Happening This Sunday

Sunday School begins this Sunday, October 13 at 9 am. On every Sunday except the first Sunday of the month, adults meet in Fellowship Space #3, Barbara Hampton’s “Our Faith” study meets in the ESL room. Sepa Nashale’s “Our Faith” Swahili Bible study meets in the Glass Room, High school students meet in the youth room, 7th/8th grade meets room 19 (down the nursery hallway), 4-6th grades meet in the classrooms behind the mailboxes, kindergarten – 3rd grade meet in the nursery extension, and preschool will meet in the children’s wing. Nursery is available for children age three and under. Banners above the doors also indicate which group meets where.

A ‘Welcome to the Table’ (children and communion) class will be offered Sunday, October 13, following worship:  Meeting in the Living Room 11:45am, the class is designed for children who may wish to participate in the Lord’s Supper at a later date (a parent should attend with their child). This is an age-appropriate class about the meaning of participation in this family meal of grace. To sign up, please send an email to jo.howe@coscrc.org

Next Sunday

You are invited to attend an exciting event after the 10 am services on Sunday, October 20.  An inter-cultural Songfest will kick off the event, at which multiple BES members will share music from their own home countries in a spirit of thanksgiving and praise.  We will also enjoy a Friends of New Americans lunch provided by Ellen Westrate while sitting at tables with an intentional mix of folks from different cultures and backgrounds.  Come and experience the joy of Christian musical traditions and styles from around the world while sharing a meal with new and old friends. A sign-up sheet will be in the Cafe area.

Youth

Official youth group kick-off happening this Sunday after church! And you don’t want to miss it. Glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark paint, fire, pumpkins, food… Be there. (Event will end at 3:30 pm at COS. All students in grades 9-12 and their friends are welcome.  RSVP is helpful to ensure I have enough pumpkins.)

Upcoming events: Small Groups should meet in the next week or 2.

4 for 4 meets on Sun., Oct. 27 after church.  What is 4 for 4? It’s a youth group event on the 4th Sunday of every month that involves 4 things: a meal (pizza!) plus 3 additional activities: brownie baking & discussion, a sports activity (joe-ball, soccer, basketball, volleyball…), and/or a board game/card game/gaming activity. Something for everyone!

Church News

Fall Clean-Up Day! Wednesday, October 23, from 4pm to dusk. Every Fall and Spring, members and friends gather at COS to help rake leaves, trim bushes, and weed gardens. Please join us for the early evening (with your gardening gloves and rakes, spades, etc) and stay for pizza. All ages welcome.

Seeking Swahili and French-speaking Sunday school teachers and assistants for K-6th grade Sunday school.  If you enjoy children, want to help them grow in faith, and can serve once or twice a month as a lead teacher or assistant, please contact Jolanda Howe at jo.howe@coscrc.org or 616.238.1324. 

Our giving for this week totaled $35,206.70 including online giving and our monthly ACH. Our total general fund giving for the month of October is $35,206.70.

Elder Connection: You are welcome to stop in, with or without an appointment, to chat with me, your Chairperson of Elders, Corrie Vos, on most Tuesday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00. Please come and tell me about your experiences at COS, or talk with me about personal concerns, spiritual questions, ideas for church improvement, etc. It is my prayer that our conversations can be beneficial for you, for me, and for COS, and affirm that we are a fellowship of God’s children.

Join us this Wed. Oct. 16 at 6:30pm for a conversation with Jordan Roeda and Rebecca Deng Roeda. Rebecca lost home and family to violence in South Sudan and has written a book, What They Meant for Evil. Today, married to Jordan, she and her family will return to Africa as community developers in partnership with the Pentecostal Theological College in Uganda.

November Gallery Opening Event, hosted by the BES & the Mission Support Team, Monday, Nov. 11 at 7PM. This show will showcase and support “People of Light”, shining their lights as missionaries around the world and as members of BES here in our community.   

The photography in the show, taken by COS-supported missionaries and their friends, represents the ways God’s light and love shines in the places these missionaries serve. The paintings and artwork in the show were created by BES attendees and friends, with Mariah West and Jan Carpenter sharing their own paintings of light. Jan & Mariah have generously offered a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their work to support COS’ Mission Support Fund.  Mariah and other BES friends also did a collaborative piece with the emerging youth artists of BES, with each artist sharing how they shine their light and show God’s love in the world. The event is free with a suggested donation of $5/person. The evening will feature a conversation with the collaborators, live music, appetizers and wine. RSVPs on our COS facebook event page are appreciated.

Have you been thinking about joining COS?  We offer a new member class each spring and fall.   This class starts on November 3 with a luncheon at the church where we will sit together and talk about the process. Then on Nov. 10, 17 and 24 we will gather in the living room at 9am to hear about the history of COS and meet the staff and learn how you can be involved in the life of the church. Please let the office know at diane.jonker@coscrc.org or Chris Klein, Minister of Congregational Life, at christopher.klein@coscrc.org. Hope to see you there!

On Friday, November 1, Coffee Break, the Christian Reformed Church’s Bible study ministry, is joining with the ESL Bible study at Church of the Servant for a morning of training future ESL Bible study leaders from within the ESL community.  We are looking for two to four women to bless this group of these potential leaders by serving in the nursery to care for their children. We anticipate about half a dozen pre-school children at most.  The morning will start at 8:30 and end at 12:30, so if you are able to give two hours, we can split the time commitment.