Zion E-News (10-18-2018)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28

Earlier this fall, the new show Manifest came out. It tells the story of passengers on a plane who leave for a short flight that mysteriously disappears. Five years later, the plane reappears with all the passengers. But, none of them have aged at all. they all believe they have only been gone a few hours, but 5 years have passed. It feels like it could become a show like lost tied up in all sorts of mysterious plot twists as we try to figure out what actually happened.

The old show Lost had a series of numbers key to its mystery and so does Manifest. In Manifest the key numbers are 828. They leave on flight 828. Children are rescued from a house with the address 828. And, there is a pillow with Romans 8:28 embroidered on it on the flight. In the first few episodes, a strange voice tells these former passengers to do some strange things that lead to saving other people. They are being led to bring about the common good.

I was talking to a good friend recently who has been through a rough couple of years, but has recently begun to see what God was doing in the midst of the pain. Sometimes we are lucky to quickly see how God is using all things for the good of those who love him.

But often we don’t. We battle cancer. We go through a painful divorce. A child struggles with depression or anxiety. We lose a job. And, it may be years before we ever see what God was doing in the midst of our struggle.

And sometimes these difficulties never makes sense to us. But, even then, we can hold onto the promise of Romans that in all things, the delightful and the difficult, God is working for the good of those who love him. May we all rest in this hope no matter the struggles we face.

Connect to God
After God rescues the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt, he brings them to Mt. Sinai where he gives them the law, which includes the 10 Commandments. These commandments are not guidelines for all humanity, but a call from God to live as a counter-cultural community. They produce a people who in our daily lives live as a sign, a signal, and a witness that God has not left the world to its own devices. Instead, God has come to rescue, save, and restore all that has been broken and marred by sin. This sixth week of our series, we consider the call of God to be not only a people who don’t murder, but who honor life.

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
This week Sunday is “Say It Day” for our Sunday school students. The kids are saying Psalm 47:7-8. Those who know the verse can also get a prize. So, ask your child their memory verse and encourage them to plant God’s word deep in their heart.

Serve the World
Eddy Aleman (General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America) sends out a bi-monthly e-mail with a short meditation on scripture and several prayer requests for our denomination. This week, he asks for prayer for a renewed focus on mission and ministry in the RCA, wisdom for the 20/20 team that is working to envision a way forward as our denomination wrestles with different understandings of how to respond to our LGBTQ brothers ands sisters, and for our churches across the US and Canada as they strive to do life together. You can read his e-mail here or sign up for future e-mails here.

Currently, Zion supports two different church planting efforts in Nepal. We support Jibit Asha International through our budget and have given to Good News Nepal through love offerings. Both organizations are focused on raising up pastors and planting churches in one of the most unreached people groups in the world. You can learn about both these organizations and their missions in Nepal here and here.

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting will be on November 4 from 5-7 pm. We look forward to a great evening of fellowship, worship, and some training. Each of our ministry teams will have some specific training and discussion centered on their work together and then as a whole we will think together about Living with Limits as followers of Jesus. We will talk about setting boundaries, sharing the load, and the gift of limits as we served a limitless God. Its going to be a great night. Come and join us! You can sign-up through the Connection Cards on Sunday or by sending an e-mail here.

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:  $217,504.00
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $219,548.287