Zion E-News (9-17-2020)
For several years now, Rachel and I have had a couple of CDs that we keep rolling over at the bank. They are our emergency fund. It’s not a lot of money, but it is a little cushion if something goes wrong. They came due last week and we had to go down to the bank and decide what to do with this money.
If you have any money in the bank, you know interest rates are really low. This is great if you are buying a house, but not so great when you are trying to save. So, we looked at several options: longer term CDs, putting it in the stock market, just putting it in savings or investing with the Reformed Church in America Church Growth Fund. (They loan money to churches when they need to remodel or build a church.) Investing with the Church Growth Fund is directly investing in the future of churches in the US.
This got me thinking about all the ways we invest in our lives: time, relationships, skills, money, and more. I invest in my kids when I sit down and listen to their days, offer some guidance, and cheer them on as they explore this world. I invest in my skills when I learn something new, seek out feedback, or simply admit I don’t know something and ask people for help. I invest my time in literally anything I do, so sometimes I invest it well in other people, in accomplishing tasks, in connecting with God, and sometimes in simply resting.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to store up our treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy rather than to store up our treasure on earth where thieves break in and steal. The last several months have reminded us all that nothing is certain. We do not know how long we have on this earth. We do no know the challenges we will face. We do not know what will happen in our relationships, our health, our nation. But there is one place we can invest our lives and expect an eternal reward. How are you investing for eternity today?
– Greg
Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather for worship both in person and online. We will gather by the playground for our final outdoor service at 9 am. If there is a likelihood of rain, we will cancel our 9 am service. 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. Our 11 am service will be live streamed and you are welcome to attend worship at 11, though the focus will be on the live stream participants. 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 begin a new series entitled “Christians at Our Best,” inspired by the book Christians in an Age of Outrage by Ed Stetzer. Living in a culture addicted to anger and outrage, it is easy to begin to take on the habits and practices of a world consumed with picking sides, dividing groups, and creating scapegoats. In this series, we will think together about how we can live as Christians in a way that brings the light and hope of Jesus to a world moving from one temper tantrum to another. This week, Paul urges us in Romans 12 to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How are you renewing your mind? What voices are discipling you in this age of outrage?
Next week, we will begin worshipping indoors at both 9 and 11. In order to ensure we are able to practice social distancing indoors, we are asking people to sign-up for the service they are planning to attend. You can sign-up to attend worship either using the links in our weekly E-News or on the front-page of our website beginning on Monday mornings. Following are the links to sign-up for worship on the 27th are below:
9 am service: https://zionreformed.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/541818
11 am service: https://zionreformed.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/541794
Grow in Community
If you are interested in joining Zion or simply learning more about the life and ministry if our church, we will be holding a new members class beginning this Monday night at 7 pm. Door ‘A’ on the East side of the building will be open for you to join us in the Sanctuary. You do not need to join ur church to attend the class, but you do need to attend the class to join the church. While you do not need to sign-up to attend, it would be helpful so we can plan accordingly. You can sign-up by sending me an e-mail at gbrower@zionreformed.org.
We have recently started a closed Zion group on Facebook to create a place to discuss sermons, share prayer requests, and stay connected asynchronously when direct face-to-face connections are more challenging. If you want to join the group, you can request to join at this link: www.facebook.com/groups/ziongrandville/
Beginning on September 27, we will hold worship at 9 am indoors. This service will also be live-streamed. We also hope to begin holding Children’s Ministry for kids ages 3 through 5th grade during worship. We will not hold a large group gathering for children and will instead have them go immediately to their classrooms. They will be in 3 classrooms and we will practice social distancing by requiring masks for children in K-5th and attempting to keep unrelated children 6 feet apart. We intend to follow the recommendations in the MI Safe Start for Schools documentation. We hope to begin holding nursery closer to Christmas, but no firm date has yet been set.
If you are volunteering in Kid’s Ministry this year, we’re having a separate training for each class. It will include room specific children’s ministry training for teachers & helpers, new Covid guidelines, and our annual Keeping Kids Safe training, which is required for anyone 18 years old and older to be eligible to serve with children. We’re excited to open up our kid’s ministry later this month. Thank you for serving in these uncertain times! The training dates are as follows:
- Sunday, September 20th at 10:30am – Training for the Preschool team in Room 206
- Sunday, September 20th at 4:00pm – Training for the 3rd-5th team in Room 207
Serve the World
If you would like to support our Personal Care Pantry, following items (full size – not travel size) are needed and can be dropped off on a Sunday morning or during the week Monday through Thursday:
Laundry Soap Bar Soap Dish Soap Disposable Razors
Shampoo Conditioner Toothpaste Paper Grocery Bags
Deodorant Tampons Maxi Pads Paper towels (1 or 2 pack) Toilet paper (1-4 pack)
Donations can be placed in the box in the narthex marked “pantry donations”.
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.
Fiscal Year to Date Budget: $157,594.00
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $126,887.51
Giving Last Week: $4,808.00
Cash on Hand: $158,114.13
