the Logos

We welcome Sis. Tammy Lackey who recently came forward to join Mt. Zion on Christian Experience. We also welcome our newest members who completed New Members Orientation:  Bro. Julius & Sis. Doris Brown Sis. Jeanette Gretsch  Everyone is invited to join us for our Ministers' Ordination Service on Sunday, June 5th, at 4:00pm. Dr. Larry Snead , Pastor of Christ First Christian Fellowship Center of Raleigh will deliver the ordination message. Don't miss this special occasion!  Tomorrow is Memorial Day . Memorial Day weekend is more than about kicking off the summer and vacation. Memorial Day is a time for us to remember the men and women who have died in military service to their country. So as you cook out with family and friends and enjoy the freedoms of this country, take some time to remember those who have died and pray for the comfort of their families.

We welcomed the following new members (who completed New Members Orientation & their elder interview): Bro. Lance Armour and Sis. Pamela Brown  On Sunday, June 5th at 4pm, we're having a Ministers Ordination service. We'll be ordaining Evangelists Tayon Dancy and Patrick Wilson, Ministers Brandi Hancock, Jae Smith, and James Warmack. Pastor Larry Snead will be bringing the ordination message.  Today, I had the wonderful privilege to baptize 10 people! Aniyah Parks (age 14)  Bro. Laurent & Sis. Tonnie Bracey and their children:   Armani (age 12) Avery (age 11)  Brandon (age 17) Laurent II (age 17) Micah (age 17) Uriah (age 15) Zaiden (age 17)

Please pray for the following families...  Sis. Sandra King's son, Michael, is recovering from a heart attack. Sis. Angela Perry's daughter has terminal cancer and was given only a few months to live. Sis. Perry is in Georgia with her daughter.  Deacon Henri Spivey lost his brother last week. The services will be this afternoon in Edenton, NC.    Join us and invite a friend to our Theological Seminar on Spiritual Gifts on Saturday, 5/21 at 9am. The seminar will address the purpose of the gifts, the various types of gifts, and how they can operate in the church. Our speaker will be Pastor John McLeod, Executive Pastor of Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Apex . Please register on Realm   Our next Virtual Prayer Rally will be on Tuesday from 7 to 8pm on Webex . We all know that there is much for us to pray about so join us for an hour of prayer. If you can't attend, submit your prayer requests online so we can pray for you.  All of the ladies looked great f...

We welcome Sis. Fannie Smith who recently joined the church on Christian experience. Also, keep her and the family in your prayers for a recent bereavement)  "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:4-7  One of the ways we will move to the right (spiritual maturity) is to get a better understanding of what are spiritual gifts and how to operate in them. Join us for our next Theological Seminar on Spiritual Gifts . Our speaker will be Pastor John McLeod, Executive Pastor of Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Apex. Please register on Realm . Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers!  We also recognize that today can be hard for many of us who have lost our mother, those who have lost children (some by disease, miscarriages, or...

This is the first Mother's Day since the passing of my mother, so I wanted to share a little of what I shared at her homegoing celebration:  My mother passed on her faith to me. My mother prayed for me. My mother taught me the Scriptures. My mother encouraged and pushed me to stand in front of people and talk about God (that was training for God calling me to preach and pastor a church). My mother taught me to give. My mother taught me to serve,  My mother loved the Lord because the Lord first loved her.  Even though towards the end of her earthly life, dementia took her memory and mind, she never forgot the Lord. And most certainly the Lord never forget her. She is more alive now than when she was on this side of eternity.

We welcomed new members who completed the New Members Orientation class and their elder interviews: Tony & Lisa Scott  Bret & Pat Dupree  Happy Birthday to our May babies (including myself)...     Happy Anniversaries to our May couples... This month's senior birthday surprise goes to Sis. Marlene Pritchett  Ladies, next Sunday wear your fanciest Hats and Heels for Mother's Day. There'll be a friendly best hat contest in the MPR after the service.  Don't forget to join us this afternoon at 4pm for the Elder & Deacons Ordination Service . Pastor Corey Jackson of Trinity Park Church will be delivering the ordination message.

In April 2002, I was installed as the lead pastor of Mt. Zion Church in Cary, NC. Here are 20 lessons I've learned so far. Love people . You have to love people. If you only love to preach but don't love people, don't be a pastor.  Shepherd your family . Your first flock to shepherd is your family. I reduced my meetings when my kids were born because I wanted them to know me as daddy, not Pastor Harris.  Watch your life and doctrine . It's great to have the right doctrine but that doctrine must be lived out. It's hypocrisy to live contrary to the doctrine you're preaching and teaching.  Focus on Character . Your character is more important than your skills as a preacher.  Find joy in pastoring . I find great joy in seeing people grow as disciples of Jesus Christ  Avoid pride . I have to fight against pride to make sure I'm not trying to steal God's glory  Share the load . Pastoring is so much easier with a team of elders. A plurality of elders for the wi...

We welcome several new families that have joined the last few weeks: Laurent & Tonnie Bracey (along with their children) Brandon Bracey Laurent Bracey II Micah Bracey Uriah Bracey Avery Carranza Zaiden Carranza Armani Grays Jeanette Gretsch  Tony and Lisa Scott Bert and Pat Dupree We had our Church Family Meeting right after the service. One of the things that was announced is that the following individuals will be getting ordained: Deacon Marion Aldridge  Deacon Phil Blango  Deacon Shaun Johnson  Elder Bobby Dunn  Evangelist Tayon Dancy  Minister Brandi Hancock  Minister Jae Smith  Minister James Warmack  Evangelist Patrick Wilson The ordination for the Elder and Deacons will be May 1 at 4pm. Pastor Corey Jackson of Trinity Park Church will be bringing the ordination message. The ordination for the Ministers is tentatively targeted for June 5. We also announced that Adrian Jones will be our new Elder Candidate. He will be overseein...

He is risen!  Today is Easter and we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus was never abandoned to the agony of death. Jesus was never abandoned to the corruption of the grave. Jesus was never abandoned to live without God's presence.  By faith in Jesus, you and I will never be abandoned to the agony of death, the corruption of the grave, or to live without God's presence. Our MAPS (Mature Adults Praying and Study) group will start back up on this Tuesday, the 19th from 10:30am to 12pm here at the church.  Our next Virtual Prayer Rally will also be on Tuesday from 7-8 pm. If you cannot attend, please submit your prayer request online on our Prayer Request Form .  Next Sunday, we're having our Church Family Meeting right after the service. We have some exciting announcements regarding ordination and leadership. All of our members are asked to attend.  Also, next Sunday at 5pm, I have the privilege of speaking at New Dimensions Fellowship Church fo...

Let's continue to pray for those in bereavement . Sis. Cassandra Page recently lost her father. We are also still praying for Sis. Mary Higginbotham after the death of her sister. We welcome Bro. Lance Armour and Sis. Pamela Brown who recently joined on Christian experience. Join us for our Easter Weekend Celebration .  We're having a Good Friday service from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, an Easter Egg Hunt for the children on Saturday at 1pm, and Sunrise Easter Service & Communion at 6am. The Sunrise Service will be our only service on Easter. There will be no 10 am service . We have Easter Booklets for kids. If you didn't grab one yet, the extras are available at the Welcome Center. Grab one while supplies last. Today is Palm Sunday , the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people laid palm branches and their cloaks along the path and sang "Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

Welcome to our Newest Members who have completed NMO:  Stephen & Selenah Njoloma (children Julian & Olivia) Carla Whiting and daughter Reign Connie Whiting  Titus 2 Women's Ministry is sponsoring Hearts for the Homeless with the goal to provide 100 care bags for the homeless throughout the greater triangle area. Starting today until April 10th, we'll be collecting donations of toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, wet wipes, bandages, and bottles of water. For distribution, we'll give members car bags to have in their cars to give to the homeless and we'll have an outreach event where we'll go and hand them out to the homeless.  We are thankful that COVID cases and hospitalization continue to decrease. Due to that and the lifting of masks mandates, we will move to an optional mask policy beginning on next Sunday, April 3rd. We encourage everyone to continue to follow daily CDC guidelines. And we will not judge harshly anyone who wants to continue to wear t...

I hope everyone's fasting and prayer during Lent is going well. Some have asked me why we don't have to fast on Sundays. From the very earliest days, the church always considered that since Sunday is the day of Jesus' resurrection it is a day of feasting not fasting. Now it doesn't mean that you have to break your fast on Sundays. For some of you, it might be better that you continue fasting if it will make it harder to resume your fast on Monday. Men, the Men's Ministry called STM ( Spiritually Thinking Men ) will have its kick-off meeting on Friday, 3/25 at 6pm. It's going to be a great time of food (fish dinner), fellowship, and discussion of the ministry. Bring your lawn chairs for we'll be meeting outside. All men are invited to attend.  Women, you have a Titus 2 T.E.A. On Saturday, 3/26 at 9am. It will be a time of Teaching, Encouraging, and Affirming. All ladies are invited to attend.  Thanks to all who attended the EQUIP Conference . We praise Go...

Today was My Hope Sunday where we welcomed many guests that members invited to join us for this church service. My message was " Hope in the Lord " from Psalm 33:17-22 . There are many things in this world that are tempting for us to place our hope in. But we must avoid false hopes. Our hope must be in God's steadfast love. Only God can deliver and save us. One day we all must face judgment and only by faith in Jesus Christ will we be delivered from our deserved punishment to receive eternal salvation. Our hope waits for the Lord. In times like these, we can place our hope in the Lord. Our next Virtual Prayer Rally is Tuesday from 7 to 8pm. In light of all that's happening in the world, we'll be praying through Acts 1:8 ...  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  Join us on Webex . If you can't attend, submit your prayer requests...

We're taking a break from Leviticus and will resume after Easter.  Giving Statements for 2021 are availability for you to pick up for your taxes.  Happy Birthday to our March babies... Happy Anniversaries to our March couples...  Our Senior Birthday Surprise goes to Sis. Minnie Liverman!   Sis. Danelle Gambrell Clark announced that the Fine Arts Ministry (FAM) is recruiting for more members to join the ministry. So if you're interested in participating in dance, mime, spoken word, or acting, please reach out Sis. Clark.   As part of our focus on Moving to the Right, we're having the EQUIP Conference on March 18-19. The conference is focused on equipping people for evangelism and discipleship. This conference is sponsored by the Ministers Ministry. We'll have talks, lectures, and panel discussions. Registration is open . We'll have free book swag for those who register and attend in person.  My Hope Sunday is next Sunday. We're asking ever...

Please be in prayer for the following people who are experiencing bereavements : Deaconess Shirley Smith (the passing of her sister) Pam Mosley (the passing of her mother) Minister Gerald Vinson (the passing of his grandmother) In March, we'll be having separate Men and Women sessions for Foundation Fellowship . The ladies will be meeting in the MPR and the men will meet in the large classroom 1. For those attending virtually, we'll still be using WebEx (more details will be sent out this week).  My Hope Sunday is 3/13. My Hope Sunday is our outreach Sunday where we ask every member to invite an unbeliever or unchurched person to attend church either in-person or virtually on that Sunday. Praying about who you will commit to invite and have those names ready for next Sunday, 3/6. We'll be praying over those names.  This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent. For Ash Wednesday, we'll be anointing with ashes as a sign of mourning over sin and repenta...

Welcome to the Whiting family who recently joined Mt. Zion: Connie Whiting, her daughter Carla, and Carla's 3-year old daughter, Reign. A survey for the Equip Conference was sent out last week. If you have not done so, please take the survey to help us plan for the conference. We'll end the survey on Friday.  Our next My Hope Sunday will be 3/13. My Hope Sunday is our outreach Sunday where we ask every member to invite an unbeliever or unchurched person to attend church either in-person or virtually on that Sunday. Start praying about who you will commit to inviting and bring those names on 3/6.  Our Growing Through Grief seminar is this Saturday, 2/26 starting at 9am. Our speaker will be Dr. Jamie Mitchell. Sessions will include “Defining Grief”, “How to Mourn and Expressing it with Others”, and “Hope, Healing, and Sharing Grief”. The seminar will be both in-person and live-streamed . Invite someone who you think would benefit from this seminar dealing with various kinds o...

Welcome to our newest members who have completed New Members Orientation: Rick and Maureen Holland ! Do you struggle with your prayer life? Do you want to move to the right with how to pray? One of the benefits of corporate prayer is that disciples believers in prayer. Join us for an hour of corporate prayer at our next Virtual Prayer Rally on Tuesday, 2/15 at 7:00 pm. If you cannot attend, please submit your prayer requests online .  Our next Theological Seminar will be a special one dealing with grief. On Saturday, 2/26 we're having a Growing thru Grief seminar . Sessions will include “Defining Grief”, “How to Mourn and Expressing it with Others”, and “Hope, Healing, and Sharing Grief”. Our speaker will be Dr. Jamie Mitchell. The seminar will be both in-person and virtual. One change regarding virtual is that the seminar will NOT be on WebEx but streamed on Zion Live , Facebook , and YouTube . Invite someone who you think would benefit from this seminar dealing with various kin...

As Christians, we know that Scripture is our highest authority and applies to all areas of life. So here are four Biblical Principles of Leaving an Inheritance... Principle: God Owns Everything   The foundation on which a Christian’s estate plan is built is the recognition that God is the owner of all. He owns everything...even us. Psalms 24:1-2 (ESV): The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Haggai 2:8 (ESV): The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. Some of you might be thinking, but I’m the one who worked to earn money. So this money and estate are mine. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (ESV): Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he s...

Happy Birthday to all February babies . And those of you who were around when my son Isaiah was born...that was 20 years ago on 2/7!    Our Senior Birthday Surprise goes to Bro. James & Sis. Annie Brice who are both celebrating their birthdays in February. Don't forget to register for our Growing through Grief seminar on Saturday, 2/26 at 9am. Our speaker will be Dr. Jamie Mitchell. The seminar will be both in-person and virtual. Invite someone who you think would benefit from this seminar dealing with various kinds of loss. On 2/12, we're having a Living a Legacy event to present the essentials of basic estate planning and leaving a legacy of faith. You will not want to miss this great opportunity. Register today !

Registration is now open for our Growing through Grief seminar on Saturday, 2/26 at 9am. Our speaker will be Dr. Jamie Mitchell . The seminar will be both in-person and virtual.  As we think about grieving the loss of loved ones and our own mortality, we should think about the legacy we leave with our family. On 2/12, we're having a Leaving a Legacy event to present the essentials of basic estate planning and leaving a legacy of faith. Registration is open .  Today, we start reading Leviticus in our Daily Bible Reading Plan . Don't “tap out” but pay attention as you read because next Sunday, we start a new sermon series in Leviticus called “ Be Holy For God Is Holy” . We'll see how God requires holiness and graciously provides a way for His people to be sanctified and holy. And it all points to Jesus.  We had our first Church Family Meeting of the year is right after the service today. We reviewed 2021 and set our goals for 2022.