Today we meet a seeker, that is someone who is hungry for the truth of Jesus, but has not yet found it.  She is purple because she is a dealer in purple cloth, someone very rich, in fact.  How did it all work out that the Gospel came to her?

Jesus gives his love commission:  “Love one another as I have loved you; by this they will know that you are my disciples when you love each other.”  Grounded in Christ’s love, we endeavor, as a congregtion, to love each other but also our neighbor.  How do we do?

Today Zion’s votes on whether to go ahead with renovations to the Social Hall to celebrate our 275th anniversary.  This past week our nation was rocked by the Boston bombing.  And then we have the story of Ananias and Paul.  How do all of these fit together?

After his resurrection, Jesus meets two of his key followers, Paul and Peter.  Their encounters with Jesus change them.  Both show the sides of God’s love, a love that humbles us and a love that builds us back up.

This Easter news is met with much doubt and confusion.  This is true in our lives too — what do we make of this news?  The good news of Easter isn’t simply that Jesus is risen from the dead, but that Jesus is risen in spite of our doubts; that Jesus is risen even if we aren’t ready for it!

This Easter morning, we have a confirmation, a time when a young person confirms their baptism.  This Easter morning we also talk about the death and resurrection nature of Baptism.  To put it bluntly:  Easter’s news of resurrection comes to us in our Baptism.  And Easter’s news is that we will live forever.  So what are we afraid of?

As we conclude our series on “Lost and Found”, we turn away from our loss as individuals to our collective loss.  We are lost, I would say, as a church.  We are unsure of the way forward in a pluralistic and post-modern world.  Yet all is not lost.  We still have Jesus.

• Here is the letter explaining the renovations and the reason behind the renovations:  Salt_Light Letter
• Here is the detailed list of proposed changes:  Renovation List
• Here is a link to donating to the project
• Here is a slide show of some activities in our social hall and kitchen.  Scroll your pointer over the image to find out more!

Bible Studio

This past summer we had a multigenerational, interactive, highly improv Summer Sunday School, called Bible Studio. To accommodate the number of people (and have Air Conditioning!) we held the Bible Studio in the Social Hall. In this picture, the children bake Communion Bread with their parents in our kitchen.

Lego Bethlehem

The past three years the Social Hall has been home to our Lego Club’s “O Lego Town of Bethlehem.” By placing it in our Social Hall, the work of nearly a dozen children and youth was on display for over 600 different people during the Christmas Season!

Palm Procession

Our Wednesday night worship service, which began as an outreach to people with developmental disabilities, has grown tremendously. We now hold worship in the Social Hall and many weeks we have over 40 people in attendance. We often sing “This Little Light of Mine” at the service. How true -- People who could not find a home at other churches let their light shine so brightly here! This picture is from our Palm procession.

Preschool Easter

In this photo children in our preschool children are singing songs about Easter for their families. One of the children came to our preschool not speaking any English. Now he is telling everyone the good news of Jesus resurrection! What could be more like salt, more basic, than learning English and the story of Jesus.

Advent craft

On Wednesday Nights, after our Joyful Spirits service, children and families stick around for a craft – a Biblical Play date. Last December, the children made gingerbread nativity scenes! We also had a wonderful Advent Wreath Making activity in the Social Hall.