On this Creation Season Sunday, Ruth Padilla DeBorst will preach from Mark 11:15-18 and Isaiah 55:1-3, 56:4-8 in our service in the large worship space. Makema Lwenge will preach in the All Nations Worship Service in room 4. Following worship, you’re invited to stick around for Faith Formation and worship-leading volunteer training opportunities. Lunch will be included with the training.
The 10 am Standard English Service will also be broadcast via Zoom. Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.
Children’s Ministry News:
Essential Safety Training for Children’s Ministry Volunteers, Sunday Sept. 10, 11:45am-1:15pm. Lunch is Provided! If you are considering serving in any of our children or student ministry programs this season, please stay after church this Sunday for lunch and training! We’ll be going over all the required safety protocols as well as training Little Lambs Leaders & Assistants and Children’s Worship Assistants (including all caring, responsible 5th grade students who would like to assist in these ministries!), There will be time for Club Ministry Leaders to brainstorm and plan, and Sunday School Teachers to coordinate schedules. If you were a leader last year and plan to continue on, or if you’d like to learn more about how you could serve in one of our children’s ministry programs, please stay for the training! Ellen Westrate will provide a delicious lunch, so we’ll be nourished and well-prepared for another season of ministry!
Children’s Worship Leader’s Lunch & Gathering, October 2023- Children’s Worship Leaders, please stay tuned for our biannual gathering to refresh our skills as storytellers and liturgists in this special program that’s so beneficial to our children’s spiritual development! Oct. 22nd is the possible date I have in mind, so please hold that open, if possible. Please note this will be in addition to the safety training happening this Sunday, Sept. 10. More details to come…
Children at the Lord’s Supper Class, Sept. 24, 11:45am-12:30pm in the Living Room. We’re offering the next Children at the Lord’s Supper class during the Sunday school hour on Sept. 24. This class is for children to attend with a parent. If your child is curious about, or interested in participating in, the Lord’s supper, please consider attending. I know of several people interested in the class, but please reach out by email (jo.howe@coscrc.org), text (616) 238-1324, phone call, or Whatsapp (same number) to confirm you’ll be available to attend on Sept. 24. And to let me know which child(ren) you’ll be bringing. I’ll respond with further details about what to bring to the class.
Church News:
Current Giving for September: $11,848
General Fund Giving for August: 131,513
August 2022 Giving: $103,919
The COS Human Resources Team is looking for some additional members. The Team meets a few times a year to review policies, job descriptions, and review budgetary items that pertain to staff. If you are interested in participating on the HR Team, contact Corrie Vos, chair.
Worship Leader Training – All scripture readers, liturgists and intercessory prayer leaders, including those who have led in these roles for years and years and those who never have before but might be interested in leading in the future, are strongly encouraged to attend the worship leader training on Sunday, September 10 after worship. We will begin all together in the GPS room at 11:45am with an overview of the parts of our liturgy and their functions. We will later split into sessions specific to each role. Lunch will be provided. We will be finished by 1:15pm.
COS is resuming the All-Church Sunday Meals and Wednesday Clubs Meals in October. On meal Sundays, everyone is invited to remain after worship to eat and fellowship in the Café. On Wednesday Club dates, everyone is invited to have a meal before Clubs begin. However, we are looking for additional volunteers who will stay after the meal and assist the kitchen staff with clean up. This may include wiping down tables, breaking down of tables and chairs, bussing tables, etc. If this is a ministry in which you would be willing to assist, contact the church office at 616.956.7611 or office@coscrc.org.
Tree of Life Service: In 2009 the All Nations Worship Service began as a way to serve our ESL students and refugee families who spoke limited English. When it began, we called it the “Basic English Service” or BES. To distinguish the “original” service from the BES service, we called the service meeting in the large sanctuary the “Standard English Service.” As the BES fellowship has grown and changed since then, one question that emerged was, “Is Basic English Service the most fitting name for who we are becoming and who we sense God is calling us to be?” After a long process of discernment with fits and starts, the BES leadership team approved changing the name of the BES to “All Nations Worship Service” or ANWS. The name All Nations seems to better capture how this service has grown to be a fellowship of believers from many nations who share their gifts for God’s glory and the enrichment of Christ’s church.
But then the name SES didn’t make as much sense. So, the Worship Team started brainstorming new names for the service that meets in the large sanctuary. After months of discernment, the Worship Team chose a name and sent it to Council for approval. The new name for this service is “Tree of Life Service.” This name comes from the large structural steel “tree” that supports the skylight dome above the pulpit and communion circle in the sanctuary.
Job Opening:
Position: Facilities Coordinator
Hours: 15 hours a week
A member of the All Nations fellowship is looking for opportunities to clean homes as a supplement to her full-time job. If you or anyone you know would welcome extra help around the house with cleaning or other chores, please contact Pastor Andrew (andrew.mead@coscrc.org).
The COS grounds are flourishing! Our native plants are growing rapidly and look lovely. But they need some TLC from volunteers who can adopt a garden or section of a garden. Adopter responsibilities include preparing the garden bed in the spring, weeding 3-4 times a summer, watering if there is a drought, transplanting if an area is too thin with plants, and preparing the beds in the fall for their winter nap. Here’s a list of the garden areas, a map of the gardens, and a list of plants in each area with pictures. Do you see an area that you could adopt? If so, please contact Hope Bradley or Monica Smith.
The COS Anti-Racism and Prisoners in Christ Restorative Justice teams will be sponsoring discussion, prayer and action guided by the book Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair by Duke L. Kwon and Gregory Thompson. Opportunities to gather in groups this fall and winter will be announced in the near future. For more information, and to secure a free book, please contact Carol Rienstra or Jo Howe. You may also want to listen to coauthor Greg Thompson’s January Series 2023 talk “To Stick with Love: King’s Vision for Today’s Movement,” at this link, if you missed it in January.
New artist in the Artery! Walk down the Artery and see 28 paintings by artist Mary Bommorito of Lowell. She is known for her beautiful landscapes and especially clouds. Her card is on the window ledge near the courtyard door. Enjoy looking!
Please join us for the ESL/International Women’s Bible study starting Thursday, September 14 at 10 a.m. We come from many countries and would love to add your voice too! This fall we will be studying the book of Daniel, trying to discern God’s direction about how to live as his people in troubled times. Childcare will be provided. Any questions? Contact Barbara Hampton.
Black History Bus Tour of Detroit September 23, 2023. Join the Classis Grand Rapids East Racial Justice team on September 23, 2023 for a Black History Tour of Detroit. While this is a bus trip, there will be some walking through museums and in and out of locations. Our bus limit is 54 people. To reserve your spot, checks of a donation of $30 (addressed to Grand Rapids Classis East) can be mailed to Cindy VanderKodde, and more information can be found at https://rb.gy/s7w0g