DIY Advent Calendar

I know that there are oodles of Advent Calendar ideas out there, but here’s another one to add to your list. A few reasons why I like it:

1. You only need envelopes, twine or yarn, and clothespins - you might already have these in your house!

2. Kids can easily help creating this Advent Calendar.

3. You can save it from year to year!

So, head over to The Network’s article called DIY Advent Calendar featuring a blog post from “A Beautiful Mess”. Enjoy preparing for the coming of the Christ Child!

Photo courtesy of “A Beautiful Mess”

Update: Bible Knowledge Project

We’re a few months into our Bible Knowledge Project, so let’s see the progress we’ve made so far!

• Two students have received two gift cards this semester (the maximum number you can receive in one semester!)

• Our collective group effort totals 1,822 points - most of which have been BIble verses read. That’s a lot of verses :)

Just a reminder, this is for all kids age three through 12th grade. If you need more Bible reading logs, you can find them on the bottom of the welcome kiosk. If you have a memory verse that needs reciting, see your Children’s Worship/Sunday School teacher.

Maranatha Media - November 2019

Here’s a sneak peek of the new books that have been added to our church library! They’re really “out of this world” :)

Women's Ministry Update from Tammy!

Wednesdays are coming and going so quickly! Since I last wrote, we have completed three chapters in our study of The Armor of God written by Priscilla Shirer. We have spent time considering three pieces of the armor named in Ephesians 6: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of peace. These three pieces make up our uniform; they are not optional but need to be worn every day.

The first piece of armor we looked at is the belt of truth. Truth was defined as “God’s opinion on any matter.” This lesson started out by naming Satan for who he is: the father of lies... his attacks towards us are fueled by deception. He strategizes against us as we pursue abundant life in Christ. He comes against us in so many ways. He comes against our confidence, identity, contentment, calling, and relationships (just to name a few areas he targets). Strapping on the belt of truth allows us to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Knowing the Word, the truth, is essential to being able to combat the schemes of the devil. And contrary to thinking that the belt of truth might be restricting, it actually releases us to more freedom. We should take our every choice to the discretion of God’s word. Jesus says: “My truth will set you free!” (John 8:32) If we want to disarm the devil’s influence, we need to boldly follow after Jesus, not only believing in him but doing all he teaches.

Truth first and then righteousness... righteousness was defined as “upright living that aligns with the expectations of God.” This piece of armor is referred to as the breastplate of righteousness in Ephesians. The breastplate protects the heart. We do well to guard it... it is the source of life. (Prov.4 :23) Keeping with the analogy of the soldier, the weight of the breastplate is held up by the belt of truth. When we believe in Christ’s redeeming work on the cross we are credited with the righteousness of Christ: in God’s eyes it is just as if we’d never sinned! So, not only is our sin removed, righteousness is deposited into us. We are completely and perfectly righteous because of Christ’s great love for us and his obedience to the Father. This is referred to in our study as imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness is a once in a lifetime action. Simply stated from our study: Righteousness is in you, now it needs to be on you.  How do we put righteousness on? Practical righteousness becomes a part of our daily lives when we repeatedly put off our old self (sinful nature) and put on our new self, that is, aligning our lives with the light of Christ.

One more lesson of wisdom to share! :) The other pieces of our uniform are the shoes of peace. Again, it was brought to our attention that we already have the gift of peace in us...this lesson taught us that we can activate this peace by the action of being thankful. Satan wants us to be peace-less, because he knows that without peace there will be no victory. He preys on our worries and fears. Note to self!! Anywhere peace is lacking the enemy is at work! So, we need to condition ourselves to recognize at the first sign of anxiousness that we turn to God, acknowledge our trust in his sovereign control, and offer thanks because thanksgiving activates peace. Additionally, we noted that we have shoes because we are called to go! It’s about moving forward. When we share this good news with others and the community of faith grows, the enemy is intimidated. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. (Col. 2:6) Also, Isaiah states that, beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news…

Our action steps then...Pray, trust God, be in the word, GO!, and be thankful!

Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity - The Morales Family

We are in the midst of supporting a Habitat for Humanity home being built in the Maplewood area. There are several churches partnering together to help make this home a reality for the Morales family (see pictures below). On October 22, 2019, we celebrated with the Morales family as they raised the first wall of their new home!

Now it’s time to show our support! You can do this in a few different ways:

1. Please pray that the build will go smoothly so that Edwin, Yeni, and their four children can move in as soon as possible. Let’s surround this family and their home with prayers!

2. Volunteer your time to help build the home! Maranatha has a time slot spoken for on Saturday, November 9 from 1-4pm. If this time works, please talk to Paula Wesseldyke. If you’d like to set up a different time, please contact Travis, Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity’s Volunteer Coordinator, at 616-393-8001 x103 or at volunteer@lakeshorehabitat.org. The following dates are set aside for volunteer help (AM time slots are from 8am-noon; PM time slots are from 1-4pm):

   Saturday, October 26th

   Thursday, October 31st

   Friday, November 1st

   Saturday, November 2nd - PM only

   Thursday, November 7th

   Friday, November 8th

   Saturday, November 9th

   Wednesday, November 13th

   Thursday, November 14th

   Tuesday, November 19th

   Wednesday, November 20th

   Thursday, November 21st

   Friday, November 22nd

   Saturday, November 23rd

3. Donate funds toward the building of this home. You can give at https://www.lakeshorehabitat.org/ or by mailing a check to Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity, noting that the funds given are for the Morales home.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment on this post or contact the church office or a deacon.

5-Minute Thanksgiving Family Devotions

If you or your family would like to focus on giving gratitude to God this Thanksgiving season, you may want to consider using this devotional guide! I love how this blogger (The Purposeful Mom) points to a Bible verse, a question, and a prayer prompt. Because this devotional contains 24 days of Psalms of Thanks, begin on November 4 to end on Thanksgiving Day, November 28.

OPUS Fall Fun Fling

On a cool, rainy night, last Friday, October 11th, twenty-eight OPUS members gathered at church for an evening of fun and fellowship. The evening began with pizza and then ten teams played Corn Hole. Bob Schippers made it all very official by setting up the players (names picked from a basket) in a tournament bracket. Twenty people played several games to determine the 1st and 2nd place winners. First place winners were Norm and Norm; second place winners were Herm and Wil. The winners each received a small jar of Corn Candy mix. Several people cheered on the sidelines. Delicious apple pie a` la mode was served for dessert after the games.

Women's Ministry - Fall 2019

Women’s Ministry kicked off a few weeks ago...this fall we are studying The Armor of God with Priscilla Shirer. I say, ‘with Priscilla Shirer’ because the format of this study is video-based. We spend every other week of our sessions together watching a video which sets us up wonderfully to examine each of the pieces of the armor of God as listed and taught about in the book of Ephesians, particularly chapter 6:10-19.

Our group this year consists of about 20 ladies. We enjoy a time of fellowship when we arrive at church. Of course, we partake of coffee, tea, and snacks :) before we settle into our groups and spend time discussing our lesson for the week or watching the video, and spending time in prayer.

The Armor of God study is all about how crucial it is to put on God’s armor because we are engaged in an invisible battle. Our enemy is Satan. His chief weapon is deception. Spiritual warfare is all around us...and it’s not people we are battling, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (v. 12). Everything that happens in our daily lives is related to the ‘evil one’ striving ultimately for our souls. Thankfully, we are not left on our own in this spiritual warfare. The armor given to us for our protection and success against the schemes of the devil are literally pieces of God’s personal armor. To confirm for yourself, look up Isaiah 59:15-19. Our armor isn’t hand-me-downs or something from the second hand store, nope! It’s our heavenly Father’s personal attire. 

Although the battle is unavoidable, and the enemy is invisible, our victory is irrevocable! In the end the victory is ours! As we proceed through this Bible study we will examine each of the pieces of armor at our disposal: 

• The Belt of Truth

• The Breastplate of Righteousness

• The Shoes of Peace

• The Shield of Faith

• The Helmet of Salvation

• The Sword of the Spirit

Each of these is available to us...but action is required on our part. The way to activate these pieces of armor and be victorious over the schemes of the devil is to PRAY. Prayer shuts down the enemy in the power of Jesus’ name. Prayer also activates the armor! Ephesians 6:18 says: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” 

An easy way to remember this is: Prayer

                                                      Releases

                                                      All

                                                      Your

                                                      Eternal

                                                      Resources

At the conclusion of each lesson we have a spot to summarize our Actionable Intel...a place to note our most important insights from the study for the week. Just as Satan schemes against us, we need to be proactive and devise a divine strategy to take into battle. We do so by seeking the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. This Bible study encourages us to take action by gathering our insights from the Word for the week and taking the time to write out a prayer. Prayer cards have been included in our workbooks. Priscilla encourages us to use these prayers and even post them for repeated use as preparation to secure victory in future battles. 

Over the next several weeks we will explore how important each of these pieces of armor are. 

An additional note...if you haven’t seen the movie: War Room, it is definitely worth a watch. This movie models the prayer piece of the armor so powerfully! Also, Priscilla Shirer, the author of our Bible study, is cast in this movie! If you get the chance, check it out!

Cadets Gear Up for Another Year!

Our year is off to a strong start. We continue to have a combined Cadet program with Bethany CRC. We meet every other Wednesday at the Bethany Activity Building. Eric Hemmeke is the Head Counselor this year with a few leaders assisting from Bethany and Maranatha. We have about 9 boys participating this year. Our theme this year is "Hi God, It's Me" and our theme verse is Jeremiah 29:12 .

We started our year with our annual trip to Laketown beach to climb the dunes. We also took a field trip to Menards to get supplies for our folding stool woodworking project. We are looking forward to working on a few different projects and other fun activities this year.

We are thankful for your prayers and support as we continue to teach the boys to Live for Jesus.

GEMS Kick-off the Fall Season!

Our year is off to a great start! There are some big changes to the GEMS program this year, but, so far so good. This is the first year we do not have a combined program with Bethany CRC. Therefore, we are now meeting at Maranatha in the Children's Worship room and in the gym/kitchen area. We meet as a large group every other Wednesday with girls from our church and a few from the community. We have approximately 12 girls participating this year. Charrie Hemmeke is the Club Coordinator and co-leads with Jen Brinks. Lauren Hemmeke is our teen helper.

Our theme this year is LOVED and our theme verse is 1 John 3:1. We have been busy during our first few meetings learning about our theme through weekly lessons, prayer time, decorating our bulletin board (check it out in the Children's Worship room!), doing crafts and singing. Our theme song this year is Live Like You’re Loved by Hawk Nelson.

We have lots more fun in store for the girls in the coming weeks including baking cookies to share (snack time is always a favorite activity!), shopping for items and packing Care Boxes for the Holland Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving Banquet, and caroling at Resthaven Maple Woods as part of our Christmas party.

We covet your prayers as we teach the girls that they are Loved Period. Thank you for your support of the GEMS program!

The July Cooking Club

Did you know that Maranatha hosted a cooking club with ESCAPE students? Read more about it below!

On four Wednesday afternoons in July, some of our Maranatha members had the pleasure of cooking with six students from Escape Ministries. We met in our own church kitchen and had a lot of fun making edible floral bouquets, lasagna, apple pies, cookies, bars and muffins. Most of the students came with some cooking skills and seemed to enjoy each project. While items were baking in the ovens we played games. It was a great way to get to know each other!

Maranatha Media - October 2019

Come check out the new OUTER SPACE theme in our church library! And while you’re there, check out a new book or two.

2.42 Groups: An Introductory Guide

Below is the guide that was made available last Sunday evening. Feel free to reference it at any time here on the blog, and if any questions arise, please let us know!

_____________________________________________________________________

An Introductory Guide

The purpose of this document is to provide a few notes to help us all find our bearings for this experiment with 2.42 Groups. If you have questions that are not addressed below, please feel free to contact Pastor Matt (matt@maranatha-crc.com). As you consider what follows, please feel free to add your own nuances to your group as you see fit. Each group will have its own unique make-up and “culture,” and you should to tend to that for the well-being of your group. That said, here are a few notes to help your 2.42 Group get started.

For Hosts

First, thank you! Your generosity in opening up your home is much appreciated and is not taken for granted. As host, you need not do anything more than open your home and ensure an ade-quate number of seats for the members of your group. Of course, you may take more of a lead coordinating and facilitating your group if you wish, but you are free to allow the other mem-bers of your group take on these responsibilities. On a related note, when it comes to food, you may choose to do as much or as little with this as you would like—but please do not feel as though it is your responsibility to provide/make everything. For more on that, see below.

Food & Fellowship

One of the goals of 2.42 Groups is to get to know each other better. Because of this, you might choose to begin each evening casually with food and conversation. Having food is not a require-ment for 2.42 Groups, but there is something about sharing food and drink together that en-courages conversation and community. With that in mind, if your group chooses to incorporate food, please decide with the other members of your group—and with the consent of your host! —if you would like to eat a simple meal together or to simply enjoy a few snacks…and then share the food prep load as much as possible.

As for fellowship and conversation, you need not structure this time if you find that conversation among your group members carries on quite naturally. However, if you sense a need for a con-versation starter, you might invite each person to share a high and a low from the past week so as to gain a better understanding of each other’s day-to-day lives.

Singing

Once again, singing is not a requirement, but many people enjoy singing—and it’s a great way for us to join together to celebrate and affirm what God has done and is doing through Jesus Christ. Plus, singing has a way of causing what we believe to stick with us. So singing together isn’t a requirement, but you might appreciate trying to incorporate a song or two during each 2.42 Group Session.

If you do choose to incorporate singing, do so in a way that works best for your group. If your group has a pianist or a guitarist—and access to instruments—singing might be relatively easy to do. If you don’t have a musician or the necessary instruments in your group, you might sing along with a CD—or utilize a techie’s digital library and a bluetooth speaker. It’s up to you!

If you’re looking for a list of suggested songs—or would like help with obtaining printed copies of lyrics—Amber would be happy to assist you. Otherwise, decide as a group how you will deter-mine which songs to sing—and how you’ll see to it that you’ll be able to sing them.

Scripture

This component of 2.42 Groups is NOT optional J Since as a community we are committed to “Walking after Jesus” and “Doing all he Teaches,” the main purpose of our time together is to engage Scripture so as to be encouraged in our walk of faith and shaped for faithful witness to our Lord. How much time is devoted to this element each session will vary by group, but do your best to give this enough space to allow the Holy Spirit to guide your conversations.

Each group is free to select the Scripture passages they will engage together. That said, if you are looking for direction on this, you might consider reading and discussing one of the following passages each week: Acts 2:29-47, Luke 4:14-30, Luke 5:17-26, Luke 8:22-25, Luke 12:22-34, Luke 24:36-48, Acts 17:16-34.

Finally, regardless of the passage your group reads each session, you are encouraged to engage it together by considering the following questions:

·         What are you learning about God and about God’s love for us?

·         How is God drawing you to Jesus?

·         What is God revealing to you about yourself?

·         How is God prompting you to respond in faith and obedience?

Prayer

Lastly, you are encouraged to incorporate prayer into your 2.42 Group sessions. Each group will incorporate this differently, but take time to pray for each other, to give thanks to God for what you are discovering together, and to ask God to guide your group as you continue to meet.

Maranatha Bible Knowledge Project

We’re so excited to roll out our new Maranatha Bible Knowledge Project this school year! A few weeks back our students (3 years old - 12th graders) were all given a folder that contained information on this project, encouraging them to grow in their knowledge of Scripture through reading and memorizing Scripture. Students can be rewarded individually with gift cards to a local Christian book store. We are also keeping track of the collective points. If they reach the 20,000 point mark by the end of the school year, they’ll be rewarded with a celebration of sorts (watch the large chart from week to week on our bulletin board at church for their progress!).

The first mark was made this morning on our progress chart… the first 55 points have been charted, and we can’t wait to see the chart fill up.

May God cause our love for him - and our commitment to Jesus - to grow as we ponder God’s love for us. And if you have any questions about this project, please let Amber know.

Happy reading and memorizing, students!

Living as an Apprentice to the Master

I stumble upon — or am made aware of — several articles to read related to all things “church.” From “How to Build a Good Website” to “Planting Seeds of Faith in the Next Generation”, I could be reading articles from dawn to dusk. There are so many available to us these days! I’m sure you can relate!

However, sometimes you come across a really good one — one that really gets you thinking. This interview with Dallas Willard was dropped on my desk by a church member a few years back. It truly gets to the heart of what we strive to do at Maranatha, following after Jesus and doing all He teaches. Take a few minutes and read Living as an Apprentice to the Master, published by The Navigators in Christian Living on December 4, 2017.

I will also insert a shameless plug here for our Apprentice class that meets Wednesday evenings. A previous Apprentice member’s testimonial: "As Apprentices, we learn more and share the joy of being one in whom Christ dwells. It is a reminder of how special we are, how much God loves us, who we really are and WHOSE we are.” It’s the beginning of a soul-transforming journey to become an apprentice of the Master. If you’re interested or want to learn more, just ask!

Golf Outing!

It’s the time of year when you want to spend every minute outdoors as the seasons change from summer to fall. Here’s your opportunity!

Whether you’re an avid golfer or a beginner, you are welcome to join us at Winding Creek Golf Course on Saturday, September 28 at 4:00pm. Teams will be formed at the course, and will participate in a scramble.

And we can’t have an event without food! Spouses and families are welcome to come to the event building for a meal following the scramble (approximately 6:00pm). If you’re willing, please bring a dish to pass. Feel free to bring an outdoor (or indoor) game or two to share following the meal.

We can’t wait to see you all there and enjoy the Michigan outdoors!

2.42 groups

If you weren’t able to make our discussion last night, here’s what we talked about:

We are eager to launch a 7-week pilot program called “2.42 groups”, based on Acts 2:42 which says “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” 2.42 groups would take the place of our evening service during this trial period, and would take place in peoples’ homes, focusing on the five values of being relational, intergenerational, formational, invitational, and reproducible. This 7-week pilot program will take place on Sunday evenings from October 6 - November 17. After everyone has had the opportunity to sign up, intergenerational small groups will be formed.

We anticipate a typical Sunday evening to be hosted by a person or family of each 2.42 group. A group session may include the following format: food & fellowship, singing, Scripture, discernment and prayer.

If you have questions about this or are interested in learning more, please ask! Give us a call, shoot us an email, stop on by the office, or write a comment below.

Family Promise Sign-up

You’ll find this sign-up on the bulletin board outside the kitchen! Take a few minutes to read through the descriptions of each role, and sign up for any and all that you may be interested in helping with if Maranatha were to commit to partnering with Family Promise.

If you have no idea what Family Promise is, check out the previous blog post :)

Family Promise Opportunity

On Sunday night, September 8, we gathered at church to hear more from Tammy regarding a unique opportunity for Maranatha and several other churches in Holland. Family Promise, a national organization that seeks to find permanent housing for families by partnering with local churches, is looking to start a chapter in Holland. After many months of conversations and research, we’ve determined that our facility has ample size to house up to five families (maximum of 14 people) one week per quarter.

Now it’s your turn. This ministry will take some manpower in the form of bringing in meals each night, providing two overnight volunteers, move-in volunteers, and other volunteer roles. If you would be interested in serving families in this way, please sign up at church to show your interest in a role or two (or more!). If you have questions, please see Tammy.

Family Promise has given Holland churches until October 15 to commit to this ministry. If we don’t receive enough interest, then we will not commit to starting this ministry in our building.

To watch what Family Promise of Grand Rapids is all about, please watch the video below:

Words of Life from the Plains of Moab

This fall, during our morning worship, we’re going to immerse ourselves in the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is a highly instructive book and a relevant book for every era, for it’s a book that prompts us to think hard about what it means to live as the people of God in the midst of the nations.

The book in its entirety, after all, is set on the plains of Moab, just across the Jordan River from the Promised Land. The Israelites have made it to the border. It’s almost time to go in. It’s almost time to take possession of the land God had long ago promised to Abraham. But first…the Israelites need to hear these words. These words from God through Moses. These words by which they are reminded who they are because of whose they are. These words which instruct them about how they are to live in the Land. As God’s called-out people. In the midst of the nations. In order that the Kingdom of God might be established and evidenced and esteemed here on earth.

So let’s dwell together in the book of Deuteronomy this fall, listening for how these words were meant to shape the Israelites of old—and how they might shape us as followers of Jesus today.