Zion E-News (6-27-2019)
Two weeks ago now, Rachel and I woke our kids up around 4:30 am, everyone got dressed, double checked backpacks and water bottles and by 5:30 were beginning to hike down the Bright Angel Trail into the Grand Canyon. The Bright Angel is one of two trails that go all the way to the bottom of the Canyon from the south rim, the other being the South Kaibab trail. The Bright Angel is the more used trail and has water in several locations and so is much more family friendly. We had hoped to be able to stay in the Canyon overnight, but did not win the lottery for a backcountry permit this year. So, we planned a day hike to Indian Gardens (an oasis fed by a spring about halfway into the Canyon), which is about a 9 mile hike round trip.
Before we left, we told the kids going into the Canyon is optional, but getting out is mandatory. Heading down, we covered the rocky ground pretty quickly and were resting by a creek in Indian Gardens by 8:15. Within minutes of laying on a picnic table to take a nap, a mule deer came prancing down the creek right by our resting spot. The younger three kids played and hung out by the stream with Rachel, while Ethan and I hiked another 3 miles round trip to Plateau Point to catch a look at the Colorado River weaving its way through the Canyon. And then, by 11, we started making our way back to the top. And this is where the real work and adventure began. Going down 3,000 feet in elevation is way easier than going up 3,000 feet in elevation!
By 12, it was approaching 100 degrees in the Canyon and some of us were getting a little overheated, so we were glad to reach the 3-mile watering hole with its accompanying shelter. We sat in the shade for 45 minutes, soaking our hats and shirts in the cold water, drinking lots of water, and eating some salty food. As we sat, we started talking with other hikers, sharing food, sharing stories, offering advice, counseling people who had not prepared to turn around and not go down any further, and simply enjoying being together with these strangers who had taken on the same challenge as us.
Recently, in a sermon, I talked about how fellowship is not socializing or being friends, but is a community on a mission together. We felt that a little bit in the Canyon two weeks ago. We were bound to these fellow hot, sweaty, dirty, and tired travelers because we had all taken on the same challenge of hiking in the Canyon. Even in the Canyon, mission + community = fellowship.
And how much more so do we find this fellowship when church becomes more than a deliverer of religious goods and services in our lives, but instead becomes a place where we join in the work of God’s mission and share our lives with our fellow Jesus followers. We celebrate together. We mourn together. We plan and dream together. We even do some worrying and disagreeing together, but we do so in pursuit of a shared mission to reach as many as possible in our community with the hope of Jesus Christ.
Connect to God
At a time when the first-century church had been invaded by false teachers, John knew Christians who are not sure of God’s truth could wander away, never to return. He wrote 1 John to help these early believers not only to know the real truth, but to be confident of it, and to rest upon it. If then, why not today? We all urgently need to hear and obey God’s loving message in 1 John and let God’s love shape how we live in this world as light in the darkness bringing hope to the hopeless. In the final chapter of 1 John, we remember that in Christ we have the power to overcome the sin that so easily entangles and entraps us and instead we are enabled to live as truly free and live people of God.
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
We extend our sympathy to Margy Ribbens and the whole family in the death of Rich Ribbens who went to be with his Lord early Tuesday morning, June 25. Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 27, from 2 – 4 and 6 – 8 pm, at Matthysse-Kuiper-DeGraaf in Grandville. The funeral service will be held on Friday at 1 pm at Zion Reformed Church followed by a cake and ice cream reception in the fellowship hall.
We also hold Loren and Myra Renkema in our prayers as Loren came home from the hospital today under hospice care. Prayers for peace and comfort during this difficult time are appreciated.
Hayley Moore continues receiving both chemotherapy and radiation following a recent cancer diagnosis and surgery. Chemotherapy is expected to last about 6 months. The family asks for continued prayers for healing, for strength during this journey, and for minimal side-effects from the chemotherapy. Due to a peanut allergy, the family cannot accept food from homes, but you can donate a giftcard through grub hub if you would like. You can follow this link to learn more.
Our church recently signed up to give everyone access to RightNow Media. I want to share just a couple of resources you can find on the Zion Reformed Church channel on the app. One great resource for kids is What’s int he Bible. Over 13 episodes, Phil Vischer (the creator of Veggie Tales) leads kids through an overview of the Bible and answers some really difficult questions in ways kids can understand. And, the other resource is titled “Read Scripture” and it provides great summaries of the books of the Bible. We use this in our home before reading a book together with our older children and I encourage everyone in my discipleship triad to watch the appropriate video before we read a book together. They provide engaging and solid backgrounds and summaries. They are well worth your time.
As a member or regular attender of Zion you get free access to all these resources. RightNow media can be accessed through a computer, your smart phone or tablet, apple tv, Roku, Fire TV, and more. If you would like to sign-up for Right Now Media, you can do so here.
During the summer, we take a break from our regular children’s programming to allow our teachers have a break from prepping lessons each week. Instead, we show age appropriate Christian videos for kids ages 3 years old through 3rd grade. We are still looking for a few volunteers. Please consider volunteering to help over the summer! It’s a great way to get to know some of the awesome children in our church! You can sign up via the link below, or there’s a sign-up sheet outside of Room 205. Rachel Brower will meet with volunteers each Sunday before church so they know how to run the video. You must have gone through Keeping Kids Safe training and a background check in order to volunteer. If not, Rachel can meet with you to go over our policy. You sign-up through the link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e044cafad2ca2ff2-summer1
Serve the World
Camp Zion began last week and we once again have a great group of kids coming to Zion everyday. The highlight for me, as the pastor, was walking through the lobby on Tuesday morning and seeing dozens of kids sitting around Rachel Verbrugge on the floor in the sanctuary as she led them in prayer. Camp Zion kids have lots of fun activities throughout the summer, but we never forget the most important aspect of camp is the spiritual investments we are making in these kids and their families.
Our Middle School students are having a great week serving in Chicago and learning about issues of poverty and justice in the city. After some mechanical issues with one of the vans, everything is working now and they look forward to returning home on Friday. Make sure to ask a Middle Schooler about their trip and all the ways God showed up during the week when they return.
Administrative Details
During the annual meeting (General Synod) of our denomination, the Reformed Church in America, there was much discussion about the future of our life together. The RCA is the oldest denomination in the United States with a continuous presence since 1628. Historically, we have been an ethnic denomination of Dutch settlers to the US which is why most of our churches are in New York, Western Michigan, Iowa, and California where Dutch people settled. Over the last 50 or so years, we have become an increasingly diverse denomination now including Korean, Portuguese, Venezuelan, Mexican, and African American congregations and more and more multi-ethnic communities as well.
In addition to a growing ethnic diversity, we have also experienced growing theological diversity rooted in what we mean by the authority of scripture and Biblical infallibility which has led to diverse views on issues such as the role of women in the church, social justice, evangelism and human sexuality. These tensions have only grown in our recent history and last year our interim General Secretary proposed forming a team to consider alternative futures for our denomination in light of these rising tensions. They were charged with examining how we could stay together, radically restructure, or gracefully separate and possibly even dissolve the denomination. Earlier this month, the team presented their findings to the General Synod and over the next year, churches are asked to prayerfully consider these alternative futures and also to be in prayer for delegates to General Synod in 2020 as they will be making some important decisions about the future of our denomination.
If you would like to know more about the Vision 2020 process, you can find more information 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: $44,367.28
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $47,420.00
