Zion E-News (4-29-2021)

This week, I wrote my annual state of the church report for our Congregational meeting on Sunday. I always enjoy this time of reflecting back on the previous year and seeing what God has been doing both through and among us at Zion. This was no different.

Well, that is not totally true. This year has been very different in so many ways, but what has remained the same is God’s faithfulness to his people. Even in the midst of all the tumult of the year, we saw people take new steps of faith, welcomed babies into the world, said goodbye too beloved saints of the church, continued to love our neighbors and find new ways to love our neighbors, developed the leadership gifts of our people, and sent people out in mission for God.

It can be easy to focus on all that is different this year than prior to Covid, but some things have stayed exactly the same: our God is faithful, his Spirit guides, Jesus saves, we are called to love one another, and we are sent with the good news of God’s reign in Jesus and the breaking in of his kingdom.

Sometimes, truly, the more things change, the more they stay exactly the same.

Greg

Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in person and online at 9:30 am. Immediately following live worship we will be holding our annual congregational meeting. This meeting will be live-streamed at our website, but not on Facebook. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.

The Christians to whom Peter wrote in 1 Peter feel alone, scared, and as if they no longer belong in their own country. Maybe you have felt similarly at times. Peter reminds them and us that our hope is not found in fitting into the culture around us, but in Jesus who is creating us to be a new kind of chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. This week, Peter urges us to consider in all our relationships, from the government to work and school to family members, if our behavior will lead them to glorify Jesus or turn away.

Grow in Community
Don Osterink was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. They are still completing some test before they determine the exact course of treatment. Prays for peace, healing, and the cancer to not have spread are appreciated.

Steve Landstra is over halfway through his chemo treatments. If you would like to keep up with Steve’s health journey as he battles lung cancer, the family has set up a CaringBridges page and you can find it here.

“Summer Sundays” in Zion Kids:  Starting on June 6, weather permitting, our kids ministry will be moving outside! This is for kids ages 3 through going into 3rd grade. We’ll be meeting by the picnic tables to read Bible stories, pray together, do other outdoor crafts/games, and play on our church playground! To make this work, we need your help!!  Please consider volunteering for a week or two this summer. There is no prep for our summer ministry, and training will be provided on the Sunday morning you serve. All adults must go through Keeping Kids safe training and a background check to be eligible to serve in kids ministries. If you didn’t go through this fall, that’s fine. Rachel Brower willl reach out to you, and set up a time to meet. Here’s the link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a4fa8a72ba6f94-summer

We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
Monday: Acts 22
Tuesday: Acts 23
Wednesday: Acts 24
Thursday: Acts 25
Friday: Acts 26

You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.

Serve the World
Registrations for Camp Zion are open. If you have a child who could benefit from Camp Zion, the link is here. Please be in prayer for all our campers and staff as the summer season draws nearer.

If you or a teen in your home are interested in volunteering with Camp Zion this summer, you can sign-up at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050949a9a82aa2fd0-camp

Geoff and Tammy Kooistra have made a decision to remain here in the USA after spending 24 years abroad working for HCJB. They have been here the last 11 months and have realized how burned out they had become. They have prayed about the decision and feel God is leading them to remain here where Geoff will work remotely as he has for the past 11 months. In June and July they will travel to Ecuador for 6 weeks to pack their belongings, move out of their apartment and say goodbye to fellow workers and friends. Please pray for them as they look for a car and a place to live (in the Grand Rapids area).

If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Chip Harkes, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is chip@harkeslandscape.com and his phone number is 616-299-4804.

Administration
The Consistory approved remodeling our bathrooms at our latest meeting. If you have been in our bathrooms recently you may have noticed they not only look dated, but also have a particularly uncomfortable scent and are in need of some significant repairs. The approved plan will intentionally fit with the larger building remodel plan we approved prior to Covid rather than simply updating the bathrooms. By doing so, we leave open the possibility of moving ahead with the building remodel after Covid and as the financial impacts of this past year become more clear. This small project, however, will cost about $125,000. We will not move forward with this remodeling step until at least half of those funds are raised. If you would like to give to the bathroom remodel, you can do so by donating to our building fund. We do ask that anything given to the building fund be in addition to your regular support of Zion ministries through the general fund so we can still effectively fund our ongoing ministries.

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:  $493,795.16
Fiscal Year to Date Contribution: $470,184.07
Giving Last Week: $6,277.00