On Sunday April 19, we will continue to worship in homes, individually, but still as one body. Each week we will add a new post that includes a house church liturgy, messages from the pastors, resources for leaders, and media to accompany worship together. https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/category/housechurch/
Join in one of these wonderful opportunities to participate in worship activities with other COS members.
Easter Flower Collage: Hopefully, everyone who wanted to create an Easter flower has been able to do that by now. If you still want to drop your flower off, we’ll collect them for a few more days in the box that is at the front door at the COS building. Next week, we will be sending these wonderful wild Easter flowers home with Carol Roeda who is preparing to add them to a congregational collage. To find out more visit: https://www.facebook.com/karen.campbell.507/videos/10221087816976039/ We look forward to the day when we can see the finished display and celebrate that even though we were apart this Easter, we worshipped together!
Youth
Middle School: All COS 7th and 8th graders (and their friends!) are invited to tune in to Zoom next week Wednesday for another intense mystery game and awesome prize, as well as a worship moment and prayer. A reminder email with the Zoom link will be sent out every Wednesday for our WNL/WNZ meetings. Lord willing, it will be this same link every Wednesday:
WNL Wednesday 6:45pm meeting: Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us04web.zoom.us/j/71796320218?pwd=L3ZLVmNIZFB1Nkpxcnd5WlJDeVg0UT09
High School
I miss Sunday morning donuts…and YOU!
FREE DONUTS! Join me via Zoom, Sunday April 19 at 2pm to check in, have a worship moment, and play a game. The winner(s) of the game will get a half dozen donuts delivered to their front porch on Monday morning! I will send out an email reminder with the Zoom link but it should be this same link every Sunday at 2pm through May:
HS Zoom meeting 2pm Sunday: Join Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76225676340?pwd=WVpoMHlRbytEWXF4SUxHZ0dLWkhzZz09 Can’t wait to be together again! Peace and health everyone!
Church News
Food Pantry: Due to the stay at home order, COS has changed our Food Pantry protocol. We will not have open pantry hours on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Instead, access to food pantry will occur via appointment. Please call either Ellen at 901-5684 or Lori at 291-6132 to schedule an appointment. They will meet you at Door E of the church to assist with giving food, personal care items, and hand-crafted face masks. Thank you!
Thinking of becoming a member of Church of the Servant? We are always glad to have conversations with people who are thinking more deeply about what it might mean to belong to a church community like Church of the Servant. We hope to start some new member conversations soon. If you are interested in taking part in a virtual conversation about this, please contact Pastor Andrew Andrew.mead@coscrc.org or Pastor Karen karen.campbell@coscrc.org. Thank you!
Financial Update – Last week’s offering and online giving: $32,552 . Total giving for this month: $84,821 (2 Sundays left).Our monthly General Fund budget is $119,028.
Facility Coordinator Opening: Church of the Servant is looking to hire a part time (up to 25 hrs /week) person to join our staff team and be responsible for our building’s operation and maintenance needs. Strong Facility Management experience preferred. Start date: May 26, 2020. See the position description at: www.coscrc.org/employment Please send your letter of interest and resume to: lori.wiersma@coscrc.org by April 30, 2020.
Today devotional booklets —For those of you who use the Today Devotional booklets May/June issue, we will be receiving some copies shipped to COS. If you’d like a hard copy mailed to you, please email diane.jonker@coscrc.org. I will send you one when they arrive.
Other options: to sign up online (https://today.reframemedia.com/subscribe) to receive the May/June Today digitally, via email, app, or podcast.
While we are not meeting together as one body, the church staff is working to create ways for us to continue to worship and continue to feel connected. In addition, we continue to serve the needs of the community and world in a variety of ways ranging from our food pantry to missions support. Some in our congregation are concerned about the economic impact of the outbreak–whether in terms of retirement funds, business income, or employment. COS is committed to maintaining full compensation for both our salaried and hourly employees in these challenging times. As a result of these factors, it is more important than ever that those of us who can support the work of COS financially continue to do so. Those of you who give through automatic debit (ACH) may continue to do so. You can also give directly online (https://bit.ly/cos_offering), or via text or mobile apps (find more information at https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/giving/ways-to-give-to-cos/), or mail in your check. Our staff, neighbors, and world are grateful for your faithfulness in these unusual days.
Did you Know? Over the past month since the pandemic began, our COS Food Pantry has served more than 50 families. Some of these families are from COS and others are our Camelot neighbors. Most of these families have been laid off and are awaiting unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, or their work hours have been cut drastically. Ellen Westrate, our Food Coordinator, has ensured that the pantry shelves are stocked primarily through our Meijer Simply Give cards, which buy only food items. We rely on donations for the non-food items such as shampoo, conditioner, baby wipes and diapers.
Our monthly Feeding America Mobile Food Truck usually parks in the Camelot Community Building parking lot but on Saturday April 4, it was moved to the COS parking lot. We distributed food into boxes packed by volunteers and then National Guardsmen put these boxes into families’ cars.
We were delighted that the Mobile Food Truck provided nearly 7000 lbs. of fresh food and produce, which was distributed to 147 families. Typically, we serve from 80-100 families on the first Saturday of the month. Our next drive-thru Food Truck at the COS parking lot will be on Saturday morning, May 2.
For all of you who sew and have appropriate fabrics (cluttering your basement shelves) and the other supplies, go online to “Sweet Red Poppies Patterns” to find a face mask pattern for either present day need or the future. After all, it does take time to make thousands of face masks. Let’s be ready to help wherever there is a need. Doesn’t matter the color or the print. Maybe a few darker fabrics for any men who may receive these. Knits don’t work so well, but “tightly-woven cotton fabric on both sides” and bandannas are good. If you don’t have any elastic, using bias tape for ties works just fine or the circular elastic hair bands. Must be breathable fabric.
The grassroots group has thousands of volunteers across the U.S as well as more around the world making homemade masks for hospitals, nursing homes and others in need. The article about this project is in the Wall Street Journal, April 6. Return masks to the COS office. Questions? Contact Ann Fackler
Registration is still open for the June 5-6, Understanding Racism Workshop. A two-day workshop from 8:30-5pm each day, this workshop experience is designed to explore the deep racial complexity of the United States and to begin to explore paths for restoration. Register on line at CORRnow.org.