Zwingli United Church of Christ

Never place a period
where God has placed
a comma.

– Gracie Allen, 20th century
American comedian

...you're welcome here!

Worship with us on Sunday mornings

350 Wile Avenue, Souderton

Worship at 9 am.
Fellowship after worship
Church School from 10:30 am until 11:30 am

We welcome children of all ages in our services. "Busy Bags" and children's bulletins are available from the ushers. And for families who desire it, nursery care is available for preschool children during worship services.

We are wheel-chair accessible and air-conditioned.

Christmas Caroling

Singers of all ages! Meet at Zwingli on Monday, December 10 at 6:30 pm. We will carpool to a new neighborhood in Souderton, then walk and sing throughout the development between 7 and 7:30 pm. We'll carol at a few homes near church, then share refreshments in the church parlor. Bring flashlights, jingle bells, and a few cookies to share. Carol books, hot chocolate, and juice will be provided.

Christmas Eve Services at Zwingli

Monday, December 24th

Candle lighting at all three services.
5:00 pm, Family Service
Designed for families with young children, this service involves our Sunday School children and youth in sharing the elements of the first Christmas that are so important in today's Christmas through story, scripture, and carols. It will include our singers and chimers, as well as the traditions of candle lighting and "Joy to the World."
7:30 pm, Lessons & Carols
The Christmas story is told through scripture and music, with both the Adult Choir and Bell Choir taking part.
11:00 pm, Word and Sacrament
This service includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion as we welcome the birth of the Christ Child.

Angel Tree Collection for Bethany Children's Home

Please bring new, unwrapped gifts for the youth of Bethany and place them under the angel tree by Sunday, December 16th. Our Christmas gifts are special to these youth and help to create new positive memories in their lives.

Boy Scouts' Christmas Tree Sale

Troop 401 is still selling Christmas trees in front of the scout cabin on Wile Avenue near the park. They're open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 6 pm to 9 pm; Saturday 9 am to 9 pm; and Sunday noon to 8 pm. The sale helps fund operations, camping gear, membership fees, and special outings.

Advent Mission Project, Pennridge FISH

During December, the Missioners are collecting personal care items for the Pennridge FISH organization, which serves people facing the challenges of unemployment, disability, single-parenting, mental health problems, addiction recovery, homelessness,or aging on a fixed income. Items in need are diapers and wipes, bath soaps and shampoos, laundry detergent and cleaning products, paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, feminine products, toiletries, shaving items, deodorant, and toothpaste. Please click to learn more about Pennridge FISH.

Congregational Meeting

At our annual meeting on December 9th after worship, we approved a slate of nominees for Council and Ministries and we approved our budget for 2019. Pledges to indicate your support of our plans for the year ahead will still be joyfully received! Our healthy congregation needs our time, our talents, and our treasure.

Holiday House Tour

Zwingli thanks all who supported our 8th Indian Valley Holiday House Tour, most especially the generous families who opened their homes to the community!

Epiphany

On Sunday, January 6, Zwingli will celebrate Epiphany Sunday, commemorating the revealing of Jesus as the Messiah and the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentile community. In our tradition, that community is represented by the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. As we worship we remember that, like the kings of old, wise people still seek him!

Save the Date! January 20th

Zwingli UCC, in conjunction with Little Zion and St. Paul's Telford Lutheran churches and Trinity UCC will be hosting an event on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend to provide opportunities to be of service to various non-profit programs in our community, ending with a joint worship hosted at Zwingli. Service projects at 2 pm, worship at 4 pm. Watch for more details as plans are solidified.

Blood Drive January 21, 2019

Once again we are teaming up with Zion Mennonite for a Miller-Keystone blood drive at Zwingli. Sign up here: enter your zip code, check "include mobile drives," set both dates to 01/21/2019, then click Search. Choose the Zwingli UCC schedule and pick your time. Or sign up after worship on a Sunday in January.

CROP Walk 2018

Through the generosity of CROP walkers and sponsors, we raised $3290 for Church World Service. Our efforts make a difference in the lives of people around the corner and around the world!

Zwingli participates each fall in the Pennridge CROP Walk.

Chancel Flowers and Worship Bulletins

Would you like to sponsor the flowers in the chancel or worship bulletins one Sunday morning? You'll find sponsorship forms on the bulletin board next to the church office.

2019 Calendar Collection

The Ministry of Missioners is collecting calendars for the inmates of Graterford Prison, so drop off any extra calendars you've received in the collection box at the Missioners' table in the atrium.

Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting. Thanks to Jonathan Widgins and Pastor Butch, our Stephen Leaders, we have a trained group of Stephen Ministers. Now it is important for all of us to understand how this ministry will best benefit our congregation and community.

To learn more about Stephen Ministries, check their website.

Stained Glass

The glass is now cut, and Mark Beard of Scintilla has begun constructing the twelve panels for our sanctuary window. And while we wait, here are some fascinating links about glassmaking!

Clothing and Food Needs Continue

We continue collecting gently-used clothing, which we take to the Laurel House thrift shops of Marian's Attic and Laurel's Loft. And the needs at Keystone Opportunity food pantry include fresh produce and lots of other items. Check out their list here.

Our Garden of Health support for those with special dietary needs is now part of our regular Keystone collection. Roughly 25% of the population has either diabetes, heart disease, food allergies or celiac disease, and for low-income neighbors eating wisely can be financially difficult. There's ongoing need for gluten-free, sugar-free, and low- or no-sodium foods. Click here for more information about Garden of Health.

AmazonSmile

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to Zwingli.

Grocery Cards

We now have ShopRite gift cards, as well as GIANT and Landis Supermarket cards!

As always, your gift card purchase from Zwingli church automatically gives the church 5%. Cards are available for purchase Sunday morning or through the church office during the week.

Yoga

Yoga class meets Thursday nights at 6:30 in the youth room downstairs. This hour-long session begins with calming yoga breathing techniques and flows into gentle poses that help reduce the stresses of the day. It ends with a short meditation.

Vision Statement 2020

Zwingli United Church of Christ, as a community blessed with a spirit of abundance and generosity, is called to:
Create a safe place to explore faith and worship, full of life, energy and enthusiasm.
Connect to the world through our local and global commitments, becoming stronger in our faith.
Celebrate all people as God's children, affirming each other's unique gifts.
With God's help, we are united in the Spirit, listening and preparing for God's work — embracing all possibilities.

Three Great Loves

Love of children, love of neighbor, love of creation...
"For the UCC, fused with our Three Great Loves campaign, the love of everything begins with this creation. Its protection is a moral duty calling us to action. This is action born in an awareness of our responsibility to keep this beloved blue ball we call 'earth' healthy enough to sustain and nurture everyone."

– UCC bulletin cover, November 11, 2018

Pulltabs!

Pulltabs from beverage cans support Ronald McDonald Houses, helping provide a home-away-from-home for families whose seriously ill children are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals.

Paper Recycling!

There's a bin in the back!

Recycle all of your newspaper, magazines, shopping catalogs, office and school papers and mail 24 hours/ 7 days a week right here in our green and yellow bin. You save water and energy by recycling .

Sunday Refreshments

Adopt a Sunday morning to provide some goodies for our fellowship and coffee time after worship. Look for the signup sheet on the bulletin board near the coffee maker in the lobby.

Mission Presentation, One Great Hour of Sharing

Watch this video of the inspiring mission presentation in our worship service of March 13, 2015. We support One Great Hour of Sharing!

What is that picture?

These pictures were taken by the Zwingli Youth Photography class as a way to understand that we may not always see things as they are...each picture is just a part of an item in Zwingli. Can you tell what the entire picture would be? We may only see a part of a person, item or activity around us. Stepping back and looking at a bigger picture could change our view of situations, people and experiences. At the same time, isn't it nice to see some of the detail in each item and person if you look closely?

Z, closure on door to sanctuary (look up!)
W, music folder in choir room
I, window frame
N, books on a shelf
G, leaves on a plant
L, space between bricks
I, space between chairs in sanctuary

...store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

-Matthew 6:20-21

We believe...

God loves us unconditionally.
We are one family in Christ.
We are called to follow Jesus.
We are called not to judge, but to accept and forgive others, as we have been accepted and forgiven.
We are called to care for, to develop, and to share cheerfully the gifts and talents God has given us.