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Our Mission:
To walk with people in their journey of faith, helping them to know Christ and grow in their relationship with Him.
Dr. Tom Walker, Senior Pastor
Rudy Grecco, Associate Pastor
Milton Mazariegos, Family Life Pastor
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| Pastor's Corner |
 Over the past few weeks, you may have seen trucks moving and distributing the mounds of dirt and sand, as our new parking lot improvement project is almost finished. Some of the upgrades will include re-doing the retention ponds to prevent standing water, installing lights for added security, and laying out a cement parking lot that will surround the building.
The total cost for the project is $384,497.09. It is being funded with monies pledged to His Vision, Our Destiny, an all-church fundraising effort. The money given was legally required to be used in the following areas:
Lobby - build-out of the lobby was done in a drastically reduced way;
An expansive children's facility - funds were not sufficient for a building, and monies cannot be used for equipment or other children's resources;
Expand the parking lot - already in progress.
Upon completion of this project, all but $25,000 will be used.
I want to thank everyone who gave to His Vision, Our Destiny. This was a sacrifice you made to improve our ability to reach and care for our community. The parking lot is just the next step in our journey to impact Palm Bay and beyond. Through this kind of commitment, we will be a "light on a hill."
Pastor Tom
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"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverb 22:6
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new curriculum this fall! We are asking parents and grandparents to join with us in teaching the word of God to our children. These are some of the ways you can help:
- Take some time to work on the scripture memory verse of the week (also available online);
- Help them with their take-home assignment;
- Find creative ways to reinforce the Bible lesson of the week.
Book of the month: "Bible Devotions for Bedtime" by Daniel Partner; Barbour Publishing.
Description:
Turn those little hearts and minds to God as you tuck your child into bed! Featuring more than 60 readings for kids ages 4 to 8, this faith-building collection of nighttime devotions includes their favorite Bible stories, perfect for parents wanting to spend spiritual quality time with their kids.
Resources of the month:
Flip Kids Website: www.flipkids.tv
Bible Games Online: www.biblegamezone.com
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Thanksgiving in Worship |
 In Psalm 105: 1-2, the scripture says, "Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts."
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year and a great reminder to worship Christ with an attitude of thanksgiving. Throughout this past year, God has provided for us in countless ways. In response, we have the privilege to bless God by blessing others who might be a little less fortunate.
This Thanksgiving, we have a great opportunity to share Christ with our community through the act of delivering thanksgiving baskets to families in need. Zion's worship ministry is excited to take part in the giving. It is one small way we are able to spread the love of Christ in Palm Bay!
Save the Date - Christmas Night of Worship
Take a break from the holiday busy-ness and join us for an evening of worship to our Savior, Wednesday, December 2nd at 7 PM. You don't want to miss it!
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Financial Update |
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The Financial and Elder Board of Zion set a weekly budget for this fiscal year of $10,600. Having completed the first half of the year, we averaged $9,354 per week and, yet, God has blessed your giving to help us end the first six months with a positive cash flow. Zion has ended its second quarter in the black by $12,509. This means that our ministries are spending less than budgeted.
With God's continued enablement and your faithfulness, we pray God's blessing on you so that we will reach our goal of $10,600!
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Does God Pass the Test? |
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Tithe (tīth) v. [Middle English, from Old English teogothian, from teogotha tenth]
1. To pay or give a tenth part of, especially for the support of the church.
One tenth of my income? Let's see, after taxes, social security, health insurance, and so on, the government already gets a third of my paycheck. How can I afford give up another 10% of my gross income? Why should I?
For me and my family, the answer is simple: God has provided and asked me to give 10% back. Why? So His church can flourish and reach people to draw them closer to Him through the Gospel of Christ. It is simply one piece of fulfilling His great commission to us.
God promises to honor my tithe, and He does - week after week, month after month, and year after year. He even says to test Him on this!! (Malachi 3:10)
I tithe in praise and worship to God for His provision. I tithe in faithfulness to God because he asks. I tithe to see Zion Church fulfill God's plan in our community. Long ago, I put God to the test which He commanded, a test that never ends, but in which He continues to achieve perfection!
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3-On-3 Prayer |
Exodus 17:8-13 tells the story of Moses, Aaron and Hur.
Moses and the Israelites came up against opposition from the Amalekites, a large and fierce tribe that killed for pleasure. Moses sent Joshua, his army general, to fight against the Amalekites. Moses, Aaron and Hur then stood off to watch the battle. Every time that Moses held up the staff in his hands, the Israelites had the advantage. But, whenever he dropped his hands, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Aaron and Hur had Moses sit on a stone while they stood on either side of him to hold up his hands. They held steady until sunset. In the end, Joshua and his army won.
Imagine how the Israelite slaves must have felt defeating such a warlike nation! But, it could not have happened without Aaron and Hur. Moses needed their support when he was too tired to carry on. Their support helped to change the people's lives!
This is what 3-On-3 is all about -- supporting, encouraging and challenging one another. I encourage you to make every effort to be in a 3-On-3 Prayer Group. God will be honored and lives will be changed. If you have a testimony to share about your 3-On-3, please contact Sue Walker at 321-723-1216.
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This year at Zion Church, we are assembling Thanksgiving dinner containers for families in Palm Bay. We invite everyone to be a part of this special opportunity to bless a family in the area. Clearly the economic conditions, rising costs and changes in employment, are making it difficult for some families to make ends meet.
Here is a list of food items that are needed:
1 large orange container (you can purchase from Zion for $4)
- Turkey (10 to 13 lbs)
- Potatoes (5 lbs bag)
- Stuffing
- Yams (large can)
- Green Bean Casserole (3 small cans of string beans, 1 can of mushroom soup, 1 small can of dried onions)
- Cranberry Sauce (1 can jelled, 1 can of berries)
- Rolls (at least 1 dozen)
- Pumpkin Pie (frozen)
- Whip Cream (can)
* Please no homemade goods
At least two people need to deliver the food container to the address we provide between November 19th - 23rd. You can also deliever this as a group.
If you have additional room in your container and would like to fill it to the top, that would be great. Additional items could include: apple cider, boxed cookies, creamed corn, canned gravy, apple sauce, ect.
Blessing our community one family at a time!
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| Connect Groups |
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Neglected or connected? |
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In our fast-paced world, it's no surprise that we get so consumed with responsibilities that we neglect to connect with other believers.
At Zion we make it easy by offering a variety of groups to do just that! Our Interest Groups offer a range of hobbies. Our spiritual Growth Groups deepen our knowledge of the Scripture. We offer Support Groups for help in getting through difficulties. We also have Home Groups that provide Biblical as well as relational grounding.
So, carve some time out each week to care for yourself, have fun and walk with others in their journey of faith. Don't neglect...Connect!
Connect Feature
Flash Group!
As we try to juggle the needs of the entire family, it can be difficult to make time to connect with other adults. Not so with Flash Group! This innovative group will fit into the lifestyle and needs of many families.
The entire family is sure to have a great time as you come together with other families for either free or low-cost events. Some planned, some spontaneous and while having fun, you will be encouraged and supported, and so will your kids!
Home Group Tip of the Month:
Active Listening
Active listening is the hallmark of good communication.
How are you communicating when someone is sharing with you or the group?
Do they know if they are being heard and understood?
Do they feel valued?
Are they discovering more about themselves?
Are they becoming known at a deeper level?
According to Cloud, Donahue and Townsend, leading authors on the subject, these are the needs of everyone in the group.
We can facilitate those needs by doing the following:
Avoid side conversations when someone is speaking .
Make eye contact.
Listen without interruption.
Use statements or questions that show genuine interest and invite more communication.
Give feedback.
Not everyone needs to say something in response to another person, but we all need to practice active listening. |
| Finding Your Place |
Volunteers Matter
Have you ever wondered what it entails to run an effective ministry at Zion? This could not be done without committed volunteers. Zion's Welcome Ministry (better known as F.I.S.H.) is a great example of an effective ministry. Did you know we presently have 48 volunteers in the F.I.S.H. ministry? That is amazing and a credit to Janie Walsh and her great leadership. Week after week we have ushers and greeters that make sure everything is in place and ready to go for the service. They arrive early to greet each of us with a warm smile, a bulletin in hand, help to a class room, help to an available seat, take offering, distribute communion and hand out visitor bags. Without them, the job would not get done. Remember to thank the happy people in the green shirts. They are here to serve you.
God is honored when we "find our place" and begin serving others for His greater purpose. If you would like more information on how you can "Find you're Place" please contact Sue Walker at 321-723-1216.
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Online Giving Available!
Thank you for your faithfulness in giving to Zion, partnering with us in our mission to help people become fully devoted followers of Christ. You will find online giving, at our website, is easy and convenient, whether you are away on vacation or just forgot your checkbook on Sunday morning. |
| Angel Tree |
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We need your help! The next informational meeting is November 4th. Please register here for more information. This Christmas, thanks to you, no child whose parent is incarcerated will fall through the cracks. |
| Making Zion Beautiful! |
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I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet
The earth movers are here as work is wrapping up on our parking lot. Before long, we can say 'goodbye' to mud-soaked shoes on Sunday mornings and 'hello' to an attractive hardscape.
Save the Date!
November 7th, 8:30am-12:30pm for a Zion work day. Come leave your imprint as we strive to make our church a more welcoming environment.
Register here to help! |
| Zion Church |
| 891 Coply Street SE
Palm Bay, FL 32909
321.723.1216
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