Welcome to Zion!
We are committed to being a loving and welcoming community of faith in Jesus Christ. As a community of God we welcome all. We rejoice in the manner in which diversity enriches, nurtures, and challenges the life and ministry we share in Christ. We embrace actions and attitudes within the Church that assure access to Word and Sacrament regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic or marital status, physical or mental capacities, age or race.
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Upcoming Events:(For now, if you'd like to check the full monthly calendar, please view it at: https://zelc.360unite.com/calendar)
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Connecting through Grace
Celebrating Our Recent Connections: |
This past week, seven outside groups used our building this week for meetings and sessions — still making connections in the community!
Have you checked out the fresh newsletter layout? Feedback is welcome. In March, we hosted Children's Choir Day, which was a day of music-filled activities and workshops. Children from several churches attended, and everyone had a blast learning about music and sharing in community! We also hosted the annual event Souper Bowl of Caring. Youth from Elim, Our Saviour's, and Zion came together to connect through grace in service projects, games and building community. We are so thankful for our many connections on Easter Sunday (April 1). We joyfully celebrated two baptisms along with the good news of the resurrection, and gathered in fellowship for a delicious brunch hosted by our youth. |
Connect This Week: |
Primary Children’s Hospital: want to serve a meal to the families of patients? 4 people are needed. Please contact the church office for more details on ways to participate in this great service.
Ushers Needed! This is a vital role in welcoming people to worship with us. Interested? Please contact the church office. Greeters Wanted! Please use the sign-up sheet outside the church library to pick the Sundays that work with your schedule and be a greeter at Zion! It’s a great way to meet congregational members you may not yet know. |
Looking Forward to Connecting: |
As we continue in the season of Easter following Easter Day, we look forward to connecting in various ways, including attending Refugee Cultural Night. We are also looking forward connecting in various ways during Utah Pride Week, including by hosting the interfaith service here at Zion.
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AN EASTER MESSAGE FOR ALL
Below is an Easter Sunday message for all, from Pastor Steve:
A funny thing happened on my way to Easter Sunday worship today: The Herald, Zion’s church newsletter became my pulpit. If you are not surrounded by Easter lilies and choirs with morning sunlight falling through stained glass windows then, “Blessed are you.” In fact, if Christ’s rising from the dead sounds like so much nonsense, you are in good company. When women, the first preachers of the Easter event told their story to the apostles and disciples, “these words seemed to them an idle tale.” Why should it be different for you?
Whether you are submerged in your Sunday newspaper or coming down from your sugar high after bingeing on chocolate bunnies --- here’s an Easter sermon you deserve to hear.
I use the word “deserve” intentionally; it is stronger than “needs,” as if the gospel were an unpleasant medicine you have to swallow. It is more like, “You’ve got to hear this!” “For God so loved the world….” You are loved. God loves the whole world, this beautiful, battered, fragile, fractured world. This is the good news of Easter: the One who is love, was raised from the dead, and his Spirit is now loose in the world. It’s not only life, but love that is stronger than death.
For Easter to be Easter, love needs to embrace our deep hurts, broken hearts and dying spirits. Easter calls us into the opioid crisis; homelessness; resurgence of white nationalism and racism; death penalty; families torn apart by detention/deportation; suicide; hate crimes; mistreatment, sexual harassment and assault on women; red air day; dying alone; 17 minutes of silence.
Like the first Easter morning, we join the women at the tomb, the realm of death. But we do not remain there. Death may have the last word, but it is not the final word. Easter compels us to see signs of new life even in places where life is diminished and dying.
Viktor Frankl remembers Jews in death camps who, though condemned, walked among others, comforting them, giving away their last pieces of bread. In the midst of death, they chose life. We see it on children’s posters, with drawings that call us to celebrate the beauty of God’s good creation. Emma Gonzalez, called us into the heart-wrenching six minutes and twenty seconds in Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. Still, with broken hearts, we March for Our Lives. First Unitarian Church and SLC Sanctuary Network stand for welcome, providing safe haven and new life for a mother and her children. Follow Pamela Atkinson (Utah’s Mother Teresa) as she tirelessly organizes new ways for us to love “our homeless friends.” Feel the compassion shared by volunteers, sitting with hospital patients who have no family or friends as they near end of life. Come visit this community of faith in Zion. Here you will meet Art Sutherland, a tireless advocate for those who are poor. Enjoy Verna Hanson’s heart-felt greeting. If you are lucky, you will be on the receiving end of her chocolate chip cookies, shared in times of celebration and sorrow.
Thank you for listening. By now you may have noticed that Easter is about life with a love that is stronger than death.
Easter love reaches deep into our broken world and loves our broken hearts into new life. Choose love and life. But, know
that you are loved, even if your Easter means eating another chocolate bunny.
- Pastor Steve
A funny thing happened on my way to Easter Sunday worship today: The Herald, Zion’s church newsletter became my pulpit. If you are not surrounded by Easter lilies and choirs with morning sunlight falling through stained glass windows then, “Blessed are you.” In fact, if Christ’s rising from the dead sounds like so much nonsense, you are in good company. When women, the first preachers of the Easter event told their story to the apostles and disciples, “these words seemed to them an idle tale.” Why should it be different for you?
Whether you are submerged in your Sunday newspaper or coming down from your sugar high after bingeing on chocolate bunnies --- here’s an Easter sermon you deserve to hear.
I use the word “deserve” intentionally; it is stronger than “needs,” as if the gospel were an unpleasant medicine you have to swallow. It is more like, “You’ve got to hear this!” “For God so loved the world….” You are loved. God loves the whole world, this beautiful, battered, fragile, fractured world. This is the good news of Easter: the One who is love, was raised from the dead, and his Spirit is now loose in the world. It’s not only life, but love that is stronger than death.
For Easter to be Easter, love needs to embrace our deep hurts, broken hearts and dying spirits. Easter calls us into the opioid crisis; homelessness; resurgence of white nationalism and racism; death penalty; families torn apart by detention/deportation; suicide; hate crimes; mistreatment, sexual harassment and assault on women; red air day; dying alone; 17 minutes of silence.
Like the first Easter morning, we join the women at the tomb, the realm of death. But we do not remain there. Death may have the last word, but it is not the final word. Easter compels us to see signs of new life even in places where life is diminished and dying.
Viktor Frankl remembers Jews in death camps who, though condemned, walked among others, comforting them, giving away their last pieces of bread. In the midst of death, they chose life. We see it on children’s posters, with drawings that call us to celebrate the beauty of God’s good creation. Emma Gonzalez, called us into the heart-wrenching six minutes and twenty seconds in Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. Still, with broken hearts, we March for Our Lives. First Unitarian Church and SLC Sanctuary Network stand for welcome, providing safe haven and new life for a mother and her children. Follow Pamela Atkinson (Utah’s Mother Teresa) as she tirelessly organizes new ways for us to love “our homeless friends.” Feel the compassion shared by volunteers, sitting with hospital patients who have no family or friends as they near end of life. Come visit this community of faith in Zion. Here you will meet Art Sutherland, a tireless advocate for those who are poor. Enjoy Verna Hanson’s heart-felt greeting. If you are lucky, you will be on the receiving end of her chocolate chip cookies, shared in times of celebration and sorrow.
Thank you for listening. By now you may have noticed that Easter is about life with a love that is stronger than death.
Easter love reaches deep into our broken world and loves our broken hearts into new life. Choose love and life. But, know
that you are loved, even if your Easter means eating another chocolate bunny.
- Pastor Steve
Worshiping Together
SUNDAYS AT ZION
8:15am Awakening WorshipA shorter, more relaxed service focused around prayer, meditation, and a brief message.
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9:15am Education
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10:30am Traditional WorshipA traditional liturgical worship service, with hymns accompanied by pipe organ and piano, music from the chancel choir, and sometimes music from the youth band.
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For an electronic copy of this week's bulletin or past bulletins, click here.
Announcements
UPCOMING EVENTSSun April 29, 10:30am: Sing to the Lord a New Song! Join us for a special worship service as we celebrate the music leadership of Dianne Krehbiel. A reception will follow downstairs. Sun May 20, 12:00pm: Social Action Forum on Fact-checking Fred Strohacker, Ken Whitaker, and ProTruthPledge will present "...are you sure that's true? You don't say!" to equip attendees with good resources for fact-checking in these confusing times. All are welcome; bring a friend. SAVE THE DATEFri Jul 13 - Sun Jul 15: Zion Camping Weekend Zion's annual camping weekend this year will be to the Avintaquin Campground in Ashley National Forest, north of Castle Gate (toward Duchesne), about 2 hours from SLC. We have the group site. See you there! Questions can be directed to Jon Hall. July 22: Greater Zion Day Because of construction, our annual celebration will be slightly smaller this year, but we'll celebrate with an ice cream social after worship! VBS MUSIC CAMP 2018Aug 6-10: VBS Music Camp - register now!
Zion's VBS Music Camp will be held Monday, August 6 through Friday, August 10, from 9am-3pm Mon-Thu and 9am-1:30pm Fri. A half-day option is also available for Kindergarten. Registration is open now through July 30th, for students who will have completed Kindergarten through 6th grade. Download the attached registration form here, or pick up a hard copy at Zion. 
BIBLE STUDIES & SMALL GROUP MEETINGSSundays, 9:15am in the Atrium: Adult Bible Study Leaders to be announced. Sundays, 9:15am in the Lounge: Sunday Lectionary Bible Study An open forum on the lessons of the day. Whether there is a leader or not, discussing scripture is one way to help it become the living word. Sundays, 9:15am-ish in the Kitchen: Sunday Parent Drop-In Group After dropping your kids in their Sunday school classroom, you are welcome to join other parents in the church kitchen for some coffee and conversation. Wednesdays, 7:00am: Men's Bible Study Meets downstairs each Wednesday morning at 7:00am. Come have breakfast with us and discuss God’s Word! We are studying the weekly scriptures from the Taking Faith Home bulletin insert. 1st & 3rd Mondays, 7:00pm: Women's Small Group Led by Alyce Gross, Shepherd. Meets the first and third Mondays at 7pm in various homes. Studying the Gospel of John. Contact Alyce at adgross1@msn.com. Pub Theology - Different Brews + Different Views Meets one Thursday a month. Check out Facebook.com/ZionSLC for the current schedule. THE HERALDSee the current issue of our monthly newsletter, The Herald, by clicking here or navigating to Connect > News & Events. See past issues of The Herald by clicking here or navigating to Connect > News & Events > The Herald. |
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESCrossroads Urban Center: April needs Food: small drinks & canned soup Thrift store items: anything & everything - the thrift store is desperately low on donations. Consider clothing, new socks/underwear, towels, bedding, utensils, plates, pans, mugs, cups, anything household besides furniture. Primary Children’s Hospital Want to serve a meal to the families of patients? 4 people are needed. Please contact the church office for more details on ways to participate in this great service. Ushers This is a vital role in welcoming people to worship with us. Interested? Please contact the church office. Greeters Please use the sign-up sheet outside the church library to pick the Sundays that work with your schedule and be a greeter at Zion! It’s a great way to meet congregational members you may not yet know. Zion Congregational Council We have one empty council spot right now for team leader. Below is a note with more information about church council, written by Ann Marie Mogren. "I am a person with good intentions. I always thought I 'should' volunteer to serve on church council, but every time anyone asked, I declined. Too busy, I said. It'll take too much time, I said. There are others better qualified, I said. Well, last year I finally said 'yes' and now I'm wondering why I waited. Turns out the meetings are brief and well organized, most of the discussion takes place over e-mail (which I can tackle at my leisure), and the sense of doing specific work to help with the "business" of Zion is surprisingly rewarding. Why am I writing this? Because we have vacancies on church council and our bylaws mandate that they be filled. There are five general positions open at the moment, and one with more specific responsibilities. That is a need for building management liaison to work closely with the church office, triaging building repairs as needed (which might simply be calling the right service person for a repair). Call the church office if you're interested. Or catch any of the current council members when you see them and ask about how you can connect through grace by serving on council! Doug Graham, Marsha Gilford, Leslie Miller, Holly Graham, Terri Moffitt, or me." -- Ann Marie Mogren EQUIPMENT AVAILABLEVintage Roland 5000S electric piano Switch might need repair. Contact Diane Gardner or the church office for details or to arrange a time to take a look. BUILDING UPDATEWork is progressing on the planned upgrades to our building. Blueprints are out to contractors for bids and we plan to schedule the work in June and July, after Preschool is over and before VBS. Blueprints are on display in the Atrium, and updates will be posted as the project moves along. ORGAN UPDATEThe first rank (set) of brand new pipes, hand-crafted in Germany, for the new Swell division (Phase Two of the project) is due to arrive at the Bigelow shop early in February. Samples of two other existing ranks are being evaluated for tonal compatibility, and two others are ready and waiting for minor alterations in the Bigelow shop. That accounts for five of the six planned ranks in this phase, which Bigelow hopes to complete this year. | ||
Prayers in Action
ACTIVITIES & MINISTRIES
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SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY
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Stewardship
INVESTING IN...
Our ChildrenIn February, we celebrated the affirmation of baptism of our Faith Formation Disciples. In March, Zion hosted an interfaith Children's Choir Day. At our Palm Sunday service, all of Zion's choirs, including children's choirs, will be presenting music. Our youth are looking forward to attending the ELCA National Youth Gathering in Houston in June.
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Our HomeA building task force has begun to analyze building needs and to prepare a plan for moving forward. One notable change, recognizing our care for creation: insulating improvements will move us from an R1.5 to R20 value.
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Our CongregationA communications task force has been meeting to plan upgrades to the congregation’s web page, directory, and financial management systems.
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We do what we can do, always focused on how we can connect in grace through gratitude. The spiritual discipline of
financial support is as important as worshiping and praying and serving and singing. Look for notes in the bulletins and newsletter about specific ways you can help as we work and connect in the coming year.
financial support is as important as worshiping and praying and serving and singing. Look for notes in the bulletins and newsletter about specific ways you can help as we work and connect in the coming year.
