With the start of the New Year, I am going to take a new step to help the Body celebrate what God is doing at and through Zion. Rather than a weekly email that is “informative” I am going to send a weekly email that is more “inspirational” and also post it to my blog. It will highlight stories, testimonies, and exciting news about “Life at Zion.” To help make this weekly communication fresh, I would love to hear stories from everyone. Email me at trent@zionlife.com. Here is what “life” looks like recently:
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Stan and Sharon Pierce welcomed graduates from Women at the Well in Tennessee and they had an opportunity to share their story of life change at one of our Life Groups. We continue to pray as Stan and Sharon launch Women at the Well of Pa this year. They have a location and will need volunteers to help with renovations in the coming months.

· Zion of Petroleum Valley welcomed a new volunteer to the after school mentoring program at Karns City High School. This is a huge opportunity to give back to their school system and build into the lives of students.

· We kicked off a yearlong sermon series, Storyline, by going back BEFORE the beginning to remind ourselves “There was a King before there was a Kingdom.” Listen to the message at www.zionlife.com. Be sure to download the notes for study and discussion in Life Groups too.

· Barry Mitchell, the leader of a ministry to prisoners at the Clarion County Jail, is launching a new discipleship focus this year. It will be more effective in building into the lives of men, helping them to discover life in Jesus.

· New guests attended our worship gatherings on Sunday at all three locations, some of whom were coworkers who folks from Zion had been inviting for months. Don’t ever give up!

Missy Brazier, a single mom who attends our Clarion campus, is in the Dominican Republic this week serving with a friend and their church. Pray for her. Is God calling you to a short term trip to serve the global church?

· On the last Sunday of 2012, we baptized a man who recently came to faith in Jesus and is now being discipled. Check out his story here (it’s a little rough but worth watching) http://youtu.be/amQKftgUHEQ. We celebrate 41 baptisms in 2012.

· On Sunday morning we prayed for Life Choices of Kittanning and AAA Life Service of Clarion. In God’s providence, Zion of Jefferson County prayed for Hilary Boyer who has worked at AAA for six years. This week, she is doing presentations in the Brookville School District about Abstinence, the first time they have ever been in the school district.

· We made budget in December! Praise God. Let’s continue to be consistent, sacrificial, and cheerful in our giving.

On Sunday morning, we opened our gathering by asking this simple question: “Why am I here?” We wanted people to think about the reason they come to church on Sundays. I received this email Sunday afternoon: I thought I would let you know one of the reasons I come to church on a regular basis. The reason is because I often receive unexpected blessings when I attend church. Here is a most recent example, which has actually happened twice in the past two months. In December one morning, I asked some people to pray for me regarding a personal situation. They of course agreed to do so, and we chatted for a bit. During that brief minute, one lady said something that really helped me know that she truly understood what I was saying. This was extremely meaningful to me as she is a person from whom I probably would not have sought out counsel. However, her comment stuck with me during the next hour, and I once again found her after church to talk some more with her about this situation. While we were talking, I found an immediate peace about the situation and knew that God was using her to talk to me. What a blessing! Likewise, yesterday, the same thing happened, only with a different person. Again, this person is not someone I would have normally thought about to help me with my situation as we are in different “stages of life.” However, clear as anything, I know that God brought us together so that I would hear from Him and find peace, comfort, strength, and encouragement in a situation I’ve been struggling with for months. The key for me, is that I would not have normally connected with these two individuals to discuss my life, and yet God brought us intentionally together during our Sunday morning time so that I could hear from Him and be encouraged and strengthened. Why come to church? Why not is what I say! You never know what unexpected blessings God has in store for you!

It is the start of another new year. The holidays are over. Life is about to settle into a normal rhythm and routine. Like many, I have spent some time reflecting and reviewing the last year. 2012 will no doubt go down as a year of transition in my life. God taught me some valuable lessons, about leadership, relationships, and what matters most in life and ministry.

Likewise, I have made my list of goals for 2013. They include goals for my health and marriage and ongoing growth as a follower of Jesus. But if you ask me what is the ONE BIG THING I want to see accomplished in and through my life in 2013 it would be this: Identify, Recruit, Enlist, Train, and Release a group of men and women who will take seriously and live out passionately the command to “make disciples.” By the end of 2013, if I can identify 40 adults who are intentionally discipling others relationally, that ONE BIG THING will serve as a catalyst and confirmation that Zion is on the way to becoming a multiplying movement.

Will you be one of the 40?

The first team that went to help with Disaster Relief is back and changed by the experience. They saw firsthand the devastation of the hurricane and God used them to feed literally thousands of people over the weekend.

For those who are interested, we are ready and willing to take another team over Thanksgiving weekend, this time to partner with Mike Miller and his church in Middleton, New Jersey. Since it is with his church and not the SBC we can take teenagers along for the trip. The work will involve clean up, mud out, and construction, with the possibility of some food preparation as well. We need some skilled workers in the area of construction as well as some able bodied people who are willing to work hard and get messy.

The plan is to leave at 5pm on Thanksgiving day. This will allow for families to celebrate and enjoy their traditions. We will stay until Sunday evening, unless the team is made up of non hunters who don’t have to be back for Buck Monday.

The cost will include money needed for meals. Lodging will be provided.

If you are interested in this trip, please contact Barb at barb@zionlife.com or call the office at 745.2814 by Friday.

Every dad is a proud dad. No matter what their kids pursue, dads get behind and support them. Some kids are musical, others are artistic. Some kids excel at academics while others excel at outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. Dads will spend countless hours driving, coaching, helping, watching, spending $$, etc. so their son or daughter can do something they love. And we do it gladly!

I am no different. My girls, BreAnna and Chara, have always enjoyed the arts…dance, theater, etc. Every concert. Every show. I have loved every moment. I look forward to watching them continue to shine on and off the stage.

This post, though, is about my son, Camron. Camron happens to be athletic. Way more athletic than I ever was. He has excelled at three sports throughout high school, starting on the varsity team in football, basketball and baseball since his freshmen year. Pretty cool! I have watched countless hours of him running, jumping, shooting, throwing and hitting over the years. It’s been fun and his teams have all experienced some success over the years.

But there was something that has always bothered me when it comes to him on the the football field. For the last two years, whenever the team runs out onto the field before the game they gather in the endzone for a final “rah rah” moment from one of the captains. Then, like a pack of crazed bobcats (their mascot) they run to the sidelines, ready to take the field and start the battle. But not Camron. After the meeting in the endzone, when the team runs to the sidelines, I would always watch him walking alone, away from the team. I have to admit, I always thought, “Dude, what are you doing? Why aren’t you running with your teammates? You should be more of a leader!” But, I never thought to ask him why he lagged behind the team in that moment.

A week ago, I found out why he does. One of his friends, Bri Nellis, who photographs the games for the team told me that she snapped a picture of his “pregame ritual.” I asked her what it was because I really didn’t know. Earlier, she asked him what he does before every game to get ready. Camron told her that when the team breaks from the endzone and goes to the sidelines he takes time to pray as he walks to the sidelines. Knowing my son, the only reason he told Bri was because she asked. He wasn’t trying to make a big deal out of it. But to his dad, it’s a big deal!

I am his biggest fan. I love how he competes in all sports. He is a leader. He is easy to coach. He is smart. He plays the right way and for the right reasons. Camron might not be the biggest, fastest, or strongest athlete on the field when he plays, but he knows who he is. And he knows Who he plays for.

His senior year has been fun so far. The football team is 8-0 and Cam has been a major contributor. But what makes me want to cheer more than a touchdown, or a long run, or a great reception or an interception is knowing that Cam is becoming a godly man who has his priorities in life in the right order.

He knows that before entering the “battle” he needs to spend time with his “Captain”…King Jesus. A lesson all of us need to be reminded of.

Here is the picture…which is now my favorite of all time:

This morning’s Clarion News has a great article about Zion’s new Orange strategy. We are grateful to Rodney Sherman, the paper’s editor, for publishing it. Here is the article, if you don’t receive the paper: