Ascension Sunday

This Sunday:

This Sunday, May 29, Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Acts 1:1-11. Yohan Lee will preach from Acts 1:1-11 in the Basic English Service.

This Sunday we will be celebrating the many volunteers who have served in our Faith Formation Ministries this past program year. All Faith Formation volunteers are invited to a small reception in the Youth Room immediately after worship.

The 10 am service will be streamed via Zoom.

Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.

Next Sunday: Join us for Pentecost Sunday with a Prism Combined Worship service. During the service we have the joy of welcoming new members to the congregation.

After the service next week, stick around for a summary of feedback from Synod’s Human sexuality report listening circles followed by an all-church picnic.

Children’s Ministry News:

Welcome to Congregational Worship, 2nd Graders! Last Sunday our graduating 2nd graders received Bible and an invitation to remain in the worship service when our 3-year-old through graduating 1st graders are blessed and dismissed for children’s worship. Our hope is that the whole congregation, along with the parents of our graduating 2nd grader will help them learn to fully participate in singing, responsive readings, and more as they find their place in our congregational worship. So if you see a 2nd grader today, point out your favorite song in the liturgy, or give them a thumbs up when you catch them singing along. Parents, you’ll find worship bags near the entrances of the sanctuary for kids to use during the sermon to doodle or work on a craft as they listen. You’ll also find new sermon notes for kids pages on the shelf above the worship bags in the SES sanctuary, and on the table near the 2nd entrance door in the BES sanctuary. May the Lord bless our 2nd graders as they worship!  *If your graduating 2nd grader wasn’t here last Sunday, they can pick up their bible at the children’s welcome station right when they walk in the door.  

The Summer Schedule for Little Lambs and Children’s Worship Starts Today

3-Year-Olds Through Graduating 1st Graders will be Blessed and Sent to the Children’s Wing. Each summer we celebrate our graduating 2nd graders and invite them to remain in the worship service. Then we wait until the fall to advance children to the next grade level classroom. This allows us to have fewer rooms throughout the summer when leaders and families like to take vacation. If your 2½-year-old has already been attending Little Lambs, you’re welcome to continue sending them. If your child is turning 2½ this summer, we’ll wait until the fall to welcome them into the Red Little Lambs Room. Little ones three and under are welcome in the nursery all summer long. This year we’re hoping to offer Children’s Worship throughout the year, rather than switching to the Jesus Storybook Bible curriculum. If you’ve ever been a Children’s Worship leader, Jolanda would love to have some subs available for leaders who like to take the summer off. Or if you are interested in learning more about the program, please talk to Jolanda today. It’s a great time of year to shadow a class and decide if you’d like to give it a try!     

Pick Kids Up From Classrooms, Starting Today New Nametag System Coming Soon. Parents of children in Little Lambs and Children’s Worship, please pick up your children promptly after the service at their classroom door beginning this Sunday! I’ll be there to assist families in finding the correct classroom, and the volunteer leaders will check your child out of the classroom. This change is the first step toward a new nametag and check-in/check-out system we’ll be launching in June. Please be prompt in picking kids up after the service out of respect for our marvelous leaders who probably want to grab coffee too.  : ) 

Three Cheers for Our Volunteers! Cake Reception Today in the Youth Room for Faith Formation Volunteers Today, 11:30am-12:30pm

This morning we’re celebrating the many leaders and assistants who serve in our Little Lambs, Children’s Worship, Little Lambs Jam Band, Sunday School/Kids’ Club, Girls Club, Boys Club, Tutoring, Youth Ministry, and those who work behind the scenes helping to make these ministries possible! If that’s you, please drop by the youth room after the service for a cake and punch reception in your honor! We are incredibly blessed by the adults, teens, pre-teens, and upper elementary students who nurture the faith of growing disciples. Thank you for using your gifts for God’s glory!

Pentecost Picnic and Activities for Kids, Next Sunday. There are so many wonderful things planned for Pentecost this year, both during and after the service. Several children will be welcomed to the table to participate in the Lord’s Supper for the first time, new members will be welcomed, and more! After church, kids will be welcome to come outside for games and activities in the grass surrounding the patio as parents listen to the Human Sexuality Report Team report on what we’ve learned from through participating in listening circles. Then we’ll enjoy a meal together to kick off summer ministry and celebrate the birthday of the church!

Church News:

Current Giving for the month of May: $87,412

Giving for the month of April: $101,750

Monthly budgeted General Fund Giving is:  $118,873

Council requests elder and deacon nominees for a 3 year term on Council to begin in September of 2022. You may nominate yourself or another member of COS whom you feel has the gifts to serve our congregation on Council. We anticipate the need to fill 5 elder and 5 deacon roles this Fall. Please prayerfully consider whether you or someone you know might be called to serve our congregation in this meaningful way. Send nominations via online poll or by email to Chair of Council, Stacy Steen, Chair of Elders, Rhonda Mejeur, Chair of Deacons, Marc Beversluis, to your Parish elder or deacon or to the Pastors.

Social Seniors continues to meet on Tuesdays at 10:00 via Zoom. All are welcome. For more information, contact Corrie Vos.

Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 832 6366 9013

Passcode: COS

COS is looking for a Faith Formation Assistant.  This new position would involve 8-10 hours of work per week, assisting the Minister of Faith Formation (Annette Ediger) and/or the Children’s Ministry Coordinator (Jo Howe) with various tasks that will allow our ministries to flourish as vibrant, safe, encouraging and effective ministry spaces. Hours are flexible. This position may require occasional Sunday work but will primarily take place during the work week. For more information, contact Annette Ediger: Annette.ediger@coscrc.org. The goal is to fill this position in June so respond ASAP if interested.

Anchoring our Life Together: To assist in our preparation for Synod, we are sending out weekly meditations. Our larger purpose is to remind us of what are some of the deepest anchors of our life together, the sturdiest pillars upon which our life together is founded. They provide our community stability and purpose, and are important, so we believe, in reminding ourselves of them again—and yet again.  Through our doing so the Spirit can assist us in warding off the spiritual drowsiness and amnesia which can so easily overtake a Christian community. These weekly meditations, leading up to Synod in June, will be posted on the COS website, printed on Sundays, and available in the weekly email newsletter. Additionally, we invite you to read this recent letter from the COS council.

Welcome Home campaign success: What started as a bold idea—to raise enough money to buy a neighboring house, on a very tight timeline—has resulted in gifts and pledges totaling more than $400,000! By God’s grace and with the remarkable generosity of COS members and friends, we have exceeded our fundraising goal—ahead of schedule. Thanks be to God! Plans are in place to complete the purchase of the home in early June. Over the summer, a team will work on minor renovations and updates. The congregation will be invited to walk through the house once it’s ready to begin its next chapter as a home of welcome and hope for refugee families. As for the funds that exceed the cost of the home and renovations, the council will honor the intent of the donors as it stewards that surplus. To all who pledged and gave and prayed and helped solicit funds, a heartfelt thank-you!