Excerpts from the COS Bulletin. For the full bulletin, please visit the Members and Friends portal.

This Sunday

Reflection #4 from the Stewardship Team – Our stewardship prayer says your love is bringing cool water to everyone who is thirsty and speaks of manna for the hungry. We all have noticed how much better cool water tastes when we are hot and thirsty; how much better food tastes when we are hungry. Yet, for me water and food are so plentiful I rarely experience hunger and thirst. In fact, carrying around water bottles most of the time seems normal rather than an oddity. But, not so in our bigger world. The news this week includes:

“Disease and hunger rival bombs and gunfire as the biggest dangers to ordinary people” (in Yemen). Washington Post

“Homeless man living under the bridge at Plaster Creek on Madison seen daily by this walker/runner.”

“Residents of Flint, Rockford, and Oscoda nervous about whether their water is safe to drink.”

Many people do not know whether they have safe water and enough food to eat. So, do we give out of guilt? Heaven forbid. We give out of our abundance. We give in trust that our own needs will be met. We give in gratitude for what we have been given. We give because we know and love the Giver.

NEW MEMBER Classes begin Oct. 28 and will meet next Sunday, Nov. 4, 11 and 18 at 9 am in the living room (near the office at the front entrance). Meet the staff and committee chairs and learn the history of COS and how you can get involved. Contact Chris Klein, Minister of Congregational Life, chris.klein@coscrc.org 956-7611, with questions. There will be coffee and tea, fruit and pastries. Nursery is available.

College-Age Ministry – If you’re a post-high school young adult, you’re invited to the Jackson’s house for lunch discussion Sunday afternoon following the worship service. The Jacksons live near Calvin College. Keila Pieters will be waiting near the welcome kiosk located at the front entrance of the church to meet everyone interested in coming along.

Woodlawn CRC, which meets in the Calvin College Chapel located at 3201 Burton St SE, invites you to the Jubal Brass, directed by Dr. Mark Taylor, which will be leading their Vesper Worship Service Sunday, October 28 at 5:00 p.m.  Nursery will be provided.  An offering will be taken for Pine Rest.

Next Sunday

All Saints’ Testimony Service – Next Sunday Nov. 4 at 6pm will have our annual All Saints’ service where we will hear the testimony of 3 members sharing about a saint in their lives who has been formative for their faith.  We also light candles in remembrance of all the saints who have gone before us.

Youth News

This Sunday, Oct. 28 – 9 am Simpsons Sunday school finale,

This Sunday, noon-2ish – Interest Groups for HS students

Like playing sports? Or baking? Or sitting and talking about controversial stuff?

On the 4th Sunday of every month (which is this Sunday), we are inviting HS students to share a meal together after church and then pick 1 of 3 or 4 different activities to participate in with other students. The plan is to always offer a very active option (i.e. volleyball, hiking, kayaking, etc.), a slightly active option (i.e. baking, gaming, etc.), and a discussion group option around a particular theme. Literally something for everyone… Be there!

Are you receiving the weekly COS Youth newsletter? If you have a student in middle school or high school and you are not receiving a weekly email with youth news, please contact Annette or Dave to get your email address added!

The annual Craig‘s Cruisers lock-in is happening November 9-10! High school and middle school students and their friends are invited. Cost is $26. For more information, check out the COS Youth Newsletter.

High School Students: 25 spots have been reserved for our annual mission trip.  This year’s destination: Puerto Rico over Spring Break!  We will be partnering with local Puerto Rican churches to rebuild and repair damage done by Hurricane Maria.  Trip dates: March 29 -April 5.  $50 deposit required to hold your spot.  Contact Annette for more details. Reserve your spot by November 18.

Church News

Our new COS directory – Thank you to Jane Klein for many hours spent formatting the directory. If you find a mistake in your information, or discover you’ve been omitted, let the office know and we’ll change it for the future. You can always check the ONLINE DIRECTORY for the latest information.

Save the date! The youth of COS will be holding a Puerto Rican-themed fundraising dinner and auction on Wed., Dec. 5, 5-7pm.  If you have items you would like to donate, contact Annette Ediger.

Adults: Need help around the house?  High School Students: Want to earn money towards our mission trip to Puerto Rico? A new bulletin board has been hung outside the Youth Room. This is a place where members of COS will offer to make a donation to our PR trip, and our youth can thank them by doing some volunteer work for them. Additionally, high school students can advertise services they are willing to donate to members of COS on this bulletin board in exchange for donations being made to COS for our PR mission trip. Forms are available by the bulletin board.  Fill one out today!

Did you know that blood drives hosted by places of worship, companies, schools, and civic organizations supply roughly half of all blood donations across the US? Our four blood drives here each year are important to our community! In two weeks we have another drive – Monday, November 12, 2-7pm. Show you care! You can sign up online at versiti.org/michigan for an appointment to donate, or on the scheduling poster in the café. Questions? Contact Beth Karanicola or Ruth Huisman. Thank you! 

Sign up to receive “Setting the Table” — Setting the Table is a weekly worship email that provides recipients with a snapshot of where we are in the liturgical calendar, questions to ponder, the week’s scripture passage, and interesting bits of information about our current liturgy. These emails can help prepare ourselves for Sunday worship and can be used as part of weekly devotions. To receive “Setting the Table” each week in your inbox, sign up at coscrc.org/setting or email dave.hartwell@coscrc.org

The Worship Team is looking for a few new members.  A PhD in liturgical studies is not required, just an interest in discussing matters related to the liturgy, music, dance and art used for our worship services.  If you would like to learn more, please contact Ron Rienstra, chair of the worship team, or Maria Stapert, Worship Coordinator, maria.stapert@coscrc.org

The Finance team is pleased to announce that Rachel May has been hired as our COS Assistant Treasurer who is primarily responsible for handling the receipts to the church and work closely with AJ Zahrt our Treasurer. Rachel will be ordinarily working on Monday mornings in the church office. Rachel and her family are members of Seymour CRC where her husband Shawn is one of the pastors. Please welcome Rachel our COS staff team!

The Thursday Bible study meets this week on November 1, 9:30 – 11am, Col. 2:1-7, lesson 3 in the café area, childcare provided.  EVERYONE is welcome!

Sat. Dec. 8, 4 -6:30pm in the COS Cafe, the PinC team, in partnership with Prison Fellowship Angel Tree, will host a Christmas party for about 20 children who have a parent in prison. The incarcerated parents have requested to be included, so that through us, their children will receive a gift and a message from them.  There are many ways you can be supportive (and remember the neediest at this Christmas time): by being present at the party, purchasing presents, giving financially and through your prayers.   For more info. contact Lucie Marsden, email  lucie.marsden@gmail.com or text 616-481-1425.

We are still collecting hats, scarves, socks and gloves/mittens for our Camelot neighbors! They will be distributed at the Camelot Community Building at our next Mobile Food Pantry this Sat. Nov. 3. The collection basket is in the café.

September 2018 General Fund Report

                          Actual

Receipts              $82,135

Expenditures       98,548

Income (Loss)    $ (16,413)

The general fund balance on September 30 was reported at 32,054.

2018-19 Monthly budgeted receipts were expected to be $119,028. This requires general fund giving to be $29,757 each week. Our September receipts were $82,135.  This was a weekly average of $20,534.