The News of Zion

The News of Zion

"Earth's troubles fade in the light of Heaven's hope"

- Billy Graham

Here are the latest opportunities to strengthen

your faith and connect within our community.

Musings~ The Songwriter's Lament...

Songwriting has two parts to it: the music part and the lyric part. I have discovered I am rather lazy on both counts and have greater expectations than laziness will allow. The truth is, I have these random moments of inspiration where, through divine intervention and guidance, a particular tune and certain chords will come to me. Or perhaps I’ll have a bit of a poem rolling around in my head that falls out in just such a way as to be seemingly lyrically pleasing. When such things happen simultaneously, a song is born and requires little effort on my part but to accept the moment of inspiration and record it as it comes.

But I don’t really work at it the way a true songwriter does. Case in point, yesterday, I wrote a song that was just okay. It wasn’t bad, but it ended up being a bit short of finished and in need of reworking. I found this out when I showed it to someone and they found the lyrics more humorous than meaningful, not in a mean or derisive way but in that way that lets you know it’s not as finished as you thought it was. Truth is, they were probably right, something I could begrudgingly admit. I was going to have to rewrite it.

I hate rewrites. I want to get it right the first time and not have to do it again, not have to wrestle with the words or the chords or my voice. I wrote it, it should be done. In truth, it could be. But if it is, it’s not the kind of done it could be. It falls short of being its best version.

In my mind, this kind of parallels the Christian life for some people. They have a singular moment where they encounter God in a very real, very personal, very powerful way. They make a few changes to the way they see the world, start going to church and begin good in socially acceptable way and that’s that. The song is done, no rewrites necessary. God did it all at once, that takes care of it. They settle for being something less than the best version of their spiritual self. How many people see things this way I don’t know but I have never been pastor of a church that did not have at least some people who saw this as the Christian life.

When it comes to The Way of Jesus, I see us as having to live into this as a lifelong process. In his book The Heart of Christianity , scholar Marcus Borg writes, “Martin Luther, a major spiritual mentor in my childhood, spoke of ‘ daily dying and rising with Christ’ and, in language that sounds a bit archaic, of ‘ daily putting to death the old Adam', the old self in us. In other words, rewrites. Daily rewrites. The kind of life rewrites that sometimes require a few grammatical edits and sometimes complete overhauls but everyday is a spiritual rewrite for each of us, something that is biblically called sanctification or literally the ongoing process of being set apart for God.

Whether we like it or not, we are not a finished product. Lean into the rewrites of your daily walk with God. Use them as an opportunity to make the kind of corrections that lead not only yourself but those around you to a deeper, more fruitful, connection to and with God.

Pastor Michael

Join us each morning at 7:00 AM for Prayer and meditation. Join us, also on Thursdays at 12:00 Noon for Bible Study. Pastor Michael is hosting these LIVE from our Facebook page. If you are unable to log in LIVE, these remain available for viewing later on our website

and FB page.

Flowering the Cross for Easter Sunday!

Thank you to each one who brought flowers for our Living Cross for Easter Sunday! What a beautiful symbol on the church courtyard of our love for our Risen Lord when we could not worship together!!! Thank you also to all the ones who helped place the flowers on the cross! Our thanks be to God! HE IS RISEN!!! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

While the church office remains closed, you are encouraged to reach out if you have a need or know of a need. You may call Pastor Michael at 1-859-475-8800, call the church office, 285-3864 and leave a message, call Missy at 804-2434 or email lmjarrell@umcsc.org or zionumc@comporium.net; these emails are being monitored daily. The answering machine will also be checked daily. During these troubling and unprecedented times, we ask everyone to pray together for each other, our church family, our community, our country, and our world. May God be with us all.

Please remember these in prayer:

Nancy Ackerman

Angela Bailey

Francis Bell

Gene Blackmon

Marion Boswell

Carol Boyles

Randy Boyles

Caleb Catoe

Sue Catoe

Ann Chappell

Linda Coker

Sandra Cope

Brett Craig

Bill Dingler

Sophia Dixon

Angie Dobson

Heather Elder

John Elder

Ashley Fort

Betsy Gardner

Mike Gay

Steve Ghent

Judy Goodnight

Travis Gordon

T.R. Grier

Ovedia Griffin

Catherine Hammond

JoAnn Hinson

Rev. Shelly Holder

Julia Horne

Kevan Horton

Eric Hough

Libby Hunter

Melinda Hunter

Rick Joyner

Henry Ray Knight

Mary Jane McAteer

Kevin McCorkle

Tammy McMillian

Debbie McWaters

Marie Moree

Rusty Mosier

Bell Perry

Betty Jo Phillips

Ann Powers

Vicky Pickett

Ann Reed

Kathleen Robinson

Mayme Jo Robinson

Terry Robinson

James Rushing

Bonnie Sears

Dale Sherrin

Eva Small

Greg Smith

JoAnne Smith

Mike Smith

Freda Snipes

Billy Sowell

Robbie Stepp

Sue Stewart

Jim Thomas

Laverne Thompson

Mike Vick

Pat Vick

Ellen Walters

Megan Wilson

David Woodruff

Kim Yost

Our President & Troops

Those affected by the COVID-19 virus

Those affected by recent tornadoes

Online Worship this Sunday!!!

Worship will begin

at 11:00 AM.

If you are unable to join us live, the service will be available online on our FB page or on our website at www.zionumc.com

Growing While Being a House Church

As we deal with the continued effects of the coronavirus, we have come to a place where the safety of our people necessitates not having our weekly worship service. Following the advice of the CDC and our Bishop, we will not be having church activities or worship services for now. We are not sure when regular worship services will be able to resume . Whether we are in a building or not, we are still the church and we will worship together, though we are apart. To that end, Pastor Michael has been hosting Facebook Live worship services on Sundays at 11:00 AM, daily morning Prayer meetings at 7:00 AM and Bible Study on Thursdays at 12:00 Noon. You may log in to Facebook and go to our page and watch the services and studies together. If you are unable to join the group, the broadcasts will remain on our page for viewing as you are able. Let us all continue in prayer for everyone in our communities, our nation and our world.

Salkehatchie 2020 Camps canceled...

After careful consideration by the Salkehatchie Board of Directors, all Salkehatchie camps for 2020 have been canceled. The plans are to begin again in 2021. While this is sad, it is understandable in the current situation with COVID-19. Please say a prayer for the campers that were already set to attend and the families that had already felt led to open their doors. This will be another loss or 'not normal' for them.

Thank you to Jimmy Neal and Sonny and Marion Curtis for mowing the church lawn this

past week!!! This extra love

and care for our church and

grounds is very much appreciated!

While our United Methodist Women will not be meeting for now, our thoughts and prayers remain with each one of you and with all in need during these trying times! If you know of a need that our women can help with, please contact an officer in the women’s group so that we can try and meet any needs! Executive officers are Sharon Haile, Darlene Hallman, Terry Robinson, Missy Snipes, Dianne Sweatt, and Mary Knight.

April is our month to support HOPE in Lancaster with donations of food for those less fortunate. Particular needs are grits, cereal, spaghetti sauce, canned beef stew, and canned chicken. Even though we are not having church services, if you would like to drop off donations, arrangements can be made to accept your donations and your willingness to help those less fortunate is greatly appreciated!! Please place your donations in the collection box in the vestibule or if you are unable to access the building, you may drop donations off at the double doors under the covered porch where the buses are. They will be collected daily from that location as well.

A pril 16: Ovedia Love Griffin, Susan Broughton

April 18: Jacob Conwell

April 20: Jenna Vaughn

April 21: Christopher Griffin

April 22: Jerry Stogner, Ellen Walters

April 23: Becky H. Steele

April 25: Steve Moseley

UPDATE: Mobile Food Pantry Scheduled for April 24

While we cannot gather together and do hands on missional outreach for the Mobile Food Pantry like we planned to due to the extended stay at home order, we are happy to announce that Christian Services will still host the Food Pantry at the Lancaster Bowling Center on April 24 and Zion will be making the financial donation for the food for the Mobile Food Truck. We look forward to a later date when we can have hands on mission outreach together.

The UMM Vidalia Onion Fundraiser has had to be canceled for this season! We hope everyone will support us in the New Year with this fundraiser!

Our United Methodist Men's third Sunday meeting and our weekly Saturday Bible Study meetings have been suspended until the stay at home order has been lifted and we are told that we can begin to gather again.

To all church members: please understand that we are unable to allow folks to meet inside the buildings at this time. If you had a reservation for personal use inside of one of the buildings over the next few weeks, we are unable to honor those reservations at this time and will announce when we will be again be able to honor reservations. As it is, gatherings inside our facilities is not possible.

The members of Zion ARE CONTINUING

to support the ministry and outreach

of the church!!!

Let me just say, the folks of Zion are FAITHFUL!!!! Thank you to each one of you who have adjusted to this change in our lives and have continued to support the ministry and outreach of Zion UMC and for your continued presence at online worship!!! Each ONE of you ARE the CHURCH! You can continue to give online through the website, www.zionumc.com by clicking on the donate tab. You do not need to have a PayPal account to use this option, simply click on the donate button and follow the prompts, you can text your giving to 803-525-1834 and follow the secure link, or you may give by mailing your tithes to the church at 1665 Zion Road, Lancaster, SC, 29720. Pastor Michael is also available on Sunday afternoons at the church from 2:00-3:00 PM to accept your donations and have a word of prayer with you! If you have misgivings about online donations or mailing your donations, a locking mailbox has been installed under the covered carport where the buses are. You may place your contributions in the box and it will be checked daily.

Together we can move forward.

Together we can continue and make a difference!

TOGETHER, WE ARE the CHURCH!!

Special Gifts to Zion Church

In Honor of:

Clyde and Ellen Walters, Pat Threatt, and All of our Unsung Heroes on the Front Lines to help us through the Pandemic by Dianne Martin

In Memory of:

Gladys Jones by Dianne Martin

Billy Williams by Max and Myra Funderburk

Our seven confirmands, who have concluded their classes online with Pastor Michael, will join the church on our first Sunday worshiping together as a church family of Christ in His house! We look forward to that day and pray it will be soon!!

The Record Speaks.....

April 12, 2020

Present for online Sunrise Service: 49

Present for online Worship: 62

Needed each week for the General Fund $4,360

Received for General Fund $5,693

Received for Epworth Children's Home $240

"...because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."

Deuteronomy 15:10

285-3864 - www.zionumc.com