Mission & Vision
At Zion, God’s love works In and Through His people.
Vision:
Being Who We Are
A visitor walks out of the building after church. Before she steps off the sidewalk into the parking lot, she turns her head and glances at the door, a broad smile beaming from her face. “Wow,” she thinks. She’s not the same person who walked in that door a little more than two hours ago. She came in to the warm smiles of greeters that morning. As the service began, people from the pews around her made it a point to come introduce themselves. She sang inspiring songs and heard a sermon that reminded her of God’s love for her and challenged her to live accordingly. She met new people over coffee after church. As she continues the walk to her car, she wonders what she’ll hear next week.
A child hops into his mom’s car at the end of a school day at Zion. As they drive off, his mom asks what he learned about today. In the midst of talk about fractions and paragraph-writing, he mentions Ezekiel and the bones, a story she’s never heard before. When she asks what that means, the student explains how God gives life.
A resident of Bethalto drives by a group of people in familiar red shirts and well-used work gloves. He watches them smile and laugh as they work together on their latest project that serves the community. “There’s Zion again,” he thinks. His thoughts move to other Zion projects that have affected him. “Wow,” he thinks. “There’s a church that lives their faith.”
A Zion member drives to work in the morning, thinking about the day ahead of him. The pressure, the meetings, the challenges in the eight hours ahead aren’t going to be easy, but they will be filled with opportunity. A few years back, it was difficult to see himself as a tool God uses in his daily routine, but now it’s second nature. On the way to work he prays for the co-workers he will see that day who have opened up to him about family issues, financial burdens and important decisions weighing on them. As he drives, a smile creeps across his face. Only a few more days before he sits again in the pews to praise His God, receive forgiveness, be challenged by the Word and grow in faith with his fellow disciples.
That is who we are: disciples of Christ. People in whom and through whom God’s love works. People who eagerly await the next chance to hear their God’s voice and sing his praise. People who look forward to spending time with other disciples. People who enjoy those who God has place in our lives. People who are energized by serving neighbors next door and across the world, meeting physical, emotional and spiritual needs. People who walk together and who are together formed into the image of Christ. People who eat, sleep and breathe mission. People who are excited to meet the people God brings through our doors.
We are Zion. From us, God shines forth. (Psalm 50:2)