Weekly News from Zion and our Ministries Under the Cross, especially Evergreen Academy

October 12, 2022

We Vote on Sunday!

Dear Church Members,

This Sunday we will be voting to affirm the 4 Core Commitments of becoming a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation and our new Welcome Statement. To read more about either of these, click here.

If you attend worship in person, you will be given a paper ballot that matches the Google Form available for our online worshippers and virtual community.  For those who plan to vote online, the link will be sent in an email on Sunday morning and remain "live" for 72 hours.  However the method, please only vote once per person.

As our council unanimously affirmed both components pending the community's votes at last Sunday's meeting, we await the affirmation of our community and ask you to consider the best direction forward for Zion as you vote.

As we have shared, this is an opportunity to meet people where they are, validate their worth as children of God, and potentially undo years of unfair treatment in the name of Christ and religion.  If we can communicate that we are different (in a good way) from what others have experienced as "church," who knows who will "come and see" what God is up to at Zion?

In Christ,

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Study Concludes Tonight

Special thanks to our congregation council president, Dr. Robin Larson, for sharing her inspirational personal testimony this past Sunday.

Please plan on joining us tonight on Zoom (click here for the link) as we conclude the study and discussion of "A Lutheran Introduction to SOGIE."

This will be a great opportunity to ask questions, broaden your perspectives, and get clarification about the directions God is calling Zion.

We will be there!

Zion will have our tent at this year's Fall Festival, hosted by the City of Deerfield Beach.

We will be handing out Halloween candy, welcoming people to attend Zion, advertising our ministries (especially Evergreen Academy), and offering to pray for loved ones using our famous "Prayer Walls."

If you would like to volunteer some time that day, please come – and wear a Zion shirt, if you have one!

No Third Tuesday Lunch Bunch in October

The Schmidts will be on vacation from October 17-20, so we will not meet for lunch this month. Stay tuned for November's destination!

Upcoming from Deerfield Beach Community Cares

Opportunities to Serve Joyfully & Give Selflessly

Thank You Already!

Thanks to the generosity of our community members, we have received contributions to cover at least 3 shelving units, the interior cameras, the exterior Ring doorbell, and half of the interior/exterior signage.

These contributions have come from church members and friends of Zion and Deerfield Beach Community Cares. You can help us in a big way! Please ask your family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers if they would like to contribute. People like giving to good causes when they can!

To visit Nina's Place on our website, click here. Especially as we approach the holidays, thank you for spreading the word and for your generosity!

This Sunday: 19th Sunday after Pentecost

Pray always. Do not lose heart. This is Christ’s encouragement in the gospel. Wrestle with the word. Remember your baptism again and again. Come regularly to Christ’s table. Persistence in our every encounter with the divine will be blessed.

Readings

Genesis 32:22-31

Psalm 121

2 Timothy 3:14--4:5

Luke 18:1-8

Worship Leadership & Fellowship

Greeter: OPEN – Any volunteers?

Reader: Alyssa Mayer

Coffee Fellowship: Alyssa Mayer & Jon Saldivar

(Thank you, Alyssa & Jon!)