Epiphany, February 6, 2022

This Sunday:

This Sunday, as we worship online via Zoom and at the COS building, Rev. Karen Campbell will preach from Daniel 5:13-21 and Ephesians 5:8-18 in the standard English service. Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Daniel 5:13-31 in the Basic English Service in Room 5. In worship this Sunday we also have the joy of premiering the winners of this year’s COS New Psalm Contest.

Following worship, join for a GPS Session at 11:45 am. Understanding Church Overtures and Denominational Processes. As COS continues to participate in listening circles concerning the CRCNA Human Sexuality Report, several questions have emerged around the administrative specifics of church order in our denomination. To help make sense of things, the HSR task force has invited Bob Arbogast, Pastor of Celebration Fellowship CRC, and Stated Clerk for Classis Grand Rapids East, to answer some of our questions about Synod. We hope you’ll join as together we seek to understand better what happens between now and Synod and what, if any, role that individuals and church councils can play during that time.

We invite those attending the service in person at COS to sign up to attend the morning services. Please note on the sign-up that masking is now required for those over 2 years old. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.

Children’s News:

Sledding Meetup: February 12 at Mulick Park, from 2-4pm!

Next Saturday is our final sledding meetup of the season at Mulick Park (1632 Sylvan Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506) from 2-4pm! Children, teens, and adults of all ages are invited to bundle up and drop by to sled with friends from COS! Here are the details:

  • Our meet-up lasts from 2-4pm, but the hill will be open all day. Feel free to drop by for as little or as long as you like.
  • If you have sleds, bring them to use or share.
  • If you don’t have sleds, come anyway! Thrive Outside GR will be offering free sled rentals from their gear library.
  • When you arrive, please stop at hot chocolate table (located at the bottom of the hill not far from the parking lot, past the little playground and tennis courts) to let Jolanda Howe know you’ve arrived. It’s hard to recognize people bundled up in snow-gear, so please introduce yourself! : )  
  • After checking in, make your way to the middle section of the top of the hill, where adults can chat and more easily supervise kids who are enjoying the shallower slope as well as those choosing the steeper edge. 
  • When you’re ready for a break, stop by the COS table to enjoy hot chocolate and a light snack!
  • Friends are welcome! Feel free to invite other families to enjoy sledding along with us!
  • We’ll have extra gloves, hats, coats and even a few pair of snow pants to use if needed.
  • If you need a ride, please contact Jolanda by 6pm on Friday, Feb. 11.
  • Important: this meetup is an unsupervised event. Please do not drop off your children and leave. Stay to enjoy the fun! Or send along a responsible high-school-aged sibling to supervise your younger kids! 

Sunday, February 13th: Sunday School Resumes from 11:45am-12:30pm!

Thanks for your patience and perseverance over the last several weeks, and this Sunday too, as we’ve reduced programming and encouraged those who can worship using zoom until covid numbers decline. Thanks be to God, the numbers are falling! The council has approved in-person worship and programming to resume with all previous safety guidelines beginning next Sunday! So please plan on Sunday school for your kids from 11:45am-12:30pm on Feb. 13!

Church News:

YOU ARE INVITED to participate in the THURSDAY BIBLE STUDY beginning February 17, 9:30 to 11:00 am.  We will be studying the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. You are invited to read Matthew 5:1-12 for the first session, study guides will be available that day.  You are invited to listen to the group presentation on COS you-tube after Friday of the week, and arrange your own electronic small group discussions if you wish.  If you need CHILDCARE or have further questions, contact Mary Loeks. Everyone is welcome! 

Continuing the Conversation: How Can We Help Ensure EVERYONE in Grand Rapids Has Housing They Can Afford?

If you would like to dig deeper into the topic of affordable housing after last Sunday’s presentation by Kurt Reppart, check out the resources and event below:

  • Sunday’s Presentation: If you missed the presentation on Sunday by Kurt Reppart you can watch it here.
  • An Event: On Tuesday, April 26 from 7-9pm Classis GR East’s Community Engagement team is hosting and event focused on affordable housing for new Americans with panel discussions on affordable housing and immigration. This event will be held at Tabernacle Community Church, 2350 Eastern Ave. SE (the former meeting place for COS before we moved into our own building). More details to come in April.
  • An Article: Including details about the affordable housing project initiated by members of Eastern Ave. CRC. 
  • A Toolkit: This website includes a toolkit churches can use when considering how their resources could be used to create more affordable housing, as well as stories of what churches across the country are doing. All curated by Lee Hardy, retired Calvin prof. and Eastern Ave. CRC member. 
  • A Video: of Lee Hardy’s presentation, Tiny Homes, Big House Churches, and Courtyard Housing—Communities of Faith and Affordable Housing.
  • Getting Involved: If you’re interested in getting involved in efforts happening in our congregation or community to increase affordable housing, contact Jolanda Howe at jo.howe@coscrc.org.

Keeping our congregation updated: To our brothers and sisters in Christ, CORR (Congregations Organizing for Racial Reconciliation) has changed its name to reflect our current emphasis and vision.  We are now CORE (Community Organizing for Racial Equity)! 

We continue to offer Understanding Racism workshops and for 2022, we hope to offer a mix of virtual and in-person workshops.   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 always fraught with racial tension and this is one important opportunity for us to work together to address it.

The upcoming virtual workshop will be held from 9am-1pm on February 17, 18, 25 and 25. The first (in a long time) in-person Understanding Racism workshop is being offered from Thursday- Saturday, April 21 -23. This workshop will be held at Church of the Servant.

Please prayerfully consider taking advantage of these opportunities. Register at COREnow.org

COS Quilting Group: 36 quilts made by the COS Fabric and Fellowship group this winter.  We used mostly leftover fabric from our other projects.  These will be donated to the West Michigan Quilt Guild. The guild keeps the Spectrum Health Neonatal Unit supplied with quilts. Each new family gets to choose a quilt from the nurse’s closet for their little one. Our group meets the 3rd Monday of each month in Room 5 from 10 to 2. Please let Hope Bradley or Claire Elgersma if you are interested in joining us.