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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!

We are excited to offer an alternative for those who cannot attend Wednesday evening Bible Study due to scheduling conflict. Starting Thurs., Jan. 12, 2006 at 9:00am, Bible Study will be held for one hour at the church. We will study the Word of God by reading the entire Bible. So bring your Bibles, pen and paper and expect to meet God and the Holy Spirit while we explore the deeper mysteries of the Bible together. The Town of Cary has invited our congregation to the Harlem Gospel Choir concert on Wednesday , January 11, at 7:30, at the Herbert C. Young Community Center in downtown Cary. The world famous choir will be here for the second concert of our annual Marvelous Music Series, and is brought to us in conjunction with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Dreamfest 2006, an educational celebration of Dr. King’s legacy which will be taking place around Cary beginning January 11. Tickets are available December 12 in person at the Herb Young Community Center (Mon-Fri 12-6pm) and with a majo...

Don’t forget our on-line shopping mall for your holiday shopping. Remember, a small percentage will go to the church for our building project. Also, visit the Volunteer Central to find opportunities to participate in ministry. Don't let 2005 leave and you are not participating in some ministry. Our holiday schedule for December: We will have one 7:30am service on Christmas day. On Dec. 31, we will have our Watch Night service. We will have a praise and testimony time followed by a full regular service. We will have Communion after midnight. There will be no 8am or 11am service later that day.

Don’t forget your sacrificial giving. We now have specially marked envelopes that you can get from the ushers. As the holidays are approaching, it's real easy to get caught up with buying stuff, but we cannot forget the financial goals that we have in place. Plus you will be blessed from your sacrificial giving. On Sunday (11/13), the love offering will go towards our Thanksgiving Food Drive. Are you living out God’s purpose in your life? Part of that means being actively involved in the ministry and life of the church. I challenge all members to step out in faith and get involved.

Almost two weeks ago, Rosa Parks passed at age 92. Her simple act of defiance changed the course of race relations. Parks, arrested in 1955 after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, was arrested and fined. She turned to her minister, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., for aid. King in turn led a 381-day boycott of the city's bus system that helped initiate the modern civil rights movement. We need more people like Rosa Parks in God’s Kingdom that will refuse to go against their conviction and stand for what is right. Similarly, the three Hebrew boys, under captivity in Babylon, refused to bow down and worship an idol. They knew that this defiant act would land them in the fire, but their faith in God was uncompromising. They believed that the God they served was able to deliver them. But even if He did not, they would not compromise! Standing for right my land you in the fire. But you should never bow down! You should...

Our next Bible Study series, “Worshipping the Master,” will begin on Wed., Nov. 2nd at 7:00pm. Please make plans to attend because worship should be a vital part of all of our lives. This series should help all of us to understand what worship is and how to make it an integral part of our lives. The Thanksgiving Food Drive has begun and our goal for this year is to distribute a minimum of fifty baskets to families in need of assistance. Please use the form in the bulletin or on the website to submit the names of these families by Sun., Nov. 6th. Monetary donations and other staple food items should be submitted by Thurs., Nov. 17th. Click here for a list of the items needed. Boxes have been placed in the church and at the annex for collection of your donations. This year, we're collaborating with another organization to get names of many of the families that have been relocated here, families that have lost everything. We need your help. Please let us not wait...

Mt. Zion Family and Friends, Can you feel it? There's excitement in the air. I am excited about the awesome work that God is doing in our lives. As we seek to put into practice our spiritual gifts by "living out God's purpose" in our lives, we see the mighty hand of God at work. In 1998, the late Pastor J Allen Lewis, under God's direction, had the church purchase 24 acres of land in Cary. Now seven (a complete number) years later, the church has closed on a contract to sell a portion of the land and completely pay off the remaining acreage for our new facilities. God is truly worthy to be praised! It has been a long road to get to this point, but through faith and trust in God we have arrived here. Our next step is to get our site plan approved with the town and begin construction. As we move forward, we know that challenges will come, but we must continue to be committed and faithful to the One who is always faithful to us. Don't forget that your ...

I was both excited and a bit nervous when the time came to go see The Passion of the Christ. I was excited because there was a Hollywood film coming out to show the great suffering our Lord went through for the sins of humanity. I was also nervous knowing how emotional it would be to see this great suffering. This movie is very realistic in displaying the violence inflicted on Jesus. The movie is rated R and parents are advised to be cautious before taking their children to see this movie. I do not think this film is suitable for children under 12 years of age. The movie begins with Isaiah 53:5, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Never has the verse became more meaningful to me than after seeing this movie. As I watched every wound that was inflicted upon Jesus, I thought about it healing the many sins of mankind. His long,...