Zion E-News (7-19-2018)

On Tuesday this week, Camp Zion spent the day talking about the shoes of Peace in the armor of God in Galatians. As explained to them, the shoes of Peace are a willingness and a desire to share the good news about Jesus and our new life him, Rachel Verbrugge then explained that every staff member and volunteer was wearing the shoes of Peace and they would all be willing to talk about how to accept Jesus as their savior. And then, she prayed with the group as a whole and in the prayer asked God to give people who wanted to learn more about Jesus the courage to ask one of the staff or volunteers.

After the prayer, one of the students came up to Luke Austin to learn about Jesus. Luke explained the gospel and what it meant to accept Jesus into your heart. The child prayed with Luke to give their life over to Jesus.

Today, we celebrate a life changed by the gospel of Jesus!

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 Kong 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 first of six request for God’s name to be made holy.

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 extend our sympathy to Greg and Michelle Stuyvesant in the passing of Greg’s mother Shirley Stuyvesant last week Tuesday. The funeral was held on Tuesday this week.

Mike MacGraw, Kathy MacGraw’s husband, had knee replacement surgery on Monday and is doing well recovering at home.

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.

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.

If you are interested in helping advertising and raise awareness of CityFest, we will have yard signs available in the narthex following worship on Sunday. This is an easy way to let your neighbors know you are open and willing to talk not only about CityFest, but also about your faith. We will also have prayer cards and invite cards available on Sunday.

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: $76,126.40
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $56,514.01