Zion E-News (6-25-2020)

We held a hymn sing last night at church. While the hymn sing did not last long, it was so good to see people from Zion face-to-face. After singing and a short devotion, we enjoy some ice cream, lots of conversation, and Judy Heuvelhorst told me a hilarious joke.

After months of limited interaction, I am reminded how deeply we need relationships. We are made to see people and be known by other people. As God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” It will be so good to worship together again in a few weeks.

As we see Covid-19 cases rise across the southern US, I am also reminded of the importance of following good hygiene and safe social distancing practices. As we gather in a few weeks, please remember to stay home if you are feeling even a little sick, wash your hands, wear a mask indoors or if you are within 6 feet of others, and as much as possible to stay 6 feet away from people who do not live in your home. These are simple ways to obey Christ’s command to love one our neighbors, especially those among who serve at-risk populations and those in our congregation who are at great risk.

It will be so good to be together and we would all feel terrible if our worship service became a cause for an outbreak of the disease in our community.

Connect to God
This Sunday we will once again gather for worship online. You can join the service at:
zionreformed.online.church<
Zion’s Facebook Page
WCET (at noon on Friday and 4pm on Sunday)
Physical Copy of the Sermon mailed to you (please request from Connie Stegeman at cstegeman@zionreforned.org)

Beginning July 19, we will hold in-person worship at 9 and 11 am. The 9 am service will be held outside near the playground on the western edge of our property. If you plan on attending this service, please remember to bring your own chair and to practice safe physical distancing. The 11 am service will occur indoors and require everyone to wear a mask and also follow physical distancing practices. If you are not comfortable attending at this time, please remember the 11 am service will also be live-streamed from zionreformed.church.online.

We continue our sermon series on Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. Written from prison, this letter is often referred to as Paul’s letter of joy. Looking back over the past 6 months, we have seen: the impeachment of the president, a global health crisis, an economic crisis, and the racial tensions rooted in oppression that began 400 years ago came to the surface in some significant ways. In addition to the national anxiety, personally we have all  limited travel, dealt with the anxiety of the unknown, worried about our finances, felt the isolation of physical distancing, and the relational stresses all of this has added to life. We come to this letter of joy carrying our own unique burdens, but in it we see the power of focusing on Jesus even in the midst of our struggles. This week, Paul urges us in chapter 3 to find our worth in Christ, not our religious deeds and to find a mentor to guide us on the path of discipleship.

You are invited to join us for a coffee hour after church via a zoom call. The link will be shared during the service in the chat box. Last week, we had about 8 families join us for a brief talk in response to the sermon and just to catch up. You can learn more about how to use Zoom at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E

Grow in Community
Join us at 9 am for Zion Kids Worship/Sunday School. We will be live streaming directly from the same website where you already watch our worship service. You can find the Kids Worship time at https://zionreformed.online.church. Zion Kids Worship online worship will end for the summer when we begin worshipping again on Jul19. Kids worship will also take a break on July 5 due to the 4th of July holiday.

While we have not been able to meet together face-to-face, our Elders, Deacons and Pastor Rick have been doing a great job touching base with members over the age of 60 every couple of weeks. As our time apart has grown, our Consistory has recognized the need to expand our care to those under 60 as well. To that end, we are forming Covid-19 Connect Groups until we are able to meet together regularly as a congregation Each person under 60 who is not already in a small group or discipleship triad is being randomly assigned to one of these groups. The leaders will be calling to check-in on members every couple of weeks and, now that they are allowed, planning an opportunity each month to meet physically together. If you would like more information, please contact me at gbrowerzionreformed.org.

We also still have numerous Discipleship Triads meeting. If you would like to learn more about how you can connect with other people at Zion to encourage one another to follow Jesus well, send me an e-mail and I can help get you connected.

Serve the World
We continue accepting donations of personal care items and food on Wednesdays from 1-3 pm at church. We are partnering with Sunrise Ministries in Jenison for a weekly distribution. We also continue our monthly partnership with UCOM through our Personal Care Pantry. For the next few weeks, all Personal Care Items will be shared with Lifeline Community Church for their next distribution in Wyoming this Saturday. Thank you for your support of these important ministries at this time.

If you and others that you know would be willing to serve, Sunrise Ministries (in coordination with Love Inc and local churches) is in need of volunteers this Wednesday and for the next couple of weeks! They are also in need of people to go shop for food. They have gift cards and a list that they would give you before you go out. If you are interested please contact Penny at penny@sunrisemin.org

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Chip Harkes our chair of deacons and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is chip@harkeslandscape.com and his phone number is 616-299-4804.

Administration
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. We are especially grateful this week for all those who have adjusted their means of giving to give online, through the mail, and via text. Zion’s members continue to strongly support the ministries of Zion during this time of uncertainty.

Fiscal Year to Date Budget: $31,518.84
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $31,944.00
Giving Last Week: $12,680.00
Cash on Hand: $160,326.41