Zion E-News (5-2-2019)

I have been following my aunt and uncle on Facebook a lot this week. My Aunt Ruth has been battling cancer for quite some time now and recently entered hospice care. The whole family (parents, kids, grandkids, and grand-dog) is spending the week in the Outerbanks on the ocean, playing games, sitting on the beach, and simply being together. I find myself praying for them several times a day.

My aunt has always been very strong. I remember 15 years ago, watching my aunt and uncle at my cousin’s visitation after he died from Leukemia and being amazed how they cared for his friends, one after another, for hours that day. Over time, they not only cared for his friends, but also became mentors to others whose children had also died.

I remember as a kid hearing her talk about women’s rights and the importance of equal pay for equal work. And, I remember, when she was interviewed in a “man or woman on the street” feature in a local paper, she said her hero was my uncle. It sounded so 1950s-ish and she is not that. But, she and my uncle both just adore one another.

I share all of this for two reasons. First, I have been reading Philippians with my Discipleship Triad and as I watch my aunt and uncle, I keep thinking of Philippians 4:4-7.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

They are living out this counsel from scripture so well in these days.

And second, we don’t know how long any of us have. Spend your life on the things that really matter. Love your family. Enjoy your friends. Invest in eternity.

Connect to God

Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus prepares to leave his disciples so the Holy Spirit can be sent on Pentecost. As he gives them his final teaching, the disciples ask if Jesus is finally going to establish his earthly kingdom. They have visions of sitting in power at Jesus’ side. Instead of establishing an earthly kingdom, Jesus gives them a vision. He does not give them a plan, but a vision that they will go and proclaim Jesus as Lord in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. God still prefers giving visions over plans. He puts in people and churches visions of what could be rather than detailed step by step plans. Today, we talk about the vision of Zion to raise up leaders and saturate our community with gospel conversations that many might come to know our Lord.

This Sunday, we will also be celebrating the baptism of Joey Elmore, son of Kallie and Zach Elmore. We give thanks to God for the gift of this child and pray for God to both fill him with the Holy Spirit and use him to bring God glory.

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

There is still time to sign up as a Shareholder to support our high school students on their mission trip to Immerse at F Street Church in Nebraska this summer. For a mere $30 donation you will receive an information card about the student you are supporting, a copy of the student written pre-trip devotionals, contact from your student both before and during the trip, and an invitation to the Shareholders dinner where you will not only enjoy great food, but also be able to talk with your student about their trip. More information can be found in your mailbox at church!

It’s that time of year again. Things are starting to grow and hopefully we have seen the last of the snow. With the change of seasons also comes opportunity. Here at Zion our annual church grounds clean up will be this Saturday, May 4, from 8 am until about noon. Come on out and help make our church grounds look great. As always, we will have donuts. Join us for some fellowship and some work.

On Saturday, June 29, Grandville will hold its annual Visser Family YMCA Buck Creek Run. If you are interested in running with people from church, please contact Pastor Rick. For more information check out www.visserfamilybuckcreekrun.com

Serve the World

Camp Zion is an amazing, fun-filled, summer time adventure.  Anyone is welcome to be a part of serving at camp, from teenagers to retirees. Camp runs for seven weeks: June 17 – Aug 1, Monday through Thursday each week, 9am-3pm each day. You can serve one day a week or every day or anything in between. In particular, we are always open to adults who are willing to drive students to and from lunch and field trips. If you would like to know more, please contact Rachel Verbrugge.

We also want to thank all the teens who applied and interviewed to work at Camp Zion this summer. We had another strong group of candidates. Our Camp Zion teen staff this summer will be: Luke Austin (full-time), Kim Verbrugge (full-time), Olivia Davis (part-time), and Julia Reynolds (part-time). Congratulations to all of our summer staff. We look forward to seeing how God will work through you this summer.

If you are interested in learning more about what God is doing in Nepal, there is an opportunity to travel to Nepal and meet with the church planters we support though Jibit Asha. Yakuv Gurung will be leading people from supporting churches to Nepal from September 29/30 to October 10. If you are interested in going, please contact Pastor Greg soon as participation will be set by mid-May.

Administrative Details

Join us on Sunday following worship for our annual congregational meeting. We will meet to approve our budget for the next fiscal year and to appoint our new Elders and Deacons. The meeting occurs during Sunday school and everyone is invited to attend, though only professing members over 18 may vote.

As we continue working with Elevate Architecture to develop a plan for remodeling our building to create a larger gathering area and children’s spaces, the Consistory has formed a building remodel team. The team includes: Pastor Rick, Andy Boeskool, Brian Davis, Sandie Dunn, Kyle VandePol, Roxie VanderHeide, and Arlyn Zoet. The re-model plans continue to be refined and the team hopes to share the final version with Consistory on May 14 and with the congregation soon after.

Our Children’s Ministry redesign team has wrapped up their work and presented a proposal to Consistory at their April 9 meeting. Their goal is to reshape our Children’s programming to align more closely with a vision of raising up leaders in our church and reaching our community with the gospel through church planting. The team includes Rachel Brower, Sean McAnally, Heidi Ondersma, Jackie Deiter, and Megan Taylor. They presented their recommendations to Consistory and will be meeting with Consistory again in May to continue their productive conversation.

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:  $522,009.60
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $517,202.37