The following is from Pastor Tyler. You can find out more about all that Mt Zion has done this past year by checking out our Annual Report.
My personal favorite moment of the year was Christmas caroling to the at home members. It was a wonderful experience of working together to share joy with several dear Mt Zion friends. One of our at home members said, “This is the most wonderful thing the church has ever done for me.” And the crew that came out caroling filled my heart with warmth too.
A few other moments I’d like to highlight include the Ertel Award Dinner, where a whole group of Mt Zion members showed up to support Linda and Tom. Also, I’ve been so proud of all the people who have helped with our regular volunteer opportunities at Tosa Cares (we’re going to continue to claim a Saturday every 6-week cycle; I hope every single person at Mt Zion will have a chance to physically help at Tosa Cares every year or two). And, all the work that went into the Fellowship Hall to make it wonderful for the MICAH Gala was truly appreciated; that space is 1000% better than it’s been since well before the pandemic. Plus, we’ve had some fun Children’s Sermons this year (the Grinch; the egg crack; the overflowing cup of apple juice).
No year is all joy, however, and we’ve had our share of heartaches. We’ve had to say goodbye to some beloved members of our community, a few from death and others from moving. Though we have more children and youth around here than it seems, I know it has felt at times as though there are only a handful of kids; we have work to do to build up the next generation of our ministry!
Yet even for these hardships, I know we have way more to celebrate. Our new members this year have shown me time and time again the life people find at Mt Zion. The youth group has been renewing my energy; we started the year with about three Mt Zion youth joining the youth at Martin Luther, but we ended the year with 8-10 MZYers regularly at our youth nights. Plus, our new Gathering Space has made Mt Zion feel even more welcoming than it already way.
Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to Jessica Monahan and our front desk volunteers. You have no idea how much Jess and this team do to make Mt Zion the wonderful place it is. They are so amazing. Thank you!
I’m looking forward to this next year. I hope, now that we’ve found a new sense of stability, we will have the energy to grow in our fellowship, in our outreach, and in our love. Thank you for being a part of Mt Zion!