Earlier this week, I listened to a HolyPost Podcast in which the second half was an interview with Bob Roberts, Jr. about how important it is for Christians to have non-Christians friends. Rather than shelter ourselves in the Christian tribal subculture, we should instead intentionally be Christian in secular environments and among other religious beliefs by being a friend.

And then, I was talking with someone from Zion who shared a recent story. They were out for drinks with a couple of co-workers. One raised Southern Baptist who has turned away from Christianity and the other Hindu. As they sat and talked over some wine, the conversation eventually turned to God and how you can know if God is real and what they thought God was like. The two non-christians shared their frustrations with the church and Christians in general. And then looked to this Zion member.

What would you say? How do you explain your faith to people who have been wounded by Christians? How do you help someone get a different perspective from the one they get from the shouting celebrity Christians and the politically lobbying ones? 

Their questions hung in the air. Needing an answer.

This member responded not by defending the public celebrity Christians, but by taking about our church. Not the Sunday morning stuff or the youth group stuff. Instead, they talked about all the kids we feed through Hand2Hand, the families we support through the Personal Care Pantry, the kids mentored through Kids Hope, our new ministry Threads, and Camp Zion. And then they talked about how in all these areas and in our kids ministries and worship ministries, we see senior citizens and teens, married and unmarried, well off and those struggling to pay the bills, work together and share life with one another. Because God loves the world and we want to join God in making our world more like his Kingdom.

One of the people, hopped on their phone to check out our website (someone does look at it besides me apparently) and then said, ‘If I ever went to a church, I could go to yours.”

In a world where many people have been deeply wounded by church and Christians, more than any theological argument, people need to see God’s love at work among us.They need to see Christians united by Christ across all the divides of our culture. Simply caring for and loving each other. They need to see us care about them and our community with no strings attached.

While not perfect, we work hard to live that way together at Zion.

Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in personal 9:30 am and online at 9:30 and 11 am. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.

Peter seems to suggest that suffering is good. What?! Well, he at least says that there’s a certain kind of suffering that all believers will share: the type of suffering Christ endured. Jesus lived his life bringing the vulnerable, the rejects, and society’s least loved members to the center and lifted them up. He loved so scandalously that when He was put on trial, there was nothing to charge Him with.

Peter says that if we walk with Christ’s name, loving the vulnerable, rejected, loveless among us, we’ll experience suffering simply for bearing his name, and THAT suffering shows us and others that the Spirit of God dwells within us.

Mark your calendars and save the date to join us for a Youth Led Worship event on Sunday night, June 6 at 6:30 pm. Bring your lawn chair as we will be meeting outside. Youth will be leading us in worship and in some small group discussions about our experiences over the past year.

Grow in Community
Teresa Beute remains hospitalized due to low sodium. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors as they treat her and for comfort and peace for her and Rog.

Don Osterink began hormone therapy to treat his prostate cancer and is doing well. Please continue to pray for him.

As we look ahead to the summer season and worshiping outside, we are planning to have coffee and some snacks available after worship. If you would be willing to help make coffee and set out snacks on a Sunday, you can sign-up to join one of first impressions teams here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054aaeae23a6fd0-summer1

Nursery Update:  As more and more people are being vaccinated, and the number of Covid cases in our community are starting to decline, we feel it is the right time to try to reopen our nursery at Zion. To be able to do this, we need people willing to serve in the nursery!  We are planning on having a 5 week rotation, with 2 volunteers each week. Currently, we have 5 people willing to serve. We are looking for 5 more people that would be comfortable in the nursery, with a love for children, and a heart to bless young parents, many of whom had not had as much support as they normally would this past year. If we can find these 5 people, we’ll open the nursery!  And parents, please know that young children are also still welcome in the main worship service, as always! We’re simply thrilled you’re here, and don’t mind the wiggles and noises of young kids.

“Summer Sundays” in Zion Kids:  Starting on June 6, weather permitting, our kids ministry will be moving outside! This is for kids ages 3 through going into 3rd grade. We’ll be meeting by the picnic tables to read Bible stories, pray together, do other outdoor crafts/games, and play on our church playground! To make this work, we need your help!!  Please consider volunteering for a week or two this summer. There is no prep for our summer ministry, and training will be provided on the Sunday morning you serve. All adults must go through Keeping Kids safe training and a background check to be eligible to serve in kids ministries. If you didn’t go through this fall, that’s fine. There will be a Keeping Kids Safe training on on May 16 for those who did not go through this in the fall. We’ll meet outside, weather permitting, by door “D.”  Please take your own lawn chair.  Here’s the link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a4fa8a72ba6f94-summer

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
Monday: Romans 9
Tuesday: Romans 10
Wednesday:Romans 11
Thursday:Romans 12
Friday: Romans 13

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Serve the World
On Sunday, we will receive an update on the Nepalese Speaking Community Church and their need for additional space in their facility to care for the many children they are meeting. We already partner with their pastor Yakuv Gurung in planting churches in Nepal through Jibit Aisha. Brandon Ondersma will be talking about this need in church on Sunday and how you can support this ministry to refugees in our community.

Earlier this week, the RCA sent out a weekly e-mail of resources for and news stories about churches in our denomination. There were stories about the Scudders, this amazing family of missionaries who had someone from the family serving in missions for the RCA for 200 years, another about flourishing through change an innovation, and a story about the impact of planting new churches. You can check that final article out here. Faithward.org is a great resource of thoughtful articles on everything from the discipleship to leading churches.

As we prepare for another great season of Camp Zion, we have built a little wish list for the summer. If you would like to help purchase some supplies and resources for the summer, you can do so from the list at this link. 
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/M4D5CKCROXH5?ref_=wl_share

Camp Zion still has some volunteer slots available for the summer, If you would like to help out in the summer and invest in the kids in our neighborhood, you can sign up at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050949a9a82aa2fd0-camp

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Chip Harkes, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is chip@harkeslandscape.com and his phone number is 616-299-4804.

Administration
The Consistory approved remodeling our bathrooms at our April meeting. If you have been in our bathrooms recently you may have noticed they not only look dated, but also have a particularly uncomfortable scent and are in need of some significant repairs. The approved plan will intentionally fit with the larger building remodel plan we approved prior to Covid rather than simply updating the bathrooms. By doing so, we leave open the possibility of moving ahead with the building remodel after Covid and as the financial impacts of this past year become more clear. This small project, however, will cost about $125,000. We will not move forward with this remodeling step until at least half of those funds are raised. If you would like to give to the bathroom remodel, you can do so by donating to our building fund. We do ask that anything given to the building fund be in addition to your regular support of Zion ministries through the general fund so we can still effectively fund our ongoing ministries.

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:  $525,314.00
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $494,920.30
Giving Last Week: $5,643.57
Bathroom Building Fund (total given): $2,310.00

It has been a week if concerts and recitals in the Brower household. We have enjoyed so much music provided by our kids this week. For me, one of the best parts of being a parent is getting to go to these events and simply sit in wonder at the skill and abilities of out your kids. (I never learned to play any instrument well and can only carry a tune if I am singing next to someone who can lead me along.)

At a choir concern last night, the directors talked about how hard the students had worked over the last 15 months, adapting to wearing masks and social distancing, and singing via Zoom, and so much more. I find myself moved when I think about all the changes students have experienced, from the adaptations required to be in school to the losses of sports seasons and fall concerts, proms and normal graduations. It has been an unusual year.

I am so impressed by the work our schools have done to make everything work. Teachers made classes and resources digital. Taught kids both how to use and on video conferencing. Dealt with masks and some kids not wanting to wear them and social distancing in classrooms and playgrounds. Our schools and their staffs have been flexible, agile, and done a great job making the best of a challenging situation.

I was talking with a good friend yesterday, who also happens to be a pastor. We both feel like in so many ways, this has been the hardest year in church life in our 20 years of leading churches. Staff have had to creatively figure out what activities can still occur while following health department guidelines and how to find those guidelines, what things we just need to set aside for a year, and find new ways to connect and encourage the spiritual lives of our church members. Every few months, it feels like we need to re-figure things out again. Currently, it is summer programming. But by late July it will be figuring out the fall and assessing how far back to a more normal we can go. Whether it is adapting to changing comfort levels of volunteers and families or coping with people in quarantine, doing even the basics of church life has taken more energy than ever before. And, our staff has done a great job staying positive and focused on our mission.

If you have the opportunity, please take eat time to thank Rachel Brower, Jeremy Zoet, Rachel Verbrugge, Rick VanderWall, and Connie Stegeman for all their work this past year. They have worked harder than ever to care for all of us. I am so proud to work with them.

(On a side note, there will not be an E-News next week as I am taking a study leave. As this is not a vacation, I am still available for pastoral care phone calls if needed, but will not be in the office all week.)

Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in personal 9:30 am and online at 9:30 and 11 am. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.

The Christians to whom Peter wrote in 1 Peter feel alone, scared, and as if they no longer belong in their own country. Maybe you have felt similarly at times. Peter reminds them and us that our hope is not found in fitting into the culture around us, but in Jesus who is creating us to be a new kind of chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. This week, as Peter urges us to love those in the church and to face the challenges of a pagan culture with the confidence that Christ is indeed Lord over everyone and everything.

This Sunday we also celebrate with Matt and Katie Eling the baptism of Esther Eling. In baptism, we claim the promise that God already claims Esther as his very own and we commit as a community too join this family in helping her to come to know the God who loves her.

Mark your calendars and save the date to join us for a Youth Led Worship event on Sunday night, June 6 at 6:30 pm. Bring your lawn chair as we will be meeting outside. Youth will be leading us in worship and in some small group discussions about our experiences over the past year.

Grow in Community
Barb Overweg experienced some issues with her vision earlier this week. Thankfully, she did not have a stroke, but is dealing with double vision. She has seen an ophthalmologist and they have a plan moving forward that should help ease her discomfort.

Please continue to keep Corrine VanHorn in your prayers as she remains at Spectrum Hospital with heart issues.

Congratulations to Jeremy Zoet on his graduation from Western Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Christian Study. We are so proud of all the work you have done in your studies and appreciate the blessing you are  to Zion in leading us in worship and discipling our youth.

As we look ahead to the summer season and worshipping outside, we are planning to have coffee and some snacks available after worship. If you would be willing to help make coffee and set out snacks on a Sunday, you can sign-up to join one of first impressions teams here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054aaeae23a6fd0-summer1

Nursery Update:  As more and more people are being vaccinated, and the number of Covid cases in our community are starting to decline, we feel it is the right time to try to reopen our nursery at Zion. To be able to do this, we need people willing to serve in the nursery!  We are planning on having a 5 week rotation, with 2 volunteers each week. Currently, we have 5 people willing to serve. We are looking for 5 more people that would be comfortable in the nursery, with a love for children, and a heart to bless young parents, many of whom had not had as much support as they normally would this past year. If we can find these 5 people, we’ll open the nursery!  And parents, please know that young children are also still welcome in the main worship service, as always! We’re simply thrilled you’re here, and don’t mind the wiggles and noises of young kids.

“Summer Sundays” in Zion Kids:  Starting on June 6, weather permitting, our kids ministry will be moving outside! This is for kids ages 3 through going into 3rd grade. We’ll be meeting by the picnic tables to read Bible stories, pray together, do other outdoor crafts/games, and play on our church playground! To make this work, we need your help!!  Please consider volunteering for a week or two this summer. There is no prep for our summer ministry, and training will be provided on the Sunday morning you serve. All adults must go through Keeping Kids safe training and a background check to be eligible to serve in kids ministries. If you didn’t go through this fall, that’s fine. There will be a Keeping Kids Safe training on on May 16 for those who did not go through this in the fall. We’ll meet outside, weather permitting, by door “D.”  Please take your own lawn chair.  Here’s the link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a4fa8a72ba6f94-summer

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
Monday: Acts 27
Tuesday: Acts 28
Wednesday:Romans 1
Thursday:Romans 2
Friday: Romans 3

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Serve the World
As we prepare for another great season of Camp Zion, we have built a little wish list for the summer. If you would like to help purchase some supplies and resources for the summer, you can do so from the list at this link.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/M4D5CKCROXH5?ref_=wl_share

Camp Zion still has some volunteer slots available for the summer, If you would like to help out in the summer and invest in the kids in our neighborhood, you can sign up at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050949a9a82aa2fd0-camp

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Chip Harkes, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is chip@harkeslandscape.com and his phone number is 616-299-4804.

Administration
The Consistory approved remodeling our bathrooms at our April meeting. If you have been in our bathrooms recently you may have noticed they not only look dated, but also have a particularly uncomfortable scent and are in need of some significant repairs. The approved plan will intentionally fit with the larger building remodel plan we approved prior to Covid rather than simply updating the bathrooms. By doing so, we leave open the possibility of moving ahead with the building remodel after Covid and as the financial impacts of this past year become more clear. This small project, however, will cost about $125,000. We will not move forward with this remodeling step until at least half of those funds are raised. If you would like to give to the bathroom remodel, you can do so by donating to our building fund. We do ask that anything given to the building fund be in addition to your regular support of Zion ministries through the general fund so we can still effectively fund our ongoing ministries.

At our congregational meeting on Sunday, we confirmed the nomination of our new Elders and Deacons. Ken Johnson and Haley Stone were appointed as Elders and Troy Austin and Tom MacGraw as Deacons. We will hold an installation service in early June.

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:  $504,301.44
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $480,954.07
Giving Last Week: $10,770.00
Bathroom Building Fund: $1,140.00

5-2-21 Bulletin