Trinity Season, Week of Sunday, November 8, 2020

On Sunday, November 8,  we will continue to worship using our zoom format, individually, but still as one body, united in Christ  This week Rev. Karen Campbell will bring us a message based on the scriptures of Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 Matt. 2:13-18.   Resources, videos, and liturgies can be found on the Church of the Servant website at coscrc.org/category/housechurch

Children’s Ministry

Girls Club, Kids Club, and Boys Club are (sadly) cancelled until further notice.

Youth

MS & HS Students:

Mobile Food Pantry needs more volunteers this Saturday at COS!  If you have time available to care for members of our community on Saturday morning from 9:15-10:45am, contact Deb Wood to let her know you’re coming. Deb Wood.

Advent Dance: Join in this Sunday at 4:30pm! Can you picture the liturgical dancers slowly parading in to the worship space during Advent to the words of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”? We anticipate that we will not be gathering for worship in our worship spaces this Advent—but we would love to include a video of socially-distanced members of COS performing the Advent dance. You are invited to come Sunday 4:30-5:30pm as we video a host of COS members performing this dance outside at COS. WEAR ALL BLACK!!! Plan to join us for this meaningful dance that captures our longing for the coming of Jesus.

Middle School News: No WNZ this week! See you next week Wednesday for WNZ.  Note: If COVID cases keep rising, we will meet the last 3 Wednesdays of the month via Zoom (Nov. 11, 18, & 25) and we will cancel the in-person meeting at COS on Nov. 15. Stay tuned!

November plans:

Sunday, Nov. 8, 4:30 pm – Advent Dance at COS (see the note above to MS & HS Students) Wear black!

Wed., Nov. 11, 6:30 pm – WNZ

Sun., Nov. 15, 4:30-5:30 pm – Meet in person at COS? (weather & COVID permitting…)

Wed., Nov. 25, 6:30 pm – WNZ 

High School Calendar for November
Sun., Nov. 8,

4:30-5:30 – Meet OUTSIDE at COS; 

4:30-5pm – debrief election trauma/worship moment around bonfire behind COS;

5-5:30pm – Advent Dance (wear black if you plan to participate—and I think you should!  See above announcement for MS & HS students for more info.)

Sun., Nov. 15,

8pm Zoom- Racism discussion 

Sun., Nov. 22.

4:30-5:30 – Meet at COS (COVID & weather permitting)


Church News

It’s here… COS Blood Drive Monday!  We are looking for new and returning donors at the blood drive in our building on Monday, November 9, 2-7pm. The need for donations is great…will you share your gift of life? Please schedule your appointment to donate on the Versiti website: https://donate.michigan.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/121464. As of November 4, there were still 20 appointment slots available. All donors and staff will wear masks, and social distancing will be observed as much as possible. [More information about Versiti safety protocols can be found at https://www.versiti.org/home/coronavirus-information.]
Note that the Covid antibody test will be performed on all successful donations. This test will inform donors if they have antibodies reflective of a prior COVID-19 infection; it is not to inform donors if they currently have COVID-19.
If you have questions or need help with scheduling, please contact Ruth Huisman (337-9763). Thank you for making time for this important gift to our community! And thank you to those already signed up!

Dark Times, Deep Grace continues Wednesday evenings at 8.30 pm on our COS facebook group.  We simply read God’s word together and encourage you to draw and use the vehicle of art as an opportunity to slow down and notice how God is present through his word.  Our guest artist this week will be Paul Stoub. We know that this is a time requiring deep wisdom from each one of us. As it says in James, a wisdom that is from on high is pure, peace loving, considerate, full of mercy and good fruits.  Therefore, our passages will come from the Wisdom literature of Proverbs.  The session is recorded so if you miss it on Wednesday nights you can catch up during the week by looking for the recording on the COS facebook group. You can also view the videos on the COS website online here.

Anti-racism zoom discussions with Coit Church November 8 and 15, 6:30-8 p.m.  Week 1 will focus on “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson.  Even if you haven’t watched themovie and/or read the book by Nov. 9, you are welcome to sign up and listen in to the discussion.  Week 2 will give opportunity for personal responses to the themes of proximity and forgiveness during a time of physical isolation and political polarization.  Deacons approved Coit Church as the designated recipient of this year’s Thanksgiving offering and invite all COS members to give generously between now and the end of November via the online giving portal.

Financial Update- Last week’s offering and online giving:$19,163

Estimated Giving for the month of November: $19,163 (4 Sundays left)

Our monthly General Fund budget is $112,926.

Advent Dance – Join on Sunday, November 8 at 4:30pm for the recording of the Advent dance video of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” for our upcoming Zoom services.  We will rehearse/learn the dance from 4:30-5:00pm and record from 5:00-5:30pm.  Meet in the courtyard behind the church and wear all black.  Wear a mask (black or purple would be great.  If not, something simple…without lots of designs or logos…would be preferable.) Dancers ages 5 and up are welcome to join.  Contact Julie Yonkers with questions.

Your help is needed for an updated directory! We are going to be printing a new directory, but we need your help to update your family information.  The Online Member Center can be accessed here: https://servantkeeper.com/member-portal/church-of-the-servant  The “Members and friends” link on the COS website should direct members to this same page. If you haven’t already done so, on your first visit you will be asked to log in. This requires entering your FAMILY email. There is one login per family, rather than individual logins for each person. Once you have logged in, you can look at your personal family profile, view contribution history, etc. You can also access the online congregational directory. 

Please update incorrect information and provide a current family photo!

If you are not sure what your family email is, or if you have other questions, please contact diane.jonker@coscrc.org or dave.hartwell@coscrc.org

Mobile Food Pantry – This Sat. Nov. 7 from 9-11am, a drive-thru Mobile Food Pantry will take place in the COS parking lot. If you would like to volunteer, please email Deb Wood. (Deb has joined the team of Food truck coordinators as the administrative assistant. Thank you to her and to coordinators: Dan Voetberg, Ross and Hugh Buitendorp, Flint and Stephanie Sacket. We appreciate your faithful and important service in distributing 5000lbs of food to nearly 140 families each month.

Our Meijer Simply Give program continues! This COS food pantry benefit will run 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 collecting new and hand-knit hats, gloves, and warm socks for the students at Ridge Park Charter Academy.  The students are in grades K-8th grade. Many of the children live in the Camelot neighborhood.  COS will have a container in the entryway of the front doors.  We will collect these winter items in October, November and December, bringing the items to the school each month. Thank you to all of you who help keep our neighborhood kids warm this winter!