Mar 2022
A newsletter of Zion Hill Baptist Church
THE LIU (pronounced LEE-UU)
Still Loving and Serving After 28 Years
R
everend Dr. Aaron L. Parker and Sister Shelia Parker were installed as Pastor and First Lady of Zion Hill Baptist Church in March 1994, twenty-eight years ago. They have consistently guided us to live up to our motto of “Living to Love and Loving to Serve.” Twelve years later, in an Emory Magazine article in 2006, Pastor Parker was asked, “What are your most important roles as a minister?” Pastor Parker answered, “I define ministry with two basic concepts: Love and Service. Love is at the very heart of the Christian gospel—I try to show love, to explain love as best I can, to affirm the love of God, and to inspire people to love one another. This doesn’t
mean just sentimental love. Sometimes love is tender, sometimes it’s tough. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “A tough mind and a tender heart.” I’m also a servant of the church, of the people, of God. I don’t see these as dichotomies—in my mind, they are all the same thing. I try to inspire others to become servants of truth, justice, peace, and most importantly, love.” In excerpts from a 2010 message entitled, “To My Sisters in Christ,” Pastor Parker wrote, “If the truth be told, this congregation, like so many others, would be comparatively impoverished without the preaching, teaching, singing, ushering, organizing, nurturing, and enduring skills of you, our sisters who serve, and have
served, in this segment of God's kingdom. Thank you for the gift of your gifts, and may God Almighty, our Mother and Father, continue to set your hearts aflame for the Kingdom's cause.” Now twenty-eight years later, we can all attest that Pastor and Mrs. Parker practice what they preach. They show love to all members, the seniors, the children, the officers, the men, and the women. Because March is National Women’s Month, let’s focus on the love they show all the females, regardless of age, for their presence and their service. An article in U.S. News article, dated December 9, 2021, reports, “Most major (coninued on page 3)