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Lenten Carbon Fast
I cannot fathom giving up chocolate for lent. Chocolate is my favorite food group! Imagine my relief when I found there may be a more fulfilling sacrifice to make, this year, during the
 time of our church calendar that calls for prayer, fasting, and introspection; during lent.
Please join us and churches across the country as we incorporate an Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast within this season's worship. For those of you who make adjustments to your lifestyle during this time of the year, consider making this your Lenten discipline. This initiative was generated by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ and has been endorsed by many other denominations and faith groups. The Lenten disciplines of repentance, fasting, prayer, study and works of love are guides for returning to the steadfast love of God. During Lent we confess our mortality, our limits, and our vulnerability so that we might be transformed and become the new life God calls us to be. We invite you to join us as we commit to fasting from carbon during Lent. Beginning Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, participants will receive a daily email with the day's  suggested carbon-reducing activity. When possible, this will include a quantitative measure of the carbon reduction resulting from the activity. Each daily email will also have a section suggesting a weekly focus for the congregation.
Here are links to additional information in regard to this year's carbon fast. Please sign up for the daily emails for full participation at the website listed below.
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Zion Has Talent!
Two of Zion's beautiful young ladies achieved excellent results during a recent musical competition held in Granville.
Our own Lorna Patterson received a 1 for her vocal performance, a solo she sang in Italian. Mother Sharon said perhaps the most notable accomplishment was getting to the performance ready to perform at 8:15 in the morning! Parents Greg and Sharon are, with good reason, extremely proud of Lorna's accomplishements, which are considerable. Lorna has been a featured performer in theatrical productions in Delaware and Marion. She is also one of the lead vocalists with our own Voices of Zion.
 Hannah Peterson also received a superior 1 for her flute solo. Hannah received an excellent mark for her performance of The Swan. Hannah is concluding her musical career at Delaware Hayes High School having performed in the Pacers Marching Band for four years, one year of orchestra, and was a part of two musicals as a member of the pit orchestra for Phantom of the Opera, and this year's production of Hello Dolly.
Congratulations to Lorna and Hannah
from all of us at Zion.
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Super Sisters Soda Science Speculation!
Emily and Elizabeth Abahazi need your help for their science fair project. They will be conducting a soda taste test study this Sunday during fellowship hour after worship. They will need 20-30 participants. Free soda will be provided! All of this in the name of science!!
Come prepared with your thirst and your spirit of scientific inquiry and participation.
"Greater love hath no fellow church member than to drink soda to benefit another's quest for scientific knowledge." (We at Zmail can't give you a scripture reference for this quote, but we know it must be in the good book somewhere.) Come and support two of the younger members of Team Zion. Melissa and Pastor Pete will provide some "salty" snacks in addition to our regular fellowship hour fare to "jumpstart" the tastebuds. Pretzels and soda anyone? (It will be Super Bowl Sunday!)
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 From the Pastor's Desk
For the life of me, I have never been able to figure out why conservation is, in common usage today, supposed to be the exclusive province of democrats, liberals and progressives. The root word in conservative (latin, conservo) is, after all, the same root word in conservation.
It seems to me that Being Green, is not a conservative or a liberal issue. It is about conserving, preserving and honoring God's creation. That should be everyone's business regardless of your political ideology.
It is with that spirit in mind that for lent this year, I am encouraging members of Zion and friends to engage in a "carbon fast". If fasting is encouraged as a traditional part of our lenten spiritual discipline, how about fasting from carbon this year? The planet will thank you.
So, if you read our opening article this week, you will see how you can sign up for weekly emails that will offer you simple suggestions on how to fast from carbon. Some ideas you may like. Others you may not like. This is not all or nothing. Do only what feels right for you.
All I am asking is that you give this a try. We are called upon to be proper stewards of all that God has provided for us. That is part of Shalom. Let's do this together. Let's have fun doing this. Let the power of God's Holy Spirit direct you to which activities are right for you. Please sign up for your emails.
In Christ
Pastor Pete |
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Ash Wednesday
This year's Ash Wednesday service at Zion will be on February 13. The service will begin at 7:30 p.m. According to our friends at Wikipedia, Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
According to the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40 day liturgical period of prayer and fasting. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance. The ashes used are typically gathered after the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. If you go up to the Tower Room at Zion today you will see palms from last year's service hanging to dry, as they have all year, waiting to be burned for this purpose. Our Ash Wednesday service at Zion is a quiet, contemplative service of worhship together as we prepare for a time during the liturgical year when we are encouraged to pray, to fast, to sacrifice, to repent and to focus upon those things in our lives which we have not done which we should have done and those things we have done which we should not have done. We hope you can be with us. We'll save you a seat! |
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Immediate Prayer Concerns
Kay Lundy Jeff Burkam
Lowell Allen Donna Jarrell
Lucas Sandy Nichols
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This Week at Zion
Join us for worship this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. We will reflect on scripture texts from Jeremiah 1:4-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 and Luke 4:21-30. Pastor Pete will bring us the message Home Alone. Voices of Zion Handbell Choir Rehearsal at 6:00 Wednesday Rehearsal after worship on Sunday Thank you for serving Zion this Sunday:
Liturgist
Jason Abahazi
Ushers/Greeters
Bob & Betsy Johnson
Acolyte
C.J. Abahazi
Nursery Care
Melissa Peterson & Sarah Newcomb Sunday School
Carrie Abahazi & Grace Fuchs
Fellowship Ann and Jerry Elliot
Office Hours
Monday, Wednesday. & Thursday 10-2
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Happy Birthday John Phillian!!!
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 Meet and Greet! Next Sunday, February 10th, after our worship service and during Fellowship Hour, join us as we welcome our new secretary, Beth Trigg and her husband, Archie. Beth tells us she knows many here at Zion, but looks forward to connecting faces with names! Take a few moments to introduce yourself and make them feel welcome in true Zion fashion!
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 Mobile Food Market
Know your community! The local Eagles parking lot on East William Street hosts the MidOhio Mobile Food Market twice a month. During the first and third Mondays of each month, from 12 - 1:00 p.m., a huge selection of fresh food items is offered.
Wouldn't you like to share your time and talents? The rewards are many! You will meet many new friends and go away knowing you have helped serve upwards of 150 families in just one day.
Should you wish you join in this amazing mission, the next date is this Monday, February 4th. Please arrive at 11:45 a.m. to receive your job assignment.
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