Zion reaches out with the love of Christ to our neighbors near and far, ministering directly to others' needs or sharing our resources with those who do so on our behalf. Here are several of the ways we do this:

Zion's Parish Nurse, Elizabeth Biegler, RN, and her assistants offer blood pressure checks the 1st Sunday of each month following the 9:00 worship service. She is also at the church most Wednesday mornings to assist you with any health-related matter. You can contact her at any time through the Parish Office at (309) 637-9150 or e-mail her at Zion.
 

Zion is engaged in preparations to call an ELCA Associate in Ministry as a Missionary to Prisons. Zionite Karen Wong, AIM, has been serving as a prison chaplain on behalf of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and was founding Director of Project Return of Central Illinois, which partners with incarcerated mothers returning to the community, in Springfield.

Our prayer is that we be able to call her as a missionary on behalf of this congregation and our sister churches that she may continue her ministry in the Peoria area. For information on this new ministry contact Zion's Parish Office at (309) 637-9150 or e-mail us.

Zion's Senior Citizens' Activity Center, which opened in 1971, meets most Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm from September through May. We invite you to join us for this fellowship. Several times a year lunch is a pot-luck meal or a holiday party. The rest of the time, we invite you to bring your own sack lunch.

Zion's Summer Senior Fellowship, which began in 2002, meets the Wednesdays of June through August beginning at 9:30 am. Get out of your house for friendly fellowship. Sack lunch at Noon, and stick around afterwards into the mid-afternoon.

The Women of Zion collect labels from Campbell's Soup products for the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission at Many Farms and Rock Point, Arizona.

They also collect used postage stamps for Tubfrim a humanitarian organization owned by the Norwegian Health Service.

His Helping Hands, Inc., is a local Christian ministry that provides home repairs for the elderly or disabled people who meet income guidelines, cannot do such repairs themselves, and have no able-bodied family members who can do the work.

For 2007 Zion has designated the monthly "Noisy Offering" of coins for His Helping Hands.

Through offerings and volunteer activities, Zionites support the work of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois in bringing healing and wholeness to people through an array of services in Peoria and across Illinois. LSSI's services include Behavioral Health Services (counseling, mental health, substance abuse treatment and developmental disabilities services), Foster Care and Adoption, and Senior Services (Community, Housing Management and Nursing Care Services) and Prisoner and Family Ministry.

Zionites particularly support LSSI's Prisoner and Family Ministry, which co-ordinates chaplaincy services for persons incarcerated in several federal and state correctional facilities in Central Illinois, provides for visits and other services for the families of those in prison, and co-ordinates LSSI's Storybook Project for incarcerated parents and their children.

Zionites also volunteer in other LSSI ministries, including the annual Foster Child Christmas Gift collection and the Church Mouse -- a thrift store run by the Lutheran Women of the Greater Peoria Area for the benefit of LSSI and Lutheran Hillside Village.

Zion is one of 25 sponsoring Covenant Congregations of Lutheran Hillside Village, a continuing care retirement community on Peoria's northeast side.

Established in 1963 as a retirement home called The Lutheran Home of Greater Peoria, the Village is "Central Illinois's most comprehensive community for seniors, offering the finest in residential living, assisted living, Alzheimers assisted living, and long-term nursing care."

In 2005 Zion joined with several other Northern Conference congregations in building a home in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Peoria Area. Since then we have assisted in the building still more Habitat homes through Thrivent Builds, a program of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Since 1989 Habitat has built or renovated more than 60 simple, decent, affordable homes in Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties.

Zion is also a long-time supporter of the ELCA World Hunger Appeal which has been responding to hunger around the world and at home since 1974.

By clicking the button on the right, you can help alleviate world hunger right now while looking at this page.

Zion is one of 28 Northern Conference congregations that sponsor the airing of Grace Matters, the ELCA's radio ministry with host Pastor Peter Marty, at 7:30 am each Sunday on WIRL 1290 AM in Peoria. Formerly called Lutheran Vespers, Grace Matters has been broadcast across the U. S. and abroad since 1947. Check for a broadcast near you or listen to a Webcast.

Zion's Quiet Heroes regularly make whole blood and apheresis donations to the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross.

On the first Sunday of each month, Zionites bring items for the Food Pantry of the South Side Mission. Also, during Advent our Mitten Tree is set up to collect mittens and other winter gear for children served by the Mission.

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Copyright © 2002-2008 Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peoria. All rights reserved.
Created -- 1 May 2002
Last Revised -- 9 February 2008