Zion E-News (8-22-2019)

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School is back in session. Kids hop on busses, Lunches get packed. Bedtime delayed. All the signs of the end of summer are in the air.

The same is true here at church. Carpets are being deep cleaned. Furniture moved around. Rooms decorated. Just this week, Roxie VanderHeide, Heidi Ondersma, Jacki Deiter, and Tami Hewitt were all preparing for the upcoming education year. Tom and Robbi Boeve and Craig Doornbos were busy inn the basement bringing in product for our next Personal Care Pantry distribution. Pastor Rick was preparing the sanctuary for a wedding on Saturday. Rachel Brower was setting up rooms for the Leaders Meeting on Sunday and walking volunteers through their Sunday school rooms and responsibilities.

A lot happens behind  the scenes to make church happen every week. Most is never seen by anyone. It is not done for thanks or credit. Rather, humble people faithfully serve out of love for God and his people. And in the process, God is glorified, out neighborhood is blessed, and children and adults learn a little more about the God revealed in Jesus.

Thank you to all those who serve week after week and year after year.

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. Now that Jonah has preached a sermon that was fair at best, the people listen, repent, and turn from their evil ways. But Jonah is not happy with this outcome. As a matter of fact, he is downright angry and wants to die, not something you would expect after the people responded to his preaching . Why is Jonah so angry? This morning we will continue to try to understand this prophet and what’s bothering him so much that he would rather be dead.

Also during worship, we will celebrate with Justin & Amanda Vasquez the baptism of their son Hayden Henry and with Jesse and Paige Vasquez the baptism of their daughter Kinsley Rose Alice.  As they celebrate their child’s life, we give thanks to God for the gift of new life he has made available to all who believe. We thank God as well for the covenant he has established all the way back with Abraham to include children in his family. We honor this faithful God as we welcome Hayden and Kinsley into the covenant community at Zion.

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 Labor Day weekend, the nursery will move from its current location to Room 207. This will be its new location throughout the year. Other room assignments will occur on the first Sunday following Labor Day as we begin our new education year. All room assignments will be in the bulletin.

Following Labor Day, all adults who are serving in a new role, will be invited to go through some leadership training. We have a great team of coaches to assist in this training. The training will be a combination on-line video and text resources through RightNow Media and face-to-face conversations with a coach and other members of Zion. So, if you are serving in a new role this year, you can expect someone to contact you shortly after the holiday weekend.

If you haven’t yet signed up for RightNow Media, a great free resource of Christian videos for kids and adults alike, you can do so here.

Youth and Worship Pastor Jeremy Zoet will be on sabbatical from August 5 to October 1. During this time he will not respond to calls, texts, or emails. In his absence please direct all communication to the following people:

Worship: Sarah McAnally at (810) 434-6841 or feelinsnappy@gmail.com.
Middle School Youth: Rachel Verbrugge at (616) 258-3291 or verbrugge.family@att.net.
High School Youth: Shanda VandePol at (616) 308-0700 or shandavandepol@yahoo.com.
If an emergency arises, contact Pastor Greg at (616) 340-7785.

Serve the World
In this Sunday’s Moment for Mission, Luke Austin will share an update on the Personal Care Pantry. With Luke heading off to college, Tom Boeve is now leading this ministry. If you would like to be involved, join us Monday 8/26 at 5:30 for setup and prayer; the program is from 6-7pm. There are roles for all types: Are you a people person? You can help take item orders, pray with people, and/or take packages out to vehicles. Not a people person? You can help set up or fulfill orders and run the items from the basement to the narthex. And we can always use more Spanish-speakers for translation!

Administrative Details
Mark your calendars, our next Leaders Meeting will be this 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 seeing you there. In addition, Rob Holland from Lifeline Community Church will be with us to share some stories of what God is doing through your support of Lifeline to change lives in Wyoming.

Thank you to everyone who quickly offered to serve in our children’s minsitry on Sunday night. So many people stepped forward we had to turn some of them down. I was especially impressed by the number of youth who stepped up. We have many students with a habit of service.

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: $133,101.84
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $106,357.05

Consistory Communiqué
Each month, the consistory of Zion will provide a “snapshot” of their discussions, decisions, and points of information to keep the congregation better informed. You are encouraged to contact an elder for additional clarification or discussion.

August Consistory Meeting

  • The Reformed denomination continues to wrestle with questions on sexuality, among other issues. Multiple options to resolve this debate were proposed during Synod 2019 and will be voted on during Synod 2020. As Synod 2020 approaches, consistory is looking at providing more insight and possible teaching on these topics.
  • Following an audit on Camp Zion, Consistory is considering changes that include an increased focus on targeting more academically and socially at-risk kids through West and Central Elementary Schools.
  • One of Zion’s goals for the next 90 days is to begin the process of reviewing and redesigning the youth group ministry.
  • Andrew Moore from Community Reformed in Zeeland has begun the process of planting a church in Grandville. Andrew will be sharing more on this church plant with Consistory in September.