Happening This Sunday
Intergenerational Sunday School meets Sunday, October 6, at 9am. This is a Prism Sunday and we’ll worship together in the large sanctuary with a combined Basic English and Standard English service. Afterward, you’re invited to stay for a congregational lunch. After the all-church lunch we’ll be hosting a pick up soccer game at Church of the Servant/ Gainey Athletic Complex. Bring your shorts, shoes, water bottle, and if you have a good ball maybe bring one along. All skill levels welcome for friendly play.
If you are between the ages of 18-30, please join us for our college-aged lunch in the COS living room following today’s worship service (10/06). We will gather together in the living room shortly after the service ends and enjoy a meal and time of fellowship. If you have questions, please see Larry Figueroa or Annette Ediger.
Next Sunday
For Ages 4-100+ – Sunday School begins next Sunday, October 13 at 9am. 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 the ESL room. Sepa Nashale’s “Our Faith” Swahilli 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
The Joyful Noise Orchestra will be leading the music for worship on Sunday, October 13. If you play a band or orchestra instrument, we would love to have you join the ensemble and help us make a joyful noise! This is a good opportunity for novice and experienced musicians to play together, learn from and mentor each other, get to know one another, and worship together. We will rehearse together on Wednesday, October 9 at 6:30pm and on Sunday, October 13 at 9:00am. Music can be picked up in the music room today. Please sign up by either putting your name on the list in the music room or by emailing Maria Stapert (maria.stapert@coscrc.org).
Youth
High School – Big Group meets today after worship! Join us for lunch in the café (look for the BIG yellow flower marking tables for HS students) and then head to the youth room to get ready for the all-church soccer games at Gainey Athletic Complex. Bring your game face! Don’t have one? No worries. We’re bringing supplies to make one. Remember to pack play clothes if you plan to play soccer!
9am Sunday school October 13: This semester, our high school Sunday school class will listen to COS members read chapters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe during class time. So come to the youth room at 9am for donuts followed by a reading and discussion of this classic C.S. Lewis novel. Our first reader: David Campbell!
OFFICIAL YOUTH GROUP KICKOFF MOVED TO OCT. 13 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
3:30pm at COS. All students in grades 9-12 and their friends are
welcome. RSVP is helpful to ensure I have enough pumpkins.)
Church News
Interested in joining the Sunday School team or the Inclusion Support Team?
Please contact Jolanda Howe at jo.howe@coscrc.org or 616.238.1324.
Save the date – Fall Clean-Up Day! Wednesday, October 23, 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.
A friendly reminder not to park on the grass – To keep the building accessible to emergency vehicles, Kentwood Fire Department has requested that no one park on the grass or in the areas where the curb is painted with yellow. Additional parking is available at the plastic surgeon’s office, the dentist’s office and Sylvan Learning Center (across Burton). Last Sunday there were 28 spaces still available in these lots during the service.
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.
New Fiscal Year Giving update – Our giving for this week totaled $10,603.11, including our online giving contributions. Our total general fund giving for the month of September was $86,373.05. Our monthly budgeted general fund giving is set at $119,028. This means we did not meet our projected budgeted amount in September by $32,654.95. This is a 27% difference between actual and budgeted. With five Sundays in September, we only needed to receive $23,805.60 each week, but we received $17,274.60 on average per week which starts the new fiscal year significantly short of meeting our adopted budget. If we do not see an increase in our general fund giving, Council may have to consider budget revisions. Please pray for generous and grateful hearts in giving to our church ministry.
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.
Join us on 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.
Registration is open for the October 10-12 and 24-26 Understanding Racism Workshops. This workshop experience is designed to explore the deep racial complexity of the United States and begin to explore paths for reconciliation. Our goal is to gain insight in understanding systemic racism through the eyes of faith and Scripture. We encourage all leaders and members at Church of the Servant to attend one of these workshops. This effort helps us to become focused and work together to address one of our country’s greatest troubles. Register online at CORRnow.org.