Zion E-News (9-20-2018)

Many of the most stirring passages to me are visions God gave to his people. There is the vision of a land flowing with milk and honey set before the people as they leave Egypt for the promised land. The vision of Isaiah to a people in exile of a new Jerusalem that lives in peace, justice and prosperity in Isaiah 65, and the vision of John of the new heavens and new earth at the end of Revelation. Or we could think of of the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11 who had a “confidence in what they hoped for and assurance of what we do not see.” We serve a God who often places before his people a vision of a world yet to be, a vision of not only what could be, but what will be by his power.

This weekend, our staff and Consistory are dedicating Friday evening and all day Saturday, along with some significant homework to prepare for this weekend, to discern together God’s Dream for our church. Our time together will be facilitated by Doug McClintic from the Regional Synod of the Great Lakes. Please pray for safety, energy, open minds and ears, and hearts sensitive to God’s leading.

Connect to God
As we continue this sermon series on the Ten Commandments, we are reminded, just like the Israelites were, sometimes we need to go back to the basics. Simply put, God says to us, “I am the Lord your God.” “There are no others.” The question is, has something in our life moved to that number one position and pushed God to another position? Exodus 20:2-6 reminds us once again the order we need in our life to be called God’s people, followers of Jesus Christ.

We will also celebrate the baptism of Josiah Roger, son of Matt and Katie Wagner during worship on Sunday. We give thanks to God for the gift of this child to our community.

We will also receive an update on Hand2Hand as they begin their ministry year with the first distribution of food to Grandville students on September 28.

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
The High School Youth Group will be holding a fundraiser at Culver’s on September 24 from 5-8 pm. This is a great night to support our youth and connect with friends from Zion. Join us on the 24th!

Do to reveal requests, we have reopened and lengthened the time to order a Zion shirt. Don’t miss out on this chance to pick up a cool shirt and show your Zion pride. Orders will close for the final time this Sunday. You can place an order for a shirt here

Serve the World
We support a couple of ministries engaged in church planting in Nepal. Currently, it is illegal to evangelize in the country and yet multiple church planters are courageously going into villages and towns to tell of the hope they have found in Christ. In the next several weeks, two different groups of leaders will be traveling from the US to Nepal to support, train, and encourage these planters. Please be in prayer for both of these groups.

Administrative Details
We give 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, too. 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: $174,003.20
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $162,370.31