This Second Sunday of Epiphany, Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Isaiah 59:19-21 and 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 in the large worship space. Makema Lwenge will preach in the All Nations Worship Service in room 4. This Sunday, we have the joy of taking part in Klaas Walhout’s ordination as a Minister of The Word for his role as Chaplain at Trinity Health Grand Rapids.

Immediately following the worship services, we invite you to gather outside of the Welcome Home for a brief time of blessing as we anticipate our first family moving in on January 16.

The 10 am Standard English Service will also be broadcast via Zoom.

Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.   

Church News:

Children Join in Blessing the Welcome Home This Sunday at 11:45am

Children are an important part of the life and mission of the church, so we don’t want them to miss this special opportunity to bless the Welcome Home before the first family moves in. This blessing will happen during the Sunday school hour, so no Sunday school classes will meet this Sunday. Please pick up children from the children’s wing or nursery and gather in the café with coats and hats read for the short walk across the parking lot. We will not be going inside the house, so coats will be necessary! Jo will have a coloring project available for children to work on as we gather.

New Date for the All-Ages Sledding Meetup at Mulick Park: Saturday, January 28, 2-4pm. The children and youth ministries at COS are joining together to host this event for our COS family! Bundle up and come out for hot chocolate, conversation, and lots of slip-sliding fun!

  • Mulick Park is located at 1632 Sylvan Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506. A parking lot and street parking are available. The park also has a public restroom. 
  • 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, come anyway! Others will have sleds to share.
  • When you arrive, please stop by at our hot chocolate table to check in with Jolanda and find out who else is on the hill. Our table will be at the bottom of the hill–straight walk from the parking lot past the little playground and tennis courts. 
  • After checking in, you may want to make your way to the middle section of the top of the hill, where adults can chat and supervise kids who are enjoying the shallower slope on one side and the steeper edge on the other. 
  • When you’re ready for a break (or if you’re watching, not sledding) 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.
  • Please bundle up for cold weather by wearing boots, hats, snow gloves, coats, and snow pants. We’ll bring along as many extra gloves, hats, coats, and snow pants we can find for those who need them.

Parents, please note: this meetup is a parent-supervised 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! If you need a ride, please contact Jolanda Howe or Annette Ediger.  

Church News:

Current Giving for January (includes monthly ach): $29,692

Estimated Giving for the Month of December: $135,304

Monthly budgeted General Fund Giving is:  $118,873

NOTE: Our 2023 giving envelopes have been delayed by our vendor and we expect to receive them by February 1. We apologize for this inconvenience but appreciate your grace as we patiently wait for them to arrive.

2022 tax receipts will be mailed to contributors before January 31. 

The Stewardship Team is grateful for the 150 general fund pledges totaling $848,080. This is an average of $5,654 per pledge. The total number of pledges is higher than last year. We trust that these pledges are a sign that all of us will faithfully support the mission of COS in 2023.

It’s not too late to submit a pledge: Find the online pledge form here and click on the link: “Pledging for 2023” or fill out a form (available on the tables with church bulletins or on the counter in the cafe) and leave in the church office.

CORE (Communities Organizing for Racial Equity) will offer an understanding racism workshop here at COS on March 9-11 (Thursday evening, all day Friday and Saturday). These Understanding Racism workshops are designed for our local congregations and Christian organizations.  We hope and pray that COS people continue in this work of understanding racism, to deepen our insight as to what God-led antiracism looks like. Our times are always fraught with racial tension. As Christ followers joining in the ongoing task of dismantling racism, we can do good work together. Registration costs are covered by our COS budget. Please prayerfully consider attending or coming back for a refresher. Register at COREnow.org

We met our goal! Hearty thanks to all who contributed to a successful blood drive this past week. You came, you gave, and up to 66 people will benefit from the 22 donations collected on Monday. Human blood cannot be manufactured – it’s only available through the generous donations of individuals like you and me. So thank you for saving lives! Our next drive is scheduled in eight weeks – Monday, March 13th. More information coming next month on how to sign up.   –Ruth Huisman

Sunday morning scripture readers wanted! If you would like to read scripture on Sunday morning, click here to sign up for any Sunday.

Reflecting on the past year with gratitude: We are always grateful for the generosity of this congregation in helping our community in need. In the past four months, we have helped 26 cases with needs such as rent, utility bills and gas cards amounting in $11,000. Thank you for caring for our neighbors in need.

The Joyful Noise Orchestra will lead the worship music on Sunday, January 29. If you play a band or orchestra instrument you are encouraged to join us. We will rehearse Wednesday, January 25 at 6:30pm in the sanctuary. There will also be a rehearsal on the 29th prior to the service starting at 9:00am.  Music is ready to be picked up in the music room. Please either sign up in the music room or email Maria Stapert Vander Berg (maria.stapert@coscrc.org). 

Next Steps Task Force Resources: As we explore human sexuality at COS, the Next Steps Task Force has created resource suggestions for your reflection and learning. We are interested in posting resources that can assist our congregation in developing a deeper Godly understanding of our human sexuality. We recognize that the Human Sexuality Report has led to differences of opinion both in the Christian Reformed Church and at Church of the Servant. We are interested in respecting a diversity of views on human sexuality as we articulate a vision of how to be together in the future. This will require flexibility from each of us and a willingness to agree to disagree. When we do this, we are making church unity a priority. Read more here.