the Logos

We had a great time at the Gift of Heritage program on Saturday. We have a great bunch of talented people at Mt. Zion who use their gifts of drama, dance, and creativity to bring honor to God. A special training workshop is scheduled on February 28th for ALL Children's/Bible Study/Sunday School Teachers and Volunteers of children ages 12 and under for the new Discipleland curriculum. Sign up at the Welcome Center. Don't forget the "LOVE, SHARING, AND GIVE" Food Drive (sponsored by the Children’s Ministry) which ends this week. Bring your canned goods and nonperishable items and place in the designated boxes. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent . Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and Lent is the season of prayer and fasting. We will be anointing with oil mixed with ashes right after Bible Study.

Our youth (ages 13-17) had their first Youth Enrichment Service on Sunday and the word I'm hearing is that they really enjoyed it. I was told a few teens had rededicated their lives back to God. Everyone that attended the Couples Sweetheart's Ball on Valentine's Day had a great time. There was a lot of dancing going on! So if anyone has photos that they want to share, please send them to our web admin so we can post them on our photo gallery! As you know, the primary part of our vision is to spread the Gospel. To that end, we've renamed one of our Outreach sub-ministries from "Discipleship" to the more accurate "Community Evangelism". As the name suggests, this ministry evangelizes to the community (whether by doing door-to-door or other methods). If you have the gift of evangelism, then you should really check this ministry out. Please see the ministry director, Minister Amekuedi, to get involved. Don't forget that our "The Gift o...

Men, I remind you that there's a payment table out front for the Men's Retreat (coming up in August). Single parents, you can sign your boys (up to the age of 17) to go at no cost with a mentor to watch over them during the retreat. The Couples' Ministry will host a Sweetheart's Ball on Saturday, February 14th at the Radisson Hotel, RTP, starting at 6:30pm. "The Gift of Heritage" Program will be held on Sat., Feb. 21st at 1.00pm. Everyone is invited to attend and invite others you know to the program. Flyers are available at the Welcome Center. The Children's Ministry is sponsoring a "LOVE, SHARING, AND GIVE" Food Drive during the month of February to support the community. Each family member is asked to bring canned goods and nonperishable items and place in the designated boxes. Mt. Zion will be partnering with dozens of area churches for a special day of Gospel-centered ministry of compassion called Convoy of Hope on April, 25th. On the...

Thanks to all parents who came out on Friday to the Children's Ministry Parents Awareness Session. For those who missed it, please take the initiative to talk with the Children's Ministry to get the information. Men, don't forget our second Sunday Morning class next Sunday at 8:30am. We will be looking at Joshua 1:11-18. I'll see you there. The Couples' Ministry will host a Sweetheart's Ball on Saturday, February 14th at the Radisson Hotel, RTP, starting at 6:30pm. Stop by the Welcome Center after service or contact Deacon Robert Hunter for more information. We are happy to find out that one of our own members, Captain Kevin L. Coppage wins the American Legion, Raleigh Post 1 Fireman of the Year Award . Congratulations to Bro. Coppage for this great honor.

The Bible declares that all life is valuable. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13-14). Here's the story of one life saved....

The Church Family Meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday) at 7:00pm. All members are asked to be present. There will be some exciting ministry announcements. We'll present some cool things we're doing this year for outreach, a new ministry, and a revamp of our Christian Education ministry. The Children's Ministry will host a Parents Awareness Session for parents of children 12 years old and younger on this Friday at 6:00pm. Come and find out what the Children's Ministry is planning for this year. The Couples' Ministry invites you to a free night at the movies to see "Fireproof" on Saturday at 7:00pm at Mt. Zion. On Saturday, April 25, Raleigh will host the Convoy of Hope from 9 am to 2 pm. Mt. Zion will be participating in this great outreach event. Convoy of Hope will include a grocery center, a health fair, a social services tent; a haircuts team; a food center, a Kid's Zone, and much more. There will also be a prayer tent so many interc...

Don't forget to order your free audio CDs of the "Practical Atheist" series and "God is Waiting for You" (last year's Christmas message). Whether you're hearing them again or for the first time, I'm sure that these messages will bless you and strengthen your walk with God. And you can also order some to give away. It's good to share the Word of God with others. Men's Ministry would like to invite the sons of single mothers to attend this year's Men's Retreat. All youth under the age of 17 are free. A man will chaperone and be a big brother to each young man during the retreat. Please sign up at the Welcome Center. Reminder: There are two ministry kickoffs on Saturday. The Girls Enrichment ministry at 9am and the Youth Ministry at 5:30pm . The Church Family Meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 26th at 7:00pm. All members are asked to be present. We have some exciting ministry announcements so you won't want to miss i...

All men are invited to our upcoming Prayer Breakfast on this Saturday at Mt. Zion starting at 8am. Everyone is invited to join us for the Deacons' Ordination Service also on Saturday at 4:00pm. We will ordain Deacons Fortenberry & Harrison. Pastor Larry Snead will be bringing the message. Parents mark your calendar: The Children's Ministry will host a Parent Awareness Session for parents of children ages 0 to 12 years old on Friday, January 30th at 6:00pm. This will be an important session to get vital information about the ministry for 2009. Don't forget that 2008 Contribution Statements are available at the Welcome Center for pickup during the month of January.

Happy New Year. Our theme for 2009 is "Growing to Spiritual Maturity". We want to focus on our spiritual growth and move from 'milk' to 'meat'. The Men's Ministry will be starting a Men's Bible Study every Second Sunday beginning January 14th. All men are invited to attend and participate. Don't forget about the other areas for spiritual growth: Sunday School, Tuesday Prayer (6pm & 7pm), Wednesday evening Bible Study (7pm), and Thursday morning Bible Study (9am). All girls ages 9 to 17 and their parent or guardian are asked to be present for the Girls Enrichment Ministry kickoff on Jan.24th at 9 am. A couple of Community items: The Town is considering annexing 10 areas in Cary which may affect some of our members. Public informational meetings are being held between 5-8 p.m. on January 13 at the Senior Center and January 14 at the Herb Young Community Center. Both sessions will provide the same information. Citizens will be given an opport...

Mark 1:17 (NIV): "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." This is a serious call, one that demands our attention. If the command is to follow Jesus and He will make us fishers of men, then if we are not fishing, then we are not following. Have you been fishing lately? Decide to follow Jesus and go fishing (for people) every day! The following poem was shared with me by one of my members: Don't look for me, I've gone fishing Just as my Father said, Reeling in souls for Jesus, Hungry for His Living Bread. I've packed all equipment needed to get the job done. By setting of the sun today, many a soul will be won. I have the fishing pole, my relationship with God. Plenty of line is available, I've studied mighty hard. The bait is packed and plentiful , my experiences in life. The hook is new and strong, the Word of God in Christ The cooler's waiting to be filled, the Church of God you see. The chair a resting place, ...

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.