IT ALL STARTS WITH A SEED...
At Zion Covenant Church, we invite people from all walks of life to join us in our mission to PLANT, GROW, & HARVEST. It comes from a metaphor that Jesus used to teach about our faith journey. It's called the story of the sower and the seed:
PLANT
“A Farmer went out to sow his seed.” - Luke 8:5
In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus explained that the seed is God’s Word planted in the hearts and minds of people. Our mission is to spread the Good News of Jesus and invite people to follow Him.
Matthew 13:23 - But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
GROW
"Grow in grace & understanding of Jesus." - 2 Peter 3:18
Any seed planted is expected to grow. So we commit to cultivating and growing in our life with God. Our desire is to be closer to God in community; encouraging and challenging, depending on and supporting each other in our journey together with Jesus.
Ephesians 4:15 - God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love - like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.
HARVEST
"What a huge harvest...How few workers." - Matthew 9:37
Jesus said it best when he told his followers that the harvest was plentiful but the workers are few. We seek to partner with Christ, knowing we are sent into the world to Love God and Love others, teaching everyone about Jesus as we live our lives inside and outside of our walls here at ZCC.
John 15:5 - I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.
The Zion Team
sULLIVAN “SULLY” KEEHR
LEAD Pastor
Sullivan (Sully) Keehr grew up on a 12-acre sheep farm just outside Little Falls, MN, spending most summers working on his grandparents’ farm down the road. Growing up in the local church, he heard his call to ministry senior year of high school, which led him to Bethel University for both undergrad and seminary. Sullivan finished his M. Div. at Bethel Seminary in January ‘22, and married his wife Laura a few months later in March. He has interned for and worked at a few ECC churches within the Twin Cities over the last decade. During that time he has aimed toward discipling others to build stronger faith, community, and develop their own sense of calling to serve God’s Kingdom in Christ’s name.
Jessica Penn
Director of Worship
Born and raised in Ellsworth, Jessica Penn is our Director of Worship and has been since December 2012. She is an accomplished musician, singer, and violin teacher in the local school districts. Jessica is married to her husband, Billy and they have two boys, William and Henry. You can find Jessica at church rehearsing with the Worship Team on Wednesday nights or on Sunday mornings. Jessica is passionate about leading people in worship; celebrating and singing of Jesus and His great love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.
Frequently Asked Questions
+ Q1. Zion Covenant - That's a Strange Name for a Church?
Zion is the name for the ancient City of Jerusalem, the city where people would come and worship God and celebrate His goodness and His grace. Covenant - simply means "to promise" - it comes from the name of our larger church family, The Evangelical Covenant Church of America.
+ Q2. What's Worship Like? Do I Need to Dress Up?
The worship team leads in contemporary worship. Our Pastor teaches about God and His role in our lives. Dress up or dress down, we don't care.
+ Q3. What Kind of Church is Zion Covenant?
Zion is a part of the Evangelical Covenant Church which gathers around the central truth of the Bible: YOU MATTER TO GOD. We are constantly seeking to grow in our relationship with Christ and to invite others into their own relationship with God and His people. We are striving to understand what God is doing in the world around us and seeking to join with Him whether it be right here in Ellsworth, Pierce County, or around the world.
+ Q4. What Time Do You Worship?
We invite you to join us to celebrate life among a vibrant, compassionate community of people as we worship Christ, study God's Word and serve our community. Currently, during the summer, we gather to worship on Sunday mornings at 9:30am.
+ Q5. What Is There For Our Children?
We offer ZionKids on Sunday morning. ZionKids is a Bible-based children's ministry for kids preschool through 5th grade. On Sunday mornings full nursery care and ZionKids for children pre-K through 5th grade, is offered during the teaching time. Learn more about all our ministries here.
+ Q6. Does Zion have a Youth Ministry?
In partnership with Bethel Covenant Church, FUSION was created. FUSION is our Youth Ministry for students in 6th through 12th grade. Our goal as a church is to make discicples of Jesus that make disciples of Jesus. We strive to do this with adults and with our young people. Learn more about Fusion.
+ Q7. You Really Just Want Our Money Right?
Nope, in fact, if you are our guest we don't expect you to give during the offering time. Simply put, your visiting with us is a gift enough!
have a question we haven't answered yet?
Get in touch! We'd love to answer your questions and get to know you better.