8-12-18 bulletin

There is an old story of three laborers making bricks in the desert under the hot sun. Someone comes traveling by and asks them what they are doing. The first one hardly looks up and sarcastically answers, “What do you think? I’m making bricks.” The next person pauses a moment longer and says, “I’m building an important wall.” The third workers looks out into the distance and replies, “I am building beautiful cathedral. It’s going to be one of the most beautiful cathedrals of all time.”

Each of the workers is doing the same mundane job, but only one of them can see how their work fits into the big picture. The last worker is captivated by the image of a beautiful cathedral and the role they will play in its completion. This is the power of vision in our lives.

I have been thinking a lot about vision the past couple of months. In September, our Consistory and staff will go on a weekend retreat and attempt to discern a vision for our community for the next several years. I’ve never been good at discerning these long-term visions. I operate more by looking to see what doors God may be opening now or in the next year for us and trying to follow. But, there are times when we need to look beyond tomorrow or next week or even next year to see what we need to do to prepare to go where God is leading next. I am very grateful for the leadership God has blessed us with on our Consistory and staff and I look forward to seeing how God will lead us on our retreat.

Until then, allow me to remind you of all God is already doing in and through us at Zion Reformed Church. Through our church, 10 churches will be planted in Nepal in the next 5 years, CityChapel will begin worship in Grand Rapids this fall, Lifeline Community Church continues to grow in faith and numbers in Wyoming, about 70 kids were blessed through Camp Zion this summer, over 40 students and youth leaders went on mission trips this summer, hundreds of students stayed in our building on their own mission trips, dozens of families are supported every month through the Personal Care Pantry, and each week we welcome 60+ children into our children’s ministries to learn about Jesus, and even more is happening through ministries like small groups and Hand2Hand.

Through our work together at Zion, lives are being changed and people here and around the world are meeting Jesus. May God receive all the glory.

Connect to God
This Sunday we celebrate with our youth students all the ways God worked in and through them on their mission trips this summer. We will hear student testimonies and also hear from Pastor Jeremy on Exodus 3:1-12.

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

We have T-shirts (short, long, and hoodies) available with our Zion logo on the front. If you are looking for any easy way to show your pride in your church, let your neighbors know you are willing to talk about your faith, or just want a cool new shirt, check out the link below to order your very own shirt! Shirts range in price from $16 to $24. You can order a shirt through September 9. If you are uncomfortable ordering online, you can also call the office and we will be happy to help you place an order. You can order your shirt here.

Do you want some good food, friends and fellowship? Then this is the opportunity for you! 729 groups bring 7 to 9 willing people together to meet for a meal 3x in 3 months. The goal is simply to get to know some people in church better. Once groups are formed, the host will contact members to arrange the details for the first gathering. Dinner groups are encouraged to be creative; consider picking a dinner “theme night” (i.e. Italian, dessert or soup night), and everyone can bring a dish that goes along with that theme or meet at a restaurant or church. You can sign-up through the cards found in the bulletin or call the church office at 616-534-7533.

Serve the World
CityFest West Michigan will be held the weekend of September 8 and 9. For the last several months, the Luis Palau team has been working with churches and local service agencies to help churches connect with their community and celebrate all the ways the church is already blessing West Michigan. On September 8 and 9, there will be concerts, X-game type events, and the proclamation of the gospel. As part of the festival, we are looking for people who willing to be Festival Friends who will be trained in helping someone make those first few steps of discipleship. If you are interested in being a Festival Friend, there will be training on August 7 at 7 pm at Remembrance Reformed Church. We will also offer training at our next Leaders Meeting in August 26.

Administrative Details
We will be holding our next Leaders Meeting on August 26 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. We look forward to a great evening of fellowship, worship, and some training.

If you are serving in any Children or Youth ministry you will want to attend as we will be offering training on our child protection policies. You must go through this training to volunteer in any ministry involving children or youth.

Beginning this fall, we will be giving our first time visitors a new 30oz Zion travel mug and a free beverage at Biggby. But, you can get your very own Zion travel mug already on Sunday. We will be selling the mugs for $20 and you can buy as many as you want. They come in two colors, silver and gunmetal and both have a cool looking Zion logo. Cups will be available for purchase in the lobby following worship. (If you don’t want to buy one on a Sunday, they will also be available from the office during the week.)

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: $97,876.80
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $90,702.01

One of my favorite activities of the summer is reading through the journal of our students who went on mission trips. I enjoy this for some pretty small reasons, like: they have worse penmanship than I do and some of them are pretty funny. But most of all, reading these journals gives me glimpses of how God is at work among us.

On the mission trips, I counted at least 2 kids who made a re-commitment to following Jesus, numerous kids talked about being closer to Jesus, others talked of feeling a stronger sense of call to their home community, others of seeing God at work in the lives of the people they met, others found a safe place to wrestle through doubts, others of being used by God to bring someone into relationship with Jesus. We talk about striving to be a community that makes disciples who make disciples. This happens in many ways in our community, and one of them are the mission trips of our Middle and High School students. God is at work among these students.

And then this morning, as I was walking down the hall, the Camp Zion kids were having their morning devotions. (We talk about all the fun activities at Camp Zion, and they do a lot of fun stuff, but there is also a very intentional effort to introduce kids to Jesus.) Many of them were gathered in circles praying together. My favorite image was of Luke Austin sitting on the floor, hands folded, head bowed, surrounded by 5 little kids all in the exact same pose praying together. Disciples making disciples.

This disciple making doesn’t only happen in the summer or in youth groups. It happens every week in Sunday school classes and Children and Worship rooms and in small groups and discipleship triads. If you want to be involved in seeing God change lives, there are plenty of opportunities at Zion,

Some of those opportunities are in formal church events, but others are casual conversations and a prayer offered with a friend over coffee. Or, sitting down with your kids and reading a Bible story each night and teaching them how to talk to God. Disciples making disciples.

May we be ever more a people committed to making disciples who make disciples.

Connect to God
Does prayer work? What can we expect from prayer? How do we pray anyway? Have you ever wondered why the disciples never asked Jesus how to preach or perform miracles – and all they asked Him was how to pray? Prayer gives us access to the very throne room of God. In prayer, we are shaped by the Holy Spirit. In prayer, we talk directly with the King of the Universe. Over the next several weeks, we will consider how Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. This week, we consider the second of six requests for God’s kingdom to come.

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
Les VandenHoek went to be with his Lord on Wednesday, July 25. We express our sympathy to his wife Alice and their families and ask for prayers for peace and comfort for them during this difficult time.  Arrangements will be through Cook Funeral Home and are pending at this time.

If you have been in church the last few weeks, you may have noticed the many children we continue to welcome in worship. Due to the continued growth in our children’s ministry, we will have a second room for children age 3 years old through 3rd grade to attend during worship this summer.

Do you want some good food, friends and fellowship? Then this is the opportunity for you! 729 groups bring 7 to 9 willing people together to meet for a meal 3x in 3 months. The goal is simply to get to know some people in church better. Once groups are formed, the host will contact members to arrange the details for the first gathering. Dinner groups are encouraged to be creative; consider picking a dinner “theme night” (i.e. Italian, dessert or soup night), and everyone can bring a dish that goes along with that theme or meet at a restaurant or church. You can sign-up through the cards found in the bulletin or call the church office at 616-534-7533.

Serve the World
City Chapel held their second preview service on Sunday. They celebrated Christmas in July, including singing Christmas carols and wishing one another a happy Christmas. The focus of the service was the incarnation of Christ and the call for each of us to be present and engage din our local communities. Just under 80 people attended the service, which is a slight decline from June, but there were very few well wishers this month compared to June. So, the 78 people counted were almost all people checking out the church or committed to the church. Ron estimated that almost half the people were new to City Chapel in theist month. One family had never had any contacted with the church until coming to worship on Sunday.

CityFest West Michigan will be held the weekend of September 8 and 9. For the last several months, the Luis Palau team has been working with churches and local service agencies to help churches connect with their community and celebrate all the ways the church is already blessing West Michigan. On September 8 and 9, there will be concerts, X-game type events, and the proclamation of the gospel. As part of the festival, we are looking for people who willing to be Festival Friends who will be trained in helping someone make those first few steps of discipleship. If you are interested in being a Festival Friend, there will be training on August 7 at 7 pm at Remembrance Reformed Church. We will also offer training at our next Leaders Meeting in August 26.

There is only one more Neighborhood Park Party (formerly Hoops and Hotdogs) on  July 31 from 6-7 pm. We had a great time at the first few Park Parties and are looking forward for the last one. These are great evenings to connect with neighbors, invite a friend, let the kids get some energy out on the playground, and enjoy a hotdog! A huge thank you to Tom MacGraw and Megan Taylor who make this event happen each time.

Administrative Details
Beginning this fall, we will be giving our first time visitors a new 30oz Zion travel mug and a free beverage at Biggby. But, you can get your very own Zion travel mug already on Sunday. We will be selling the mugs for $20 and you can buy as many as you want. They come in two colors, silver and gunmetal and both have a cool looking Zion logo. Cups will be available for purchase in the lobby following worship. (If you don’t want to buy one on a Sunday, they will also be available from the office during the week.)

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: $87,001.60
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $84,883.01