Earlier this week, I came across an article and a new report about friendship that connected with each other and resonated with what I hear from many others.

The first was a report on NPR about the rising suicide rate in middle aged white men since 1999. Often this change gets tied to the recession in 2008, but it actually started almost 10 years before. The report suggested this rising rate is due to the increasing social isolation of many people, men in particular. We no longer see a person when we buy gas, go to the bank, or even check out at the grocery store. Steadily, we have seen our casual connections decline and for many, their deeper friendships disappear entirely. This social isolation leads to depression.

The second was an article about a recent book by Wesley Hill entitled Spiritual Friendships, Wesley is a celibate gay Christian and he writes out of his struggles to find meaningful friendships in the church. He begins his reflection by pointing to the value friendships had in the ancient church. He argues that many factors have decreased our valuation of friendships including Freud and the sexualization relationships, the increasing priority of the marriage relationship, a focus on our vocation over our relationships, and the freedom inherent in our modern view of friendships (we feel free to drift in and out of friendships).

In the ancient world, he argues, friendships were held up as perhaps the most important relationship. In the church, these spiritual friendships were often solemnized and each person was expected to make sacrifices for the sake of the friendship.

Reflecting on these two stories, it seems many people feel lonely. We don’t value friendships and aren’t willing to sacrifice to maintain them. It’s no wonder we struggle to develop deep friendships.

And yet, on the last night of his life, Jesus calls his disciples friends, not servants, not co-workers, but friends. Then he tells them to love each other. In an increasingly isolated culture, one of the ways we witness to the gospel is in maintaining friendships, loving each other well.

As the old songs puts it, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” But maybe it is not our general love for all people, but our genuine specific love for our friends. What can you do this week to strengthen one of your friendships and let that person know what they mean to you?

Connect to God
Does prayer work? What can we expect from prayer? How do we pray anyway? Have you ever wondered why the disciples never asked Jesus how to preach or perform miracles – and all they asked Him was how to pray? Prayer gives us access to the very throne room of God. In prayer, we are shaped by the Holy Spirit. In prayer, we talk directly with the King of the Universe. Over the next several weeks, we will consider how Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. This week, we consider the fifth of six requests. What does it mean for us to be a people who ask for our sins to be forgiven as we forgive others.

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 are grateful for over 60 people serving in our Children’s education ministries this year. Last week Sunday, a very involved member offered to teach the Kindergarten class every other week, our last remaining opening. We are very thankful for this person and I firmly believe there is someone who is not already heavily involved at Zion, maybe sitting on the sidelines, whom God is calling to this role. If you are not already serving somewhere, or only serving occasionally, I urge you to prayerfully consider teaching Sunday School this year.

If you are a hunter or want to expose your children to hunting, Zion will be hosting a Hunter’s Safety Class this fall in partnership with Sports Persons International, a Christian outdoors ministry. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 on September 10, 12, 17, and 19. You can sign-up or learn more here.

We have T-shirts (short, long, and hoodies) available with our Zion logo on the front. If you are looking for any easy way to show your pride in your church, let your neighbors know you are willing to talk about your faith, or just want a cool new shirt, check out the link below to order your very own! Shirts range in price from $16 to $24. You can order a shirt through September 9. If you are uncomfortable ordering on-line, you can also call the office and we will be happy to help you place an order. You can order your shirt here. You can also see 6 samples below.

Do you want some good food, friends and fellowship? Then this is the opportunity for you! 729 groups bring 7 to 9 willing people together to meet for a meal 3x in 3 months. The goal is simply to get to know some people in church better. Once groups are formed, the host will contact members to arrange the details for the first gathering. Dinner groups are encouraged to be creative; consider picking a dinner “theme night” (i.e. Italian, dessert or soup night), and everyone can bring a dish that goes along with that theme or meet at a restaurant or church. You can sign-up through the cards found in the bulletin or call the church office at 616-534-7533.

Serve the World
CityFest is only a few weeks away. Check out the list of artists performing here. This is going to be a great weekend and opportunity for many people to hear the gospel. Join me in praying already now for good weather and a harvest for the kingdom of God.

This year, we have started supporting two native Nepalese church planters through Jibit Asha International, led by Yakuv Gurung the pastor of the Nepalese Speaking Church in Grand Rapids. Ashok (.1%) and Ram Lai (1.5%) are both serving as church planters in communities where less than 2% of the people are believers. They both just completed their fourth church planter training in early August and continue their efforts to establish small worshipping communities. They have each committed to planting 3 churches in the next 5 years. Please join me in praying for these two planters.

Administrative Details
We will be holding our next Leaders Meeting this Sunday from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. We look forward to a great evening of fellowship, worship, and some training.

If you are serving in any Children or Youth ministry you will want to attend as we will be offering training on our child protection policies. You must go through this training or the one following worship on September 9 to volunteer in any ministry involving children or youth.

Beginning this fall, we will be giving our first time visitors a new 30oz Zion travel mug and a free beverage at Biggby. But, you can get your very own Zion travel mug already on Sunday. We will be selling the mugs for $20 and you can buy as many as you want. They come in two colors, silver and gunmetal and both have a cool looking Zion logo. Cups will be available for purchase in the lobby following worship. (If you don’t want to buy one on a Sunday, they will also be available from the office during the week.)

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 also thank you for your generous support of our Benevolence fund during our offering last Sunday. Over $1,000 was given to care for those in our congregation experiencing financial needs. Thank you for sharing out of the blessings God has given you.

Fiscal Year to date budget: $130,502.40
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $117,721.31

This summer, our family has been introduced to the marching band program at Jenison High School. I went to a high school without a football team and marching was reserved for Tulip Time Parades and Memorial Day, so the learning curve for this dad is steep.

Over the summer, students have had multiple practices every week, including 3 weeks of all day practices. The band will easily put in over 150 hours of practice this summer. And that doesn’t count all the practice time spent at home by each of the members. I expected lots of music practicing, but did not anticipate the stretching, running, and strict diet for competition days. I was talking with one of the other parents recently and they commented how glad they were for their child to experience what it takes to be excellent at something. It takes a lot of work. Often boring and tedious work.

As adults, we know this to be true. No one becomes a world class musician without hours of practice. No one makes it to the pinnacle of their sport without sacrifices. No one becomes an excellent accountant or computer programmer or tool and die maker without putting in the work to develop their skills. No one becomes a great parent without developing more skills than can be named here. And so on. Being great at something takes a lot of work. In one of his books, Malcolm Gladwell claims it takes 10,000 of practice to become truly great at something. That would be a 40 hour a week job for 5 years to become great!

And yet sometimes, we can think that following God should be easy. Experiencing closeness with God should be easy. Becoming generous and kind and patient and joyful should “just happen” when we believe. But, like any pursuit, becoming more like Jesus, learning to follow Jesus, takes lots of practice.

Several years ago, I was talking with a couple about their prayer life and they mentioned how they had started challenging each other to “pray through the alphabet” as they addressed God. To find a name for God for each letter of the alphabet. It sounded a little corny, but it is also a great discipline for expanding our understanding and experience of God. I know others who get up every day at 5 am to read the Bible and pray. For years, I have read through the Bible every year. Others carefully choose the music they listen to so their music will lead them closer to God rather than further away. Others tithe or go beyond a tithe to develop a habit of being generous. None of this happens by accident, it takes work, effort, and intentionality.

I wonder sometimes how our spiritual lives would be different if we took our relationship with God, our obedience to his commands, as seriously as we expect our kids to take their extra-curricular activities.

Connect to God

Does prayer work? What can we expect from prayer? How do we pray anyway? Have you ever wondered why the disciples never asked Jesus how to preach or perform miracles – and all they asked Him was how to pray? Prayer gives us access to the very throne room of God. In prayer, we are shaped by the Holy Spirit. In prayer, we talk directly with the King of the Universe. Over the next several weeks, we will consider how Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. This week, we consider the fourth of six request for bread. What does it mean to pray for bread in a world where some have more than they need and others have empty stomachs.

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 are grateful for over 60 people serving in our Children’s education ministries this year. And yet, we are still looking for 2 kindergarten Sunday school teachers. Please be in prayer that God will work in the heart of whomever he has called to these ministries that they would step forward to raise the next generation up in the faith.

If you are a hunter or want to expose your children to hunting, Zion will be hosting a Hunter’s Safety Class this fall in partnership with Sports Persons International, a Christian outdoors ministry. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 on September 10, 12, 17, and 19. You can sign-up or learn more here.

We have T-shirts (short, long, and hoodies) available with our Zion logo on the front. If you are looking for any easy way to show your pride in your church, let your neighbors know you are willing to talk about your faith, or just want a cool new shirt, check out the link below to order your very own shirt! Shirts range in price from $16 to $24. You can order a shirt through September 9. If you are uncomfortable ordering on-line, you can also call the office and we will be happy to help you place an order. You can order your shirt here. You can also see 6 samples below.

Do you want some good food, friends and fellowship? Then this is the opportunity for you! 729 groups bring 7 to 9 willing people together to meet for a meal 3x in 3 months. The goal is simply to get to know some people in church better. Once groups are formed, the host will contact members to arrange the details for the first gathering. Dinner groups are encouraged to be creative; consider picking a dinner “theme night” (i.e. Italian, dessert or soup night), and everyone can bring a dish that goes along with that theme or meet at a restaurant or church. You can sign-up through the cards found in the bulletin or call the church office at 616-534-7533.

Serve the World
CityFest is only a few weeks away. Check out the list of artists performing here. This is going to be a great weekend and opportunity for many people to hear the gospel. Join me in praying already now for good weather and a harvest for the kingdom of God.

Administrative Details
We will be holding our next Leaders Meeting on August 26 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. We look forward to a great evening of fellowship, worship, and some training.

If you are serving in any Children or Youth ministry you will want to attend as we will be offering training on our child protection policies. You must go through this training or the one following worship on September 9 to volunteer in any ministry involving children or youth.

Beginning this fall, we will be giving our first time visitors a new 30oz Zion travel mug and a free beverage at Biggby. But, you can get your very own Zion travel mug already on Sunday. We will be selling the mugs for $20 and you can buy as many as you want. They come in two colors, silver and gunmetal and both have a cool looking Zion logo. Cups will be available for purchase in the lobby following worship. (If you don’t want to buy one on a Sunday, they will also be available from the office during the week.)

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 also thank you for your generous support of our Benevolence fund during our offering last Sunday. Over $1,000 was given to care for those in our congregation experiencing financial needs. Thank you for sharing out of the blessings God has given you.

Fiscal Year to date budget: $119,627.20
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $109,152.31

Church is calming down again after 7 great weeks hosting Week of Hope mission trips at night and Camp Zion during the day. Carpets have been washed. Rooms are being put back together. Plans are being finalized for a great new education year beginning in September.

Before we turn the page on our summer ministry season, I want to take just a little time to celebrate all God has been doing in and through each of you and the life of Zion. First, Week of Hope saw students each week make a first time commitment or renew their commitment to following Jesus. Second, we saw at least 2 kids make commitments to follow Jesus at Camp Zion. Third, on mission trips, we saw several of our students make a recommitment to Christ and these students were used by God to see 14 people make first time commitments to Christ. Fourth, we welcomed hundreds of people to our facility through Park Parties, Play dates and the 4th of July Celebration. God is on the move at Zion and we have the joy of coming along for the journey.

Throughout the summer, Week of Hope have envelopes available for participants to write thank you notes to other people on their mission trip. Every year, we get an envelope, too! We receive a lot of cards that simply thank us for making our facility available to them. When we added room air conditioners, we got a thank you for the a/c. And then there are always a few more specific thanks. I want to share just a couple excerpts with you this week:

“Camp Zion is an incredible mission… I got a chance to experience the purity and intensity of God’s love through children.”

“I love when a church chooses to open its doors to other ministry opportunities. Thank you! You know ministry is happening when there are hand prints on the windows and stains on the carpet!”

And then one longer note from the President of a new church plant in Illinois who wrote:

“I am so thankful for your generous hospitality as we lived at your facility this past week. I admire your philosophy in leveraging your building as a tool to help further God’s kingdom. We have a 1 year old start up church. I looked at your website to prepare for this trip. Our church has been able to leverage your vision and mission to provide us direction. Again, thanks and blessings!”

Sometimes, we can grow accustomed to the uniqueness of our community, its heart for people and mission, and we can begin to take it for granted. (As a side note, there are lots of great churches doing great ministry besides ours.) But today, I am reminded that God is on the move shaping and forming us for his mission that we might join him in working redeem what was lost, restore what has been broken, and welcome home all who have been rejected, that in us they might experience a taste of God’s great redeeming love for them.

Connect to God
Does prayer work? What can we expect from prayer? How do we pray anyway? Have you ever wondered why the disciples never asked Jesus how to preach or perform miracles – and all they asked Him was how to pray? Prayer gives us access to the very throne room of God. In prayer, we are shaped by the Holy Spirit. In prayer, we talk directly with the King of the Universe. Over the next several weeks, we will consider how Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. This week, we consider the third of six request for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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 are grateful for over 60 people serving in our Children’s education ministries this year. And yet, we are still looking for three Sunday school teachers (two kindergarten and one pre-school). Please be in prayer that God will work in the heart of whomever he has called to these ministries that they would step forward to raise the next generation up in the faith.

We have T-shirts (short, long, and hoodies) available with our Zion logo on the front. If you are looking for any easy way to show your pride in your church, let your neighbors know you are willing to talk about your faith, or just want a cool new shirt, check out the link below to order your very own shirt! Shirts range in price from $16 to $24. You can order a shirt through September 9. If you are uncomfortable ordering on-line, you can also call the office and we will be happy to help you place an order. You can order your shirt here. You can also see 6 samples below.

Do you want some good food, friends and fellowship? Then this is the opportunity for you! 729 groups bring 7 to 9 willing people together to meet for a meal 3x in 3 months. The goal is simply to get to know some people in church better. Once groups are formed, the host will contact members to arrange the details for the first gathering. Dinner groups are encouraged to be creative; consider picking a dinner “theme night” (i.e. Italian, dessert or soup night), and everyone can bring a dish that goes along with that theme or meet at a restaurant or church. You can sign-up through the cards found in the bulletin or call the church office at 616-534-7533.

Serve the World
CityFest West Michigan will be held the weekend of September 8 and 9. For the last several months, the Luis Palau team has been working with churches and local service agencies to help churches connect with their community and celebrate all the ways the church is already blessing West Michigan. On September 8 and 9, there will be concerts, X-game type events, and the proclamation of the gospel. As part of the festival, we are looking for people who willing to be Festival Friends who will be trained in helping someone make those first few steps of discipleship. If you are interested in being a Festival Friend, there will be training on August 7 at 7 pm at Remembrance Reformed Church. We will also offer training at our next Leaders Meeting in August 26.

Administrative Details
We will be holding our next Leaders Meeting on August 26 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. We look forward to a great evening of fellowship, worship, and some training.

If you are serving in any Children or Youth ministry you will want to attend as we will be offering training on our child protection policies. You must go through this training to volunteer in any ministry involving children or youth.

Beginning this fall, we will be giving our first time visitors a new 30oz Zion travel mug and a free beverage at Biggby. But, you can get your very own Zion travel mug already on Sunday. We will be selling the mugs for $20 and you can buy as many as you want. They come in two colors, silver and gunmetal and both have a cool looking Zion logo. Cups will be available for purchase in the lobby following worship. (If you don’t want to buy one on a Sunday, they will also be available from the office during the week.)

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: $108,752.00
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $101,881.01