Excerpts from the COS Bulletin. For the full bulletin, please visit the Members and Friends portal.

Happening This Sunday

The new member class meets Sunday, November 11 and will meet next Sunday, Nov. 18 at 9 am in the living room (near the office at the front entrance). Contact Chris Klein, chris.klein@coscrc.org 956-7611, with questions.

Parish 3 (formerly Parish 4) Potluck this Sunday: Everyone in our Parish is invited to a potluck dinner today, Nov. 11. We will begin immediately following the coffee hour. Beverages and table service provided. Please bring a dish to share if possible. Contact Dan/Nancy Brower, Pam Plantinga, or Natalia Connelly if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

Sunday, Nov. 11, Stuart and Peggy Milliken will visit COS. Stuart and Peggy are financially supported by COS and work through the Jian Hua Foundation in China. After the morning service they will give us an update on their work and on concerns that have developed recently that they would like us to be informed about.  Please plan to stay and join the conversation with them. 

This Sunday we also remember brothers and sisters across the world who are persecuted for their religious beliefs. This week, please check the memorial table in the large worship space, which reminds us to pray for the persecuted church.

Youth News

High School and Middle School

Reminder – there is a parent meeting in the youth room at noon today. It will be important, but brief. High schoolers and middle schoolers are welcome to attend.

Church News

Thank you to those who have already turned in your pledge forms. Your personal pledge, regardless of the amount, is important to the work of the church. As you prayerfully consider your pledge, we ask that you consider the exciting ways in which God can use you and your gifts in the coming year. Additional pledge forms are located on the café counter.

The Thursday Bible study meets this week on November 15, 9:30 – 11am, Col. 3:5-17, Lesson 5 in the café area, childcare provided.  EVERYONE is welcome! 

Joyful Noise Orchestra will be leading the music for our Thanksgiving Day service.  If you play a band or orchestra instrument you are invited to join us!  If you’ve never played with us before, this is a really good service to start with.  Music is available in the music room today.  We will rehearse on Wednesday, November 14 at 6:30pm and on Thursday, November 22 at 9:00am before our 10:00am service.  If you have any questions, please contact Maria Stapert (maria.stapert@coscrc.org).

GREAT NEWS! COS has been awarded the Meijer Simply Give holiday campaign again this year from November 18- December 29, 2018! Last year this campaign generated nearly $25,000 in Meijer Gift cards to purchase food for our in-house Food Pantry which serves over 100 families a month. These low income families and individuals are from our neighborhood and from our church. More details will come over the next few weeks! 

Friendship ESL as COS — New enrollments since last notice; from Iraq, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic.  If getting to know the world 3-4 persons at a time is your emergent calling, consider ESL at COS.  No-obligation visits at all sessions.  Come and see.

The youth of COS will be holding a Puerto Rican-themed fundraising dinner and auction on Wed., Dec. 5, 5-7pm.  If you have items you would like to donate, contact Annette Ediger.

Don’t forget to check out the bulletin board outside the Youth Room where COS members may offer to donate to our PR trip, and youth can thank them by doing some volunteer work for them.  Forms are available by the bulletin board.  Fill one out today!

Share your gift of life – Blood Drive here Monday , 2-7pm (Monday, 11/12).  Give in memory of, or in honor of, someone dear to you. If you are healthy, over age 17, and weigh at least 110 pounds, we encourage you to be a blood donor. The process takes about one hour of your time, and will greatly bless another person(s). Every donor is important! Appointments can still be made online at versiti.org/michigan until midnight tonight. Tomorrow we can only accommodate walk-ins if there is room on the schedule.   Many, many thanks!

Did you know we send out a short COS newsletter every Friday? The newsletter offers a quick snapshot of the upcoming weekend, helpful links, reminders of important events, and the week’s calendar. If you are not receiving the Friday Newsletter, please first check your junk folder or promotions tab in your email. If the newsletters are not there, contact dave.hartwell@coscrc.org to be added to the list. Also, please add office@coscrc.org to your email address book to help prevent the newsletter from being filtered into a spam folder.

Thank you to all who donated hats, scarves, socks and gloves/mittens for our Camelot neighbors! We will continue collecting these items for a second distribution at our next Mobile Food Pantry Sat. Dec.1. The collection basket is in the café.