Last summer, a woman came to our church a few times. She had started a Bible study in her neighborhood with some friends who weren’t yet believers. She and her family were looking for a church closer to their home to make it easier to invite her friends to come to church with her. She wound up staying at her home church, which was a great place for her and her family. But, her story has stuck with me. 

Often we can think our ministry is tied to a role in the church. Serving as an usher or Deacon. Teaching Sunday school or handing out bags of food. Playing in the praise team or watching babies in the nursery. And, all these acts of service are important for us as a community to teach our children, mentor our youth, serve the community, and welcome new people into our midst.

For most of us, however, our primary place of ministry is not the church, but our workplace, school, or neighborhood. Everyday we come into contact with people who are near to us, but far from God. Sometimes they are family members, others times a co-worker or neighbor. But we all know people whoa re far from God.

Imagine what God could do if we didn’t settle for just praying for people (though this is important and vital), or inviting people to church (this is a great idea too), but what if we took the first step and told them about Jesus or invited them to consider the Bible with us. And then, we stayed in relationship and were willing to help them learn to follow Jesus like we do? What might God do with a people like that?

Connect to God
While Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell many of the same stories of Jesus, John tells many different stories and in the process give a unique theological view of who Jesus is and how he now calls us to live. We begin our study of John this year by studying the 7 signs of John. The fifth sign occurs immediately after the feeding of the 5,000 near the time of Passover. The disciples are caught up in a storm on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus comes to them walking on the water. Jesus still comes to us in the midst of the storms of life bringing calm and rescue to those in need.

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
Please keep Jed Gerken in your prayers as he has been hospitalized due to complications caused by his cancer and is currently considering palliative care options. He is hoping to return home sometime today.

This week Sunday, February 17, is “Say It Day” for those attending Sunday School. If you have a child from pre-school through 5th grade, don’t forget to help them review the verse to they are reading next week.

Our new members class, which began last week, will meet in the Library following worship. This class is for anyone interested in joining Zion or who simply wants to learn more about our church and its life and ministry. If you missed the first week, there is still time to join us.

If you signed up for a 729 group, you should have been or will soon be contacted by your group coordinator. If you are not contacted by next Thursday, shoot Pastor Gregand e-mail and he will get right on it.

Serve the World
Do you know a great way to serve others? Go shopping! Seriously. Lifeline Community Church is currently planning a mission trip to Guatemala with members from the church from June 19-26. The trip will cost an average of $2,000 per person which for many of their members is a huge cost. To help defray these costs, Benefit Twice will be holding a special sale from March 20-23. This will only be at the Wyoming store in Rogers Plaza, so mark your calendars and do a little shopping for a great cause and some good deals!

Administrative Details
Our next Leaders Meeting, on March 3 from 4-7 pm, will be an opportunity for everyone in our congregation to have a voice in planning the remodel of our building. Everyone from 5th grade and up is invited to participate in this Congregational Workshop of dreaming and imagining what might be led by Elevate Studios. Child care will be provided for children 3rd grade and under. We will also provide a meal. Mark your calendar and plan on joining us on March 3 at 4 pm. Please sign up today on the back of the Connection Card.

As we continue working with Elevate Architecture to develop a plan for remodeling our building to create a larger gathering area and children’s spaces, the Consistory has formed a building remodel team. The team includes: Pastor Rick, Andy Boeskool, Brian Davis, Sandie Dunn, Kyle VandePol, , Roxie VanderHeide, and Arlyn Zoet.

Rachel Brower has begun the research portion of her sabbatical as she works with a team to imagine new possibilities for our Children’s Ministries. The team includes Rachel Brower, Sean McAnally, Heidi Ondersma, Jackie Deiter, and Megan Taylor. They are meeting together as a team for the first time tonight. Please join me in praying for them and our building redesign team.

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: $402,382.40
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $388,627.23