For a couple of years now, I have been following “Sassy Seminary Student” on social media. She is a young woman currently enrolled in a southern seminary. She is theologically reformed and very socially conservative (she wears a head covering).

She and many other people have been processing the latest report to come out of the Southern Baptist Convention about significant abuse and coverup by pastors and denominational leaders. The stories being told are both heart breaking and deeply troubling.

I am cognizant that some people in our church have likely experienced abuse and traumatic events like those outlined in the SBC report. You may have questions like: where is God in this pain? How could God allow this happen? Is God even a good God?

As I think about these experiences, I have my own thoughts, but sometimes it is better to hear from someone who has walked in your shoes and wrestled with the same types of questions you may have. Leah (The Sassy Seminary Student) wrote a reflection this week on her own sexual assault and how her belief in the providence of God helps her endure in her recovery. If you are able, I would encourage you to read her reflection at the link below, but as a caution, it may be triggering for some.
In the Wake of Sexual Assault

– Greg

Connect to God
This week we will gather for worship at 9:30 am. This weeks service will be 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 4pm next Sunday. The service will continue to be available on YouTube to watch at your convenience.

This Sunday, we celebrate Pentecost! Next week as we enter what is commonly called Ordinary Time, we will be spending the next couple of weeks thinking about how God’s mission for the world has a church. As we think about the role of the church in God’s mission, his deep longing to see people from every tribe, people, and language returning to God in worship, we will be looking at three key teachings from Jesus that inform our role in this mission. Last week, we focused on the Great Commission in Matthew 28, In two weeks, we will focus on the Great Mission of Jesus in Luke 4. And this week, we will be thinking about the Great Commandment to love God and others given in Matthew 22.

We will also be commissioning our Youth Mission trip team and installing and ordaining our new Elders and Deacons.

Grow in Community
Summer is a great time to try out new ways to serve in at Zion. if you are interested in serving on one of our welcome teams, now is the time to try it out a few times over the summer! if you are already on a team or want to try it out, you can sign up to serve as an usher, greeter, or to help at the child check in station here.

Starting on Sunday morning, June 5, we’ll switch to our summer mode in Zion Kids! We’ll be running a nursery, and a simplified program for kids 3 yrs.-going into 3rd grade (all together). We read Bible stories to kids in small groups, pray, do crafts & play with them.  It’s really fun, and a great way to get to know the kids!  To make this happen, we need your help! Would you be willing to serve In kids ministry two times over the summer months?  We’re looking for young grandparents, teenagers, parents, and people who enjoy being around kids.  We’ll make sure to pair summer volunteers alongside our regular kids ministry people.   All adults over 18 years old must go through Keeping Kids Safe training and a background check prior to serving with kids.  If needed, Rachel will contact you to set up a time to go over our policies. These really are fun Summer Sundays with extra time to get to know the kids a bit more! You can sign up through the links below, or via a sign up sheet outside of Room 205, or by texting Rachel at 616-669-3412.  Thanks for considering supporting our kids & young families!
Summer Kids Ministry  
Nursery

Our nursery is filling up again! Praise God for the gift of these children. And, we need your help. Would you be willing to support young families so parents can attend the worship service, and provide great care for our young children? The time commitment is once every 4 weeks during the school year, and a couple of times over the summer. If you’re interested, please contact Rachel Brower at 616-669-3412.

Serve the World
Camp Zion is starting in just a few weeks! Currently, we have 45 kids registered for camp. Two-thirds are returning campers and one-third are new campers from West and Grandview elementary. The theme verse for the year is Luke 10:27 which says: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” IN addition, the campers will be studying the 10 commandments over the 6 weeks of camp. If you are interested in helping out with Camp Zion, there are sign-ups below fro donations and volunteering.
Camp Zion Snack Donations
Camp Zion Amazon Wish List
Camp Zion Volunteer Sign Ups

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 2021/22 Budget: $582,934.04
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $527,882.66
Giving Last Week: $3,425.50

When our family goes camping in the national parks, we occasionally use a generator to charge our trailer’s battery and allow us to use things like the microwave and a fan. But, our generator is not big enough to run our air conditioner. Anytime someone tries to turn on the AC, the generator turns off due to the overload.

I have been thinking about that generator lately because I think the news lately has been overloading many people’s emotional generators. Our brains were shaped and formed to care about the people in our village of 200-300 people. But now, on social media and through the news we have access to all the tragedies of the entire world. We are not made to handle this much suffering and pain.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the terrible shootings this week in Texas or the one 12 days ago in Buffalo or the war in Ukraine or global warming or refugees at the border or whatever else may be weighing you down, it is OK. You do not need to respond or do something about every instance of suffering or pain or anxiety in our world. That is not your job.

Honestly, that is Jesus’ job. He is the one who has ascended to the right hand of God the Father and has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Are we called to join Jesus in redeeming this broken and hurting world by seeking his justice and binding up the broken hearted? Of course. But, we are not called to do it on our own, individually. This is the work of the church across the world and over all time. But each of us are only called to what we are equipped and able to handle.

So, if God has given you a heart for babies and ending abortions, give your all to that work and help pregnant women make the choice for life. If you have been given a heart for refugees, give your all to helping refugees adjust to life in the US. If you have a heart for the environment, find ways you can help protect the world God has made.

It is OK to turn off the TV, close the app and step away from the trauma of our world. Accept your limits. Grieve all the hurt in our world that breaks your heart. Bring those burdens to God in prayer. Do what you feel called to do. And then, let go and give yourself permission to be a human with human limits.

– Greg

Connect to God
This week we will gather for worship at 9:30 am. This weeks service will be 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 4pm next Sunday. The service will continue to be available on YouTube to watch at your convenience.

This Sunday is the end of the Easter season as the church celebrates Ascension Sunday (Ascension Day is Thursday, May 26 this year). As we enter what is commonly called Ordinary Time, we will be spending the next few weeks thinking about how God’s mission for the world has a church. As we think about the role of the church in God’s mission, his deep longing to see people from every tribe, people, and language returning to God in worship, we will be looking at three key teachings from Jesus that inform our role in this mission. The last two weeks of this series we will focus on the Great Commandment and the Great Mission of Jesus, but this week, as we celebrate ascension day, we turn our attention to the Great Commission given in Matthew 28.

Grow in Community
Summer is a great time to try out new ways to serve in at Zion. if you are interested in serving on one of our welcome teams, now is the time to try it out a few times over the summer! if you are already on a team or want to try it out, you can sign up to serve as an usher, greeter, or to help at the child check in station here.

Starting on Sunday morning, June 5, we’ll switch to our summer mode in Zion Kids! We’ll be running a nursery, and a simplified program for kids 3 yrs.-going into 3rd grade (all together). We read Bible stories to kids in small groups, pray, do crafts & play with them.  It’s really fun, and a great way to get to know the kids!  To make this happen, we need your help! Would you be willing to serve In kids ministry two times over the summer months?  We’re looking for young grandparents, teenagers, parents, and people who enjoy being around kids.  We’ll make sure to pair summer volunteers alongside our regular kids ministry people.   All adults over 18 years old must go through Keeping Kids Safe training and a background check prior to serving with kids.  If needed, Rachel will contact you to set up a time to go over our policies. These really are fun Summer Sundays with extra time to get to know the kids a bit more! You can sign up through the links below, or via a sign up sheet outside of Room 205, or by texting Rachel at 616-669-3412.  Thanks for considering supporting our kids & young families!
Summer Kids Ministry  
Nursery

Our nursery is filling up again! Praise God for the gift of these children. And, we need your help. Would you be willing to support young families so parents can attend the worship service, and provide great care for our young children? The time commitment is once every 4 weeks during the school year, and a couple of times over the summer. If you’re interested, please contact Rachel Brower at 616-669-3412.

Serve the World
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 2021/22 Budget: $571,723.77
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $524,457.16
Giving Last Week: $6,018.60