Happy Anniversary ZPV!

Here's a classic tune to celebrate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knp9-GY6fHE

Pastor Joe

Let us eat cake

On March 22, 2008, Zion of Petroleum Valley opened its doors. We started on a Saturday night and continued through the summer and most of the fall, and then we moved to Sunday morning in November. While there is no end to the list of people to thank, please just pause a bit and thank God. He is always responsible for the victories and growth. And then, let's continue to pray for each other. Yes, pray all of Zion to be unified and focused and for the needs that creep into our lives. But, let's also model the Apostle Paul when he prayed for churches. He writes in Phil. 1:9-11, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." He prays that their love may increase (assuming first towards God and then to one another) with the result that our insight is increased and we grow.

Growth? Yes. We need to be changed continually by God. And, we need to get the word out better to those who need to hear. Anyone is welcome, but what about those with no connection with Christ at all?

And what about Connection? The church is not our building. We just meet there regularly. We can continually become more connected the way God intends and designs us to be.

And, we should be committed. I can hardly bear the amazement when I think that God has called us to accomplish tasks with forever results. On board?

So, I do say thanks to all those who were there at the start and those who have recently arrived, and I say thanks to both campuses with all the support. Join us on 3/22 after church for a brief time to celebrate what God has done AND will do. We are just getting started. Oh yea, we will have cake!

Love you all,
Pastor Joe

Paul's heart

I am tweezering (is that a word?) my way through the book of Philippians. I am noticing the intense feelings the apostle had to those he wrote. He uses words like trust, confidence, heart, and participant to describe his feelings and interactions with them. God left us his word, the Holy Spirit, and each other. No matter how small or supposedly great, all of us are critical to spreading the message. Thanks, folks. I have a long way to go to stand with a man like the Apostle Paul, but I'm glad that none of us are hanging out all by ourselves!

Here are a few news items:

• Our second message of Green is this Sunday, March 8. See you at 10:00AM.
• We have sign ups for the Easter Egg Celebration on April 4, but could always use more help. Let me know. We could also used donations for prizes (Walmart cards or cash works). Thanks! This outreach attracted tons of families last year.
• DRIVE is coming March 29 at the Clarion Campus. It's a great time to gather, hear what God is doing at both our campuses, and gain some new insights. Let's reserve the time at 6:00PM!

See you soon.

Pastor Joe

It's not easy being green

I have no idea how many messages I've preached or lessons I've taught. I have had my share of messages that preach to my own heart. But I have been wrestling with the Green messages. We wanted to simply present what the Bible says about our stewardship. In my study and preparation, I said (out loud), "No, God. I don't want this to be true." Then, the wrestling match started. I lost.

Green Starts this weekend at both campuses and runs for two Sundays (3/1 and 3/8). We are not going to tell you what to do and how to live or what light bulbs you can or cannot use. You will just hear what the word of God says about our responsibility over the earth and our own bodies.

Hope to see you there.

Pastor Joe

PS: Pastor Trent and our deacons are heading home from Jamaica today. Pray for their safe travel.

Need to wear out knees?

Over this past year, a faithful group has been praying for Zion of Petroleum Valley. They have been fantastically faithful. I just sent them a note saying that their commitment is fulfilled and invited them to re-up. How about you? It just means that you will read my usually monthly prayer emails (or snail mail if you prefer) and pray. Pretty simple. Oh, I do need your email address though. Drop me a note at joe@zionlife.com so I can add you to the list.



Thanks!

Pastor Joe

180 Degrees

As I write, the snow and ice are melting. Our parking lot was pretty slick for a while, but it's getting better. No more sliding around when you come into the lot! So, it's safe.

Speaking of safety, I would like you to consider doing something outside the safety zone. When we come to church, we see friends and family and want to connect. Yea, we even stress connecting with one another. But, we need to be aware of new guests and friends too. We have a team of folks who make it their job to greet people. That's good, but it cannot stop there. I would like to challenge us all to make 180 degree turns. NOT OUT OF CHURCH! I mean when we sit in our seats, turn around 180 degrees and meet someone new. This is outside our safety zone at times, but these opportunities help us maintain a warm and welcoming environment. Ask them out to lunch or downstairs while we have the Gibson life group there after church. So, let's make the turn!

Here are some activities coming up:

• Next New Guest Reception is March 1 after church.
• The Case for Creator EQUIP class is now over, but we start the Old Testament EQUIP class called Bible Story 101 starts Feb. 24 at ZPV at 6:30. We will trace the OT story and how it points to Jesus. Three more classes (Bible Story 201, Mentoring, and Relationships) start March 4 at ZCC too. See the worship folder for a sign up. Childcare is available on request.
• The Easter Egg hunt is April 4 at the UAA ball fields in Karns City. This is a fantastic outreach for our community. We have eggs to fill and plans to make. We will also need helpers, registration table help, coffee & hot chocolate servers, face painters, etc. that day. We will be presenting the Easter story as well. Please let me know if you would like to help.
• This is the last Sunday to get supplies to Pastor Trent for his trip to Jamaica. However, later in the year, we will be asking again for our youth team heading out in June.

I am really enjoying the Put Your Clothes on series with you! Please join us this Sunday as Pastor Brandon will bring the message.

Starting in March, we will have a short series called Green. What does the Bible say about the environment and our use of it?

See you then!

Pastor Joe

Jerry

On Monday of this week, one of my good friends in CA went home to be with Jesus. The following post is long, but I want to pass on what I learned from Jerry...

While we all know in the back of our minds that this life ends, it still shocks. I was astounded as I read the news of Jerry’s passing. When we hear a news story of some unknown individual dying, we may feel sympathy for the survivors. Or, we may learn of someone we actually knew, and we sense an odd feeling. And while my loss cannot compare to Jerry’s family, this one hurts and the sense of loss is real. Even my daughter Ally, who interacted with Jerry often during childcare at Celebrate Recovery, felt the loss and shed many tears. “He was just so sweet!” she recalled.

Jerry was content to be a behind the scenes guy, but this does not mean he settled for second best. I think he understood where God placed him in life. Practically, he brought tremendous stability to our computer systems and helped us become more efficient. Sometimes, a bizarre computer glitch would arise, and Jerry would be stumped. After a while, we would just learn to live with it. Then usually early in the morning, I would find the problem solved. In my doorway stood Jerry with a goofy smirk on his face. “Yes,” he said, “we figured it out.” Often he would try and explain the complexities of some network address thing that usually floated over my head. He eagerly helped us with computer and network issues.

But Jerry’s influence did not end with computer hardware. He had a burden for a certain kind of person. I don’t want to sound insulting to the people he reached, so please take this the right way. Jerry looked for those on the fringe. He would often be frustrated that so much time and energy was spent on those who appeared to have all of life figured out and were rising stars. Jerry looked for those who were not often noticed. Especially with the junior high students at Los Gatos Christian, students could be found in his office after school lending him a hand. He would train and teach them about computers. However, he also would help them with problems at home or school. These boys admired Jerry simply because Jerry considered them valuable and loved them. I always admired this quality about him and have striven to include it in my own life.

Finally, as Celebrate Recovery began to grow, I knew I had to let my own guard down and become more transparent. The thought repulsed me, but Jerry modeled transparency for me. He trusted me with secrets he would not normally advertise. We all have things we are working on, and he gave me the courage to admit my own faults and sins. This not only helped me lead at CR, but the influence continues today.

To Deb and Family and Friends of Jerry Lee, I share your grief at our loss today. And of course, I am so happy for Jerry seeing Jesus as his is. Jerry has that goofy smirk on his face now too! He has left a legacy at Venture Christian Church and Los Gatos Christian School – two previous milestone places in my life. His legacy will not only continue there, but I strive to pass what I learned from him in my latest life milestone at Zion of Petroleum Valley in Western Pennsylvania. Godspeed, Jerry.

Pastor Joe