Zion E-News (7-18-2019)
Over the summer, I have be rereading JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Other than the Bible, there is no book I have read cover to cover more often than this trilogy. It would be no stretch to say these are my favorite books of all time. Earlier this week, I came across a line that seemed particularly fitting for Camp Zion.
At one point in the story, one of the characters, Frodo, is struck by a spear in battle and everyone thinks he has been killed. But surprisingly, the spear has done no more than bruise him. Everyone is amazed he is even alive and the Gandalf says, “There is more about you than meets the eye.”
The same could be said of our Camp Zion staff over the past week. Because of Tom Verbrugge, Jr.’s hospitalization, Camp Director Rachel Verbrugge was not able to be present every day at Camp. Other staff filled in to provide another adult presence this week, but we did not lead camp. Our teen staff, Kimberly Verbrugge, Luke Austin, Julia Reynolds, and Olivia Davis led each days activities, directing other teen and adult volunteers, leading the games, coordinating with drivers, talking with parents, leading devotions and prayer, and more. They leadership skills they demonstrated were impressive.
When you get a chance, take a moment and affirm these young leaders in our church and Rachel Verbrugge for the way she has trained and encouraged these gifts in them.
Connect to God
An angry prophet. A fearsome and hated enemy. An overwhelming storm. And a surprising message of a merciful God to his people. The story of Jonah is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. It is also one of the most misunderstood. Many people, even those who are not religious, are familiar with Jonah: a rebellious prophet who defies God and is swallowed by a whale. But there’s much more to Jonah’s story than most of us realize. As we continue our study of Jonah, we find our prophet confronted by both his own self-centeredness and the surprising righteousness of the pagans around him.
We will also be commissioning our High School mission trip team on Sunday as they prepare to travel to Lincoln, Nebraska on Monday. They will be serving all week at F Street Church (A Christian Reformed Ministry) in Lincoln in a variety of community ministries.
We also welcome Kristian VanNoord, whose work we support. She will be sharing with us about the work of Bethany Christian Services Resettlement efforts in Michigan to welcome and care for refugees arriving in the US after they have been forcibly displaced from their home countries.
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
Tom Verbrugge, Jr. returned home on Monday afternoon and is recovering well after battling a recent infection. They are thankful for the all the meals they received during Tom’s time in the hospital.
We hold Loren and Myra Renkema in our prayers as Loren continues under hospice care. Prayers for peace and comfort during this difficult time are appreciated.
Hayley Moore went through another round of chemotherapy last weekend following a recent cancer diagnosis and surgery. She was in great spirits on Sunday night while playing with her sister and returned home on Tuesday evening. Many have asked if they can assist the family with any meals. Due to a peanut allergy, the family cannot accept food from homes, but you can donate a gift card through grub hub if you would like. You can follow this linkto learn more.
We still have several open volunteer opportunities during August in our Summer Children’s Ministries. You can sign-up outside off Rm. 205 on Sunday or you can sign-up through the link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e044cafad2ca2ff2-summer1
Serve the World
If you are interested in learning about other cultures or exposing your children to other cultures and want to support global mission work, come out to Johnson Park on July 20 from 2-8 pm for a Taste of Bangladesh. All proceeds will go to support Bangla Ministries Worldwide. You will be able to sample Bangla food, see Bangla clothing and play Bangla games as well as enjoy a petting zoo, bluegrass music and a chili cook-off. More information can be found outside the church office or here.
Also, we will once again be collecting donations for School Supply Santa through Sunday, August 4. You can learn more about what is needed in the announcement at the end of this e-mail.
Administrative Details
Mark your calendars, our next Leaders Meeting will be on Sunday, August 25 from 5-7 pm. This will be a great night of food, worship, ministry specific training, and great time with friends. In addition, we will be conducting our annual training about our child protection policies this night. If you volunteer with children or teens in any capacity in our church, you are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting. You cannot serve in these roles without going through this training and a background check. We look forward to see many of you there.
A couple of weeks ago, I shared a little abut the Vision 2020 team and potential changes for our denomination. At General Synod, our national gathering, they shared three broad options for how we could move forward as a denomination given the ongoing tensions around issues of human sexuality. Each of their three options contained several variations of the options. The first option was to do nothing and stay the same. While the Vision 2020 team did not think this was a realistic option, it is a possibility. Alternatively, we could simply rearrange the furniture, so to speak, and focus on key theological beliefs we share in common and allow for permissible differences on a variety of social issues. You can read more about the second option 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: $77,642.74
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $67,973.04
