Mt. Zion Press
January/February, 2021
Pastor Allyson's Column
Friends, I hope you are doing well as we begin our journey into the new year.
There is no need to elaborate on why this newsletter wasn't completed before the beginning of February. I think you understand the unanticipated things that have taken place over the past year when we least expected them. Honestly, I have to say that I was pretty disappointed we were not able to have our Christmas Eve Candlelight worship service under the shelter at the park. The torrential downpouring of rain and the unusually cold weather that day deemed it appropriate to cancel the service late in the day on the 23rd. I secretly refused to cancel in my heart until 3:00 the afternoon of Christmas Eve. I was really praying for the sky to open up into a beautiful color of blue and hoped for the sun to shine brightly. It didn't happen! We began planning this service for the community in early October. Yes, God had a different plan for Christmas Eve, 2020.
On Sunday, January 10th, we had our annual Elder Training. One aspect of the role of the Session that we implemented in the last quarter of 2020 is our Shepherding Ministry. At our training, I assigned each Elder church members and church friends for which they would make connections on a monthly basis. I suggested there could be multiple ways in which to contact you and for them to decide which works best for them and for you. One of the greatest aspects of being a part of a church is the connections we have with each other. Since Covid-19, we have been disconnected longer now than any other time in most of our lifetimes. I am a part of a couple of clergy groups and one of our greatest struggles as pastors is the inability to provide connections between you as a church family. I hope these connections with "your Elder" will help you to know we care deeply for each one of you. If you have a specific need, please let me or your Elder know or any Session member.
Foothills Presbytery is offering an interactive Lent Garden. Our very own, Rev. Pressley Cox, Associate Stated Clerk, is one of the developers and organizers of this. It is pretty amazing!! I will send you a link each week beginning with Ash Wednesday. Try it and see what you think. It is designed for all ages and you have choices to do all or some of the opportunities that the "garden" offers. There may be some faces you may recognize in the videos. There are some places you may recognize, and there are some places we wouldn't get to experience unless we were experiencing the "garden" virtually. I hope you like it!
We have ordered These Days daily devotional books for you. We have them at the back of the sanctuary on a table just inside the door. Let me know if you don't have one and are not able to attend worship in person. We will make sure you get one.
As we begin our Lenten journey this year, I will suggest to you, as I do each year during Lent, to assess your life with honesty. Live intentionally and look inside of your heart and soul. What are your motives for how you do life? Jesus' journey to the cross in Jerusalem has joyful highlights, along with painful encounters that culminated in his crucifixion. I invite you to see where you are in the crowd along the way; when there are intimate meals with Jesus' friends and disciples; where is your seat at the Last Supper; where are you in the crowd during Jesus' trial, crucifixion, resurrection? Where is Jesus for you as you walk on your own journey?
I am grateful for each one of you and love you.
Grace & peace,
Allyson
Session Update
We are honored to welcome Grace Henson as the most recent ordained Elder, along with installed Elders Carol Walker and Jim Whiteside. We are grateful for the many years of service that Elder Elizabeth Milam gave as an active member of the Session.
Your Elders are:
Angie Rodgers, Clerk of Session/Chair of Administration & Finance Committee
Jim Whiteside, Chair of Building and Grounds Committee
Glenda Pepin, Chair of Mission Committee
Carol Walker, Member of Administration & Finance Committee/Co-Treasurer
Jeff Land, Member of Buildings and Grounds Committee
Grace Henson, Chair of Worship Committee
Chair of Christian Education (unfilled)
Peggy Hayes (not currently serving on Session, however, serves as Chair of Fellowship & Congregational Care)
- Worship Committee: Submitted events for worship during Lent and plans for future worship opportunities under the shelter in the park.
- Building & Grounds Committee: Working with Anderson County to have a dead tree near the parking lot across the street from the church removed. Anderson County is to remove the tree since it is in their right-of-way.
- Christian Education Committee: The offering of adult and children's Sunday School is going well. We could use two or three more teachers for the children. Wednesday evening Bible study, Christianity & World Religions, is well attended. All of these are offered via Zoom. Let Allyson know if you are not receiving emails with the Zoom link.
- Mission Committee: Food Pantry continues to grow. Outreach to community businesses and churches to partner with them for donations is currently underway.
- Congregational Care/Fellowship Committee: Few fellowship opportunities are taking place due to Covid-19. Many thanks to Grace Henson who took care of mailing cards to the congregation, as needed, for quite some time. Many thanks to Barbara Ligon who graciously agreed to take over this wonderful care opportunity since Grace is now an Elder.
- Administration & Finance: Committee is working on annual denominational statistical report and distribution of end of year tax statements. With the help of a Presbytery Grant, three new picnic tables for the Park have been ordered.
Your Elders are here for you. If you have thoughts or questions, please let one of them know or contact Allyson. Please keep each of your Session members in your prayers as they are committed to the ministry of Jesus Christ and to Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church.
Member Spotlight: Charlie & Brenda West
We are honored to have Charlie & Brenda West as a part of the Mt. Zion church family.
More about Charlie & Brenda.....
Is there something you'd like to share that we don't know about you?
Brenda grew up in La France and attended La France Baptist Church. She retired as a Vice President of Bank of America after 25 years of service. Then she took care of their grandson and now takes care of her 96 year old father. Charlie grew up in Easley and attended Easley Presbyterian Church. He was an adjunct professor at Tri County Tech for 6 quarters teaching 6 different subjects while managing First Federal of Anderson’s Pendleton office. He has worked in finance for 44 years including 3 different banks and The Small Business Administration.
Charlie fulfilled one of his childhood dreams when he did a swan dive off a 40 foot cliff in Jamaica. Brenda and Charlie both love the beach and the mountains.
What is your favorite part of Mt. Zion?
Our favorite parts of Mt. Zion are our wonderful church family and that we have always felt welcome since the first time we visited. Also the children of Mt Zion have always been a blessing.
What is your favorite hymn?
Charlie: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Brenda: To God be the Glory
Mt. Zion Food Pantry
The Mt. Zion Food Pantry is thriving. We have been opened a little over a month and serve between 15-25 families each Monday morning. The volunteers have been willing to donate their time and talents to the growth of the pantry. Many thanks to all of you that have donated your time and food items. Each Sunday after worship, we gather in the Fellowship Hall and fill the boxes with the items that will be shared with our pantry friends on Monday morning. Because of your help, this has been an efficient process and we all get to be a part of this ministry.
We have been contacted by First Baptist Church in Pendleton who will be having a food drive in February. They will be sharing their donations with Mt. Zion and Clemson Community Care. For our community and church partners, we are grateful.
Primary needs are canned meats, butter, peanut butter, cooking oil. An upright freezer was donated by Miss Jocille Patterson, for the use of storing items. We are grateful to Miss Patterson!
Non-perishable donations can be dropped off in the fellowship hall or a monetary donation can be made with the designation for the food pantry in the check memo section and we’ll do the shopping.
If you have questions, please contact Glenda Pepin (818-388-4295/gpepin@clemson.edu) or Allyson(864-245-3709/allysonhelvie@gmail.com).
Women of the Church Women's Retreat & Christmas Luncheon Update
We gathered at Looper's Barn in Pickens, SC on Saturday, December 12th and had a wonderful time together. Our theme for the day was "Joy" and there was certainly a celebration of joy that day.
Angie Rodgers, Glenda Pepin, Connie Whiteside, and I arrived around 7:45 that morning to prepare for the day. Upon arrival, the sun was rising and burning the fog off of the pond just beyond the barn. Canadian geese and ducks were flying in and out providing us with a warm welcome on a cold morning. Angie was working on the technical needs of the day such as Wi-Fi, music, calculating numbers and arranging the tables and chairs so we would be socially distanced, preparing the coffee pot, getting the water turned on so we could use the restroom and make coffee, etc. Glenda and Connie were scurrying around decorating the tables so beautifully and arranging Connie's paintings throughout the rooms. I walked around getting in their way and talking probably way too much in eager anticipation for the arrival of the women.
It seemed as if everyone arrived within a few minutes of each other. The atmosphere was cozy and warm with Christmas music in the background. We had a table set especially for the three little girls that were participating that day as well. There were crafts they enjoyed along with crafts for the women. We drank coffee and had snacks. We played a couple of silly games to get started and there was much laughter. I led several application lessons based on our theme to which we shared our hopes and joys with each other. We celebrated the gift of each other as we lived the theme of "Joy."
We had a wonderful lunch provided by the staff at the Barn. The day had turned out to be beautiful and some of us were able to eat outside during lunch. During that time, some of us explored around the barn and enjoyed the beautiful pond. Throughout our time together, we had a few door prizes that were given out.
After lunch, we did our "Joy" craft that Connie Granger had prepared for us and had a wonderful time with our beautiful creations. At one point, we had Connie Whiteside's toothless friend, Tommy, showed up for some entertainment. He was quite engaging with the group!
Speaking of Connie Whiteside, she met with me a few months before the retreat asking about donating gifts for the women. As most of you who have been a part of the Mt. Zion family, you know Connie has the incredible ability to express her heart through painting. She made sure there were enough paintings so that each woman could take one as a gift from she and Jim. She painted several pieces in the weeks before the retreat. Names were drawn and each woman was able to pick a painting and take it home. It was such a joy to receive a special gift created from Connie's heart and painted with her hands of grace.
I want to thank all that helped make this day possible for the women of Mt. Zion. We had monetary donations, donations of time, and many prayers to make this a wonderful day.
Sandy Springs Park News
Many thanks to Anderson University Baseball Team, and Coach PJ Zocchi, who spent part of their Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday volunteering to clean up some of the park. Thanks PJ!
Worth Pondering...
Lynne Twist: “The problem is not simply that we work too much, the problem is that we are working for the wrong reward... We are paid in the wrong currency. What if we were to expand our definition of wealth to include those things that grow only in time-time to walk in the park, time to take a nap, time to play with children, to read a good book, to dance, to put our hands in the garden, to cook playful meals with friends, to paint, to sing, to meditate, to keep a journal.”
"Noisey" News from the Choir by Connie Granger
On behalf of the Worship Committee I am asking for input from church members. Please share three of your favorite hymns. We will provide a bulletin insert to list your favorites and I’ll have a basket at the back of the sanctuary to put your list in. This is an exciting opportunity to learn some new hymns and re-acquaint ourselves with some “oldie goldies”. Thank you in advance for your help with this special project.
Remember that we always need special music. God has blessed all of us with unique talents....please share your gifts.
Jokes of the Month
The diligent young pastor went to the open grave and found the vault lid already in place. Feeling guilty because of his tardiness, he preached an impassioned and lengthy service, sending the deceased to the great beyond in style.
As he returned to his car, he overheard one of the workman say to the other, "I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years and I ain't never seen anything like that."
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The Pastor came to visit the other day. He said that at my advanced age I should be thinking of the hereafter.
I told him, "Oh, I do it all the time."
"No matter where I am - in the living room, upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement, I am always asking myself: 'Now, what am I here after?'"
Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church
Email: mountzionpc@bellsouth.net
Website: https://mtzionpresbyterianchurch.com/
Location: 1501 Sandy Springs Rd, Pendleton, SC, USA
Phone: 864-261-9861
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Mt.ZionPresbyterianChurch