This Sunday at COS:

On this third Sunday of Advent, Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 and Luke 1:46-55 in the Tree of Life service in the large sanctuary. Ruth Lemmen will preach in the All Nations Worship Service in room 4.

Following the services, stick around for Adult-ed GPS in room 3. This week, Cal Stapert and Maria Stapert Vander Berg invite you to Come a-caroling! We’ll learn about and sing some old, some new, some familiar, some forgotten carols.

Sunday night, return to COS at 6 pm for our O Antiphons Advent service. Our service will feature visual artwork created by COS artists and poetry or music for each antiphon. The service will also include scripture, prayer, and time for silent meditation. (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 17

Rehearsal for Children & Students for The Christmas Eve (Morning) Service  

This Sunday, Dec. 17, 11:30am (or after worship ends) 

Location: The Children’s Sunday school rooms at the back of the sanctuary. This year Christmas Eve is on a Sunday, so we’re incorporating our children-and-student-led Christmas Eve program into Sunday Morning worship on Dec. 24. If your kids would like to participate, it’s not too late to join in! Just come to rehearsal today right after the service ends–cookies will be served in the rehearsal space!

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.

The O Antiphons service is a newer tradition at COS. It’s a worship service featuring artistic renditions of some of the names of Jesus we celebrate at Christmas. Several elements of this service may make it interesting for elementary-school age children and older: the lighting of advent candles, art on display, liturgical dance, short reflections (approx. 3 minutes or less each) from seven people of various ages, and short readings followed by one verse of song between reflections. Consider making this part of your family’s Advent tradition! 

December 24

10 am • Prism Service with Intergenerational telling of God’s salvation story Since this service will involve children and youth sharing the story of God’s great rescue of the world through Jesus Christ, they won’t be leaving for Little Lambs or Children’s Worship programming. Instead, if your children are involved in the program, you’ll want to arrive in time for them to get on their costumes and find a place to sit with you. During the passing of the peace children and students will come forward to participate in the program. After the children’s program portion of the service is over, your kids will find you to sit with you for the end of the service. If your children are not part of the program, find a seat close to the front so they have a great view! The nursery will be available for children ages 3 and under. 

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 65 pledges totaling $424,628 (Avg pledge $6,532)

November Finances:  The General Fund had receipts of $106,324 in November, while our disbursements came to $107,208. This is nearly the same as our receipts in October ($106,989), though the member-giving portion of the receipts was lower in November. Still, we managed to end the month with just a modest deficit of $3,938. While the finance committee would prefer not to be in deficit, we also see no cause for alarm at this time.  We hope for a generous year-end boost with December giving. 

The COS deacons thank you for your generosity to Radical Grace CRC (formerly Coit CRC) as they move forward with a new pastor. We are also pleased to report that Thanksgiving offering  came to $7,523.35

Welcome Home Year-End update: “It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since we opened the Welcome Home to our first refugee family, but in just a few short weeks, the Albaz family will have officially been cosponsored by COS for a full year. The family is doing very well and it has been such a pleasure to get to know them since they first called Grand Rapids home. They have been very comfortable in the home and formed wonderful friendships with members of their welcome team. With winter here and affordable housing so challenging to find, the Albaz family will stay in the Welcome Home until the Spring. We want their transition to be smooth and their new home to be a good fit. We will then consider cosponsoring a new refugee family about a month after the home is vacated. For more information about the Welcome Home, please contact Marc Beversluis or Stephanie Bogema.” 

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.

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.

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 snow fall 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.

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.

News from Prisoners in Christ: A self-portrait drawn by Troy Rienstra while he was in prison will be one of the pieces of art used with the O Antiphons service on Sunday evening. Please remember Troy’s ongoing work in Pontiac in your prayers. Related to our partnership with Project GREEN and Reconciliation of Life, Prisoners in Christ will support a financial freedom class held at 501 Eastern Ave on Saturdays in January (20, 27) and February (3, 10). All are welcome. Cost is $25 for the 4 sessions and the book. For more information, email info@prisonersinchrist.org visit www.prisonersinchrist.org or contact Arend VanderPols.

IN THE ARTERY: Thanks so much for the warm response to the paintings in the Artery. A number have sold which will start our fundraiser off well. A few new paintings have been added for Sunday Dec 17 and forward to Jan 7, (On Jan 14 we will welcome a new artist). You still have time to look in the Artery to see if there is a painting which you like or would like to give as a gift. Remember 100% of the sale amount goes to a fund to buy needful women’s sanitary products. These are handed out through COS’s food pantry. Thank you for your support. To purchase or with questions contact Betsy Ratzsch.

Parents of Children in K-12 Christian Schools: If you need financial assistance, it’s time to apply for the tuition assistance program for the 2024 -2025 school year. Updated step-by-step instructions can be found here: coscrc.org/education. Application is completed online; you will find the direct link to the COS FACTS page on the website. Don’t wait for your taxes; apply now using 2022 taxes and meet the earlier deadlines!

Important deadlines:

  • Please submit your name using the online form by January 15 – This will help the team prepare for applications and track the process.
  • Submit FACTS app and documentation by February 1.
  • Mandatory meeting will take place March 20 between 6-9 pm. After your application has been received you will get an email to sign up for a meeting time.