September & October Calvin Caller
September/October Calvin Caller 2023
From the Pastor’s Desk…
Well, it’s that time of year once again! Schools have started up, sports are back in action, and summer is winding down. Church is starting a new ministry year as well. Our Wednesday ministries will soon begin, youth group will start meeting again, and Children in Worship will resume before we know it.
All wonderful things… Calvin church is growing. We are meeting and welcoming new families and members into the life of the church. Thanks be to God!
As we grow you are all needed. Every one of you is an important part of the body. Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.” 1 Cor 12:27
The last part of that verse, each of you is a member of it, leaves us all without an excuse. God has arranged us each to have a part to give. As we move into fall and another church year, I encourage you all to seek out in what ways you can give back to the life of the church. We have so many opportunities to serve. Here are just a few: Wednesdays at Calvin, Children in Worship, food truck, praise team, Bible studies, and so much more. Together we are the body of Christ. It is a beautiful image of how we work, and I am so thankful to be a part of it.
In Christ, Pastor Mark
Faithful Family Verse of the Month
We use a designated verse(s) in some way during worship on a monthly basis. Our hope is that this verse(s) will go home with you and be in your heart and mind during each month.
You will find our monthly verse in the bulletin, on the website and used in various ways during the month. Let’s keep digging into God’s Word together.
Verses for September: Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Verse for October: Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Hearts & Hands…
The Hearts & Hands Ministry will resume their monthly meetings for the new fall season on Monday, September 11th. We meet on the second Monday of the month at 1:00 PM in the Fireside Room. We are looking forward to beginning our 31st year at Calvin Church.
Our mission is to encourage and coordinate efforts to care for members of our church family and others in our community. If you would like to join us in our efforts to reach out and care for one another, please come. We always welcome new members and would love to have you join us for good fellowship, productive activities, and delicious desserts!
~ Antje Waldo, Secretary
The Power of Prayer…
Prayer is talking to God… Think of it as having a conversation with a friend. Prayer opens the door to the Power of God. It is an electric cord that sends your message to God. He hears all your prayers and answers in the way that is best for you.
Prayer is Communication with God… It can bring peace and healing to us as we spend time with Him.
Before you go to God with your requests, it’s always best to go to Him to confess any sins in your life and ask Him to cleanse your heart & mind. Then, thank Him for all He has done in your life.
Prayers of Praise are so important… Make these a part of your everyday life as you experience all He has Blessed you with. Be joyful in all you say and do, in every circumstance.
If you find that praying is difficult for you, ask the Spirit to help you. Something like this… “God, help me trust you with my decisions and future. Let me lean on you with all my heart instead of relying on my own imperfect understanding. Give me clear guidance in my life. I ask for your help to direct my path. Amen.” Repeat as needed, Believe, & Receive. He is ready to help you… Are you ready to receive all He has for you?
Yours in Christ, Myrna Johnson
Deacon News…
Volunteer Drivers Needed… The Deacons have a couple of needs within their transportation ministry. Please prayerfully consider participating in this ministry in one or both of the following ways:
1) Would you be willing to occasionally take a member of our church family to an appointment during the week? This is an occasional need, so it is a great way to be a huge blessing with a minimal commitment.
2) We currently have seven volunteers on our Sunday morning transportation schedule and would like more. With winter months coming soon, we anticipate more people requesting rides on Sunday mornings. We would love this ministry to be a blessing to those that would like to attend church but are unable to drive, especially in the winter months. We hope to get enough volunteers, so the commitment is one Sunday every other month or one Sunday per quarter would even be better.
Please see any Deacon or contact Vickie Curtis to request your name be added to the “occasional” and/or “Sunday morning” list. Your name will be used on a rotation basis coordinated by the Transportation Liaison. Thanks for supporting this ministry!
Calling all Calvin Seniors! The Deacons would like to invite you to Breakfast on Saturday, November 4th from 9:00 – 11:00 AM. Mark your calendar. Come join us for Food, Fun and Fellowship! More details coming soon.
~ Barb Hoffman, Deacon Chair
Friendship Ministry…
The overseeing organization of Friendship Ministries has made some changes over the past year. It has partnered with All Belong Ministry and branched out into both a church education and special needs inclusion ministry. With the new organization came a new name to better reflect what it now encompasses. The “parent” organization, if you will, is now called “With Ministries”. At first, I thought this to be a strange name as I wanted something with the word friendship in it, but I didn’t have any input and I must trust those that are on the front lines of this re-organization. I received an email announcing the name which did some explaining, but then this past week I received another email. Boy did I understand better what direction the ministry is going with headings like: “equip with”, “connect with”, “learn with”, “begin with”, and finally “dwell with”. Isn’t that what we all long for? To be equipped and connect with others? To learn with others? Yup, I think they got it right! It will take a while for me to get used to the new name and we will continue to call our ministry “Friendship”, but I like the all-encompassing nature the new name suggests.
Our Friendship group begins its 2023-2024 season on Thursday, October 5 and meets the first 3 Thursday evenings of each month and concludes its season on April 18. We will be studying the Fruit of the Spirit this year and spending 1 lesson on each fruit. We are welcoming a new participant, so we will have 29 students and will have 2 new volunteers, BUT we still need more volunteers to get to the preferred ratio of 1:1. We also need someone to take over the snack time and work alongside Laurie to “learn the ropes”. Friendship is such a rewarding ministry; won’t you consider joining us? Please contact Jan at 231-557-1503 for more information.
~ Jan Weiden, Friendship Ministry Chair
Bible Study…
The bi-monthly Bible Study on the first and third Mondays at 1:00 PM will begin on September 18th in the Fireside Room. It will be streamed in the church’s Facebook group for those who cannot attend in person. We’ll begin where we left off in May at Philippians 3:1.
There has been some interest expressed in going to a weekly study. If you are interested in this, please let Paul know.
~ Paul Wilson, Co-Leader
Church Library Additions…
Our library is located in the Fireside Room where you’ll find many interesting titles to borrow. Check out this list of newly added books. You’ll see a description of each new book in the Fireside Room and on the bulletin board in the narthex.
Remember Me by Sharon Garlough Brown
Shades of Light by Sharon Garlough Brown
The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Ice Swan by J’Nell Ciesieleski & Heather Mercer
Prisoners of Hope by Dayna Curry & Heather Mercer
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner
The Tea Shoppe Mysteries by Darlene Franklin, etc.
Joshua and the Children by Joseph F. Girzone
The Parables of Joshua by Joseph F. Girzone
Night Bird Calling by Cathy Gohlke
The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke
Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon
The Missing by Beverly Lewis
Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang
With Love, Wherever You Are by Dandi Daley Mackall
Murder in the City of Liberty by Rachel McMillan
Destined for You by Tracie Peterson
My Father’s World by Michael Phillips & Judith Pella
The Witnesses by Robert Whitlow
The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
Among Ourselves…
Anniversaries: Our best wishes to the following couples who are celebrating their anniversaries in September & October (50+ years together) …
Tom & Cheryl Veldman celebrating 57 years on September 9.
Bill & Louise Ypema celebrating 51 years on September 9.
Ted & Darlene Hewitt celebrating 53 years on September 25.
Bob & Ruth Keessen celebrating 62 years on September 29.
Ron & Mary Konyndyk celebrating 51 years on October 6.
Earl & Pat Lewis celebrating 63 years on October 14.
Craig & Brenda DeWind celebrating 52 years on October 22.
Dick & Gail Kraft celebrating 59 years on October 24.
Al & Judy Henderson celebrating 59 years on October 30.
September Birthdays:
Sept 1 – Cheryl Searles Sept 14 – Robin Semelbauer
Sept 1 – Emme Nummerdor Sept 15 – Len Fisher
Sept 2 – Len Haartman Sept 16 – Ray VanVoorthuysen
Sept 3 – Ron Rop Sept 18 – Darlene Dirkse
Sept 5 – Kelsey Folger Sept 20 – Colson Russell
Sept 8 – Joyce Borgman Sept 21 – Bobbi Lakatos
Sept 9 – Carol Marcil Sept 21 – Mark Duncan
Sept 10 – Mark Meengs Sept 22 – Val VanWoerkom
Sept 10 – Isla Folger Sept 23 – Jennie Gavin
Sept 11 – Matt Russell Sept 24 – Jean Wilbur
Sept 11 – Jana Sneller Sept 25 – Kurt Wolffis
Sept 11 – Ethan Duncan Sept 27 – Stacie Bannink
Sept 11 – Eliana Nicholas Sept 29 – Karen Swords
Sept 14 – Jeff Hopkins Sept 30 – Casey Gould
October Birthdays:
Oct 1 – Natalie Katerberg Oct 12 – Andrea Twining
Oct 2 – Sara Nekic Oct 13 – Wilma Pontius
Oct 2 – Dayton Jenkins Oct 13 – Marcia Tortorice
Oct 4 – Rhonda Bolema Oct 13 – Mason Bonnema
Oct 4 – Sydney Murray
Oct 4 – Lainey Postema Oct 15 – Dava Lakatos
Oct 5 – Jan Dethloff Oct 17 – Jim Bartkowiak
Oct 5 – Brian Dirkse Oct 17 – Julie VanderMeulen
Oct 8 – Al VanDonkelaar Oct 18 – Barb Workman
Oct 8 – Chris Beisel Oct 21 – Nick Wolffis
Oct 8 – Rick Hyma Oct 23 – Victoria Ledesma
Oct 8 – Leah Sneller Oct 25 – Bill Hyma
Oct 8 – Sophia Hyrns Oct 26 – Carl Bergman
Oct 9 – Judy Henderson Oct 28 – Pam LaFayette
Oct 9 – Kevin Veldman Oct 28 – Jamy Thompson
Oct 10 – Chuck Wilks Oct 28 – Autumn Brown
Oct 10 – Jen Konyndyk Oct 29 – Liam Milkamp
Oct 10 – Elizabeth Wakefield Oct 30 – Braden Twining
Oct 11 – LouAnn Karum Oct 31 – Ken Sherburn
Oct 12 – Naurine McPheron
Directory Info…
- Have you received your new copy of the 2023/2024 Church Directory (not pictorial)? See/contact Vickie if you need a copy.
- The Online Church Directory is very user friendly! Call, text or send an email right from the app on your smartphone. Download the app and get started today! Call the office or stop in if you need instructions. Updated regularly.