ZION E-NEWS (11-23-23)
As we look ahead to our holiday season, we want to make you aware of some worship plans. The first Sunday of Advent is December 3; we will celebrate communion together that morning. In light of the Thanksgiving offering we will be receiving for various ministries, we will not receive a benevolence offering along with communion on Dec. 3rd.

On December 10th, our children will lead us in worship by sharing “Wow Christmas” – it is always a special morning, and we are excited to celebrate with our kids.

Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, so our Christmas Eve worship service will be held at our regularly scheduled time of 9:30   AM. Note: Zion Kids will not meet. The nursery will be open but we invite our kids to join us for a family-friendly Christmas Eve       service in the sanctuary that morning.

This is a wonderful time of year as we give thanks to God for his continued faithfulness, and marvel again at the gift of Jesus’ birth       at Christmas. We encourage you to invite others to join us as we celebrate together!

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.

SAY IT DAY #2: Each year the children in Zion Kids are issued a challenge to memorize different Bible verses through the year. This year we would like to invite all of you to participate in our memory verse challenge with us. Our second Bible verse is:

• Preschool-2nd Grade: “Now without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6a
• 3rd-5th Grade: “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

Here is a link to a song to help you memorize this new scripture. Without Faith Kids, if you are able to recite this Bible verse from memory to your teacher in class on Dec 3, you will be able to choose a prize from our Say It Day treasure box. Adults, we don’t have a treasure box for you but we all know the ultimate prize is being able to store Gods word in our hearts and minds.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please continue to pray for those in our congregation who are dealing with ongoing health issues.

DURING THIS Christmas season we want to bless and encourage those from Zion who are not able to join us in person for worship. A list of those individuals that includes their address and a brief update on each one of them has been placed in your church mailbox. Cards can be mailed directly to them or placed in their church mailbox and we will make sure they get delivered.

NURSERY NEEDS!  There are two ways you can bless our littlest ones (and their parents!) at Zion in this season. First, we are looking for more volunteers!  Please prayerfully consider whether you could spend a Sunday morning snuggling and playing with babies and toddlers from time to time. We make promises to raise up our children in the faith when they are baptized, and this begins in the nursery!  Second, as you sort through your toys and perhaps donate some your children are no longer using, would you consider donating them to Zion?  We would love some updated toys in the nursery, family room, and Threads kids’ zone. Please contact Olivia DeHaan at odehaan726@gmail.com to volunteer or donate items.  Thank you!

ZION YOUNG ADULTS! Save the Date: Tuesday night, January 2nd Jeremy and Marcia are hosting a gathering at Ken and Sheila Johnson’s home. Join us for a night of fun, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Mark it on your calendars – more details coming soon!

ZION YOUTH: No meetings this week due to Thanksgiving.

MIDDLE SCHOOL Youth Group Christmas Party: Sunday, December 3 – from 11:45 am – 2:45 pm  at church. Lunch provided, games, bring a white elephant gift wrapped (White elephant gifts are random items in your home that you no longer want anymore. Many gifts are funny, some are valuable to someone, most are junk…just don’t go out to buy something).

HIGH SCHOOL Christmas Party December 10 – 12 pm – 3 pm @ Lauren Bosma’s house (Pastor Marcia and Jonathan Pratt’s House). We will be offering a ride from Zion if you don’t want to drive out to Zeeland/Borculo. The church van will be leaving Zion at 11:35 am and returning after the party (3:20-3:30 pm).
Lunch provided, games, bring a white elephant gift wrapped. (White elephant gifts are random items in your home that you no longer want anymore. Many gifts are funny, some are valuable to someone, most are junk…just don’t go out to buy something).

CHRISTMAS CARD DELIVERY SERVICE: The Middle School Youth are offering a holiday card delivery service. Now through December 24 you can place your cards in the big post office box in the narthex and the youth will sort them and place them in the appropriate church mailbox. In exchange for this service, we ask that you leave a donation in the jar on top of the box to support the Jr. High Youth mission trip. Thank You!

THIS PAST September we had a great time camping at Dunes Harbor Family Campground. It was a great weekend with lots of food, fun, and stories around the campfire. Believe it or not, we are already planning next years camping weekend. Currently we have we have four cabins and ten campsites on the dates of June 6-9 being held for us. What we need to know is how many of you are interested. There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board by the office or let Pastor Rick or Jonell know if you are interested. I know it is a ways off but it’s never to early to think about camping next year!

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).

HAND2HAND: We are currently serving 100 kids each week! We could use food donations of the following: pudding cups, 100% juice, juice boxes, beef stick, granola bars, Lance brand or that type of sandwich cracker and microwave popcorn. Also, now-December 3 we are collecting Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix and ready to use frosting (16oz) to include in the last bag delivered before Christmas. Donations can be placed in the shopping cart in the narthex by the Welcome Center.

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.

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:  $288,573.75
Fiscal Year 2023/24 Contributions:  $239,783.34
Giving Last Week: $6,435.73