Like most mainline protestant churches located in the downtown sections of the city of Hagerstown, Zion Church is in a unique position to reach out in its mission to a new and emerging population of people who are not connected with the church. In the 1950’s a great percentage of the members of Zion and most of the other downtown churches lived in a circle or “doughnut” around the church. These families spanned a territory/radius of about ten square blocks. As the housing patterns changed and people moved to the suburbs, the housing patterns in the city changed and new people moved in.
So, what is it like to be the Church of Jesus Christ in the city when most of the current people/members of the church live outside the downtown section of the city? What is our unique opportunity and role of ministry and mission in the second decade of the 21st Century? How do we connect with our current members and friends and REACH OUT to the neighborhoods and neighbors in that same ten-block ring around Zion Church? Most specifically how could we imagine sharing the love of Jesus Christ, sharing the gospel and living out Jesus’ commandment to “love our neighbor…” in 2010?
In the past decade, Zion has developed several ways of reaching out to the poor, homeless, unemployed and underemployed: a once-a-week soup kitchen serves a free meal each Tuesday afternoon to a weekly average of 45 people. In April, 2009, we invited Celebration Ministries to bring its ministry, Celebrate Recovery, to the church facilities each Friday evening. CR provides evening worship, teaching, testimonies and small group support for people who have addictions to alcohol, drugs, pornography, and to people who are co-dependent. This ministry is growing. We hold VBS each June with Christ’s Reformed UCC (Church of the Holy Trinity is joining us in June, 2010); this ministry reaches out to the neighborhoods around the church.
Of course, internal to Zion, there are also important ministries of music and worship, leadership by the Consistory, Christian Education for children and adults, upkeep and care for the facilities and property, the outreach of the Service Workers, as well as small groups that support REACH (Cinderella Shop, Volunteers who provide meals and overnight staffing). During the eight Sundays in June and July we will focus our worship on the theme:
Theme: The Church in the City in 2010:
- Celebrating Mission and Ministries Today
- Imagining Our Outreach in the Future
Drawing on the Hebrew texts of 1st and 2nd Kings and the Gospel of Luke we will explore the ways these texts might help us CELEBRATE the present and IMAGINE the future.
Each Sunday during these two months, we will literally celebrate one of the ministries of Zion Church by recognizing the work and service of those who lead and participate in these ministries. Multi-media, e.g., slideshows, posters, etc., will be used to highlight aspects of the ministry for the day.
July 4 - 10:00 am - 6th Sunday after Pentecost
Theme: The Church in the City in 2010 — Civic Life and the Church
Lectionary Readings: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62
Sermon: “A Case against Civil Religion”
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Recognition of the Service Workers
July 11 - 10:00 am - 7th Sunday after Pentecost
Theme: The Church in the City in 2010 — Celebrate Recovery Ministry
Lectionary Readings: 1 Kings 19:1-4, 5-7, 8-15a; Psalm 42; Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22:19-28; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39
Sermon: “My Name is _____ and I Am a Follower of Jesus Christ...and I Struggle with…”
Guests: Leaders of Celebrate Recovery and Celebration Ministries
Ordination Service for Sandy Price at 2:00 pm here at Zion Church.
July 18 - 10:00 am - 8th Sunday after Pentecost
Theme: The Church in the City in 2010 — The Facilities and Property of Zion Church (Recognizing the Property Committee, Decorating Committee, etc., all dealing with the building)
Lectionary Readings: Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 15; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
Sermon: Guest Speaker (Pastor Hanberry will be leading our 15th group to Honduras.)
July 25 - 10:00 am - 9th Sunday after Pentecost
Theme: The Church in the City in 2010 — The People of the Church in Prayer (Summary and wrap-up of the three-month Zion prayer campaign)
Lectionary Readings: Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-15; Luke 11:1-13
Sermon: “Listening to God — ????”
Join Us For Worship
In July!
