Zion E-News 1-16-24

ZION E-NEWS 1-16-25

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.

SERMON SERIES: 

CONSISTORY NOMINATION materials and ballots have been placed in the church mailboxes of each active confessing member (18 years and older).  We are asking you to prayerfully discern and nominate up to four Elders and Deacons and return your nomination ballot to the box in the back of the sanctuary no later than Sunday, February 2.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN NOTES: Our Capital Campaign is underway, with a goal of raising $300,000 by May for needed building repairs and updates. Would you consider a gift to help us?  Checks or pledge cards can be placed in the box in the narthex, or gifts can be made online through Breeze. Thank you for helping us prepare our building for the next season of ministry.

PRAYER REQUEST:  Continue to pray for those in our congregation who deal with ongoing health issues.

DEAR ZION FAMILY, Thank you so much for your generous Thanksgiving offering for the families of Threads.  With this donation I purchased Visa gift cards to bless five different families who regularly shop at Threads. Each one of these families has experienced an extremely difficult year with many hardships and struggles.  Three of the families have a parent battling terminal cancer, another family of 5 young children is now living with their grandma because their mom died unexpectedly a few months ago, and the dad of the fifth family lost his job and home at the end of November.    Each family was extremely grateful for this extra help during the holiday season.  With all my heart…THANK YOU dear congregation, for your generosity and for helping bless these families.  It was very much appreciated.  Jill Austin

WE ARE SO pleased to announce that Emily Morehouse will be stepping in as Interim Worship Director here at Zion. Emily has been part of our worship team for several years, and is equipped with many gifts and passions to help lead us in worship for the next several months as we discern next steps in staffing. We are so grateful for Emily’s willingness to step into this role!  We asked Emily to share a bit about herself below. Please join us in welcoming Emily to the team!

I’m Emily! My husband, Adam, and I have been going to Zion for something like 10 years, bringing our son, Elliott (6) and daughter, Charlotte (5) into our church family along the way.

I’m a music teacher by trade and am currently teaching part time music at Byron Center Christian. In my spare time I enjoy training and playing with our 3 dogs (Captain, Hawk, and Tucker) and cat (Jif), caring for our flock of chickens, digging in the dirt (attempting to garden), puzzling with my kids, spending quality time with wonderful people, and going on family adventures, near and far.

Community and connections are dear to me. I’m excited to help cultivate moments of connection with God and others in authentic worship. I look forward to hearing what songs draw you into a deeper connection with God and working to grow our beautiful, intergenerational legacy here at Zion.

This has been a season of growth for me, personally, in many ways. In one space, I’m learning to allow multiple things to be true at the same time. I, as well as many of you, grieve the ends of eras, but also feel sparks of excitement over new opportunities. It can be confusing, but I’m confident in the One that can do more than we could ever ask or imagine, even in foggy seasons. The fog will clear, the sun will rise, and the Spirit will move in it all! I look forward to being with you in this new season.  Blessings, Emily

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).

PCP UPDATE:  During the monthly PCP night in December, we were privileged to have all our college/high school students there to help serve.  They have all served faithfully for many years, it was a blessing to have them all back at the same time.  What a site it is to see God using our young people to help serve our community.

Jeff Kooistra (one of our supported missionaries) was also able to attend and observe.  As we continue to shine the light of God to all families, it was a pleasure to have Jeff there to speak their native language and provide us with further insight on how to help these families on their spiritual journey.  If you are ever interested in observing or want to be a part of this ministry, please reach out to anyone on the team so we can arrange this for you.

While some of the parents shopped, their children would play board games and enjoy some cookies.  Some adults hung around after they shopped and just had some time of fellowship with us.   As we look at 2025 one of our priorities is to expand this night, allowing us to spend more time with these families.  Please pray that we are able to decipher what this might look like.

The PCP in December served 22 different families (family sizes ranging from 3 – 12).  These families were able to shop (for free) and up to 220 personal care items were given away that night.

We also want to thank the congregation and deacons for some of the Thanksgiving offerings for the PCP families.  The PCP team was able to provide 20 different families with $25 gift cards to help them during the holiday season. They were all very happy, grateful, and blessed by this gift.

Please continue to pray for the volunteers who are serving our community with love and dignity and pray for those attending who are dealing with many health and financial issues.  We lift up praise for all the volunteers who are willing to serve.

IF YOU need help, either with food, personal care items, or financial needs, please contact Austen DeHaan, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is austin331@gmail.com and his phone number is (269) 762-9748

WE CONTINUE to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and resources.

2024/25 YTD Budget:  $380,096.97
2024/25 YTD Contributions:  $338,369.89
Giving Last Week: $15,979.73
Capital Campaign Donations received to date: $110,105.00
Capital Campaign future pledges:  $109,000.00