Zion E-News (7-30-2020)

Our family has been camping at the Christian Reformed Conference Grounds the past couple of weeks. It has been a great time of campfires, swimming, and ice cream cones every night. Two unrelated thoughts have been running through my mind these last two weeks.

First, a 35 minute commute is really long when you are used to a 5 minute commute. May God bless and keep safe all of you with long commutes every day. You amaze me as I am a little tired from the extra driving and early mornings this week.

Second, the people at Christian camps are not our mission field. I know that seems rather obvious. And, I occasionally hear people be excited about a church friend joining a new church or about a church growing by drawing people from other churches. And, that kind of growth is not really growth. The Church of God does not grow when people move between local congregations. Honestly, from my experience the church they left often hurts much more from the loss than the new church is blessed by the gain.

It is so good to be able to worship and share life with other believers. It is not for no reason that the writer of Hebrews urges us to not give up the habit of meeting with one another to encourage each other. We need encouragement. We need community. We need the experience of corporate worship.

And, we must never forget the role of church is to worship God and equip us all for the works of ministry: caring for the poor, encouraging the discouraged, seeking justice for the oppressed, and proclaiming the reign of King Jesus. This work is hard. Tiring. Confusing at times. And so very important because this is the mission we have been given. Not to sing worship songs and listen to sermons, but to join God in the work of redeeming and restoring this world that has been marred by sin so that his will may be done on earth as it already is in heaven.

One way we do this is by inviting other people to join us in this mission. Who in your life could you invite to join in the mission of God? Who are the friends, relation, acquaintances, neighbors, and co-workers (your FRANC list) you could be intentional in looking for ways to invite them to join the mission of God? Make a list this week. Write down at least one name in each category and start thinking about how and when you could talk to them about the mission of Jesus?

Next week, I’ll share some ways you can be strategic in reaching these people with the good news of God’s kingdom come ruled by Jesus.

See you Sunday, wash your hands, and stay safe!

Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather for worship both in person and online. We will gather by the playground for an outdoor service at 9 am and indoors in the sanctuary at 11 am. If there is a likelihood of rain or if the grass will be wet from rain over night, we will move our 9 am service to the sanctuary. We will try to announce any change in venue by Saturday night on our facebook page.

If you are not able to join us in person or would simply prefer to not gather in a large crowd yet, you can still join us for online worship. We will be live streaming our 11 am service at zionreformed.online.church and Zion’s Facebook Page. We will also rebroadcast the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.

This week, we welcome the Rev. Dr. Jill Versteeg, Chief Operating Officer of the RCA. Jill also provides leadership in the RCA to come alongside churches and assist them in living into the RCA Transformed and Transforming Vision including efforts to develop Next Generation ministry, disability advocacy, and cultural agility in churches to respond to a changing culture and world. Jill is a graduate of Northwestern College and a friend of mine from seminary. I am looking forward to the word God has given her for our congregation from Matthew 15:21-28.

Grow in Community
Will Kuiper will be celebrating his 88th birthday on August 5, He is also struggling with some social isolation as visitors are not allowed in nursing homes. You could be a huge blessing to Will by simply sending him a birthday card, celebrating his life and letting him know he is still known and cared for by Zion. His address is:
Will Kuiper
2589 44th St. SE RM 113
Grand Rapids, MI 49512

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
Sunrise Ministries has transitioned to a personal care pantry and will no longer be distributing food. If you would like to support their personal care pantry, donations can be made at Sunrise Ministries. We continue our Personal Care Pantry in partnership with United Church Outreach Ministries in Wyoming under the direction go Tom Boeve. If you would like to get involved in our care pantry, please contact Tom at 616-885-8362;

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: $84,050.24
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $74,540.14
Giving Last Week: $11,025.00
Cash on Hand: $150,640.75