Bulletin: Sunday January 5, 2025

View the bulletin for Sunday, January 5, 2025
Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of Bulletins

THIS WEEK AT ZION

Saturday January 4
No Events Scheduled

Sunday January 5
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)

Monday January 6
6:00 p.m. - Confirmation
6:00 p.m. - Grace Bell Choir Practice
7:00 p.m. - Confirmation
7:00 p.m. - Trustee’s Meeting

Tuesday January 7
6:15 p.m. - Faith Bell Choir Practice
7:00 p.m. - Adult Choir Practice

Wednesday January 8
2:00 p.m. - Mid-Week Worship Service with Communion
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study
(Service streamed on our YouTube channel)

Thursday January 9
7:00 p.m. - Council Meeting

Friday January 10
No Events Scheduled

Saturday January 11
10:00 a.m. - Christmas Decoration Take-Down (Additional Details)

Sunday January 12
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)

---

CLICK THE UPCOMING EVENTS GRAPHIC to go directly to our UPCOMING EVENTS page

LWML Winter 2025 Newsletter

The LWML Winter 2025 Newsletter
We’re proud to present the LWML Newsletter. 12 pages of compelling information, including a preview of the upcoming LWML Eastern District Convention in Lancaster, PA — ADDITIONAL DETAILS

DOWNLOAD NEWSLETTER: Winter 2025

View an archive of recent LWML Newsletters

“The Still Remember Project” Prayer Breakfast @ Zion

Prayer Breakfast with “The Still Remember Project”
Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church

Amanda Parker is the Vice Chair of the Board for “The Still Remembered Project,” as well as the Project Lead for Still Missed. Amanda and her husband weathered five years of a wilderness journey where they lost five children through miscarriage. Those years of pain and loneliness drove Amanda to find some contentment, which she found through the Lord. Amanda is passionate about supporting those who have experienced a miscarriage or infertility, as it is a way for her children lost through miscarriage to make an impact in this world.

Reserve Your Spot Using Sign Up Genius

Thank You!

Thank you to all those who contributed to the Adopt-A-Grandparent program. We collected more than 600 hand creams for local seniors to brighten their Christmas holiday.

With gratitude,
Ginny Kimberland

Effective Outreach (Part 3 of 4)

By Rev. Dr. Mark Wood, LCMS Managing Director

The first article in this series identified three things that make up effective outreach. It starts with creating connections with nonchurched people, which was detailed in the second article of this series. Once we’ve created those connections, effective outreach focuses on building authentic relationships. The definition puts it this way:

Effective outreach is the “planting and watering” (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9) through which a congregation intentionally engages nonchurched people in ways that … foster relationship-building between nonchurched people and the congregation’s members.

From what I’ve seen and experienced, this is the most challenging part of effective outreach for most congregations. Relationship-building is challenging for congregations for several reasons. First of all, we’re not very experienced at building relationships in today’s world because we’re stuck in a context that no longer exists. There was a time when relationships were a natural part of being a community. We didn’t have to be purposeful in building relationships between church members and nonchurched people because our members already had relationships with the nonchurched people in our community.

That time has passed.
Today’s context lacks relationships — all kinds of relationships. People tend to live very isolated lives. They suffer from the radical individualism of our culture. The virtual relationships of social media and other technologies have taken the place of genuine relationships – but they aren’t real relationships!

This lack of relationships creates great opportunities for us. People need relationships; many are longing for them. If we can learn to intentionally build relationships with nonchurched people, we will be meeting a tremendous need. And we’ll be opening doors to the Gospel for them.

But, we need to be careful. There is a temptation to undertake building relationships as a means to an end rather than as something valuable in and of itself. If our relationships are going to be authentic — if we’re going to treat people as people and not as objects of conquest — we must see the value of relationship-building even when it doesn’t lead to people becoming members of our congregation.

This highlights the second relationship-building challenge that we face: We underestimate the importance of building relationships. We especially underestimate the importance of building relationships with nonchurched people before inviting them into the life of our congregation.

That’s understandable because we expect people to see our congregation the way that we do. From our perspective, our church is a warm and inviting place filled with loving people who care about us. But nonchurched people don’t see us this way. At best, they see the church as something foreign and unknown. In many cases, they see it as frightening and threatening. Yet, we’re perplexed when the nonchurched people who come to our events or activities don’t show up at the worship services and Bible studies that we invite them to. We need to realize that, without a relationship with people in the congregation, most nonchurched people are unwilling to take the risk of becoming involved in a church.

Yes, many nonchurched people see getting involved in the church as a risk. Which brings us to the third challenge we have in building relationships with nonchurched people: We try to build relationships between the congregation and nonchurched people rather than between members of the congregation and nonchurched people. This may seem like a subtle, but it’s a huge difference. When we try to build relationships with nonchurched people through programs, events, or activities we will always fall short of meaningful and authentic relationships. Why?

Because churches don’t build relationships, people do.
Genuine relationship-building is always person-to-person. If we don’t equip and encourage our members to actively and purposefully build relationships with the nonchurched people who connect with our congregation, most of them will fade away. It takes a person-to-person relationship for trust and respect between churched people and nonchurched people to blossom and grow. When that trust and respect matures, nonchurched people are far more open to our invitations for them to come to know the person of Jesus Christ.

Relationships are the bridge between making a connection with nonchurched people and inviting them into the Word and Sacrament ministry of the congregation. Building those relationships is the long, slow work of effective outreach — and is often joyful and rewarding.

Next in series — Effective Outreach, Part 4:
Effective outreach provides appropriate and appealing entry points into Word and Sacrament ministry

Questions to consider:

1. How does our congregation view the importance of building relationships with nonchurched people?

2. What would it take to train members of the congregation to purposefully build relationships with the nonchurched people who become connections to our church?

3. “Churches don’t build relationships, people do.” In what ways does our current approach to relationship-building reflect this? In what ways does it go against it?

---

Link to Part 1 of Effective Outreach Fosters Relationship-Building
Link to Part 2 of Effective Outreach Fosters Relationship-Building

January 2025 (and December 2024) Newsletter

Download January 2025 (and December 2024) Newsletter
Click (here or above) to download the current Newsletter

To access older Newsletters, Calendars or Service Participants choose from the options below:
>Archive of Newsletters

Happy New Year from Zion Lutheran Church

PRAYERS FOR THE NEW YEAR AND THE ONE JUST PAST
Lord God, we praise You for sending Your Son in our flesh to fulfill the Law on our behalf. We thank You that although we sin much, He is our righteousness and peace. Thank You for the countless blessings You have given this past year — for the whole of our lives, our well-being and that You do not withhold from us Your saving Word. Teach us to number our days so that the blessings and distractions of this life never turn our hearts from You. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Eternal God, You have been our dwelling place in every generation, but our years pass quickly. As this year draws to a close, prepare our hearts for Your Son’s return. Forgive the sins of this past year — those we know and those unknown to us. Heal any division in our families, friendships and in this church, and keep us faithful to Christ our Lord in the coming year, repentant of our sins and confident in His mercy and truth. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Gracious Father, calm the hearts of those who look to the future with foreboding or fear, rather than with confidence and hope. For all who face illness, pain and suffering, and those to whom death draws near, give the peace that only You can give. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

O God, bless this land in the new year. Give us honest work, effective education and leaders of good character. Save us from violence and discord, bringing a common purpose and harmony where there is division. As we elect new officials in the coming year, guide us to make wise decisions and establish policies and laws that serve the common good. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord Jesus, by Your incarnation You joined divinity to humanity and humanity to divinity. Keep far from us all doubts about You, knowing that as the God-Man You have won our salvation. Give us faith in Your promises, and make us worthy, through simple faith, to eat and drink Your body and blood for our forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.