July 10, 2022 Worship Service
Here’s the July 10, 2022 Worship Service – Focused on the Youth Alaska Mission Trip
Zion E-News (7-7-2022)
Zion E-News (7-7-2022)
My older brother, Jeff, and his two kids arrived late last Friday from Pittsburgh. We’ve had a lot of Zoet family time over the past week, sharing many meals, talking together more than usual, and doing fun activities together. As we’ve been together for portions of days and full days over the last week, I’ve noticed something that I also saw on our Alaska Mission Trip. People are more likely to step out of their comfort zone to be brave when they are in a group of people and there is love and trust amongst that group of people.
In the last week I’ve seen my daughter, niece and nephews drive my parents’ go-cart and 4-wheeler who have otherwise been scared to, I’ve seen cousins talk more bravely and openly with each other and with aunts and uncles, I’ve seen parents surprised that their child went on a roller coaster because a cousin invited and encouraged them to go, and I’ve seen care and loving concern when someone was upset or hurt. And best of all, I’ve seen my older brothers kids, whose parents went through a divorce this past year, thrive in our family environment from the moment they arrived. His kids used to take time to warm up to the family and were much more hesitant to try new things in the past. But you can tell that they LOVE being with our family and are having one of the best weeks of their life. This is a big answer to prayer!
On our mission trip to Alaska I saw so many youth and adults try so many things for the first time on work sites and during free time. I don’t want to say too much before this Sunday’s youth group-led worship service, but I’ll just say rope swings, playing with little kids, climbing mountains, using chainsaws or lawn mowers or weed whackers, painting, sharing deep personal things about one’s life, flying on a plane for the first time, and eating moose meat are just a few of the brave new things encountered on our mission trip through a loving and trusting group environment.
Creating loving and trusting environments takes effort on everyone’s part. I wonder where we will be able to head as a church body at Zion if we continue to nurture loving and trusting group environments. Will we see Zion become a brave space? Will we be a place where pastors and Zion kids leaders and elders and deacons and First Impressions teams become brave to get out of their comfort zone? I think we will. Over the years we have become a place where it is encouraged to be brave. We can try new things. We can fail and be encouraged through our failures. We can succeed and encourage one another in our success. We can bravely invite new people into our lives and the life at Zion. Let’s pray together for a brave Zion over this next year of transition!
– Jeremy
Connect to God
This week we will gather for worship at 9:30 am. This weeks service will be at zionreformed.online.church and streaming on our YouTube channel. We will also rebroadcast a version of the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday. The service will continue to be available on YouTube to watch at your convenience.
We will not be having a sermon series for the summer. Instead we look forward to stand alone messages from a variety of voices:
July 10: Alaska Mission Trip Service – Six of our youth: Ella Bond, Noah Brower, Hope Eriks, Samantha Eriks, Emily Verbrugge, and Josh Verbrugge will be preaching 5 minute sermons spaced throughout the worship service.
July 17: Pastor Rick Vanderwall
July 24: Pastor Jeremy Zoet
July 31: Andrew Moore (Zion Member who is an ordained pastor in the RCA)
August 7: Eddy Aleman (General Secretary of the RCA)
August 14: Randy Weener (RCA Director of Church Multiplication)
August 21: Transition Pastor: Steve Petroelje
August 28: Transition Pastor: Steve Petroelje
Grow in Community
SHAREHOLDERS: This Sunday, July 10 is the Shareholder’s appreciation lunch. It will be held in the sanctuary following the youth led worship service (approximately 11:15am). During dessert you will be matched up with your student so that you can hear all about their trip. The only thing you need to bring is your appetite.
A PARK PLAYDATE at Zion’s playground is being planned for Tuesday, August 2 from 10 to 11:30am. There will also be a bounce house and popsicles! This is a great opportunity to invite a friend!
Summer is a great time to try out new ways to serve in at Zion. If you are interested in serving on one of our welcome teams, now is the time to try it out a few times over the summer! If you are already on a team or want to try it out, you can sign up to serve as an usher, greeter, or to help at the child check in station here.
We have switched to our summer mode in Zion Kids! We’ll be running a nursery, and a simplified program for kids 3 yrs.-going into 3rd grade (all together). We read Bible stories to kids in small groups, pray, do crafts & play with them. It’s really fun, and a great way to get to know the kids! To make this happen, we need your help! Would you be willing to serve In kids ministry two times over the summer months? We’re looking for young grandparents, teenagers, parents, and people who enjoy being around kids. We’ll make sure to pair summer volunteers alongside our regular kids ministry people. All adults over 18 years old must go through Keeping Kids Safe training and a background check prior to serving with kids. If needed, Pastor Jeremy will contact you to set up a time to go over our policies. These really are fun Summer Sundays with extra time to get to know the kids a bit more! You can sign up through the links below, or via a sign up sheet outside of Room 205, or by texting Katie Wagner at 616-994-2880 or Jacki Deiter at 616-437-4791. Thanks for considering supporting our kids & young families!
Summer Kids Ministry
Nursery
Serve the World
Camp Zion met on Wednesday and Thursday this week, watching Bible skits, rotating through different desert themed activity groups, and playing giant versions of classic games. The theme verse for the year is Luke 10:27 which says: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” In addition, the campers will be studying the 10 commandments over the 6 weeks of camp. If you are interested in helping out with Camp Zion, there are sign-ups below for donations and volunteering.
Camp Zion Snack Donations
Camp Zion Amazon Wish List
Camp Zion Volunteer Sign Ups
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.
Administration
We look forward to our Transition Pastor, Steve Petroelje, starting at Zion on Monday, August 15.
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: $51,305.85
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $46,467.47
Giving Last Week: $5,654.50
Camp Zion 2022 Week 2
Hello Camp Zion Families,
We had a great first week at Camp Zion. Games, art projects, journaling, water fun, & rollerskating – it finally feels like summer. We also spent a good chunk of time playing some ice breaker games so that our campers could get to know each others names and a little bit about each other right away.
Week two is a short week but will still be packed with lots of fun activities.
Week 2: July 4-7 Desert Week.
Mon: Closed for the holiday
Tues: Closed for the holiday.
Wed & Thurs: We will be doing some painting during craft time – wear something that can get grubby.
Have fun this weekend. See you all on Wednesday morning.
Rachel
