When my wife  Rachel was in Middle School, her parents and a group of other believers felt called to start a new church in Zeeland intentionally focused on reaching people who did not feel comfortable in a traditional church. Out of this dream, Gateway Community Church was born.

For the last 26 years, they have been instrumental in starting and supporting numerous ministries caring for the less fortunate in Zeeland including fixing up old cars, mobile food pantries, adopting a local trailer park, and much more. They were one of the first churches in Zeeland to include contemporary worship music and a more casual dress. They soon reached many people who were far from God, but in this community found a place to be loved, accepted, and welcomed.

Unfortunately, the past few years have not been easy for the church. This Sunday will mark the close of their ministry. Rachel and our kids will be worshipping with her parents this Sunday as they celebrate all God has done through Gateway. I’ll be sneaking out of Zion right as church ends to join them for a final luncheon.

I am sure tears will be shed as people say goodbye to their community. It is hard to lose a people and a place that mean so much to you. As an outsider, I grieve with them, but I will also always be grateful for the heart for evangelism and the passion for raising children in the faith that Gateway inspired in my wife. Please join me in praying not only for Gateway, but for the many churches and their members struggling to stay together, puzzled over how to reach their neighbors, and wondering what God may have in store for them next.

Connect to God
After God rescues the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt, he brings them to Mt. Sinai where he gives them the law, which includes the 10 Commandments. These commandments are not guidelines for all humanity, but a call from God to live as a counter-cultural community. They produce a people who in our daily lives live as a sign, a signal, and a witness that God has not left the world to its own devices. Instead, God has come to rescue, save, and restore all that has been broken and marred by sin. On the final week of our study of the 10 Commandments, we face not a behavioral command, but a heart command, do not covet.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community

Congratulations to Ryan and Rachel Kleinjans on the birth of a baby boy. Colton Robert arrived on Friday, Nov. 9 at 4:40PM weighing 6lbs 11oz and measuring 20” long. Mom and baby are doing well.

In early January, we will be starting a new women’s exercise class on Monday nights. It will be a great time to both get some exercise and connect with other women at Zion. If you are interested in learning more, you can sign up on the Connection Card on Sunday.

Serve the World
Earlier this week, I met with Rob Holland, the pastor of Lifeline Community Church (our Wyoming Plant). They are beginning the process of formally organizing as a church in our denomination, but they are also already parenting a new church. For the past several months, they have been hosting a Congolese congregation on Sunday afternoons that worships about 100 people each week. This new church is exploring joining the RCA and will soon by moving to 4th Reformed in Grand Rapids which will give them more room and is closer to where their people live. But, they have asked Lifeline to remain in their role as a parent church to help them through this transition and eventually to join our denomination. One small step of faith by Zion leads to a step of faith by Lifeline which has lead to 100 people finding a new spiritual home here in the US. Our God is good!

This year, we will once again gather on Thanksgiving morning, November 22, at 9:30 am to worship and thank God for all he has provided this year. As is our tradition, we will have an open mic time for people to share their personal thanks as well.

We also collect a special Thanksgiving Offering each year. This year, the Thanksgiving offering will go to support local families (identified by our Hand2Hand ministry), Good News Nepal, and Hurricane Michael relief efforts coordinated by the Reformed Church in America. This offering will be collected on November 18, Thanksgiving morning, and November 25.

Administrative Details
As many of you may know, in September our Consistory went on a retreat together to discern God’s call for Zion in the next several years. We will be sharing this vision in more detail early next year, but the core of our vision is a desire to raise up Christian leaders in order to plant new churches in the Grandville and Georgetown Township communities.

As part of this visioning process, we also have been assessing our ongoing needs at Zion in order to continue welcoming new people into our congregation. As one significant example, in the past three years, we have seen the number of kids participating in our Christmas program grow from 30 children in 2015 to 68 children this year. We thank God for the gift of these children and their families. And, this growth has put a strain on how we use our building.

Currently, the Consistory is interviewing potential architects to help us better use the footprint of our building to more effectively welcome more people to our church. We are asking specifically for help in rightsizing our children and youth spaces and improving the traffic flow in the building on Sundays. (You may have noticed our hallways can feel a little congested and some Sunday school classrooms that can comfortably hold 6-8 children, but regularly have 10 or more.)

As you think about your upcoming end-of-year giving, please consider giving to our new Church Remodel Fund. Going forward, we will involve the congregation in both the design and decision process of any remodel, but wanted to share this opportunity to financially support this effort as we begin dreaming of how we can use our facility even better to reach people for God.

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: $261,004.80
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $258,164.18