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Zion Lutheran Church
Zion Lutheran Church
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Welcome to Life at Zion!

Welcome to Zion! (click here)

To read the story of our famous "Rainbow Doors," click here.

To meet Zion's Leadership Team, click here.

To meet Zion's Congregation Council, click here.

To answer the question "What is a Lutheran?" click here.

To learn more about our denomination, click here.

Welcome to Zion!

We are a community of love, hope, safety, and forgiveness for all people. Jesus is Lord in this place, offering food for the hungry, living water for the thirsty, and healing for the whole world. We are so glad you are here.


We believe God loves you for who you are, as you are – no exceptions. We welcome you in the spirit of God’s unconditional love, whatever your race, culture, ethnicity, age, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, socioeconomic position, family status, or background.


We believe our mission at Zion is to make a kingdom impact, and our “ministries under the cross” reflect God's calls for justice, kindness, love, and peace. We commit ourselves to the work of anti-racism, social and economic justice, and reconciliation in all its forms, and invite you to join us in this important work.


You are welcome here, because we are the Church together. The body of Christ has many members, and without all members of the body, we are incomplete. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, there is a place at Zion for you to belong.

The Story of "The Doors"

On February 2, 2020, Zion was visited by a group of protesters from Westboro Baptist Church, a nationally-known hate group infamous for picketing churches and military funerals.  They had made known their intention to visit, and Zion's leadership decided to counter their message in several strategic ways.  That morning, we rolled out the piano and spent an hour before our worship service singing hymns about love, justice, and compassion for all.  We did so next to a display of doors, lovingly curated and painted by Drew Shimkus and Bruce Elkins (with assistance from Michele Clancy).  The doors, painted in the colors of the LGBTQIA+ flag, represented our commitment to love our neighbor for who they are with no exceptions.  Since then, our commitment has not changed and these doors have become one of Zion's signature images; our resolve has also strengthened in the belief that we could and would do more to speak out publicly for all those who have been marginalized by the church and our society.

At Zion, we believe that God's doors are open to everyone!

At Zion, we believe that God's doors are open to everyone!

We are an RIC congregation, offering a radical welcome to all people!

Zion is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community.

We believe God loves you for who you are, as you are – no exceptions. We welcome you in the spirit of God’s unconditional love, whatever your race, culture, ethnicity, age, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, socioeconomic position, family status, or background.

Our Leadership Team

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt serves as our Church Administrator.

Synodically-Authorized Minister

954-421-3146, Option 2

kschmidt@zion-lutheran.org


Lover of iced coffee, syndicated sitcoms, and non-fiction books (especially biographies and memoirs), Kurt is a son, grandson, uncle, an expert at canes, wheelchairs, scooters, and a beloved child of God.


Kurt serves as our Synodically-Authorized Minister, with the bishop's authority to preach and administer the sacraments, provide pastoral care, and oversee Zion's mission and ministries. Previously, Kurt served as our Senior Cantor and Church Administrator.  Before joining Zion in these roles, Kurt was a full-time teacher in Christian schools for a decade.

Cantor Peter J. Rizzo

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Peter J. Rizzo serves as our Associate Cantor and Music Enrichment Specialist for our Preschool.

Cantor

(954) 421-3146, Option 2

peterjohnrizzo@gmail.com


A musician's musician and one zealous for the coming of the Lord, Peter is a father, son, friend, and a beloved child of God.


Peter serves as our Cantor, assisting with playing for worship and preschool chapels and providing musical enrichment for the preschoolers. When Peter first came to Zion in 2013, he did so after 30 years as a church musician and teacher in the New York public schools. In the final years of Zion's school, he served the K-12 music teacher. In between his tenures at Zion, Peter has been a street evangelist full-time, bringing the Gospel to the streets, showing and sharing the love of Jesus.


Mrs. Erica Blankenship

Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt

Mrs. Erica Blankenship

Erica Blankenship serves as the director of our preschool, Evergreen Academy of Zion.

Preschool Director

(954) 421-3146, Option 4

eblankenship@zion-lutheran.org


Passionate about her family, her country, and all things Disney, Erica is a wife, mother, grandmother (call her Gorgeous), friend, and a beloved child of God.


Erica serves as the Director of our Preschool, Evergreen Academy of Zion Lutheran Church.  Evergreen Academy's ministry includes over twenty teachers and staff members and almost 100 students. Erica came to Zion in 2019 with over 30 years of experience in early childhood education as a teacher, administrator, and peer educator.

Mrs. Janel Rafael

Mrs. Erica Blankenship

Janel Rafael serves as the assistant director of our preschool, Evergreen Academy of Zion.

Preschool Assistant Director

(954) 421-3146, Option 3 

jrafael@zion-lutheran.org

Ms. Desiree Fromme

Ms. Desiree Fromme

Preschool Assistant Director

(954) 421-3146, Option 3 

evergreen@zion-lutheran.org

Our Congregation Council

Dr. Robin Larson, President

Ms. Michele Clancy, Esq., Secretary

Dr. Robin Larson, President

Mrs. Gail Schmidt, VP

Ms. Michele Clancy, Esq., Secretary

Dr. Robin Larson, President

Ms. Michele Clancy, Esq., Secretary

Ms. Michele Clancy, Esq., Secretary

Ms. Michele Clancy, Esq., Secretary

Mrs. Debbie Burns

Ms. Michele Clancy, Esq., Secretary

Ms. Michele Clancy, Esq., Secretary

Mr. Scott McElroy

Mrs. Deb Raphael

Pastor Jonathan Gantt, Administrative Vice Pastor

Pastor Jonathan Gantt, Administrative Vice Pastor

What is a Lutheran?

A Lutheran is a Christian: one who trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior.

As a Christian denomination, our beginnings go back to the evening of October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther (a professor and pastor) nailed his 95 Theses Against the Sale of Indulgences (promissory notes guaranteeing admission to heaven) to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  What began as an invitation to discussion grew into a movement aimed at reforming the established church.


Like other Christians, we accept the Bible as the Word of God, the true and trustworthy (infallible) source of God's love and guidance.  We also profess the same ancient creeds (statements of belief) as billions of other Christians worldwide.


We emphasize the teaching of justification by faith, the belief that a person is saved by grace through having faith in Jesus Christ, and not by works or anything a person does.  We distinguish between law (what God does for us) and gospel (what we do for God).  We celebrate two sacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper).  We call them the means of grace, because we receive God's grace through the water, bread, and wine.


Worldwide, Lutherans that accept the Augsburg Confession (written in 1530) as an accurate explanation of their beliefs belong to the Lutheran World Federation, based in Geneva, Switzerland.  In the United States, there are three major Lutheran groups: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).  

Our church is based in the writings and teachings of Martin Luther, a 16th century German reformer.

What is the ELCA?

We are Lutheran.

We are church together.

We are church together.

We are a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, based in Chicago, IL.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with about 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 


The national level of the ELCA is referred to as the "churchwide organization" (because the ELCA extends beyond the boundaries of the United States into the Bahamas and the Caribbean).  The churchwide organization is based out of the Lutheran Center in Chicago where Its staff and elected officers work as administrators, advisors, conveners, partners and resource people for the ELCA and its ministries. (ELCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)

We are church together.

We are church together.

We are church together.

We are a congregation of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the ELCA, based in Tampa, FL.

We are proud to be a congregation of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, along with 176 other congregations and over 49,000 baptized members.


A synod, like a diocese, is a geographical division of a larger (national) area.  The ELCA's 65 synods vary greatly in size, geography, membership, staffing and program. Synods unite the work of congregations within their areas, serve as regional support, and guide pastoral and other staff members.

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Zion — Ministries Under the Cross

959 SE 6th Avenue, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

(954) 421-3146

Copyright © 2025 Zion — Ministries Under the Cross – All Rights Reserved.


Zion is a community of faith based in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and a congregation of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Zion is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) community, and extends God's radical welcome to all people, because we're all created in God's image.

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