Thirty years ago, 30 Clarkston area men and women founded a church, Mt. Zion on Maybee Road.
Now with a congregation of 2,500 families, the church leads an international ministry, serving people around the world.
‘We are actually like a 24/7 ministry we have something going on all the time,” said Pastor Loren Covarrubias. “We have programs for just about everything you can think of, really.?
Mt. Zion celebrated its anniversary with music and a Crossing-over procession to their new auditorium, which seats 3,300 people.
‘Sunday night was just a big celebration. A lot of music and things like that,” Covarrubias said. “We’re launching our ministry more to the nations.”
The procession was led by the founding group of 30, which includes Covarrubias.
‘We mostly were celebrating what we feel to be God’s faithfulness to us as we’ve been serving in these years. And for me the reason I wanted the 30 originals to be part of the celebration is also celebrating the faithfulness of the people in the church. They were so important in building the church and fulfilling the purposes of the church,? Covarrubias said.
Their international outreach includes a Spanish ministry, with Latin-American flavored music and service in Spanish. About 300 take part, Covarrubias said.
They have also started a church in El Salvador, and also travelled to Peru.
“A group of people down there gave us a TV station,” he said. “So we feel it’s time to lift our vision a little higher to the nations.?
Covarrubias took a trip to Lima, Peru, with Ruben Hilario, who was at the church to do his six-month internship since graduating with a communications degree in Lima, Peru. When he went to the church he worked in the TV ministry and also became involved in the Spanish music ministry and he eventually became the pastor of that.
‘I went down with him one time, and when we did that’s when they gave us the TV station down there. So, that just opened a whole new door of opportunities so that was a real exciting development for us,? Covarrubias said.
The TV station, Groupo Pacifico Communications, is only on the internet here and they’re hoping to get it on satellite so it will go throughout North and South America. Groupo Pacifico communications involves a TV station, radio station, internet and print.
The church’s community outreach includes The District on Baldwin Road, a coffeehouse entertainment venue for Christians. The church also offers life enrichment classes, and basketball and skate park with Waterford Christian Association, he said.
The church was founded in 1977 by Loren and other members of a weekly Bible class, meeting in the basement of his mother, Jean Covarrubias.
They bought a building on Clintonville Road in 1979. In 1990, the congregation moved to 4900 Maybee Road, buildling a church able to seat 1,200 people, and offering classroom and meeting space.
The church hosts Mt. Zion Theatre Company and Mt. Zion School of Performing Arts. For Easter, they will be putting on a presentation called ‘The Passion of Mary?, which will be the crucifixion and resurrection from Mary’s eyes, Covarrubias said.
They also offer in-depth training in counseling, teaching, ministerial care, television production and other ministries.
The new auditorium will open in March.