Zion E-News (1-31-2019)

It’s been a little cold this week. And, in my house, the children and parents are beginning to climb the walls just a little bit. There are only so many games you can play, books you can read, and movies you can watch before you just want to get back to school and see your friends and get out of the house.

But, there is something good about slowing down once in a while. We live in a society that values doing, achieving, getting things done. We often can be tempted to find out value and worth in what we do and how well we do it. We focus on games won, grades earned, and promotions received. But there is always another game, another test, another task to conquer at work. 

God told us to take one day off out of every seven, to take one day a week, to simply be with God. A day to rest. A day to worship,. A day for community. We aren’t very good at taking this day. We prefer to check things off the to-do list, to make some progress on a project, to push ourselves just a little more.

Something important happens when we slow down. We listen to our souls a little more. We enjoy the silence and in the silence begin to hear God. We connect with people more deeply when there isn’t the pressure to get to the next thing. We discover we do have the time for deeper connections if we are willing to stop once in a while.

I’ve been enjoying more time in scripture, started a new devotional, had some great conversations with our kids, lost badly at some games, and been reminded my true worth does not come from what I do, but simply because I am a child of God. And, I am blessed to be Rachel’d husband and my kids dad.

May you find time to slow down and remember again from where our true worth and value comes.

Connect to God
Zion is a place where our youth are encouraged to serve regularly in important ways throughout our church and in worship services. But today, our youth ministry is getting even more involved in leading worship. Various students will be involved in the worship band and the liturgy. Our middle school students have spent time crafting prayers based on pictures they have taken. Our high school students have prepared a skit that summarizes the life of Jesus in less than six minutes. And our Youth Director has prepared a teaching from Luke 4:14-30 when Jesus was rejected in his home town. Our prayer is that you would be encouraged, inspired, and find renewal in your call to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
Due to the Youth Service, there will be no Sunday School this week. Sunday School will resume next week on February 10.

Our next new members class will begin on February 10. This class is for anyone interested in joining Zion or who simply wants to learn more about our church and its life and ministry. You can sign-up this Sunday on the Connection Card.

If you signed up for a 729 group, you should have been or will soon be contacted by your group coordinator. If you are not contacted by next Thursday, shoot Pastor Gregand e-mail and he will get right on it.

Serve the World
Do you know a great way to serve others? Go shopping! Seriously. Lifeline Community Church is currently planning a mission trip to Guatemala with members from the church from June 19-26. The trip will cost an average of $2,000 per person which for many of their members is a huge cost. To help defray these costs, Benefit Twice will be holding a special sale from March 20-23. This will only be at the Wyoming store in Rogers Plaza, so mark your calendars and do a little shopping for a great cause and some good deals!

Administrative Details
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.
Fiscal Year to date budget: $380,632.00
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $373,457.23