the Logos

I trust that everyone enjoyed their Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior. Men, don't forget to sign-up for the Men's Retreat in August at the Welcome Center. We want to get a good count for planning purposes. Everyone is invited to join us for our New Year's Eve Celebration on Wednesday, December 31st, starting at 9:00pm. Starting in January, I'm starting an important 2 part series entitled "Practical Atheist". Are you who you say you are?

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) What is so special about Christmas? Many believers make a big fuss about keeping Christ in Christmas. What is so special about this baby being born? Babies are born all the time. What is so special about the baby Jesus? Religion is man's attempt to reach God. Man sets up rules and regulations in order to work and obtain the favor of God. The reality is that you cannot reach God through your good works, your good personality, your good deeds, your good education, or your good family connections. The reason why the birth of Jesus is so significant is because it represents God coming to reach man. We could not reach Him, so He came in flesh to reach us! So this Christmas, remember that it's not about that present under the tree, but it's about this Child th

I hope you will enjoy a stress-free (or at least a reduced stress) Christmas. We often stress ourselves out by spending way too much on meaningless gifts. Rick Warren said, "We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't even like." So this Christmas, don't worry with trying to please others with material gifts, but enjoy the gift of family and the gift of God's Son, Jesus Christ. And most importantly, share the gift of Christ with someone else. Due to the holidays and to allow our deacons to enjoy extra time with family, there will be no more Bible Study (Wednesday evening and Thursday morning) or Prayer Meetings for the remainder of the year. Of course, this doesn't mean that you should not be studying the Bible and praying at home. Everyone is invited to join us for our New Year's Eve Celebration on Wednesday, December 31st, starting at 9:00pm. Next Sunday, we want you to give generously to the love offe

Thanks to all who came out to and participated in this year's Christmas Program. We had a great time celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Special thanks to the Fine Arts Ministry for putting together an awesome program Join the Outreach Ministry for an afternoon of Christmas Caroling on Saturday, December 20th. We will be visiting four nursing homes in the Cary area. Departure time from Mt. Zion will be 3:30pm. Directions and the route will be provided. Also, thanks for those that came out to support Deacon Zane Hankins has he delivered his Initial Sermon on Sunday afternoon.

I finished up the "Discerning God's Call in Your Life" series last week. If you missed any part of this series or just want to review the entire series again, order a free copy of the series on Audio CD. Don't forget about a couple of cool ways to earn money for Mt. Zion : Our Online Shopping Mall gives a percentage back to the church on purchases you make online and GoodSearch gives the church money when you search the internet. Men, the Men's Ministry need to know how many of you are interested in the 2009 Men's Retreat which is being planned for Thursday, August 13th through Saturday, August 15th. A sign-up sheet is located at the Welcome Center. It's very important for planning purposes that you sign up now if you are interested. Everyone is invited to attend the Christmas Program on Saturday, December 13th, beginning at 5pm. Please invite people to come along for the program, food, fun and fellowship. Pastor Snead and Christ First Christian Fel

Today is Cyber Monday so shop online and avoid the stores! And don't forget to go through our shopping mall so a percentage will go back to the church. http://family.mtzionmb.org/home/resources/shopping_mall.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-10110111-58.html Here's a Acer laptop for $299. It's a refurb and the specs are a bit old (Pentium Centrino processor, 512 MB RAM, and 80 GB harddrive), but it should be sufficient for basic use like email, internet, Word processing: http://bit.ly/SHuu

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving (and didn't eat too much or hurt yourself on "Black & Blue" Friday. It's truly sad when people are more concerned with possessing material things than valuing the life of someone else (a worker at Wal-Mart, who was trying to do his job, was trampled to death in NY ). And while we were celebrating Thanksgiving, people were dying from terrorist attacks in India . Please keep those affected by these senseless acts in your prayers. And let us stop the sinful complaining about what we didn't have for Thanksgiving or those deals we didn't get on Friday when we were blessed not to be facing terrorist attacks. Please take advantage of opportunities for growth and fellowship at Mt. Zion . There's Sunday School at 8:30am; Prayer meeting on Tuesday evenings at 7pm; Bible Study on Wednesday evenings (the current topic in the Adult class is "So You're Dead…Now What?") and Thursday mornings at 9am.

Thanksgiving is made up of two words: "Thanks" and "giving". Obviously during this holiday, we should give thanks for our many blessings. But not only should "thanks" be a part of our holiday, but we should also include "giving". Give to your local church, give to your favorite charity, give to a local shelter or food bank. Give of your time to visit a nursing home, give of your time to feed the hungry, give of your time to help those in need, give of your time to pray for others. So this Thanksgiving, don't just be thankful for your blessings, but be a blessing to someone else. Happy Thanksgiving!

Please note: We will have Prayer Meeting on Tuesday, but no Bible Study this Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. And no MCON (Mt. Zion Community Outreach Night) on Thursday evening. Digital TV transition: On Feb. 17 2009, TV stations will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital. See my previous post for details. If you need to purchase a digital converter box, now is a good time. You must order your coupon by Dec. 31. CompUSA currently has one for $40 (therefore it will be free with the coupon). I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Give thanks to God for His many blessings.

We are starting our next Bible Study series, "So You're Dead...Now What?" on this Wednesday at 7:00pm. Join us for this 4-part video teaching series as we examine what happens after you die. Please note: Bible Study will not be held on Thursday mornings, November 20th and 27th, and on Wednesday evening, November 26th, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. For those who purchased fruit during our Fruit Sale, the fruit is due to be delivered on Nov 19, between 10am and noon in Adult Classroom 3. All fruit need to be picked up on the 19th between 4pm-8pm so that none will be left in the classroom.

We are in the midst of history as the first African-American is elected president of the U.S. As believers we must pray for Obama and our other elected leaders. We cannot ignore the fact that Obama's views on abortion and support for same-sex marriage do not align with the Word of God. 1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT): "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity - the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time." There is no true change apart from God. Do not put your trust in any man, but in Jesus Chri

If you did not do early voting, I encourage everyone to vote on Tuesday. Exercise your right. After the election, despite who wins, we are to pray for our elected officials. Ladies, you are invited to participate in a morning of fun, fellowship, and service at Super Suppers of Cary on Saturday, November 8th from 9:00am to 11:00am. You will prepare meals for our sick and shut-in members. Click here for more details. If you missed the "One Body" Fun Night on Friday, you missed a great time of fun and fellowship. Here are the top 5 things I learned from "One Body" Fun Night: #5 – 100 people surveyed for church family feud do not know that Adam is a person in the book of Genesis #4 – There's a book of Moses somewhere in the Bible #3 – For earning his team 0 points, Doug earned the nickname "Pepsi Zero" #2 – Pastor Harris should stick with preaching and not join the dance ministry #1 – We learned how to sign, "We are Mt. Zion" Th

I encourage everyone to vote. We have voter's guides at the Welcome Center for you to pick up. Members are encouraged to attend our Church Family meeting on tomorrow at 7pm. Ladies, don't forget that you have the opportunity to help serve dinner to homeless women at the Helen Wright Center in Raleigh on Thursday, 10/30. Please sign-up at the Welcome Center if you would like to participate in this outreach opportunity. Mt. Zion, join us for the "One Body" Fun Night on Friday, October 31st from 7:00pm - 10:00pm. We're going to have fun and games for everyone (Bible trivia, Bingo, Family Feud, Name That Verse, and many more). So if you're looking for an alternative to Halloween, join us on Friday. Our Thanksgiving outreach is quickly approaching. Next Sunday, the love offering will go towards our Thanksgiving outreach to help families in need. We appreciate your generous giving towards next Sunday's love offering.

Don't forget to pick up your voter's guides at the Welcome Center. Members, mark your calendar for our next Church Family meeting on 10/27 at 7pm. Ladies, don't forget that you have the opportunity to help serve dinner to homeless women at the Helen Wright Center in Raleigh on 10/30. Please sign-up at the Welcome Center. Next Sunday is Family & Friends Day. There are 3 things that you can do to make this day a success: Pray. Pray for the salvation of those that attend who do not know God. Pray that people will come one step close to God. Invite. Personally invite your friends, family, co-workers, and those who are unchurched. Donate. Donate money to help us off-set the cost of the food; donate water; and a dessert.

Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Sunday's verse was 175 and Monday concluded our challenge. I hope that everyone who participated in the challenge found it beneficial to read Scripture daily and will continue to do so. The challenge to read the Word daily never ends! We have voter's guides available at the Welcome Center or you can download it here . Don't forget to invite your friends, co-workers, etc (especially those who don't know the Lord) to our Family & Friends Day on Oct. 26. We have flyers available for you to use as invitations and will make them available at the Welcome Center. You can also download the flyer to email. During the first part of this year, we used our overseas missionary love offering to provide much needed supplies to a ministry in India for the children of their village. Evangelist Sukumar sends his thanks to the Mt. Zion family. Dear beloved brother in Christ, Willie, greetings and best wishes to you in the Mighty name of Our Lor

How do you prepare for death? We can only prepare for the grave through faith in Christ. Psalms 49:15 (NLT): "But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave." 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NIV): "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Jesus demonstrated His power over the grave. He resurrected Lazarus and Jairus' daughter. He came out of His own grave after the Crucifixion. The living Christ saves all who come to Him giving them eternal life. Hebrews 7:25 (NIV): "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Jesus is able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through Him. No one can add to what Jesus did to save us; our past, present, and future

Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Today's verse is 161. We had a great time at our Fall Renewal services last week. Minister Harrison kicked things off talking about stripping off the old nature so you don't give the devil opportunity in your life. Pastor Snead encouraged us that our wings are almost ready if we just wait on the Lord and don't give up. Minister Clanton finished things off by exhorting us to cry out to God and worship Him so that we can be delivered from captivity. It was truly a great time of renewal! Don't forget to sign-up by this Wednesday for the upcoming Spiritual Enrichment class starting on Oct. 12th. Sign-up at the Welcome Center. I will not be a church next Sunday as my wife and I will be cruising on the high seas to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Keep us in your prayers as we are traveling.

How do we prepare for death? We cannot prepare through increased wealth. Psalms 49:16-17 (NLT): "So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave." Expensive homes do not increase the length of life. Earthly honor and glory fade; they cannot prevent death. Wealth is worthless in the grave. We can't take wealth with us. Ecclesiastes 5:15: "Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand." All the pomp and circumstance you get in this present life will perish with your last breath. The grave levels the playing field between the "haves" and the "have nots". Remember the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. Despite all the wealth of the rich man and the lack of wealth of Lazar

How do we prepare for death? We cannot prepare through increased education. Psalms 49:10 (NLT): "Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind." Degrees cannot deliver us from death. Educated people have been unable to find a way to escape life's common end. Eternal life cannot be gained by accumulating facts on healthy living. Even the wisest have been unable to avoid the grip of the grave. Medical science comes up empty in its search for a pill to give eternal life. Science has been studying cryogenics (just like in the movies) so you can one day freeze someone and bring them back years later. No matter what medicine or science comes up with, death is inevitable. Miracle drugs work only for a season. Many diseases have been conquered, but life still ultimately ends. In spite of earthly honors (degrees, achievements, etc), we all march steadily toward the grave.

Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Today's verse is 154. Thanks to all the Couples who attended the Couples Retreat yesterday. We had a great time and there was a lot of kissing going on as well!! The next Couples event will be to go see the movie, Fireproof . If you are interesting in going, contact the Couples Ministry . The Couples Ministry is also sponsoring a voter registration drive. Oct. 10th is the last day to register, change your party affiliation or your address. I also encourage young adults who are now voting age to register to vote. Our Fall Renewal services will be taking place on this Wednesday through Friday starting at 7pm. Everyone is invited to come and bring a friend. Don't forget that on Oct. 26, we will be having our Family & Friends Day. We're asking for members to donate bottled water, punch, desserts, and money to help us purchase food that hospitality will cook and prepare.

We want to invite everyone to join us, Cary Christian Church, and others in a day of "Prayer for Light" on Saturday, September 20th. On that day, the NC state fairgrounds will be the site of the Central NC Pagan Pride Day Festival – one of several related festivals being held around the state. For them, it will be a day dedicated to both celebrating and educating people about various forms of paganism – earth religions, tradition witchcraft, magick, worship of the Aesir & Vanir, Wicca, and others. You can read about it in more detail at the festival website: http://www.ncpaganpride.org/ . For us, it will be a day of prayer. Cary Christian Church will begin a prayer service at 9:00 am and Mt. Zion will have a prayer service at 3pm. With area churches working together, we want to bathe the day in prayer. I also encourage members to pray on their own at various times throughout the day. It is our intent not to involve the press/media in this at all. This is not an

It's a subject that we don't like to talk about. We don't want to think about it but we are reminded of it quite often. That subject is death. But one of life's greatest deceptions started in the Garden of Eden when Satan said, "You will not surely die". Millions of people live as if this lie were true. They store up riches as if they would never leave them. The Bible says "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". But sin has brought the prospect of death to us all. It does not matter who you are. Graves await the rich and the poor. We each have an appointment with the grave. Hebrews 9:27 (MSG): "Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences." How do we prepare for that coming day? Over the next several days, I'll share how NOT to prepare and the only way you can prepare.

Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Today's verse is 147. There are a couple of great opportunities for growth (especially those who have completed New Members): For those new in their faith, the next New Believers class starts on 10/5; and the Fall session of the Spiritual Enrichment class starts on 10/12. Couples, don't forget about the Couples' Retreat hosted here at Mt. Zion on 9/20 to discuss "How Deep Is Your Love?" On 9/20, the NC state fairgrounds will be the site of the Central NC Pagan Pride Day Festival (see http://www.ncpaganpride.org/ for details)– one of several related festivals being held around the state. It will be a day dedicated to both celebrating and educating people about various forms of paganism – earth religions, tradition witchcraft, magick, worship of the Aesir & Vanir, Wicca, and others. Cary Christian Church is asking area churches to join them for a "Prayer for Light". Mt. Zion will join with them to pray for those who

Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Today's verse is 140. Still looking for a couple of prayer coordinators to represent Mt. Zion with the Raleigh-Area Concerts of Prayer (coordinates praying for our community, ministry events in our area, etc). If you are interested or would like to find out more info, please call the church office and leave your name. I encourage all of our newest members to complete the New Members Orientation class. This class helps you understand the church, its structure, the vision God has for us, and more. It is a requirement before you can serve in a ministry position. And starting this Wednesday, this class will be available on Wednesdays for members who are unable to attend on Sunday mornings.

Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Sunday's verse is 133. I would like to encourage all of our newest members to complete the New Members Orientation class. Many have started but not completed. This class helps you understand the church, its structure, God's vision for us, and more. It is a requirement before you can serve in a ministry position. And starting September 10th, the New Members Orientation Class will be available on Wednesdays for members who are unable to attend on Sunday mornings. On Wednesday, we start a new Bible Study series, "Ministering through Spiritual Gifts". For those that signed up for the next Discipleship Training starting next Sunday, don't forget to buy and read the book, The Disciplemakers' Handbook, by Alice Fryling. I'm looking for a couple of people to be prayer coordinators from Mt. Zion for the Raleigh-Area Concerts of Prayer. This ministry coordinates with area churches to pray for our community, ministry events in

We are continuing on our Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Sunday's verse was 126. Thanks to all the women and young ladies who participated in the Women’s Ministry Knee-to-Knee fellowship on last Friday. I hope that the testimonies and experience that were shared by some of the women will help our young ladies to avoid and overcome certain situations in life. Hearing about some of what was shared at the fellowship reminded me of our discussion of Joseph from Wednesday's Bible Study. Joseph said in Genesis 50:20 (NLT): "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." Even though some of the women in our ministry have been through some terrible situations, God intended it for good so that these women could be in a position today to help save the lives of other women and young ladies who may be facing similar situations. The next Discipleship Training will start on Sept. 7th. The trai

Isaiah 30:19-22 (NIV): "O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, 'Away with you!' " If given the choice, many of us would choose to skip suffering. But the truth of the matter is that we cannot avoid suffering in this life. James 1:2 (NIV): "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." This verse does not say "if you face trials", but whenever...WHEN you face trials!

Psalms 119 176-day challenge: Today's verse is 105. Our next "Movie Night," sponsored by the Sunday School's Youth, is scheduled for Friday, August 8th, at 7:00pm. We will be watching "Facing the Giants." Use this as an outreach activity and invite someone to movie night. We will host a Health & Wellness seminar on August 23 from 10am to 12pm. Topics of discussion include how many household products can poison our children, physical wellness, and financial wellness. The next Discipleship Training will start on Sept. 7th. The training will last for four weeks. We will be studying the book, The Disciplemakers' Handbook , by Alice Fryling. Please sign up by Aug. 27th at the Welcome Center. My family and I are going on vacation next week so we'll be out the next two Sundays. Please keep us in your prayers during our travel.

Only a couple of items for today... The Psalms 119 176-day challenge is still on! One verse a day for 176 days. Today's verse is 98. The Church Family Meeting is tomorrow at 7:00pm. All members are asked to be present. We will be having an election for our Board of Directors and addressing any concerns about the role of women in ministry (according to the Word of God and not our opinions or experiences).

Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV): "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD." Waiting for God to help us is not easy. David knew this full well. David waited patiently for the Lord. We can be sure God is aware of our need. Nothing escapes God's view nor takes Him by surprise. We may think He doesn't care, but He is there. God sees us when we are in the pit. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Luke 19:10: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." When we’re sinking, God is seeking. The Shepherd seeks His wandering sheep. But God awaits the call of all sinking ones. He will answer and lift you up…right on time! God sets our feet on the solid Rock and b

The next Bible Study series, "Landmines in the Path of the Believer," will begin this Wed., at 7:00pm. Don't miss this informative series on how to detect, avoid, and defuse traps that the devil lays for us. Thanks to all who went with me and the male choir as I spoke at St. Mary's Free Will Baptist Church in Apex for their 100 Men in Black - Still Standing program. The Youth Ministry will host a seminar entitled "Conquering the Tough Talks," which will be rendered by Wake Teen on tomorrow (Monday) from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. The first 30 minutes will be an update for parents on the Youth Ministry. The Deliverance Ministry will be conducting training for those interested in becoming prayer warriors as part of the ministry on Tuesdays at 6:30pm beginning this Tuesday in Adult Classroom #1. As always, we need men who will be prayer warriors. The sanctuary will now be open on Tuesdays starting at 6pm for prayer. And remember that the format for Tuesday Praye

Only a couple of items for today... Come join the Couple's Ministry for "Date Night" on Saturday, July 19 at Buffalo Lanes on High House Road in Cary at 6:30pm. The cost is $11 per person for 2 hours of bowling. If you plan to attend, please sign up at the Welcome Center. The Youth Ministry is having another car wash on Saturday (19th) from 7am to 1pm at 8500 Chapel Hill Road (old church location). They would appreciate your support.

Starting July 17th and occurring every Thursday from 4:30pm - 7:30pm, we are going to have a Community Outreach Night. The church will be opened to the community as well as our church family for various activities (games, tutoring, mentoring, workshops, etc). Here is another opportunity for you to become involved and invested in the lives of your church family and community. There is more information available at the Welcome Center. I hope everyone had a good 4th of July. And I hope that everyone is grateful for the freedom we enjoy here. In other parts of the world, Christians are persecuted for their faith and face death for worshiping God. Since we have freedom to worship and serve God in this country, let us take every opportunity to do so. To appreciate the freedoms we enjoy in the USA, please read Sis. Sam Hanebeck's thoughts on her recent trip to India.

I wanted to share this great article from ChristianityToday about looking at your church through the eyes of a visitor. Here are the key points: 1. Develop a greeting ministry with the visitor, not the greeter, in mind. Don't just greet visitors, but seek them out and assist them with feeling connected to the church. 2. Choose hospitality over visitation. When following up with visitors, don't invite yourself to their homes, but instead open up your home to visitors. 3. Recognize Sunday school as an initial contact point. Often a visitor's first experience with a new church is dropping a child off at Sunday school (and I would include the nursery). Make sure these contact points are very welcoming to visitors. Like it or not, the first impression of your church may be made based on Sunday school and the nursery. 4. Become visitors for a day. Visit other churches where no one knows you. Make a note of what that church does well and doesn't do well.

Sis. Sam Hanebeck is currently traveling and had recently been to India on business. She shared some of her experiences and thoughts about this trip to me in an email. It was very profound so I asked her if I could share it here: Hi Pastor Harris! My trip to India was a very humbling experience and I just wanted to share some of it with you. I only got a small taste of life there but can only imagine all that the Pastor in India goes through. Poverty was the first thing that struck me, the roads…….. well what roads…… they are not like roads we know, you have people begging in the street from tiny children all the way to adults. One of the heart wrenching moments was when I was stationary in a car and a child of no more than 5 years old came up to the window begging for money and proceed to keep banging on the window crying. The driver said that if we were to open the window there would be about another 10 people or so that would literally jump on the car and try to mug us, th

Thanks to all who attended the contemporary youth service this afternoon at 4pm. The Membership Ministry is looking for workers. This is a vital ministry to help incorporate new members, help with ministry placement, develop visitor packages, and help guide members to maturity in Jesus Christ. If you are interested in joining this exciting ministry, please see Sis. Hardaway or leave your name at the Welcome Center. Due to the July 4th holiday, we will not have Communion next Sunday, but on the second Sunday. If you are traveling next weekend, stay safe and enjoy the holiday.

We had an excellent VBS last week. Great job by all involved (planners, hospitality, teachers and assistants). And the the tailgate celebration was a great success. The rain held off until we were completely done. Mt. Zion truly have some great cooks. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as judge of the cook-off. Talk about hard work! The New Believers class has started. The class teaches the fundamentals of our Christian faith. If you missed the first class, you can still sign-up at the Welcome Center and jump in on the second class on Sunday. I will be speaking on the subject of "Breaking the Crazy Cycle" at the upcoming Couples Café on Friday at 7pm. I encourage every married or soon-to-be married couple to attend. The Youth Ministry is having its Annual Car Wash at the old church location at 8500 Chapel Hill Road on Sat., June 28th. Please come out and support our youth. Next Sunday, we’re having our Contemporary Youth service at 4pm. Everyone is invited to attend.

Here are my quick thoughts on the Rewired Men’s Conference this weekend. Our VBS is this week. Don't forget that dinner will be served from 6 to 6:45pm. Adults, if you have your VBS books from last year find and bring them for Part 2 of the Adult session. Looking forward to a great week of fellowship and learning and we'll wrap it up with a tailgate party on Saturday. I managed to be one of the judges for the taste-off so I'm looking forward to it! Free copies of the sermon, "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die" was available after Sunday's service. If you didn’t get a copy, you can order one. Remember, all audio CDs are now free all the time! Happy Father's Day to all the fathers! I hope you enjoyed your day...I did!

Our men had an excellent Rewired Conference this weekend. It really challenged us to not try to "fake" it as men through performance but to have a passion for following Jesus Christ. Men can only fake it for so long and then they will stop and quit. But when men truly have a heart for Jesus then they will can stay in the Christian race. The men who attended the conference will be forming small groups to meet over the next 6 weeks. We are praying that this will be a great revitalization of our Men's Ministry. In keeping with our theme of discipleship, we want to disciple men for the Kingdom of God. If you are interested in Rewired, check out the Man in the Mirror ministry which sponsors this event.

I captured this video with my cell phone during one of the Saturday activities for our Children's Day celebration. No actual person was harmed in the making of this video!

Today was Children's Day and our children took over the service. We had a great time in the Lord. We recognized Precious Johnson as the Youth of the Year. And the JA Lewis Memorial scholarship was awarded to Ian Clanton. Some pics from yesterday's fun activities are on the photo gallery . I also grabbed a quick video (aren't phones with video cameras useful?) of some interesting exercising/dancing. I'll have to post on the church's YouTube channel . A couple of registration reminders: The Men's Conference is this Friday & Saturday. Please register and pay for conference (we don't want money to be a hindrance so talk to the conference committee if you need assistance). VBS is next week. So please pay for your registration as well. Also, dinner will be served from 6 to 6:45pm. So the kitchen will be closed promptly at 6:45pm in order to get ready for classes to begin at 7pm. Tuesday morning Prayer Meeting has been suspended due to Deacon

Men, the Men's Conference is less than 2 weeks away. Don't forget to register for this great time. Our 2008 Vacation Bible School is June 16th - June 20th. Followed by a tailgate party on that Saturday, June 21st. VBS is a great time for the whole family to come out and fellowship and have fun learning. Register right after church service at the Welcome Center. Next Sunday is Children's Day. Our children and youth will be taking over the service. Saturday will be a full day of activities and rehearsals for the children. Please come out and support our children on next weekend. Now for a little bit of housekeeping...last week, our financial secretary, Min. Amekuedi, gave us some do's and don'ts when filling out our giving envelopes. Here are some additional things: Members are listing tithing envelope numbers that are not theirs. If you don't know your envelope number, just leave it blank and make sure you write your name legibly. Don't list a

Hopefully, everyone knows this by now, but on February 17, 2009, full-power TV stations will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting. You will not be affected if you have cable or satellite. But if you have an older analog TV and receive a signal over an antenna, you will need to purchase a converter box. The government is providing $40 coupons to help with the purchase of these converter boxes. Warning...these coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed. I would suggest you wait until the second half of the year to get your coupon and buy your box. Most of the converter boxes available now are in the $50 to $60 range. But better and less expensive boxes (around $40) are expected to come out later this year. Check out this post on CNET's Crave blog for more details about why you should wait.

I want to thank the College Ministry for sponsoring our first church-wide Movie Night on last Friday. We didn't watch a movie, but a great video about exposing some spiritual truths behind today's music and culture. This was eye-opening information that we will definitely show again. The video comes from Minister G. Craige Lewis' The Truth Behind Hip Hop series. Check out his ministry here . Men, if you ever wished you could really talk about the issues and struggles that you face as a man in a comfortable setting, then I encourage you to participate in our Men's Life Study Group. Our next one is on Friday, June 6th at the home of Elder Roderick Harrison at 7pm. Directions are at the Welcome Center. Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Many people think that Memorial Day weekend is just about kicking off summer, vacation, or sales (we have sales for everything). But Memorial Day is a time for us to remember the men and women who have died in military service to their

Thursday morning Bible Study for this week is canceled due to the passing of Deacon Warmack's mother. Keep his family in your prayers during this time of bereavement. The College Ministry is sponsoring a Movie Night on Friday, May 23rd at 7:30 p.m. We'll be watching a revealing video about some spiritual truths behind today's music and culture. Everyone is invited to join us. For every ten men in church: 9 will have children who leave the church 8 will not find their jobs satisfying 6 will pay the monthly minimums on their credit card bills 5 will have a major problem with pornography 4 will get divorced…affecting one million children each year Only 1 will have a biblical worldview All 10 will struggle to balance work and family The answer does not lie in getting men to simply attend church or work in the church, but we must change men into disciples of Jesus Christ. The Men's Ministry is sponsoring the Man in the Mirror conference, "Rewired: From Perf

Our deacons are responsible for serving and caring for our members so we want to make sure all members know who their deacon is. Next Sunday will be "Meet your Deacon" day. This meet and greet will be right after service in Adult Classroom #3 and the New Members classroom. Light refreshments will be served. Our current Bible Study series is "Spiritual Warfare". The next series will deal with getting out of the pit. To prepare for the series, go ahead and get the book that we will be discussing, "Get Out of That Pit" by Beth Moore. You can buy a copy or check it out from the library. This year's Children's Day celebration will be June 7th and 8th. We need volunteers to help on Saturday June 7th with the various activities we have planned for the children. A sign up sheet is located at the Welcome Center and the children's classrooms. Please help us make this a great time of learning and fun for our children. How many men want t

I remind everyone to please be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and restrict movement during Scripture reading, prayer, and especially during the Call to Discipleship and Altar Prayer. If you need to leave during this time because of work, please try to leave prior to the end of the sermon. As I'm reading through Psalms 119 (for the Psalms 119 challenge), I love verse 14 that says, " I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches." Wow! We should rejoice in following God's Word as if someone gave us a large sum of money! I hope that the Word of God would bring that kind of passion to those that study it. The Men's Ministry is sponsoring the Man in the Mirror conference, "Rewired: From Performance to Passion," on June 13-14. I encourage every man to sign-up to attend this great event. We would like to start having "free movie night" every so often on Friday nights. This will be a great way to outreach and fellowship with

Last Sunday, I issued the Psalm 119 challenge. The challenge is to read a verse of Psalm 119 everyday for the next 176 days (since there are 176 verses). This is to encourage and help discipline us to read the Bible daily. Plus each verse of Psalm 119 talks about God's Word. So I encourage everyone to mediate upon the verse you read and keep a journal about what insights you receive about God's Word. The Church Family Meeting is tomorrow (4/28) at 7:00pm. All members are asked to be present to stay informed about what's happening at the church. The James Stephens III Scholarship foundation is accepting essays for the up coming Scholarship Gala. They have several book scholarships yet to award to high school seniors going on to college. Please refer interested parties to the following website, DAFUNNYMAN.COM or office (919)466-9092. The Gala is May 10th. We had no CDs left from our free give-away of the message "Do you love Jesus more than these things". W

North Carolina Family Policy Council PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 15, 2008 CONTACT: John Rustin Phone: (919) 807-0800 E-mail: jrustin@ncfamily.org 2008 Primary Voter Guide Now Available Raleigh, N.C.- In and effort to better equip Tar Heel voters for the upcoming elections, the North Carolina Family Policy Council has activated its 2008 Primary Election Voter Guide website . The 2008 Primary Election Voter Guide website is impartial and nonpartisan, and features responses directly from the candidates about where they stand on issues such as: a state marriage amendment, abortion, property rights, budget and taxes, school choice, sex education, gambling, homosexual rights, religious freedom, embryonic stem cell research, and more. In preparation for the May 6 Primary Election, the Council sent questionnaires by certified mail to 223 candidates for the following offices in districts/races with Primary Election opposition, and over 55 percent of the candidates responded: .

I remind the youth ministry that the deadline to submit their video for “The MZ YouthTube Challenge” is April 25th. The challenge is to create a 3 to 5 minute video on an evangelistic topic. The best videos will be posted on YouTube, GodTube, Facebook, MySpace, and the church’s website for internet evangelism day on April 27th. Everyone is invited to join us for our next Bible Study series, "Spiritual Warfare - Biblical Approach," that begins on Wednesday. We are truly in a spiritual battle. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds (2 Corinthians 10:4). High School seniors…now is the time to apply for the 2008 JA Lewis Scholarship. See the church announcements for more details. Everyone is invited to go out with us as we go to speak and fellowship with Pastor Maurice Wright and New Destiny Christian Fellowship Church for their 4th Anniversary on Thursday at 7:30pm. We had 100 CDs of my message “Do

The challenge is ON! Check out the link: http://www.harriswebsite.net/YouthTube/

The homegoing service for my grandmother was a blessing as we remembered her and the impact she had on the lives of my family and others. She was a Godly woman who raised her children with strict discipline. Just ask my mother and she will tell you how she didn't get to do anything growing up. I remember as a child that I didn't want to go and visit my grandmother because she would put the belt on the table so that I would eat my vegetables. My mom said that is why I *needed* to go to there. My grandmother came to live with my family when I was about 15 years old and being an only child I was not too thrilled with this (it had always been just the three of us...my mom, dad, and me). But after she came, I really couldn't imagine her not being there through my high school and college years. So much is said about generational curses, but I thank God for generational blessings in my family and my grandmother passed her faith to my mother who passed her faith to me and no

Thank everyone involved with the youth week activities (revival, Saturday's events, and Sunday's contemporary service). We are excited (and angels rejoicing) that one young lady accepted Christ during the revival. Don't forget the play, "The Whole House" , will be hosted at Mt. Zion on Sat., Apr. 5th at 3:00pm. Invite someone to come to the play. Mark your calendars: There will be a seminar about Pre-Paid Legal on 4/19 at 10am. It's so important to have a will and access to other legal services. Also you will learn about a business opportunity with Pre-Paid Legal. I want to thank everyone for your prayers for my family during our time of bereavement. Both my uncle and grandmother are resting in the Lord. My uncle's homegoing service was last Saturday and my grandmother's will be this Saturday. Therefore I will be out of town next weekend. Please pray for my safe travel.

How can a person become acceptable to God? How can a person gain access to God, fellowship and commune with Him? How can a person come to know God in a real and personal way—so personal that the person can know that God is looking after and caring for him? Some religions say that God is impersonal therefore you cannot have a relationship with Him. Can a person gain and maintain a relationship with God? Matthew 27:50-51 (NIV): "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." But a very significant thing happened when Jesus died on the cross: the veil that separated the outer sanctuary (the Holy Place) from the inner sanctuary (the Most Holy Place) was torn. And it was torn from top to bottom. God had to tear it because the veil was sixty or more feet high. The heavy curtain or veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy P

A big shout out to the men who came out to do some work around the church grounds on Saturday. If you missed out on the work...don't worry...there's more work to be done. Check with our facilities manager, Deacon Johnson, to find out how you can help. It looks like the influence of Mt. Zion is going international. One of our high schoolers, Bro. Brinson Jones, is currently in Japan. Sis. Brandi Hancock along with her band Mixed Water and Shaw University will be singing in Prague, Czech Republic, Budapest, Hungary, Frankfurt Germany, and Vienna. Let's keep Sis. Brandi and the others in our prayers that God would keep them safe as they travel and that they would be a great witness for Christ through their singing. We are partnering with Pastor Robert Mason of Gethesemane True Vine Holiness Church of Raleigh to host the play, "The Whole House", here on Sat., Apr. 5th at 3:00pm. We have some information cards available at the Welcome Center that you can use

Thanks to those attended the Home Buying Seminar on yesterday. It was a very informative session. We have a few extra information packets available at the welcome center. I want to remind everyone that we have ministries for everyone to participate in. The Couples Ministry just had a great Couples Café; the Men’s Ministry is having a life study group on Friday; the Women's Ministry is having a "Snacks & a Movie" event on Friday; for our singles, there's a Singles Sip Café every 4th Sunday during Sunday School; and the Youth Ministry will be having youth week activities from the 27th to the 30th (includes revival, Saturday event, and Contemporary service). So I encourage everyone to get plugged into the life of the church and find the ministry that you can be involved in. Westwood Baptist Church in Cary will be having a Drive-Thru Easter event on this Friday and Saturday. Click here for details. Come join us for our Sunrise Service at 6:00am on Easter Sunda

For those that attended the Discipleship Training, there are two sign-up sheets at the Welcome Center: one to provide your email address if you want a soft copy of the presentation (let's save some trees) and another if you would like to a disciplemaker of new believers that join our church. Don't forget that the Couples Ministry is sponsoring a marriage event entitled "Marriage in the Image of God" on Mar. 14th. Please join us and invite other couples in the community We will also be having a Home Buying Assistance Seminar on Saturday, March 15th from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Come out and get some vital information about owning your own home. Everyone is invited to attend. For our members, if you are a realtor and would like to provide your contact info at the seminar, please submit it to the church office by Wednesday.

Part 2 of the Discipleship Training will take place on Sat., March 8th from 8am to 10am in the Multipurpose room. Please read chapters 9-13 of Disciplemakers' Handbook. If you signed up for this training but did not make it to part 1, you can still attend part 2. The Health & Safety Ministry is sponsoring a Health Seminar on Saturday starting at 10:30am called Wellness 101 . Please come out to be informed about ways to get and stay healthy. Volunteers are greatly needed for the Transportation Ministry. We are looking for responsible drivers with a cheerful personality. We will develop routes into the community to pick up members needing transportation. Eventually, we will coordinate with the College Ministry to provide transportation to church for local college students. Couples Ministry is sponsoring a marriage event entitled "Marriage in the Image of God" on Mar. 14th. Please join us and invite other couples in the community.

Part 2 of the Discipleship Training will take place on Sat., March 8th from 8am to 10am. Please read the rest (chapters 9-13) of Disciplemakers' Handbook. Thanks to those who came out to support Bro. Ian Clanton for his Initial Sermon and licensing. I would like to announce a staff change: Sis. Robyn Simpson will no longer be serving as the church administrator as she has accepted a full time position originally as a Program Consultant with Jenny Craig in Cary. But she has already been promoted to Program Director. We thank Sis. Robyn for her service as Church Administrator for the past 12 years. But I'm happy to say that Sis. Robyn will be taking on another position at the church as Clerk/Special Projects to continue utilizing her administrative gifts. Until a formal announcement about a new church administrator, please see Elder Bullock for any administrative needs. Just a reminder that we won't be having Communion on next Sunday, but will have it on Easter Sun

Our next series for Bible Study is entitled "Protecting Your Family" which will begin this Wednesday (2/20). Don’t forget to sign up by Feb. 20th for the Discipleship Training that will take place on Sat., Feb. 23rd and Sat., Mar. 8th from 8am to 10am. Please read chapters 1-8 of Disciplemakers’ Handbook prior to the first session. I'm pleased to announce the Initial Sermon of Bro. Ian Clanton will be held on next Sun., Feb. 24th at 4:00pm. Everyone is invited to this special occasion. Overseas Missions support: We now have more specific details on what Evangelist Sukumar’s ministry in India needs. Our Outreach Ministry is coordinating the buying and preparation of the items to be shipped to India. Your generous giving next Sunday will purchase these needed items. Also, if anyone works for GlaxoSmithKline, please contact Minister Amekuedi immediately. One of the nutrients that is needed is manufactured by GSK.

Congratulations to Brianna Simpson who competed in the Special Olympics last week. She competed in Bowling and won first place (Gold)! The Discipleship Training will take place on Sat., Feb. 23rd and Sat., Mar. 8th from 8am to 10am. Please read chapters 1-8 of Disciplemakers' Handbook prior to the first session. Please sign-up for this training at the Welcome Center. The deadline to sign-up is Feb. 20th. I announced last Sunday that we would start supporting overseas missions by taking up a love offering every fourth Sunday. Now we have a specific opportunity. Evangelist Sukumar continues his ministry in India despite his beating last month. There are children in their village that need soaps, detergents, hair oils, and food supplements. We will use our missions offering to purchase these items and ship them to India. Your generous giving is greatly appreciated.

Parents who attended the Gang Awareness Workshop we had a few weeks ago can get a copy of the presentation at the welcome center. In keeping with our vision to reach the world with the Gospel, we are going to take the love offering on every fourth Sunday to support overseas missions. I would like to partner with a specific missionary group that is planting a church. If you are aware of such, please forward the information to me. Our sacrificial giving campaign is 79% complete. Even though our campaign was officially over in November, please continue fulfilling the vows you made because you made them to God.

Thanks to everyone who signed up to disciple our young men & women. We have all of our boys and girls assigned to someone who will help them become disciples of Jesus Christ. Ladies, you are invited to accompany the Deaconess' Ministry to help serve dinner at the Helen Wright Center in Raleigh on Thurs., Jan. 31st. The sign-up sheet is available at the Welcome Center. Thanks to all members who attended our Church Family Meeting on Monday. Some important points from the meeting: We are in the process of updating our Constitution & By-Laws and policies and procedures with information regarding our new meeting room scheduling and church discipline. There will some more updates coming so we will let everyone know when all updates are done so that you can download the most recent copy from the church website. We also encourage families to sit together during worship service. We don't want the teens to congregate in one location and end up talking and passing notes.

We still need 7 more men to help disciple some of our boys. I know that it's going to be a sacrifice of time, but this is what Jesus commanded us to do. And we cannot complain about the state of our young men if we are not willing to take the time ourselves to work with them. Check out my other blog entry for where you can buy the Disciplemaker's Handbook for $12 or less. The Women's Ministry will be hosting a Fellowship Breakfast on Sat., Jan. 26th at 9:00am. I hope everyone planning to attend signed up at the Welcome Center so the ministry will have an accurate count of attendance. We are proud to announce the Single Sip Café for all singles (18 years and up). So starting next Sun., Jan. 27th at 8:30am in Adult Classroom 3, singles can get together for fellowship, study, and light refreshments.

I had the pleasure of attending and participating (with a prayer) in a celebration in Cary on 1/15 for Dr. King's 79th birthday. After a brief intro by one of the organizers, we ventured outside for a candlelight vigil. Now it was quite cold that evening, but I was prepared with my coat, gloves, and hat. Although I can't say the same for my two armor bearers (who were complaining about their "paper-thin" suits). Needless to say, I kept my prayer brief while we were outside. After moving back inside, we listened to several songs by a chorus from Cary High School. I felt for them after seeing them outside in t-shirts. But they're young. They sang "Let My People Go", "This Little Light of Mine", and "We Shall Overcome". Next, we heard from a couple of elders who talked about their experience with civil rights. One lady, who was Caucasian, described the time when her school was desegregated and she became friends with Dr. King

The book we will be using for our upcoming discipleship class will be "The Disciplemaker's Handbook" by Alice Fryling (ISBN #0-8308-1266-0). So go ahead and purchase the book if you want to get a jump on reading it. It's a really easy book to read. I searched the web and found the book for $12 at the InterVarsity Press: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=1266

Thanks to those who volunteered to disciple those coming forward last Sunday to accept Christ or rededicate their lives. We got more than enough ladies to disciple the girls, but we need 7 more men. We ask that any men who will step up and help disciple some young men to sign up at our welcome center. We will also be contacting those who signed up to disciple to let you know who you will be discipling and their contact info. Thanks to the Couples Ministry in conjunction with the Youth & Children's Ministries for putting on two very informative workshops on peer pressure & gang awareness. We were invited to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday at "Dream of the King Legacy 79th Birthday Anniversary" on Tuesday, 2/15 at Page-Walker Arts & History Center in Cary at 6:30pm. The event included a candlelight vigil, civil rights songs, and 79 expressions & birthday party. I will give my thoughts on this event in another blog entry.

Less than 10% of believers are involved in discipleship. But discipleship is not an option, it is a command! Believers are not saved to merely take up space on earth. When Christ found a person who was willing to commit his life, Christ attached Himself to that person. Christ began to mold and make that person into His image. The word attach is the key word. It is probably the word that best describes discipleship. Christ made disciples of men by attaching Himself to them; and through that personal attachment, they were able to observe His life and conversation; and in seeing and hearing, they began to absorb and assimilate His very character and behavior. They began to follow Him and to serve Him more closely. He envisioned an extension of Himself, an extension of His very being, and an extension of His mission and method. The way He chose to extend Himself was discipleship, attaching Himself to committed persons, and through attachment, the persons absorbed and

Happy New Year! What a blessing to see a new year. I'm thankful for what God has done in 2007 and look forward to what God will do in 2008 and another year of serving Him. We had a great turnout for yesterday's youth workshop on peer pressure. The topic for discussion on next workshop on Jan. 12th will be gang awareness. It is open to children, youth and adults. Our theme for 2008 is "Making Disciples of All People". Less than 10% of believers are involved in any form of discipleship. But making disciples is not an option, it is a command from Jesus. This year we want to focus on and train individuals on how to reproduce themselves. This is what Jesus did...He attached Himself to 12 men so that He could reproduce His character and mission. These men would carry on the mission after Jesus ascended back to heaven. Let us follow Jesus' example and invest our time into the lives of men and women.