Zion E-News (10-13-2021)
The E-News is coming out a day early this week because I am spending Thursday traveling to General Synod and attending the first few meetings.
As I look ahead to General Synod I am reminded this week that ultimately church is not about institutions and organizations, though we spend time and energy on those things. Church at its core is about commitments and relationships. We make commitments to one another whenever someone is baptized or makes profession of faith. We commit to pray for each other, to encourage one another in our journey with God, to care for each other, and to follow Jesus together.
I was reminded while meeting with my discipleship group on Monday that every time we celebrate communion, we are visibly living into community. We spend the week prior examining our lives to see where a relationship may have broken down, either because of something we have done or because of something done to us, and then we work to be reconciled with each other. And then we come to the table as one community united in and by Christ.
These sacraments are powerful tangible reminders of our commitments and our relationships. They are why, while I am called “pastor,” my actual title at ordination is Minister of Word and Sacrament. These sacraments shape and form us individually and as a community. They are why I value “sticking” with people even when we may struggle to get along or understand each other. We have made promises and we are doing the work to stay united in Christ.
For our denomination, these tangible signs of community are harder to see because we do not know one another day-to-day. We may not know one another at all. (I know almost no one who attends an RCA church in California or New York, as just one example.) And yet, these sacraments bind us not only in the local church but to believers around the world as a single body of Christ, made manifest in a million places and in millions of ways. I am praying for God to help me see the beauty and wonder of his body, the church, this week while I am at Synod.
If you want to know more about Synod or even follow along as decisions are made, there are all sorts of resources available at the RCA website. You can see the schedule, see the vote on every decision made, and even watch a slightly delayed livestream of the event. You can find all of that here.
– Greg
Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather for worship at 9:30 am. The service will be live-streamed at 9:30 and replayed again at 11. 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.
Churches are not places of model behavior. They have as many people struggling with sin, pain, and brokenness as those outside of church. Rather than being perfectly healthy communities, church is the place we can go to acknowledge, face, and deal with our brokenness. The book of James confronts the conflicts, tensions, and mess of church life head on. This week, as we continue our study of James, we consider the power our words can have.
Grow in Community
We have several ongoing pastoral care needs in our church. Rog Beute remains at Mary Free Bed in quarantine until October 25 due to a Covid case on his floor. Jim Overweg continues his recovery from Covid. Gary Osterink is recovering from pneumonia. Steve and Shawn Landstra will learn more about treatment options for his lung cancer on Wednesday. Larry Westra will have extensive back surgery on October 21.
We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
10/18 Monday 1 John 1
10/19 Tuesday 1 John 2
10/20 Wednesday 1 John 3
10/21 Thursday 1 John 4
10/22 Friday 1 John 5
You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.
Serve the World
We received an update recently from Albino and Sandy Rodriguez, missionaries whom we support serving in Peru. Together they lead Casa del Maestro where they work to equip and empower Quechua youth in southern Peru. These young people learn how to navigate the modern world, provide for themselves, and contribute to society in order to bring sustainable, generational change. Many students attend La Casa del Maestro to continue their secondary education or complete pre-university or university courses. You can learn more about this ministry through a short video they sent. You can see the video here.
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 616-520-1771.
Threads is in need of white plastic hangers for adult clothing and small white plastic hangers for kids clothing. Donations could be placed in the wooden cart in the narthex or in the wooden Threads sheds on the front steps of church. Thank you !
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 2021/22 Budget: $212,995.13
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $155,883.81
Giving Last Week: $7,747.50
