Reception for Rev. Dr. Marc Gauthier

Posted on March 5, 2026 by blund

On Sunday, March 8th, Rev. Dr. Marc Gauthier will be preaching at Zion and hosting a fellowship reception for all! Everyone in the CCCC and the public are warmly invited.

Zion Evangelical & Reformed Church
760 W 8th St
Garner, IA 50438

Schedule
March 8, 2026
9:30 – Adult Sunday School
10:30 – Worship. Dr. Gauthier will be preaching from Luke 1 on “The Suffering Born From Our Obedience”
4:00 pm – Fellowship Reception and 4Cs Pastors

Rev. Dr. Marc Gauthier
Marc joined the CCCC in 1989. He was ordained at and first served at West Congregational Church in Haverhill, MA under his spiritual father Pastor David Midwood. He was on the CCCC Board of Directors 1997-2000. Marc served as an Army Chaplain for 26 years and then as the CCCC Chaplaincy Endorser from 2018-2023. He served as an international pastoral trainer in Eastern Africa and a Disaster Relief Chaplain with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. His previous pastoral role was Pastor of Discipleship and Leadership Development at Lake City Community Church in Lakewood, WA. Marc’s ministry passions are discipleship, leadership development, and spiritual formation.

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Marriage Family Monday: Help! My Loved One Shames Me

Posted on March 2, 2026 by blund

If someone you care about deeply makes you feel shamed, put down, is there hope in the Lord for what we are facing?

Biblical counselor Lauren Whitman deals with this painful question. Listing several practical steps to take, she notes,

This sounds really painful. How hard to be mistreated by someone who you care about and have a relationship with… and as you prepare and then go to have this conversation with your loved one, I am thankful for God’s presence with you. He is a help and a strength in our times of need, and he will be with you. 

See the whole resource here. Find all our Marriage Family Monday series here.

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Marriage Family Monday: Helping My Elderly Parents With God

Posted on January 26, 2026 by blund

How do we help the older generation, when age, dementia, or Alzheimer’s seems to claim some of their love for the Lord?

Biblical teacher Paul Tripp comments:

Well, it’s hard enough to watch a parent with dementia lose their personhood; I think that’s one of the saddest things for a family to go through…

I, again, just always run to Psalm 103:13, “As a father has compassion to his children, so the LORD has compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust.” I think it’s really, really important to remember that our standing before God doesn’t rest on the degree of our strength or weakness, on our wisdom or foolishness, on our youth or our age, or even on our sin or obedience. Our standing is always and forever based on the perfect righteousness and acceptable sacrifice of Jesus for us.

Read the whole thing here.

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Marriage Family Monday: When Marriage Is Disappointing

Posted on January 19, 2026 by blund

We know that God declared “it is not good for man to be alone” (Gen 2:18), and that He created man and woman to be “one flesh” in marriage. So why does it sometimes feel like marriage is so disappointing?

Disappointment with your marriage is not a sign that you have a bad marriage.

Biblical teacher Paul Tripp reminds us that there has never been a time when marriage didn’t deal with disappointment – and that is good news! Further, God’s Word gives us hope for the disappointment.

See the whole resource here.

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Preparing for Worship Jan 18

Posted on January 15, 2026 by blund

We will be using the following songs and passages from the Word of God in our corporate gathering this Lord’s Day. Please prayerfully use these resources to prepare your hearts to “come into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).

The Word of the Lord:
Isaiah 60:1–5
Acts 2:38–41
Psalm 22:7–10
I Corinthians 7:17–24
II Corinthians 13:14

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs:
O Church Arise
Ps 22 On You Was I Cast
All Glory Be to Christ
Doxology
Take My Life and Let It Be
Gloria Patri

Means of Grace:
Congregational Prayer
Holy Baptism
—
Sermon: Hebrews 10:19–25
“The Calling Of God”
Rev. Brian J. Lund
Foundations 2026

Lord’s Day Activities
Sunday school at 9:15 am
Divine Worship at 10:30 am
Adult Bible Study at 6:30 pm

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All Worship Resources
Zion Home

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Marriage Family Monday: Parenting A Difficult Child

Posted on January 12, 2026 by blund

Are you exasperated trying to parent? Do you feel guilty even reading this, not wanting to acknowledge the struggle with your child? Does the parenting struggle bring you shame, making you wonder if the problem is not your difficult child, but your inadequate parenting?

Christian counselor Julie Lowe writes below how God’s truth in the Word shines a light on these issues. Instead of turning to a formula, turn to Scripture and the Spirit of Christ!

Some of the most burdensome moments for a parent are when it is clear to those around you that your child is defiant or difficult. What are other people thinking? What does this say about me as a parent? They might assume your child’s behavior is a result of inadequate parenting or something else amiss in your home. People may even be bold enough to share their views, without any sense of the shame they are heaping upon you. Those of you with a difficult child understand. You feel marked, and even judged, by your child’s personal struggles. You hang your head around people who “know” about the problem. You assume they see you as a failure. If you were a good parent, surely your children would be well-behaved, love God, and have good manners. After all, their children are not so insubordinate.

If this is how you feel, you may have bought into the belief that good parents produce good children and bad parents produce bad children. At times, this seems downright biblical. If you raise a child in the way he should go, he won’t depart from it, right? So it follows that if you were godly enough, wise enough and patient enough, your child would not be so rebellious. It seems that the right formula is: love plus discipline plus godly instruction = “good” kids. And because, at times, the formula does seem to work, you determine the error must be in your parenting.

Continue reading →
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Preparing for Worship Jan 11

Posted on January 8, 2026 by blund

We will be using the following songs and passages from the Word of God in our corporate gathering this Lord’s Day. Please prayerfully use these resources to prepare your hearts to “come into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).

The Word of the Lord:
Psalm 136:1, 4–6, 26
Deuteronomy 5:7–10
Colossians 1:12–15
Romans 73:23–26
Hebrews 10:19–25
Numbers 6:24–26

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs:
Ps 136 O Thank the Lord of Love
Before the Throne of God Above
Search Me, O God
Doxology
I Will Sing of My Redeemer
Gloria Patri

Means of Grace:
Congregational Prayer
—
Sermon: Hebrews 10:19–25
Dr. Brian Tabb “Drawing Near Through Christ”
Foundations 2026

Lord’s Day Activities
Men’s Ministry Breakfast at 8:00 am
Sunday school at 9:15 am
Divine Worship at 10:30 am
Informational Meeting at 11:45 am

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Marriage Family Monday: My Husband And I Always Fight Over the Same Thing

Posted on January 5, 2026 by blund

Conflict in marriage is hard. Worse? Conflict that continues to emerge with no resolution. What do we do when he just won’t listen? When the wife has gotten louder, has tried the silent treatment, and nothing is working?

CCEF counselor Aaron Sironi says:

wow, you’ve talked to your husband, you’ve had many conversations. They turn into conflicts and yet he’s been unable or unwilling to make really important changes in this area. And I’m thinking the first place that I’m going in my mind as a spouse is to Galatians 6:1… And the problem is, in marriage when our spouse is really struggling and it’s coming up again and again, our temptation is to go to exasperation… And Paul says, restore this person…

Learn what Galatians 6, Matthew 18, and Scripture teach for how to help our spouses when they just. can’t. change. When it seems hopeless, God is our hope!

Read the whole thing here.

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Jan ’26 Newsletter & Calendar

Posted on January 3, 2026 by blund

The Zion Chronicles for January 2026 is now available for download. You can view the document or download it here. Also, we have updated the church calendar for the month. You can view that by month, week, daily, or agenda style, by clicking here.

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Preparing for Worship Jan 4

Posted on January 2, 2026 by blund

We will be using the following songs and passages from the Word of God in our corporate gathering this Lord’s Day. Please prayerfully use these resources to prepare your hearts to “come into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).

The Word of the Lord:
Psalm 102:25–28
James 1:6–8
Malachi 3:6–7
Romans 2:1–4
II Peter 3:8–13
Numbers 6:24–26

Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs:
O God Our Help In Ages Past
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
All Glory Be to Christ
Doxology
Be Still My Soul
Gloria Patri

Means of Grace:
Congregational Prayer
—
Sermon: II Peter 3:9
Rev. Brian J. Lund “The Patience of God”
Foundations 2026

Lord’s Day Activities
Sunday school at 9:15 am
Divine Worship at 10:30 am
Advent Decorations Storage at 11:45 am
Evensong at 5:00 pm

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