10.7.20 Prayer Requests, Giving, Thank You, Sept Recycle & More

Prayer Requests

Shirley Petersen was in Butterworth Hospital for tests last week and returned to her group home over this past weekend. She has pancreatic and liver cancer She is resting comfortably and so far has not complained of much pain, but she is now under hospice care at the group home. Shirley and her family are in need of our prayers. Shirley is in good spirits, but I'm sure she would love to hear from her many friends at 1st Church. If you would like to send her a card, please send it to the following address:

Shirley Petersen

Shel and Mar AFC

15881 32nd Ave.

Coopersville, MI 49404

Jan Meyers is doing well with her fractured hip however, she is still struggling with the sodium levels in her blood.

Here are the Giving Numbers from 10/04/20 and September mailed checks:

Weekly giving: $7,807

Weekly budget: $7,612

Percent met: 102.5 %

Ytd giving: $256,917.18

Ytd budget: $304,480.00

Percent met: 84.3%

Thank You

Thank you for your love and care for us as we said good-bye to Dan's dad, Andy Groenhout last week. Your prayers, words of kindness, cards, calls and emails were of great support during the past few weeks. We are so grateful for you and to belong to Christ's body of believers! Dan & Joan Groenhout

Dear First Church, I received your gift and I am so incredibly grateful for your generosity and kindness. I can't thank you enough for choosing to invest in our students. Thank you for your donation of $790 received on September 9, 2020. Because of you, all students have access to a high quality education. Your gift gives a voice to children who simply can't afford a seat at the table without you.  And at Mustard Seed, that's over half of our students! Thank you for providing equitable access to an education that is rich in academics, the arts, and is rooted in faith and service. You are preparing students for success in high school, college, and beyond. We teach each child to know and care for their community and the world. Thank you for walking alongside our students every step of the way. Your investment today creates the change makers of tomorrow. Together, we inspire minds, cultivate hearts, and remove barriers. We're beginning year 42 today and you've been with us the whole time! With Heartfelt thanks,  Tom Postema  Head of School 

Thank you for giving for ReFrame Ministries (Back to God Ministries International), September Mission of the Month.   Gifts from First Church totaling $640 will enable to good news of Christ to go out even during this time of Covid isolation.  The Mission Team  

RECYCLE UPDATE FOR SEPTEMBER A big thank-you is due to 2 generous donors to our Recycle Ministry in September. One allowed us to glean recyclable materials from a house that was being demo-ed. The aluminum siding has already been brought to Padnos, and some of the interior material will be following soon. Grand Haven Jewelers made a similar offer, and we were able to gather items both for recycle and our online garage sales. Add to that the generous contributions the community continues to make with the items dropped off at the Colfax garage, and it’s made for another busy month. September also brought the first southern migrations of our volunteers. We said good-bye to the Klops and Keelers last week, but were excited to welcome a new member. Tillie Zimmerman has signed up to help with prepping garage sale items on Tuesday mornings. Welcome, Tillie! We’re grateful for the opportunity this ministry gives to help fund ministries and to make connections to our community. Recycle Totals September YTD

Metal Recycle $2,853.96 $14,997.55

Metal Pounds 30,602 181,126

Jeremy Helping Hands $311.00 $1,688.00

Jeremy HH Items 33 132

Online Garage Sale $1,716.00 $9, 601.45

Returnables $356.00 $1,189.30

The Holtrop Family (Resonate Global Mission) - October Mission of the Month

Steve Holtrop works with Nicaraguan pastors in helping Nicaraguan churches define and understand what a biblical model for a healthy church looks like in their context. This involves both self and peer evaluation to create action plans for moving forward to become more of what God would desire. Pray for his safety as he travels around Nicaragua.

Here is a link to a new video from the Holtrops. Watch to see a bit of what God has done in Central America over the past few months.

https://youtu.be/0yzoatVhgpU

Love In Action Food Donations and Bible/Bible Study Donations:

This month our collection items are spaghetti and spaghetti sauce however, you can donate any non-perishable food items. The bins are on top of the storage bin unit in the narthex.

We are also collecting Bibles, Bible study books, and Chrisitan books that go to Christian Resources International (CRI) in Fowlerville, MI. CRI then sends these books around the world to those who cannot afford them. These items can be placed in any of the bottom bins in the storage unit in the narthex.

Birthdays

10/11 - Pat Cavanaugh

10/13 - Elaine Smith

10/15 - Brilene Bacholl

10/16 - Luke Gruppen & Jane Katerberg

10/17 - Marty DeWyn

10/18 - Dylan Nederveld