Zion E-News (10-17-2019)
On Wednesday this week, the winds picked up. The waves grew big. Water crashed over the piers in South Haven, Holland, and Grand Haven. Brave people drove to the shore just to see the power and might of Lake Michigan on display. A day after the storm, the lakeshore looks a little different. No single wave changes the shape of the shoreline, but wave after wave, hour after hour, the lake changes shape.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we experience a moment of spiritual fervor, maybe it is a crisis or a spiritual high moment, and we see some significant growth in a short period of time. But, most of the time, spiritual growth happens not from a sudden spiritual passion, but through the daily habits of praying and reading our Bibles, the weekly habit of attending worship and giving back to God, monthly habits of serving others in his name, and so on. It is not any one time we read our Bibles that we change, but over hundreds of days of reading and praying, God’s spirit does its work in our lives. No one Sunday in church may make us suddenly spiritually mature, but year after year, the habit of worship and sitting under the word of God changes or spiritual, direction. When we live into this daily and weekly habits, the spiritual waves keep coming and God begins to reshape us more and more to live and love like Jesus.
That’s why I get so excited about people from Zion joining a Discipleship Triad and committing to reading 30 chapters of the Bible every week. No one week may change us, but week after week, the word of God does its work. That’s why I get excited when someone makes a decision to start attending church and then they make it not a sometimes practice, but an every week commitment. Something happens when we sit in God’s presence with others believers week after week. The waves start doing their work.
Parents understand this with the children when it comes to s sport or reading or simply going to school. No single day is that important, but these daily practice habits shape the minds and bodies of children. The same is true in our spiritual lives and the lives of our kids. Daily and weekly habits of scripture, prayer, and worship change and mold us into the people God has called us to be. Let’s live into these habits so God can mold and make us into the people he has called us to be.
Connect to God
These days it’s easy to see life the way we want to. We can filter our images, pick the news we want to hear, and listen only to the viewpoints that agree with us. When we do that, we start to distort our view of the world. The same thing can happen to our view of God. We reshape our perception of Him into what we want to believe, or what we want to think about others. Jesus came to bring us the truth about God and His plan for us, and it doesn’t always sound like what you may think. Today we consider if Jesus wants us to pursue happiness or something else.
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
This Sunday the High School Youth Group invites you to join them for a special time of worship where students will lead us in some of their favorite praise songs, readings and prayer. Worship begins at 5:45PM and will be held in the sanctuary.
On October 25, we will be holding a hayride and bonfire at Post Family farm from 6-8 pm for Zion attenders and their friends. We will enjoy a hayride, bonfire, hot chocolate, s’mores, a ninja course ($2 per person), and pumpkin rides for the little ones. The cost is $5 per adult and $3 per child. But, if you invite a friend who is not currently attending a church, then your family and theirs can attend for free. See you on the 25th from 6-8 at Post Family Farm.
Middle School students are invited to join Pastor Greg and Matt Eling for an opportunity to explore our faith together, by digging into some key questions about Christianity and teachings from the Bible. We will enjoy some food and pop, talk about a few chapters of scripture, and explore our faith together. This class continues this Sunday and will meet each Sunday afternoon prior to youth group from 4:30 to 5:30 in room 209. We look forward to seeing you!
Are you interested in joining Zion? If so, we will be holding a new members class for those interested in learning more about joining Zion on Sunday, Nov. 3 following worship. This is a great chance to learn more about Zion, its history, mission, and values, get to know some new people, and is also a requirement for joining the church.
Is the child check-in line too long? Are you feeling crowded by the check-in stations? Then check out our new child check-in station in Room 205. This station will not be staffed on Sundays, but if you are comfortable signing your child into our system without assistance, this is a great option to decrease congestion and the wait near door ‘D.’
On November 9, from 9-3 pm, we will be hosting a day of learning, listening and discussing the work of the Vision 2020 team for the Reformed Church in America. In response to ongoing tensions and dialogue around different understandings of how to properly respond to the changing cultural views of human sexuality, the Vision 2020 team was formed to imagine how our denomination can or should stay in relationship given the wide ranging views on these issues. The work of the Vision 2020 Team is to identify and explore possible scenarios, strategies, and consequences for these future options for the Reformed Church in America: (1) staying together; (2) radical reconstituting and reorganization; (3) grace-filled separation. This event is designed to help understand and process through the ramifications of the potential changes for the denomination and the local church. If you are interested in attending, you can sign-up here.
Serve the World
We welcome Sarah McAnally and Tracy Lobbes back to Zion after two weeks in Nepal. They will be sharing a little about their experiences next week Sunday during our Moment for Mission. Tim Mekkes remains in Nepal through his work with Good News Nepal. Please keep Tim and Judy in your prayers during this season of travel.
This Sunday, Troy Austin will be sharing a new opportunity for Zion to bless our community. Earlier this fall, we were approached by Bursley Elementary asking if we would consider becoming a Kids Hope Partner with the school. As Kids Hope says, “Too many students stand just one close adult relationship away from thriving in school and in life.” Troy will be sharing a couple of different ways people at Zion can be involved in blessing the students of Bursley and giving us an update on his training as our new Kids Hope Director.
Administrative Details
Join us on Vision Sunday as we pray and explore how we can create a building for the future – aligning our facilities with our mission to make disciples who make disciples. On Sunday, October 27, we invite you to join us after the worship service to:
- Learn about the proposed Building Project
- View the latest drawings from our Building Committee
- Participate in a small group discussion
- Ask questions and offer your opinions and advice
Our next Leaders Meeting will be on November 17 from 5-7 pm. In addition to enjoying a meal together and meeting in ministry teams, Jon Sherrill from Fifth Reformed will be sharing with us ways to more effectively listen to God in our lives. Child care will be provided for kids from birth through 5th grade.
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: $221,836.40
Fiscal Year to date contributions:$180,180.37
