GOD'S SON JESUS CHRIST

Our desire for every life here at Zion Hill is that we might together embark on a journey resulting in a deeper relationship with God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. As we come, we work toward the development of a life changing relationship with God that brings peace in the middle of the most ferocious storm and unspeakable joy early in the morning.

If you are interested in joining the Zion Hill family you can do so by presenting yourself during the Invitation to Christian Discipleship during every Worship Service.

The good news is that this, is not the only time you can come. If that little still voice inside you, that's the Holy Spirit, instructs you to come after a Bible for Life Class, at the conclusion of a Worship Service or even during Choir Rehearsal let somebody know. We will stop whatever it is we may be doing to welcome you to this family of God called Zion Hill.

Here are some of the things we believe and do in our attempts to make it to that great final destination!

1. God

We believe that God is the creator of the universe, including human beings in God's own image. As creator, God stands as the ultimate source of our being and well being. And although we understand God primarily as Spirit, as creator God relates to us in what we may symbolically call Father and Mother (See Genesis, chapters 1 and 2).

We also view God as revealed in Jesus, the Christ – the center of our faith. He showed us God's will for our lives through his benevolent life, sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection. Through these divine acts he becomes our Savior, Liberator, Example and Lord (See Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 4:1621; John 3:16; 5:19-20).

Furthermore, we understand God as indwelling Comforter, as the one who provides hope in despair, strength in weakness, direction in confusion, and faith in fear. God as Comforter is traditionally called the Holy Spirit. And through the power of the Holy Spirit we confront life with courage and joy (See John 14:15-17; 25-26; Acts chapter 2; I Corinthians 12:1-11).

2. The Bible

We maintain that the Bible contains the living word of God. But because of its passage through many centuries of development it requires Spirit-led, diligent study and careful, critical interpretation.

3. The Church and Christian Living

The New Testament word for church is usually the Greek ekklesia. Literally it means, “called out from,” but during the early days of the followers of Jesus the Christ, it came to refer to those persons who viewed Him as their founder and chief, and thus witnessed to the saving power of His life, death and resurrection. These witnesses felt “called out from” the routines of life to participate in the restoration of humankind to a right relationship with God. We count ourselves among these heralds for the Lord, not in total separation from the world, but rather in the world to join God in its deliverance (See Matthew 10:7-8; 16:13-19; 28:16-20).

Those who claim to be called out, therefore, accept a life of tending to troubled hearts, directing wayward lives, challenging corrupt powers and proclaiming the good news that God saves. Our primary attribute is love, which includes caring for, forgiving and encouraging each other in the Lord (See John 13:35; I Corinthians 12:12-31; Philippians 4:8)

4. Ordinances

An ordinance in this church refers to those principal activities that we believe Jesus instituted and best symbolize his presence in this community of faith. We observe two ordinances: Baptism: This is a public act of initiation into the church symbolizing the death of a life in sin and the resurrection to a new life in the Lord. Literally it means to be dipped [into water]. The person desiring baptism should have already gone through a radical change, a new birth, since we maintain that there is no saving power in the water itself (See Mark 1:9-11; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:37-38; 8:26-39). The Lord's Supper (sometimes referred to as Communion): This rite, employing the elements of unleavened bread and wine (or grape juice), symbolizes the fruitful life and sacrificial death of Jesus the Christ. The bread, usually broken, represents his mutilated body, while the wine/juice represents his shed blood on a Roman cross (See Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:23-34)

5. Eternal Life

While this church emphasizes following Christ in this life, we also claim, in faith, a life after death. We believe that we shall live eternally with God in a state of being that we usually call Heaven (See Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-28; John 3:16; Revelation chapter 21)..