Trinity Season, Week of Sunday, August 30, 2020
On Sunday, August 30, we will continue to worship in homes, individually, but still as one body as we seek to be prisms of God’s light in liturgy and in life. This week Pastor Andrew Mead will bring us a message based on the scriptures of Exodus 3:1-15 and Romans 12:9-21.
Resources, videos, and liturgies can be found on the Church of the Servant website at coscrc.org/category/housechurch
On Sunday evening, August 30 at 6pm, there will be a concert held outdoors in the patio area of the building. You are invited to enjoy an evening of music provided by COS musicians of new psalms and other scripture-based songs written by David and Karen Campbell. Most of these songs were written during the pandemic as a means to bring comfort and offer hope. Come and enjoy soothing, uplifting music.
Whilst the concert is free, we encourage you to give generously towards supporting worship within CRC churches in Sierra Leone.
You can mail a check to the church, give online, or donate in the offering basket on the night of the concert.
Some notes about the concert:
- To encourage social distancing and safety, the concert is limited to 100 participants.
- Children are welcome but bear in mind there are no specific children’s programming.
- Masks will be required when entering and exiting the area.
- Please bring your own chair. If you are not able to bring a chair, please indicate on the form and a chair will be provided. Umbrellas are highly recommended for shade.
When coming to the service, please park on the west end of the COS parking lot and enter the courtyard using the sidewalk along the west side of the building.
Some notes about the fundraiser:
Church of the Servant has many important links with the CRC in Sierra Leone and Kabala Christian Schools (KCS). Recently there was a request made through the CRC denomination and Resonate to help raise funds to provide musical instruments to strengthen the worship within the Kabala area. David and Karen Campbell have been writing new psalm settings and our team of musicians will gather to premiere some of these songs this Sunday evening.
Church News
Financial Update: Last week’s offering and online giving: $12,591.40 (1 Sunday left) Current Total Giving for the month of August $84,751.54.
Our monthly General Fund budget is $119,028.
Children’s Fall Programming: We’re reimagining our faith formation programming and praying about how best to safely facilitate the spiritual formation, learning, and mentoring our kids usually receive through Children’s Worship, Little Lambs, Kid’s Club, Boy’s Club, Girl’s Club, and Sunday school. Please pray for creativity, flexibility and resilience as we plan for outdoor programming this fall and take advantage of the unique opportunities a closer connection with creation will provide. Please reach out with ideas and consider what role you might play in nurturing the faith of our children this season! You can reach me at jo.howe@coscrc.org or by calling, texting, or connecting on WhatsApp at 616-238-1324.
SERMONS – Would you or someone you know benefit from an electronic or printed copy of Sunday’s sermon manuscript? Pastors Karen and Andrew can provide an electronic or printed copy of our sermon manuscript to those who desire this. Please email Pastor Andrew (andrew.mead@coscrc.org) to request this for yourself or someone else. Videos of the sermons can be found here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7066335
Have an hour a week to spend mentoring/tutoring one of our young people this fall? Many of our new American refugee students will be attending school online this fall, and we’re looking for 30 adults to support them. All it takes is an hour a week and access to Zoom. The Refugee Education Center will provide training and online tutoring resources, and they’ll coordinate setting up a time with families.
Read more about it and sign up here: coscrc.org/costutoring
If you have any questions, please contact Kate Snow.
Dementia Caregivers Support Group – This time has been difficult for everyone, but especially for those who have been cut off from their usual sources of support. Whether you are caring for a loved one at home, or separated from your loved one because of the pandemic, this is a place of support for you.
We are still restricted from meeting in person but will be having a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, September 1 at 10 am, hosted by Josh Baron. Old members and those who are new are welcome. Contact Josh or Barbara Schultze if you would like to join us.
Martin Luther King said: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing” We believe that our prayer life gives us the spiritual resilience to move through the challenges of life, stronger, wiser and with deeper faith. We know that this year our spiritual resources might be particularly low. Spiritual resilience does not come automatically but through building in habits and practices that help clarify God’s sovereign rule and identify less helpful strategies that are false supports. For the month of September, we invite all members of COS to embark on a prayer journey with us. We will be following the book ‘Pray the Word for your Church’ by Tiece L King. If you are able please purchase the book. Alternatively, the prayers for each day will be posted on our social media platforms. Each week we will identify different themes pertinent to the life of COS that we invite you to pray alongside this book. There will be additional creative ways to engage in prayer that you will hear about next week. We pray this prayer journey will spark fresh vision and renew your energy for fullness of life in this world and the world to come.
To encourage Psalm-singing, Church of the Servant invites congregational songwriters to submit a Psalm-based song to its 2020 COS New Psalm Contest. The first-place winner will receive a $500 award; the second-place winner will receive a $200 award. There is no entry fee and the contest is open to all. Submissions must be emailed or postmarked by October 1, 2020. The winning songs will be premiered in worship on January 31, 2021. This contest is made possible by a generous donation in memory of Ben Fackler, who loved all things musical. Learn more at: https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/2020-cos-new-psalm-contest/