Zion E-News (11-7-2019)

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It seems like everywhere I go lately, the subject of generosity and finances comes up. At a recent Regional Synod Executive Committee meeting we talked about planning for worst case scenarios as our denomination makes decisions about its future. At both Lifeline and City Chapel, their boards talked about finances and both wanting and needing to foster more generosity in their communities, not only of finances but also of people’s time and relationships. As we consider a possible building remodel, we too are thinking about finances and giving. At the same time, national trends show flat to slightly declining giving and fewer people giving in almost every type of church. I wonder what that might mean for the future of church life and how we do ministry in our community together.

But, in the midst of these conversations, my mind has turned more often to gratitude than to worry. I know there are people in our church who are living on social security checks who continue to give and for them it is a genuine sacrifice. I know other young families with little kids and less income than before they had kids, who continue to sacrificially give. I know of empty nesters and early retirees who are experiencing more financial freedom and are choosing to give rather than use it all for themselves. And, I know of people socking money away for retirement, but who continue to give generously to Zion and other causes near to their hearts. To all of you I want to say thank you. You generosity is having an impact in our world.

Let me highlight just a few ways your giving matters at Zion. Because of your giving:
1. There are new faith communities in Nepal and two dedicated church planting trainers leading these new communities and raising up their leaders.
2. There are two new churches you helped plant in the last 6 years and a granddaughter church reaching Congolese refugees. Combined these three communities worship over 300 people each week.
3. There is a new Sunday School building for the more than 100 children Jeremiah and Mary Kuria are reaching through their church in Kenya.
4. A young family in our church has started doing family devotions with their kids every night after receiving some guidance from our Children’s Director.
5. A young adult is talking with a non-believing friend about reading the Bible together to learn more about God and Jesus.
6. Two new small groups are forming or have just formed this fall where people are connecting with each other and with God.
7. At least 5 Discipleship triads are meeting regularly and many people who had not read the Bible consistently in years are reading 30 chapters a week of God’s word and finding it relevant for today. 
8. In just a few weeks, 75 kids ages 3 years old through 5th grade will lead us in worship in our annual Sunday school Christmas program.
9. 3 or 4 high school students will be serving as student leaders on the Middle school retreat in February as we continue to develop the leadership capacities of our youth.

There is so much more you enable through your generosity of time and finances to Zion from Hand2Hand and the Personal Care Pantry to Sunday school lessons and worship on Sundays. Thank you for all you do to make Zion a great community of the gospel. 

Connect to God
These days it’s easy to see life the way we want to. We can filter our images, pick the news we want to hear, and listen only to the viewpoints that agree with us. When we do that, we start to distort our view of the world. The same thing can happen to our view of God. We reshape our perception of Him into what we want to believe, or what we want to think about others. Jesus came to bring us the truth about God and His plan for us, and it doesn’t always sound like what you may think. While the world tells us people get what is coming to them, Jesus offers both mercy and grace to those who seek him.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
We extend our sympathy to John and Sandy VerWys in the passing of her sister Diane Rottschafer following a 9-month battle with brain cancer. The memorial was held on Thursday afternoon at 3 pm at Harderwyk Ministries in Holland, MI.

Are you interested in learning more about Nepal and how God is at work in that land? If so, join us next week Wednesday, November 13 at 10 am in Room 205 to hear more from Sarah McAnally about her and Tracy’s trip last month. There is no need to sign-up ahead of time, simply show up ready to enjoy some good company and learn a little about Nepal.

Serve the World
Please continue to pray for City Chapel as they reach the community of downtown Grand Rapids. They are currently looking for a new space in which to worship as the rent at City Flats Hotel has continued to rise. If you know of any possible leads, please contact Pastor Greg or Pastor Ron Radcliffe from City Chapel.

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting will be on November 17 from 5-7 pm. In addition to enjoying a meal together and meeting in ministry teams, Jon Sherrill from Fifth Reformed will be sharing with us ways to more effectively listen to God in our lives. Child care will be provided for kids from birth through 5th grade. We are still looking for people to help with childcare, you can sign-up by contacting Connie Stegeman in the church office or by the welcome table in the lobby on Sunday.

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 to date budget: $255,111.86
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $219,052.37

This Week’s Bulletin

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11-10-19 Bulletin

This Week’s Bulletin

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11-3-19 Bulletin

Zion E-News (10-31-2019)

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During my devotion time this morning, I was reflecting on the last 15 years. I became the pastor of Zion in November of 2004 and I have been feeling a little nostalgic lately. In those first few months, people told me lots of stories. I heard of a VP and Clerk of our Consistory standing in the narthex on a Sunday asking each other if our church was going to make it and deciding to be the cheerleaders for our church. I am so thankful for their faithful courage. I heard of painful losses and strained relationships as our church tried to adapt to the changing realities of our culture. Some people let me know, after the fact, they were giving it about 6 months to decide whether or not to stay. We were a church with a lot of anxiety and fear of the future. Everything felt a little tenuous.

And, I remember vividly counting the kids on the steps when I first visited and being pleased we had 13 kids ages 3 through 3rd grade. I saw people willing to set aside personal preferences for the sake of mission. People willing to take risks and try new things if it could help us reach our neighbors with the gospel. I saw a church of so much potential and a missional heart. I still see so much more God is ready to do in and through us.

Over the years, we have tried some things. We started a Christmas Giveaway that at times almost overwhelmed us as a church. I know the needs broke many of our hearts. The giveaway led to the Personal Care Pantry. Our youth urged us to start Camp Zion and 5 years later it has become a bit of what we are known for in the community as 50+ kids are loved and cared for by our church every summer. We have helped plant two churches. We welcomed women into ordained leadership roles and had 3 female seminary interns. We transitioned to a contemporary worship style and welcomed the gifts of many teens to our worship and sound teams, while continuing to enjoy the gifts of those paved the way (here’s looking at you Fred VanderWall and Rick Steenbergen).

In just a few weeks, our Sunday school students will lead us in worship with their annual Christmas program telling us about the God who loved us enough to come and live among us. This year we will be led by 75 kids ages 3 through 5th grade. Only four years ago there were just under 30 kids in the program. In December, we hope to continue conversations with Community Reformed in Zeeland as we determine how to partner together in planting a new church in Grandville. The following month we hope to begin a new partnership with Bursley Elementary through Kids Hope that is already showing signs of blossoming into a deeper partnership. God is still on the move at Zion calling us out to join him in reaching our community with the good news of Jesus.

All of this is to say, at the end of Pastor Appreciation month, I appreciate all of you, too.

  • I am very thankful for our longterm members who took a chance to call a young pastor with little experience. (Seriously, I wonder sometimes what you were thinking. You created a bold search team.)
  •  I am thankful for those who set aside their preferences in worship style to help us reach the next generation.
  • And, I am thankful for those who have given generously and sacrificially to bless us with this big old building. It isn’t perfect for how we do ministry now. It creates bottlenecks to continued growth due to a small lobby and our kids space. But it is great to have the freedom to use it and not worry about people being upset it gets messy during the week. Did you know, not counting out staff working here, our building gets used for ministry purposes on average about 25 hours every week?
  • I am thankful for new people who have come with their energy and new ideas and a willing to try new things.
  • I am thankful for the pastors and leaders who came before me and made some hard decisions and beat the drum of outreach and evangelism and nurtured the seeds planted by our founders in 1955.

If you are new to Zion in the last 5 years or so, I urge you to find a longer term member and thank them for all they have done to create the church we all get to enjoy.

When I first came to Zion, people from outside the church would ask if we were going to make it. Some of you asked me that question, too. Today, I get asked how we did it. How have we reached so many millennial families and continued to change and adapt? I want to give them some really cool answer about what we are doing, but the truth is: we pray, we do our best, we try and fail at stuff, we apologize and forgive when we mess up. and God moves and continues to call people back to him. We haven’t done much. God does it all and lets us come along for the ride. And it continues to be a great ride.

Thanks for letting me be your pastor.

Connect to God
These days it’s easy to see life the way we want to. We can filter our images, pick the news we want to hear, and listen only to the viewpoints that agree with us. When we do that, we start to distort our view of the world. The same thing can happen to our view of God. We reshape our perception of Him into what we want to believe, or what we want to think about others. Jesus came to bring us the truth about God and His plan for us, and it doesn’t always sound like what you may think. While some have taught God never gives us more than we can handle, scripture reminds us God is with us in the midst of our suffering.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
Are you interested in joining Zion? If so, we will be holding a new members class for those interested in learning more about joining Zion on Sunday, Nov. 3 following worship. This is a great chance to learn more about Zion, its history, mission, and values, get to know some new people, and is also a requirement for joining the church.

Is the child check-in line too long? Are you feeling crowded by the check-in stations? Then check out our new child check-in station in Room 205. This station will not be staffed on Sundays, but if you are comfortable signing your child into our system without assistance, this is a great option to decrease congestion and the wait near door ‘D.’

On November 9, from 9-3 pm, we will be hosting a day of learning, listening and discussing the work of the Vision 2020 team for the Reformed Church in America. In response to ongoing tensions and dialogue around different understandings of how to properly respond to the changing cultural views of human sexuality, the Vision 2020 team was formed to imagine how our denomination can or should stay in relationship given the wide ranging views on these issues. The work of the Vision 2020 Team is to identify and explore possible scenarios, strategies, and consequences for these future options for the Reformed Church in America: (1) staying together; (2) radical reconstituting and reorganization; (3) grace-filled separation. This event is designed to help understand and process through the ramifications of the potential changes for the denomination and the local church. If you are interested in attending, you can sign-up here.

Serve the World
We continue our conversations with Bursley Elementary and Jenison Public schools as we anticipate starting a Kids Hope program with the school early next year. The school is already seeing other opportunities for us to serve the students through the Personal Care Pantry and Camp Zion. We look forward to seeing how God uses this new opportunity for us to bless our neighbors and invite people to meet Jesus.

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting will be on November 17 from 5-7 pm. In addition to enjoying a meal together and meeting in ministry teams, Jon Sherrill from Fifth Reformed will be sharing with us ways to more effectively listen to God in our lives. Child care will be provided for kids from birth through 5th grade.

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 to date budget: $244,020.04
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $198,108.37

This Week’s Bulletin

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10-27-19 Bulletin

Zion E-News (10-23-2019)

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This weekend, a video emerged of a panel discussion at a Christian conference. In this discussion, the men were asked to say the first thing that came to mind when given a word. When given the name Beth Moore (a hugely influential Bible teacher whose ministry is focused almost exclusively on teaching women, but every man would benefit from listening to her), one man said, “Go home” in a derisive tone and then the whole room erupted in laughter.

I have listened to the audio 3 or 4 times now and each time, I feel both sick to my stomach and deeply sad. I feel sick because no believer should mock or ridicule or speak disparagingly of another believer who is seeking to honor and follow Jesus. It is beneath the call of Jesus on our lives and is a terrible witness to a world far from God.

I feel sad because I know some of the harm this attitude and these comments have done and will do to the women and girls in our church. I am sorry. You deserve better from the body Christ than to be sidelined, belittled, or mocked because of your gender.

I was walking through our lobby this morning and passed to look at our “wall of fame,” all the pictures of former pastors and people who have been ordained through Zion. We should be proud of our legacy of raising up and sending out leaders for God’s church. It is a key part of our culture. But I wondered today how that wall would feel to my daughter when all the people on the wall look like me, and not like her. I wondered how it looks to members of our church who are Hispanic or African American. There are all sorts of ways that we subtly and unintentionally communicate to some people that they are not a genuine part of the community.

The minor controversy this week also got me thinking about all the ways women have been a blessing in my life and ministry. Three of my first four bosses at Herman Miller were Brenda VanderMeulen, Ulli Bowen, and Deb Exo. They were all very different leaders, but each was a huge encouragement to me in my 20s to follow my gifts and passions where they led.

The best seminarian preacher I have ever heard was Andrea DeWard. She preached a sermon on a text in Romans that made the text sing in your heart. Now I have the privilege of serving with her on the leadership team of our plant Lifeline Community Church.

Edie Lenz is a leader in our denomination in helping churches navigate the anxiety of change in uncertain times. We studied and laughed our way through seminary together along with Gretchen Schoon-Tanis and Kathy Barnes-Dunn.

At Zion, I have been blessed to serve with some great interns, including Chelsea Reynhout and Kara Lepley who continue to do ministry in the church. And numerous Consistory members who I dare not mention for fear of leaving one out. But we have had numerous dynamic female leaders on our Consistory. I am especially grateful for Nancy Steenbergen who served as our first female Elder and did so with so much grace and love.

On our staff, Rachel Brower is a strategic missional thinker and a great partner (I could go on here, but it might get mushy as she is a great wife and friend). Rachel Verbrugge continues to equip teen staff and build relationships with the many non-churched families who send kids to Camp Zion and is like a sponge in thinking about leadership in the church. Roxie VanderHeide is more detailed and organized in the nursery than I could ever be. And, Connie Stegeman is not only a great administrator, she comes to work with a heart for the mission of our church and as one of the best sounding boards for our other staff.

To the many women in our church, thank you for all you do for our church and the kingdom of God.

Connect to God
These days it’s easy to see life the way we want to. We can filter our images, pick the news we want to hear, and listen only to the viewpoints that agree with us. When we do that, we start to distort our view of the world. The same thing can happen to our view of God. We reshape our perception of Him into what we want to believe, or what we want to think about others. Jesus came to bring us the truth about God and His plan for us, and it doesn’t always sound like what you may think. Today we consider where Jesus wants us to spend our time.

Following worship this Sunday, you are invited to stay, enjoy some light refreshments, and learn more about our potential building project. At this event, you will be able to:

  • Learn about the proposed Building Project
  • View the latest drawings from our Building Committee
  • Participate in a small group discussion
  • Ask questions and offer your opinions and advice

If you would like to attend and have not yet signed up, please sign-up through Connie Stegeman in the office.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
We extend our sympathy to Steve, Shawn, Hayley, and Carly Landstra in the passing of their mother and grandmother Jan Erskine. Visitation is Wednesday afternoon from 4-7 pm at Matthysse-Kuiper-DeGraaf in Caledonia and the funeral will be at the same location on Thursday at 11 am.

This Friday, we will be holding a hayride and bonfire at Post Family farm from 6-8 pm for Zion attenders and their friends. We will enjoy a hayride, bonfire, hot chocolate, s’mores, a ninja course ($2 per person), and pumpkin rides for the little ones. The cost is $5 per adult and $3 per child. But, if you invite a friend who is not currently attending a church, then your family and theirs can attend for free. See you on the 25th from 6-8 at Post Family Farm.

Are you interested in joining Zion? If so, we will be holding a new members class for those interested in learning more about joining Zion  on Sunday, Nov. 3 following worship. This is a great chance to learn more about Zion, its history, mission, and values, get to know some new people, and is also a requirement for joining the church.

Is the child check-in line too long? Are you feeling crowded by the check-in stations? Then check out our new child check-in station in Room 205. This station will not be staffed on Sundays, but if you are comfortable signing your child into our system without assistance, this is a great option to decrease congestion and the wait near door ‘D.’

On November 9, from 9-3 pm, we will be hosting a day of learning, listening and discussing the work of the Vision 2020 team for the Reformed Church in America. In response to ongoing tensions and dialogue around different understandings of how to properly respond to the changing cultural views of human sexuality, the Vision 2020 team was formed to imagine how our denomination can or should stay in relationship given the wide ranging views on these issues. The work of the Vision 2020 Team is to identify and explore possible scenarios, strategies, and consequences for these future options for the Reformed Church in America: (1) staying together; (2) radical reconstituting and reorganization; (3) grace-filled separation. This event is designed to help understand and process through the ramifications of the potential changes for the denomination and the local church. If you are interested in attending, you can sign-up here.

Serve the World
Sarah McAnally and Tracy Lobbes will be sharing about their experiences in Nepal during our Moment for Mission this Sunday. Tim Mekkes remains in Nepal through his work with Good News Nepal. Please keep Tim and Judy in your prayers during this season of travel.

Last week, Troy Austin shared about a new opportunity for Zion to bless our community. Earlier this fall, we were approached by Bursley Elementary asking if we would consider becoming a Kids Hope Partner with the school. As Kids Hope says, “Too many students stand just one close adult relationship away from thriving in school and in life.” Troy will be sharing a couple of different ways people at Zion can be involved in blessing the students of Bursley and giving us an update on his training as our new Kids Hope Director.

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting will be on November 17 from 5-7 pm. In addition to enjoying a meal together and meeting in ministry teams, Jon Sherrill from Fifth Reformed will be sharing with us ways to more effectively listen to God in our lives. Child care will be provided for kids from birth through 5th grade.

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 to date budget: $232,928.22
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $189,424.37

Zion E-News (10-17-2019)

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On Wednesday this week, the winds picked up. The waves grew big. Water crashed over the piers in South Haven, Holland, and Grand Haven. Brave people drove to the shore just to see the power and might of Lake Michigan on display. A day after the storm, the lakeshore looks a little different. No single wave changes the shape of the shoreline, but wave after wave, hour after hour, the lake changes shape.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we experience a moment of spiritual fervor, maybe it is a crisis or a spiritual high moment, and we see some significant growth in a short period of time. But, most of the time, spiritual growth happens not from a sudden spiritual passion, but through the daily habits of praying and reading our Bibles, the weekly habit of attending worship and giving back to God, monthly habits of serving others in his name, and so on. It is not any one time we read our Bibles that we change, but over hundreds of days of reading and praying, God’s spirit does its work in our lives. No one Sunday in church may make us suddenly spiritually mature, but year after year, the habit of worship and sitting under the word of God changes or spiritual, direction. When we live into this daily and weekly habits, the spiritual waves keep coming and God begins to reshape us more and more to live and love like Jesus.

That’s why I get so excited about people from Zion joining a Discipleship Triad and committing to reading 30 chapters of the Bible every week. No one week may change us, but week after week, the word of God does its work. That’s why I get excited when someone makes a decision to start attending church and then they make it not a sometimes practice, but an every week commitment. Something happens when we sit in God’s presence with others believers week after week. The waves start doing their work.

Parents understand this with the children when it comes to s sport or reading or simply going to school. No single day is that important, but these daily practice habits shape the minds and bodies of children. The same is true in our spiritual lives and the lives of our kids. Daily and weekly habits of scripture, prayer, and worship change and mold us into the people God has called us to be. Let’s live into these habits so God can mold and make us into the people he has called us to be.

Connect to God
These days it’s easy to see life the way we want to. We can filter our images, pick the news we want to hear, and listen only to the viewpoints that agree with us. When we do that, we start to distort our view of the world. The same thing can happen to our view of God. We reshape our perception of Him into what we want to believe, or what we want to think about others. Jesus came to bring us the truth about God and His plan for us, and it doesn’t always sound like what you may think. Today we consider if Jesus wants us to pursue happiness or something else.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
This Sunday the High School Youth Group invites you to join them for a special time of worship where students will lead us in some of their favorite praise songs, readings and prayer. Worship begins at 5:45PM and will be held in the sanctuary.

On October 25, we will be holding a hayride and bonfire at Post Family farm from 6-8 pm for Zion attenders and their friends. We will enjoy a hayride, bonfire, hot chocolate, s’mores, a ninja course ($2 per person), and pumpkin rides for the little ones. The cost is $5 per adult and $3 per child. But, if you invite a friend who is not currently attending a church, then your family and theirs can attend for free. See you on the 25th from 6-8 at Post Family Farm.

Middle School students are invited to join Pastor Greg and Matt Eling for an opportunity to explore our faith together, by digging into some key questions about Christianity and teachings from the Bible. We will enjoy some food and pop, talk about a few chapters of scripture, and explore our faith together. This class continues this Sunday and will meet each Sunday afternoon prior to youth group from 4:30 to 5:30 in room 209. We look forward to seeing you!

Are you interested in joining Zion? If so, we will be holding a new members class for those interested in learning more about joining Zion  on Sunday, Nov. 3 following worship. This is a great chance to learn more about Zion, its history, mission, and values, get to know some new people, and is also a requirement for joining the church.

Is the child check-in line too long? Are you feeling crowded by the check-in stations? Then check out our new child check-in station in Room 205. This station will not be staffed on Sundays, but if you are comfortable signing your child into our system without assistance, this is a great option to decrease congestion and the wait near door ‘D.’

On November 9, from 9-3 pm, we will be hosting a day of learning, listening and discussing the work of the Vision 2020 team for the Reformed Church in America. In response to ongoing tensions and dialogue around different understandings of how to properly respond to the changing cultural views of human sexuality, the Vision 2020 team was formed to imagine how our denomination can or should stay in relationship given the wide ranging views on these issues. The work of the Vision 2020 Team is to identify and explore possible scenarios, strategies, and consequences for these future options for the Reformed Church in America: (1) staying together; (2) radical reconstituting and reorganization; (3) grace-filled separation. This event is designed to help understand and process through the ramifications of the potential changes for the denomination and the local church. If you are interested in attending, you can sign-up here.

Serve the World
We welcome Sarah McAnally and Tracy Lobbes back to Zion after two weeks in Nepal. They will be sharing a little about their experiences next week Sunday during our Moment for Mission. Tim Mekkes remains in Nepal through his work with Good News Nepal. Please keep Tim and Judy in your prayers during this season of travel.

This Sunday, Troy Austin will be sharing a new opportunity for Zion to bless our community. Earlier this fall, we were approached by Bursley Elementary asking if we would consider becoming a Kids Hope Partner with the school. As Kids Hope says, “Too many students stand just one close adult relationship away from thriving in school and in life.” Troy will be sharing a couple of different ways people at Zion can be involved in blessing the students of Bursley and giving us an update on his training as our new Kids Hope Director.

Administrative Details

Join us on Vision Sunday as we pray and explore how we can create a building for the future – aligning our facilities with our mission to make disciples who make disciples. On Sunday, October 27, we invite you to join us after the worship service to:

  • Learn about the proposed Building Project
  • View the latest drawings from our Building Committee
  • Participate in a small group discussion
  • Ask questions and offer your opinions and advice

Our next Leaders Meeting will be on November 17 from 5-7 pm. In addition to enjoying a meal together and meeting in ministry teams, Jon Sherrill from Fifth Reformed will be sharing with us ways to more effectively listen to God in our lives. Child care will be provided for kids from birth through 5th grade.

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 to date budget: $221,836.40
Fiscal Year to date contributions:$180,180.37

This Week’s Bulletin

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10-20-19 Bulletin

Zion E-News (10-10-2019)

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This Sunday, we will be talking about forgiveness. For the past week and a half, my eyes have been opened to stories of grace. We saw amazing forgiveness in the brother of Botham Jean who forgave his brother’s killer. We see the ongoing pain of unforgiveness in the conflicts in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians as well as Shia and Sunni. And then, this morning, I heard about a ministry focused on giving people grace-filled second chances.

70×7 i s a Christian ministry focused on helping returning neighbors assimilate back into the community after serving time in prison. They provide life-skill training, family support, and help in job placements through partner churches and businesses.

In my conversation with Greg Chandler from their team, he told the story off Naka Sims, a returning neighbor with multiple felonies. Naka went through the 70×7 program and met an employer whom he really liked. he asked repeatedly if he could be placed with this company because he wanted to work with the owner. He pursued a job opportunity and now several years later has become a partner in the small business.

We can be captivated by stories of grace like happened in the Botham Jean case, but more often, grace looks like hard work caring for and encouraging people as they put their life back together. Today, I am thankful for the mentors and business partners of 70×7 who put in that hard work to show the gospel of Jesus to returning neighbors in need of a second chance.

Connect to God
These days it’s easy to see life the way we want to. We can filter our images, pick the news we want to hear, and listen only to the viewpoints that agree with us. When we do that, we start to distort our view of the world. The same thing can happen to our view of God. We reshape our perception of Him into what we want to believe, or what we want to think about others. Jesus came to bring us the truth about God and His plan for us, and it doesn’t always sound like what you may think. Today we consider Jesus’ teaching to forgive without exceptions.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
We extend our sympathy to Chip and Becky Harkes and their family in the passing of Becky’s mother Roxanne Bloem on Monday after an almost year long battle with cancer.. The funeral was held this afternoon at Messiah CRC.

On October 20 the High School Youth Group invites you to join them for a special time of worship where students will present some of their favorite praise songs. Worship begins at 5:45PM and will be held in the sanctuary.

On October 25, we will be holding a hayride and bonfire at Post Family farm from 6-8 pm for Zion attenders and their friends. We will enjoy a hayride, bonfire, hot chocolate, s’mores, a ninja course ($2 per person), and pumpkin rides for the little ones. The cost is $5 per adult and $3 per child. But, if you invite a friend who is not currently attending a church, then your family and theirs can attend for free. See you on the 25th from 6-8 at Post Family Farm.

Middle School students are invited to join Pastor Greg and Matt Eling for an opportunity to explore our faith together, by digging into some key questions about Christianity and teachings from the Bible. We will enjoy some food and pop, talk about a few chapters of scripture, and explore our faith together. This class begins this Sunday and will meet each Sunday afternoon prior to youth group from 4:30 to 5:30 in room 202. We look forward to seeing you!

Are you interested in joining Zion? If so, we will be holding a new members class for those interested in learning more about joining Zion  on Sunday, Nov. 3 following worship. This is a great chance to learn more about Zion, its history, mission, and values, get to know some new people, and is also a requirement for joining the church.

Is the child check-in line too long? Are you feeling crowded by the check-in stations? Then check out our new child check-in station in Room 205. This station will not be staffed on Sundays, but if you are comfortable signing your child into our system without assistance, this is a great option to decrease congestion and the wait near door ‘D.’

On November 9, from 9-3 pm, we will be hosting a day of learning, listening and discussing the work of the Vision 2020 team for the Reformed Church in America. In response to ongoing tensions and dialogue around different understandings of how to properly respond to the changing cultural views of human sexuality, the Vision 2020 team was formed to imagine how our denomination can or should stay in relationship given the wide ranging views on these issues. The work of the Vision 2020 Team is to identify and explore possible scenarios, strategies, and consequences for these future options for the Reformed Church in America: (1) staying together; (2) radical reconstituting and reorganization; (3) grace-filled separation. This event is designed to help understand and process through the ramifications of the potential changes for the denomination and the local church. If you are interested in attending, you can sign-up here.

Serve the World
Sarah McAnally and Tracy Lobbes left last week for Nepal to meet with and learn more about our church planting efforts in that country through our partnership with Jibit Asha. Please join in prayer for them and their families for both safety and a fruitful time of learning and ministry. We look forward to hearing about their experiences and learnings when they return. Tim Mekkes left this week to continue his work in Nepal through Good News Nepal. Please keep Tim, Tracy, Sarah and their families in your prayers during these times of travel.

Administrative Details

Join us on Vision Sunday as we pray and explore how we can create a building for the future – aligning our facilities with our mission to make disciples who make disciples. On Sunday, October 27, we invite you to join us after the worship service to:

  • Learn about the proposed Building Project
  • View the latest drawings from our Building Committee
  • Participate in a small group discussion
  • Ask questions and offer your opinions and advice

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 to date budget: $210,744.58
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $171,802.65

This Week’s Bulletin

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10-13-19 Bulletin