Zion E-News (4-23-2020)

We are used to at least the illusion of control. But we find ourselves in a time when we have very little control. We don’t get to decide when the stay home orders will end. We can’t decide on which stores will open or when they will open. We don’t get a say in hospital policies for visitors. And most of all, we don’t decide when or if this virus will leave our communities. It is hard to come face-to-face with the limits of our control. And yet here we are.

When faced with the limits of our control, there are at least two things we can do to help our mood and emotional response. First, we can focus again on the one who is in control even now. Spend time in worship. Read your Bible. But perhaps even more, be still in prayer and both talk with and listen to God.

Secondly, we can look beyond ourselves to other people in need and look for ways to be a blessing in our community/neighborhood/apartment complex. Following are a few ideas of what we can still do to have a positive impact in this time:
1. Write encouraging messages on the sidewalk using sidewalk chalk.
2. Make a bag of treats, including an encouraging note, and if we are a sew-er maybe a handmade mask. Pass the bags of these items out to your neighbors.
3. Go on a prayer walk through your community and pray for each family. If you run into a neighbor while doing this, ask how you can pray for them.
4. If your job or finances are still secure, set aside your stimulus check to use when a neighbor needs help. Be generous with what God has given you.
5. Be present in your front yard or outside somewhere for 2 hours twice a week. Talk with your neighbors who walk by. Create opportunities to break out of the social isolation caused by our physical distancing.
6. Plan a social distancing coffee time in your front yard with friends or via a video call.

While our options may be limited to help right now, there are opportunities. Let’s look for ways we can still be a blessing in the place God has put us.

Connect to God
This Sunday we will once again gather for worship online. You can join the service at zionreformed.online.church or from the top banner of our website at www.zionreformed.org. The stream will begin at 9:15 with some worship songs prior to the service starting at 9:30. I would like to thank all the people who participated in our service this week: Rick VanderWall, Ella Bond, Rachel Brower, Matt Eling, Jeremy Zoet, Olivia Zoet, the entire Eriks family, and Ethan Brower.

We continue our sermon series entitled Made for More this week. Many of us have been raised in a church culture that told us, however unintentionally, that our role was to come to worship, volunteer in something, give a little money and then let the professionals do the ministry. But what if we were made for more than holding down a seat or filling a volunteer slot. What if we truly are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do? What if we were made for mission, to both be a disciple and make disciples, as well as filling a unique role in God’s kingdom to show God’s love and care for this world. What if we were made for a life overflowing in the life of Jesus and guided in mission by his Spirit? To embrace this life God offers us, we begin by rooting our identity my fully in Christ.

If you are not able to watch online, but still want to read the sermon, please contact Connie Stegeman and she can mail you a hard copy of Pastor Greg’s rough draft. (You may have to endure even more than an average number of typos.)

You are also invited to join us for a coffee hour after church via a zoom call. The link will be shared during the service in the chat box. Last week, we had about 8 families join us for a brief talk in response to the sermon and just to catch up. You can learn more about how to use Zoom at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E

Grow in Community
Connected to our new sermon series, we are also engaging in a 30-Day devotional as a congregation. The devotionals will walk us through the book of Ephesians as we together consider  how we are Made for More. The devotionals can be downloaded here.

Rachel Brower is sending information out to parents and Children’s Ministry volunteers each week for at-home Sunday school. If you would like to receive these resources, please contact Rachel and she will add you to her distribution list.

If you have a Middle or High School student who has not attended any of the youth meetings this week via Zoom, please contact Pastor Jeremyand he can send you the appropriate links and information.

Serve the World
We continue accepting donations of personal care items and food on Wednesdays from 1-3 pm at church. Kelly Osterink has become a key leading in the food distribution at Sunrise Ministries in Jenison. This week, they served over 500 families before running out of food. If you are able to donate, you can do so directly at Sunrise, or bring your donations to Zion and we will bring them to Sunrise for you. This coming Wednesday, Rachel Brower will be at church. If you have younger kids, consider the potential discipling opportunity of taking them with you to drop off food at church or at Sunrise Ministries.

Administration
Our annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for May 3 following our morning worship. If we are not able to meet physically by May 3, we will hold our Congregational Meeting via a Zoom conference call. The link for that call follows:
https://zoom.us/j/96721047181?pwd=ZjdFbFZ2VnBIb3hnZkw5Y040OUF1dz09

At this meeting, we will be approving our slate of Elders and Deacons and then selecting our new Elders and Deacons via lot. We will also receive a report on the state of our church and approve the budget for our fiscal year 2020/21 which begins on June 1.

I know many people may not yet be familiar with Zoom or may feel uncomfortable in this type of setting. Recognizing these challenges, we will hold a Zoom orientation meeting on Thursday, April 30 at 8 pm. At this meeting, we will help you learn too some basic tasks like muting and unmuting yourself as well as practicing voting via polls for during our meeting on Sunday. Thank you in advance for your flexibility in trying new things during this time of physical distancing.

If you are still nervous, you can also learn more about how to use Zoom through the YouTube video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E

The proposed budget can be found here.

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. We are especially grateful this week for all those who have adjusted their means of giving to give online, through the mail, and via text. Zion’s members continue to strongly support the ministries of Zion during this time of uncertainty.

Year to Date Budget: $521,315.54
Year to Date Contribution: $505,023.40
Giving Last Week: 11,092.57
Cash on Hand: $133,111.26