Season of Lent, Sunday, March 7, 2021
This Sunday, March 7, we will continue to worship using our zoom format, individually, but still as one body, united in Christ. Rev. Karen Campbell will bring us a message based on the scriptures of Exodus 16:1-18
& John 6:24-35. Rev. Andrew Mead will preach in the 11:30 am Zoom bilingual service.
Upcoming God’s People Seeking sessions: Mar. 14 & 21– GPS: Kristin Du Mez, Calvin professor and author of Jesus and John Wayne. Learn more at coscrc.org/gps.
Children’s Ministries
Week 3 of Lent: Children’s Activities: This week’s story is Jesus cleansing the temple—a story less familiar to our kids, and ripe for conversations about greed, irreverence, righteous anger, worship, prayer, and more! You’ll find the Children’s Worship story video on the House Church Resources page, or you can read it from Matthew 21:12-17. Use the questions on the week 3 page in your Lent kit for kids, available here, to talk together about the story, or encourage your kids to journal or draw their answers. Activities for week 3 include making a cozy prayer place in your home, trying out the prayer of examen for kids, singing Give Me a Clean Heart together, and collecting coins for the clean water challenge.
If you haven’t picked up the supplies for the Lent kit for kids, which include a canister for collecting coins, the lyrics for Give Me a Clean Heart, and a laminated prayer of examen for kids for use this week, please drop by church to pick one up. Or send me a note at jo.howe@coscrc.org and I will get the supplies to you!
All Kids Zoom Meeting this Sunday, March 7, 4:00pm! Children in preschool-6th grade are invited to join me for an All Kids Zoom Meeting on Sunday, March 7 at 4:00pm. We’ll be focusing on prayer as our holy habit for March, and exploring some of the ways kids can use materials in their Lent kits to help make prayer a habit in their lives. We’ll also be talking about the clean water coin challenge and how we can participate in World Renew clean water projects all over the world! I hope several 5th and 6th graders will be involve in leading again, so please reach out if your 5th or 6th grader would like to have a special role to play in the meeting!
To join the All Kids Zoom week next Sunday at 4:00pm, use this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84509390414?pwd=RGxGUjQ1czBqOW1YejZaL0JZYU1VUT09
Meeting ID: 845 0939 0414
Passcode: CLUB
To join by phone with no video dial: 1 (312) 626-6799, when prompted enter this meeting ID: 84509390414#
Church News
COS Sponsor Team Members urgently needed! We anticipate the arrival of new refugee families in Grand Rapids in the coming weeks, and desire to work with resettlement agencies to sponsor at least a couple of families. COS has the money, resources, and knowledge necessary to do this. However, we will not be able to sponsor new families without additional volunteers to serve as “Friends of New Americans.” As a Friend of New Americans, you will become a mentor and friend to a particular family, with the main goal of establishing a relationship and serving as a guide and friend to people who are making their way in a new country. The Refugee Support Team is preparing information and training sessions to help you fill this important role. To find out how to join a sponsorship team, contact Joel Westmaas at joel_westmaas@hotmail.com or Nita VanderBerg at nitavanderberg@hotmail.com
Last Sunday, the RST sponsored a GPS presentation featuring Stacey Clack, Midwest Faith Community Organizer for Church World Services and a member of Tabernacle Church in GR. The presentation and discussion following was stimulating and attracted a lot of participants. If you couldn’t attend and would like to view a recording of the session, please click here. Also, we have prepared two charts which help to explain how the work of the Refugee Support Team and the ministries and fellowship of COS make refugees and immigrants welcome. The charts can be found here and here. Any questions? Contact Joel Westmaas at joel_westmaas@hotmail.com.
Financial Update: Last week’s offering and online giving: $20,235.64
Current Giving for the month of March: $20,235.64
Monthly budgeted General Fund Giving is: $112,926
On Friday, March 12, we will hold a virtual service to mark the anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we approach having lived through a year of pandemic, we are reminded of many of the ambiguous losses – those losses without closure – that have come during this time. Many in our community have lost loved ones, but have been unable to hold or attend funerals, memorial services, or visitations. The service on March 12 will include a time for us to acknowledge and remember these losses. If someone you hold dear has died during this year, we encourage you to share their name with Maria Stapert at maria.stapert@coscrc.org for them to be added to this portion of the service. More details on the service are forthcoming.
Volunteers needed! Do you have a passion for serving with people as they tackle difficult financial issues and seek the knowledge and resources that will contribute to their financial security? If so, please enroll in the 4 sessions which COS is co-sponsoring on March 16, 18, 23 and 25, from 6-8 pm. Volunteers in Service (VIS) will provide these classes to our members free of charge. The training will help attendees become Financial Mentors who can provide assistance in a way that builds confidence and self-direction as they learn basic financial management skills. To sign up, please see the flyer here or go to the VIS website at http://www.visgr.org/
Position Opening- COS needs a part-time (20-24 hr/wk) Office Coordinator to begin April 15, 2021. Required gifts and skills are: follower of Christ, hospitable, excellent verbal and written communication, organization, Microsoft Office and church database. The position description is posted on the COS website. Please send your cover letter and resume by March 15 to: lori.wiersma@coscrc.org
Our Simply Give Campaign is in full swing. Please note that the Double Match Days will be March 13 and April 3. The biggest change is that folks need to use ONE Simply Give 10.00 donation cardavailable at COS only. And preferably On March 13 and April 3, which are the Match Days. If you use a card from the Meijer store, the funds will not be applied only to our food pantry, but distributed citywide. You can give money to the Simply Give account by check to COS so Ellen can purchase all the cards with that money. Please note that you can swipe the one 10.00 Simply Give card 5 times for $50.00 or 10 times for $100.00. You do not need multiple Simply Give Cards. Thank you so much for supporting our Indoor Food Pantry.
Sunday morning scripture readers wanted! If you would like to read scripture on Sunday morning, go to Signup Genius to sign up to read any Sunday. Click here to sign up.
Social Seniors meet every Tuesday morning from 10:00 to 11:00. Designed to provide opportunity for church family camaraderie, Social Seniors is led by Corrie Vos and Dale Cooper, and is open to anyone who would like to attend, regardless of age. We enjoy a social time together with a Biblical focus. We seek to be spiritually encouraged and to provide opportunities for sharing, humor, expression of our sorrows and joys, and prayer for one another and our church. The Zoom link below will work for every Tuesday.
Topic: Social Seniors
Time: 10:00 11:00 AM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83263669013?pwd=UzE4Z1czT2h2Q0lsck0zaXV4T1NMdz09
Meeting ID: 832 6366 9013
Passcode: COS
You can also join by telephone: 1 312 626 6799. When prompted, enter the meeting ID plus #, and then when asked for your participant ID, merely enter #, and you will be connected to the group.