Weekly News from Zion and our Ministries Under the Cross: Evergreen Academy & Nina's Place

March 1, 2023

We Are Church for the Sake of Our Neighbors

As mentioned in last Sunday's announcements, the faith community is often the first point of contact when individuals and families face mental health problems or traumatic events. If we want to be effective in doing God's work, we will know how to respond and who to contact when people need help.

Part of our mission at Zion is to equip and serve our neighbors, which includes ourselves and one another. If we can equip, educate, and increase awareness to help our neighbor, we are living into part of what it means to be the church. Community connectedness and support, like that found in faith-based and other neighborhood organizations, can be the deciding factor for someone's quality of life improving.

You may not have experience in any of these tough conversations, or think that they don't apply to you. But, I would encourage you to make a point to attend so that we can be equipped together to serve our neighbor for the good of the whole world. More information about what, when, where, and how is below.

In Christ,

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Handouts from Ash Wednesday & Sunday's Worship

In case you missed them – here are the handouts from Ash Wednesday & Sunday's worship and Pastor Cathy's sermons, on why we receive ashes, centering prayer and Bible verses to pray when we are tempted, and a study for the first week in Lent. Click on the pictures to view or download the handouts.

We are excited to open our annual Wednesdays in Lent to the local community for these Tough (but Necessary) Conversations. If you're planning to attend in person, please follow the link below to the registration links for each week. Following the Q&A, our evening will end with Prayer at the End of the Day in person and on Facebook Live at 7:30 p.m.

First Friday – This Week!

Friday, March 3, 2023

6:00 p.m.

DB's Pizza

1645 SE 3rd Court

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

(DB's Pizza is a new Deerfield Beach restaurant located next to Seaside Subs in the Cove Shopping Center.) 

Don't make dinner plans and come as you are! We enjoy delicious food and one another's fellowship. We each pay our own way, but everyone is invited to the table — friends, family members, and neighbors!

Confirmation Classes

All are welcome to attend and participate!

Sunday, March 19th from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 23rd from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 30th from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Friday, May 12th from 7-9 p.m.

Friday, May 19th from 7-9 p.m.

We will be covering an overview of the Bible, sections of Luther's Small Catechism (10 Commandments, Apostles' Creed, and Lord's Prayer), and Worship.

Come for a refresher or if you missed celebrating your own Confirmation!

Free Exercise Classes Continue

Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to Noon in Katie Luther Chapel

Those who wish to participate should wear comfortable clothes and sneakers and bring a bottle of water. Come when you can for gentle stretching and chair yoga for all levels of ability and comfort!

Opportunities to Serve Joyfully & Give Selflessly

Nina's Place: We Need Businesses!

We are very pleased and proud to have had such a dynamic beginning, but also extremely humbled by the overwhelming needs in our community. Our original project budget, approved by the Children’s Services Council, was estimated to provide food for up to 50 families. In just our first week, that estimate almost tripled in real time, and the need has not diminished. We have begun receiving produce and other items from Farm Share; honestly, their weekly disbursement is unpredictable at best. We are in the process of qualifying as a partner agency with Feeding South Florida and had a very successful site inspection, but must now wait for next steps.

Together with our collaborating partners, we are asking for the help of our local community business partners to consider giving $1,500 to sponsor one week of food for the individuals and families at Nina’s Place. These weekly sponsorships, in addition to the gifts of individuals and families, will allow us to stretch our budgeted funds and ensure the short-term sustainability of Nina’s Place. For their sponsorship, Nina’s Place, DBCC, and Zion will offer advertisement in our weekly e-newsletters and thank you posts on our social media platforms during their week of sponsorship as well as click-throughs on our websites.

If you know of any businesses that would be willing to sponsor, please let us know. This is a perfect example of expressing our interdependence as a community and doing the right thing because feeding people is universally good!

This Sunday: Second Sunday in Lent

During Lent we journey with all those around the world who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil. In today’s gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water and Spirit. At the font we are a given a new birth as children of God. As God made a covenant with Abraham, in baptism God promises to raise us up with Christ to new life. From worship we are sent forth to proclaim God’s love for all the world. 

Just a reminder that our Sunday morning worship and all major events continue this season in Katie Luther Chapel while our sanctuary undergoes restoration. (Go and take a peek at the portico [outdoor] and narthex [indoor] ceilings to see how clean and good they look!)

The Rev's Thoughts & Recs

If you've been to any Sunday worship service, you know that Pastor Cathy is a voracious reader. In this space, she will share with us important and timely book recommendations and other thoughts to consider.

This week, Pastor Cathy recommends "Higher Is Waiting" written by Tyler Perry in 2017.

In Pastor Cathy's words: Tyler Perry writes about how his faith has sustained him in hard times, centered him in good times, and enriched his life. He recalls the moments of grace and beauty in a childhood marked by brutality, deprivation, and fear. With tenderness he sketches portraits of the people who sustained him and taught him indelible lessons about integrity, trust in God, and the power of forgiveness. Last Sunday, we talked about Jesus overcoming Satan's temptation with the power of God's Word. Tonight, Joel Smith will discuss childhood trauma. Perry's book reveals how Scripture was his shield & safety net which kept him from repeating generational patterns of abuse.

Zion is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community, and extends God's radical welcome to all people, because we're all created in God's image.