This Sunday:
This Sunday, September 18, in our 50th Anniversary Celebration Service, Rev. Jack Roeda will preach from Isaiah 61: 1-3 and Colossians 1:13-20 in our Prism Combined service. We invite everyone to stick around after the service for an all-church meal, followed by tours of the new Welcome Home on the COS property.
The 10 am large service will be streamed via Zoom.
Sign up for our Newsletter to receive the Zoom links.
Children’s Ministry News:
Faith Formation Registration for Children Under 18. With programs starting soon, we need updated registration forms to help keep your kids safe and prepare for the season ahead. Please use this registration link. This year we’re making the form less complicated, so you’ll fill out an individual registration form for each of your children. (Note: You’ll log into the link a second time to enter your second child, a third time for your third, etc.). We’re trying to keep this form short, so it shouldn’t take long. Paper copies of the form are available at the children’s welcome station at the entrance of the church. Please fill in the online form or turn in the paper form to Annette or Jolanda by Wednesday Sept. 21.
Sunday School Kickoff on Sept. 25, 11:45am-12:30pm! (Ages 4 to Adult). Our kickoff Sunday will be a great chance to find your children’s Sunday school rooms and meet their teachers! This year’s schedule will be more consistent that last year (Lord-willing!) with Sunday school on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of the month, and nursery available for kids 3 and under. We’re still looking for two more teachers to teach as a pair on rotating Sundays with another team of two for the 4-year-old to 1st grade level. This would involve teaching on average 2 or 1 times per month, with prep-work and set up done in advance for you, so you can simply review your lesson and show up ready to teach. Please let Jolanda Howe if you might interested in serving!
Wednesday Night Meal (5:30pm-6:30pm and Program (6:30-7:30pm) Kickoff on September 28! Girls Club and Boys Club for 2nd-6th grade and Wednesday Night Live for 7th-8th grade kicks off on the last Wednesday of September and then continues the first 3 Wednesdays of October and Nov. and the first Wednesday of Dec. before a winter break. All ages are welcome to join in the meal, and nursery will be available for young children during the program time, 6:30-8:00pm.
Makeup Volunteer Training, Sunday, Oct. 9 During Sunday School (11:45am-12:30pm). If you plan to volunteer in any of our children or youth ministry programs this season, but missed the first volunteer training event, please attend on Oct. 9 during the Sunday school hour. The room location will be announced on Oct. 9. Thank you for serving!
Church News:
Current Giving for the month of September(includes monthly ach): $36,482
Giving for the month of August: $99,328
Giving for September 2021: $75,587
Monthly budgeted General Fund Giving is: $118,873
It is time to begin thinking about 2023 giving envelopes. We ask that you fill out a form which you can find in your COS mailbox (or this online form) if you would like to continue/begin receiving giving envelopes in 2023. Please plan to mail the form to COS or drop off to COS office by September 20th. If you have any questions, please contact Angelica Zahrt, Treasurer by email aj.zahrt@coscrc.org or by phone 616-956-7611 ext 29.
We express our thanks for two years of dedicated work by Sandy Palmatter as COS’s Facilities Coordinator. Sandy has accepted the Supervisor Of Academic Buildings position at Calvin University, where she was employed before COS. Sandy’s last day at COS will be Sunday, September 25. Those who attend and work at Calvin will be blessed with Sandy’s knowledge and skill.
2022 marks the thirteenth year of the New Psalm Contest at Church of the Servant, but the history of encouraging new songwriters is as old as the church, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. We look forward to continuing the tradition of encouraging new songs for the church through this contest. We have enjoyed the quality and diversity of entries over the past twelve years, and we would be delighted if you would take part or spread the news to those who might have a new Psalm to share for this year’s contest. Submissions must be emailed or postmarked by October 1, 2022. The winning songs will be premiered in worship on February 12, 2023. Learn more on the COS website.
We have been staffing the church’s front desk with volunteers for the past few months. We would like to continue doing this for a few additional months but are looking for additional volunteers. This work includes answering the phone, answering the front door, assisting Food Pantry walk-ins, and various order entry tasks. The hours are Mondays-Fridays from 10:00am-3:00pm. We are particularly in need for someone on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. There is plenty of down-time, so you could bring a book or knit. If you are interested or would like additional information, contact Monica at monica.smith@coscrc.org or call the church office. Thank you to the current volunteers, the Staff greatly appreciates your willingness to serve COS in this way.
Bible Study – save the date! Thursday, September 22 Bible Study will begin again for the fall (9:30-11:00). We are going to be doing a study entitled: Questions Jesus Asks (Study Guides will be available on the 22nd). All are invited and welcome. Childcare will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Parents of young children: as you see from the above announcement there is an intergenerational Bible study that meets on Thursdays with childcare available. There has also been a request that there is a time for dads/moms with a baby or preschoolers to have an opportunity for play and conversation. So how about getting together on Tuesdays from 9:30-11. Meet in Room 5 (beyond the café toward the end of the hall). Contact Nancy Remelts at rememltsn@gmail.com for questions.
If you have a 2021 Church Directory, you may notice it is outdated in many ways. Therefore, we are setting a goal to print a new Church Directory in January 2023. We need the help of everyone by sending an updated photo. Secondly, if you have moved, new phone number, email, etc., we would appreciate those updates as well. Send photos and updates to monica.smith@coscrc.org.
Position Opening – All Nations Worship Coordinator
Compensation: 20 hours/week starting at $18/hour
Reports to: Co-Pastor Andrew Mead
Summary of Position: To cultivate, empower, and sustain a multicultural, multilingual worshipping community. The All Nations Worship Coordinator will work as part of a team consisting of Co-Pastor Andrew, Co-Pastor Karen, All Nations music teams, the All Nations Music Assistant, and the SES Worship Coordinator. A key component for cultivating multicultural worship will be building relationships across a variety of cultures. In collaboration with the team listed above, the All Nations Worship Coordinator will find creative ways to gather songs and enable them to be sung as part of the worship services that ensures a colorful expression of kingdom worship across cultures. This requires creating space for the spiritual gifts of many congregants to be offered in the service. Overseeing the weekly administration of the service – from volunteer involvement to service planning – is also key to the success of this position. Find the complete job description here
CCT Prayers: As we worship through the Creation Season, the Creation Care Team will have a daily prayer item on which to meditate. There are paper copies of the calendar available at the Welcome Desk. Each day, a post will be on the private Facebook Group as a reminder.
The Classis Grand Rapids East workday with Habitat for Humanity has been rescheduled to Saturday, October 8. The building permit has been granted and the hole dug on Diamond Street. The house will be a three-plex built with insulated concrete forms – i.e., styrofoam Lego blocks. We are looking for a small number of volunteers to represent COS. If you would like to help, contact Jim Bradley.
The ESL Women’s Bible study begins on Thursday, September 22 at 10 a.m. We will be looking at the life of Jesus this year through Matthew and through a Psalm and another Old Testament passage that relate to that particular incident in Jesus’ life. We are calling our sessions this year “Two Books–One Jesus.” You are welcome to join us though we want to keep a balance between Americans and internationals. Perhaps you have an international friend you’d like to bring along to be with us? In any case, we do appreciate your prayers for our times together in Scripture. Questions? Contact Barbara Hampton.
Choir – After a covid hiatus, the COS Choir is back this year! New and old members (young and old, veteran singers and newbies) are all welcome to sing with the choir. Melissa Janes will be directing; she brings her beautiful voice and lots of choral conducting experience to this role. We will have our first rehearsal next Wednesday, September 21 from 6:30pm – 8:00pm, and we will be leading the music for worship on Sunday, September 25 (also rehearsing at 9am on Sunday morning.) For the rest of the rehearsal and service dates for the 2022-2023 year, pick up a paper copy of the schedule placed in all the mailboxes in the sanctuary. There will be extra copies in the music room for those who don’t have a sanctuary mailbox. You can also email maria.stapert@coscrc.org to be placed on the email list to get updates for the choir.
Joyful Noise Orchestra – The Joyful Noise Orchestra will be leading the music for worship on Sunday, October 2. Anyone who plays a band or orchestra instrument is welcome to join. This is a particularly good opportunity for younger or less-experienced musicians to get their feet wet with participating in the music leadership at church. But veteran musicians are also needed to mentor the younger musicians. We will rehearse on Wednesday, September 28 from 6:30-8:00pm and on Sunday, October 2 from 9:00-10:00am. Music will be available in the music room this Sunday. Please either email Maria Stapert (maria.stapert@coscrc.org) or sign up in the music room so we know to plan on you.
Scripture Reading – Anyone is welcome to sign up to read scripture for our worship services. We need two readers every Sunday, and we value seeing a variety of people participating in this way. Children who are confident readers are welcome to sign up. Scripture texts will be emailed to you on Wednesday afternoon. To sign up for a date, go to the church website: https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/worship/ and click on the link for scripture reading.
You may have noticed the 3 large piles of wood chips in the parking lot. Creation Care Team need help in weeding the areas these can be placed and moving the mulch. CCT members will be at church on Monday (19th) 9am to noon, Wednesday 10am till noon (21st) and Saturday (24th) from 9am till 2pm.
People from 12 nation-backgrounds came to learn English with us: Ukraine, Egypt, Afghanistan, Peru, Guatemala, Somalia, Palestine, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Korea, China, and Taiwan (formally China we know). Want to join this international outreach? Contact Mark Fackler.
Bible Study: This Thursday (9/22) from 9:30-11:00 we will be considering Jesus’ question: “What do you want?” from John 1:29-42, his first words spoken in John’s gospel. Come join us for coffee, fellowship, sharing and learning. Childcare is also provided.
COS is resuming the First Sunday Meals in October. Everyone is invited to remain after worship to eat and fellowship in the Café. However, we are looking for 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.