Zion’s (Spies) Evangelical Reformed Church
APRIL 2024
Parson’s points
QUIET TIME WITH GOD By Lisa Starr
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:6 Last fall, I have to admit, I was feeling pretty stressed. As a busy working mom, I had just taken on several new responsibilities including teaching a Sunday School class for the first time in over ten years. I was also providing care to my 90 year old mother, whose needs were increasing every day. People all around me were very kind and offered all kinds of assistance and support. While I was deeply appreciative, I knew I needed another kind of support, one that came from a higher source.
I realized that I hadn’t been spending any “alone time” with God for a long time. I just felt dry and drained spiritually. So, I committed to taking a few minutes in my chair by the fireplace each morning after I got Vaughn and Tim and Ben out the door to work and school. My plan was to watch a praise song on You Tube and then just quietly lift up my cares to God in prayer for a couple minutes before starting on my own work. I had no idea how powerful and life changing that few minutes was going to be.
The first day I found a video of a favorite campfire praise song on You Tube and listened. The young girl with the guitar in the video reminded me of myself as a teenager. Just happily singing and praising Jesus and enjoying herself, with no thought to how she sounded. On a whim, I dug my old guitar out of the upstairs closet and took it to Menchey Music to see if it could be made to play again. To my delight, the man there told me it only needed new strings and a small repair, and it would be good as new for $20! I eagerly picked it up the next day and started a new routine each morning of just praising God in song for a few minutes as I prayed. In all honesty, those first few sessions were a little rough as I tried to remember my favorite songs and get my fingertips toughened up again. No Grammy Award winning performances were happening in my living room, I can tell you. But it was fun and something different from my normal routine. After a few months, I still don’t feel comfortable playing in front of anyone but my dog. But oh, what a difference it has made to my mental and spiritual wellbeing! I know I have an audience in heaven that doesn’t judge my humble technical skills, but He delights in my offering just the same. I look forward to these moments in the morning now, as a time of refreshing and re-building. My little songs are my quiet little prayer in secret and, as promised in Matthew 6, I have received great rewards from it. In His Service, Pastor Vaughn & Lisa
610-396-5942
Pastor’s Corner
Please join us and participate in the following opportunities to grow in faith:
* Please consider joining us at our home in Temple to view The Chosen – Season 3, Tuesday
evenings at 7:00 beginning April 9. These times are informal opportunities for fellowship and a
light snack.
*Our Saturday evenings at 7:00 PM our Saved by Faith contemporary fellowship service will
resume on April 6.
* Please consider joining us for our Adult Sunday School Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM in the fellowship hall. The adult Sunday School is about to begin a new six-week course on handling offense. The course is called The Bait of Satan, by John Bevere.
* Please join us Sunday mornings at 10:30 for our worship service. Online at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064318494477
Upcoming messages:
o April 7 – The Empty Tomb – Easter Revisited
o April 14 – From Debt to Freedom
o April 21 – The Gift of Grace
o April 28 – The Abundant Life
* Check out https://www.faithforum.net/ for past messages in either MP3 or MP4 format.
* Want to schedule a visit with Pastor Vaughn? Have questions about faith? Struggling to
believe? Need a pastoral conversation? Please call 610-396-5942 or begin the chat at:
MEN’S MINISTRIES
Our next meeting will be April 13that 7:30 A.M.
All men encouraged to come and share in the food and fellowship.
BREAKFAST CLUB
April 10, @ 8 A.M. @ Temple Family Rest.
April 23, @ 8 A.M. @ Breakfast Hut
CONSISTORY MEETING
Our next meeting will be MONDAY,
April 15th Stewardship @ 6:30 P.M.
Elders @ 7:00 P.M.
Consistory @ 7:30 P.M.
THANKS
We would like to give a big thanks to all the people who have helped provide soup, bread, crackers and drinks for the Soup and Bread Socials before the Wednesday night Lent Service.
NEWLETTER ARTICLES
ARE DUE THE SECOND TO LAST SUNDAY
2024 NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
The upcoming Annual National Day of Prayer is on May 2, 2024. The theme for 2024 is
“Lift Up The World-Light Up The World”
2 Samuel 22:29-31
Please mark your calendar now to come out and join in prayer for our nation @ 7:00 P.M.
GRADUATE RECOGNITION
Anyone graduating from college or high school is asked to contact Sue Barnett, 610-779-9787 or the church office at 610-779-9787 so that they can be recognized during the church service on June 23rd. Please fill out a form which can be found on the table in the Narthex and hand in to Sue Barnett.
JUST A REMINDER! Please remember to notify the church office regarding anyone in the hospital or of any transfers from hospitals to home or to any other facility. It becomes difficult sometimes to keep up with everyone’s moves which results in extra traveling.
Thanks so much.
BIRTHDAY CARD SHOWER SHEETS
for January thru April 2024 available on the Narthex table for anyone willing to participate in sending cards to church family members 80 yrs. & over. Also available on our church website
HELP OUR HOMELESS VETERANS
They are no longer taking clothes, blankets or sleeping bags. Donations they do need are hand soap, wipes, toilet paper, and paper towels. Envelopes are available on top of the mailboxes if you would like to make a monetary donation. Our thanks to all that support this mission. Because God gives us all we need, we should give to those in need.
Next Lunches May 19th
STEWARDSHIP
The first meeting of the year for our Stewardship Committee will occur on April 15th at 6:30 P.M. in our Social Room of the church. Join us as we check out how our budget is progressing for the year 2024. If you are interested in this aspect of church planning, please come and join us for this 1/2-hour meeting. More input is needed.
STATISTICS
ATTENDANCE
JANUARY FEBRUARY
01/07/24 snow 02/04/24 68
01/14/24 66 02/11/24 69
01/21/24 5 Ash Wed.02/14/24 42
01/28/24 58 02/18/24 59
02/25/24 65
GAINS (0)
LOSSES / TRANSFERRED (0)
DEATHS (1)
Heath Marisseau
MEMBERSHIP
March 28, 2024 263
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Barnett, Secretary
CHURCH TREASURER’S REPORT
JANUARY 2024
Congregational Offering Receipts $12,035.94
Total Operating Expenses $14,926.34
FEBRUARY 2024
Congregational Offering Receipts $12,397.00
Total Operating Expenses $ 8,889.02
Respectfully Submitted,
Susan Barnett, Treasurer
2024 ALTAR FLOWER/BULLETIN SPONSOR CALENDAR
The new altar flower and bulletin reservation calendar is available in the Narthex. Please reserve a date now. Should a specific date already be filled, you are invited to sponsor a “separate arrangement” on that date which will be placed in the chancel area.
April 14th is still available and May 5th & 12th
MATINEE April 20th @1:00 P.M.
Movie to be determined Light snack provided.
WOMEN’S MINISTRIES UPDATE
We are glad winter has ended and we look forward to what the warmer weather has in store for our church family. Since easter was celebrated in March this year, the next upcoming event we look forward to hosting is the Family Banquet on May 4, 2024.
The banquet will be catered by Kathryn’s Katering once again; however, tickets this year will be $16.50 for adults due to a price increase by the caterer. As usual there will be no charge for children or youth up to age 18.
This year’s theme is the 1950’s Rock and Roll era, with entertainment provided by
70 Something music group. A sign-up sheet is on the table in the Narthex and tickets may be purchased from Sue Barnett. Absolute deadline to buy your tickets is April 21st. It should be a night of good food, fun and Christian fellowship.
We are still selling tickets for a small cold sandwich from M&M Sandwich shop for $7 each. See Sue Barnett to purchase them.
Full page ad included in this newsletter.
As always it is our goal to keep God and His Son at the center of our “busyness”, and we invite ALL the women of the church to join us at our monthly meetings which are held the second Tuesday of the month. Our meetings usually last about an hour, but it is an hour spent in fellowship with each other.
The next meeting will be April 9th @ 11 A.M..
EVANGELISM & OUTREACH
It was so great seeing all the beautiful flowers decorating the sanctuary for our
Easter services on March 31st.
On March 20th we once again made lunches for the Homeless Veterans, many thanks to all who helped prepare the lunches and to everyone who contributed food items and money. Remember we collect these items at all times, and they can be placed in the social hall near the stage, also there are always envelopes on top of the mailboxes for monetary donations. We sent another $300 in gift cards to Doug & Liz Graybill along with the lunches.
We will have a meeting on April 1st@7pm
We will begin planning our July Flea Market. We are always looking for new members, why not come out and join us.
MONTHLY PRAYER LIST
Monthly prayer lists are located on the side table in the Narthex. If you have requests for the list, you can fill out a prayer request form which will be on the table in the Narthex and give the information to Bob Hallman 610-779-9376.If you have any questions about this list or our prayer chain you can see Bob Hallman or Carol Christman. New lists will be available the first Sunday of each month.
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PRAYER REQUEST FORM
Please pray for___________________________
Prayer needs_____________________________
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Your name (will be used to get updates)
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