This Sunday at COS:
On this Pentecost season Sunday, Rev. Len Vander Zee will preach from Psalm 87 and Ephesians 2:11-22 in the Tree of Life service in the large sanctuary. Debbie Jin will preach in the All Nations Worship Service in room 4.
The 10 am Tree of Life service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.
Office and Facilities:
COS provides Sunday transportation to 30-40 people using two vans. The Transportation Ministry is looking for additional drivers to assist the current two drivers who make this ministry happen. Routes are already determined, leaving COS at 8:30 am. The return trip leaves COS at 12:45 pm. If you have a valid driver’s license, are over 25 years old, and are interested in more information, contact Monica Smith.
COS has a Security Team and a Medical Team scheduled for each Sunday service. The Security Team walks through the campus observing activities and is available to assist with any security issues which may arise. The ST wears an orange nametag. The Medical Team is the point person for any medical emergencies. The MT wears a white nametag with a red cross. If you want more information about these Teams or wish to join their important work, contact Dave Stransky and Isaac Young.
Worship:
Preaching Schedule
August 18 ANWS – Makema Lwenge, TOL – Rev. Len Vander Zee
August 25 ANWS – Ruth Lemmen, TOL – Rev. Andrew Mead
September 1 ANWS – Rev. Andrew Mead, TOL – Rev. Ron Rienstra
September 8 ANWS – Charles Rugiramarora, TOL – Rev. Andrew Mead
The Joyful Noise Orchestra will be leading our music for worship on Sunday, August 18. If you play a band or an orchestra instrument, you are welcome and encouraged to join the group that morning. We will rehearse Wednesday, August 14 at 6:30pm and again on Sunday, August 18 at 9:00am. You can sign up in the music room or by emailing Maria Stapert Vander Berg (maria.stapert@coscrc.org). Music is also available to be picked up in the music room or by emailing Maria for a PDF.
New Psalm Contest: Church of the Servant invites songwriters to submit congregational Psalm songs to the 2024 COS New Psalm Contest. As the foundational prayer book of the church, Church of the Servant is committed to singing the Psalms regularly in worship in both old and new ways, to promote faithful and fruitful engagement with the texts. Church of the Servant also has a rich history of encouraging the arts in worship. Its worship is Reformed, liturgical, participatory, eclectic, and open to creative new worship expressions. The first place winner will receive a $500 award; the second place winner will receive a $200 award. There is no entry fee and the contest is open to all. Submissions must be emailed or postmarked by October 1, 2024. The winning songs will be premiered in worship on February 9, 2025. Learn more here.
Sunday morning scripture readers wanted! All are invited to participate in leading our worship by signing up for reading scripture. We encourage a wide variety of people to participate in this role! Parents, consider signing up with your children and helping them prepare during the week. This is a great way to help children engage in the worship. High school and college-age attendees, consider signing up with a friend. You can access the signup through our website, or directly through this link. You will receive and email reminder and the scripture passage from Maria Stapert on the Wednesday prior to the Sunday when you will be reading so you can prepare at home ahead of time. You can also read the Scripture Readers Guide on our website for more ways to prepare for this important role.
GF Communion Bread Update: Thank you for your patience as we transitioned to all gluten free communion bread in the month of July. We had supply changes throughout the month. However, we have settled on the bread that was served Sunday, July 28. If you were disappointed with the first couple of options, we encourage you to try again with the current bread. Ingredients are listed on the back of the weekly liturgy.
Council:
Congregational Meeting: Sunday, August 18 following the service in the sanctuary, we will have the annual Congregational Meeting for voting on the new slate of elders and deacons. Nominees are: Elder – Kim Benedict (1 year extension), Kate de Hart, Chris Klein, Mike Zahrt. Deacon – Andrew Huston, Linda Kiel.
Faith Formation:
As part of her work in the Irish Council of Churches, Pastor Karen Campbell has worked with others on writing a booklet, From Every Nation? A Handbook for a congregation’s journey from welcome to belonging. We purchased a few hard copies to make available to borrow in the COS congregation. If you would like to read it, you may check out a numbered copy from the café counter. When you are finished, return it to the counter and sign it back in on the clipboard for someone else to borrow. Also, if you prefer to view it digitally, it is available as a PDF here.
Outreach and Congregational Life
Two Listening Circle Opportunities: August 11th & 18th. Are you wondering about the future direction we are headed as a congregation? Maybe you’re wondering about denominational affiliation or how we will continue to structure our life as a church body. Maybe you’re feeling impatient, angry, hurt, confused, or excited when it comes to our life together. However you’re feeling, consider joining a small group on August 11th or 18th at 2pm in the Cafe, which leaves time to go get lunch. Please RSVP to Ben Videtich.
Friendship ESL needs a morning nursery care associate, September 10-11 and one or two mornings a week thereafter. Can you do this for a month? ESL needs a driver to transport Afghan women living near Breton and 44th to English classes. Can you do this for a month, once or twice a week? (Driving is covered as secondary insurance through COS.) Every small gift of time is an act of fellowship. Call/text Mark Fackler.
Erik Kooyer Remembrance Ride: Erik loved to bike – to work, social events, shopping and to church. Join a group of fellow cyclists on August 25th to honor him with a bike ride to COS. Erik was passionate about cycling and the environment, and he would be overjoyed that we are doing this. We’ll start around 9am at Erik’s family home, 308 Morris SE, and make our way north on Morris, then east on Cherry to Lake Drive. We will continue on Lake until we arrive at the Calvin University campus, using Knollcrest Circle SE, heading under the Beltline to connect with E. Campus Drive. From there we continue to the small trail that picks up just past Zandee tennis courts in the Gainey Athletic Complex and follow it to the Church of the Servant campus. If you can’t make it to the starting point, please consider joining in along the way. We will do our best to take a gentle 10-12 mph pace, so you’ll have a general sense of where we’ll be. If other groups want to form starting south or east of the COS campus, please do some organizing and show up! The hope is to have a whole lot of cyclists show up for worship on August 25th. Any questions, please contact Ben Videtich.
Hard Styrofoam Collection: July 28th through September 4th. Please bring only hard Styrofoam to the collection point in the Cafe. If you need to deliver during the week, do not drop off outside or in the office. Contact Hope Bradley with your questions. Next collections are October 13, 2024 and December 12, 2026.
Meijer Simply Give: Our fall campaign for Meijer Simply Give began June 30 and runs through Saturday, September 28. The Double Match Day opportunities for COS will be held on Saturday, August 17th and Saturday, September 14th, 2024. (For every $10 Simply Give card purchased on these dates, Meijer will provide an additional contribution of $20, bringing the total to $30 for a single customer purchase.) If you would like to donate to support COS and its food pantry, you may do so by using our online portal to give or by giving cash or check with Simply Give in memo line at Church on Sundays.
Summer Movie Night 3: Tuesday, August 13 at 7:00pm in the COS Living Room Theater, we will watch Rear Window. Rear Window is a 1954 mystery film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. the film stars James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr. Rear Window is considered by many filmgoers, critics, and scholars to be one of Hitchcock’s best, as well as one of the greatest films ever made. It received four Academy Award nominations. In the mid-1950s, while recuperating after breaking his leg, professional photographer, L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies, is confined to a wheelchair in his apartment in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. His rear window looks out onto a courtyard and other apartments. During an intense heat wave, he watches his neighbors, who keep their windows open to stay cool. One night, Jeff hears a woman scream and the sound of breaking glass…. Everyone is welcome to sit on the edge of your seat in suspense! Popcorn and lemonade provided. $1 suggested donation.