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We praise God for Joselyne Cepeda who contacted us online to say that she trusted Christ as her personal Savior and is a candidate for baptism. Congrats to the following youth for participating in 6 of 10 Youth Bible Study Sessions from October to December.  Jadon Roberts (10 sessions)  David Acheampong (9 sessions)  Shaun Johnson, Jr (7 Sessions)  Celebrate bringing in the New Year by tuning into our New Year's Eve service where we'll have singing, testimonies, a brief sermon, and prayer. We are still putting together all the elements of the program so we'll announce this week when the broadcast will start exactly but it should not be before 11 pm ET.  Next Sunday, we will be celebrating the Lord's Supper for the first Sunday in 2021. So stop by the church this week during open hours to get your communion kits.  We often want to know the will of God but did you know that God has multiple wills? And how does our “free will” tie into God's will? Join us ...

There will be NO Bible Study for the next couple of weeks to allow everyone to spend time with family.  We'll kick off a new series in Romans on January 6. Join us for our Virtual New Year's Eve Service . And don't forget to submit your 2-minute video testimony for the service. We want to end the year praising God for what He has done in 2020 instead of just complaining about the year. Please be safe during the holidays . State health officials reached out to faith leaders in our community to let us know we are seeing an increase in the percent of positive tests and hospitalizations from COVID-19 as the virus continues to spread throughout our state. We must all do our part to stop the spread of this virus.  Remember that the traditions and gatherings that we hold dear provide an opportunity for the virus to spread. We know that gatherings can spread the virus rapidly. I’m sure you’ve heard of the many positive cases that have come from someone attending a small gathering ...

Our next Virtual Prayer Rally is on Tuesday, December 15th, at 7:00 pm on WebEx . If you cannot attend, please submit your prayer request online .  I would like to welcome our newest member who has completed New Members Orientation and an elder interview: Bro. Jay Hagood  This is our last outdoor service for the year. We'll be switching back to our virtual-only service for the winter. In 2021, the elders and I will continue to evaluate each quarter regarding how we'll conduct our services.

Don't forget to register on Realm today for our first Virtual Game Night on Saturday, December 12th, at 6:00 pm. We will play Trivia (with a wide variety of categories). Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating a birthday in December! Happy Anniversaries to our December couples!

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving ! Even though we may not have been able to gather with family like we wanted or have all the fixings, we still have much to be thankful for! Join us for an evening of fun and games at our first Virtual Game Night on Saturday, December 12, at 6:00 pm. We will play Trivia (with a wide variety of categories). Please register on Realm by December 6 so we know how to prepare.  Don't forget that Bible Study resumes this Wednesday with the second half of Ephesians.

Today, Elder Bobby Dunn preached from Isaiah 26:1-4 on the topic " Whom Can We Trust Completely? ". He covered the root of complete trust in God... R -isk Of Trust: Count The Cost  O -bject Of Trust: Jesus  O -utcome Of Trust: Salvation  T -ype Of Trust: Forever Don't forget to join our new Community Bulletin Board group on Realm so you can share important events, accomplishments, prayer requests, photographs, testimonies, scripture, etc. with your church family.  Join us for an evening of fellowship and fun. We will pilot our first Virtual Game Night on Saturday, December 12th, at 6:00pm. We will kick off the night with some ice breakers, followed by a game of Trivia (there will be a wide variety of categories). Please register on Realm before December 6th so we know how to prepare.  As we close out this year with our church theme of " Being a House of Prayer ", our next sermon series will be called Great Prayers . We'll examine a few of the great p...

Minister Lydia Amekuedi brought the message today from Genesis 3 entitled "Sentenced to Life...".  The serpent was sentenced to life on the ground. The woman was sentenced to life with painful childbearing. The man was sentenced to life with painful work and toil. But God promised that the seed of the woman would prevail over the seed of the serpent. We will all be sentenced to life. Either we will be sentenced to life in eternal torment and pain, separated from the loving presence of God. Or we will be sentenced to life in eternal joy and happiness in the loving presence of God. What shall we do as Christians when the election is over. Let us not demonize those with who we disagree but show love and honor . If your candidate won, I caution you not to put too much hope in the outcome of the election. And I remind you to show compassion to those struggling with fear over their loss. If your candidate lost, I remind you to not be deflated and give in to fear but trust that ...

Today, we concluded our Christianity 101 series with a message on what Christians believe about their mission from Matt. 28:18-20 .  Since Jesus has the authority to command us, He tells us to go and make disciples. Jesus is NOT making a suggestion. This is the Great Commission , not the Great Suggestion .  Making disciples includes two components: evangelism and discipling . Evangelism is sharing the Gospel with the aim to persuade. Discipling is helping believers in their spiritual walk to be more like Jesus. It's an intentional relationship in which we invest in the lives of other believers to encourage, equip, and challenge one another to grow towards maturity in Christ. We have everything we need to obey Jesus and make disciples because Jesus is with us. So even when you and I fail at evangelism and discipling, Jesus is still there! Aren't you glad about that? He forgives and restores. Let us repent and get started again. Happy Birthday to all the November babies. Happy...

Join us for our unique Theological Seminar. On Friday, 10/30 at 7pm, we're going to watch the film American Gospel outdoors. The American Gospel film examines how the prosperity gospel (the Word of Faith movement) has distorted the gospel message. Then on Saturday, 10/31, we'll have our virtual Theological Seminar at 9am to discuss the message and content of the film. The entire event is free but please register so we know how to prepare accordingly. (email subscribers: click here if you can't see the video) Don’t forget that we're having our last Church Family Meeting for the year today at 12 noon. We have a couple of cool announcements to make so all members are asked to attend. All members should have the special WebEx link for the meeting.

Join us for a special Prayer Rally on Tuesday from 7 to 8 pm where we'll be joined by Trinity Park Church . Let's come together as two churches to pray to our Heavenly Father. Mark your calendars for a unique Theological Seminar . On Friday, 10/30 at 7 pm, we're going to watch the film American Gospel outdoors. The American Gospel film examines how the prosperity gospel (the Word of Faith movement) has distorted the gospel message. Then on Saturday, 10/31, we'll have our virtual Theological Seminar at 9 am to discuss the message and content of the film. Next Sunday, we'll be having our Church Family Meeting after the service. More details to come this week on how we'll do our meeting. Today is the day for our Virtual 155th Church Celebration . Tune in to Zion Live (or other streaming platforms) at 4 pm ET to watch the celebration. After it's over, jump on our WebEx for a special message from our Cary PD and a time of fellowship and reflections.

We were supposed to have our first outdoor service today, but due to the rain, we weren't able to have it. Lord willing, we'll plan for our outdoor service next Sunday. Today was our My Hope Sunday . We invited people (unbelievers, unchurched) to tune into our service to hear a message about What Christians Believe About Salvation . We believe that people are dead in their trespasses and sins but God makes us alive through Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Last week, we kicked off a new Bible Study series in Joel & Obadiah called Judgment but Hope . I definitely want you to join us this Wednesday as we'll be addressing these two statements from the State of Theology survey : God chose the people he would save before he created the world.  The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual new birth or new life before a person has faith in Jesus Christ. Our Virtual 155th Church Celebration will be next Sunday at 4pm ET on Zion Live . Mark yo...

Starting 10/11, we'll start having outdoor services in addition to having our service online. We'll be meeting in front of the building in the parking lot.  You can bring your own lawn chairs but we'll provide seating that honors physical distancing. Even though we'll be outside, please bring your masks or face coverings in case you get closer than 6 feet to others outside of your family. We will also have disposable masks for those who need one. The church building will be closed except for use of the restrooms. Masks are recommended when going inside. I'm looking forward to seeing those of you who feel comfortable with coming out. If you're still not comfortable, no judgment, please continue to watch online. Next Sunday is also My Hope Sunday . We want every member to invite at least one unbeliever or unchurched person to join us for that service. This week, please follow up with those you invited. Continue to submit the names of those you are inviting so we ...

Next Sunday, we're starting a new series called Christianity 101 where we're going to review some of the basic beliefs that Christians have or should have. This will be great series to invite others especially those who have questions about Christianity.  This year, Mt. Zion is celebrating 155 years . Check out this trailer for our upcoming celebration. The virtual celebration will take place Sunday, 10/18 at 4pm on Zion Live , Facebook , YouTube , and Periscope .  My Hope Sunday is October 11th. We want every member to invite at least one unbeliever or unchurched person to join us for that service. Start praying for those you plan to invite. I'll be sending out a digital invitation that you can use to invite and share. Starting October 11th, we will start having service outdoors. Here are some details regarding the service: We'll have service at the front of the building in the parking lot. We'll provide seating at honors physical distancing but you can bring yo...

Thanks to all of you who have taken the State of Theology survey.  About 70 people have responded. I would love to get at least 100 responses. If you're a member of Mt. Zion, please take the survey . Do you have the spiritual gift of teaching ? Our Christian Education ministry is looking for those who will join the Christian Education Teachers Team for 2021. New teachers will be assigned a mentor to help them grow in their gift over the next year and members can also choose to co-teach. Mark your calendars for My Hope Sunday on October 11. We want every member to invite at least one unbeliever or unchurched person to join us for that service. Pray about who you will be inviting. We'll have a digital invitation available next week. Don't forget we're having Worship @ the Z right after the service. So go jump on our WebEx for a time of fellowship, music, and prayer.

After completing the New Member's Orientation class, we welcome Sis. Janae Branch and her daughter Logan. If you've not heard about it yet, we've started an after-service time of worship and fellowship called Worship @ the Z . Right after we conclude here on Zion Live , go jump on our WebEx for a time to talk, fellowship, listen to music, and pray. It will last about an hour but even if you can only stay for a few minutes, it's a good way for us to maintain our fellowship since we're not seeing one another during church service. Mt. Zion members, please don't forget to take the State of Theology survey I sent out last week. Fifty people have responded. Given the size of our church, I would love to get many more responses that would be helpful for me in preparation for my next sermon series in October. Yes, we will be having My Hope Sunday on October 11. Again, we want every member to invite at least one unbeliever or unchurched person to join us for that servi...

We are very glad to have Minister Kevin Coppage back from his sabbatical. He preached today on Ecclesiastes 2 on the topic "Sought After".  He challenged us to examine what we are seeking after.  Because everything that we seek after is vanity without God.  We all have a void that we try to fill but only God will fill it.  Minister Coppage also shared his testimony as part of the sermon. You can download the Home Study Guide to review and apply the sermon. It's the first Sunday of the month, so we recognized our members who are celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. I hope everyone has a good Labor Day tomorrow.  Be safe and enjoy the time off from work if you have it.

Today, we concluded our series,  Praying the Psalms.  I hope everyone has enjoyed it. If you will pray the psalms, you will find that your prayers will be more God-centered, you will pray about things that you would not normally pray about, you will pray about things that you normally pray about but in new ways, and you will never run out of things to say. I want to recommend a couple of books to you that were very helpful to me during this series:  Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney  Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop  We're starting a new Virtual Bible Study series, A Call to Repentance , on the book of Micah, on Wednesday, September 2nd, at 7:00pm. Everyone is invited to join us.

Our next Virtual Church-Wide Prayer Rally is 8/18 from 7 to 8pm. Make a  plan to join us so we can pray together as a House of Prayer . Next Sunday is our Youth Sunday. Also, I'll be preaching at Rooted  Church at their 10:30 am service which is being held outdoors at the Apex Community Park . School is starting on Monday (some have already started). We pray at the beginning of every school year but this year it is especially important. This start of the school year has parents trying to decide what is best for their children and family...do they do online virtual academy or let their kids go to school in person? Some parents may not want to send their children but they may not have any other options because they have to work.  This is why we should be praying for wisdom...for the parents, caregivers, children, school teachers, and staff. Here's my Back to School Prayer ... Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who te...

Today, we tackled the hard topic of how to pray imprecatory psalms .  My message was on Psalm 109 . An imprecation is a curse that invokes destruction or mishap upon one's enemies. The author of imprecatory psalms calls down calamity and God's anger and judgment on his enemies. One thing we must understand is that imprecatory psalms are not written to be vindictive or for personal vengeance. But they are prayers for God's justice. So as New Covenant believers, we SHOULD NOT pray imprecations against specific people (no matter how tempting it is). We are not to call down curses for our own personal vendettas. Rather, we can pray these types of psalms against our spiritual enemies such as Satan, our sinful nature, world systems of corruption and oppression, and God's enemies. Download the Home Study Guide for today's sermon to discuss and apply the sermon. Our next time church-wide prayer rally is 8/18 from 7 to 8pm on WebEx . Make a plan to join us so we can pray ...

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 for each month led by an elder. August's prayer topic is Suffering (physical, mental, depression). Today, Elder Wayne Bullock read Job 1:6-12  and led us in prayer regarding suffering. I resumed our series, Praying the Psalms , with a sermon called "A Psalm of Lament" based on Psalm 77 . You can download the Home Study Guide for today's sermon.  Congratulations to Donnell & Jenae Fordham on their birth of their son Weston Alexander . He was born on July 19th weighing 7 lbs, 7 oz.