March. Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Newsletter West Main Street, Mt. Zion, Illinois From the Pastor s Heart

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1 From the Pastor s Heart On March 5, we will begin our Season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. This is a powerful service, and has meant so much to me. The placing of ashes on the forehead reminds us of our mortality (Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust) and only through God s Grace can we have eternal life. Another theme for Ash Wednesday and Lent is repentance. Repentance is turning away from sin (that which separate us from God) and be forgiven. Lent is also a time we remember Christ s sacrifice on the Cross. He gave up his life for us. So during Lent, we give up something during the 40 days (not counting Sunday) to show our appreciation. In the past, my son was always ready to give up vegetables, but not soda. Many of us are like that, we would rather not have to sacrifice. This year, I would like to suggest some things to give up during LENT. Here is my TOP 10 LIST for MT. ZION UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: 10.Give up Gossip 9. Give up Hate 8. Give up Anger 7. Give up Revenge 6. Give up being Self Righteous 5. Give up wearing your feelings on your sleeves where you get your feelings hurt at the smallest thing! 4. Give up always being critical and judgmental 3. Give up complaining 2. Give up Selfish Pride 1. Give up just coming to church once or twice a month! (Please make a commitment to Worship.) WOW!!! Wouldn t our church be a more pleasant place, and we would see what being a true follower of Jesus Christ really is! We would put God FIRST! Come on Mt. Zion UMC, We can do it!! Your Friend, ( AND I m NOT giving that up) Pastor Ted A. Page 1

2 We will begin Lent March 5 th with a service of Ashes and Communion at 6:30 p.m. We will be joined by our friends from Bethany. Our Choir will present an Anthem. Pastor Ted A. will give a short message on repentance. Please set this date and time aside to attend church. United Methodist Men s Group The United Methodist Men s Group are attending Iron Sharpens Iron march 22. If you are interested in attending, Please contact john pierce for more information. Page 2

3 God and the Movies March 9 Forrest Gump 2 nd Chance God Luke 15:11-24 March 16 Dead Poets Society Carpe Diem Psalm 39:4-7 March 23 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Stepping out in Faith Hebrews 11:1-40 March 30 The Lion King Overcoming Failure Colossians 1:13-14 April 6 Places in the Heart Who is Welcome at the Table Mark 2:15-17 Supper Parties with Jesus During Sunday Nights in Lent Mt. Zion and Bethany will join together for food, fellowship, and worship. We will begin each evening at 5 p.m. with a light supper(donations accepted), then we will be presenting a drama. The People vs. Judas Iscariot. The 5 act play that will unfold over 5 Sundays of Lent is a court hearing in which Judas is on trial. Prosecutor and Defense Attorneys attempt to sway Judge and Jury(Congregation) with evidence based upon the Bible and tradition. Various witnesses are subpoenaed to testify including Peter, John, Mary Magdalene and in a surprise appearance Death. After each act, we will sing and rejoice, and go home around 6:30 p.m. at the latest. You will not want to miss any acts of the play. Below is the schedule. March 9 Mt. Zion March 30 Bethany March 16 Bethany April 6 Mt. Zion March 23 Mt. Zion Page 3

4 THANK YOU SO MUCH! To all who participated in any way to make this American Red Cross Blood Drive one of the best to date! The Red Cross goal for Mt Zion UMC was 17 Units and we ended up with 25 UNITS!! 28 donors presented however 2 people unknowingly came 10 days early, 1 person was hypertensive. All the rest donated! Thanks from your coordinators and also the Red Cross!! Hope to see you again for another great success on August 26, for our next drive!! THANKS AGAIN AND GOD'S BLESSINGS AS YOU BLESS OTHERS! Sandy Friesner & Earleen Hartrich We will be having Vacation Bible School this summer, July :30-8pm. Dinner will be provided for the kids. This year s theme is "God's Backyard Bible Camp", and kids in Pre-school to Sixth grade will be able to participate. Sign-up sheets for volunteers and donations will be posted at a later date. Page 4

5 Mt. Zion United Methodist Church is providing a workshop on March 8 th from 8:30 4:30 p.m. 8 a.m.). Wherever you are in using media in worship this workshop would be beneficial. A lunch will be provided that day, but we would appreciate it if you would pre-register for that. Any donations will be appreciated. Just give us a call to let us know how many for lunch. Free snacks will be provided in the morning and afternoon. Child care will be available if you notify us of that need also. It is a good idea to bring a team from your church if you can. Check out the attached brochure and flyer for more details. If you have any questions please contact my Office Manager Carla Rudow at Page 5

6 Administrative Board Highlights Chair Doug Likes called the meeting to order with 14 members present. Reports were given by representatives of the various ministries of the church. In other business, the following were decided and approved: To allow a change offering collected for Unchanted International sometime after Easter. Discussed a budget line item for advertisement. Approved with one no vote to buy an ad for the Mt. Zion Recreational Dept. Summer Brochure. Appointed a committee to prepare a Fine Arts Series Page 6

7 of concerts to be hosted by our Church Discussed a Multi-Purpose Building and will be contacting someone about a drawing of a floor plan for such building. March 1 Y.AGI Soup & Sandwich Saturday 11am-2pm March 2 Sermon In the Trenches March 5 Ash Wednesday Service 6:30pm March 8 Y.A.G.I. 9am Media Workshop March 9 Forrest Gump 2nd Chance God March 16 -Dead Poets Society Carpe Diem Supper Party with Jesus 5p.m. in Bethany March 22 Y.A.G.I. 9am March 23 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Stepping out in Faith Supper Party with Jesus 5pm in Mt. Zion March 24 Ad Board Meeting 7pm March 29 Youth Spaghetti Supper Fundraiser 4pm-7pm March 30 The Lion King Overcoming Failure Supper Party with Jesus 5pm in Bethany March 31 Worship Team Meeting 7pm Page 7

8 Weekly Events *Lunch Bunch Monday s at 11:00am *Exercise Class Tuesday s at 6:30pm *Women s Bible Study Wednesday s at 8:30am *Handbell Practice Wednesday s at 5:45pm *Choir Practice Wednesday s at 6:30pm *AWANA Wednesday s at 6:30pm Page 8

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