Women’s Bible Study
We are excited to announce that the Women’s Bible study will start up once again!
We will meet together on Thursdays, beginning February 9th at 9:45 in the fellowship hall. The study is open to all women, inside and outside the church. Please invite a friend or family member as we dive into the new Kelly Minter study “Encountering God: Cultivating Habits of Faith Through the Spiritual Disciplines”. Spiritual disciplines are essential to a more vibrant spiritual life and knowing God more intimately. In these 7 sessions Kelly will unpack the biblical foundation for these sacred habits along with approachable ways to practice disciplines like prayer, study, worship, rest, simplicity, generosity, celebration, and many more. Instead of being just one more thing on your to-do list, you’ll find that these habits of faith can actually create more margin in your life – providing peace and rest as you walk closer with Jesus. Benefits from this study include, but are not limited to:
- Demystify spiritual disciplines and be empowered to practice them as you draw closer to God
- Understand how spiritual disciplines strengthen the Body of Christ, both in communities and individual lives.
- Reframe your perspective on rest and renewal.
This is a DVD/workbook study. The workbooks are available on Amazon or christianbook.com and are $16.99. If you are interested in the study but unable to join us, I encourage you to order the workbook and study on your own.
For further information or questions, please contact Christine at cabraxton57@gmail.com.
Food Pantry
The Food Pantry is the third Thursday of the month from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Participants will receive a box of food, bread, and produce as seasonally available. All are welcome and there are no questions asked.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
James 2:14-18
Zion Quilters
The Zion Quilters are a group of individuals who love to quilt and who have turned their passion into a ministry of service with a wide audience. The quilters produce blankets for Mary Washington Hospital Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU); quilts for Project Linus; numerous teddy bears for the Radiology Department at Mary Washington Hospital, and quilted items for homebound individuals and other members of the community. They meet every Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. You don’t have to be a church member or know how to quilt or sew to join our group—we have excellent teachers, and everyone is willing to help. Please come join us!
The contact person for Zion Quilters is Libby Hall and she can be reached at libbyquilts7@comcast.
All the skillful women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun in blue and purple and crimson yarns and fine linen (Exodus 35:25)
Feeding the Homeless
Zion UMC partners with Micah Ministries to feed the homeless. On the fifth Monday of the month, volunteers prepare and provide a hot breakfast for the homeless. Volunteers also provide fresh fruit and protein snacks for the day. Currently, the breakfast begins around 7:00 a.m. at the VFW Building in Fredericksburg (although time and location are subject to change).
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Isaiah 58:7
School Dressing Days
The Interfaith Council in the Stafford County area provides a school dressing day(s) for the needy children of Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline, and King George Counties and the City of Fredericksburg. Each year, hundreds of children are served and they are provided with backpacks, school supplies, personal hygiene items such as tooth paste and tooth brushes, clothes, underwear, coats, and shoes.
Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples scolded the people. When Jesus noticed this, he was angry and said to his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them, and blessed them.
(Mark 10:13-16)
AA WOMEN’S MEETING
A recent addition to the ministry here is a weekly AA Women’s Meeting. Their meetings, which started mid-September, are held from 8:00 – 9:00 every Saturday. However, given set-up and clean-up, they have the use of the Fellowship Hall from 7:30 – 9:30.
Please respect the privacy required by a group of this kind.
Other Mission Activities
The Thurman Brisben Center
The Brisben Center provides emergency shelter for at-risk and homeless men, women, and children in and around the multi-county area surround Fredericksburg. The Center can serve up to 80 homeless individuals of which many are veterans. Service include assistance with housing and employment, financial literacy and budgeting, and support in addressing medical issues.
Christmas4Others
Christmas4Others is an opportunity for the church community to share in their blessings at Christmas. Families with school-age children are identified by local social service agencies and information is provided about specific needs and Christmas wishes. Volunteers purchase the items and these gifts (and a gift card for groceries) are provided to the families right before Christmas.
Friends of Barnabus
Friends of Barnabas is a mission designed to improve the lives of impoverished children in Honduras by providing high-quality, sustainable health care. Friends of Barnabas works with communities to become self-sufficient and provides health-care training and other resources.
Community Activities
(These activities are conducted at the Merchants Square Pavilion in Spotsylvania)
Easter Sunrise Service
Each Easter, Zion UMC provides a Sunrise Service for the community.
Blessing of the Animals
On the first Sunday in October, pet owners are invited to bring their beloved dogs and cats to be blessed.
Living Nativity
In December, the spirit of the first Christmas is re-enacted with a Living Nativity.