Consistory Update (3-18-2020)

Dear Zion Family,

The last week or so has been a bit of a whirlwind with school closings, restaurant closings, and growing anxiety in our society over the Covid-19 virus. In the midst of these concerns, I am reminded of Paul’s words to the church in Rome, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (8:28)” While we do not know what will happen today or tomorrow, we can trust that even in these trials, our God is still at work for the good of his people. We may feel surprised by the events of the past few days, but we know our God is not and he is still in control.

As we are being forced to learn new ways of operating as a church, I wonder what God is doing among us. Rather than being a hindrance to being church, this time may drive us to find creative ways to connect with and care for one another. We may learn new ways to communicate the hope we have in Christ. People afraid of the future may turn back to our God and we want to be ready to give them the reason for the hope we have found in Christ. Even now, we know our God and his kingdom are on the move.

Some of you may be wondering what will happen on Sunday mornings. We are planning on streaming our worship service on Sundays at 9:30 am until we are given permission to meet as a gathered body. You can access this service either through the banner at the top of our website at www.zionreformed.org or go directly to zionreformed.online.church to view the livestream. This week, we are planning to include some interactive portions allowing people to choose a song or two and also share prayer requests to be included in our congregational prayer.

We will also hold youth group on Sunday nights, though they will now be meeting online. Jeremy Zoet is working hard to plan an engaging event for the students and leaders. Rachel Brower will also continue offering resources for parents to hold Sunday school for the children at home. In addition, we are beginning to offer several opportunities to connect online via video conferencing. Those events will be shared in our weekly E-news and on our facebook page.

As a people who know our future is held by God, we are uniquely prepared to enter this season not from a place of fear and anxiety, but with our eyes opened to the possibility of God doing something new among us. We are now surrounded by opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. You may be able to help neighbors who need groceries or someone to pick up medicine for them. A phone call can have a huge impact on the day of someone who lives alone. Cards sent to those in nursing homes can brighten the day. We have each been called to this time to love in Jesus’ name. Let’s commit to look for ways to demonstrate the presence of God even in this time.

The simplest and best way to love our neighbors right now is to stay home. Mortality rates for people over 80 who contract the disease could be as high as 40%. Even if you are healthy and young, you should stay home to avoid accidentally spreading the virus to those whose bodies cannot as easily fight it off. As Christians, we do this not because someone told us to stay home, but because our love for our neighbors compels us to sacrifice our personal freedom to keep them safe.

In addition to our individual acts of love, our ministries like Hand2Hand and the Personal Care Pantry will be even more important going forward. We have already been in conversation with both Jenison and Grandville Public Schools. As more information regarding their needs becomes available we will share it with you. Following are a few ways we can help our community at this time:

1. Donations of personal Care Items are being collected by Sunrise Ministries on 28th Street in Jenison.
2. Donations of food are being collected by Love, Inc to be distributed through the schools to those in need.
3. Love, Inc. is in particular need of volunteers as they have sent home all of their volunteers 60+ because they are at the greatest risk to Covid-19.

If you or your family are in need of help, please contact any of our staff and we will connect you with the deacons and any other available supports.

A few people have asked what all of this means for our Capital Campaign. The Capital Campaign is on hold for the foreseeable future. For now, we want to focus as a church on caring for one another, staying connected, and demonstrating the love of Christ to our neighbors. Eventually, this time will pass, we will gather to celebrate all the ways God has blessed and been with us in this anxious time, and then our Consistory will reconsider if or when to restart the campaign. As always, people matter more than buildings or programs at Zion and our focus remains caring for one another, worshipping our God, and helping our neighbors meet the God who loves them.

We will not be meeting physically together for several weeks in a row, but we still have expenses to cover such as support for missionaries, funding our benevolent ministries, ongoing costs of our building and paying our staff. Please be in prayer for our Consistory as they care for not only the people of our church, but also our finances. If you are able to continue to give to Zion, please do so. You can give by mailing a check, giving on-line at our website, or contacting the office to sign-up for electronic giving.

Remember, our God is in control and we can trust in him.

Pastor Greg

on behalf of the Consistory