Zion E-News (9-12-2019)

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Eighteen years ago, Rachel and I flew to Long Island to meet with the search team of a church in Hicksville, NY. Only a few months after 9/11, the sense of fear and anxiety and firm resolve remained palpable. Stories were told of their members who worked in Manhattan or who came as first responders to Ground Zero. There was something healing in sharing and hearing their stories.

This week, I heard a new story about 9/11 from someone who had lived in the Middle East on 9/11. The story began with their own disbelief at the news as rumors and fears slowly became hard facts. Horns honking in celebration at first when people thought it had only been the Pentagon that had been attacked. And then an eery quiet over a large city as news of the twin towers falling spread. The first half of the story fit many of my fearful stereotypes of Islam in the middle east.

But then, the story took a sudden turn. Many Americans all gathered in one house to grieve and try to make sense of the events of the day when they heard a knock on the door, When they opened the door, a group of bearded men stood in the doorway. They were the Imams of the city (think Islamic pastors). They expressed their sympathy for the Americans and their own grief at the loss of life. And then they asked if there was anything they or their congregations could do for these Americans during such a terrible time.

They did not need to come over. They had not been involved in the attacks themselves. They could have kept thoughts and prayers to themselves. They may have worried they would be rejected by these Americans. But they took a chance and came to grieve with and offer support to those whom the extremists wanted to paint as enemies.

I am reminded of Paul today who dedicated his life to reconciling both Jews and Gentiles to God, but also to one another in Christ. He wrote of this mission in 2 Corinthians 5 when he said:

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

So much in our world seeks to divide and make us fear one another, may we instead be the people who see the image of God in every person and be the ones who reach across all divisions with the love and grace of our God, even when we fear others may reject our outstretched hands.

Connect to God

Have you ever felt strapped for cash? Like the money can’t quite stretch to cover all the bills? Like you keep working, but you can’t get ahead? We continue a 5 week series looking to God for his wisdom about our money so we can move from being strapped to free. In this second week, we look to scripture to think carefully about the roll of debt in our lives and how to be free.

As we begin our formal education year, we will also commission our teachers, youth leaders, and small group leaders during worship on Sunday.

We welcome Jeremiah and Mary Kuria in worship this Sunday as they share an update on their ministry in Kenya and renew friendships with Zion both new and old.

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
Teresa Beute was released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Linda Tuit is recovering at home from surgery to repair a detached retina.  Continue to pray for the Moore family as Hayley undergoes  another round of inpatient chemotherapy this weekend. Continue to pray for those in our congregation who deal with ongoing health issues.

We extend our sympathy to Maurie & Lorraine Lemmen in the death of Maurie’s twin sister, Bea Feddema who went to be with her Lord on September 11.  Funeral services will be held 12:00 Noon Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 2nd Christian Reformed Church, 3015 Nichols Rd, Kalamazoo, MI. The family will greet relatives and friends from 10:00AM until time of service on Saturday at Church.

Our Sunday School ministry will begin last Sunday. Following is some important information for the year:

  • Our kid’s programming will go until 10:50. If church gets out before that, feel free to grab a cup of coffee & chat until pick-up time.
  • Kids ages birth-4th grade need to be checked in. (5th graders are “grandfathered” in this year, and don’t need a name tag.)  Kids 3rd grade and younger must be checked out, but 4th & 5th graders are free to leave on their own.
  • We’re encouraging kids birth-age 3 to be dropped off before church starts in their classrooms.
  • Kids in Kindergarten-5th will start out as a large group in Room 205, and then split into age-based small groups.
Here are the room assignments for this year:
  • Nursery – Room 207 (where the 3 yr. olds were last year)
  • 3 yr. olds – Room 208
  • 4 yr. & young 5’s – Room 206
  • Kindergarten – Room 203
  • 1st grade – Room 204
  • 2nd/3rd grade – Room 209
  • 4th & 5th grade – Chapel/Youth Room

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. If you are serving in a new role this year, you can expect someone to contact you in the next 7 to 10 days..

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
Sarah McAnally and Tracy Lobbes are busy preparing for an upcoming trip to Nepal (they will leaven early October) to meet with and learn more about our church planting efforts in that country through our partnership with Jibit Asha. Please join in pray for them and their families for both safety and a fruitful time of learning and minsitry. We look forward to hearing about their experiences and learnings when they return.

Administrative Details
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: $166,377.30
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $129,962.05

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.

September Consistory Meeting

  • Vision Sunday will take place on Sunday, October 27. Pastor Greg will share in depth the vision God has laid on consitory with the congregation. A vision that includes raising up leaders who seek to share Christ in their community and to plant churches in our community to reach people for Christ. Part of our vision includes addressing our building through a remodeling project, and October 27 will mark the launch of our capital campaign. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending Zion for this exciting day!
  • Andrew and Ellen Moore from Community Reformed in Zeeland met with Consistory to share their vision for planting a church in Grandville, a vision that includes using house churches to build greater community and advance the gospel! Zion’s leadership continues to discuss what a possible partnership may look like with Community Reformed and Andrew and Ellen.
  • A motion was passed to approve the start of a Kids’ Hope ministry, led by Troy Austin, in partnership with Bursley Elementary. Stay tuned for more information on how you can become a mentor to an at-risk student in our community!
  • If you have comments or questions for Consistory to consider, or would like an elder to reach out to you to discuss anything, please consider using this form.