12.18.20 - Highlights from 12.12 - 12.18
Prayer Request
For Lee Baas for relief from pain. Lee will have a CAT scan tomorrow and pray that it is clear so he can have surgery to relieve the pain.
Rich Abraham will be having back surgery tomorrow. Pray for all health care workers part in the surgery as well as it relieving pain for Rich. Finally, his recovery will be speedy.
From Terry Wyngarden: As most of you know, Carol was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year. She had extensive surgery on June 18 and also completed four rounds of chemotherapy on October 13. November 15-30 she was in the hospital with severe pain, nausea, and general swelling of her lower body. She returned to the hospital (Butterworth) this past Tuesday, December 15 because of increased distress from the above symptoms. Testing revealed that her cancer has returned in her abdomen. After consultation with her oncologist, we have decided for her to enter at-home hospice care after her expected release from the hospital tomorrow or Sunday. Thank you for your prayer and concern for Carol. She is at peace with the decision and feels that the Lord is holding her in His arms. Please pray that her last days be full of comfort and love.
Thank You
Thank you to the congregation for the beautiful Christmas cards. Christmas blessings to all! Lou & Ethel Wallinga
Thank you to the congregation for the beautiful Christmas cards. I really enjoyed reading each one. They really brightened my day. Dorothy Tierman
Thank you so much for all the goodies and notes that were in the college care package! Once again, the timing was perfect - just as exams were starting to ramp up and intense studying begins. In this year when everything seems so disconnected and learning is done remotely, I really appreciated the personal touch and continued reminder that First is still my church family! Sincerely, Leah Hoffer
Weekly Giving for 12/13/20 mailed checks and Venmo: Weekly giving: $2195.50 Weekly budget: $7612 Percent met: 28.8 % YTD giving: $301,329.66 YTD budget: $380,600 Percent met: 79.1 %
Birthdays
12/23 Amy Redder 12/24 Lindsey Dick
12/25 Nathan Holtrop (send wishes to sholtrop@crcna.org) 12/26 Bill Curtis, Joann Tysman
December Mission of the Month Wycliffe Bible Translators (Lorri Scholten) - Interesting fact: The 3rd and 4th graders meet on the roof of an apartment building. While at times it can be windy, they are able to be together.
Interesting Recycle Story
Toward the end of summer, the metal team was invited to help clean out a jewelry store in downtown Grand Haven. While helping themselves to the "treasures" on the shelves, a few odd-looking bottles of liquid caught their attention. The owner of the store told Tom Cavanaugh, "Don't just throw that stuff away. It is worth some good money. The bottles contain precious metal plating solutions of gold, silver, and Rh." (What is Rh? Rh is Rhodium and is mined in the U.S. and around the world. When jewelers create a piece, the final finish step is to coat it with liquid Rh. This gives the final finish a much whiter almost platinum appearance.) While Tom was warned that the liquids were dangerous, he decided not to throw them away. He did some research and in the end, after paying various fees for selling plating liquids on Ebay, the bottles sold and netted our church $217.87. Way to go Tom!
Drive-Through Christmas Gift Bags for our Youth
The Youth Ministry Leaders have put together a Christmas gift bag for each of our kids, infant through high school. Tomorrow (Saturday 12/19) is the Church Parking Lot Drive Through Gift Bag Pick Up from 10:00-11:00 am! We have greatly missed being with our kids and are looking forward to connecting with them if only for a few moments on this day. We'll have a gift bag, hot chocolate, and goodie to go PLUS Santa and Mrs. Claus will be handing out the candy canes!! So come and wave hi to your teachers and leaders, pick up your gift bag & treats plus get your candy cane from the big guy himself! Any questions contact Joan Groenhout at 616-402-4238. Merry Christmas and see you tomorrow!
Holiday Office Hours 9am - 1pm Monday, December 21st 9am - 1pm Tuesday, December 22nd Working remotely Wednesday, December 23rd Office Closed Thursday, December 24th Office Closed Friday, December 25th Working remotely Monday, December 28th