These words from Ecclesiastes speak directly to our life together at Zion this year. Change is part of God's design—not just in nature, but in our faith community too.
If you're already a Sustaining Giver, you have an extra step, because Zion is changing our giving platform. Please log in to the old one, cancel your recurring gift.
Then go back to step #3 above and become a Sustaining Giver on the new platform.
2024 has been a season of significant change at Zion. We said farewell to Pastor Janine Johnson, whose leadership in Zion’s outreach ministry touched countless lives over many years. Yet just as autumn leaves fall to nourish next spring's growth, God is faithful.
Our food pantry, meal site, and housing justice work continue and thrive thanks to your new leadership, dedicated service, and generous support. One of every $5 you give serves neighbors.
In 2024, 139 households/465 individuals served per month, 60 people fed each weekday, and a new Davenport law passed to free renters of the burden of paying for rent when inspectors judge the building to be unsafe.
Your gifts have nurtured new growth too. Through our Listening Campaign and Kingdom Caucus, you helped identify exciting possibilities for engaging young people and building bridges across generations. Already, a new team is forming to make these hopes and ideas real—a team that is itself intergenerational. Like fertilizer for seeds taking root, your financial support will help these and other initiatives blossom.
Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate the joy of hosting three friends in Christ from our companion congregation, Kirangare Lutheran Parish in Tanzania. They will arrive in June. I don’t underestimate how past visits have cultivated Zion’s loving, trusting spirit. What new thing will God do with this new visit?
Just as each season brings its unique gifts, your faithful giving creates possibilities for faith and ministry in every season. As we plan for 2025, we invite you to prayerfully consider your estimate of giving. Together, we can nurture the seeds of change God is planting at Zion. Springing from mustard seed moments, God's kingdom is ever-changing, ever-growing. We get to participate!
Rising costs effect us all. If possible, consider taking a step of faith and growing your annual gift by 2.5%. As costs rise, this will keep the value of your gift constant. The resources above may help with the details.
Please return your 2025 Estimate of Giving card by Sunday, December 15. Thank you again for your generous spirit and faithful partnership in the gospel.