Zion E-News (8-9-2018)

Church is calming down again after 7 great weeks hosting Week of Hope mission trips at night and Camp Zion during the day. Carpets have been washed. Rooms are being put back together. Plans are being finalized for a great new education year beginning in September.

Before we turn the page on our summer ministry season, I want to take just a little time to celebrate all God has been doing in and through each of you and the life of Zion. First, Week of Hope saw students each week make a first time commitment or renew their commitment to following Jesus. Second, we saw at least 2 kids make commitments to follow Jesus at Camp Zion. Third, on mission trips, we saw several of our students make a recommitment to Christ and these students were used by God to see 14 people make first time commitments to Christ. Fourth, we welcomed hundreds of people to our facility through Park Parties, Play dates and the 4th of July Celebration. God is on the move at Zion and we have the joy of coming along for the journey.

Throughout the summer, Week of Hope have envelopes available for participants to write thank you notes to other people on their mission trip. Every year, we get an envelope, too! We receive a lot of cards that simply thank us for making our facility available to them. When we added room air conditioners, we got a thank you for the a/c. And then there are always a few more specific thanks. I want to share just a couple excerpts with you this week:

“Camp Zion is an incredible mission… I got a chance to experience the purity and intensity of God’s love through children.”

“I love when a church chooses to open its doors to other ministry opportunities. Thank you! You know ministry is happening when there are hand prints on the windows and stains on the carpet!”

And then one longer note from the President of a new church plant in Illinois who wrote:

“I am so thankful for your generous hospitality as we lived at your facility this past week. I admire your philosophy in leveraging your building as a tool to help further God’s kingdom. We have a 1 year old start up church. I looked at your website to prepare for this trip. Our church has been able to leverage your vision and mission to provide us direction. Again, thanks and blessings!”

Sometimes, we can grow accustomed to the uniqueness of our community, its heart for people and mission, and we can begin to take it for granted. (As a side note, there are lots of great churches doing great ministry besides ours.) But today, I am reminded that God is on the move shaping and forming us for his mission that we might join him in working redeem what was lost, restore what has been broken, and welcome home all who have been rejected, that in us they might experience a taste of God’s great redeeming love for them.

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 third of six request for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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 are grateful for over 60 people serving in our Children’s education ministries this year. And yet, we are still looking for three Sunday school teachers (two kindergarten and one pre-school). Please be in prayer that God will work in the heart of whomever he has called to these ministries that they would step forward to raise the next generation up in the faith.

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 on-line, you can also call the office and we will be happy to help you place an order. You can order your shirt here. You can also see 6 samples below.

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: $108,752.00
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $101,881.01