This Week:

On this Trinity Season Sunday, Pastor Andrew Mead will preach from Luke 17:20-25 in the Tree of Life service in the large sanctuary. Bernard Ayoola will preach from Ephesians 6:1-4 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.

GPS this Sunday: Zachary Wagner, author of Non-Toxic Masculinity
Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality will present From “Toxic” Privilege to Loving Sacrifice: How Jesus and the Gospel Revolutionize Male Identity

Christians often feel stuck between cultural and Christian scripts of masculinity. We see and want to address the struggles and crises associated with masculinity in broader society and in the church. But sometimes our appeals to the “biblical” vision of masculinity only betray our own biases instead of illuminating what Jesus and the apostles actually said. Through the lens of male sexuality, we’ll take another look at what a theologically and biblically informed vision of renewed humanity can and should look like. We’ll also see how an identity built around the Christian virtue of love can not only enable men to live in freedom and joy but also empower them for service and the work of justice. (Both men and women are welcome and encouraged to attend!)

Sunday Night: return to COS for our 6 pm All Saints Testimony Service. The service will include testimonies in which a few people give a brief testimony about a person—dead or living—who has modeled the Christian life for them. This year we will hear from Helen Bonzelaar, Dianne Shapiro, and Jay Ediger.

The 10 am Tree of Life Service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.   

Church News:

Sunday, December 3, we will have the COS Annual Christmas Brunch. We are asking for volunteers for a set-up team and a clean-up team. If you are willing and able to participate in either team, contact the church office.

O Antiphons Advent service at Church of the Servant – December 17, 2023 at 6 p.m. 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.

Are you new or relatively new to Church of the Servant? Whether you’re interested in either learning more about our mission and ministries or officially joining COS, you’re warmly invited to participate in the fall New Members Class. We will meet in the Living Room at the COS building, just to the left of the main entrance as you enter, from 11:45 am to 12:30 pm all four Sundays of November beginning November 5th. Childcare is provided. Questions are welcome throughout. Apart from learning about COS, this is also a great opportunity to grow in relationships with others. Contact Ben Videtich at ben.videtich@coscrc.org to join or to ask any questions.

COS HR Committee needs assistance from a member who has some HR experience. We meet about four times a year, that’s all. If you can serve in this way, please contact Corrie Vos. We really need you.

A Way to Give Thanks: We have another blood drive coming up – on Monday, November 20, 2-7pm in our fellowship space. Many of our faithful donors have already made appointments to give, but we need more to reach our goal. We especially desire some first-time donors. Would you consider sharing your precious gift of life? There’s a patient somewhere in Michigan that desperately needs a blood transfusion. You could be the answer to that need! Follow this link to the drive schedule and reserve a time that works for you: https://donate.michigan.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/150133  Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions. Thank you, thank you! Ruth Huisman and Beth Karanicola.

Service of Lament, Confession, and Repentance – Sunday, November 5 at 6 p.m. This special service on Nov. 5 will seek to acknowledge the harm our congregation has caused LGBTQ member since its inception, ask forgiveness, and seek reconciliation. This is one opportunity for us to lean into our Statement of Belonging as we reach for unity and work to grow into a community of refuge and hope for the future. Please join.

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.

Rev. Bernard Ayoola, a Christian Reformed pastor and head of the African Resource Center of West Michigan, will be preaching in All Nations on October 29 from Ephesians 6 on a biblical view of parent-child relationships (teens, in particular). For the Bible study session afterward, he will facilitate a question-and-answer session on parenting children in a new and challenging culture. All are welcome to attend either the service or the class afterward, especially if you care about the many teenagers who attend COS. Rev. Ayoola’s visit is part of the ongoing Bible studies on marriage and family life in All Nations.

Upcoming Educational and Fellowship Opportunities:

October 29, GPS: Zach Wagner is traveling from England to present on his book Non-Toxic Masculinity: Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality

November 5: All Church meal

November 12, GPS: Kevin Timpe presenting on the Philosophy of Gender

Date TBD: Screening of Barbie for COS members at Celebration Cinema (more details coming)

November 17, GPS: Movie discussion of Barbie moderated by Debra Rienstra, Madeline Witvliet, Annaka Ediger, and Stacy Steen