This Sunday at COS:
On this Trinity Season Sunday, Rev. Andrew Mead will preach from Amos 5:18-24 Matthew 25:1-13 in the Tree of Life service in the large sanctuary. Ntarambirwa Alexis will preach in the All Nations Worship service in room 4.
Following worship, stick around for Sunday school for all ages including GPS Adult-ed in room 3, Parables Bible Study in the Glass Room, and the All Nations Bible Study in room 4. In Sunday’s Adult-ed GPS session, we welcome Prof. Kevin Timpe discussing: The Philosophy of Gender.
The 10 am Tree of Life Service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.
Events Coming Up:
November 13
Barbie Movie: COS is reserving a theater at Celebration Cinema North at 6:30 pm on Monday, Nov. 13 so that members and friends of COS can enjoy a FREE private screening of the Barbie movie. Popcorn and soda will also be available at a reduced price for members of our group. Members of COS are encouraged to watch this film in preparation for a GPS discussion on Sun., Nov. 19, that examines a Christian response to our culture’s view of gender. Learn more here.
November 20
Blood Drive: You can be a life saver by donating at our blood drive on Monday, November 20, right here in our church cafe. We’re hoping for five first-time donors! It’s an awesome way to celebrate Thanksgiving – by sharing your gift of life with someone who desperately needs it. Please talk with Ruth Huisman or Beth Karanicola for tips on how to be successful in donating. Our church setting is a pleasant and friendly place to donate blood, and we offer great refreshments and conversation afterwards in our canteen. We’re about a week away from the drive. Schedule an appointment through this link: https://donate.michigan.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/150133 or call Ruth, who can make an appointment for you. Thank you, thank you!
November 23
Thanksgiving Service: As is our tradition, we will worship together on Thanksgiving Day at 10 am. We will be blessed by music from Joyful Noise Orchestra and a time of sharing thanksgiving testimonies. More details here.
December 3
Christmas Brunch following our Prism combined worship service. To remind all of how this works: you will be assigned to contribute something based on your last name. Place your food in the café on one of the serving tables before the service. Have the food ready to be served—cut, sliced, and uncovered. The ovens and fridge in the kitchen will be available, as will serving spoons and knives. Enjoy the worship service and then head to the café to enjoy fellowship together. Your serving dish will be on a table near the kitchen.
Last names beginning:
A – E something “brunchy” —egg dish, deviled eggs, etc
F – K bread, muffins, bars or cookies
L – R veggies
S – Z fruit
December 17
O Antiphons Advent service at Church of the Servant – December 17, 2023 at 6 pm.The COS O Antiphons Advent service makes use of a series of medieval prayers referred to as the O Antiphons. They were composed for use in evening prayer services on the last seven days of Advent. They are best known to us as the seven verses of the advent hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Each antiphon is a petition for Christ to come, addressing the Messiah with a title from Old Testament prophecies. In anticipation of this year’s service, we invite members of the congregation to contribute artwork for our worship. If you would like to contribute artwork for this year’s service, please contact Maria Stapert, COS Worship Coordinator. Artwork is not limited to paintings nor limited to professional artists. Learn more here.
December 24
10 am • Prism Service with Intergenerational telling of God’s salvation story (more details coming for how to participate in the service)
11 pm • Communion & candlelight service
December 25
10 am • Christmas Day service
Church Announcements:
The Finance Committee is happy to report that our total income for October was $108,989. Our expenses were not as much as we budgeted, coming in at $99,857. We are pleased that we had a modest surplus for the month of $9,132. We are nearly finished with the annual outside review of our finances and should soon have a full report on our last fiscal year which ended in August 2023. We are grateful for the continuing generosity of our congregation and friends in support of our ministries and mission.
The food pantry here at COS serves dozens of people a month. Individuals and families supplement their basic food items thanks to the generosity of COS friends and members via Meijer Simply Give dollars. However, the Simply Give dollars cannot be used for personal items. Our clients ask for soap, laundry detergent, dish soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and diapers regularly. We provide these items, but it is difficult to keep them in stock. If you would like to donate personal items for our neighbors, please drop them off at the food pantry door or in the church office. Thank you!
Security Team Members Needed: The Security Team is entrusted with keeping the members, guests, and visitors physically safe and secure by endeavoring to make a safe facility, assistance in case of a medical emergency, and basic protection from fire, abuse, and intrusion. This Team is looking for volunteers to rotate Sundays and Wednesdays. For questions, to volunteer, or for a copy of the Security Team Mandate, contact monica.smith@coscrc.org or the church office.
Medical On-Call Team: In addition to more Security Team members, the Security Team is looking to form a sub-group with current or retired medical professionals who would be willing to be on the schedule for a Sunday morning emergency. This person would become the point person for the emergency, with support from the Security Team and Sunday Facilities Coordinator who would contact 911 and direct emergency vehicles. Hopefully, the Medical On-Call Team would be a safety net we don’t use very often. If you are willing and able to be part of the MOCT or for more information, contact the Church Administrator, Monica, or one of the co-chairs of the Security Team Dave Stransky or Isaac Young.