Mt. Zion Press
August 2021
Pastor Allyson's Column
Friends,
We have gathered together a few times in fellowship & food. It has been wonderful to see each other more over the past couple of months. Prayers continue for those who are working to continue to get the Covid-19 virus under control.
On Sunday mornings, we are continuing to gather for Sunday School for all adults & children. If you haven't been a part of a Sunday School class, please join us. We have resumed our morning greeters/ushers for worship. If you would like to greet & give bulletins, please sign up in the notebook at the back of the sanctuary. It is a joy to greet members and visitors when they enter into the sanctuary.
We are into the summer months by now & schools are finishing up as I write this. I am taking a couple of Sundays off for vacation during June & July. If you are going on vacation, the Mt. Zion prayers will be with you during your time away.
Please make sure you notice the "people in the pews" & those who may have been away for more than two Sundays in a row. I'd like to invite you to contact those who may be missing from church & let them know they are missed. Send a card, an email, or make a phone call & chat with them.
Our committee meetings have resumed. If you are not on a committee & are interested in learning more about committee work, let me or one of the Session members know. Committee work is not to be burdensome. This is why you serving on a committee is a vital part of Mt. Zion & the Kingdom of God in our "corner of the world."
There is a Women's Retreat in the planning phases that will take place the weekend of October 22-24. It will take place in the Georgia Lodge at the Montreat Conference Center. Susan Foster asks in her book, Retreats to Go, when is the right time for a retreat? She says, "Right now!" Jesus was a busy person. He had so much on his mind. And yet, repeatedly he urged his disciples to "come away" to a quiet place to pray, listen for God's voice, relax, share a meal, & be renewed. In doing so, Jesus invited his disciples to discover the creative moment of God's Holy Spirit.
Jesus never said, "Come away when..."
- your work is complete
- your worries are over
- all the hungry are fed
- the poor have received relief
- you have your life together
- you have extra time
- it's easy
Jesus made time to slip away into the wilderness for prayer & renewal. We need to do the same. A retreat is worth your time & effort it takes to enjoy a retreat. A retreat is a gift to yourself. You can enjoy reflection, fellowship, & laughter while receiving food for thought & sustenance for your spirit.
If you have never been on a retreat, I think you would enjoy going. It will be a nurturing & relaxing time for you. Let me know if you are anxious about going & want to discuss it or if you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
I am honored to serve God at Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church & the wonderful family God has given to us.
I am grateful to be on the journey with you.
Grace & peace,
Allyson
New Members & Friends
Joel Cash also is a new member.
Sue Souriolle & Sally Weeks
Wally, 45 year old church member
He will talk quite openly w/ you if you visit him. See Luke 15:29
Joe Cox & Nance Weldon
Sue Contella and Lindsay Contella
Allen, Erica, and Harper Lyles
Session Update
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
- The new hymnals have been ordered.
- There was a worship service in the park under the shelter Sunday, May 30th and we remembered veterans who have died while serving in the military.
Building & Grounds Committee
- SC DOT has removed the dead tree in the parking lot across the street.
- The handicapped sidewalk has been rerouted and completed. Many thanks to Jim Whiteside & volunteers for planting new grass around the new sidewalk.
Christian Education Committee
- Elizabeth Milam continues to be teaching A Journey Through the Bible Sunday School class.
- Various teachers are providing Sunday School lessons in the Fellowship Hall & using the Follow Me material.
- New Sunday School material has been ordered for the children's Sunday School & the Fellowship Hall Sunday School classes.
Mission Committee
- The Food Pantry is continuing to serve weekly: 36 families which is 130 people a week. The committee thanks you for your generous donations, the volunteers, & each of you who help after worship to prepare boxes for our families.
- The Garage Sale was a huge success making a little over $3000. Many thanks to all who donated items and volunteered their valuable time to make this a success.
Congregational Care/Fellowship Committee
- Family Night Supper with Guys Pizza resumed Wednesday, May 4th @ 6:00 p.m. in the park under the shelter. Thirty-eight folks attended, & the fellowship was long overdue. A second Family Night was had on June 2nd. Everyone had a wonderful time.
- Bluegrass & BBQ in the park June 12th was incredible. Cane Creek Bluegrass Band (check out their Facebook page) and ScooterQue BBQ (check out his Facebook page, too) was enjoyed by all. We will plan another bluegrass evening later in the year.
- July Ice cream/hotdog social @ Jim & Carol Walker's home will be held Sunday, July 18th @ 5:00 p.m. This will be our July Family Night Supper.
Administration & Finance
- Report given from Elder for attending the Foothills Presbytery Meeting on May 16th.
- Thank you for your generous giving to Mt. Zion. The Session appreciates your commitment to serving the Kingdom of God through time, talents, & gifts.
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: Jim & Connie Whiteside
We are honored to have Jim & Connie as a part of the Mt. Zion church family.
More about Jim & Connie:
What is your favorite part of Mt. Zion?
Jim: I believe that what makes Mt. Zion for me is the personal fellowship, a spiritual open and helping hand and the open discussion of scripture through bible study. As current property chair, I appreciate the support the members have for maintaining our property. Better yet, Mt. Zion has shown me that the Presbyterian faith allows me to question God and this creation without the weight of Roman Catholic guilt and doctrine.
I need a comforting God who understands what it means to be human. I think Jesus learned that from his years on earth.
Now I feel like I have a chance for salvation.
Connie: Caring is the part of Mt. Zion I most admire.
What is your favorite hymn?
Jim: I’m not a student of music. I have no idea of what all those black horizontal and vertical lines and dots mean on a piece of paper. However, here is what I do know: I look forward to the transition to the purple book and away from the current Presbyterian Hymnal. I only like no more than a dozen of the hymns in the current hymnal. Most of those are the traditional Christmas season hymns. Almost all the others don’t seem to have a “tune” I can connect to. The new book, at least from the samples we have sung, are a lot more melodic and much more intuitive to follow for a musical idiot like me.
Connie: Peace In The Valley is my favorite hymn, with I’ll Fly Away as a close second. Both allow the listener or singer to contemplate heaven. Ahhh.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Jim: I was part of a crew that raced a Corvette in 1973–1974. We raced in SCCA and some in IMSA. The team came in third at the 1974 SCCA national runoffs, as we won the North Central division that year. I have restored three cars through the years – a 1965 Corvette and two 1961 Chevys. I have also had 9 classic or performance cars through the years.
I have worked with a good friend for about 25 years as he built his car show business to be the second largest automotive car show/swap meet in the Midwest.
Although not a learned music person, I listen to a lot of music and my favorite artists are the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Linda Ronstadt, the Beatles, Jim Morrison, the Beach Boys. I am not a country and Western person.
When I was 19, I drove across country (Maryland to California) by myself to join my family who moved to Glendale, California about 7 months prior. There was not much of an interstate highway system then, and it was a rite of passage for me.
Connie: As a child I sang on a TV telethon. The show featured Doc and Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke and the Sargant with Rin Tin Tin.
In addition, my wedding band is made of the brazing material for a Saturn V rocket engine. My boyfriend, at the time, created it on a lathe at Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, California.
Fellowship Events
Mt. Zion Food Pantry
The Mt. Zion Food Pantry is thriving thanks to you & our community. Food Pantry families have grown to 36 families; 130 individuals. There have been some families that donated items for the church yard sale, & we have acquired a couple of community volunteers that help on Monday morning.
Donations have been received from the congregation, visitors to worship, United Way, Pendleton Elks, Women of the Anderson County Democratic Party--Gail Craig, Byrnes High School Softball Team, Craig Johnson, Clemson Littlejohn Community Center, & many local individuals.
If you have questions, please contact Glenda Pepin (818-388-4295/gpepin@clemson.edu) or Allyson(864-245-3709/allysonhelvie@gmail.com).
Quote of the Month
May we each discover our own form of spiritual electricity — and light up our world.
EILEEN RIVERS
Bible Trivia
A) A kid goat so he could feast with his friends
B) A sheep so he could host a celebration
C) A fatted calf at his wedding celebration
D) Pigeons so he could sacrifice to the Lord
Answer is hidden in the newsletter
Jokes of the Month
A rich man goes to his minister and says, "I want you and your wife to take a three-month trip to the Holy Land at my expense. When you come back, I'll have a surprise for you."
The minister accepts the offer, and he and his wife set off to the Middle East.
Three months later they return home. They are met by the wealthy parishioner, who shows them a new church he has had built for them while they were gone.
"It's the finest building money can buy, reverend," the man says. "I spared no expense."
And he is right. It is a magnificent edifice, outside and in. But there is one striking difference. There is only one pew, and it is at the very back.
"A church with only one pew?" asks the minister.
"You just wait until Sunday," the rich man says.
When the time comes for the Sunday service, the early arrivals enter the church, file onto the one pew and sit down. When the pew is full, a switch clicks silently, a circuit closes, the gears mesh, a belt moves and, automatically, the rear pew begins to move forward.
When it reaches the front of the church, it comes to a stop. At the same time, another empty pew comes up from below at the back and more people sit down. And so it continues, pews filling and moving forward until finally the church is full from front to back.
"Wonderful!" says the minister. "Marvelous!"
The service begins, and the minister starts to preach his sermon. He launches into his text and, when 12 o'clock comes, he is still going strong, with no end in sight. Suddenly a bell rings, and a trap door in the floor behind the pulpit drops open.
"Wonderful!" says the congregation. "Marvelous!"
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