Zion E-News (6-3-2021)

While serving in Colorado, I worked with Rev. Phil Schuiling who quickly became a dear friend and trusted mentor. Growing up in West Michigan, like many people, Phil’s family spent the summer at the cottage on the lake. From June to August, they rarely if ever made it back to their home church on a Sunday morning. He remembers vividly one year coming back in September and hearing someone tease his father about not being in church for the last 3 months. Phil doesn’t remember the specific comment, but does remember the flicker of pain on his father’s face. Phil’s clear lesson from the experience was that when people come back to church after an absence, whether from summers on the lake or a pandemic, all they need to hear is: “We missed you. It’s so good to see you again. How are you doing?”

This Sunday, I expect we will see several people who have not been back at Zion in person in over a year. They may have been attending online. They may have simply been overwhelmed by life and not even had the energy to watch online. They may have struggled with wearing masks and chose to worship somewhere else for  while. Wherever they have been and for whatever reason they were not here, the only thing they need to hear from us is: “We missed you. I’m so glad to see you again. How are you doing?”

It’s been a rough year for many people, we all can use a little grace and compassion in our lives. So, whether this Sunday is your first time back in person  or you have been coming in person for year now, I want you to know: I’m glad you are here.

On a similar note, a friend posted the following comment about engaging people on a Sunday morning. I offer it to you as a good guideline for all of us as we gather each week to prioritize those who may be new or disconnected at Zion.

1. An alone person in our gathering is an emergency.
2. Friends can wait.
3. Introduce a newcomer to someone else.

I am looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday as we gather outdoors on what should be a beautiful warm summer Sunday. (Unless you will be at the cottage or camping and then, I hope you have a great weekend and look forward to seeing you when you are able to join us again in person.)

Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in person at 9:30 am and online at 9:30 and 11 am. The online service will be pre-recorded and abbreviated as we will not be live-streaming our outdoor services over the summer. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast a version of the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.

In Peter’s second letter, he is once again writing to the churches of Asia-Minor, but this time he does so as a final farewell. He knows his life is drawing to a close and so he urges them to both keep growing in the faith and to be on their guard for false teachers, to stay true to Jesus and reject the lies of cheap grace. This Sunday as we begin our study of this letter, we assess our spiritual growth over the past year as Peter urges us to chase holiness with faithful fervor.

We will also be installing and ordaining new Elders and Deacons during worship on Sunday morning. Haley Stone and Ken Johnson will be ordained and installed as Elders and Tom MacGraw will be installed as a Deacon. Troy Austin will be installed at a later date as he is not able to be in worship this Sunday.

Join us this Sunday for a Youth Led Worship event at 6:30 pm. Because it is expected to be close to 90 degrees on Sunday, we will be meeting inside in the air conditioning. Youth will be leading us in worship and in some small group discussions about our experiences over the past year.

Grow in Community
After church this Sunday, we hope you will stay to enjoy some cookies and maybe even a little kickball for all ages. Beverages and food will be in the grassy area by door ‘D’ and the shade tree, while kickball will be out on the grass near the playground. This will not be a serious game, but a chance for people of all ages to simply enjoy being together.

“Summer Sundays” in Zion Kids:  Starting this Sunday, weather permitting, our kids ministry will be moving outside! This is for kids ages 3 through going into 3rd grade. We’ll be meeting by the picnic tables to read Bible stories, pray together, do other outdoor crafts/games, and play on our church playground!

The nursery will be open again next Sunday, June 6th! This is for children ages 0-3. The nursery check-in will be inside at the nursery. Young children are also welcome in the main worship service. Thank you to all those serving in the nursery!

Keeping Kids Safe training will be held on June 6th, after church, outside by door “D”.  This is for adults who will be volunteering in any children’s ministry this summer, who did not already go through training last fall. Take a lawn chair!

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
Monday: 1 Corinthians 3
Tuesday:1 Corinthians 4
Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 5
Thursday: 1 Corinthians 6
Friday: 1 Corinthians 7

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

Serve the World
In the early 1900s, the European church was thriving and leading culture. Today many of the iconic church buildings have been turned into coffee shops, theatres, and skateboard parks. There is a lack of interest in the Christian faith. RCA Global Mission is partnering with various churches and Christian organizations that are determined to re-reach Europe through planting new churches. The Global Missions arm of the RCA is currently in a month of prayer focused on global missions. Recently they shared a video about our church planting efforts in Europe, led by Doug McClintic, whom Zion supports. Daniel Puski, featured in the video, is one of the church planters partnering with Doug and the RCA. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8-RjIw2z1s

As we prepare for another great season of Camp Zion, we have built a little wish list for the summer. If you would like to help purchase some supplies and resources for the summer, you can do so from the list at this link.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/M4D5CKCROXH5?ref_=wl_share

Camp Zion still has some volunteer slots available for the summer, If you would like to help out in the summer and invest in the kids in our neighborhood, you can sign up at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050949a9a82aa2fd0-camp

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

Administration
The Consistory approved remodeling our bathrooms at our April meeting. If you have been in our bathrooms recently you may have noticed they not only look dated, but also have a particularly uncomfortable scent and are in need of some significant repairs. The approved plan will intentionally fit with the larger building remodel plan we approved prior to Covid rather than simply updating the bathrooms. By doing so, we leave open the possibility of moving ahead with the building remodel after Covid and as the financial impacts of this past year become more clear. This small project, however, will cost about $125,000. We will not move forward with this remodeling step until at least half of those funds are raised. If you would like to give to the bathroom remodel, you can do so by donating to our building fund. We do ask that anything given to the building fund be in addition to your regular support of Zion ministries through the general fund so we  can still effectively fund our ongoing ministries.

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 2020/21 Budget:  $546,326,56
Fiscal Year 2020/21 Contributions: $521,469.30
Giving Last Week: $7,205.00
Bathroom Building Fund (total given): $2,380.00
Nepalese Speaking Community Church (total given): $3,400.00