the Logos

Mt. Zion Family, Blessing to you all.   The White House in conjunction with the CDC has just issued new guidelines relating to Coronavirus . They are now recommending that people not gather in groups of more than 10 people. Although we hate to do it, we're going to suspend all of our in-church gatherings for at least the next 15 days.   We want to cooperate with the guidelines and instructions of our governing authorities and love our neighbors by doing our part to slow down the spread of the virus. We are really thankful for the gift of technology that will allow us to virtually gather together to worship, pray, and receive the Word of God. On Sundays, we'll have an online service at 10 am ET on Zion Live .   For our church-wide prayer rally and Bible Study, we're going to try something new and use Webex. So let's get together for our Prayer Rally on Webex to pray on tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7pm. And then we can get together on Wednesday on Webex for Bible St...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder. March's prayer topic is "Repentance and Personal Holiness". Today, I read 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 and in light of the Coronavirus Pandemic, we corporately repented and prayed to the Lord for mercy. We are canceling the lunch cruise that was scheduled for April 25. We plan to reschedule for sometime in August and will let you know as the time approaches. Refunds will be given to those who already paid. The next Church-Wide Prayer Rally will be held on Tuesday, March 17th, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. Those who are able to are invited to join us as we seek God in prayer. If you are not able to attend but have prayer requests, you can place them in the prayer requests box on the table at the back of the church or at the altar, use the Connections card, or submit them online . The Census 2020 is being mailed to ho...

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation , will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (ESV) Mt. Zion is planning to have service on Sunday, Lord willing.  We know that God is sovereign and every microbe falls under His authority.  Let our gathering for corporate worship be a witness that our hope and faith is in the Lord.  As we move forward, we'll continue to evaluate whether it is prudent to have service or not. Now this does not mean we are going to be foolish and throw caution to the wind.  If you or any of your family members do not feel well or are exhibiting any signs of illness, please stay at home.  If you just feel uncertain about coming out, follow your conscience and do what you ...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're going to have a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. March's prayer topic is "Repentance & Personal Holiness". Today, Elder Sean Cherry read Romans 5:1-5 and led us in a prayer of repentance and hope. Today was My Hope Sunday where we had invited guests with whom we could share the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Bro. Lawrence Roberts shared the testimony of his diagnosis of MS and how God used that to develop and strengthen his faith. I preached on  Romans 6:23 with the topic "My Hope is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ". The Gospel of Jesus Christ can be summarized with these four points: God (Creator, holy, and must punish sin) Man (Rebelled and has fallen short of God's glory) Christ (Died on the cross to bear the wrath for all who would believe) Response (God calls everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and trust in C...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're going to have a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder.  March's prayer topic is "Repentance & Personal Holiness". Today, Elder Sean Cherry read Psalm 51:1-13 and led us in a prayer of confession and repentance. My Hope is next Sunday. We brought our commitment cards to the altar and prayed over the names.  In preparation, we're having testimonies about where our hope is. Today, Bro. Kyle Wyche testified about how the Lord helped him to become a more engaged husband and father. The Youth Ministry is working on a play called "How to Get Away with Being a Christian"! They are looking for aspiring actors/actresses of all ages to participate in this biblically-based play on our “lives as Christians”. All those interested in participating should contact the youth director, Sis. Tracy Dunn . The upcoming Census 2020 Training Class is see...

Today was our Youth Sunday with the youth leading the service and the Youth Praise Team singing.  Minister Jae Smith preached on the Parable of the Vineyard Workers from Matt. 19:30 - 20:16  on the topic "It's Not Fair...But". With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder. February's prayer topic is "Family". Today, Elder Wayne Bullock read Colossians 3:1-11 and prayed for singles and individuals. The Mt. Zion Worship Ministry is presenting a casting call for all ages on March 15 directly after service in the MPR for the 2020 Christmas Program. We're starting a new sermon series in the book of James on 3/1 called The Gospel & Works. We'll be examining the relationship between faith and works. My Hope Sunday is 3/8. All of our members are asked to commit to inviting at least one unbeliever or unchurched person to j...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder. February's prayer topic is "Family". Today, Elder Roderick Harrison read Ephesians 6:1-4 and prayed for parents and children. If you have not done so yet, please pick up your contribution statements from the Welcome Center. Our next church-wide prayer rally will be on Tuesday, 2/18, from 7 to 8pm. We'll also be fasting (from whatever the Lord leads you...food, drink, social media, etc.) on Tuesday. Join us for our upcoming FREE Theological Seminar on Saturday, February 22nd at 9:00am where I will be teaching biblical principles and patterns for how to experience life-giving prayer times. Please register online . My Hope Sunday is coming. All of our members are asked to commit to inviting at least one unbeliever or unchurched person to join us at church on 3/8. During that service, we will shar...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder. February's prayer topic is "Family". Today, Elder Bullock read Ephesians 5:22-33 and prayed for marriages. Our next church-wide prayer rally will be on Tuesday, 2/18, from 7 to 8pm. And we'll be fasting that day. We know that prayer is important but we all struggle with it. Many of us have experienced disappointment when praying on our own or with others. The problem is that many of us don’t know how to pray biblically. Join us for our upcoming FREE Theological Seminar on Saturday, February 22nd at 9:00 am where I will be teaching biblical principles and patterns for how to experience life-giving prayer times. Light refreshments will be served. Please register online .

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder. February's prayer topic is "Family". Today, Elder Bullock read Ephesians 1:3-14 and prayed with a focus on being a part of God's family. Everyone is invited to come out to Prayer & Testimony Service to share your testimony and pray with others on Wednesday, February 5th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Also on Wednesday at 7pm, we start a new series in Bible Study on the book of Malachi . You will not want to miss it. Come out and understand Malachi in the proper context. Mark your calendars: Our next Theological Seminar will be 2/22 at 9am. The topic will be about Prayer.

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder. January's prayer topic is "Worship and the Attributes of God". Today, I read Exodus 3:13-14 and prayed a prayer of worship thanking God for His nature as revealed by His many names. After service, we had our first Church Family Meeting. We praised God for all the wonderful things we enabled us to accomplish in 2019.  And we also talked about our initiatives for 2020: Increase focus on developing a culture of prayer  Developing a Disciple-Making Culture (The Vine Project phase 2)  Youth Worship Services (2nd & 3rd Sundays)  Increased discipleship of men  Welcome Anthony Easter to be the musician for the Youth Praise Team on 4th Sundays  4th Sunday Youth Praise Age Expansion (8 to 18)  Development of Christian Counselor’s Ordination  Celebrate the church’s 155th anniversary ...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder. January's prayer topic is "Worship and the Attributes of God". Today, I read Jeremiah 10:6-12 and prayed a prayer of worship thanking God for His incommunicable attributes of omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence. Everyone is invited to participate in our church-wide prayer rally on Tuesday, 1/21, from 7-8pm. I'm also calling for a day of fasting on Tuesday. You can choose to fast from food, drink, or a particular activity. Then come out to the prayer rally. Next Sunday, we'll have our first Church Family Meeting of the year following the church service. All members are asked to attend.

Happy New Year!  We praise God for allowing us to see the first Sunday in 2020! With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're going to start having a Pastoral Prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray about each month led by an elder.  January's prayer topic is "Worship and the Attributes of God".  Today, I read 1 John 2:1-14 and prayed a prayer of worship thanking God for Jesus being our Advocate.

Our dear brother, Otto Lyons, went home to be with Lord on Friday. The Homegoing service is tentatively scheduled for Saturday. Please keep Sis. Linda and the entire Lyons family in your prayers. Join us and bring a friend to our New Year's Eve service starting at 10pm as we worship together and pray in the new year. Also on New Year's Eve, the Youth Ministry will have a "Watch Night Fellowship" starting at 9:45pm at Sis. Tracy Dunn's home. The youth will have a special time of worshipping God while connecting with one another to bring in the new year. All youth desiring to attend need to RSVP by December 29 at mtzyouthcouncil AT gmail.com. Our church theme for 2020 will be "Being a House of Prayer". We'll be focusing on understanding prayer better and spending more time praying. Next Sunday, we'll start a new series called “When the Church Prays”

For the Season of Advent, the Devoted Disciples (Youth Ministry) read John 3:16-19 and lit the fourth and final candle for Love. Jesus’ coming to the world is a picture of a love for us that cannot be measured! In a season that is sometimes filled with not only happiness, but with of grief, pain, loneliness, hoping, and suffering there is much comfort in God’s love. So as you unwrap your gifts on Wednesday, remember the true reason for our celebration. It is not about the new items from your wish list that you will receive. Love is not just shown in the giving of gifts to those we love. Unconditional Love was shown over 2,000 years ago in a manger; the giving of the best gift by God, His Son, Jesus Christ. No Bible Study for the next 2 weeks due to Christmas and New Year's holiday. Bible Study returns on 1/8 with a study on the supremacy of Christ in the book of Colossians. Mark your calendars for our New Year's Eve service starting at 10pm.

For the Season of Advent, the Devoted Disciples (Youth Ministry) read Matthew 2:10-11 and lit the third candle which symbolizes Joy. We can have much joy in the fact that Jesus came as a human to reconcile us back to God. Our joy comes from being in a right relationship with God. Despite the trials and suffering we might be facing this Christmas season we can have joy because Jesus is with us (Immanuel). The joy of the Lord is our strength. Thanks to all who participated in and attended our Christmas Cantata & Pantomime yesterday. The most important thing that happened was the two men who responded to the Good News after the Christmas Program!! One of them is joining the church and was in service today. The other is the youngest son of Sis. Daureen Richards. She had been praying for him to be saved for years! All glory to God! New Dimensions & Pastors Praying Together is having a Holiday Extravaganza Giveaway. We're collecting new unwrapped toys and books for children ...

For the Season of Advent, the Devoted Disciples (Youth Ministry) read John 3:16-19 and lit the second candle which symbolizes Peace.  We often wish for peace on earth during the Christmas season but true peace will not happen until the Prince of Peace returns. Because of Jesus' work on the Cross, we have peace with God because we're not reconciled back to Him. And we also have the peace of God even in the midst of suffering. New Dimensions & Pastors Praying Together is having a Holiday Extravaganza Giveaway . We're collecting new unwrapped toys and books for children of all ages. They will be distributed at the Oxford Manor Community Center in Durham on Saturday, 12/21 from 2- 4pm. All are invited to A Joyful Nativity , our Christmas Cantata & Pantomime about the Birth of Jesus Christ, which will be on Saturday, December 14th, at 3:00 pm.

For the Season of Advent, the Devoted Disciples (Youth Ministry) read Isaiah 9:2 , 6-7 and lit the first candle which symbolizes Hope.  The prophets, like Isaiah, prophesied the birth of Christ. This candle represents the hope and expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.  Likewise, we have hope because we are anticipating the return of the Messiah. Starting tomorrow (Monday), we're having a church-wide 5 days of prayer and fasting.  Each day, we'll be fasting from particular items, reading and meditating on the indicated Scripture, and spending time in prayer.  Fasting is not way to manipulate God into doing something for you.  Fasting is a spiritual discipline where you deny your flesh something it desires so that you can declare your dependence on God.  Fasting helps to remind us that we need God far more than we even need food or anything else.  We will conclude our time of prayer and fasting with a Prayer Rally on Friday,...

During the week of 12/2, we will have 5 days of prayer and fasting. Each day will have specific scriptures to read and pray over and specific items to fast from. Then on Friday, 12/6, we'll gather for a Prayer Rally at 7pm. Also, we're extending our Stay Warm Drive until Sunday, 12/1. We have a lot of coats but could use more hats, gloves, scarves, and socks. Please continue to bring in your items this week. Today was Youth Sunday and Sis. Tikayla Downing delivered a message from 1 Thess. 5:16-18 with the subject "From Ungrateful to Thankful". Through the Word, she admonished us to rejoice always, keep praying, and give thanks. It's so easy for us to complain but God has given us so much to be thankful for. Ultimately, we can be thankful for Jesus who forgives sinful complainers. As we head into Thanksgiving, let's move from being ungrateful to thankful!

Thanks to all who came out to the PACKHOPE event yesterday. It was a wonderful experience to work with others in the community and our brothers & sisters from other churches. I would like to take all of our volunteers who helped with registration, setup, clean-up, and other logistics. And I'd like to especially thank Minister Matt Darby for being our coordinator for this event. Check out the church's Facebook page for some pics from the event. We're hosting a Blood Drive on Saturday, 11/30 from 9:30 am to 2 pm. Diverse blood type donations are critically needed. Our goal is to get 38 donors. You may register on-line or see Sis. Peggy Credle for more information. It's getting cold outside. What a blessing it is to have a warm home to go to daily. Some are not as fortunate and the Youth Ministry needs your help to serve them. Through Sunday, 11/24, we will be collecting hats, scarves, gloves, socks, coats and brand new new born baby clothes for our Stay Warm...

Veterans Day is tomorrow where we honor those who have served in the military. We honored the veterans in our service today. We praise God for them and are thankful for their service. Our PACKHOPE event on Saturday, 11/16. Come out and bring your family and friends to help us pack seeds for people around the world. There are three different sessions you can register for at:      * 9:00am – 11am      * 12:00pm-2:00pm      * 2:30pm-4:30pm You can also support this effort with a charitable donation that goes towards the purchase of seeds.