I have been following my aunt and uncle on Facebook a lot this week. My Aunt Ruth has been battling cancer for quite some time now and recently entered hospice care. The whole family (parents, kids, grandkids, and grand-dog) is spending the week in the Outerbanks on the ocean, playing games, sitting on the beach, and simply being together. I find myself praying for them several times a day.

My aunt has always been very strong. I remember 15 years ago, watching my aunt and uncle at my cousin’s visitation after he died from Leukemia and being amazed how they cared for his friends, one after another, for hours that day. Over time, they not only cared for his friends, but also became mentors to others whose children had also died.

I remember as a kid hearing her talk about women’s rights and the importance of equal pay for equal work. And, I remember, when she was interviewed in a “man or woman on the street” feature in a local paper, she said her hero was my uncle. It sounded so 1950s-ish and she is not that. But, she and my uncle both just adore one another.

I share all of this for two reasons. First, I have been reading Philippians with my Discipleship Triad and as I watch my aunt and uncle, I keep thinking of Philippians 4:4-7.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

They are living out this counsel from scripture so well in these days.

And second, we don’t know how long any of us have. Spend your life on the things that really matter. Love your family. Enjoy your friends. Invest in eternity.

Connect to God

Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus prepares to leave his disciples so the Holy Spirit can be sent on Pentecost. As he gives them his final teaching, the disciples ask if Jesus is finally going to establish his earthly kingdom. They have visions of sitting in power at Jesus’ side. Instead of establishing an earthly kingdom, Jesus gives them a vision. He does not give them a plan, but a vision that they will go and proclaim Jesus as Lord in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. God still prefers giving visions over plans. He puts in people and churches visions of what could be rather than detailed step by step plans. Today, we talk about the vision of Zion to raise up leaders and saturate our community with gospel conversations that many might come to know our Lord.

This Sunday, we will also be celebrating the baptism of Joey Elmore, son of Kallie and Zach Elmore. We give thanks to God for the gift of this child and pray for God to both fill him with the Holy Spirit and use him to bring God glory.

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

There is still time to sign up as a Shareholder to support our high school students on their mission trip to Immerse at F Street Church in Nebraska this summer. For a mere $30 donation you will receive an information card about the student you are supporting, a copy of the student written pre-trip devotionals, contact from your student both before and during the trip, and an invitation to the Shareholders dinner where you will not only enjoy great food, but also be able to talk with your student about their trip. More information can be found in your mailbox at church!

It’s that time of year again. Things are starting to grow and hopefully we have seen the last of the snow. With the change of seasons also comes opportunity. Here at Zion our annual church grounds clean up will be this Saturday, May 4, from 8 am until about noon. Come on out and help make our church grounds look great. As always, we will have donuts. Join us for some fellowship and some work.

On Saturday, June 29, Grandville will hold its annual Visser Family YMCA Buck Creek Run. If you are interested in running with people from church, please contact Pastor Rick. For more information check out www.visserfamilybuckcreekrun.com

Serve the World

Camp Zion is an amazing, fun-filled, summer time adventure.  Anyone is welcome to be a part of serving at camp, from teenagers to retirees. Camp runs for seven weeks: June 17 – Aug 1, Monday through Thursday each week, 9am-3pm each day. You can serve one day a week or every day or anything in between. In particular, we are always open to adults who are willing to drive students to and from lunch and field trips. If you would like to know more, please contact Rachel Verbrugge.

We also want to thank all the teens who applied and interviewed to work at Camp Zion this summer. We had another strong group of candidates. Our Camp Zion teen staff this summer will be: Luke Austin (full-time), Kim Verbrugge (full-time), Olivia Davis (part-time), and Julia Reynolds (part-time). Congratulations to all of our summer staff. We look forward to seeing how God will work through you this summer.

If you are interested in learning more about what God is doing in Nepal, there is an opportunity to travel to Nepal and meet with the church planters we support though Jibit Asha. Yakuv Gurung will be leading people from supporting churches to Nepal from September 29/30 to October 10. If you are interested in going, please contact Pastor Greg soon as participation will be set by mid-May.

Administrative Details

Join us on Sunday following worship for our annual congregational meeting. We will meet to approve our budget for the next fiscal year and to appoint our new Elders and Deacons. The meeting occurs during Sunday school and everyone is invited to attend, though only professing members over 18 may vote.

As we continue working with Elevate Architecture to develop a plan for remodeling our building to create a larger gathering area and children’s spaces, the Consistory has formed a building remodel team. The team includes: Pastor Rick, Andy Boeskool, Brian Davis, Sandie Dunn, Kyle VandePol, Roxie VanderHeide, and Arlyn Zoet. The re-model plans continue to be refined and the team hopes to share the final version with Consistory on May 14 and with the congregation soon after.

Our Children’s Ministry redesign team has wrapped up their work and presented a proposal to Consistory at their April 9 meeting. Their goal is to reshape our Children’s programming to align more closely with a vision of raising up leaders in our church and reaching our community with the gospel through church planting. The team includes Rachel Brower, Sean McAnally, Heidi Ondersma, Jackie Deiter, and Megan Taylor. They presented their recommendations to Consistory and will be meeting with Consistory again in May to continue their productive conversation.

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:  $522,009.60
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $517,202.37

Yesterday evening, on my way home from work, I stopped by Aldi’s to pick up some hamburg buns for supper. I thought it would be a real quick in and out trip. My favorite. But then, something more significant happened.

As I was walking to the checkout, an older gentleman, stooped by age, went ahead of me in line. His wife was waiting on the other side and they were both looking a little overwhelmed. They needed regular cottage cheese and couldn’t find any. The cashier patiently explained where it could be found as the line grew longer and the man’s wife went back to look again. She couldn’t find it either. The line was growing longer. The cashier calmly asked what kind of cottage cheese for which they were looking. And the line grew longer. The cashier left his post and found the cottage cheese and got them checked out.

In a culture that values youth, strength and competence, it was a delight to see this young man treat this older, slightly overwhelmed couple, with such dignity and care. He could have ignored their need, He could have spoken gruffly to them when they couldn’t find what they needed. He could have pointed to the long line. He could have done all sorts of things to make this couple feel inadequate or unimportant, but instead, he stayed present to them, saw and responded to their needed, and treated them with dignity and respect. It made my heart happy.

It reminded me just a little of the Isaiah’s vision of the new heavens and earth in Isaiah 65, we he sees s world where rich and poor, men and women, and young and old all live in dignity and with enough. I wanted to tell this young man he was doing kingdom work yesterday, showing a glimpse of this better world to come, but the line was getting longer and longer. So, I thanked him for the kindness he showed and hurried along with my small purchase.

I am reminded today as I remember the short moment that each of us has many opportunities everyday to point to the coming kingdom by how we treat and talk about other people. May our lives reflect and point to this greater reality to come.

Connect to God
On Thursday, Jesus was a famous teacher. On Saturday he was dead in the grave and the movement he had started was as good as dead. But when he burst forth from the tomb, Christianity came to life as well. We are and always will be an Easter shaped people. Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at the last few stories from the Gospel of John to catch some glimpses of the kinds fo people God has called us to be as we follow our risen Savior. This Sunday, as we reflect on John 20:19-23, we discover we are a sent people.

We will also celebrate with three of our High School students and their families as Emma DeVries, Joshua Verbrugge, and Kimberly Verbrugge all make profession of faith.

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
There is still time to sign up as a Shareholder to support our high school students on their mission trip to Immerse at F Street Church in Nebraska this summer. For a mere $30 donation you will receive an information card about the student you are supporting, a copy of the student written pre-trip devotionals, contact from your student both before and during the trip, and an invitation to the Shareholders dinner where you will not only enjoy great food, but also be able to talk with your student about their trip. More information can be found in your mailbox at church!

It’s that time of year again. Things are starting to grow and hopefully we have seen the last of the snow. With the change of seasons also comes opportunities. Here at Zion our annual church grounds clean up will be Saturday, May 4, from 8AM till about noon. Come on out and help make our church grounds look great. As always, we will have donuts. Join us for some fellowship and some work. Thank you.

Buck Creek Run: On Saturday, June 29, (I know. It’s a ways off) Grandville will have its annual Visser Family YMCA Buck Creek Run. I know there are a number of you that enjoy running (and probably a bigger number of you that wonder why) so I thought, wouldn’t it be fun if a bunch of us got together that morning to run that 5K. If you are interested please contact Pastor Rick and we can see about getting Zion T-shirts to wear. For more information check out www.visserfamilybuckcreekrun.com

Serve the World
Camp Zion is an amazing, fun-filled, summer time adventure that all of our youth group students and adults from Zion are invited to be a part of. Anyone interested in volunteering at Camp Zion this summer is encouraged to attend our leaders meeting this Sunday April 28 from 5-7pm. At the leaders meeting we will have time as a team to get a sneak peek of our plans for the summer, review the volunteer job description, get permission slips & choose the dates you would like to volunteer. Dinner is provided. Camp runs for seven weeks: June 17 – Aug 1, Monday through Thursday each week, 9am-3pm each day. In particular, we are always open to adults who are willing to drive students to and from lunch and field trips. If you would like to more, please contact Rachel Verbrugge to learn more.

Sean McAnally and I had a very encouraging lunch with Yakuv Gurung from Jibit Asha last week. Yakuv has recently returned from a trip to Nepal and shared many stories with us about the evangelistic and church planting work occurring in the southern part of the country. Included was a story of a teacher who prayed over a sick man (he was the last one the family approached after trying a doctor and multiple shamans). He prayed and the man became well and 22 people decided to follow Jesus. Another man came to faith and stopped building a temple in his backyard. The temple remains half-finished, but converted into a garden.

If you are interested in learning more about what God is doing in Nepal, there is an opportunity to travel to Nepal and meet with the church planters we support. Yakuv will be leading people from their supporting churches to Nepal from September 29/30 to October 10. If you are interested in going, please contact Pastor Greg soon as participation will be set by mid-May.

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting, this Sunday from 5-7 pm, will be a great opportunity to reconnect with your ministry teams, review the past year, and look forward to how God will be working among us in the year to come. Everyone who serves in any capacity is welcome to attend the meeting. Part of our night be focused on how to lead through criticism. if you lead your family, in your job or here at church will both learn something and have something to contribute to our discussion. We will provide child care for children 3rd grade and under. We are still looking for people to serve in childcare that evening. You can sign-up for both the Leaders Meeting yet this Sunday or e-mail Pastor Greg prior to Sunday to let him know you will be attending.

As we continue working with Elevate Architecture to develop a plan for remodeling our building to create a larger gathering area and children’s spaces, the Consistory has formed a building remodel team. The team includes: Pastor Rick, Andy Boeskool, Brian Davis, Sandie Dunn, Kyle VandePol, Roxie VanderHeide, and Arlyn Zoet.

Our Children’s Ministry redesign team has wrapped up their work and presented a proposal to Consistory at their April 9 meeting. Their goal is to reshape our Children’s programming to align more closely with a vision of raising up leaders in our church and reaching our community with the gospel through church planting. The team includes Rachel Brower, Sean McAnally, Heidi Ondersma, Jackie Deiter, and Megan Taylor. They presented their recommendations to Consistory and will be meeting with Consistory again in May to continue their productive conversation.

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:  $511,134.40
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $508,688.27

On Monday, all the news stations covered the shocking fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Over and over they talked about the terrible loss of this monument, how much this monument meant to the French people, how many people visited this monument, and how the people would grieve the loss of the sacred monument.

I have never been to the Cathedral in person, though I know some of you have, including my wife. And, from all I have gathered it is an impressive building. But, it is only a buildings. A building is not the church. Across Europe, there are many gorgeous buildings that in generations past were filled with people every week gathering to worship God. But those days a long gone.

In countries like Germany, France, England, and France, even self-reported church attendance is under 20%. Actual attendance numbers suggest it is actually less than 10% of people attend church on any given Sunday in these countries. Many of these great huge Cathedrals are mostly empty for worship services, but filled with tourists all week-long gaping at a faith they have left behind, if they ever knew it at all.

And so, while I grieve the architectural loss in Notre Dame with many others, even more, I grieve for the loss of the church in Western Europe. For it is not buildings, but the people who make up the church. But, I am also filled with hope. On Tuesday morning, many found their hope in the pictures that emerged of a cross, largely undamaged by the fire, in the midst of the devastation.

I find my hope somewhere else today. Our God has not given up on the people of Europe and we know he will continue to reach out to all he has called inviting them back into relationship with their Savior. I see signs of this faithful mission of God in my friend Doug McClintic who was instrumental in planting the first new Hungarian church in several hundred years and in only a few months will be moving to Hungary to lead the mission efforts of the RCA in Europe to plant more new churches and reach more new people with the hope of Christ.

May God bear much fruit in Europe and raise up this part of his church from its long slow death.

Connect to God
The deepest love poured out of the greatest sacrifice in history. A love that heals. A love that forgives. A love that reconciled. A love that welcomes. A love that calls into the family mission of God. This Easter we celebrate the power and truth of Christ’s resurrection! Join us on Sunday at 9:30 for a joyous celebration of our risen Savior.

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 Norm and Corinne Van Horn in the passing of Norm’s wife and Corinne’s mother-in-law Kay VanHorn last week Friday. Pastor Rick officiated at the funeral on Wednesday at 11. The family was very appreciative of both his care and the support of our congregation.

On a related note, I met with Ron Radcliffe, the pastor of City Chapel. as you may recall, he and his wife Anna recently suffered a miscarriage. They very much appreciated those of you who sent them cards and words of encouragement in this difficult time. he also shared that members of the three supporting churches (LaGrave CRC. Fifth Reformed, and Zion Reformed) frequently visit City Chapel and their community has noticed. It means a lot to this new church to both know and see the support of other believers as they take this step of faith. Keep up the good work in cheering on and supporting our partners in ministry.

Serve the World
We have a lot of updates related to church plants this week. Lifeline Community Church continues to experience growth in numbers and in-depth. They are also working toward formally organizing as a church in the Reformed Church in America and hope to have an official organizational service in early November.

Sean McAnally and I had a very encouraging lunch with Yakuv Gurung from Jibit Asha on Tuesday this week. Yakuv has recently returned from a trip to Nepal and share many stories with us about the evangelistic and church planting work occurring in the southern part of the country. included was a story of a teacher who prayed over a sick man (he was the last one the family approached after trying a doctor and multiple shamans). He prayed and the man became well and 22 people decided to follow Jesus. Another man came to faith and stopped building a temple in his backyard. The temple remains half-finished, but converted into a garden. We will be sharing a very short video of one of the 29 new worshipping communities they have established in the past 18 months in Nepal. God is on the move here in West Michigan, in Nepal, and around our world.

If you are interested in learning more about what God is doing in Nepal, there is an opportunity to travel to Nepal and meet with the church planters we support. Yakuv will be leading people from their supporting churches to Nepal from September 29/30 to October 10. If you are interested in going, please contact Pastor Gregsoon as participation will be set by mid-May.

Last Sunday Sarah McAnally shared a simple way during the Easter Season to create connections with our neighbors and create an opportunity to present the gospel message to children as well. You can check out her story at the  24:20 minute mark of this past week’s message, which you can find here.

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting, on April 28 from 5-7 pm, will be a great opportunity to reconnect with your ministry teams, review the past year, and look forward to how God will be working among us in the year to come. Everyone who serves in any capacity is welcome to attend the meeting. We hope to provide child care  for children 3rd grade and under. We are still looking for people to serve in childcare that evening. You can sign-up for both the Leaders Meeting and to provide childcare through the connection cards on Sunday. As usual, we will also provide a meal. Mark your calendar and plan on joining us on April 28 at 5 pm. Please sign up this Sunday on the back of the Connection Card.

As we continue working with Elevate Architecture to develop a plan for remodeling our building to create a larger gathering area and children’s spaces, the Consistory has formed a building remodel team. The team includes: Pastor Rick, Andy Boeskool, Brian Davis, Sandie Dunn, Kyle VandePol, Roxie VanderHeide, and Arlyn Zoet.

Our Children’s Ministry redesign team is wrapping up their work and will be presenting a proposal to Consistory at the April 9 meeting. Their goal is to reshape our Children’s programming to align more closely with a fiasco of raising up leaders in our church and reaching our community with the gospel through church planting. The team includes Rachel Brower, Sean McAnally, Heidi Ondersma, Jackie Deiter, and Megan Taylor. They presented their recommendations to Consistory and will be meeting with Consistory again in May to continue their productive conversation.

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:  $500,259.20
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $497,690.27