Zion is starting a Men's Fellowship Group!

Have You Heard? ... 
Zion is starting a Men's Fellowship Group!
All men of the congregation 18 and older are cordially invited to attend our first gathering on Saturday, September 27th from 6:00 -8:00 p.m. at the picnic pavilion on the church grounds. We'll have a bonfire with hot dogs, lots of snacks and drinks (BYOAB -- Bring Your Own Adult Beverage). Also, please bring a lawn chair and -- if you have them -- roasting sticks.  Sign up on the sheet in the church narthex, or email Rich Berardelli at p.richardberardelli1950@gmail.com so we know how many will attend.

Psalms Bible Study — This Coming Wednesday (9/24)

In the Psalms God speaks to us, His people. God speaks to us about many different topics in the Psalms like: His existence, the Messiah, forgiveness, doubt, thanksgiving and many more! Join us each Wednesday for worship at 2:00 p.m. followed by a 30 min. Bible Study hosted by Pastor Grimenstein (starting at 2:30 p.m.) as we study a different Psalm each week for a total of 12 weeks. God truly is speaking to us, come and hear what He is saying!

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
    when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars
    we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
    while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
    my highest joy.

7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them against the rocks.

Psalm 139

1 You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

Member Change of Address

Our brother Ted Siek has moved from his apartment at Friendship Village into the Health Center building. His new address is: 1290 Boyce Rd., HC Room 137, Pittsburgh PA 15241. Ted would welcome cards and notes of encouragement as he transitions to his new home. 

Things You Can Do, No Matter What

Things You Can Do, No Matter What 
by, Rev. Dr. Aric Fenske, Executive Director | LifeDate, Fall 2025 

It is very common in our society to attempt to place a value on other people based on their output or ability to perform certain tasks. It is often assumed that the more a person can do, the more valuable they are. Not only has this line of thinking led to the destruction of thousands of precious lives to abortion and physician-assisted suicide, it has also driven many people to the point of despair. Pastors will often hear their aging parishioners tell them that they feel worthless and unfit to live because they can’t be useful or productive anymore. 

We must always keep in mind that we are all saved by grace through faith, which is the “gift of God, not a result of works” (Eph 2:8-9). This means (among many other things) that no person’s value is determined by their ability to perform a task or be productive. Every person’s value is bestowed upon them by Christ Himself, who made us and redeemed us all with His precious blood. This makes every human life priceless in the eyes of God and worthy of His care and protection, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. 

But St. Paul goes on to remind us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). Those who have been redeemed by Christ rightly desire to love and serve. So, while our worth is never determined by our ability to serve, we must also recognize that someone’s desire to serve their neighbor is a good, godly desire. Likewise, the frustration that many of our aging brothers and sisters experience as they grow weaker is legitimate and should be handled with love and compassion. 

I have often turned to St. Paul’s words to the Philippians when talking with someone who is bearing this cross. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:21-23). 

Through Paul, God leads us to remember several wonderful truths. First, that while death remains our enemy and is never to be sought as the answer to our suffering, the death of a Christian means eternal gain. And second, that as long as our earthly life remains, it is Christ’s will. And if it is Christ’s will that we remain, He has fruitful labor laid up for us! No matter a person’s age or physical condition, if God has given them life, He has also given them great purpose. 

The following is certainly not an exhaustive list, but it does provide a few ideas of what this might look like for someone who has reached the age where they can no longer provide the loving services they once did. 

• You can preach and pray. As the Psalmist proclaims, “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come” (Psalm 71:17-18). There is no greater service you can provide for another than to tell them about the love of God in Christ and to intercede for them to the Father in heaven. 

• You can serve as an example of faith and perseverance to others. God promises us that “… even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:4). The Lord will sustain us until the day that He calls us to His nearer presence. Bearing the cross of aging with grace and dignity by the faith that God supplies will be seen by others and can strengthen them to do the same. 

• You might become the instrument by which God teaches others to bear their crosses. As a person reaches the stage of needing more assistance from others, God uses them to teach others (spouse, children, grandchildren, etc.) how to patiently love and serve as He has loved us. 

Again, our worth is never determined by what we do. God has given us value by creating, redeeming, and calling us as His own. Still, we can be comforted knowing that even as we age and reach the point where we can no longer be active, God not only watches over us and cares for us, He accomplishes great and wonderful things through us. May the Lord of life grant us the faith and the strength to bear the crosses of aging in such a way that others are led to see the love of Christ manifest in us!

VIDEO: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - Complete Service

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m. with communion
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m. - Psalm 107 with Pastor Grimenstein
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

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AUDIO: Readings & Sermon for Wednesday, September 17, 2025

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m. with communion
Bible Study: 2:30 p.m. - Psalm 107 with Pastor Grimenstein
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

Visit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.

Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of BULLETINS

2 Chronicles 36:1-23 
The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him to Egypt. 

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the LORD, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. 

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the LORD that he had made holy in Jerusalem. 

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy. 

Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. 

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.’” 

Colossians 4:1-18 
Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. 

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. 

Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. 

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” 

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. 

The Creed 
What is the second article of the Creed?
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. 
What does this mean?
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. 

This is most certainly true. 

Zion’s Youth Group for Teens

Youth Group for Teens in 8-12th grade 
Third Sunday of every month! 

Sunday, September 21st, 6-8 pm 
Mark your calendar for gaming fun, food and fellowship! 

Sunday, October 19th, 6-8 pm 
Join us for pumpkin carving and dinner!