This post contains the Church News portion of the printed COS bulletin. View the PDF for prayer concerns and community/requested announcements.

Eastertide, April 18, 2021

This Sunday:

This Sunday, April 18, 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 1 John 3:1-7 and Psalm 4. Our Bilingual English/Swahili service worships at 11:30 am with Rev. Andrew Mead preaching.

In the Sunday, April 18 GPS session we will welcome Prof. Pennlyn Dykstra-Pruim of Calvin University, who will help us learn how to better understand and navigate cultural differences.  Prof. Dykstra-Pruim has authored books on this topic, including Understanding Us and Them: Interpersonal Cultural Intelligence for Community Building.  All who are interested in discovering how to harmonize our diverse voices in worship and community (especially as it relates to the Basic English Service and refugees and immigrants generally) are invited to attend. For more information about our presenter, and the topic of her talk, visit here.

Next Sunday:


In GPS on April 25 we welcome Robin Harris leading us in “Worshiping Together across Cultural Divides: Case Studies from Siberia and South Carolina.” Robin Harris served for decades in cross-cultural contexts, including ten years in northern Russia. She earned MAs in Intercultural Studies (CIU) and Ethnomusicology (Bethel Univ) and a PhD in Music/Ethnomusicology (UGA). In addition to serving as Director of Dallas Int’l University’s Center for Excellence in World Arts, she speaks at colleges and conferences about ethnodoxology and its application to cross-cultural work. She also serves as the President of the Global Ethnodoxology Network (GEN), an organization she helped to launch in 2003. Her publications include co-editing Worship and Mission for the Global Church: An Ethnodoxology Handbook (William Carey Library, 2013) and Storytelling in Siberia(University of Illinois Press, 2017).

Re:New Wednesday Nights at COS:

You’re Invited to join us IN PERSON this spring for “Re:New – Wednesday Nights at COS” For 6 weeks during Eastertide (Apr. 14-May19), COS will be embracing themes of renewal and growth and new life and hope in our Wednesday night series “Re:New – Wednesday Nights at COS.” People of all ages are invited to spend time together OUTDOORS and with masks on as we reflect and respond to God’s promise to make all things new.

Dates: April 14 – May 19, 6:30-7:30pm Note: in inclement weather, all programs will likely be postponed/canceled.  Also, food and drinks will not be served, but you are welcome to bring a water bottle. Bathrooms will be available, and masks are required.      

Adults: Adults at COS will have the opportunity to hear from and interact with members of COS who are engaged in the work of renewal in unique ways. Our list of presenters includes Tracey Gebbia sharing her work of transforming old fabric into new creations, Gail Heffner sharing about the work of Plaster Creek Stewards, Joan Huyser-Honig and her work with the COS Community Garden, and more!  Come ready to spend time outdoors–and wear comfortable shoes as part of our time may be spent walking around the church property.

Worship 6-6:30 pm: Wednesday Evening Taize Prayer services will take place in the sanctuary at COS. These services will be limited to 25 people each. The services will include scripture, prayer and meditative music, but no corporate singing. Masks will be required for the entire service. And social distancing will be required in the sanctuary.

7th & 8th graders: WNZ is transitioning back to WNL!  (But Zoom will still be offered…at least in April.)  From 6:30-7:30pm, Mr. Leahy will continue to lead classes via Zoom for the month of April—but Pastor Andrew will be at COS in April, guiding students IN PERSON who show up at church for our WNL meetings! How awesome is that?!  Lord willing, meetings in May will all be held at COS.  See you soon!

Preschool-6th grade: Join us on Wednesday nights this spring for creation-themed outdoor programming for preschool-1st graders and 2nd-6thgraders! Kids should come dressed for games, outdoor exploration, and crafts. Food and drinks will not be served, but kids are welcome to bring a water bottle. Bathrooms will be available, and masks are required.      

Church News:

Financial Update: Last week’s offering and online giving: $17,451.66

Current giving for the month of April: $52,311.57

Monthly budgeted General Fund Giving is:  $112,926

CORR (Congregations Organizing for Racial Reconciliation) continues to offer Understanding Racism workshops in 2021 virtually. These workshops are open to everyone in our congregation.  It is our hope and prayer that as COS people continue in this work of understanding racism, Church of the Servant will reveal what Godly antiracism looks like in the community. Our times are fraught with racial tension and this is an opportunity for us to work together to address it.

A One-Day Introductory Understanding Racism workshop is being offered on Friday, May 7 from 9-5pm. A traditional 2.5 Day Understanding Racism workshop is scheduled for May 20, 6-9pm, and Friday and Saturday, May 21 and 22 from 8:30am-5pm. Another four morning Thursday/Friday (8:30am-1pm) workshop begins June 10.

Please prayerfully consider taking advantage of these opportunities. We long to meet in person again but for now, this is a very workable format for all of us to continue to do the Lord’s work in antiracism. Register at CORRnow.org

High School Seniors: Senior Celebration Sunday is May 9!  Send Annette your picture as well as information about where you attended high school, what your plans are for next fall, and share if you plan to be involved in any extra activities in college.  This information will be shared with members of COS in the week leading up to Senior Celebration Sunday—so send it in soon!

Interested in becoming a member at Church of the Servant? We have 2 new member classes each year and so it’s again time. Even during these pandemic days the work of the church is thriving. If you are interested in learning more please contact Ben Videtich, our Congregational Life Coordinator, at ben.videtich@coscrc.org or leave a voice mail at 231-349-1328.

Blood Drive at COS! We will host a blood drive in our building on Monday, May 10, from 2-7pm. Make an appointment now online here. If you need assistance to do that, please contact Ruth Huisman (452-2611). We are so pleased to be able to host here again and look forward to welcoming back all our faithful donors, and hopefully some new ones too! Thank you for sharing your gift of life!

The Refugium work team of the Creation Care Team is thrilled that Plaster Creek Stewards has selected COS as one of three sites for their 2021 Spring Event: Trees to Heal the Plaster Creek Watershed. We are receiving 25 large native trees (a variety of species), at no cost to the church!  We just have to help put them in the ground.  This gift is perfectly timed as Refugium is engaging in a lot of exciting ecological restoration work on our property.

Please register for this event here or email Araceli Eikenberry Mancilla (aje32@calvin.edu), if you are able to help out.  We will be planting from 9:00 – Noon on Saturday 4/24.  When you register, you will also be invited to view an online presentation to learn more about how these trees will help heal our watershed.  Please contact Jim or Hope Bradley if you have questions.   

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.