Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This weekend (and for the foreseeable future) we gather to worship again online . To your left you will find the video link for our worship as well as links to many other resources. While I continue to grieve the loss of seeing each of you I am thankful we are able to show love for one another by keeping each other healthy. This is a somewhat surreal time in the life of our church, community, and world and trying to navigate our way through it is a genuine challenge. There are many who are sick, others who have lost their jobs, and many who are anxious and living in fear. As the body of Christ our hope in this time is to care for those who are ailing, support those who are hungry (or will be hungry), listen to those who are afraid, and pray for God’s hand to move in our world. My hope is that through all of this we will bear witness to the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

There are a few updates I want to give you and other news that you will want to make sure to hear in the worship video.  As we continue to think of the health of our staff we will be shutting down the office for the next two weeks (we will make a decision as to whether to reopen at the end of that period).  Most of our staff can continue to work from home and we are making sure that the phone calls coming into the church during office hours will be able to be forwarded so that a live person can answer them. In this time of isolation having someone to talk to can be incredibly encouraging and we want to provide that as much as possible. If you have a general need please feel free to email us at   zpc@zpc.org .  Also, please note that the Food Pantry will continue to be open regular hours (Thursdays from 5-6 pm and Fridays from noon-2 pm) for drive up service.

In an attempt to feel as connected to God and one another as possible, on Monday we will be starting our text devotionals as we have done in the past.  These are devotions done by fellow ZPCers. I have found them to be an incredible encouragement to me in the past and I know they will continue to be so in this time. Our plan is to continue these devotions through this season of dealing with COVID-19. If you are not yet on our text chain please feel free to sign up by texting ZPC to 39970. 

Secondly, as a people who feel strongly about the power of prayer we are coordinating a prayer vigil where you can sign up to pray for 30 minutes.  I invite you to do this as a single person, couple, or family. Let us remember the passage that we looked at last week found in Philippians 4:6-7. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  God longs to hear our prayers and we are a people who desperately need God!  You can sign up to be a part of the prayer vigil here.  

Please know how much we as a staff love you all and that we miss seeing you on Sundays and throughout the week. If you need anything in this time please reach out to us. I am praying for Christ’s peace to each of you.

In Christ,

Jerry