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saddle River New Jersey honors its history and Lutheran heritage while leading people to Christ through worship, prayer, outreach, music, fellowship, God’s Word, and the administration of the Holy Sacraments.
OUR HISTORY
The cornerstone of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was placed on October 20, 1820. A bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, a bible and a hymn book were placed within the Church cornerstone. The building was dedicated October 14th, 1821.
Our People
Rev. Elaine Burkert
Vice Pastor
Pastor Elaine’s experience in ministry leadership began in 1988 when she and her first husband (Chuck, who died in 2017) moved from Southern California to Northern New Jersey. Prior to their move, her educational training and professional work were as a Public Relations Coordinator within the hospitality industry. Once settled in N.J., she accepted the unforeseen role of Christian Education and Youth Leader at a United Methodist Church.
The next step was ordination, so she began her Master of Divinity degree work at Drew University in Madison, NJ. She served as Associate or Senior Pastor at United Methodist Churches in Cranford, Denville, Springfield, and Dumont before retiring in 2022 after 30+ years of church ministry.
Jane (Euiju) Yoo
Music Director
Jane majored in classical composition in Korea and came to the United States to receive a bachelor's and master's degree in jazz piano. She composes, arranges, records, performs, and gives piano lessons. You can listen to her hymns and jazz performances on her YouTube channel. @Jazz Jane
Church music is not just a part of her life; it is the very essence of her music. She learned and continues to learn music at church, including choir, conducting, accompaniment, band performance, and performing for concerts. The joy and fulfillment she experiences when performing at church is unparalleled. She is excited to share this joy with all of you at Zion.
Our Affiliation
Our Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA.org) New Jersey Snyod (njsynod.org).
