the Logos

I received this via email and thought it was a good history of our Watch Night celebration. ~The History of Watch Night Service~ Many of you who live or grew up in Black communities in the United States have probably heard of "Watch Night Services," the gathering of the faithful in church on New Year's Eve. The service usually begins anywhere from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some folks come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For others, church is the only New Year's Eve event. Like many others, I always assumed that Watch Night was a fairly standard Christian religious service -- made a bit more Afro centric because that's what happens when elements of Christianity become link

More pics of Gabrielle can be found here: http://harriswebsite.net/Gabrielle/

Gabrielle Ailsa Harris was born today (12/28) at 4:21pm weighing 7 lbs, 10 oz and 20" long. Baby and mommy are doing fine. Here are a couple of pics. There will be more to come. Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas! Remember that Jesus is the reason for this season and ALL seasons. For many, the Christmas season is a holiday filled with presents, lights, and family. They are not aware that Christmas gets its name from God’s gift to the world, Jesus Christ. The challenge for us as believers is to celebrate the birth of Jesus in a way that helps others know Jesus, the real man who walked on earth, and still transforms lives today. Christmas should bring excitement as we remember our Savior who was born in manger. Before Christ came, people could know God partially. After Christ came, people could know God fully because He became visible and tangible in Christ. Christ is the perfect expression of God in human form. Enjoy your Christmas with family and friends. And don't leave Christ out of your Christmas. “Christmas List” I had the nicest Christmas list, The longest one in town, 'Til Daddy looked at it and said, "You'll have to cut it down." I knew that w

All members are invited to participate in our Family Christmas Celebration on Sat., Dec. 16th at 3pm at the Herbert Young Community Center which is across the street diagonally from the church. Please note our Holiday Service Schedule: On 12/24, 12/31 there will be one service at 10:30am with Sunday School starting at 9am. See the church calendar for changes to prayer meeting and Bible Study. I also wanted to bring awareness to the situation that's happening in Darfur (a region in western Sudan). This has been a Weekend of Prayer and Action for Darfur. If you are not familiar with what's happening, there's an ongoing conflict between the Arab militias (back by the Sudanese government) and black African rebels resulting in over 2 million civilians displaced and an estimated death toll of 400,000 killed. The Arab militias are targeting the non-Arab, black African population (killing of babies, the mass rape of women and girls, burning of homes and religious buildings...t

Everyone is invited to go along with the Outreach Ministry to go Christmas caroling to the area nursing homes on Friday from 6pm to 8:30pm. Meet at the church before 6pm. All members are invited to participate in our Family Christmas Celebration on Sat., Dec. 16th at 3pm at the Herbert Young Community Center across the street. Our neighbor, Union Bethel AME Church invites us to share in their Christmas Extravaganza on Sunday, December 10 at 4:00 PM. This worship experience focuses on the Christmas story as viewed from Joseph’s viewpoint. Don’t forget that your online shopping can benefit Mt. Zion. Our shopping mall has changed so go to our shopping mall link on the church website to register and get started. New merchants have been added like Toys R Us and Amazon.com.

Please support the Men’s Ministry Winter Coat Drive to benefit homeless and needy children, young men and adults in the Triangle Area. The coat drive will run through Sun., Dec. 17th A prayer breakfast,“Maximizing the Power of Prayer in Your Life”, presented by the Women’s Ministry is scheduled for Sat., Dec.9th at 8:30am. I'm so happy to announce our preliminary report on how we did on Commitment Sunday. Our goal is to raise $312,500 and we received vows for $369,648.00! Praise God. And I know there are more vows to come since some families were traveling on Commitment Sunday. Plus the Sacrificial Giving Offering we raised was $47, 868.95. What a great start. I thank you for your obedience to God and stepping out in faith to make your vow. But this is just the beginning. We must now fulfill our commitments over the next year. If you didn't get to a chance to make your vow, you can still fill out your vow sheet and drop in the sacrificial giving offering on Sundays

The American Family Association has decided to cancel its efforts of encouraging people to not shop at Wal-Mart this Friday and Saturday after Wal-Mart announced today that it "will no longer make corporate contributions to support or oppose controversial issues". This is great news. Notice how effective it is when you threaten a company's bottom line. Click here for the details. So all of you who love Wal-Mart, line up early on Black Friday...just don't run into a pole .

I'm calling for people to join the boycott of shopping at Wal-Mart on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving to protest Wal-Mart's strong support for the Homosexual agenda. Wal-Mart gave $60,000 to Out & Equal, a homosexual organization pushing the same-sex agenda, including same-sex marriage, in the workplace. In August 2006, Wal-Mart announced a partnership with National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) which includes representation on that organization's corporate advisory council. Wal-Mart will be giving $25,000 annually to the NGLCC, and it has agreed to sponsor two of that organization's conferences. The NGLCC has shown itself to be opposed to the Marriage Protection act. Please join the boycott and sign the online petition . More details can also be found here . Share this info with your family and friends. Also post your comments and let me know what you think about this and other corporations supporting the Homosexual agenda. How can we a

We have several new additions to the Photo Gallery : Women'’s Ministry bowling, VBS, Community Festival. Check them out. The Outreach Ministry's annual food drive ends Thurs., Nov. 16th. We need your continued support so please bring your food and monetary donations by the deadline. We are in day 33 of our 40-day fast. This is the home stretch. On Nov. 20th you can resume your normal routine. Next Sunday (11/19), we will have one service at the Senior Center in Bond Park starting at 10:00am. We want everyone to participate in making a vow on Commitment Sunday (11/19). Please write your name legibly on your vow sheet. Because this is a serious and important occasion, we are making our vow before God. It is just as serious as making a wedding vow before God. Please do not make a vow or any form of commitment that you do not intend to keep. In addition to bringing your vow on Commitment Sunday, you will also bring a cash gift, the first portion of what you vowed to give. I wo

The evangelistic event, Harvest Crusade is coming to the RBC center on June 22-24 2007. Greg Laurie will be speaking. Mt. Zion will be working with other area churches to support this outreach event. We need a prayer coordinator that will get prayer updates from the Harvest Crusade prayer committee. Preferably someone who regularly attends prayer meeting. Please let me know if you would like to take on this responsibility. The Outreach Ministry’s annual food drive is underway and will continue through Thurs., Nov. 16th. We have 105 families that we want to provide with Thanksgiving baskets, so we need your generous food and monetary donations. Also, next Sunday’s love offering will go towards the Thanksgiving Food Drive. If you have not voted during early voting, I encourage everyone to exercise their right and vote on Tuesday. Wake County Voters’ guides are available here . We are in day 26 of our 40-day fast. We want everyone to participate in making a vow on Commitment Sunday (11/

Thanks to all who went with us to First Baptist in Holly Springs on Thursday and Friendship Fellowship Community Outreach on Sunday. I had a great time sharing the Word and fellowing with these churches. Called 2 Action has prepared their Wake County Voter’s Guide which you can put up in the church vestibule. We are in day 13 of our 40-day fast. This is great opportunity to include your children in fasting and praying. Teach them about giving to God.

I've been informed of several job opportunities. This information is posted on our community connection section of our website. Don’t forget about Franklin Graham’s Hope for Sudan event on Oct. 10th at 7:30pm at Progress Energy Center in Raleigh. Several of our members will be participating in the Mass Choir that will be singing at that event. The church-wide 40 day fast that will begin on Oct. 11th (Wednesday) and end on Nov. 19th (Commitment Sunday). During this time of fasting you will be asking God want He wants you to give in the Sacrificial Giving Campaign. You may fast as the Lord leads you (for example, you may give up desserts or food from sunrise to sundown). Any families who are members that didn’t get their Sacrificial Giving Campaign information packet, please make sure you get your packet from the Sacrificial Giving committee. You can pick up your packet after church services and then from the church office.

Homecoming will be celebrated on next Sun., Oct. 1st with one service at 10:15am at the Cary Senior Center located in Bond Park. Sunday School will not be held on this day. We will also have kick-off or new Sacrificial Giving Campaign. Dinner will be served following the service. Everyone is invited to join us! Due to the off-site service on Oct. 1st, we will have Communion on the second Sunday. Franklin Graham is coming to Raleigh to share with us the story of the greatest martyrdom of Christians in history. It is happening in the Sudan. Samaritans’ purse is raising funds to rebuild 300 churches in the Sudan. They are training 3000 pastors to replace the 300 pastors that were crucified. This Hope for Sudan event is on Oct 10 at 7:30 pm at the progress energy center for the performing arts. Several of our members will be participating in the event choir. Everyone is invited to come out and worship with us at our Fall Renewal Services, Wed – Fri at 7:00pm each evening. On Wed

Thanks to all the couples that attended the Couples retreat on yesterday (9/16). Although I wasn't able to attend, I heard that it was an awesome retreat. Please join the Mt. Zion Ushers as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary on Sun., Sept. 24th at 4:00 pm. The speaker will be Minister Lydia Amekuedi. We look forward to celebrating with the Ushers at this important milestone. The Outreach Ministry will be starting its annual food drive on Sun., Sept. 24th and continuing through Thurs., Nov. 16th. A list of non-perishable items will be forthcoming. Don't forget to mark your calendars for Sun., Oct. 1st. We will be having our Homecoming and kickoff for our next Sacrificial Giving Program. It's going to be a great time that you will not want to miss. More details to come.

Couples…come join the Couples’ Ministry along with Philippian Community Church for a one-day Retreat entitled "Seasons of Marriage" on Sat., Sept.16th from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm at the Falls Lake Community Bldg. in Durham. The fall '06 session of the Spiritual Enrichment course will begin on Sept.10th during the Sunday School hour (at 10:15am). The deadline to sign-up is Sept. 3rd. The sign-up sheet is located on the church bulletin board. We always have a fun time in this course, so if you haven't attended Spiritual Enrichment yet, then sign up and join us.

As of 6pm today, the boiling water notice for Cary has been lifted. For those of you that own a Dell laptop, Dell is issuing a massive recall of 4.1 million battery packs, used in several of its laptop lines, because of a risk of overheating and fire. Some of you may have seen the interview with Carlton Pearson who is now teaching a Doctrine of Inclusion. This doctrine is essentially Universalism. Universalism treaches that all men will be saved and go to Heaven. It claims that all people are born the children of God, hence denies the necessity of Christ's dying for sin. It teaches that all religions lead to the same destination. Also holds the belief that there is no eternal punishment for sin, hence there is no need for salvation. We must expose false teaching by declaring what God says about salvation and eternal punishment through His Word. The following scriptures clearly tell us that not all men will be saved. But only those who accept God's Son, Jesus Christ.

Thanks to all who attended the Church Family Meeting this evening. Rev. Laura Mahn from Urban Ministries of Wake County gave us a presentation about what the ministry provides for the community. Check out their website for more details. Hopefully, ministries will get a better idea of how to partner with ministries like Urban Ministries to better serve the needs of the community. We presented the submission schedule for 2007 events. OCTOBER 25th: Each Event should be submitted to Ministry Elder on or before this date. Please fill out Event Planning form on for each separate event and make sure you include: Date, Time, Location and cost for each event. NOVEMBER 2nd: Submissions will be reviewed for approval NOVEMBER 10TH: Events will be scheduled on Calendar NOVEMBER 15TH: Ministries notified of approved 2007 Events We also re-elected a couple of board members for another 4 year term. Mt. Zion's current Board of Directors are: President: Elder Willie Harris Vice P

It is with great joy that I share with you all the newest blessing to our family. My wife and I will be welcoming a new baby into our lives and home this year. Our scheduled due date is December 29, 2006! Psalms 127:3-5a states: "Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." So I'm adding another arrow to my quiver!

We had great a great Community Outreach Week 2006! Both VBS and the Saturday Festival were a huge success. My thanks to all the teachers, assistants, Hospitality Ministry, and Special Events committee that worked hard to make it a success. Due to July 4 th holiday weekend, communion in July will be on the 2 nd Sunday.

The following sermons are available for download from our website: “It’s Time to Build the Lord’s House” (I detail 10 principles needed to properly build God's House) and “What is Hell Do You Want?” (I explain the realities of Hades and Hell and how Jesus has given us the victory over them). May is the last month for the first phase of our Sacrificial Giving program. We want to have 100% participation from our active members. So if you have not given anything yet, now i s the time! 2 Cor. 8:7-8: “But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.” We must also excel in the grace of giving. And when we read Mark 12:41-44 , we understand that the value of a gift is not determined by its amount, but by the spirit in which it is given. T

I want to thank everyone for the cards, gifts, and well wishes for my 4th Patsoral Anniversary and early birthday celebration. My wife and I appreciate everything that has been done for our family. Thanks to those who came out and supported our first Teen Summit Conference 2006. It was a great success and we look forward to making it better and better in the years to come. We had a great time at the Contemporary Youth Service on Sunday. Melissa Wade brought a dynamic message to the youth by encouraging them to bury "I can't". This Thursday, May 4, is the National Day of Prayer. I will be participating along with other area Pastors in Cary's observance ceremony at First United Methodist at the Corner of Academy and Chatham at noon.

We are in the process of ordering more hymnal books to replace those that are falling apart and missing pages. I ask that all members to please take care of them. I know that many people use the hymnals to cover the the vents to block the cold air when the A/C is on, but that damages the hymnals. We are looking into a solution for the A/C vents. Mt. Zion is having its first Teen Summit Conference 2006 on Sat., Apr. 29th from 10:00am - 3:00pm . The agenda includes a talk show, fashion show, dramatic skits and a panel discussion with various leaders within our community. The topics covered within these activities are: Self- Image, Sex, Drugs, Crime and Gang Enrollment. We are excited about this summit and need every parent to support it by having their teens attend. And we need everyone to spread the word about it. I also had the previlige of attending a presentation at Triangle Community Church called "Kidnapped: The Battle for your Child's Heart". It was

I'm happy to announce that we have finally obtained approval from Town of Cary on the re-submittal of site plan! All praises to God! I'm calling for a Fast during Lent (which began on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter). During this time of Fasting, please pray for our Building Project, specifically for our construction costs (to stay as low as possible) and our Sacrificial Giving program (for people to continue to give). We had a great time at our Black History Program. Thanks to the organizers and everyone that participated. Click here to check out photos from the program. Several weeks ago, I informed parents of the potential dangers of MySpace.com. So I decided to sign up myself to the site to see how easy it is to find kids. I discovered several of our kids out there posting too much personal information (pics, age, location, etc). Unfortunately, a site like this makes it easy for internet predators. I will be informing every parent when I find their kids out there on MyS

As a parent, I am concerned about the safety of our children on the internet. The internet is not evil in itself, but there are plenty of evil people who use it to prey on children. Over the next several weeks, the church will be providing information to parents to help them protect their children. Here's some rules for parents as well the top 10 things to teach your children about the internet... Parent’s Rules & Tools (Taken from ProtectKids.com) Rule: Teach your children to never give personal information over the Internet. "In a study of 4 million children between the ages of 7 and 17 who use the Internet, 29% indicated they would give out their home address and 14% would give out their email address if asked (NOP Research Group, 2002). Rule: Disallow Chat Rooms/ Limit your child's Instant Messaging to a parental approved buddy lists. Approximately 89% of sexual solicitations of youth were made in either chat rooms or through Instant Messaging

In an effort to be more consistent with having Sunday School, we will be adjusting our service times. Starting in February: Sunday School will start at 10:15am and second service will begin at 11:15am.

Happy New Year! Rev. 3:20 states, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts every time we sense we should turn to him. Jesus wants to have fellowship with us, and he wants us to open up to him. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through to us—not breaking and entering, but knocking. He allows us to decide whether or not to open our lives to him. Do you intentionally keep his life-changing presence and power on the other side of the door? Don’t miss your appointment with God in the 2006!