Zion E-News (5-9-2019)

Zion E-News (5-9–2019)

On Monday this week, Jim Peterson, Josh Sander, and I served as delegates to the annual Regional Synod of the Great Lakes meeting. The Regional Synod includes all of the churches in our denomination in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky and accounts for about 20% of the average weekly worship attendance of our denomination. Typically, much of these meetings are filled with administrative decision, but this year, we spend 2-3 hours in training with Trisha Taylor.

Trisha has worked with numerous pastors and churches in our denomination teaching them to learn how to stay calm, connected, while maintain clear opinions and values in the midst of change through the lens of Family Systems Theory. There has always been change in our culture and in churches, but as many have noted, churches are steadily moving into uncharted territory. As the culture continues to change and churches move more and more to the periphery of most people’s lives, we need to learn how to do ministry in a culture most of us couldn’t have imagined 20 or 30 years ago.

At my table, one person noted that there is very little in our American culture that everyone can agree on or enjoy. We divide by age, by gender, by ethnicity, by political persuasion, and so on. But, the one thing every subculture shares is a tendency to argue and vilify and sever relationships with those who disagree with us. She wondered what witness we might have if the church both learned and became known for being a place where people can disagree and still love one another as Jesus loves us.

If you want to learn more about Family Systems Theory and how these skills can help us stay connected in the midst of change or simply lead better at church, in our careers, and with our families, you can check out her great book, The Leaders Journey, or her website.

Connect to God

On Thursday, Jesus was a famous teacher. On Saturday he was dead in the grave and the movement he had started was as good as dead. But when he burst forth from the tomb, Christianity came to life as well. We are and always will be an Easter shaped people. Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at the last few stories from the Gospel of John to catch some glimpses of the kinds of people God has called us to be as we follow our risen Savior. This Sunday, as we reflect on John 20:24-31, we acknowledge the reality of our doubts, the questions that always accompany faith, and the God who accepts us in our doubts and offers us life in his son.

This Sunday, we will celebrate communion, also called The Lord’s Super or the Eucharist. This is the family meal of Christians.  We invite all committed followers of Jesus Christ to partake of this sacrament: those who are baptized members of a congregation that proclaims the gospel, who are at peace with God and with their neighbor, and who seek strength to live more faithfully for Christ.  If you are not a Christian, or if you are not prepared to share in this meal, we encourage you to spend this time in prayer.  We hope that this time is helpful to you as you consider your relationship with Jesus Christ and with His people, the church.

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 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.

Administrative Details

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.

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:  $532,884.80
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $524,614.37