ZION E-NEWS (12-21-23)

Our Christmas Eve worship service will be held at our regularly scheduled time of 9:30AM. Note: Zion Kids will not meet. Our nursery will be open but we invite our kids to uioin us for a family-friendly Christmas Eve service in the sanctuary. This is a wonderful time of year as we give thanks to God for his continued faithfulness, and marvel again at the gift of Jesus’ birth at Christmas. We encourage you to invite others to join us as we celebrate.

AS WE GATHER in person for Worship each Sunday at 9:30am the service can also be viewed on our website at zionreformed.online.church and streaming on our YouTube channel. We will also rebroadcast a version of the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 10:30AM on Sunday. The service will continue to be available on YouTube to watch at your convenience.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please continue to pray for those in our congregation who are dealing with ongoing health issues.

BOILER REPLACEMENT:  We give thanks that we were able to replace our boiler this fall, before the cold weather arrived. The total boiler replacement cost is $95,000. This amount was factored into our 2023/2024 budget. However, while we spread the cost over 12 months, the bill will need to be paid Dec. 21st, only 7 months into our budget year. We will pay the difference from our reserves. As you consider your year-end giving, would prayerfully consider an extra donation of any amount to our General Fund to help cover this bill?  Thank you in advance for your generosity. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Marcia or Tom MacGraw, Chair of Deacons.

DEAR ZION FAMILY, Thank you so much for your generous Thanksgiving offering for Threads. With this donation I purchased Meijer gift cards to bless five different families who regularly shop at Threads.  Each one of these families has experienced an extremely difficult year with many hardships and struggles.  They were so grateful for this extra help during the holiday season.  Many tears of gratitude were shed, and many hugs of thanks were given.  So THANK YOU, dear congregation, for your generosity and for helping bless these families.  It was very much appreciated.   Jill Austin

NURSERY NEEDS!  There are two ways you can bless our littlest ones (and their parents!) at Zion in this season. First, we are looking for more volunteers!  Please prayerfully consider whether you could spend a Sunday morning snuggling and playing with babies and toddlers from time to time. We make promises to raise up our children in the faith when they are baptized, and this begins in the nursery!  Second, as you sort through your toys and perhaps donate some your children are no longer using, would you consider donating them to Zion?  We would love some updated toys in the nursery, family room, and Threads kids’ zone. Please contact Olivia DeHaan at odehaan726@gmail.com to volunteer or donate items.  Thank you!

ZION YOUNG ADULTS: Join us Tuesday night, January 2nd at 6:00 PM for dinner at Ken and Sheila Johnson’s home. For the address and/or to RSVP, please text Pastor Marcia at (616) 334-0188. We look forward to a night of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones!

ZION YOUTH: Regular meeting will resume on January 14.

CHRISTMAS CARD DELIVERY SERVICE: The Middle School Youth are offering a holiday card delivery service through December 24 you can place your cards in the big post office box in the narthex and the youth will sort them and place them in the appropriate church mailbox. In exchange for this service, we ask that you leave a donation in the jar on top of the box to support the Jr. High Youth mission trip. Thank You!

THIS PAST September we had a great time camping at Dunes Harbor Family Campground. It was a great weekend with lots of food, fun, and stories around the campfire. Believe it or not, we are already planning next years camping weekend. Currently we have we have four cabins and ten campsites on the dates of June 6-9 being held for us. What we need to know is how many of you are interested. There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board by the office or let Pastor Rick or Jonell know if you are interested. I know it is a ways off but it’s never to early to think about camping next year!

DONATIONS of the following items (full size – not travel size) are needed for the Personal Care Pantry and can be placed in the box in the narthex marked “pantry donations”.  Laundry Soap,  Bar Soap,   Dish Soap,  Disposable Razors,  Shampoo,  Conditioner,  Toothpaste,  Paper grocery bags, Deodorant, Tampons, Maxi Pads, Paper towels (1 or 2 pack) and  Toilet paper (1-4 pack).

HAND2HAND: We are currently serving 100 kids each week! We could use food donations of the following: pudding cups, 100% juice, juice boxes, beef stick, granola bars, Lance brand or that type of sandwich cracker and microwave popcorn.

IF YOU need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Tom MacGraw, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is thomas.m.macgraw@gmail.com and his phone number is (616) 315-7938.

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 2023/24 Budget:  $334,745.55
Fiscal Year 2023/24 Contributions:  $285,647.03
Giving Last Week: $5,761.73

2024 OFFERTORY ENVELOPES have been placed in your church mailbox if you are currently using the envelope system. (NOTE: Your envelope number may or may not have changed.) If you are not currently using the envelope system for giving but would like to, please contact Connie @ cstegeman@zionreformed.org or 534-7533 ext. 3.  PLEASE DO NOT USE THE NEW ENVELOPES UNTIL JANUARY 1, 2024.