Zion E-News (6-7-2018)

This afternoon, our denomination’s annual meeting called General Synod began at Calvin College. Over the next 5 days, delegates from across the country will be electing a new President (volunteer), appointing a new General Secretary (paid staff member who runs the denomination day-to-day), addressing myriad issues of how to do life together as the body, discussing issues ranging from human sexuality to immigration and environmental care. Having attended several times in the past, these meetings can be both inspiring and encouraging (when we celebrate global missions and new church plants) and challenging when theological and value differences become unavoidable and make working together difficult.

Matt Eling will be attending this year as an elder representative of our local body of church the Great Lakes City Classis. And, Tricia Leistra has been attending a clerk’s meeting on behalf of Classis as she is the clerk for our local body. I urge you to join me in praying for all of the delegates and church staff at Synod, and especially for Matt and Tricia, that all they may do may honor God and build up the body of Christ leading to unity, purity, and peace.

Connect to God
On Easter Sunday, God begins a re-creation of the world beginning with the resurrection of Jesus. While we are still waiting for this creation to be fully formed, we as Christians are called to live a Jesus shaped life so that our lives point people both to Jesus and this new world God is making. This week, we consider how Jesus shaped people believe what Jesus believed and live in light of eternity.

This Sunday we have the privilege of ordaining and installing Aaron Huizenga as a deacon.

There are still a few more opportunities to serve and bless the children of our church in our summer Children’s Ministry. You can sign up here.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
On Wednesday morning next week, from 9:30 to 11:30, we will be hosting a play date at our playground. There will be a bounce house, light refreshments, and a great playground for kids. If you home with the kids or grandkids on Wednesday, come join us for a fun morning of play and community.

Tom Verbrugge, Jr. returned home after a brief hospital stay due to dehydration and a skin infection. Please continue to hold Tom and the family in your prayers as he recovers at home.

Carol Vandelin continues her recovery from knee replacement surgery and is doing well at home.

Serve the World
Mark your calendars for this summer’s Neighborhood Park Parties (formerly Hoops and Hotdogs) on June 19, July 3, July 17, and July 31 from 6-7 pm. These are great evenings to connect with neighbors, let the kids get some energy out on the playground, and enjoy a hotdog!

We will once again host a party in our parking lot on the 4th of July to watch the local fireworks beginning at 8 pm on the 4th. If you are able and interested in helping with this event, please contact Troy Austin.

City Chapel will be hosting their first preview service on Sunday, June 17 at 10:15 meeting at City Flats Hotel right downtown. If you want to heck out this new church, show some support to Ron and Anna Radcliffe, or just need an excuse to go downtown, join them in only 2 weeks!

Every year, approximately 1,000,000 young people walk away from the Christian faith. Statistically, most people decide on their faith by the age of 35. The oldest millennial is now 38 and the oldest Generation Z is 18. We are at a peak opportunity to reach and influence the next generations, but so far, we are not doing very well. If trends don’t change, over 40 million young people will leave the faith by 2050. If we can only improve our retention to that of the Gen X generation, that number would fall by 22,000,000. If you want to learn more about how to reach next generations, the opportunities available to us, and how you can be involved, check out www.greatopportunity.org.

Administrative Details
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.
Fiscal Year to date budget:  $10,875.20
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $7,010.00