Bulletin for April 5, 2009

Ø    Church School (K-5th grades) had a great time celebrating Easter the past four weeks. They ate food, made crafts, listened to some dramas and learned more about the saving work that Jesus Christ did for each one of them. I would like to thank the 10-12th graders for their awesome dramas, Tara Howell and Edna DeYoung for the yummy Hot Cross Buns, and Adam Todd and Michelle Kolean who helped to led the students in their understanding of Jesus’ love for them. Thank you! -– Kristina Moelker, Church School Director

Ø    Church School will not meet today or next Sunday.

Ø    Good Friday worship service on April 10 will begin at 7:00 p.m. and the Lord’s Supper will be served.  

Ø    The annual Easter Egg Hunt for the Kids Hope USA children at Allendale Public Elementary will take place here this Sat. Plastic eggs and individually wrapped small candies that can go into the  plastic eggs are still needed. Please put donations in the box by the Kids Hope USA table in the lobby by TODAY. Thank you!

Ø    For members interested in applying for Christian Education Tuition assistance through our church, copies of our church form are available at the Information Desk.  You may have to apply online using the FACTS website also.  Please see Jim Krikke or Mike Spriensma for details.

Ø    Reminder to Kids Hope USA mentors: there will be no school this week (April 6-10) because of spring break. Mentoring will resume Monday, April 13.

Ø    All items for the next issue of Second Thoughts will be due on April 26. The newsletter will be available May 10.

Do you have a delicious recipe you’d be willing to share in the GEMS cookbook that will be available this fall? Forms are available from the table under the mailboxes or by going to our church website at www.2ndcrc-allendale.org. Please return completed forms to the red box next to the table by May 17. 
 


Schedule for This Week:

 April 5-11, 2009

Sunday:     
9:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. – Worship Services

Wednesday:         
7:00 p.m. – Adult Choir

Friday:            
7:00 p.m. – Good Friday Worship Service

Saturday:           
2-4:00 p.m. – KHUSA Easter Egg Hunt

 

Prayer List

GOD’S FAMILY 

Church Prayer Line: 892-8700         CRC Prayer Line: 1-888-CRC-PRAY 

Ø    Missions and Missionaries: Zach & Sharon Segaar-King and family in Haiti; Mississippi Christian Family Services in Rolling Fork, MS; Chaplain Larry Norman and Forgotten Man Ministries; Rob & Betty Wood in Quito, Ecuador, Pastor Harold & Mary and family
 

Ø    Pray for Wanda & Jim Branderhorst. Wanda will have surgery in Cleveland this week.

       Pray for healing too for Barb Schulz who had back surgery on April 2.
 

Prayer request: Praise God for more than 3,000 responses in one month to Back to God Ministries International Kids Corner program. Thanks to Internet broadcasting, we are reaching children in Australia, India, the Philippines, Ukraine, Mexico and many more countries, touching lives like Kristin who wrote, “I just wanted to let you know that I did pray and tell God I wanted to be a follower.”
 

Ø    Dave’s Ramsey’s “Town Hall for Hope” will be shown live via satellite in our church on Thurs., April 23, at 8 p.m. Please set this date aside and join us for this national event. We will connect with families across the nation for a truly radical and different message than what we hear from the media – HOPE. Discover what is happening with the economy, how we got where we are, and where we are going. Invite your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to this FREE event, lasting about 1½ hours. Please contact Brian Roon or Curt Gulker with any questions.

Ø    Here is an opportunity to make a difference! The City On a Hill Ministries Health Clinic sees people in the area who do not have health insurance. The clinic is in need of additional volunteers: doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, social workers, and nurses. With today’s economy and the impact it has on so many family and friends, help us help our community. For further information, call 748-6009 or e-mail healthclinic@coahm.org.

Ø    Care for orphans in Guatemala Aug. 5-13. Join the women’s mission team led by sisters in Christ at Lighthouse Community Church in Allendale.  Contact Michelle Janssen at 895-5476 or mjjanssen@altelco.net or Kathy Demers at 895-5055 or pastord@altelco.net with questions or to join the team. Tickets need to be booked soon. An informational meeting will be held April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Kathy Demers’ home.

Ø    The Conference Grounds campground has camping sites available beginning May 2 through June 13; shorter stays allowed (reduced rates in the spring). Weekly campsites are available mid-June--July 4 and mid-Aug--Labor Day weekend.  Service Opportunity: High school-college male volunteers are needed to help with  Special Needs Week, June 13-20.  Lodging and meals provided.  Don’t miss this opportunity to be paired with a special needs camper. Please call (616) 842-4478 for more information or to make a reservation.

Ø    Free Estate Planning Seminars will be offered April 14, 16, & 23 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Sunset Manor and Villages’ Town Square in Jenison. Representatives from The Barnabas Foundation will discuss tax law changes, Powers of Attorney, and more. Seating is limited so please RSVP to 457-2770 ext 1111 or nvanderveen@sunsetmanor.org and either submit your questions prior to or bring them with you to the seminar. 

Ø    It’s not too late to create - the World Missions’ Poster Contest runs until April 17.  Design a poster with a missions theme, send it in, and see if yours will win.  Posters will be judged according to the following age categories: 6 and under, 7-9, 10-12, and 13 and above.  For more information, talk to Kristina Moelker or Mark & Sue Kuzee or visit the Opportunities page at www.crwm.org under “Get Involved”. 

Ø    The next Reformed Marriage Encounter Weekend is planned for May 1-3 at Camp Geneva in Holland. For details or to register, go to www.reformedme.org or contact Jim & Kathy Molenkamp at 538-2749  michigan_registration@reformedme.org

Ø    We often make mistakes or say things we wish we hadn’t said. Usually this leads to wishing life had a pause or a rewind button! We have no power to change the past. Yet with this Easter message we know that God can reverse whatever we understand to be humanly irreversible. Join us in celebrating Christ’s victory over the grave on the April 12 Back to God Hour. Go to www.BacktoGod.net for local stations and times.

Ø    Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet Jesus? Or to be in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead? This is the story of a little girl who was raised to life by Jesus. But then Jesus himself dies, setting the stage for the most thrilling event of all. Visit the Kids Corner web site at www.kids-corner.org. Then write to Kids Corner at Box 506, Worth, IL  60482 for your very own Bible study.

Ø    Ladies, you are invited to the Spring Luncheon of the “Bible League” volunteers, on Thurs., April 30, at 11:30 a.m. at the North St. CRC, 20 E. Main St. in Zeeland. Amie Spriensma, a young woman, will share of her desire to serve people with disabilities in part, because of her own challenges with cerebral palsy. Her ongoing passion in ministry is to help all people recognize all that they can be for the glory of God. Bring a friend! Lunch: chicken salad and trimmings. Cost: $6.50. Offering received for the “Bible League” Africa Project. For reservations, call Mary Mannes, at 772-6747 by noon on April 17. Note: sign up sheets will be available at the luncheon for the Grand Rapids (May) and Holland (June) Parade of Homes. Check your schedule and be prepared to sign up to help by sitting at a Parade Home! Call Dorlene Vander Ploeg (895-4434) or Joan Walcott (772-4331) if you are unable to attend the luncheon and would like to help out.

Ø    Allendale Lakeshore Pregnancy Center (ALPC) will be providing an opportunity for volunteer counselor training starting May 11. To find out more or see how God may use you in this way, please contact us at 895-1893 or at kari@lpcenters.com. ALPC is gearing up for Lifewalk 2009, which will happen the morning of June 13. To get involved or have your church be a part of Lifewalk ’09, please let us know. Also, due to the increased need in our communities, we are running very low on diapers. If you are able to provide diapers of any size, we would certainly be blessed!

You are invited to the April 26 Unity Celebration Banquet at The Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville. Sponsored by the Unity Education Foundation, this year’s annual spring banquet will feature guest speaker, Dr. Joseph Stowell, President of Cornerstone University, renowned theologian, author, educator, and former president of Moody Bible Institute. To make a reservation, call the Development Office at 662-4011 or email ucmao@unitychristian.org. Reservations close on April 13. Seating is limited and reservations are required.  
 

For Your Information:

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.