ZION E-NEWS 7-20-23
ZION E-NEWS (7-20-23)
Sabbatical Recap
As many of you know, I recently took a two week mini-sabbatical. Pastors often receive a sabbatical after each seven years of service. This is a time for rest, learning, time with family, and personal growth. Sabbaticals are built into the employee handbook at Zion. The challenge I face as a Transition Pastor, is that I serve for about twelve months at a church, therefore, making it impossible to serve for seven consecutive years! When the RCA offered grants this past winter to help support mini-sabbaticals, I was blessed by Zion’s Consistory to receive one week for my year of service. I chose to utilize my week of continuing education in addition to the sabbatical week.
The first week of my sabbatical, my wife Joy and I travelled to the Seattle area. We had just celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary and we enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together and experience rest and renewal. We visited the Pike Place Market, took a ferry to Bainbridge Island, hiked at Olympic National Park, hiked at Mount Rainier National Park, and took a day trip to Port Townsend.
After being home for a couple of days over the 4th of July, I attended a Pastor retreat in Colorado for five days with nine other pastors. A facilitator led a time of teaching/learning in the morning and during the afternoon we went fly fishing on the Arkansas River. I caught a couple of fish, but I won’t be quitting my Transition Pastor role to make a living through fishing! It was great to connect with other pastors, grow from the educational materials around ministry and sabbath, and try something I hadn’t done before (fly fishing). Upon returning home, I met with a friend/coach to process the sabbatical time.
Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement. I will start my new role two days after I conclude at Zion, so this was a beneficial time of rest and renewal this summer.
One final note unrelated to my sabbatical. My wife and I saw the movie “Sound of Freedom”. It is a challenging movie to watch because of the heart wrenching reality of human trafficking. But it’s an important subject for us to address and pray about. There are more children enslaved in sex trafficking today than in all of history combined. Some studies show that the United States is the largest consumer of sex trafficked children. As Christians, we can’t stand idle. I encourage you to consider seeing this movie and discerning how you can act, give and pray. As the movie reminds us: “God’s children are not for sale.”
In Christ,
~ Pastor Steve
CONNECT TO GOD
AS WE GATHER in person for Worship each Sunday at 9:30am the service can also be viewed on our website 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 10:30AM on Sunday. The service will continue to be available on YouTube to watch at your convenience.
ZION KIDS has switched over to our summer programming.Through Sept 3, we will hold one combined class each week for kids ages 3yrs old through 3rd grade. We will sing songs, watch a Bible story video, pray together and have some playtime while service is happening in the sanctuary. Children should check in at the child check in station each week as usual.
GROW IN COMMUNITY
PRAYER REQUEST:Barb Overweg will have an ablation on the right side of her back on Monday, July 24 and, if all goes as planned, they will do the left side in two weeks. Pray for those in our congregation who have ongoing health issues.
PASTOR STEVE’S last Sunday with us is August 13. Following the worship service we will celebrate him and his service to Zion with ice cream sundaes. We encourage you to write a card or note of thanks and place it in the basket at the back of the sanctuary and we will present them to him on August 13. (Blank cards are available in the back of the sanctuary for your convenience.)
DO YOU like to bake? We are looking for volunteers to make (or purchase) cookies to serve at coffee time after worship. If you would be willing to provide cookies occasionally please call or text Dianne Kooiker at 616-538-3179.
FOR THOSE who signed up for Dunes Harbor camping, an information letter has been placed in your Zion mailbox. Also, a sign up for food has been placed on the bulletin board by the church office. Please take a minute to review it and sign up before the end of July. If you have questions, please contact Rick or Jonell VanderWall.
SERVE THE WORLD
WE ARE collecting toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste through August to meet our goal of providing toothbrushes and toothpaste to all of our Personal Care Pantry, Hand2Hand, and Threads participants in September. Donations can be placed in the Personal Care Pantry box in the narthex. Thank you!
HAND2HAND is looking for volunteers to deliver food to Grandview Elementary School. Delivery would be every Wednesday or Thursday between 3:30-4:00PM beginning in the fall and continue weekly during the regular school year schedule. Food is packed in totes so volunteers would need to be able to lift the totes which can weigh up to 40lbs. Contact Sheila Johnson or Shawn Sanders if you have more questions or would like to help.
CAMP ZION is still in need of snack donations. The sign-up sheet is on the Camp Zion bulletin board by the church office.
SUMMER is a great time to try out new ways to serve at Zion! It is also the time of year that people who are looking for a church home tend to visit and we want them to feel welcomed! We all know that first impressions are important! Our First Impressions Team is looking for volunteers to make coffee, serve as an usher, greeter, or to help at the child check in station. All of these tasks are very easy, require minimal time commitment and you can pick your own schedule! Click here to sign-up through Sign-Up-Genius or call Connie in the church office at 616-534-7533 ext. 3 and she can help you with scheduling!
DONATIONS of the following items (full size – not travel size) are needed for the Personal Care Pantry and can be placed in the box in the narthex marked “pantry donations”. Laundry Soap, Bar Soap, Dish Soap, Disposable Razors, Shampoo, Conditioner, Toothpaste, Paper grocery bags, Deodorant, Tampons, Maxi Pads, Paper towels (1 or 2 pack) and Toilet paper (1-4 pack).
IF YOU need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Tom MacGraw, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is thomas.m.macgraw@gmail.com and his phone number is (616) 315-7938.
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 2023/24 Budget: $80,800.65
Fiscal Year 2023/24 Contributions: $72,557.15
Giving Last Week: $8,272.45
