Bulletin for January 18

Ø Next Sunday following the morning worship service, there will be a Congregational Meeting to approve Council’s request for the position of Worship Leader/Coordinator. Members, check your mailboxes for details. Absentee ballots are available at the Information Desk if you cannot attend the meeting.

Ø Church School for grades 6-12 will not meet on Jan. 25 due to the Congregational Meeting. However, grades K-5 will be meeting. Please note this change.

Ø Our church has been asked to provide cookies for the Grand Valley students after their worship service on Jan. 25. If you would be willing to bake some cookies, please call Mary Espinoza at 895-5251.

Ø All items for the Second Thoughts newsletter are due next Sunday, Jan. 25. Please put a hard copy in the newsletter mailbox (bottom row, 2^nd from left) and if possible email a copy to Gailepunt@aol.com. The newsletter will be published quarterly in 2009 with the next issue to be available Feb. 8.

Ø The Treasurer’s Report for Oct. – Dec. ‘08 has been placed in mailboxes.

Ø GEMS Get Connected Camp will be at Deer Lake Ministries Camp, South River, Ontario, Canada this summer. The camp is for 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade girls and will be held August 3-8. Information went home last week with the 6^th graders. If you are interested or have any questions, call Rachael Taylor at 895-9414.

Ø Reminder, GEMS will be going to a Griffins game on Sat., Jan 31. Meet at church at 5:45 p.m. to carpool. If you cannot make it to church and want to meet at the game, please call Michelle Kolean at 690-5907. The game will start at 7 p.m.

Ø The GEMS are learning about recycling and are collecting pop cans with refund money to be used for buying GEMS supplies. Please place your empty cans in the large green trash can in the triple room. Recycle your used greeting cards for a craft planned in Feb. Put them in the marked box under the mailboxes. Thanks!

Ø Please volunteer to bring supper to our Youth Group kids on meeting nights. There is a sign-up sheet on the Info. Desk. Yes, they’re always hungry.

Ø Kids Hope USA still needs at least 3 mentors, both men and women, for this school year. Wouldn’t you like to make an eternal difference in the life of a child? Help shape the character of young children in our community. Children ask me each week if there is someone for them; they need to be loved. The teachers are asking for our help also. Please contact Aileen VanderSchuur, Kids Hope USA Director, in person or call 616- 204-3540 this week. Training will be provided. It is a one hour commitment each week during school hours. Now is a great time to get your feet wet as there is only half of the school year left. You must be 16, able to drive, and love children.

Ø Cadet Fundraiser: Arena Racing, Feb. 28, at the DeltaPlex. Tickets: $9.50 per person; half goes to our Cadets. Deadline to order tickets: Feb. 15. Order forms are at the Information Desk.

Ø Helping in the Community: Looking for a new way to serve others in our community? Here's a great opportunity! Come to the church nursery and care for the younger siblings of the Allendale Christian School Preschoolers while they attend field trips with their parents. Second Allendale CRC has decided to make a difference and offer this service to the ACS Preschool parents. If your heart is being tugged to help, please contact Jenny Walters at 875-6075 or at mjccwalters@charter.net. Choose from the following dates/times for your first opportunity to serve:

Wed., Jan 28 from 8:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Wed., Jan 28 from 11:15 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Thurs., Jan 29 from 8:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Schedule for This Week:

January 18-24, 2009

Sunday:
9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. – Worship Services
11:00 a.m. – Church School

Tuesday:
9:30 a.m. - Coffee Break & Story Hour

Wednesday:
3:45 p.m. – Children’s Choir
4:30 p.m. – Jr. Choir
5:30 p.m. – Connections Dinner
6:15 p.m. – GEMS, Cadets, Children’s Activities, Nursery
7:00 p.m. – Adult Choir

Thursday: 7:00 p.m. – Worship Planning Team

Ø Groups and Ministries: Bible Studies, Cadets, Church School, Children’s Worship, Choirs, Coffee Break/Story Hour, Connections Night, His Talents, Kids Hope USA, SOS, Vacation Bible School, Youth Group, Just Between, Discovery Groups, GEMS, Prayer Group

Ø Thank you for helping me celebrate my 50th birthday! Thanks for the surprise and your cards and (mostly) kind gifts. -- Pastor Harold

Ø Pres & Muriel Jeurink will be staying with their daughter for the next few weeks while Muriel’s broken arm heals. Address: Jay & Char Wabeke, 6950 Meadow Creek Dr., Hudsonville 49426. Phone: 669-5017. Contacts welcome; please phone to arrange a visit.

Ø Attend the combined “March for Life/Memorial for the Unborn” on Jan. 19 sponsored by Right to Life of Holland Area to show your support for life. The March will start 7 p.m. at Centennial Park and end at Central Ave. CRC. At 7:30 p.m. the Memorial Service will begin in Central Ave. CRC with speaker Barb Listing, Right to Life of Michigan president. Attend one or both events. Donations will be accepted at the memorial service.

Ø Allendale Christian School’s Magazine Sale continues through Jan. 28. To order, call ACS at 895-5108 or go to www.qsp.com and use school code #425001035. Buy new or renew. Thank you!

Ø There will be a City on a Hill Praise & Worship Celebration Service on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. in Zeeland East High School’s DeWitt Auditorium. Come celebrate God's faithfulness. An offering will be received for COAH with donors willing to match dollar for dollar. Questions? Contact Gary Ellens at 748-6061.

Ø Apply now for Christian Ref. World Missions' Summer Mission Program 2009, an intensive learning program for 18- to 30-year-olds interested in experiencing cross-cultural missions with sites around the world. For more information, go to www.crwm.org/smp.

Ø The Lakeshore Pregnancy Center (LPC) of Allendale will offer a Counselor’s Training Class Sat., Feb. 7, 14, & 21. If you are interested in volunteering with women and families who are dealing with crisis pregnancies, this is a great opportunity. LPC is also seeking a registered sonographer willing to volunteer a few hours a month in their Allendale location. Interested? Please contact Kari Wiersema at 895-1893 for details.

Ø Nursery for infants and toddlers is available during both services. Partway into each morning service young children are invited to “Just Between” (for 2 ½ - 3 year olds) in room 122 or “Children’s Worship” (for 3-5 year olds) which meets in rooms 127 & 129.

Ø Sermons: Outlines, if used, are available on the carts in the back of the auditorium. Bibles are there also. Previous week’s sermons can be obtained at the Information Desk in CD format or can be accessed at the church website: www.2ndcrc-allendale.org. Click Here to go to the Sermon page.

Ø For those with special needs: The entire facility is barrier free. Large print bulletins are available at the Information Desk. The auditorium is equipped with a hearing loop. If you have a hearing aid, please set it to “T” for better hearing during the service. The best reception is at the center of the auditorium.