In addition to the faithful preaching of God's Word on the Lord's Day, the congregation is instructed through adult and high school age Sunday school, which is currently studying the Heidelberg Catechism. We also have four other Sunday school classes for our younger children along with four catechism instruction classes for grades 5 through 8. At the present time, we have 10 students receiving catechetical instruction on Wednesday evenings. Other opportunities to learn God's Word at Zion consist of a bi-weekly Sunday evening Bible study, which is currently studying Kenneth Talbot and Gary Crampton's workbook entitled Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism. We also hold a ladies' Bible study and a men's Bible study once a month. Another opportunity for learning God's Word at Zion Reformed Church is a once-a-month meeting of the covenant youth, which we call the Heidelberg League. It consists of all the Zion youth from grades 9 through 12. During our meetings we have a time of fellowship, food, and Bible instruction dealing with a current topic that our covenant youth are facing. In August the League members, along with their pastor and two other adults, spent an evening at Thunder Road in Sioux Falls enjoying slick track, go-kart racing, batting cages, human foosball, euro-bungy jumping, miniature golf, and a midnight meal at Perkin's restaurant. It was a great time of fun and fellowship. The Heidelberg League also serves the Zion congregation a coffee and dessert social once a month following the worship service, and twice a year the League serves a dinner to the congregation.
Zion Reformed Church also provides chapel services on fifteen occasions throughout the year at three nursing homes located in the Menno-Freeman area.
The members of Zion RCUS enjoy God's secondary means of grace, the Lord's Supper, on four occasions during worship service throughout the year. Although we are satisfied with the frequency of the Lord's Supper within our congregation, we recognize the liberty of other congregations to celebrate the Lord's Supper on fewer or more occasions throughout the year. Let each congregation be convinced in its own mind concerning the frequency. However, the members of Zion Reformed Church recognize the primary means of grace, the preaching of the Word of God, as a non-negotiable! God's Word must be preached to the congregation every Lord's Day! We can gather for worship on the Lord's Day without celebrating the sacraments, but we cannot properly gather as a congregation to worship the Lord apart from the proclamation of God's Word.
This year we celebrated the sacrament of baptism only once in our congregation. Tannen Richard Auch, son of Kevin and Brenda Auch, was baptized on January 25, 2009. In June of 2009, we also rejoiced to witness the profession of faith by three of our covenant youth: Caleb Lang, Jason Mehlhaf and Joey Walter. The Rite of Confirmation and the Sacrament of Baptism always generate great joy in an older congregation. However, because Zion Reformed Church has been established for 135 years, we attend more funeral services each year as opposed to covenant youth professing their faith or infants receiving the sacrament of baptism. Already in 2009 we have mourned the loss of three of our members who were translated to the church triumphant in heaven. Yes, they're in a far better place, but we are still saddened by the absence of their fellowship while we remain to fight the good fight of faith in this present evil age.
The Lord has greatly blessed the congregation of Zion Reformed Church over the past 135 years, and our prayer is that God will continue to cause His face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us for His honor, glory, and praise! Soli Deo Gloria!
