God Makes a Way: A Word of Thanks

Our Lions' Den virtual homeschool co-op began last week. We received the following from Laura McDermott Matheric. Laura is a Zion alumna, Class of 2000, and a professor of English at Broward College. She and her husband, Walter, are the parents of two girls. Here are Laura's words:

"When my daughter’s school sent her home in March forcing her father and I to navigate unfamiliar educational territory, our family was nearly paralyzed with anxiety about what the next thing should be for her educational path during COVID-19. Connecting with Cantor Kurt Schmidt has given us peace in this area of schooling while we are managing other areas of our lives impacted by this pandemic. In the few weeks since The Lions' Den launched, a new kinship has formed in our lives, helping us recognize that we are not alone in this journey. 

On Monday, my daughter began first grade with Florida Virtual School. That evening, God pressed into my heart Ezra 8:21 – “Humble yourselves before God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children.” I am so grateful for this community of like-minded parents and also for the Zion family, who are humbly asking God to guide and protect our children while we’re on this school-at-home path."

May Laura's prayer be ours this week: that God would guide and protect all children (and teachers & staff) as they begin this unusual school year.
Inviting, Equipping, and Serving at Zion
How will you serve?

Service is not confined to our communal gatherings on Zion's campus. Jesus reminds us that part of our call as Christians is to meet real, tangible needs wherever we are. What have you planned that will serve your neighbors in need?
"I don't want my children to have to make the decisions I am having to make for my mother. I never knew that there were so many medical options to be considered. Thank you for such a sensitive and caring form. I can simply fill it out and have it on file for my children."

Five Wishes is an advance care planning program addressing personal, emotional, and spiritual issues in addition to meeting medical and legal criteria. More than 30 million people have successfully utilized the Five Wishes program.

Many people have decided to complete Five Wishes because of an experience with a family member or close friend. In some cases, they saw how difficult it can be when decisions aren’t made in advance. They want to avoid repeat scenarios of bedside guessing games and family disputes. In other cases, they were grateful for the gift of clear instructions about what dignified care meant to their loved one. 

Five Wishes invites you to consider and discuss:
  • The person I want to make care decisions for me when I can’t
  • The kind of medical treatment I want or don’t want
  • How comfortable I want to be
  • How I want people to treat me
  • What I want my loved ones to know

Zion is pleased to host this learning opportunity for our community and the Broward-Bahamas Conference ELCA congregations in partnership with Trustbridge of Broward and Palm Beach Counties. 

You can join by using your computer, tablet, or smartphone OR you can call and participate by phone only. To join the Zoom session on Thursday, September 10th, visit http://www.zoom.us/join or call (929) 205-6099 or (301) 715-8592. When prompted, enter the Meeting ID 984 2219 9672 and the Passcode 3146.

Anyone age 18 or older can complete Five Wishes. Please avail yourself of this important opportunity to be responsible and proactive for yourself and your loved ones.
“What gives me hope is a simple truism. Once we lose hope, we are guaranteed to lose. But if we ignore the odds and fight to create an antiracist world, then we give humanity a chance to one day survive, a chance to live in communion, a chance to be forever free.”
(Ibram X. Kendi)

If you are on Facebook, hopefully you've seen our event post highlighting our upcoming Community Book Study. If not, that's okay. The information you need is here. You may also be asking yourself, "What can I do?"

  • If you're on Facebook, commit to the event ("interested" or "going") and share it with your friends list.
  • For those on and not on Facebook, personally invite ONE friend to be part of the book study with you. They don't even have to be local! Since we are meeting on Zoom, they can be anyone from anywhere, and can even call in by phone.

We really want this book study to be reflective of a larger community that transcends the boundaries of Zion, both physical and virtual!

The books are paid for, thanks to a grant from Kristi Clark and Thrivent (e-mail us for a book), so that's one less worry! Let's learn and grow together.
Prayers Answered?
Need Continuing Prayers?

We are already close to the end of another month. Can you believe it? (We can't.)

We are working to update our Prayer List for September. If you have names that can be removed because prayers have been answered, let us know. If you have names to add, let us know.

The deadline for the new month's prayer list is Saturday, August 29th.
Quick Links
Click for More Information:
Important Contact Information
Pastor David E. Potter
954-421-3146, option 1 (Church)
954-297-3665 (Cell)
Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt
954-421-3146, option 2 (Church)
954-913-2125 (Cell)