Zion E-News (2-4-2021)

For the last several months, I have been following Heather Thompson Day on twitter. She is a professor at Colorado Christian University and based her tweets is a phenomenal mentor and teacher of her students. She speaks often of their strength and showing grace to those in times of struggle.

On Saturday, she posted the following tweet that has stuck with me (lightly edited):

A heavy question to ask is “Do you trust me?”

Trusting someone essentially means we no longer try to protect ourselves in their presence. I don’t want to just say “I love God.” I want to trust God. I want my faith to be a space where I don’t feel like I have to protect myself from God.

A lot of my faith has been me trying to control/protect myself from God. I’m just a baby in this “surrender” thing & it’s quite opposite to my natural instincts. But, I’ve never had more peace I’ve never felt closer to a joy that is bigger than any singular event or circumstance.

I’m not asking you to change everything today But I’m saying I’ve found it healthy to take a day each week and just ask myself “in what ways am I protecting myself from God?” And “is this how I want my faith to look?”

So often, we can say we trust God, but then we spend lots of energy trying to be good enough for God or afraid God will punish us for the mistakes we made. We say we trust God, but we often live in fear of God. Not the reverent awe of God we are called to have, but the “scared to be with or too close to” fear of a stranger.

So, I have been asking myself this week, do I trust God? Do I trust God to love me even when I am honest about my fears and doubts and struggles? Do I trust God to love me even when I don’t understand why some things happen? Do I trust God to be enough when everything can feel out of control? Do I trust God when he says and shows his love for me in Jesus?

Often, the answer is ‘no’ because I prefer to trust me. But I find even in asking the question a path opens to change how I am behaving and believing to begin to trust God in the moment instead.

What about you? Do you trust God?

– Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in person at 9 am and online at both 9 and 11 am. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.

Christianity at its core is not about thinking the right things about God or knowing our Bibles inside and out, but about following Jesus. The earliest believers were called Christians because they looked and acted like little Christs, little Jesuses. In Mark 1, as we begin following Jesus, the text confronts us with a simple question: Do we know about Jesus or do we know him as Lord of our life?

Grow in Community
Marian Payne shares the following update on her recovery: I have returned to my home and am thankful for my improvement. I’m also thankful for all of the prayers, cards and concern from the Zion members. It really encouraged me and reminded me that our church family is very important.

We extend our sympathy to Arlyn and Carla Zoet and Jeremy and Kim Zoet in the passing of their father and grandfather, David Bowers, on Monday, February 1.

We also extend out sympathy to Don and Marcia Osterink, Craig and Nancy Doornbos, and Gary and Barb Osterink and their families in the passing of their sister Sharon on February 3. Prayers for comfort and peace in this time of grief are greatly appreciated. 

Fred Wallace is recovering after having neck surgery on Sunday morning. He anticipates several weeks of therapy, but is grateful for these first steps in gaining back strength and mobility.

Over the last few days, some of us in my family have been watching “What’s in the Bible” on RightNow Media. If you have elementary age children or feel unfamiliar with the Bible yourself, this series provides some much content and wisdom in explaining the scriptures. If you want to check it out yourself, you can sign-up for RightNow Media here.

In the last decade, a giant cultural wave has swept the North American church into a brand new world — a pluralistic, complicated, high-tech/low-touch world that has only been accelerated during this Covid-time. Facing the challenge of engaging a jaded world, a fresh expression has emerged alongside the traditional church. If you have any interest in church planting or how to reach new generations, join us for a 3 week discussion led by Andrew Moore of the book Fresh Expressions of the Church. You can sign-up for this book discussion by e-mailing Pastor Greg at gbrower@zionreformed.org.

Would your child like to go to camp next summer?  Our church offers a 50% off scholarship to any church member who would like to send their child to camp. Many kids from our church have gone in the past, and it’s been a great experience for them, and they’ve grown in their faith. Camp Geneva is a Reformed church camp on the shores of Lake Michigan. They offer day camps for kids going into 1st-4th grade, and overnight camps for kids going into 3rd grade through High School. You can check out their website here.   Please contact Connie Stegeman, our church secretary, or Children Ministry Director Rachel Brower for the discount code that you’ll need for your registration. Please do not share the code with others, but rather encourage them to contact our office.

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
Monday: Luke 7
Tuesday: Luke 8
Wednesday: Luke 9
Thursday: Luke 10
Friday: Luke 11

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Serve the World
Our Deacons are currently looking for housing for someone. If you know of any vacant apartments/duplexes that could be appropriate for single parent and some children, please contact me or Chip Harkes.

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.

Fiscal Year to Date Budget:  $367,719.80
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $352,659.17
Giving Last Week: $4,979.00