the Logos

Some items from our recent church family meeting... Please follow the seating instructions from the ushers when you arrive at church. It makes their jobs easier and keeps the seating organized. We appreciate your cooperation. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Please restrict movement during the Call to Discipleship. If you must leave, try to do so right before the sermon ends. We don't want any movement to be a distraction to someone that the Holy Spirit may be touching their hearts to come forward. Also, do not interrupt the move of the Holy Spirit when someone is shouting and praising God by forcing tissue in the person’s hand or fanning them directly in their face. This can also be very distracting. Be aware that only people in leadership (pastor, elders, deacons, deaconess) officially represents Mt Zion for phone calls and visitations. When other members call you or visit you, they do so on their own good will, but do not necessarily represent Mt Zion (meaning that they ...

This comes from Greg Laurie ... When it comes to identifying whether a person is really a Christian, there's an "outward-inward" dynamic that we sometimes fail to realize. Let's take a closer look at some of the aspects of this. 1. A person may pray and still not really be a Christian. If we're to believe the statistics from opinion surveys, nine out of ten people in our nation pray. Three out of four believe God is a heavenly Father who can be reached by prayers. In addition, recent scientific studies have verified that prayer improves the health of those who are sick. But that doesn't necessarily mean you're truly a believer if you pray. Most of us pray when we're in trouble. What's the first thing on the lips of most people when they're confronted by a crisis? You've heard it: "Oh my God!" That's a prayer, whether they admit it or not. It was true of me too, before...

Most of you know that I'm ever vigilant to keep our youth safe on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, so I was really intrigued by a couple of articles (which I digg 'ed) on predators and cyberattacks, ID theft on Facebook. What really had me floored was the following statement: "In a "thought experiment" the two conducted in the United States before visiting Australia, Howard said they managed to acquire enough information on one young user to steal her identity. "We pulled down one person's name--in this instance, a female--and everything she put out there," Howard said. "In 15 minutes of doing Google searches, we were able to collect enough information to steal her identity."" So to continue to sound like a broken record, we must be careful how much personal information we release on these sites as well as who we allow to see our information. read more | digg story

Congratulations to Minister & Deaconess McCullough on birth of their daughter, Leah Danielle McCullough (weighing 4 lbs, 10 oz). The Men's Ministry invites all men and young men to come out and fellowship at the Men's Life Study Group on Fri., July 27th at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be at the home of Bro. William Carpenter. Call the church office if you need directions. Don't forget that there will be a Youth Contemporary Service next Sunday at 4pm. Minister Cy Young will be the speaker. Please bring your youth out to support this service. July 31 from 5pm to 8pm will be With Love From Jesus (WLFJ) night at the Chick-Fil-A at Cary Town Center. Ten percent of the sales from that evening will be donated to this ministry. WLFJ is a great outreach ministry, worthy of our support. The Chick-Fil-A cow will be there with balloons and a craft for the children. So go out, enjoy and help!!!

Here's a good article with some links to sites that will help you "decode" and communicate with your kids who are texting: http://tinyurl.com/2mogl5

We have made it back from our vacation in Williamsburg, VA. Thank God for a safe trip and traveling mercies (we got stuck in traffic on the return due to an accident on I-85). Isaiah and Abigail really enjoyed themselves at the amusement parks. We went to Busch Gardens for two days and then Water Country USA. We also visited the Jamestown Settlement to look at the galleries and learn a little history. The kids enjoyed it too, especially boarding the Colonial ships at dock. Check out our photos from the trip. Some of these pictures were taken by Isaiah and Abigail. Isaiah is becoming quite the photographer. Abigail needs a little more practice as parts or all of my head are missing in some of her shots. Photobucket Album

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Deacon Ivan and Sis. Shanetta Porter. What a beautiful wedding ceremony they had on Saturday. The Love offering next Sunday to go to family that lost everything in fire. Thankfully, no one was home but the family has lost everything. Please be prepared to come next Sunday to give generously in the love offering to help this family. The New Believers’ Class will be held on Sundays, July 22nd - Aug. 26th during the Sunday School hour. Please place your name on the sign-up sheet located on the bulletin board if you plan to take this class. Please go out to support Minister Candice Walden, accompanied by the Male Choir, who will be speaking at a revival on Thurs., July 12th at 7:00pm. Everyone is invited to attend. Keep my family in your prayers as we will be going on vacation this week. So we will be out next Sunday.

On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from England and Democracy was born. The 4th of July is Independence Day where we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in this country. But the sad fact is that we are less free than we think. There are many people in the U.S. that are in bondage (not physical, but spiritual). The quest for freedom is high on most people's agenda today, and it has also been one of the main threads of human history. We speak of freedom in many ways...personal freedom, freedom of speech and association, academic freedom, free trade, freedom of the press. We also talk about individual liberties, liberation theology, and religious liberty. Other basic freedoms often discussed include freedom from want, fear or interference, and freedom of choice, conscience or opportunity. Common phrases that sum up many people's attitudes toward freedom include "doing your own thing," "going your own way," or "it's up to you (or me)." Re...

There will be NO BIBLE STUDY on Wed., due to Independence Day. I will be speaking at Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Youngsville to celebrate Rev. Patrick Clay’s 8th Anniversary on Sunday, July 8th at 4:00pm. Everyone is invited to attend. Harvest Crusade: Just to recap, 41,500 people came to the RBC Center over the three days of the Triangle Harvest. Of that group, 2,471 people responded to the call of the Holy Spirit and made professions of faith during the event. Praise God for the lives that were changed. In addition, 12,966 people watched the live webcasts over the Internet and I heard of one testimony where someone accepted Christ while watching the webcast. It's great to see technology like webcasting over the Internet being used to build the Kingdom of God.

The above picture really sums up the powerful move of the Holy Spirit as people poured out onto the floor of the RBC center to give their lives to Christ. Participating in the Triangle Harvest has been a wonderful experience. I had the privilege of being a counselor for two nights (I watched the webcast on Saturday night) and it was great to be on the floor seeing so many people accepting the free gift of salvation. I thank God for using Greg Laurie to deliver a relevant message each night. As it was mentioned, there were about 230 area churches working together to bring Harvest to the Triangle. Despite any cultural or denominational differences, we all had one thing in common...wanting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be presented to the lost. It was also great to experience different styles of worship at the various churches where the impact classes were being held. I loved seeing a lot of the young people praising God at Harvest. I pray that more of the youth at Mt. Zion would fr...

Our next Bible Study series, “Relying on the Holy Spirit,” will begin on Wed., June 27th at 7:00pm. We definitely need the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and counsel us in our everyday lives. Everyone is invited to come out and join us for this study. More ministry opportunities are available: The IT ministry is seeking new members to help with media operations as well as helping with website development. We are forming a new marketing committee to produce profession-looking materials such as church bulletin, newsletter, visitor packets, etc. If you are interested in volunteering for any of these ministries, please let us know by contacting the church office. Well, Harvest is over and I'll be sharing my thoughts on it in a separate blog entry.

VBS was a great success. I would like to thank to all who participated (teachers, students, and those that prepared the meals). We look forward to having VBS in our new facility next year. We are looking to start a College Ministry (ages 18-25). With so many colleges and universities in our area, we have a tremendous ministry opportunity to touch the lives of students. I've already heard from a few people who are interested in being a part of this ministry. If you are interested, please send me email or call the church office. On last Friday, I attended a session with Dr. Tony Evans to discuss gang violence. He introduced his Adopt-A-School initiative . Basically, a church would adopt a school in their community and provide mentoring, tutoring, and other social services (depending on the capacity of the church). By doing this, Dr. Evans said they saw a great reduction in gang activity in communities in Dallas. Urban Alternative will come to provide training if there a...

Every time I watch the news or read a headline, I’m reminded that we live in a negative world. Jesus told his disciples in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble . But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Although we live in a negative world, we are not to be negative people. We are to be rejoicing people. We are to focus on positive thoughts and praise: things true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report. Philippians 4:6-9: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received...

VBS registration is underway with less than 2 weeks remaining before it starts on June 11th – 15th. Please register today ASAP. Harvest Crusade Update: Pray for the event and those who will be invited. Now is the time to get your invitations out! Invitations are available for you to pick up in the vestibule. The “My Story” invitations can be picked up at church office. Harvest needs 300 Ushers! So if you are not going to be a counselor then consider volunteering as an usher. Usher Training is taking place now until June 16. No experience necessary, just attend the training. On Sunday, June 10th at 3 PM there will be a training session at Cary's First Baptist Church located downtown. The media campaign starts on June 4th, so get ready for the Harvest Flood!

Graduating high school seniors, don't forget to apply for the J. Allen Lewis Memorial Scholarship by May 31st. Ladies, we will be serving dinner to homeless women at the Helen Wright Center in Raleigh on Thurs., May 31st at 7:00pm. Food items, monetary donations, and your presence are needed. Pastor Eric & Lady Beverly Ellis & the Philippian Community Church of NC will celebrate their 8th Anniversary May 30th-June 1st at 7:30pm nightly at the Lighthouse Convention Center in Raleigh. Everready Choir will render the music on Thurs., May 31st. They will also have a picnic on Friday, June 1st at Pullen Park starting at 10am. Everyone is invited to attend. Harvest Crusade Update: Invitations to Harvest are now available for you to pick up in the church vestibule. We also have the special “My Story” invitations which you can pick up at church office. These invitation allow you to put your own brief testimony in the invitation. You can either write it or goto the harvest w...

Temptation troubles us all. All of us are targets of the tempter. All of us feel the lure of the world. All of us experience the appetites of the flesh. We have an adversary and his name is Satan. Satan is the tempter. He was the tempter in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3). He was the tempter of Jesus in Matthew 4. The tempter is a deceiver. The tempter is a liar. The tempter is a thief. Despite all the attributes of the tempter, Satan, we are equipped to win over this powerful enemy. 1 John 4:4 (NLT): “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” The Holy Spirit is within every believer. The Holy Spirit is greater in power than our foe. The devil might be stronger than us, but he’s not stronger than our God! One way for us to win over temptation is in the simple fact that God is faithful. That means He is trustworthy, you can believe Him, and ...

Thanks to everyone for your happy birthday wishes, cards, presents, and most importantly, your prayers. It was greatly appreciated. All seniors who are graduating from high school are reminded to apply for the J. Allen Lewis Memorial Scholarship due by May 31st. Parents: There is a type of crystal meth going around that looks like strawberry pop rocks candy. Teach your children about the reality of drugs and not to accept something that looks like candy from others. I posted a bulletin with details on our MyChurch page. Harvest Crusade Update: Starting May 21 through June 16, Harvest will be hosting Usher Training at various church locations throughout the Triangle. Check out the schedule for the training here . No experience is necessary, you just need to attend the training.

The Youth Ministry will be holding their quarterly Open House on Mon., May 14th at 7:00pm. We need all parents of our teens to attend. Update on Harvest Crusade: I want to encourage everyone who can to volunteer as a counselor. Harvest has a goal of 3,000 counselors so that we can provide one-on-one time with people coming forward. So even if you missed the first two classes, you can still be a counselor if you attend the third and final class! Being a counselor at Harvest does not mean that you will need to do any "in-depth" counseling. What is needed is to simply greet and encourage a new believer and give the person some info on their new walk with the Lord. Those who want to be counselors, please contact Deacon Ward (his email address can be found here ) immediately to let him know. And if anyone wants to work on the follow-up team, you also need to contact him immediately. Mt Zion will not be providing transportation to the event. The idea is for people to brin...

I got word that the Wheelers have settled into their new home in Georgia and the Thornes have safely moved back to NY. They ask that you keep them in your prayers. Our very own Sister Sam Hanebeck will be speaking to youth at a church in Virginia next Sunday at 5pm. I know that she would appreciate your support and prayers. Harvest Crusade: Week 1 of Impact Classes is done. I hope everyone had an opportunity to attend. Hopefully, no one found the material brand new as I have preached or taught on most of it in the past. But it was good as a refresher. And it was good to fellowship with other believers at different churches.

Our very own Angel Johnson was recognized by the Smith Elementary School as their Spotlight on Students Award winner for 2006 - 2007. Spotlight on Students is a program sponsored by Wake County Public Schools to recognize students for outstanding personal achievement. Please congratulate Angel the next time you see her. Sis. Michelle Chalmers invites her Mt. Zion family to support her in the first level of her new (GiftQuick) Business on May 5th at 4:00pm at her home (1552 Dirkson Court). Our first Theatrical Dance Production, "Distractions" was a successful! Everyone from the dancers, musicians, directors, stage hands, etc did a great job. And more importantly, there were 31 visitors at the event, 10 of which did not have a church home and 1 person accepted Christ during the invitation. Praise the Lord! I personally encourage all who can to participate in the Impact classes starting this week for Harvest Crusade. Regardless of whether you volunteer to be on the follow...