Weekly News From Mt. Zion UMC
We Need Your Input, Please
And Also Your Prayers
This past week, you should have received a survey, seeking your input, concerning resuming live church services with proper safety precautions. If you have not yet taken that survey, please click the link here and complete it now. Or, if you did not receive the email use the link. Please don't complete the survey a second time. If you have additional comments or thoughts, send them to: communications@mtzionumc.org The Church Council will carefully consider all of your input.
Mt. Zion's Church Council continues to meet every Monday evening for planning how the church can safely re-open for Sunday services. Along with your input, they are seeking guidance from our Bishop and her cabinet, who are also in touch with Emory health officials and government agencies. Please be patient as this complicated set of guidelines is turned into a solid plan for your return to the church building.
When plans become firm, we will relate them to you promptly. In the meantime, please pray for your church leaders.
*Editor's Note - This newsletter will be a critical element for receiving news about the church reopening. Please check with your church friends and make sure they are on our email list. You can forward this email to anyone and direct them to use the subscribe link at the end of this email.
First Sunday After Pentecost
Join Mt. Zion online June 6 for the first Sunday after Pentecost worship service. Rev. Montana Hamby will deliver the message, entitled Time for Transformation and Rev. Harden Hopper will lead us in celebrating Holly Communion. As is our online tradition, there will be two services at 8:30 and 11:00 am. These are YouTube Premier services with live chat available. Services are available on-demand after they have aired.
Grief in the Time of Covid-19
Grief is hard enough without adding the difficulties of a pandemic, fear, anxiety and isolation. If you are grieving the loss of a loved one please consider joining us this summer for 4 special sessions from GriefShare.
June 22nd: Covid 19 & Grief
June 29th: Anxiety & Grief
July 13th: Dealing with Loneliness
July 20th: Establishing a New Normal After Grief
Each session consist of a 15 minute video to be viewed online and then joining via Webex for meeting where we will discuss the video content and address the grief we are struggling with. All sessions are on Monday mornings from 10AM to 11:30AM.  If you are interested in joining us please email Karen Chambers at  k.chamb@comcast.net   to register and receive info on how to view videos and links to join sessions.
The world is complicated
let's work through it together.
June 7 Topic: The Rise of Quarantine Baking
During the COVID-19 pandemic, so many Americans have taken up baking that there are flour shortages across the United States. What role does bread play in the Christian faith?

Mt. Zion's Education Cluster announces plans for a church-wide Summer Sunday School for the first three Sundays in June (7,14 & 21). Tracy Wheelis will facilitate this on-line class, using weekly FaithLink, ready-to-use lessons, that connect faith to the issues and events making headlines every day. Go to Mt. Zion's website ( www.mtzionumc.org ) and click on the FaithLink poster for a link (or dial-in number) to join this class via Zoom meeting software. Or, dial in with your cell phone, land line or Alexa app. All are welcome. Contact Tracy Wheelis for more information or with questions. Her email is tracy@wheelisfamily.com .
Link Information
Topic: Church Wide Sunday School (FaithLink)
Time: 10:00 AM 
   
    Jun 7, 2020
    Jun 14, 2020
    Jun 21, 2020

Join Zoom Meeting:

Meeting ID: 979 9565 3189
Password: mtzion
Join Mt. Zion's Prayer Team
Wednesdays, for WOW Prayer
Starts Tonight!!!
The Prayer Ministry Team is working on ways to keep our prayer lives rich while we are socially distancing. Last week we finalized plans to offer a community prayer opportunity on Wednesday in June. Our prayer focus will be the reopening of the church and taking requests from participants or requests emailed in to: prayerministry@mtzionumc.org .

Our initial meeting is June 3 from 6:30 to 7:00 pm. We chose this time to help reestablish Wednesday evening as a time for church community and thus are calling it WOW Prayer. 
Directions for linking in or calling in with the Zoom Meeting Application are listed on the church website, www.mtzionumc.org . If you click on the Prayer Wall poster, which displays a photo of the actual Wailing Wall, it will bring up directions for joining in.
Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the prayer wall is the western support wall of the Temple Mount. Visitors from all parts of the globe come to tuck prayer requests into the cracks between stones. We encourage you to bring your requests and pray with us. All are welcome.
Grace and Peace,
David Brigham
Prayer Minister
Do You Have a June Birthday?
Hey Mt. Zion! In these days of quarantine and social distancing, every occasion for celebration needs to be shared. June babies, wherever you are, this is for you.

Parents, Learn to Take Power
Empowered Parents of GA & RBR Consulting LLC presents The Georgia Advocacy Office to outline ways to secure Medicaid as well as provide information on how to access medically-necessary services as prescribed by the child's treating physician. Additionally, we will review how to support youth transitioning into adulthood as they approach age 21 and require support services available through one of Georgia's four home and community based services waiver programs.
Join this free Zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 10, 6:00 to 7:00 pm by emailing: rbrconsultingservices@gmail.com 
Atlanta/Marietta District News
Keep up with news from the UMC beyond Mt. Zion. Here is the North Georgia district newsletter, with Third Day Thoughts from Rev. Dr. Terry Walton.

Who Is The Giver of Stars?
Mt. Zion's Evening Well Book Group continues to actively meet via Webex during our pandemic hiatus. In fact, it may be that we are better able to focus on the book, using this vehicle.
Join us for a discussion of Jojo Moyes ( You Before Me ) new novel, The Giver of Stars , on Tuesday June 23 at 7:00 pm. Or just follow along with our reading selections, which are carefully chosen to deepen your faith walk.
before June 23 for a meeting invitation.
P.S. The July selection is, This Tender Land by Wm. Kent Krueger.
Youth Plan to Stay in Touch with ZOOM
As our church leadership continues to develop the next steps for our congregation and ministries, we want to invite all of our youth to join us on Wednesday nights during the month of June from 6:00-7:30 for a time of devotion, fellowship, and fun. You might notice the extension of time so that we can enjoy one another's company a bit longer! As for now our plans are to meet online via Zoom through the month of June, and continue assessing future plans as we progress towards July.
You can access the Zoom meetings for all scheduled meeting in June from the following invitation:
Wacky Wednesday Night Zooms
    Jun 3, 2020 at 6:00 PM
    Jun 10, 2020 at 6:00 PM
    Jun 17, 2020 at 6:00 PM
    Jun 24, 2020 at 6:00 PM
   
Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 715 0006 4554
Password: youth
Upper Room Devotional
We are turning our staff focus to planning for re-opening the church. Our Daily Devotional videos will be phased out at the end of this week.
You can continue to read the daily devotional each day at: upperroom.org .
Webinar Opportunity from GAUMW
Interrupting the School
to Prison Pipeline
Join the North Georgia United Methodist Women and Project Transformation for a free live webinar on Saturday, June 6, at 10 am about how YOU can help interrupt the school to prison pipeline.
According to Wikipedia: In the United States, the school-to-prison pipeline, also known as the school-to-prison link or the schoolhouse-to-jailhouse track, is the disproportionate tendency of minors and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to become incarcerated, because of increasingly harsh school and municipal policies. 
School should lead to meaningful, productive lives for our children, NOT prison cells.
Join in to learn about the school to prison pipeline, what community leaders are doing to interrupt the pipeline, and how you can help.
Your Giving is Appreciated
Remember, you can mail your gifts and offerings to the church office or you can give online.
Mail to:
Mt. Zion UMC
1770 Johnson Ferry Rd.
Marietta, GA 30062

or Click below to give online:
Mt. Zion is a Safe Sanctuaries Church

As prescribed by the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, Mt. Zion UMC has established a Safe Sanctuaries Policy and accompanying procedures that demonstrates our strong and unwavering commitment to the physical safety and spiritual growth of children, youth, and adults.