Trinity Season, Week of Sunday, September 27, 2020

On Sunday, September 27, we will continue to worship in homes, individually, but still as one body as we seek to be prisms of God’s light in liturgy and in life. This week Rev. Andrew Mead will bring us a message based on the scriptures of Hosea 6:1-3 and Phil. 3:4b-16.

Resources, videos, and liturgies can be found on the Church of the Servant website at coscrc.org/category/housechurch

Vesper service — On Sunday evening, September 27 at 6pm, please join our outdoor service. These outdoor services are in addition to our 10 am Sunday morning Zoom services. This will be a 30-minute Vesper-inspired service in the courtyard. Pastor Karen Campbell will lead us in a meditation on Matt. 6:5-15.

Some notes about the service:

  • To encourage social distancing and safety, the service is limited to 100 participants. Some spots are already reserved for members requiring technical assistance, so don’t delay in registering for your spots!
  • Masks will be required when entering and exiting the area but may be removed while in the circles. 
  • Singing is allowed, but masks will be required while singing.
  • Children are welcome, and there will be children’s programming available.
  • Please bring your own chair. If you are not able to bring a chair, please indicate on the form and a chair will be provided. Umbrellas are highly recommended for shade.
  • When coming to the service, please park on the west end of the COS parking lot and enter the courtyard using the sidewalk along the west side of the building.


As we work together to hold these services as safely as possible, we encourage everyone to extend grace during this process. Staff, leadership, and the COVID response team will assess how things go, and listen to feedback, to help facilitate the most possible participation.
Church News

The JAMES Bible study will continue next week in this way:  starting on TUESDAY evening the 28th the whole group presentation will be available on the COS Facebook page and website.  It will be a study of James 1: 19- 27, Lesson 2.  Then on THURSDAY the 30th there will be small group discussions meeting at  COS, inside, in rooms 3, 4, and 5.  They will be conducted with appropriate distancing and masks.  Please bring your own coffee!  Use the front, main door.  These discussion groups will BEGIN AT 10: 00.  Everyone is welcome!  There will probably be a zoom discussion group also.  Details of that will follow.

September Prayer Month is nearly finished. We hope that this prayer journey is sparking fresh vision and renewing your energy for the fullness of life in this world and the world to come. We are following the book Pray the Word for Your Church by Tiece L King. If you are able please purchase the book. Videos of these prayers, read by COS members, are posted each day to our YouTube Channel, to the COS website, and to our Facebook page and twitter profile.

Each Wednesday at 8:30 pm for the rest of September, we will have a 30-minute live conversation on a prayer practice – and hopefully practice together!

Wednesday Nights at COS is back for September!  Join us every Wednesday in September from 6-7pm for IN PERSON, OUTDOOR, SOCIALLY DISTANCED activities designed to foster fellowship and nurture faith while creatively digging into our 4 prayer themes for this month: Unity, Justice, Reconciliation, Guidance. Members and friends of all ages are welcome!  Please plan to bring a blanket and/or chairs for your household to sit on during this event. Tickets are strongly encouraged but not required. Note: This event is limited to 100 people—so request your spots soon!

Save the date!   Our fall Work Day will be Monday, October 19th from 4pm to 7pm.  The rain date will be the following week Monday.

COS is seeking to hire an interim music coordinator for 10 hours per week to help supplement the workload connected to our worship services.  The closing date is Monday 28th September and all applications may be sent to ron.rienstra@gmail.com and maria.stapert@coscrc.org 
To view the job posting: http://coscrc.org/musiccoordinator

Please join in welcoming Sam Szwabowski to COS as our seminary intern! If you see Sam (virtually or in person!), please make him feel welcome in the COS fellowship. Here’s a brief introduction from Sam:
I am from St. Joseph, Michigan and I grew up in the Catholic Church. I’m in my first year at Calvin Theological Seminary pursuing a Masters of Divinity.  In my undergrad, I graduated from Calvin University in the spring with a degree in business (marketing) and a minor in entrepreneurship.  I had the privilege of playing basketball for two years with the Calvin men’s team.  Also, I got to go aboard, and I got to explore the wonderful country of China visiting places such as: The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, Shanghai and so much more.  I don’t know exactly where God is leading me, but I know I want to empower people as I have been empowered and always remembering a smile can make a bigger difference than we think.  

Financial Update- Last week’s offering and online giving:  $13,151.78
Current Total Giving for the month of September: $62,740.69 (1 Sunday left)
Giving for the month of August was $89,836
Our monthly General Fund budget is $119,028.

The trustees of the Church of the Servant Legacy Foundation would like to invite you to participate in any of several sessions on “Gifts that Reduce Your Taxes,” hosted by Barnabas Foundation in October and November. We encourage everyone to consider joining these online sessions on different timely topics on October 14, 21, 28 and November 4, to enable you to free more funds for charitable giving. Topics include; market security gifts, IRA gifts, real estate and business gifts, and commodity and other property gifts. Please join the session that might be most relevant to you.

If these topics interest you, register for the various sessions at: https://www.barnabasfoundation.com/ReduceTaxes. This opportunity is provided to members of our congregation free of charge, in conjunction with the partnership we have with Barnabas Foundation. 

If you are not familiar with the Church of the Servant Legacy Foundation, please find an introduction on the COS website: https://www.churchoftheservantcrc.org/giving/cos-legacy-foundation/ and, in the months to come, watch for more information on that webpage  to help you develop a will or do estate planning for your family.

From the COS Mental Health Committee – We would like to inform the congregation that there is a fund to assist members of Church of the Servant to access mental health counseling.  The fund is intended to assist with co-pays or the full cost of therapy if members cannot afford therapy.  The committee has developed a panel of therapists to whom church staff can refer members.  Please contact Rev. Karen Campbell (Karen.Campbell@coscrc.org) or Rev. Andrew Mead (Andrew.Mead@coscrc.org) if you would like to either access these funds or financially support the ministry.