ZION E-NEWS (3-30-23)

This past Sunday, we finished an abbreviated Organic Outreach course that was held for 5 weeks following Sunday morning worship. Each week we watched around a 30 minute video followed by some lively discussion. Thank you to the many who attended and participated. I hope you found it helpful and transformative! If you’d like to know more about Organic Outreach, you could visit the website or even order the original book.

I’d like to share some key points of learning for those of you who weren’t able to make it, and for a refresher for those who were there.

The first week we talked about the “Law of Love,” where Pastor Kevin Harney challenged us to let our evangelism to flow out of our love for God and our love for others. We were challenged to notice and connect with people who don’t seem to have a relationship with God. One of my favorite lines Harney said was, “If you don’t love them, let someone else talk to them about Jesus.” I thought it was a good tip, because why would anyone want to hear you out on a religious topic if you don’t have a genuine love for them? If we don’t love someone, we should pray for God to soften our hearts toward the person and/or pray that someone else would come into their life to share Jesus with them.

The second week was about “The One Degree Rule.” If you were to rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being ice cold and 10 being sizzling hot, what is your evangelistic temperature? If you answered with a “5,” how could you turn it up One Degree to a “6”?

The third week we talked about “Engaging in Spiritual Conversations.” We were challenged to try to have at least one spiritual conversation for the week, whether it be with a believer or non-believer. Harney gave a few questions to get our conversations going: What are some of the joy you are experiencing in this season of your life? What challenges and struggles are you facing right now? What is your personal history when it comes to faith in God? Tell me what you believe about God? What’s your perception of Christians? What do you believe about Jesus?

The fourth week was about “Telling Your Story.” Harney gave some good tips on how to go about this: ask permission to share your story, use ordinary language, be brief, speak of God’s presence and power, present the before and after of your conversion, share how you heard the gospel, and more.

The fifth week we covered “Sharing Good News.” Harney encouraged us to stay away from long, pushy, overly memorized methods but still gave some options on how to explain the Good News of Salvation. One is to share your own story of how you came to faith. Another was Roman’s Road (using verses from the book of Romans to explain the Gospel. A Google search or YouTube search could help you out in a spontaneous evangelistic moment (links in the sentence take you to examples of Romans Road). Another popular method Harney shared was the Bridge illustration that could even be drawn on a napkin in a restaurant. Check out the Bridge illustration here.

My prayer is that we can continue to be a church that values outreach. We are doing awesome outreach ministry at Zion, loving our community by helping to meet the needs of others, but let’s take it to the next level by being people who are more verbal about our faith as well. Please join me in praying for opportunities for each of us to share our faith with someone who needs to hear it!

-Jeremy Zoet

CONNECT TO GOD
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.

OUR Maundy Thursday Communion Service will be held at 6:30PM on Thursday, April 6.   Nursery will be available.                                   

GROW IN COMMUNITY

WE ARE UPDATING our online church database to include photos and we need your help!  Andrew Moore and Cece Johnson will be taking individual/family photos after our worship service on Sunday, April 9, 16, and 23. Connie Stegeman will upload the photos to Breeze, our online database. This will eventually serve as a great reference tool for the new Lead Pastor to connect names with faces.  All you need to do is step up and say CHEESE ! We will even e-mail you a copy of your photo upon request just for participating!

PRAYER REQUESTS: Barb Peterson will have a pacemaker implanted on Friday. Continue to pray for those in our congregation who are dealing with ongoing health issues.

WE EXPRESS our sympathy to Bernie and Pattie Grooters and their family in the passing of Bernie’s father, Bernard Grooters, was called to his heavenly home on Tuesday, March 28. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family during this difficult time.

THE CHURCH BASEMENT is in the
process of getting a much needed
makeover! Many thanks to
Jim Peterson who spent the last
week putting a fresh coat of paint
on all the walls and doors before the carpet is laid next week.

PALM SUNDAY: All Zion Kids are invited to wave palm branches during our Palm Sunday Service on April 2nd.  Children will meet together before service begins in room 205 at 9:15am.

THIS SUNDAY Andrew Moore will share an update from the Search Team.

ZION’S MARCH MADNESS CONTEST continues! Check out the bulletin board  by the church nursery for the latest standings!

DO YOU like to bake? We are looking for volunteers to make (or purchase) cookies to serve at coffee time after worship. If you would be willing to provide cookies occasionally please call or text Dianne Kooiker at 616-538-3179.

SHAREHOLDERS:  Our high school youth are looking for Shareholders for their 2023 Mission Trip to Nashville. Detailed information can be found in your church mailbox or on the round table with the donation box on it in the narthex.

CAMP ZION: We are now accepting applications for our 2023 Teen Staff positions. Camp will run June 19-Aug 3, 2023. Mon-Thurs each week. Staff hours: 8am – 1pm (Wednesdays until 2pm). For a complete job description click on this link. To apply: CampZion Team Staff Job Application.   Applications are due by March 31st.

SERVE THE WORLD
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:  The nursery is looking for a few more volunteers to serve in the nursery on Sunday mornings. Volunteers serve about one time every five weeks. If you are interested in helping, please contact Becky Harkes at (616) 889-3396, rebeccaharkes@gmail.com, or in person after church.

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 could use donations of the following food:  Snack Pack / Jello pudding cups, bags of cracker or snack cracker packs,rice krispie treats (prepackaged), granola bars, slim jim beef snack sticks, fruit snacks, and microwave popcorn.

IF YOU need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Jerrod Holzgen, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is jerrod.holzgen@gmail.com and his phone number is 616-520-1771.

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.

Fiscal Year 2022/23 Budget:  $441,230.31
Fiscal Year 2022/23 Contributions: $438,102.85
Giving Last Week: $7,275.45