Zion E-News (10-20-2022)

Nick and Jade, my oldest grandchildren, love to have sleepovers at our house. A couple weekends ago Haley participated in a triathlon so the kids knew in advance that they were sleeping over on Saturday night.

The calls started early in the week “Grandma, we get to sleep at your house Saturday, grandma, only 3 more days until our sleepover, Grandma, I’m bring my squishmallow to our sleepover.”

Not familiar with Squishmallow’s? True to their name, these pillow like toys are soft and squishy. Kellytoy in Vernon, California first introduced Squishmallows to the toy market in 2017. Since then, more than 82 million have been sold.  They range in price from $10 to $100 and come in a wide variety of designs. (Think Beanie Baby craze in the 90’s.)

The night before the sleepover Jade came to Haley and said, “Well Mom, you might as well just drop us off tonight.” I’m guessing that when Jade woke her up at 5:15 the next morning asking if it was time to go to Grandma and Grandpas yet, Haley probably wished she would have!

Nothing spectacular is planned for these beloved sleepovers.  They just genuinely delight in spending time with us, in having our full attention. After all, that is how we cultivate relationships right? They feel safe and secure, knowing that we will meet their every need.

I must admit, it feels good when they come busting through the back door yelling “We’re here for the sleepover!”  It feels good to know they are excited to spend time with us.

When I reflect on those feelings, I am reminded of Psalm 147:11- God delights in those who reverence him and trust him and put their hope in his unfailing love. God does not delight in strength but he delights in us when we acknowledge our weakness and our need of him.

My Heavenly Father delights in me. He wants me to spend time with Him, to spend time in His Word, to talk to Him and to be still before Him and listen. He wants me to cultivate my relationship with him. Sometimes I have to let that sink in. Certainly, I’m undeserving and too often I let the “busyness” of life get in the way of spending time with God and begins to shows in all areas of my life. I start trying to solve my own problems, get overwhelmed, worn out, crabby. In general, life starts to fall apart. James 4:8 (NLT) says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” It is only when I do my best to live that out, to be passionate about cultivating my relationship with God, that I feel safe and secure, knowing that He will meet my every need. For the God of the universe delights in me. The God of the universe also delights in you!

~Connie Stegeman, Office Manager

Connect to God

AS 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.

Grow in Community
PRAYER REQUEST:  Update from Shawn Landstra: We have had a busy 2 days at Mayo Clinic. The MRI of Steve’s brain revealed 2-3 very small spots. We met with a radiation oncologist who feels the best way to treat is gamma knife surgical procedure. This involves targeted pinpoint radiation. They were ready to present 2 clinical trials but no clinical trials can be pursued until these spots are taken care of. Steve will be having this procedure at 5:30am on Friday. A good friend I grew up with is a radiation oncologist here and has been helping fast track all of this for Steve. It is good to have someone we know here! We have met with 5 different doctors since yesterday morning. Steve feels very comfortable here and we will be pursuing his treatments here. He has a ct scan of his lungs this morning. Friday after the procedure, we meet with his primary oncologist to see if they want to do a round of chemo before doing another brain MRI in a few weeks. I know this is a lot of information…we feel the same! Prayers for every step of this process are appreciated. Barb Overweg had surgery on her thyroid on Tuesday and is recovering at home. Continue to pray for those in our congregation that deal with ongoing health issues.

ZION KIDS: All kids birth through 5th grade must be signed in at the Zion Kids Check-In Kiosk located in the lobby before the service.  All Zion Kids must be picked up by a parent (please bring the corresponding tag to pick up your child) following worship. The nursery will be staffed for kids birth – 3 yrs. Preschoolers meet in room 206. K-2nd graders meet in room 205. 3rd – 5th graders meet in room 207.

ZION YOUTH:  Regular weekly meetings this Sunday.
High School Youth Group (9th-12th grade) meets every Sunday (unless otherwise noted) from 4 – 5:30 pm.
Middle School Youth Group (6th-8th grade) meets every Sunday (unless otherwise noted) from 5:45 – 7:15 pm.

YOUTH FUNDRAISERS: Our youth are selling Key Card Books ($30) and God’s Creation Calendars ($10) to help fund their summer mission trip.  If you haven’t been contacted and would like to purchase either of these items please contact any one of our youth or call the church office at 616-534-7533.

Serve the World
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 Jholzgen@yahoo.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:  $205,223.40
Fiscal Year 2022/23 Contributions: $176,788.31
Giving Last Week: $10,125.45