This Sunday at COS:
On this second Sunday of Advent, Rev. Mary Hulst will preach from Isaiah 64 and Matthew 3:1-10 in the Tree of Life service in the large sanctuary. Charles Rugiramarora will preach in the All Nations Worship Service in room 4.
Following the service, stick around for Adult-ed GPS in room 3. This week, Maria Stapert Vander Berg will present on: What are the “Great O Antiphons”? Those participating in the Christmas Eve Service are invited to rehearsal in the sanctuary after worship. (more details below).
The 10 am Prism Service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.
Events Coming Up:
December 10 – This Sunday
GPS Adult-Ed (11:45 am in Room 3): What are the “Great O Antiphons”? Come to GPS for a little liturgical history, a little poetry, a little chanting, a little artwork, and a little taste of our Advent O Antiphon service. The hope is that this GPS session will give you a richer understanding of the depths of the O Antiphons, around which our special evening Advent service next Sunday is organized.
Rehearsal for Children & Students for The Christmas Eve Morning Service
This Sunday, Dec. 10, 11:45-12:30pm (or after you finish your after-service cookies!) This year our Christmas Eve is on a Sunday! So, we’ll be incorporating the heart of our children’s Christmas Eve service into the Sunday Morning worship on Dec. 24. Since children are the storytellers in this service, we’ll need lots of kids to sign up for speaking and non-speaking role to help share the stories of Scripture. Even toddlers and preschoolers enjoy playing shepherds and angels—and you’re welcome to put on a costume to join them! We’ll also need a few angelic parents to sit with the kids and shepherd them through their portion of the program! To prepare, we’ll have two rehearsals, each after the morning worship service from 11:45am-12:30pm starting this Sunday, Dec. 10 and next Sunday Dec. 17. You’ll simply need to be at church for the next two Sundays and on arrive in time to get costumes on before church starts on Christmas Eve! If you haven’t already signed up for a roll, simply show up at the back of the Tree of Life Service Sanctuary by the mailboxes after church on Sunday!
December 17
O Antiphons Advent service at Church of the Servant – December 17, 2023 at 6 pm.The COS O Antiphons Advent service makes use of a series of medieval prayers referred to as the O Antiphons. They were composed for use in evening prayer services on the last seven days of Advent. They are best known to us as the seven verses of the advent hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Each antiphon is a petition for Christ to come, addressing the Messiah with a title from Old Testament prophecies. Learn more here.
December 24
10 am • Prism Service with Intergenerational telling of God’s salvation story This year our Christmas Eve is on a Sunday! So, we’ll be incorporating the heart of our children’s Christmas Eve service into the Sunday Morning worship on Dec. 24.
11 pm • Communion & candlelight service
Carols with communion & candlelight, with Rev. Jack Roeda preaching.
December 25
10 am • Christmas Day service
Christmas Day Musical Prelude Sunday, Dec. 25, 9:45am
This year our children and teens are invited to share their musical gifts with the congregation by playing or singing a Christmas song before the Christmas Day service. This is a great opportunity for new musicians who are just learning an instrument as well as skilled musicians to play for an appreciative audience. Duets and quartets between a parent and child, siblings, or friends are welcome! Sign up at the children’s welcome kiosk or by emailing Jo at Jo.howe@coscrc.org. If you are playing in the musical prelude, please arrive at church at 9:40am on Christmas morning. *Please note the change this year from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.
December 31
Al Nations NYE: In Africa and other places in the world, churches traditionally have a New Year’s Eve watchnight service. All Nations would like to invite all who attend COS to such a service here on Sunday, December 31 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. There will be a prayer service in the All Nations space, finger food to share (please bring by 5:45pm), and opportunity to share in song and dance. Everyone is welcome!
Church Announcements:
Pledge Drive: To live into our overall vision statement and recently adopted “Our Calling: a Community of Belonging” statement, COS leadership has chosen “refuge” 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 be a community of refuge. Both in our year-end giving and in the pledges for the 2024 General Fund that we make this December, we are showing ourselves to be people of refuge. Questions? Contact any member of the Stewardship team: Chuck Hampton, Joan Huyser-Honig, Carol Rienstra, Michael Zahrt, Andrew Zwart. You can pledge online. You can fill out a printed form at church to put in the offering bowl or designated box or to mail to the church office.
So far, we have received 32 pledges totaling $220,848 (Avg pledge $6,901.50).
Offering Cards: In bringing our gifts forward we give vivid expression to the fact that we give ourselves to God — “the offering of our life.” By coming forward to present the gifts, including gifts of bread and wine for communion, we actively express the fact that in gratitude we are presenting to God the good gifts that God has given us, some of them to be used by him in turn to give himself to us in communion. But what about those who give online or by other means? In the back of the worship space where the liturgies are located online givers have the option to pick up a card that they may use to place in the offering.
New Psalm Contest Winners: Church of the Servant is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 New Psalm Contest: First Place goes to “You Are My Shepherd” (Psalm 23) by Gloria Fanchiang. Second Place goes to “Praise the Lord Our Faithful God” (Psalm 146) by Joel Stamoolis.In its fourteen years the Church of the Servant New Psalm Contest, in memory of Ben Fackler, has garnered many quality Psalm songs from a diverse group of songwriters. We are grateful to all the Psalm writers, whether this is the first year they have submitted, or their fourteenth year of submitting! We hope that this contest will be an encouragement to songwriters to continue writing new settings of the Psalms. And we hope that this contest will be a blessing to the Church, continuing to provide it with new Psalm songs for congregations to sing. Learn more about this year’s winners.
Blood Drive THANKS – November’s blood drive is past and it was very successful! We reached our goal for units collected, and welcomed some new donors to our COS drive. Our donations could have impacted up to 96 lives! So thank you for giving of your time and your gift of life! Circle on your new 2024 calendar our next date for giving blood here: Monday, February 12. –Ruth Huisman and Beth Karanicola, drive co-chairs
Collecting Bar Soap for the COS Food Pantry • All of December
Beginning in Advent, the children’s ministry will be collecting a new personal care item each month to help stock up our food pantry with these essential items. Personal care items are hard to keep in stock because the gift cards we receive through Simply Give can’t be used to purchase no-food items. Everyone in the congregation is invited to donate bar soap during December. If the item of the month is something you can give, please encourage your child to join you in shopping for or purchasing the item. A bin will be available near the children’s check-in kiosk for collection.
Collecting Used Coats, Hats, and Gloves for All Ages • All of December
As the weather gets cold, we find it helpful to have winter items available to share. If you have gently used winter items that you’re ready to part with, please bring them to church to drop off near the children’s check-in kiosk.
Advent Devotions for Families • Available through Dec. 17
Special seasons of the church year are a great time to try new ways to worship as a family. Look for a resource table in the Café this Sunday featuring a variety of Advent and year-round devotionals available for purchase at a discounted rate.
Security Team Members Needed: The Security Team is entrusted with keeping the members, guests, and visitors physically safe and secure by endeavoring to make a safe facility, assistance in case of a medical emergency, and basic protection from fire, abuse, and intrusion. This Team is looking for volunteers to rotate Sundays and Wednesdays. For questions, to volunteer, or for a copy of the Security Team Mandate, contact Monica Smith or the church office.
Save the Foam: ‘Tis the season for shipping packages, and many of them contain Styrofoam and plastic. Please don’t throw it away in your trash or try to recycle it curbside. The COS Creation Care Team (CCT) will be providing an opportunity to recycle Styrofoam on two consecutive Sundays in January: the 7th and the 14th. Bring your clean, white Styrofoam to COS on either morning. A receptacle will be near the main entrance, door A. Note that plastic bags and film from your packaging can be recycled at many grocery stores. Questions? Contact Peggy Milliken.
Facilities Team is looking for some shoveling volunteers who will monitor the snowfall during Sunday services and Wednesday activities, and be willing to clear the sidewalks. Contact Bob Hoeksema or Monica Smith if you are willing to shovel snow.
Friendship ESL — Three needs, opening January 9: First, Tutors, TUES PM 6-8p. Second, nursery assistant, TUES & WED mornings, 915-1135am, paid employment. Third, drivers for ANW members who want English but are presently without transport. For all opportunities, Mark Fackler awaits your call (number in the directory).
A church visiting team from our Classis will be interacting with our church leadership (elders, deacons, pastors, ministry staff, etc.) over the next couple of months to study what God is doing at COS. If you have any specific encouragements, insights, or concerns, please email them to crcvisitors@gmail.com by December 22. Thank you.
Preaching Schedule
Dec. 17 ANS – Ruth Lemmen, TOL – Pastor Andrew Mead
Dec. 24 10 am – Intergenerational Program, 11 pm – Jack Roeda
Dec. 31 Prism Service – Rachel Park
Jan. 7 ANS—TBD, TOL – Ben Videtich