7-11-21 Announcements

Last week, our family spent our days hiking, biking, and tubing in the Smokey Mountains. We saw seem bears, deer, a couple coyotes and a screech owl. But mostly we just enjoyed being together. The last half of our trip we were camping in the Cades Cove Campground in the national park. This was our fancy campground because they had flush toilets and not portable-potties. (Our first campground had no running water because the water plant was waiting on a single part after some updating over the winter.) 

We also had some great neighbors for the three days were we in this campground.

• Danny was a single guy, who has been coming to the park since he was a kid and was full of stories of finding bear and of some original residents of the Cove whom he had met 30 years before. He was a well of information about secret sights to see, like the old Cadillac of the President of the logging company who didn’t get it out of the park before it became federal land and to avoid a fine hid it in the world over a hill.
• Lance was a chicken farmer from Alabama with his wife and two kids. He used to be a bull rider until he was stomped by a bull and now has titanium all over this body. He thought he was the black sheep of his family because his brother was a Deacon and he clearly made different choices in his life. We talked about how God seemed to have a soft spot for the black sheep in the Bible.
• The couple right next door were distracting themselves because their youngest had graduated high school and was free range camping across the US. (They had a satellite phone to stay in contact with him.)
• Across the street from us there was a family reunion. Three siblings and their spouses got together to celebrate a birthday. They were all preacher’s kids and some had grown up to be preachers or missionaries themselves. One of them worked for a company that conducted backgrounds checks and other security for private schools and knew quite a bit about the Christian schools in West Michigan.
• And then there was a Park Ranger I met who was going through chemo and was planning her upcoming vacation between chemo treatments. I think I may have convinced her to try Sleeping Bear Dunes here in Michigan.

I share these little tidbits about our neighbors because it is a reminder to me that people want to be known, they want someone to take an interest in their lives, they want to tell their story, and when we provide that space, doors start to open to deeper relationship and sharing some hope in Christ. Granted, it is easier to make these connections in a campground because there are some obvious places to make connections (trailers, hiking, animal sightings, and so on).

We are in the middle of a unique season in Michigan. People are outdoors. Neighbors are sitting outside at night, going for walks, cooling off in pools, and grilling out supper. There is no better time than right now for each of us to be intentional to connect with our neighbors. If this feels a little intimidating, you will want to join us in August as we will be spending 4 Sundays talking about the art of being a neighbor.

Hope you are all enjoying this great Michigan summer and enjoy the 4th of July weekend!

– Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in person at 9:30 am and online at 9:30 and 11 am. If you are joining us outside, you will want to bring chairs. The online service will be pre-recorded and abbreviated as we will not be live-streaming our outdoor services over the summer. 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.

There are a number of books, thoughts, and ideas on end times theology. What will happen, when will it happen, who will it affect and the list goes on. As we look at the end of 2 Peter 3, Peter only mentions what will take place. He does not go into detail but rather talks about what we should be doing as we wait for this event. We need to be doing more than just waiting. Join us to find out what that is as we close out this letter from Peter.

Grow in Community
Steve Landstra received good news this week after undergoing tests last week. Currently, there are no signs of cancer and he will only need to undergo tests every 3 to 6 months to continue monitoring the situation. We join Steve, Shawn, Hayley and Carly in praising God for this good news.

Weather permitting, our kids ministry will be outside all summer long. This is for kids ages 3 through going into 3rd grade. We’ll be meeting by the picnic tables to read Bible stories, pray together, do other outdoor crafts/games, and play on our church playground! 

The nursery is open again this summer. Nursery is for children ages 0-3. The nursery check-in will be inside at the nursery. Young children are also welcome in the main worship service. Thank you to all those serving in the nursery!

Marge Westra will have surgery on July 6 where she will have a cyst in her back removed and a spinal fusion to correct slippage in a vertebrae. Please pray for the surgery and recovery that follows to go well.

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
Monday: 2 Corinthians 7
Tuesday:2 Corinthians 8
Wednesday: 2 Corinthians 9
Thursday: 2 Corinthians 10
Friday: 2 Corinthians 11

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Serve the World
We continue to make preparations to open Threads, a clothing ministry, this fall. Jill Austin and Rick VanderWall were going over details and plans to prepare the basement to host this ministry earlier in the week. Jim Peterson painted the space last week and Austen DeHaan and Troy Austin will be laying the flooring this weekend!

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
The Consistory approved remodeling our bathrooms at our April meeting. If you have been in our bathrooms recently you may have noticed they not only look dated, but also have a particularly uncomfortable scent and are in need of some significant repairs. The approved plan will intentionally fit with the larger building remodel plan we approved prior to Covid rather than simply updating the bathrooms. By doing so, we leave open the possibility of moving ahead with the building remodel after Covid and as the financial impacts of this past year become more clear. This small project, however, will cost about $125,000. We will not move forward with this remodeling step until at least half of those funds are raised. If you would like to give to the bathroom remodel, you can do so by donating to our building fund. We do ask that anything given to the building fund be in addition to your regular support of Zion ministries through the general fund so we  can still effectively fund our ongoing ministries.

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:  $44,841.08
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $28,414.76
Giving Last Week: $7,102.00
Bathroom Building Fund (total given): $2,405.00

Rick Warren, the soon to be retiring pastor of Saddleback and author of the Purpose Drive Life, wrote a word of encouragement to pastors in one o this latest e-mails. I found his counsel wise and so share some excerpts and a  link to the full article below:

“Wind is one of the most powerful forces of nature. Kay and I live in a canyon and experience canyon winds for several months every year. In the windy season, it can be brutal.

“The winds of life can be powerful too. They can knock you off balance. So, to have an effective ministry, you’ll need to learn to withstand the powerful, rogue winds of life. Ministry isn’t a problem-free life. That’s why it’s critical to have a firm foundation.

“Proverbs 10:25 says, “Storms can blow away unrighteous people, but the godly have a foundation that keeps them standing firm” (NLT).

“When the storms come, you want a foundation that you can stand on. Here is what you can do to build that foundation in your life and ministry:

“Stay connected to your spiritual family.
“God never intended for you to withstand the destructive winds of life on your own. Whether you experience a ministry struggle, the death of a loved one, an illness, or a family crisis, God wants you to go through these periods with the support of your spiritual family…

“Keep putting God’s Word into practice.
“You’ve likely been studying and applying the Bible for years (and teaching others to do the same). Don’t stop doing this—especially during painful periods…

“Turn your focus on how great God is.
“Stressful situations often feel like they’re out of control. But they’re not out of God’s control. Worship—which is what you’re doing when you turn your focus toward God—is the secret to withstanding hard times…

“Remind yourself that Jesus cares.
“There’s another famous boat incident in the Gospels—in Mark 6. Once again, the disciples were in a boat when a storm hit. This time Jesus wasn’t with them, but the Lord saw the pain of the disciples, and he came to their rescue—walking on water. Jesus didn’t just stand on the sidelines. He came right to the disciples in their pain..

“Storms can actually be helpful if you respond correctly. A kite rises against the wind. It doesn’t fly with the wind. The stronger the opposing wind, the higher the kite can go.

“That’s my prayer for you. That no matter what wind you’re facing, God would use it to take you to new places.”

The full article can be found here.

– Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in person at 9:30 am and online at 9:30 and 11 am. If you are joining us outside, you will want to bring chairs. The online service will be pre-recorded and abbreviated as we will not be live-streaming our outdoor services over the summer. 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.

In Peter’s second letter, he is once again writing to the churches of Asia-Minor, but this time he does so as a final farewell. He knows his life is drawing to a close and so he urges them to both keep growing in the faith and to be on their guard for false teachers, to stay true to Jesus and reject the lies of cheap grace. This Sunday as we continue our study of this letter, Peter warns us about the dangers of false teachers and highlights three signs of false teachers: they don’t follow the teachings of Jesus, they engage in depraved conduct, and they are greedy. As a result, the truth of Jesus is brought into disrepute.

Grow in Community
Please pray for both Corinne VanHorn and Barb Peterson as each have been experiencing fatigue as their hearts have been out of rhythm. Corinne VanHorn is expected to have an  AV cardio ablation and a pacemaker procedure done on Thursday morning. Barb expects to have cardioversion done on Thursday. Prayers for healing and energy are appreciated for both.

We had a great time at our park playdate on Wednesday night that included not only the park and ice cream, but also a couple of slip and slides borrowed from Camp Zion. While we expected between 30-40 people, we had somewhere between 80-100 adults and children attend. (The kids move quick and I kept losing count.) It was a great evening to reconnect with friends from Zion, Camp Zion families, and some new friends as well.

LOST AND FOUND: If you left a key fob at the playdate last night, we found it and you can pick it up from the church office next week.

Weather permitting, our kids ministry will be outside all summer long. This is for kids ages 3 through going into 3rd grade. We’ll be meeting by the picnic tables to read Bible stories, pray together, do other outdoor crafts/games, and play on our church playground!

The nursery is open again this summer. Nursery is for children ages 0-3. The nursery check-in will be inside at the nursery. Young children are also welcome in the main worship service. Thank you to all those serving in the nursery!

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
Monday: 1 Corinthians 13
Tuesday:1 Corinthians 14
Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 15
Thursday: 1 Corinthians 16
Friday: 2 Corinthians 1

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Serve the World
Camp Zion started this week! They had a great first week of games, slip and slides, Bible stories, and building relationships. We have a great team working and volunteering this summer including all of our Camp Zion staff, Tom Boeve, Andrew Moore, Mackenzie Wallace, and numerous teens.

We continue to make preparations to open Threads, a clothing ministry, this fall. Jill Austin and Rick VanderWall were going over details and plans to prepare the basement to host this ministry earlier in the week.Troy Austin ripped out some carpet earlier this week and Jim Peterson is getting ready to do some painting. If you would like to be involved in any of this preparation work please contact either of them.

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 (Please note, it has been listed incorrectly the last two weeks. My apologies to Jerrod.)

Administration
The Consistory approved remodeling our bathrooms at our April meeting. If you have been in our bathrooms recently you may have noticed they not only look dated, but also have a particularly uncomfortable scent and are in need of some significant repairs. The approved plan will intentionally fit with the larger building remodel plan we approved prior to Covid rather than simply updating the bathrooms. By doing so, we leave open the possibility of moving ahead with the building remodel after Covid and as the financial impacts of this past year become more clear. This small project, however, will cost about $125,000. We will not move forward with this remodeling step until at least half of those funds are raised. If you would like to give to the bathroom remodel, you can do so by donating to our building fund. We do ask that anything given to the building fund be in addition to your regular support of Zion ministries through the general fund so we  can still effectively fund our ongoing ministries.

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:  $22,420.54
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $15,163.76
Giving Last Week: $8,610.76
Bathroom Building Fund (total given): $2,405.00