Week of Christ the King Sunday, November 22, 2020
On Sunday, November 22, we will continue to worship using our zoom format, individually, but still as one body, united in Christ This week Rev. Andrew Mead will bring us a message based on the scriptures of Habakkuk 3:1-19 and Rev. 19:1-5. Resources, videos, and liturgies can be found on the Church of the Servant website at coscrc.org/category/housechurch
Thanksgiving Worship -On Thursday, November 26 we will have a 10am Zoom service. The service will include a short liturgy, a time for people to share brief Thanksgiving testimonies, as is our tradition. Our worship will conclude with a virtual Joyful Noise Orchestra rendition of Now Thank We All Our God
GPS – This Sunday (11/22), the second of a two- part series with Cory Willson, the Jake and Betsy Tuls Assistant Professor of Missiology and Missional Ministry at Calvin Seminary and Co-Author of Work and Worship: Reconnecting our Labor and Liturgy. Title: Attuning to God’s presence in work and in gathered worship amidst a pandemic. Part 2: Practices for gathering and scattering as God’s people. Here is a link for information on the book: http://cdn.bakerpublishinggroup.com/processed/book-resources/files/Excerpt_9781540961983.pdf?1598622150
Church News
Thanksgiving Offering: COS Deacons invite us to please give generously to support Coit Community Church using our online giving portal, choose the 5th option: Thanksgiving Offering for Coit Church – and fill in the amount you wish to give. Or you can send a check to COS with Thanksgiving Offering on the Memo line. Check out their Facebook page.
Due to Thanksgiving Day, please submit bulletin announcements by 9am this Wednesday.
Interested in becoming a COS member? New members (virtual) classes begin this Sunday at 9am. Sign up by contacting either Nancy Remelts remeltsn@gmail.com or Karen Campbell karen.campbell@coscrc.org
Financial Update- Last week’s offering and online giving: $18,826.38
Current Giving for the month of November: $79,625.20 (2 Sundays left)
Our monthly General Fund budget is $112,926.
The Finance Team encourages you to review the COS 2019-20 year-end financial report in the Friday newsletter and on the member log in.
Thank you for your faithful giving through this pandemic!
Church of the Servant is searching for a Congregational Life Coordinator to sustain and deepen a community of care and belonging within COS. This part-time position (20 hrs/wk) will seek to strengthen structures of pastoral care, encourage household fellowship, enfold newcomers, and support emerging ministries of fellowship for all of God’s children. The position description can be found here. Please send inquires to the chairperson of the Congregational Life Team, Nancy Remelts (remeltsn@gmail.com) and Pastor Andrew Mead (andrew.mead@coscrc.org).
If your directory information isn’t correct or you don’t have a fairly recent photo, please take time to update it! On your first visit to your online profile, you will be asked to enter your FAMILY email and set up a password.The Online Member Center can be accessed here:
https://servantkeeper.com/member-portal/church-of-the-servant If you need any help please contact diane.jonker@coscrc.org or dave.hartwell@coscrc.org
Our Meijer Simply Give program continues through Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. If you give online before December 12, COS staff will automatically apply your funds to Double Match Days. You may give here: https://tinyurl.com/y4qn27n4 Meijer Simply Give Double Match days are Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020 and Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. On those days, for every $10 card purchase, Meijer will match this with $20, so the COS food pantry will benefit with a $30 gift! If you buy a $30 Meijer Simply Give card, it will turn into a $90 gift to the COS food pantry. Give easily online OR you may purchase your Simply Give cards in person at the Cascade Meijer, anytime during the campaign, but preferably on the Double Match Days.
Children’s winter hats, gloves, and sock drive – We are still collecting new and hand-knit hats, gloves, and warm socks for the students at Ridge Park Charter Academy through December. COS has a container in the entryway of the front doors for easy drop-off. Thank you!!
COS’s Prisoners in Christ team has reflected on how our work enhances the mission of COS. Over the past 16 years, we have sought to practice restorative justice–“bringing people together to make things right.” Our mindset has been to see all people as offenders in need of mercy and grace. We are all captives (prisoners) to sin, and in need of the love that Christ freely offers to set us free. The lens through which we have looked at people who are impacted by incarceration is a lens that sees the need for healing the harms caused by crime and punishment – a restorative justice lens, not a retributive, judgmental lens. We are so grateful for guidance and inspiration from our founder, Troy Rienstra. Now off parole, he has moved into his next role, directing Nation Outside, the Voice of Formerly Incarcerated People. Working with Nation Outside and other organizations, the Prisoners in Christ Restorative Justice team wants to contribute to the common goal of raising up a new generation of kingdom workers. We invite anyone who is interested in joining us to contact Arend VanderPols (arend@avpservices.net), Troy Rienstra (troy.nationoutside@gmail.org), or Carol Rienstra (carolrienstra@gmail.com)
Classis Grand Rapids East invites its member congregations to participate in W. Michigan Community Organizing training via Zoom on Thurs. evening, Dec. 10. Check with Carol Rienstra (carolrienstra@gmail.com) or Lori Wiersma (lori.wiersma@coscrc.org) for more info about this opportunity to inform and focus our “seeking justice” efforts for the common good of the western Michigan community.
Christmas shopping for Angel Tree ends Dec. 1! Our PinC team will give the children of prisoners presents in the form of gift cards, sent virtually by Prison Fellowship. We have asked for 10 children and will need to raise $220 to do this. If we raise more, we can give to more children. These will be local children and we intend to follow up with their families. Any extra funds will be used to send Angel Tree children to Camp Tall Turf when that becomes possible again. Please send donations to COS and mark them as “Angel Tree.” Contact Lucie Marsden with questions: lucie.marsden@gmail.com