Volume Issue 4 APRIL 2016 CHRIST OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH Grow God s Kingdom Share God s Word Live Christ s Love With Open Arms For All Sunday Morning Schedule 9:15 AM Sunday School and Bible Classes 10:30 AM Worship Rev. George Hamilton Vacancy Pastor Rev. John Panning, LCMS Emeritus Pastor Inside this issue: Scripture Readings, Worship for Shut-Ins, Installation of Pastor 2 NOTES FROM PASTOR HAMILTON RESURRECTION CONTINUES FOR LIFE What a great celebration. Resurrection Day is always a high point in the church year. We leave Sunday worship with renewed joy, driven forward with the exhilaration of knowing that Christ is risen and our lives are better for it. Let me offer a big thank you to everyone who made this a special holy day for 2016, musicians who led us, readers who read, cooks who cooked, and countless people who served in various ways. I love you all. Now the season continues. Let s sidestep the temptation to pack away the Easter basket and forget the life changing difference that the risen Christ makes in our lives. Leighton Ford writes these encouraging words, Christ offers not rules but release. Not laws, but life. Not good advice, but good news. Not a new leaf, but a new birth. Not your power, but his. The point for us to discover is that Jesus is the life changer. In the liturgical church year the Season of Easter extends from the Day of Resurrection to the Day of Pentecost. This year our season will run to May 15, seven weeks. We will keep the worship focus on the resurrected Christ and His impact on various parts of our lives throughout that time. My prayer for us is simple (found in Encounter with God, for March 29, Everlasting God, Your hope is the cord strong enough to hold my life together when everything unravels around me. Pastor George Servers for April, Confirmation Class Phase 2. Benevolences, Refreshments, New Mobile App, Thrivent Choice Dollars, Missions Usher Schedule for 2016, Operation Christmas Child Loving Generously-Stewardship, Thank You, Portals of Prayer, Youth Garage Sale, CROP Walk, Tax benefit available again, Birdwatchers take note, Screen Operators needed. VBS, Women Serving Christ Our Savior, Financially speaking Spring Voter s Meeting Calendar 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OPEN ARMS BENEVOLENCE FUND This special fund was established at COS in 2009 to aid people in our congregation and our surrounding community who face catastrophic financial needs that exceed their personal resources, such as extreme medical care cases or home destruction. We have a segregated account to handle the receipt and expenditures for the Open Arms Fund. If you wish to contribute, write a check to Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church and designate it as Open Arms. Your gift is tax deductible. The church council appoints a three member committee and will appoint new members at their next meeting. The committee oversees the fund to assure that donated funds will be given to recipients with needs within the purposes of the Fund and the mission of our congregation. Suggestions of worthy recipients may be made to the Pastor or the Board of Elders, for referral to the Committee.
PAGE 2 FOR YOUR INFORMATION We Joyously invite you to join us in celebrating the Installation Service of Reverend Stephen Carl Wiesenauer As Pastor of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church On Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 3:00 pm Reception to follow immediately Childcare will be provided in the nursery INSTALLATION PLANS The day for the official welcome for Pastor Wiesenauer and his family is upon us. April 17 will mark the start of a new chapter in our life together as we celebrate the start of his ministry among us. Plan now to set aside Sunday afternoon from 3:00 pm on, for the installation worship service and the reception which will follow. SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES IN APRIL April 3, 2016 First Reading Acts 5:12-20 Second Reading Revelation 1:4-18 Gospel John 20:19-31 April 10, 2016 First Reading Acts 9:1-22 Second Reading 5:1-14 Gospel John 21:1-14 April 17, 2016 First Reading Acts 20:17-35 Second Reading Revelation 7:9-17 Gospel John 10:22-30 April 24, 2016 First Reading Acts 11:1-18 Second Reading Revelation 21:1-7 Gospel John 13:31-35 WORSHIP FOR SHUT-INS Worship for Shut-Ins is a Lutheran television 30 minute worship service. It includes the Propers for the day, prayers, and a LCMS pastor delivering a message that is one-on-one to the viewer. Also, included are up to four choir selections. There are no commercials or repeats. It is shown at 11:30 am on local cable channel 54 or Xfinity channel 21. This may also be viewed on our website: www.cosholland.com by going to the Sermons & Media section. CHURCH COUNCIL LEADERS: President Mark Johnson V. President Kathy Ballmer Financial Sec. Derk Teusink Treasurer Philip Matro Secretary Sue Johnson Education Jane Martinsen Stewardship Ann Campbell Head Elder-Spiritual Welfare Bruce Campbell Ministries John Olson Evangelism Andrea Teusink Head Trustee Rick Elushik Missions: Additional Elders: Art Fenrich, Dave Garnsey, Al Kohsel, Tom Nunheimer, Ryan Ohse, Brian Scheiderer and Josh Schnakenberg Additional Trustees: John Bareman, Ray Crockford, and Ken Reimink CHURCH WORKERS: Administrative Assistant Julie Ohse Custodian Pat VanSlooten Youth Director: Carol Garnsey
FOR YOUR INFORMATION PAGE 3 SERVERS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL April 3 April 17 Reader Helen Panning Reader Youth Ushers Ray & Bonnie Crockford Ushers Brian & Melissa Scheiderer Acolyte Marie Fenrich Acolyte Jacob Trujillo Elders Nunheimer/Ohse Elders Nunheimer/Ohse Music Cathy Roush Music Cathy Roush Primary Church Primary Church Greeters Howard Born & Cathy Sytsma Greeters Bonnie Crockford/Karen Nunheimer Sound Elushik/Reimink/Fenrich Sound Elushik/Reimink/Fenrich Screen Ray Crockford Screen Ray Crockford Pastor s Prayer Team Art Fenrich Pastor s Prayer Team Al Kohsel Altar Bonnie Crockford Altar Bonnie Crockford Nursery Alaina Needham Nursery Karsten Hall Refreshments Refreshments Youth Counters Martinsen/Reimink/Kievit Counters Atkinson/Crockford Bulletin Helper Bernice Wentzel Bulletin Helper Bonnie Crockford Flowers Jeff & Shari Atkinson Flowers April 10 April 24 Reader Bonnie Crockford Reader Jack Dunn Acolyte Bryce Ohse Acolyte Riley Brophy Ushers Scott & Amy Brophy Ushers Philip & Jaclyn Matro Elders Nunheimer/Ohse Elders Nunheimer/Ohse Music Helen Travis Music Cathy Roush Greeters Derk & Andrea Teusink Greeters John & Esther Klug Primary Church Primary Church Sound Elushik/Reimink/Fenrich Sound Elushik/Reimink/Fenrich Screen Ray Crockford Screen Ray Crockford Pastor s Prayer Team Bruce Campbell Pastor s Prayer Team Brian Scheiderer Altar Bonnie Crockford Altar Bonnie Crockford Nursery Alaina Needham Nursery Alaina Needham Refreshments Stewardship Committee Refreshments Counters Jacoby/Kohsel Counters Vizithum/Kendall Bulletin Helpers Laura Hoek Bulletin Helpers Doris Kendall Flowers Flowers CONFIRMATION CLASS SEMINAR PHASE 2 Confirmation Class for our 7th and 8th grade youth is part of the ongoing faith formation life of the congregation. This year we are conducting the class in a series of three seminars instead of the traditional once a week class format. The first seminar session came during the Christmas break from school. Phase 2 will occur next week, April 4, 5, and 6. The class will meet each day from 9:30 to 2:30. Phase 3 will follow a similar model in early June. We solicit your prayers for the students and their Christian growth through study together. Pray for Faith Formation that reaches beyond indoctrination and conformity. We all recognize that in faith growth the Holy Spirit is in charge, but He often works through other people. You can be a faith model worth following for kids of all ages. Your prayers and your example can make a difference for each class member.
PAGE 4 CONTACTING PASTOR HAMILTON Office: 616-738-0100 Cellular: 616-566-9519 MISSION-GIVING UPDATE (including Local Benevolences ) We joyfully respond to a resolution of the congregation passed several years ago that 10% of all General Fund offerings would be designated for Missions. That percentage, then, is divided into two parts; so that 7% of the total General Fund offerings go for mission-work through our District and Synod, and 3% of the total is given for Local Benevolences. Recently our Elders have distributed the Local Benevolence portion for March as follows: 100% to the Help A Member Fund at Christ Our Savior Lutheran. Through the LCMS Office of Mission Advancement we received word of your faithful and generous support of the Lord s work through us. We are overwhelmed at how the Lord continues to bring individuals and congregations to partner with us in this mission work! Thank you for your partnership and generosity! Thank you again for your prayers and your support. Rev. Lawrence K. Matro NEW MOBILE APP The use of mobile devices (smart phones, ipads & tablets) is increasing significantly. To meet that need, a new COS mobile app has been developed and is now up and running. The purpose of the app, in addition to educating and attracting new visitors, is to quickly notify our members of important notices and any schedule changes. Also, it provides links to weekly sermons, bulletin inserts, our monthly calendar and the COS Facebook page. For those of you who have a smart phone, tablet or ipad, please go to your mobile "store" to download our app, using "Christ Our Savior" as your search criteria. If you have any questions, or need some help setting up your app, please contact John Olson at 269-470-1987. THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS At the beginning of March, $122.00 was deposited into our account from Thrivent Choice Dollars. Sunday School and Bible Classes 9:15 am Sunday Morning Worship 10:30 am SUNDAY REFRESHMENTS If you can help out, please sign up on the sheet on the bulletin board. When you go to the store, pick up some juice or extra goodies that can be put into the church freezer for future use. Thank you for donating to our fellowship time after our Sunday services.
PAGE 5 APRIL 3 Ray & Bonnie Crockford 10 Scott & Amy Brophy 17 Brian & Melissa Scheiderer 24 Philip & Jaclyn Matro USHER SCHEDULE FOR 2016 AUGUST 7 John & Esther Klug 14 Mike & Lila Overbeek 21 Al & Myra Kohsel 28 John & Deb Bareman MAY 1 Mark & Sue Johnson 8 Jerry & Nelva DeBoer 15 Art & Lisa Fenrich 22 Josh & Laurie Schnakenberg 29 John & Esther Klug (Memorial) JUNE 5 John & Deb Bareman 12 Mike & Lila Overbeek 19 Al & Myra Kohsel 26 Mike & Michele Jacoby JULY 3 Jerry & Nelva DeBoer (4th Holiday) 10 Josh & Laurie Schnakenberg 17 Art & Lisa Fenrich 24 Philip & Jaclyn Matro 31 Ryan & Julie Ohse SEPTEMBER 4 Art & Lisa Fenrich (Labor Day) 11 Mike & Michele Jacoby 18 Brian & Melissa Scheiderer 25 Ryan & Julie Ohse OCTOBER 2 Mark & Sue Johnson 9 Philip & Jaclyn Matro 16 Scott & Amy Brophy 23 John & Esther Klug 31 Josh & Laurie Schnakenberg NOVEMBER 6 John & Deb Bareman 13 Mike & Michele Jacoby 20 Jerry & Nelva DeBoer 27 Ray & Bonnie Crockford (Thanksgiving) DECEMBER 4 Al & Myra Kohsel 11 Scott & Amy Brophy 18 Ryan & Julie Ohse 24 Mike & Lila Overbeek (Christmas Eve) 25 Mark & Sue Johnson (Christmas) Feel free to swap dates with others if your assigned date is not working out. Please see Ryan Ohse or email ryanohse@hotmail.com if you d like to join the Usher Ministry, or if you need to drop out for any reason. Thank you for serving! Ryan OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD April s focus is on small stuffed animals and dolls. See the bulletin board outside of the Education Room for a list of year-round packing ideas listed by month. Please place your donations in the bin located in the Education room. The 2015 Operation Christmas Child shoebox totals have been released! We had a great turnout in the West Michigan area with 28,968 boxes collected! Worldwide 11,213,010 shoebox gifts were collected! How wonderful to know that over 11 million children know how THANKFUL we are for their gifts. The Lord is using these shoeboxes in mighty ways around the world. Thank you for supporting Operation Christmas Child.
GOOD NEWS FOR CHRIST PAGE 6 LOVING GENEROUSLY THE JOSH FEDNEY FAMILY We said there was a need, and you responded! So much that we ran out of tags on the board that day! The Stewardship Committee would like to thank you for Loving Generously. THANK YOU We just want to send a special THANK YOU from our family for the amazing blessings! We are overwhelmed with joy and peace. We continue to be surprised everyday by how awesome God is! You have helped give our family a rest and security prayers we can feel...blessed us financially you have showed us Jesus, in your acts of compassion. Blessings, Josh and Alex Fedney and children We would like to thank Jay Nykamp for coming in before Bible Study and Church every Sunday to get the coffee started for all of us to enjoy. We all appreciate your many years of service. The youth are having a garage sale to help off-set the cost of their mission trip this summer. The dates of the sale are April 28-30th. They are accepting donations; please place them in the youth room. If you have items that need to be picked up please contact Carol at 616-566- 2190 to make arrangements. If anyone is interested in helping, please see Carol, more hands make of light work! PORTALS OF PRAYER BOOKLET Available at the welcome tables are copies of the devotional booklet, Portals of Prayer. Included in this issue are daily devotions for the months of April, May and June, prayers for special days, and for other needs and concerns. The devotionals are printed in both regular-size type, and largeprint for those who are visually impaired.
GOOD NEWS FOR CHRIST PAGE 7 CROP HUNGER WALK You are invited to join our Christ Our Savior group as we participate in the CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, April 24 at 1:30. We will be collecting funds to support both local and global efforts to feed those in need. You can find more information at www.hollandhunger.org or on the COS Facebook page. TAX BENEFIT AVAILABLE AGAIN For those 70 1/2 year and older: Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) have been reinstated into the Internal Revenue Code. Individuals can donate up to $100,000 per year directly from a traditional or Roth IRA to qualifying charities. See your tax or financial advisor to be informed how this works and of the provided tax benefits as you satisfy all or a portion of your (RMD) Required Minimum Distribution. Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church is a qualifying charity. BIRDWATCHERS TAKE NOTE Late in February we were treated to an unusual spectacle in our church yard. Three hawks were spotted, perching on the tops of the posts of the slide in Denny s playground. We could not have planned it. The hawks are sighted from time to time in the woods on the west side of the church property, but seeing them guarding the playground was a new picture. SCREEN OPERATORS NEEDED COS needs some additional volunteers to serve during worship services as operators of computer equipment that feeds information to the screen on the chancel wall. As a congregation we depend heavily on the visual input we receive from on-screen material. You may be one of the people who can drive this ministry activity forward. What is required? Some interest in technology PC savvy Willingness to learn the software we use Desire to serve Love to push buttons If you think this might be a fit for you, talk to Deb Bareman, Ray Crockford, or John Olson about the software we use and the steps needed for service prep and operation. Take a Sunday to sit in the back with them to see what is involved. We are now operating this system with three people. Adding three or four more would make life a lot smoother for us. There is no age requirement.
GOOD NEWS FOR CHRIST PAGE 8 VBS 2016 IS FARM-TASTIC! In Barnyard Roundup VBS, your children learn that Jesus gathers us together! They ll look into the Bible, God s Holy Word, and explore five Bible accounts where Jesus graciously gathers us together to be with Him with His abundant provision and saving protection, now and forever. Registration begins on May 1st for ages four years to those entering 6th grade who will attend VBS from June 20-23rd, 9:00-11:30 am. Come along with us as we sing fun songs, do crazy crafts, eat yummy snacks, play awesome games, and more. WOMEN SERVING CHRIST OUR SAVIOR We meet Thursday mornings at 9:30 for Bible Study, go to lunch at 11:30, and return to the church at 1:00 for afternoon projects. We are currently working on quilted stained glass banners for the front of the church. The 2 banners will be identical, except one will have a cross and the other a dove. We have the need for more sewers as the banners are put together in sections--4 sections per banner. Talk to Shari Atkinson or Denise Raak for more information. All women of the congregation and their friends are invited to join us for one or more of these activities. If you would like to join us for lunch, meet us at the church at 11:30 or call the church and ask where we are going to lunch that day. We will be selling sundresses and britches on April 4 and April 11. We will use the proceeds to buy more material to sew: bags for wheelchairs and walkers, totes, back sacks, back seat organizers, more dresses, quilts, and britches. Some of the projects will be sent with the mission team to Tennessee. Others will be sold, and the money will be used to support the care closet. Want to help but cannot come on Thursday? See Jane Martinsen to learn what you can do at home to help. HOW ARE WE DOING FINANCIALLY? Thanks for your faithful support for the Lord s mission among us. Every church carries a mission to do as much as possible for the Lord s work. As good stewards that means we should use every dollar we give to the Lord to serve His purposes effectively. So your leaders (Council and Officers) are charged to spend within the amount we collectively give. How is that going for 2016? General Fund Giving for 1st quarter actual Received $57,430 Budget for 2016 1st quarter $60,926 Financial Health Assessment: Giving recovered from a low February to run ahead of budget for March. All bills are paid currently We have over $50,000 in the General Fund account and the balance has been rising. While the giving has been lower than budgeted, the spending has also been below budget.
GOOD NEWS FOR CHRIST PAGE 9 SPRING VOTER S MEETING Christ Our Savior s spring voter s meeting is scheduled for Sunday May 1st at 12:00 noon. To be efficient with time we would like everyone to get their snacks after the service, and then return to the pews so the meeting can begin. The primary item on the agenda will be voting on new Church Council members, Elders and Trustees. Positions are open due to term limits, and to fill current vacancies. Attendance by all members of Christ Our Savior is highly recommended, as your input on our direction is both welcomed and needed as we move forward. If you have any agenda items you would like to add or if you wish to be a nominee please contact Mark Johnson, Council President, Jane Martinsen (Nomination Committee) or Bruce Campbell, Head Elder to see where you could serve. Open positions include: Office Current Nominees (Proposed by the Nominating Committee) President Mark Johnson Vice President (fill remaining 1 year term) Secretary Sue Johnson Financial Sec Derk Teusink Stewardship Ann Campbell Education Laurie Schnakenberg Ministries John Olson Missions John Klug (fill remaining 1 year term) Elders Tom Nunheimer, Josh Schnakenberg, Art Fenrich Trustees John Bareman