We gather for a Worship Service in-person at the Chapel (2700 W 14th Street) on Sunday, May 5th, 2024 – on this sixth Sunday of Eastertide.

To join us at the Chapel, buzz Zion Church (Bob Bucklew) from the Directory at the front of the 2700 Building on the campus of San Sofia apartments or enter from the accessible ramp from the rear parking lot. When you arrive, call Bob at 216-375-5323 to open the parking lot gate.

As it is our tradition on the first Sunday of the month-and in this season of Eastertide, we will share in Holy Communion. The bread and cup will be provided for us around the table at the Chapel. All are welcome!

The Sunday Bulletin is attached in PDF format. You may use it as a devotional during the week.

This Sunday, May 5, 2024 we welcome to Zion Church the Rev. Nayiri Karjian, Association General Minister, Living Water Association, Ohio Northeast, United Church of Christ

Nayiri has been serving as the General Minister of the Association since February 2018. An Armenian Christian born and raised in Aleppo, Syria, Nayiri graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Haigazian University, and Near East School of Theology, Beirut Lebanon; and with a Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary, Lancaster, PA. Since her ordination in 1985 she has served UCC congregations in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Chicago, Houston, St Louis, and Colorado Springs. Nayiri has shared her gifts both as settled and transitional Minister, including numerous board and committees on the UCC National Setting.

Nayiri can be reached at: 330-940-2220 x102 | [email protected]

Please join us for worship and hear the message Rev. Karjian will bring. Give her a warm Zion Church welcome at the Coffee Hour following worship.

The Focus Scripture Reading is Acts 10:1-24, 34-36, 44-48

The first selection from Acts 10 contains Peter’s bold revelation from both a vision he beheld from God earlier and in his encounter with the Roman centurion Cornelius. In the vision, God gave Peter food to eat that was both from clean and unclean animals, with the lesson that whatever God declared holy, others must not call profane. In Peter’s conversation with Cornelius, a Gentile, Peter understood that Cornelius’s own encounter with the Holy Spirit was valid and true. There was no need for Cornelius to become Jewish, he knew God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The larger context of the passage from Acts is the Jesus movement’s official shift toward in-cluding Gentiles as well as Jews. Just a few verses earlier, Peter has preached on God’s openness to all people: the phrase translated as “God shows no partiality” is literally, “God accepts no one’s face” — in other words, God doesn’t crassly play favorites, and so God’s love isn’t restricted to any in-group, but rather spills over, expanding to include supposed outsiders (Acts 10:34). Accordingly, Peter’s question in this week’s reading (“What can stop these people…from being baptized?” echoes the Ethiopian eunuch’s rhetorical-yet-subversive remark, “What is to prevent me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36).

Sermon/Reflection: “Courage and Trust” by the Rev. Nayiri Karjian, based on the reading of Acts 10.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
OWLS Cleveland (Older, Wiser, Livelier, Seniors)
11:30a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Zion UCC Church, 2700 W. 14th Street
Speaker, Dr. Ronan Factora, MD from The Center for Geriatric Medicine Cleveland Clinic Foundation
50/50 and raffle baskets
Call 216-310-6810 to RSVP for lunch.
Made possible through Neighborhood Connections Grant.

This Sunday, May 5 is also Easter Sunday for many Orthodox Christiansin Europe, Africa, and Middle East. The Orthodox Church calculates the date of Easter according to the Julian Calendar — as opposed to the Gregorian Calendar, which Pope Gregory instituted in 1582 in order to incorporate advances in astronomy and timekeeping.

Wishing our Orthodox Christian friends a very healthy and happy Easter and Easter season!

Christ is Risen! Christ is risen indeed!

Next Sunday, May 12, 2024 at Zion Church:

May 12, 2024—Ascension Sunday, Seventh Sunday of Easter, Mother’s Day/Festival of the Christian Home

Please join us this Easter season to give thanks to God and to seek the companionship of Christ at Zion Chapel.

Easter Blessings,
Pastor Scott Rosenstein
216-273-7561 – church
216-577-1514 – mobile

Bulletin Cover Image:
Love One Another -John 15:9-17
by Stushie (a Scottish pastor ministering in East Tennessee)
Church bulletin Art for Easter- 6B
Unique crayon and digital worship art
https://stushieart.com/2024/04/29/easter-6b-art-gospel-acts-and-psalm/