This Sunday at COS:
On this Pentecost season Sunday, Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Jeremiah 31:7-9,31-34 and Revelation 22:1-5 in the prism combined service in the large sanctuary. During the service, we have the joy of celebrating the baptisms and memberships of Pilar Meyer-Dunning, Levi Dunning, Ruby Dunning, Rosezitta Tennie, Favor Tennie, and Rosmanie Tennie.
The 10 am Prism service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.
Outreach and Congregational Life
Be a Super Hero! You can save lives by donating blood at our upcoming Blood Drive in three weeks – Monday, July 29, from 2-7pm. Human blood cannot be manufactured. It is only available when someone like you shares that gift of life. The current Versiti blood supply is very low, and both new and established donors are really needed! If you have questions about donating, or just need a little encouragement, please contact Ruth Huisman or Beth Karanicola. Use this link to make an appointment online. Hope to see you there! THANK YOU!
Mobile Food Pantry: We are looking to add people to the Team Leader rotation for 2025 Mobile Food Pantry truck dates. Are you interested in being a Team Leader for this ministry? Have questions about what is involved with being a Team Leader? Contact Monica Smith or Greg Snow for more information.
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.
The COS Prisoners-in-Christ Restorative Justice team is developing partnerships with inmates at Muskegon Correctional Facility to start a Restorative Justice book group, as well as continuing to support the club at Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia. We are planning with a member of the board of RawTools to host an event next spring to help move communities away from violence by making tools from guns AND teaching each other new ways to solve problems through relationships, dialogue and alternative means of justice. In addition, we are holding relational meetings and raising awareness about the need to vote in the August primary. For more information, contact Carol Rienstra.
Save the date: The annual Summer Block Party to give away backpacks and meet our neighbors in Camelot Park is Saturday, July 27 from 11:30a-1:30p. More details next month.
Back by popular demand, Summer Movie Night: Take 2 will be Tuesday, July 16 at 7:00pm in the Living Room “Theater”. Save the date – movie to be announced soon.
You’re Invited to a Neighborhood Walk and Talk with Together West Michigan (TWM) Thursday, July 11, 5:00pm-8:00pm, Oakdale Park Church
If you enjoy talking with people and are concerned about the challenges your neighbors face, please consider joining the COS Antiracism team on this Neighborhood Walk and Talk. At 5pm on Thursday, July 11, we’ll meet at Butler House, 1306 West Butler Ave. SE (which shares the parking lot of Oakdale Park Church), to receive training and materials, and to pair up with a buddy. Then we’ll spending the evening walking and talking with neighbors about what keeps them up at night, what they want elected officials to do about it, and when and where to vote or how to register to vote. As people of faith who seek to recognize, expose, and dismantle racism in all its forms, we look forward to this chance to listen to, learn from, and affirm our neighbors. Particularly those whose voices have historically been ignored and whose vote has been denied, discouraged, or suppressed. Please consider joining us next Thursday.
Council
Following last week’s congregational meeting, council reports that the 2024-2025 budget has passed. Also, in the meeting, Eric Walstra presented an update on Synod. If you did not receive the document describing some of Synod’s decisions, you can access that here.
Stewardship:
Do you have 2 hours on Tuesdays to help with counting and recording the Sunday offering? We are looking for additional people to add to the current roster of volunteers. The primary job task is to ensure all checks and donations are entered into the donor software and a deposit is ready to go to the bank. If you have two hours free on a Tuesday and are looking for a way to support COS’s ministry, please contact AJ Zahrt to get into the weekly rotation.
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 8:30am. The return trip leaves COS at 12:45pm. 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 would like more information about these Teams or would like to join their important work, contact Dave Stransky and Isaac Young.
Updating the Directory: As you take photos this summer, submit your pictures for the next directory printing to office@coscrc.org. Have you updated your address, phone, and/or email since the last directory printing? If so, send that updated information to the church office as well.
Faith Formation:
Summer Club Ministries on Wednesday July 10, 17, and 24. Club ministries resume next week with Next Generation and Wednesday Night Hype for children entering 2nd grade-6th grade, and combined WNL and WNLX programming for 7th – 12th graders. Pizza dinner will be available from 6:00-6:30 pm with programming from 6:30pm-8:00pm.
Food Pantry Item of the Month: Shampoo. Each month the children’s ministry invites everyone who is able to donate a much-needed personal care item to the COS food pantry. This month’s item is Shampoo. Please deposit new, unused shampoo in the basket labeled, “Shampoo.” at the children’s check-in station cart next to the front door of the church. Involving children in giving is a great way to remind them that God takes care of us and gives us what we need. Our food pantry is one of the ways God provides for our needs.
Worship:
Preaching Schedule
July 14 ANWS – Rev. Andrew Mead, TOL – Rev. Len Vander Zee
July 21 ANWS – Rev. Andrew Mead, TOL – Lucy Gitau
July 28 ANWS – Rev. Andrew Mead, TOL – Rev. Len Vander Zee
August 4 ANWS – Lucy Gitau, TOL – Rev. Andrew Mead
Gluten-Free Communion Bread: On Sunday, July 7 we will be switching to all Gluten-Free bread for communion. This coming ministry year, our theme as a congregation will be Fellowship – the second gift in our vision statement. As we share the gift of fellowship (“koinonia”) as a community, we are looking not to our own interests, but to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:4) In our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, we desire that those with gluten allergies and those without can all partake of the same loaf. In this small but significant way, we embrace the oneness we share in Christ and give honor to one another. (1 Cor. 10:17; 12:26) You can read more about our communion practices in this liturgy lesson.
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.
Summer Jam Sessions – Wednesday evening programming is finished for this school year, but the demand for jam sessions continues! If you like to strum, pick, sing, hit, shake, or play folksy/Americana melodies by ear, you are welcome to join these summer jam sessions. Observers and learners are welcome, too! Chords and lyrics will be provided. The jam sessions will be held in the sanctuary from 6:30pm-8:00pm on Wednesdays, July 10, and August 7. (Summer Wednesday evening programming will also take place on June 26 and July 10. So come at 5:30 for dinner before jamming.)