Sunday, December 29 at COS:

First Sunday of Christmastide Season: Seminarian Lucy Gitau will preach in the Tree of Life service in the large sanctuary from Luke 2:41-52 and 1 Samuel 2:18-20,26. Rev. Ruth Lemmen will preach in the All Nations Worship Service from Matthew 2:13-18 in Room 4. 

Before worship Sunday, January 5 at 9:00am, we will have Intergenerational Sunday School in the Cafe.

The 10 am Tree of Life service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.

Worship:

Preaching Schedule
January 5 ANWS – Rev. Andrew Mead, TOL – Rev. Len Vander Zee
January 12 ANWS – Rev. Ruth Lemmen, TOL – Rev. Andrew Mead
January 19 ANWS – Rev. Andrew Mead, TOL – Rev. Ben Videtich
January 26 ANWS – Rev. Albert Strydhorst, TOL – Rev. Andrew Mead

Upcoming services and opportunities to participate:

  • New Year’s Eve Prayer Service & Meal – Tuesday, December 31 from 5:00-8:00pm in the Cafe. Bring some food to share.

Faith Formation:

There is no Sunday School or GPS Sunday, December 29.

Intergenerational Sunday School (IGSS): On Sunday, January 5 at 9:00am, we’ll explore the meaning of Epiphany as we gather around tables in the café to share stories and grow in faith together with people of all ages!

Outreach & Congregational Life:

Saturday prayer meetings are postponed for December and will resume in January at 10am on Saturdays in the library. All are welcome!

Friendship ESL at COS:

The fall term ended with a snowfall, a Christmas party, and a remarkable effort by over 40 tutors and staff serving new friends who found their way to us.  
* Fall 2024:  Sessions 57,  Classes 407,  Attending 1118,  Registrations 113, from 26 nation backgrounds: most from Afghanistan, Haiti, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, South Korea, and Japan.
* Spring term opens Tuesday, January 7. New tutors will receive an enthusiastic welcome, support, and quite special relationships . If you are interested in being a tutor or learning more about Friendship ESL, contact Mark Fackler pmfackler@gmail.com.

Communications Task Force:

COS is taking time this winter to evaluate our communication strategies. Are our current methods effective? For whom? How could we improve? Your input in this process is invaluable! If you have not yet turned in a COS Communications Survey, please take a couple of minutes to complete this brief survey either by clicking this link or by filling out a paper copy available on the tables in the back of the worship space or on the counter in the café. Thank you!

Creation Care:

But what do I do with these old Christmas lights that no longer work?
You can recycle them! And the Creation Care Team is here to help you. In fact, COS is now partnering locally with Comprenew to collect and recycle certain types of e-waste, beginning with Christmas lights. Now through January 12, you can bring old light sets to church and put them in our “Christmas Lights Recycling” bucket located in the cafe. Read more here.

Deacons:

Stewardship Team: To live into our overall vision statement and recently adopted “Our Calling: a Community of Belonging” statement, COS leadership has chosen “fellowship” as a guiding theme. When we support Church of the Servant’s mission with our time, treasure, and talent, we are responding to God’s invitation. God calls us to be a community “rooted in Christ, nurtured by the Spirit, to grow in God’s grace to share gifts of refuge, fellowship, and hope.”

The Stewardship team is inviting each of us to make a pledge of our finances as we live out our commitment to “share gifts of refuge, fellowship, and hope.” Both in our year-end giving, and in the pledges for the 2025 General Fund that we make in December, we are showing ourselves to be people of fellowship. Pledge forms will be available next to the liturgies on Sunday morning, or you can use the fillable form on the COS website: https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/giving/
Current Pledge Results: 43 pledges totaling $311,980 (average pledge $7,255.35). Goal: $915,394.

Missions:

Missionaries Of The Week – Alusine & Mariama Bundu, missionary to Sierra Leone, Africa Read more here

Newsletter from Naji & Anne Umran, missionaries to Egypt/Middle East

We hope this message finds you well. As we approach the end of the year, we would like to take a moment to share our financial situation with you. This year, we have experienced a decline in our financial support compared to previous years. From July to December, we have currently raised only 27% of our financial needs. We would like to invite you to consider making a special offering to support our mission. We also encourage you to advocate for our cause by inviting others to be part of God’s mission work, particularly in investing in the lives of university students for the next generation and supporting the palliative care ministry in Mexico. ~James & Barbarita, Joshua, Jaedyn, and Jaelah Lee
Support missionaries James and Barbarita Lee in Mexico

Office & Facilities:

Inclement Weather Cancellations – In communication, the members of the Executive Team will monitor weather, other cancellations in the area, and conditions around the COS building. Final determination of cancellation will be made by 7:00am on Sundays and 12:00pm on Wednesdays. If it is determined that services and events will be cancelled, the following steps are taken to ensure prompt communication to the congregation: posts will be made on social media, email will be sent, and post will be made on WOODTV8.

Facilities Job Opening: The Facility Coordinator (part-time, 15hr p/wk) is responsible for preparation of the COS facility so that it is a ready and reliable resource for the programs, ministries, staff, and members of the church thereby helping to ensure the fulfillment of the church’s vision and mission. For a copy of the job description, questions, or to apply, contact Monica Smith monica.smith@coscrc.org or calling the church office.

Weekly Calendar: December 29 – January 5

Sunday, December 29

  • 10:00am – All Nations Worship Service in Room 4
  • 10:00am – Tree Of Life Service in the Large Sanctuary

Monday, December 30

  • 10:30am–12:30pm – Food Pantry

Tuesday, December 31

  • Church Office Closed
  • 5:00pm – New Year’s Eve Service & Meal

Wednesday, January 1

  • Church Office Closed

Thursday, January 2

  • 8:30am – Bulletin announcement deadline – office@coscrc.org

Friday, January 3

  • 3:30pm – Friday Newsletter and Bulletin sent Sign up here

Saturday, January 4

  • 10:00a – All Nations Prayer Group

Sunday, January 5

  • 9:00am – Intergenerational Sunday School
  • 10:00am – All Nations Worship Service in Room 4
  • 10:00am – Tree Of Life Service in the Large Sanctuary