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 (resumes Sept. 16)

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.

Labor Day Blessings, September 2

Feel free to bring along a symbol of your work, whatever you do, for a blessing on Labor Day Sunday. Backpacks for back-to-schoolers? a hammer or hardhat? your trusty spatula?

Open House Ministry Fair, September 9

Everyone is invited to join us for our Open House-themed Rally Day on September 9th. The fun will overflow from our worship service into our ministry fair! Everyone is encouraged to use this time of fellowship to check out what it is our ministries, committees, and small groups have planned for the upcoming year. Learn something new about the parts that make up Zwingli, like what it is these groups are in charge of. Maybe feel inspired to help these ministries grow by committing some of your time and talents. At the very least, join us in celebrating the kickoff of another exciting program year, here at Zwingli! Spread the word, our Open House begins at 9 am in the Sanctuary!

Sunday School Leaders and Helpers Needed!

We need Sunday School Shepherds to lead or help with our Children's Sunday School classes, Squirmy Worms (pre-K to K) and Faith Finders (1st grade through 5th grade). Lesson materials are provided for classes including Drama, Art, Cooking, Games, Music, and Science. Check this link to SignUpGenius for more information or to sign up, or contact Nikki Bechtel or Erin Chalmers for more information! Join the fun!

Pennsylvania Clearances

All volunteers working with children under 18 years old are required to obtain the PA Child Abuse History Clearance, the PA Criminal Record Check, and possibly the FBI Criminal Background Check with fingerprinting.

Click here for more information.

Blood Drive September 18

Thanks to all those who donated much-needed blood on July 9th! And please put the next date on your calendar: Tuesday, September 18th. Miller-Keystone will be collecting donations in our joint drive with Zion Mennonite at Zion on that date, 1-6 pm. To sign up online, please use zip code 18964 and be sure your date range includes Sept. 19th: www.GIVEaPINT.org.

Music Ministry Concerts Ahead

Sunday, September 30, at 4 pm, come hear Peter Smyser, jazz guitarist, and his trio.

On Sunday, October 28, also at 4 pm, we'll have Siena Strings, a string quartet with a mix of classical and popular music for us.

And on December 2 at 7:30 pm, don't miss the annual Christmas Concert with the Souderton Men's Alumni Chorus.

Stephen Ministry Update

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

If you're eager to learn more about the making of the stained glass windows for our sanctuary, here are some fascinating links!

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.

2018 Calendar Collection

Happy New Year! 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.

...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

Clothing and Food Needs Continue

We continue collecting gently-used clothing, especially for children. 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.

Pulltabs! Calendars! Puzzles!

Zwingli has ongoing collections of these items in our atrium.

The beverage can tabs support Ronald McDonald Houses, helping provide a home-away-from-home for families whose seriously ill children are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals. And the calendars and puzzle books are donated to inmates at Graterford Prison.

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!

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 .

CROP Walk

Zwingli participates in the Pennridge CROP walk each fall. View Jonathan's video of the 2014 CROP walk on our outreach page!

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.

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

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.