I received a call recently from someone struggling with their own emotional response to other people’s behavior during the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” orders. In a culture than increasingly looks at every issue through a partisan lens, sees every person through the tribalism of us v. them, it can be difficult to not feel angry and judgmental toward those who do not share our particular views or behaviors.

As I was watching the news coverage of the long line of cars trying to get to the capital on Wednesday, I was struck by the anger of the people protesting. In scrolling through the responses to the protests on social media, I was struck by the anger there, too. It is easy to jump to being angry when we are tired, stressed, and worn out.

Anger, though, is what therapists call a masking emotion. It is the emotion we show to hide the deeper emotion we feel. It does not take long to imagine the emotions people are feeling on both sides of the debate about how and/or when to reopen our local economy. People are afraid. They are afraid of catching a disease they cannot see and that has taken thousands of Michiganders. Others are afraid of losing their business if they can’t reopen. Others are afraid of losing a home or not having enough money to pay their bills or not finding work again or even all of the above. Most of us are feeling out of control. We don’t know when these orders will change. We feel trapped and isolated. We feel anxious, tired, alone, and overwhelmed.

Some people respond to these feeling by looking for someone to blame: Governor Whitmer, President Trump, WHO, China, or their neighbor who is having friends over. It can feel like if there is someone to blame, then we have regained some control because we know who to punish and we can stop them from ding whatever it is we think they did to cause all this anxiety. This blame often comes out in angry outbursts.

Others retreat into themselves and hide from the world, hide from their friends and family, and sink into depression. Their feelings often get turned inward and hurt themselves rather than others.

However people are handling this situation, they don’t need our anger. Life is hard for many people right now. Rather than judgment, they need support. Rather than condemnation, they need compassion. Rather than being attacked, they need to be heard.

During my devotions on Tuesday morning, I heard an old Rich Mullins song  on Spotify entitled “We are Not as Strong as We Think We Are.” The chorus says this:

We are frail, we are fearfully and wonderfully made
Forged in the fires of human passion
Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
And with these our hells and our heavens
So few inches apart
We must be awfully small
And not as strong as we think we are

We are pretty frail and faced with that frailty, we get scared. Our God may be strong, but we are not. Let’s be kind to one another and trust our God to get us through this all.

Connect to God
This Sunday we will once again gather for worship online. You can join the service at zionreformed.online.church or from the top banner of our website at www.zionreformed.org. The stream will begin at 9:15 with some worship songs prior to the service starting at 9:30. I would like to thank all the people who participated in our service this week: Rick VanderWall, Chip Harkes, Cindi Thompson, Shanda VandePol, Jeremy Zoet, Olivia Zoet, Sarah and Sean McAnally, and Ethan Brower.

This week we begin a new sermon series entitled Made for More. Many of us have been raised in a church culture that told us, however unintentionally, that our role was to come to worship, volunteer in something, give a little money and then let the professionals do the ministry. But what if we were made for more than holding down a seat or filling a volunteer slot. What if we truly are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do? What if we were made for mission, to both be a disciple and make disciples, as well as filling a unique role in God’s kingdom to show God’s love and care for this world. What if we were made for a life overflowing in the life of Jesus and guided in mission by his Spirit? What might God do with a church that committed to grabbing hold of the abundantly life of Jesus with all we’ve got? Join us over the next 7 weeks as we seek the More God offers us in Jesus.

You are also invited to join us for a coffee hour after church via a zoom call. The link will be shared during the service in the chat box. Last week, we had about 8 families join us for a brief talk in response to the sermon and just to catch up. You can learn more about how to use Zoom at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E

Grow in Community
Connected to our new sermon series, we will also be engaging in a 30-Day devotional as a congregation. The devotionals will walk us through the book of Ephesians as we together consider  how we are Made for More. the devotionals can be downloaded here.

Rachel Brower is sending information out to parents and Children’s Ministry volunteers each week for at-home Sunday school. She is also holding a weekly Bible story reading time with younger kids and a on-line game time fro older students. If you would like to receive this information as well, please email Rachel and she will add you to her list.

If you have a Middle or High School student who has not attended any of the youth meetings this week via Zoom, please contact Pastor Jeremyand he can send you the appropriate links and information.

Serve the World
We continue accepting donations of personal care items and food on Wednesdays from 1-3 pm at church. A huge thank you to both Kelly Osterink and Tom and Robbi Boeve for bring both food and personal care items to Sunrise Ministries in Jenison this week.

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Shanda VandePol our chair of deacons and she can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. Her e-mail is shandavandepol@yahoo.com and her phone number is 616-308-0700.

Administration
Our annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for May 3 following our morning worship. If we are not able to meet physically by May 3, we will hold our Congregational Meeting via a Zoom conference call. At this meeting, we will be approving our slate of Elders and Deacons and then selecting our new Elders and Deacons via lot. We will also receive a report on the state of our church and approve the budget for our fiscal year 2020/21 which begins on June 1.

I know many people may not yet be familiar with Zoom or may feel uncomfortable in this type of setting. Recognizing these challenges, we will hold a Zoom orientation meeting on Thursday, April 30 at 8 pm. At this meeting, we will help you learn too some basic tasks like muting and unmuting yourself as well as practicing voting via polls for during our meeting on Sunday. Thank you in advance for your flexibility in trying new things during this time of physical distancing.

The proposed budget will be made available soon through the E-news and our weekly announcements.

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. We are especially grateful this week for all those who have adjusted their means of giving to give online, through the mail, and via text. Zion’s members continue to strongly support the ministries of Zion during this time of uncertainty.

Year to Date Budget: $510,223.72
Year to Date Contribution: $493,930.83
Giving Last Week: $19,834.38
Cash on Hand: $115,586.57

One of my daily delights over the last week has been checking twitter to see what the National Cowboy Museum has posted recently. I have no idea where this museum is located. I have no intention of ever going to this museum. I had never heard of the museum until last week Thursday, but I love it.

Two weeks ago, the museum shutdown due to Covid-19 and gave control of its twitter feed to Tim, the head of security. When Tim started, he knew nothing about twitter. He did not know what a hashtag was and for the first few days simply wrote “hashtag.” He accidentally sends out tweets when he means to be searching on Google. He tells his grandkids good night. He doesn’t know what a selfie is and messes it up when he talks a picture of the selfie station in the museum. But he keeps learning.

And even better, people are showing him all sorts of grace and encouragement. He gets advice on how to get more people engaged. He has learned how to use hashtags. And, their twitter following has grown to over 270,000 people. He has gotten really good at this social media thing, as he puts it. They have even started selling a t-shirt with his signature hashtag and sign-off of “Thanks, Tim.” (Side note, Rachel ordered me one because I have found so much joy watching Tim learn.)

I think what I love about Tim right now its that he is all of us. We are all learning new things. We are all adjusting to a world we have not experienced before. We are learning new rules of social engagement. Watching Tim learn reminds me that we can all do this, too.

We can try new things and even fail at them miserably. And then we can keep learning. We can simply be our honest selves and find community and relationships in unlikely places. (For those who may not know, Twitter tends to be pretty snarky, sarcastic, and not always very kind place.)

We are learning at Zion, too. We will eventually get our livestream figured out. We are learning how to hold youth group without being present. Small groups are finding new ways to connect. Parents are learning how to engage their kids in scripture at home in our at-home Sunday school. And, perhaps most of all, during a time of limited contact and movement, we are learning what really matters in our lives.

This push to learn new ways of living and doing church is not unique to us and this time. The early church spent 100 years working through how to be church with Jews and Gentiles in the same room. Five hundred years ago, the church adapted to the printing press and the wide availability of scripture for all people, not just a few in the church. In the 1950s, churches adapted to television. In the 1980s and 90s to the changing music tastes of our culture. And now, we are living into a dispersed way of being the church. In every case, God was with us and he is still with us today. He will not fail his church and he will be glorified in us as we live for him.

So, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus even now as we learn and try new things.

Connect to God
This Sunday we celebrate Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As he enters the city, the crowds come with all their expectations of the Messiah, but Jesus quickly fails to meet those expectations. God has another plan. Many of us today are living in the reality of unmet expectations, too. Cancelled proms. Cancelled spring vacations. And more. Join us Sunday as we consider how to respond when life or God does not live up to our expectations.

Joins us this Sunday for Zion worship online. You can find our service at zionreformed.online.church or from the first banner on our website atwww.zionreformed.org. Worship will begin at 9:30 am. There will be an opportunity in the service to chat with people who have gathered, help choose our closing song, and also make prayer requests. We look forward to being together online on Sunday. We will finish our series on the Sermon on the Mount as we consider how to follow the narrow way of Jesus in a time such as this.

There will also be a coffee time following church via a Zoom chat. The link for the Zoom chat will be shared during the service. If you have never used Zoom before, the link below provides a helpful introduction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E

Our Maundy Thursday service will be held next Thursday at 6:30 online at zionreformed.online.church. This will be a service of scripture and worship centered on the last few hours of Jesus’ life.

Grow in Community
We extend our sympathy to Tom and Megan MacGraw in the passing of Megan’s grandmother yesterday. A celebration of life service will be held when permitted at a later date.

Rachel Brower is sending information out to parents and Children’s Ministry volunteers each week for at-home Sunday school. She is also holding a weekly Bible story reading time with younger kids and a on-line game time fro older students. If you would like to receive this information as well, please email Rachel and she will add you to her list.

If you have a Middle or High School student who has not attended any of the youth meetings this week via Zoom, please contact Pastor Jeremyand he can send you the appropriate links and information.

If you have never read the Bible on your own or established a pratice of daily Bible reading and prayer, now is a great time to start. I would suggest starting with the book of Philippians as Paul wrote it while under house arrest (maybe you can relate a little more this week than you could a month ago). There is also a couple of great video study of this book on RightNow Media you can access here and here. If you do not already have access to RightNow media you can sign-up here.

Serve the World
During this time of physical and economic anxiety and disruption, we want to be a blessing in our community that in us people might glimpse the love of God for them. To that end, we want to let you know how we as a church are responding and how you can be involved:
1. We will continue running Hand2Hand and the Personal Care pantry to ensure the people we had been helping before this crisis continue to receive help.
2. We will the accepting donations of Personal Care items and food on Wednesdays from 1-3 pm at church. These donations will one used to assist both H2H and the Personal Care Pantry as well as being available to our members who may need some extra help during this time and for you to share with your neighbors and friends who may need help. Any excess donations will be brought to Love, INC or Sunrise Ministries to support their work in Eastern Ottawa county.
3. We are creating a list of people who are willing to pickl up groceries or medicines for those who are quarantined or need to stay isolated because they are at particular risk. You can sign-up to be a driver/shopper through this google form.

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Shanda VandePol our chair of deacons and she can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. Her e-mail is shandavandepol@yahoo.com and her phone number is 616-308-0700.

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. We are especially grateful this week for all those who have adjusted their means of giving to give online, through the mail, and via text. Zion’s members continue to strongly support the ministries of Zion during this time of uncertainty. Our P&A Committee is meeting every 2 weeks to monitor our financial situation. Some key numbers are shared below.

Fiscal Year to date budget: $488,040.08
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $457,663.17
Giving Last Week: $1,342.00
Cash on Hand: $103,384.95

I drove to Zion yesterday in order to let people into the building to drop off food and personal care items. I want to thank each person who came by to support others in need in our community. You are a blessing to me and our church.

I was also saddened by the sheer number of cars still out on the road even as we had been told to shelter in place. We have neighbor kids who are still playing with friends down the road. I see people posting on facebook about their latest playdate or extended family gathering. I am afraid people are still not taking the Corona virus seriously and the lack of physically distancing ourselves from one another is going to cost people’s lives.

I know some people struggle to trust the news, so I have been talking with doctor friends about the reality they are experiencing, including a geriatric doctor working in a nursing home and our own Ken Johnson and Amy Mott. Following are a few highlights of these discussions:

1. One hospital in Michigan is already so overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients that they no longer have the resources to even attempt CPR on a patient who goes into arrest.
2. In New York, in at least one hospital, they no longer have enough ventilators and now need to choose between whom to help and whom to simply not give needed health care from Covid-19.
3. Visitors are no longer allowed in the adult ICU units across all Spectrum health hospitals. As I understand this, it would even exclude a visitor at the end of life. To be very blunt, if you have a family member go to the hospital with Covid-19, you should say all your goodbyes just in case because you will not be able to see them again unless they get better.

In texting with Ken Johnson this week, he suggested our older members (60+) would be wise to set up or finalize any Advanced Care Planning wishes soon. There are resources available here, if you need them.

If you have not been taking the shelter in place orders or the social distancing directives seriously please begin to do so now. I know you may not know anyone who is sick yet. I know it can feel like an overreaction to some. I know people want to keep the economy moving. And, people’s lives are at stake. As Christians, we serve the God of life, not the god of money or the economy. You may not see the risk, but health experts do. You may not know anyone who is sick, but lots of people are and more will become sick in the next couple of weeks. Let’s do what we can to not make this situation any worse. Stay home. Watch a lot of Netflix. Read a book. Talk on the phone. Eat snacks. Wash your hands. And, stay safe.

We may not be in control at the moment, but we know our God is. May God have mercy and bring healing to all who need it in our world.

Connect to God
Joins us this Sunday for Zion worship online. You can find our service at zionreformed.online.church or from the first banner on our website at www.zionreformed.org. Worship will begin at 9:30 am. There will be an opportunity in the service to chat with people who have gathered, help choose our closing song, and also make prayer requests. We look forward to being together online on Sunday. We will finish our series on the Sermon on the Mount as we consider how to follow the narrow way of Jesus in a time such as this.

Grow in Community
We extend our sympathy to Cornie, Dawn, Mark and Cindy VanderZouwen in the passing of Thelma Vander Zouwen on Monday. Due to Covid-19, there will not be a funeral at this time, though the immediate family will gather with Pastor Rick for a graveside service on Friday.

Please be in prayer for the many people working on the front lines of caring for our community right now. Certainly we want to pray for doctors, nurses, aides and EMTs, and we also want to remember all the people still working in service industries to make sure we get fed like grocery store stockers and clerks, as well as garbage truck drivers, and all the truck drivers delivering our food. We also pray for those worried about losing their job or their business during this time. And, of course, for all those who are sick. May God make his mercy and love known at this time.

Rachel Brower is sending information out to parents and Children’s Ministry volunteers each week for at-home Sunday school. She is also holding a weekly Bible story reading time with younger kids and a on-line game time fro older students. If you would like to receive this information as well, please email Rachel and she will add you to her list.

If you have a Middle or High School student who has not attended any of the youth meetings this week via Zoom, please contact Pastor Jeremyand he can send you the appropriate links and information.

If you have never read the Bible on your own or established a pratice of daily Bible reading and prayer, now is a great time to start. I would suggest starting with the book of Philippians as Paul wrote it while under house arrest (maybe you can relate a little more this week than you could a month ago). There is also a couple of great video study of this book on RightNow Media you can access here and here. If you do not already have access to RightNow media you can sign-up here.

Serve the World
During this time of physical and economic anxiety and disruption, we want to be a blessing in our community that in us people might glimpse the love of God for them. To that end, we want to let you know how we as a church are responding and how you can be involved:
1. We will continue running Hand2Hand and the Personal Care pantry to ensure the people we had been helping before this crisis continue to receive help.
2. We will the accepting donations of Personal Care items and food on Wednesdays from 1-3 pm at church. These donations will one used to assist both H2H and the Personal Care Pantry as well as being available to our members who may need some extra help during this time and for you to share with your neighbors and friends who may need help. Any excess donations will be brought to Love, INC or Sunrise Ministries to support their work in Eastern Ottawa county.
3. We are creating a list of people who are willing to pick up groceries or medicines for those who are quarantined or need to stay isolated because they are at particular risk. You can sign-up to be a driver/shopper through this google form.

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Shanda VandePol our chair of deacons and she can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. Her e-mail is shandavandepol@yahoo.com and her phone number is 616) 308-0700.

Planning is underway for another great summer at Camp Zion. If you are a high school interested in serving on staff, applications are due Sunday March 29 and can be found here. Please keep Camp Zion, our staff, and the kids who will be attending in your prayers as we prepare for the summer. We are still planning on holding Camp Zion, but will adjust as needed depending on any changes to local school schedules.

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. We are especially grateful this week for all those who have adjusted their means of giving to give online, through the mail, and via text. Zion’s members continue to strongly support the ministries of Zion during this time of uncertainty.

Fiscal Year to date budget: $476,948.26
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $454,293.38

Connect to God
Joins us this Sunday for Zion worship online. You can find our service at zionreformed.online.church or from the first banner on our website at www.zionreformed.org. Worship will begin at 9:30 am. There will be an opportunity in the service to chat with people who have gathered, help choose our closing song, and also make prayer requests. We look forward to being together online on Sunday.

Grow in Community
Barb Peterson remains int he hospital as she battles pneumonia. Please keep Jim and Barb in your prayers.

Fred Wallace continues his recovery after foot surgery on Tuesday and hopes to return home this weekend.

Thelma VanderZouwen continues her recovery after falling and breaking her hip on Monday.

Please be in prayer for the many people working on the frontlines of carry for our community right now. Certainly we want to pray for doctors, nurses, aides and EMTs, but we also wasn’t to remember all the people still working in service industries to make sure we get fed like grocery store stockers and clerks, as well as garbage truck drivers. We also pray for those worried about losing their job or their business during this time. And, of course, for all those who are sick. May God make his mercy and love know at this time.

Rachel Brower sent information out to parents and Children’s Ministry volunteers yesterday for another weekend of at-home Sunday school. If you would like to receive this information as well, please email Rachel and she will add you to her list.

Serve the World
Planning is underway for another great summer ta Camp Zion. If you are a high school interested in serving on staff, applications are due Sunday March 29 and can be found here. Please keep Camp Zion, our staff, and the kids who will be attending in your prayers as we prepare for the summer.

Please be in prayer for Lifeline Community Church as due to the school closings they have completely lost access to their current space in a local school through at least Easter. They are trying to make plans, as we are, for the next few weeks and Easter Sunday as well.

Dear Zion Family,

We value people over programs or events at Zion. God’s commandment to love our neighbors means that we need to watch out for one another, especially for those who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, including people over the age of 60 and those with immunosuppression, lung and heart conditions, diabetes and more.

I want to update you on our response to the coronavirus (COVID-19), especially as it moves into Michigan. We are closely monitoring information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and the Kent County Health Department (KCHD).

In the spirit of proactivity and at the recommendation of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, we have decided to cancel worship and all events face-to-face ministry events through March 26. This includes any private bookings of our facilities beginning on Sunday, March 15. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust as is prudent. We will continue to run both Hand2Hand and the Personal Care Pantry as we know many are dependent on these services.

In lieu of gathered worship, we encourage our community to participate in home worship. You may want to do so with Zion friends who live nearby, with your small group, or your immediate family. Resources for corporate worship are available at our church website.

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself and those around you:

• Patients with COVID-19 experience mild to severe respiratory symptoms, which can include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Stay home from work, school, or other activities if you feel at all ill, even if your symptoms are mild. 
• Take advantage of Spectrum’s free virtual screenings if you feel ill.
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water, scrubbing for at least 20 seconds.
• Cough or sneeze into a clean tissue whenever possible or into your bent elbow if a tissue is unavailable.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Per CDC recommendations, avoid close contact with others whenever possible.
• If you believe you may have been exposed to the coronavirus, we would be grateful to know.
• If you have not done so yet, now is a great time to consider setting up online giving so that we can continue supporting missionaries around the world and also our local ministries like Hand2Hand and the Personal Care Pantry during this time.

Here are a few useful links:

• General information about COVID-19 via the CDC
• Comparison of COVID-19 and influenza via the WHO
• COVID-19 prevention via the CDC
• Mitigation strategies from the MDHHS
• Local updates via Kent County Health Department
• Statewide updates via State of Michigan
• Global updates on COVID-19 via the WHO
• Global impact map via the WHO
• EPA-approved disinfectants

We hope to resume normal activity soon and will update you as the situation evolves. While this is a serious virus that requires thoughtful response, we believe that God does not give us a spirit of fear but of love (2 Timothy 1:7). We value the well-being of every person who belongs to this community, we wish to exercise wisdom, and we put our trust in Christ alone.

Grace & peace,

Pastor Greg