The LIU – July 2021

July 2021

A newsletter of Zion Hill Baptist Church

THE LIU (pronounced LEE-UU)

Loving to Serve

Nicholas House

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r. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” After being assassinated on April 4, 1968, we are left in the eloquence of his words that continue to guide us forward as we strive for a more perfect union. The Bible tells us in 1 John 3:17-18 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and truth.”

At Zion Hill Baptist Church, our motto is, “Living to Love and Loving to Serve.” Over the course of many years, the church has established more than 35

multi-generational outreach ministries, and each is attached to one or more of the auxiliaries, and/or programs of the church, and connected to local, state, and national programs, according to Pastor Aaron L. Parker. In keeping with the purpose of the church motto, the June Club Ministry focuses on homelessness by serving at the Nicholas House located on Boulevard Street in Southeast Atlanta.

Nicholas House opened its doors in 1982. At the time, there was not a single shelter in Atlanta capable of housing homeless families for more than a night, and none was able to provide long-term care and assistance to lead people back into self-sufficiency. Nicholas House is a

nonprofit agency that operates an emergency shelter as well as scattered apartments sites for homeless families of any composition. The objective of Nicholas House is to assist homeless families in making the transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency in a structured, but homelike setting. The three major goals are earning a living wage, maintaining social health of parents and children, and maintaining safe and stable housing.

Nicholas House was the outgrowth of what Dr. Kenneth Herman, and the members of Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, saw in Atlanta, and in their communities. They provided their Sunday school rooms to homeless families for one night, and quickly realized that a more permanent solution was needed. Nicholas House was born. A shelter that reduces the homeless population in Atlanta by providing temporary housing while addressing the root causes of family homelessness so a family may never be homeless again. Recent studies from Midtown Atlanta in 2020 found that there were approximately 3,200 homeless people within the City of Atlanta’s 130 square mile footprint, 939 of whom were sheltered (found to be outside in cars).

The count is down by 25% since 2015.

Termica is one of the many success stories of the Nicholas House. Termica is a young single mother from Macon, Georgia. Her oldest son was diagnosed (continued on page 3)

A Word of Thanks For your multiple expressions of kindness and concern during our season of bereavement in the passing of our brother, brother-in-law, uncle, and greatuncle Deacon James Smith, Jr., we take this opportunity to offer a sincere word of thanks to all of you. Though traveling this path, at times, proves quite difficult because of the deep sense of loss, your journeying with us in prayer, word and deed makes the load just a little lighter. May you continue to receive blessings from our gracious and benevolent God, in whose immaculate presence we can all find true consolation.

—Sister Shelia Smith Parker, Pastor Parker, Larry, Asha, and Laila

REAP ROLL CALL New Members June 2021 Sister Jennifer Cobb Brother Robert Hatcher Sister Shemeria Hatcher Sister Evette Smith

CHURCH FAMILY

Acknowledgments June 2021 Your kindness is deeply appreciated, gratefully acknowledged, and will always be remembered by: The family of Grady L. Brewer (Sister Anita Denson) Memorial Donation — A donation was made to Zion Hill Baptist Church in memory of Sister Jacquelyn Turman, mother of Reverend Carla Burnett, by Sister Ramona H. Runions

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Looking Forward to August 8, 2021

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y now, most of you are aware of our intention to reassemble for in-person worship on August 8, 2021. As we draw closer to this time, the anticipation for a glorious celebration in God dramatically increases. It is important to note, however, that we will not initially conduct worship as we did prior to the pandemic, mainly in order to take certain safety precautions.

This means that other activities of the Church will continue virtually, with a few exceptions.

Remember, we will initially only have one in-person worship service on Sunday at 9:30 am EDT, and the service will basically follow the order that we have established since we have live-streamed, with a few minor alterations. When we reach safe capacity seating in the sanctuary, we will have an overflow area in the Fellowship Hall, where worshippers can participate in the service via the large screens. We have already mentioned mask-wearing as a requirement, and some measure of social distancing. We will announce dates for testing and continued vaccinations prior to reassembling.

Further, we want to encourage everyone to continue giving as you have during this pandemic period – electronic, mail, bank draft, etc. – as this helps to reduce risk when we gather in person. We will, however, have a safe way to give at the August 8th service.

I want to mention just two additional matters in connection with our reassembling.

First, I want to meet with all Zion Hill leaders on July 20, 2021 at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary to have some conversation on final preparations for August 8th. Second, I am calling for three days of Fasting and Praying, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, August 2, 3, and 4, from 8 am to 8 pm each day, as a way of getting ready spiritually for our gathering on the 8th.

Because we are treading in uncharted territory, I ask everyone to be as patient and as cooperative as possible as this will make the whole experience more spiritually beneficial for all.

Nearer the reassembling date we will send out a more comprehensive statement on what to expect when we gather to worship.

Please, brothers and sisters, let us pray mightily, fervently, and continuously for a powerful manifestation of God’s presence among us during these times. n —Pastor Parker Please be sure to fill out this quick survey.

Check your email for the link.

Loving to Serve (continued from page 1)

with a brain tumor about the size of a fist.

Termica dropped everything and left her home in Macon to come to Atlanta, for the surgery of her son and rehabilitation against the odds. Termica’s son survived the surgery, but had significant brain damage. He needed an extensive medication regime and full-time care. Also, he had to learn how to walk again. Without

anyone to help, Termica and her family found themselves homeless until she found Nicholas House. Termica is now proud to share that she has secured a beautiful rental home, where she and her children live together.

The June Club Ministry answer to “Loving to Serve” is our work with the Nicholas House. Our volunteer efforts at

the Nicholas House include, but are not limited to, providing cleaning supplies throughout the year, purchasing, preparing and serving lunch and dinners at times suggested by the staff, adopting a family during the Christmas holidays and providing them with all of their needs and many of their wants, purchasing school supplies for the children, purchasing bed linen and pillows, and financial donations. These are among many of the things that we are doing in helping to serve the homeless population. We know the rules of the Nicholas House and respect their confidentially clause. We are also aware that in order to make a dent in the homeless population, it will take many volunteers to assist the institutions that are providing these individuals and families with wrap around services. Truly, The June Club Ministry has answered the question, “What are you doing for others?”

–Submitted by Dr. Nettie B. Johnson Perry June Club Ministry

ZHBC@zionhill.org |

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CDC Warns About A Virus on the Rise

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s COVID-19 restrictions lighten up, another virus is having an uptick.

What are Complications of RSV? On June 12, 2021, CDC issued a health advisory warning of increased Severe infection could lead to interseasonal Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity in the Southern bronchiolitis, an inflammation United States. It generally occurs during fall and winter in the U.S. and in of the small airways in the lung, other areas with similar climates. However, due to measures taken to reand pneumonia, an infection of the lungs. It is the most common duce the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, there was a rapid decrease in usual cause of these illnesses in children activity. RSV can be associated with severe disease in young children and younger than 1 year old. Each older adults. As a result, the CDC has encouraged healthcare providers to year in the U.S., RSV leads to on test individuals for RSV if there is acute respiratory illness and a negative average approximately 58,000 test result for COVID-19. hospitalizations with 100-500 deaths among children younger than 5 years old and 177,000 What is RSV? hospitalizations with 14,000 deaths among adults age 65 RSV is an RNA virus that is a common respiratory virus usually causing mild, cold-like symptoms. Although, most people years or older. RSV can make chronic health conditions worse for some people, like those with asthma and conrecover well, it can be serious in infants and older adults. gestive heart failure.

How is RSV transmitted?

What are the Symptoms?

People infected with RSV are usually contagious for 3-8 Symptoms occur within 4-6 days of getting infected with days. However, in some cases of infants and people with the virus. They usually occur in stages and not all at one weaken immune systems, the spread can occur up to time. These symptoms include: 4 weeks even if no longer symptomatic. RSV spreads through a person’s cough or sneeze, which gets into the n Coughing eyes, nose, or mouth of another person, through touching n Runny nose a surface that has the virus and then touching one’s face n Decreased Appetite before washing the hands, or through direct contact with n Sneezing the virus, like kissing the face of a child with RSV. The virus n Fever can survive on hard surfaces for many hours and soft surn Wheezing faces for shorter amounts of time.

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How to Manage Symptoms Manage fever and pain with over-the-counter meds like Tylenol and Motrin

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(Avoid use of aspirin in children) Prevent dehydration by drinking enough fluids Consult with doctor for recommendations for OTC How is it treated?

Infection will usually go away on its own in 1 to 2 weeks, in most cases. There is no specific treatment for RSV except to control symptoms. According to the CDC, researchers, however, are working on developing vaccines and antivirals for treatment of RSV. A drug called (pah-lih-VIH-zumahb) is available to prevent severe RSV illness in infants and children who are at high risk for severe disease.

How can the spread be prevented?

If you have cold-like symptoms, you should: n Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve, avoiding use of your hands

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Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds Avoid close contact like kissing, shaking hands, or sharing cups and utensils with others Clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and mobile devices Avoid interacting with children at high risk for severe RSV disease, such as premature infants, children younger than years old with lung or heart conditions, and those with weaken immune systems.

For weekly updates on RSV, visit https://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/rsv/index.html As we began to see upticks of viruses with low activity during the peak of COVID-19, continue to take all measures to stay well. n —The Health Ministry

Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https:// www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html . Accessed 6/20/21.

Fulton County Board of Health COVID-19 Vaccination Program Update

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hroughout the pandemic, Zion Hill has partnered with the Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH) to do our part in slowing the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community.

Our parking lot was converted to accommodate drive-through testing and the lower level of The Love Center was transformed into a community health center, allowing the FCBOH medical professionals to administer vaccines safely and with some measure of privacy. As of July 1, 2021, the FCBOH’s mobile vaccination unit, which serviced Zion Hill, is transitioning their program to CORE - Community Organized Relief Effort. You can find out more about CORE at https://www.coreresponse.org/covid-19. Watch for updates on new vaccination dates on our campus.

While we will miss our friends at the FCBOH, we look forward to future opportunities to partner with this dedicated and committed team on community health care initiatives, as we continue to love and serve in so many different ways.

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NEW LIVE STREAMING SERVICE Zion Hill has recently switched one of our livestreaming platforms! We are now using BoxCast to broadcast our worship services and Bible for Life classes.

We are no longer using Your Church Stream TV.

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on’t miss Pastor’s inspirational and encouraging messages!

Just access our streaming directly from BoxCast at: https:// boxcast.tv/channel/glwvkeoykzdo7l8oqmae. Or, you may also join us on social media at YouTube: ZHBCATL zionhill or FaceBook: @zhbcatl.

Option 2: If you do not have a Roku or Apple TV, you can con-

nect a computer/laptop directly to the TV using an HDMI cable.

Your TV screen will mirror your computer display.

Option 3: Connect a computer, tablet, or smartphone over Wi-Fi

BoxCast Option

using a Chromecast or using Apple Airplay connection. If you are experiencing any connection issues, please reach out to the Zion Hill Help Desk at helpdesk@zionhill.org and our technical team will be happy to assist you.

Option 1: The easiest way to view our live broadcast on a Smart

FaceBook Option

HOW TO WATCH ZION HILL BAPTIST CHURCH SERVICES ON A SMART TV

TV is to view through the BoxCast app. Here are the steps to view Zion Hill broadcast on the BoxCast app: 1. Download the BoxCast app on Roku or Apple TV. 2. Once the BoxCast app has downloaded, search for Zion Hill Baptist Church - South Fulton, GA 3. Click on the Zion Hill Baptist Church logo

Download the FaceBook Watch App on your SmartTV and search for ZHBC.* YouTube Option

Download the YouTube App on your SmartTV and search for ZHBCATL zionhill.*

4. Click in the box that shows "Live"

—Sis. Gloria Williams, Media Ministry

How to Watch Zion Hill Services on Your Smart TV

1. Download the BoxCast app on Roku or Apple TV.

2. Once the BoxCast app has downloaded search for Zion Hill Baptist Church - South Fulton, GA

3. Click on the Zion Hill Baptist Church logo

4. Click in the box that shows "Live"

5. Now you should see the "Live" Broadcast

*Instructions may vary based on age and model of your SmartTV. Consult your user guide.

ZHBC@zionhill.org |

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Zion Hill Employment Opportunity The following position is open at Zion Hill: Executive Assistant/Office Manager (Full-time): The Executive Assistant/Office Manager will support the ministry goals of ZHBC through efficient operations of the church office and administrative support of the Pastor, Administration Minister and Church Leadership. S/he will manage the office staff and contractors responsible for office support. The ideal candidate is organized, patient, flexible, resourceful, tech savvy, has good written and oral communication skills and a strong commitment to excellence.

Interested candidates may contact zhbc@zionhill.org for the full job description and send a current resume to employment@zionhill.org. No phone calls, please.

Posting closes Saturday, July 31, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Zion Hill Back to School Days 2021

July 24 and July 25

Watch this space for more information!

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We want YOU to contribute!

If your ministry has a virtual activity or news that you want mentioned, you can send an email to zhbc@zionhill.org.

We welcome all ministry contributions: writing, story ideas, suggestions, digital photographs, artwork, letters, responses to our columns, reviews, etc. and look forward to hearing from you.

All material is subject to approval and editing.

ALL contributions must be submitted by the second Wednesday of each month. The LIU will be distributed once a month. If you do not see your contribution in the current issue, it will appear in upcoming issues.

CORRECTIONS We attempt to be accurate and balanced. We apologize for any errors that occur and when notified we will print appropriate corrections.

BIBLE for LIFE Join Pastor Parker on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm streaming live on Facebook, YouTube, and at

https://boxcast.tv/channel/glwvkeoykzdo7l8oqmae

Series Title:

“Hope Revived (HR)”

The LIU is a publication of

Available after streaming as recordings.

2021 Theme: Hope Revived" 6175 Campbellton Road, South Fulton/Atlanta, GA 30331 Rev. Aaron L. Parker, PhD, Pastor 404-691-8025 • www.zionhill.org • email: zhbc@zionhill.org

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2021 Theme Scripture: “He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again….”

(II Corinthians 1:10, NRSV)