This Week:

On this Pentecost Season Sunday, Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Micah 6:6-8 and James 4:6-10 in the Standard English Service in the large worship space. Rachel Park, seminary intern from Calvin Theological Seminary, will preach from James 4:6-10 in the All Nations Worship Service in Room 4.

The 10 am SES service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.   

Children’s Ministry News, from Jolanda Howe:

Summer Clubs continue, 6:30-8:00pm! Our second year of summer clubs for kids began June 21 at 6:30pm! Kids clubs are for 2nd-6th graders, but unlike LL and CW, in the summer we welcome 1st graduates to start coming! We also allow 6th grade graduates to decide if they’d like to move on to Wednesday Night Live or stay in Girls or Boys Club for the summer. We hope the flexibility helps make starting in a new ministry more comfortable for everyone.

Summer clubs will meet on June 28, July 12*, 19, and 26, and August 9 and 16. Then we’ll take a break before the new ministry season begins.

No Wednesday Night Dinner or Nursery for Summer Clubs. Last summer we offered a meal before clubs, but most families dropped kids off rather than staying to eat. So please feed your kids before bringing them to church this summer because we’re skipping the meal. Currently we don’t have any ministry volunteers who need nursery care for their children, so we won’t be offering nursery on Wednesday nights either. If you have younger kids and prefer to remain at church with them while your older kids are in programming you’re welcome to use the nursery or the play equipment outside. But please note, clubs may be using the patio space, nature trail, or church yard for activities.

Church News:

Current Giving for June: $61,140.61

June 2022 Giving: $80,926

June 2021 Giving: $88,359

Monthly budgeted General Fund Giving is:  $120,551

The new Giving Envelopes have arrived. Instead of contributor specific as they have been in previous years, these are generic. Giving boxes holding the envelopes are on the same tables as the liturgies. Envelopes can be used during offering time or placed in the giving box. If you would like some put in your mailbox, contact the church office.

8-week volunteers — Friendship ESL at COS seeks 8-week enlistments for tutors beginning Sept 12 and running through Nov 2. Tutors teach one class per week, Tuesday or Thursday evenings, 6-8p. 8 weeks, 8 classes. Special assistance is ready for class preps. Expected of volunteers: show up, meet the people, greet the people, teach the language you speak pretty well, return home pleasantly fulfilled.  – Mark Fackler, pmfackler@gmail, 616 285 9298.

Camelot Block Party – Saturday, July 29 from 11:00a-1:30pm, we will join with other churches in our community and Ridge Park Charter School to host an annual Camelot Park Block Party. At this event, we give away backpacks to the students, along with food, music, and activities. If you are available to help with this event, contact the church office.

Youth Ministry News: Thanks be to God all 23 of our Colorado Challenge participants have safely returned to Michigan!  We look forward to sharing a slide show and stories about our adventures and the ways we experienced the Holy Spirit working in our lives on a (yet to be determined) Sunday in July after morning worship. In the meantime, please know how much all of us appreciated your prayers and support!

WNLX* is back! Students entering grades 7-12 are invited to join us in the Youth Room from 6:30-8pm on Wednesday nights this summer for games, faith talks, and summer snacks. We had our first WNLX this past Wednesday and over 30 students attended! If you missed it last week, don’t make the same mistake this week! *WNLX = Wednesday Night Live X-tended—our summer ministry for students in grades 7-12.

Mark your calendar for our remaining WNLX meetings:

June 28, July 12, 19, 26, Aug. 9 & 16

Note: many students need help getting to and from our Wednesday Night Clubs in the summer. If you are willing to help with transportation—even if you can only help once or twice!—contact Annette: 616-308-0143 (cell) or email annette.ediger@coscrc.org.

From COS Executive Team: Our COS mission statement reads: Rooted in Christ and nurtured by the Spirit, we grow in God’s grace to share gifts of refuge, fellowship, and hope. 

The Exec Team is deeply grieved by the actions of Synod 2023. We lament the pain the decisions will bring on so many, particularly our LGBTQIA+ families and friends. We remain resolutely committed to being rooted in Christ and nurtured by the Spirit: we can only grow in God’s grace as we share our gifts of refuge, fellowship, and hope together. This is a time when we need each other.

The Council will be meeting very soon to discuss the very serious implications Synod 2023 will bring. We need a lot of wisdom, and value your prayers. Most of all this week, please pray and uphold families and individuals who are in distress. 

In the meantime, we invite you to take these opportunities to share your thoughts with council, and to pray as we discern God’s will together:

Sunday, June 25

  • Congregation Town Hall in the SES worship space following the morning service for Council to hear the heart of the congregation.

Monday, June 26 – Wednesday, June 28

  • Small group meetings with Council members. Use the link here to sign-up and give preferred day.

Thursday, June 29

  • GR Classis East Town Hall at Calvin CRC 700 Ethel Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
  • Public meeting open to everyone.

Thursday, July 6

  • Council meeting to discern all the feedback and form a path going forward in faithfulness.

From COS Anti Racism Team: There is an excellent opportunity to deepen our understanding of systemic racism to be found at the Grand Rapids Public Museum this summer. From June 3 to September 3 the GRPM is hosting an exhibit called Overcoming Hateful Things: Stories from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery. The Jim Crow Museum of Racism Imagery, housed at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, was begun by Dr. David Pilgrim, a sociology professor at FSU, who collected Jim Crow artifacts for decades. Over the years a museum has developed and now traveling exhibits have been created. This collection is very thoughtfully presented and will help deepen our understanding of racial injustice and consider ways to stop. The exhibit explores the Jim Crow era and the legacies of the Jim Crow era that remain today. It also cultivates understanding and empathy for victims of racial intolerance. The Antiracism Team is grateful this exhibit has come to Grand Rapids and encourages our congregation to attend. https://www.grpm.org/jimcrow/

From Hope Bradley, Facilities: “In an attempt to keep our facilities expenses down I am requesting the following items from your ‘I want this out of my house’ pile.  COS can use another umbrella stand, empty cat litter boxes that have lids (for transporting water), and hosta plants. If you want to donate to a water bladder to make watering the trees and gardens easier, I have found one for less than $100.”  Hope Bradley at hope1033@gmail.com

Job Openings:

Position: Sunday Facilities Coordinator

Hours: 5-6 hours a week

Position Objective: The Sunday Facilities Coordinator has primary responsibility for opening/closing the facilities and preparing the facility for Sunday worship.

Schedule: Work schedule is normally 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. each Sunday. On the Sundays when a meal is served, the schedule may go until 2:00 p.m. Opportunities for occasional Sundays off will be provided.

Pay rate: $17 per hour based on experience.

Inquiries and Resumes to Church Administrator: monica.smith@coscrc.org

Read the full job description here

Position: Facilities Coordinator

Hours: 15 hours a week

Position Objective: The Facility Coordinator is responsible for preparation of the COS facility so that it is a ready and reliable resource for the programs, ministries, staff, and members of the church thereby helping to ensure the fulfillment the church’s vision and mission.

Schedule: Work schedule is negotiable with hours normally completed on weekdays. The candidate should be on-site for weekday congregation activities including Wednesday evening activities and meals.

Pay rate: $17 per hour based on experience.

Inquiries and Resumes to Church Administrator: monica.smith@coscrc.org

Read the full job description here