This Sunday at COS:
On this Pentecost season Sunday, Rev. Len Vander Zee will preach from Jeremiah 6:13-20 and Matthew 7:15-27 in the Tree of Life service in the large sanctuary. Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Luke 15:11-32 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.
Outreach and Congregational Life
We’re excited to welcome the Sarwar family on Sunday, June 23, to share about God’s mission in California with Indian-Pakistani immigrants in the youth room after the church services. They would love to have you come to greet them, pray for them, and hear about their work! They will be providing food, so we need a head count of who is planning to come. Please sign up by emailing office@coscrc.org.
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.
Camping – Mark your calendars! After a nearly 30-year hiatus, COS will again be inviting all church members to join us for a COS Camping Trip. We have reserved a block of camp sites and cabins at Wabasis Lake Campground for this coming fall, Sept. 27-29. Details are still being worked out, but if you want to reserve a campsite now, contact Annette (Annette.ediger@coscrc.org) or Ben (Ben.videtich@coscrc.org).
Summer Movie for All Ages: Tuesday, June 18 at 7:00pm, we will be showing Frank Capra’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture in 1938 You Can’t Take It With You. The son (Jimmy Stewart) of a snobbish Wall Street banker (Edward Arnold) becomes engaged to a woman (Jean Arthur) from a good-natured, but decidedly eccentric family not realizing that his father is trying to force her family from their home for a real estate development. But when she invites her snooty prospective in-laws to dinner to give their blessing to the marriage, Alice’s peculiar extended family — including philosophical grandfather Martin Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore), hapless fledgling ballerina sister Essie (Ann Miller), and fireworks enthusiast father, Paul (Samuel S. Hinds) — might be too eccentric for the staid Kirbys. While this is an “old” movie, its themes are still relevant today: housing crisis, accepting and welcoming differences, love for the family you create around you. Suggested donation $1, popcorn and lemonade provided.
Meijer Simply Give: Due to the generosity of COS members, we have received donations of over $5k for our double match day this Saturday, June 15. We are so thankful for all that was given to this important ministry of COS. Meijer matches up to $5000 for a maximum donation of $10,000 per pantry/campaign. If additional donations are received, they will be reserved for our next campaign that begins on Sunday, June 30 and runs through Saturday, September 28. Our next two double days will be Saturday, August 17 and Saturday, September 14.
CORE Workshops: Are you actively working on becoming an antiracist? We at COS sure hope so! One way to seek justice and grow as a compassionate, caring disciple of Jesus is to participate in a CORE workshop. You’ll learn about unjust systems and how they affect black and indigenous people. Much of the content is heavy and painful, but amidst the difficulty you’ll learn how to engage in meaningful ways, how to build relationships, and how to challenge the systems that oppress and marginalize so many of God’s children. If you’re a member at COS, the Congregational Life budget covers your fee. The next two CORE workshops are planned for August 1-2 and October 24-26. Find more detail in this link. Thank you for considering this great opportunity for discipleship. Please feel free to provide the link to your contacts and bring a friend.
The Inclusion Team is a group here at COS that was rebirthed as we moved towards a more inclusive statement of belonging. We meet on the 2nd Sunday of each month at 2pm, and serve as part support group, part advisory group, and part book club. We would like to invite anyone interested to not only come to our meetings, but to also come with us as we join All One Body at Synod so as to show support for Classis Grand Rapids East and all the delegates who are striving to make the CRC a more inclusive denomination.
Council:
Ready to spend more time learning about sexuality, gender, and the life of the Church? On this page, scroll down to see recommended resources by Dale Cooper, Pam Bratt, and Gary Burge. Feeling anxious about how to resolve all you are reading and learning? Use helpful spiritual disciplines on the Church of the Servant website, like Harry Plantinga’s Prayer when Feeling Anxious and Carol Burge’s The Discernment Process and the Prayer of Indifference.
Office and Facilities:
Tomato Cages: Do you have tomato cages you no longer need? If so, we could use them for the COS community garden, the COS fire pit fruit and herb garden, and berry bushes at the Welcome Home. You can put the cages in the wood chip area surrounding the fire pit (behind the church building). Thanks in advance!
Downsizing? COS could use another hose cart for yard work. Contact Hope Bradley if you have one to donate.
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 Start on June 19! Summer club ministries for 2nd through 12th graders will meet on 5 Wednesdays this year: June 19 & 26, and July 10, 17, and 24. Children entering 2nd grade in the fall are welcome to begin attending Wednesday Night Hype or Next Generation—our clubs for 2nd – 6th graders this summer! 6th grade graduates may move up to Wednesday Night Live (WNL) or remain in the Hype or Next Gen for the summer and move up in the fall. The Middle and High school ministries are combined in the summer. 7th – 12th grader will meet in the youth room. Please arrive at 6:30pm for club ministries (ending at 8:00pm) or come early for Little Caesar’s pizza at 6:00pm! No childcare is available for younger children during summer programming.
Worship:
Preaching Schedule
June 23 ANWS – Lucy Gitau, TOL – Rev. Andrew Mead
June 30 ANWS – Makema Lwenge, TOL – Naji Umran
July 7 Prism service – Rev. Andrew Mead
July 14 ANWS – Rev. Andrew Mead, TOL – Rev. Len Vander Zee
Profession of Faith: Sunday, June 23, we will celebrate God’s faithfulness as Ethan Sarwar publicly profess his faith in Jesus Christ; we rejoice with him in this important decision and milestone in his life; and we welcome him as a professing member of the Church.
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, June 26, 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.)