Zion E-News (1-23-2020)

Earlier this week, my younger sister Jaclyn posted on social media about her son Dawit. Dawit is a delightful, energetic, funny little boy who has been through a lot. He was adopted as a baby from Ethiopia and deals with the impacts of early childhood trauma, including a struggle to trust other people to truly be there for him. With that context in mind, follow is my sister’s post:

I tell Dawit so often that he can trust me. I got it. He can relax. He can trust me that I will drive the car safely. He can trust me that I will buy food he likes. He can trust me to always come back when I am away from his sight. He can trust me that I will always love him, even when he does things that hurt me or others in our family. He can trust me that I am his Mommy FOREVER and nothing he can do will change that. I’m not going anywhere.

Just like my adopted son can trust me, I can #trust God. God adopted me as HIS daughter. God’s got it. I can trust Him to keep me safe. I can trust Him to provide for my needs. I can trust that God is there loving me, even when I cannot see Him or feel His #Presence. I can trust Him that He will always love me, even when I do things that hurt. I can trust that He is my Heavenly Father #forever and that will never change. He is not going anywhere. 

There is something so unique about #adoption and how it relates/compares to my relationship with my adopted Heavenly Father.

I don’t know what you may be going through this week. You may have sick kids. You may be facing a cancer diagnosis in your life or the life of someone you love. Memories may be fading for you, a spouse, or a parent. Your job may be tenuous or undergoing big changes. I don’t know, but God does. And, you can trust God to be with you in the midst of your struggles. He has got you and he won’t let go.

Connect to God
As we continue our study of the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus begins his public ministry on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He comes proclaiming a simple message of repentance. Like in our own day, many people then were willing to compromise the commands of God or mixed their religion with the politics to some disastrous ends. Jesus calls them and us instead to repent of their old ways of living and begin instead to live in his way.

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
For the past two years, we have been holding 729 groups as a way to get to know more people in the congregation. These groups commit to meet together for a meal once a month for three months. It is a great way to get to know some new people in church. I have heard numerous people tell me how much they have enjoyed getting to know people in their group. If you are looking to make some new connections over the winter, new to Zion, or wondering who some of these new people are, sign-up through the Connection Card this Sunday for our next round of 729 Groups.

Serve the World
A quick story from City Chapel, our downtown church plant. About a year ago, Ron and Anna Radcliffe met with a former staff member at a large mega-church here in town. he had been burned and abused by the church and had not been back for 10 years. But, he gave City Chapel a try because he liked Ron. A year later, he is in church almost every week. Last week, m his daughter was sick and so they stayed home and she missed the children’s ministries. When she found out the church met without them, she was really sad because she loves going to church. Telling the story, her dad commented that he never thought he could trust a church again, but he has found a spiritual home at City Chapel. Your prayer and financial support of this ministry is making eternal impact in people’s lives.

Due to the in-climate weather on the 11th, we postponed the Zion Mini-golf event until February 1 from 12-3. This is both a great opportunity to casually connect with friends from Zion and also invite any unchurched friends to a family friendly event at church. We look forward to seeing you on the 1st!

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: $377,121.88
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $363,007.72