Newsletter: October 2005

Mission Statement

To equip, enable, undergird RCA deacons as they seek to lead their congregations in demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ through ministries of mercy, service and outreach.

THOUGHTS FROM THE COORDINATOR

It was a rainy Sunday evening in September and I gathered with Orchard Hills' consistory to be a part of a workshop called Branches on the Vine put on by Betty Voskuil. This workshop is designed to learn about how the elders, deacons and minister of word and sacrament work together to form the consistory. As Betty began to talk about how the board of deacons "shall serve those in distress and need, minister to the sick, the poor, the hurt"..., someone came in the back of the room and approached one of the deacons and pastors and whispered something in their ear. The pastor then stood and shared it with the whole group. Apparently a husband and wife had come in the church looking for shelter for the night as they had been living in their car. They immediately fed this couple and went about deciding what they could do to help find lodging for them. It was a Sunday night and Mel Trotter Mission was full. Where do you send them then? A call was made to 211/First Call For Help. Some options were given but nothing was going to work at that time on a Sunday night. It was then decided that they would put them up in a local motel for the night and this couple would then seek help at ACCESS the next morning. The pastor with an elder then went with the couple to check them in. This truly had to be a "God thing" because if it had not been for this workshop being held, there may not have been anyone at the church to help.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
--2 Corinthians 9:12

Is your church prepared to help people who walk in off the street or call from the neighborhood looking for assistance? Do you have guidelines set up so the church office or the deacons know right away what they can do to help? The needs are often things that most of us take for granted each day such as shelter, clothing and transportation. When someone comes to you for help, do you know who to call for assistance? One possibility is to have on hand certificates for food or gas. Remember to always distribute funds to the need and not to the individual. Shouldn't we be prepared to show the love of Jesus Christ in this way? If you need guidelines for helping those in need, please contact me at the Deacons' Center.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

As part of Habitat for Humanity and the Jimmy Carter building project in Grand Rapids this past Spring and Summer, the Deacons' Center co-sponsored the building of a house at 825 Baxter, S.E. for the Jorge and Maria Govea family. This house was completed in June and dedicated in July with an open house. Four churches participated in this project. Those churches were:

Olivet Reformed
Grace Reformed
Ada Community
Hope Reformed.

A special thank you to Mike Deppe who donated labor and equipment to hang the trusses and VanderWeide Roofing who donated materials and labor for the roof. Thanks to everyone who worked on the house and those who prepared food for breakfast and lunch. This has helped to make it possible for the Govea family to have a nice place to live and bring up their two daughters.

CHURCH FEATURE

WHO: REFORMED CHURCH OF CORINTH

WHAT: Comedy Encounter at Corinth

Had a good laugh lately? Was it at church?

Anyone who has heard a good comedian knows the power of comedy. Everyone loves a good laugh! Comedy has a universal appeal. It crosses barriers of race, age, and gender. It lowers our guard, making us more receptive to new ideas.

So what if churches used comedy as a tool for reaching out to our communities? A recent outreach event at Corinth Reformed Church tried to do just that. Corinth invited Thor Ramsey, host of the Bananas comedy show, to host a hilarious evening of laughter and Christ-honoring comedy. In addition to keeping the audience laughing for most of the show, Thor took a few minutes to share his own story of faith. He is one of over 30 comedians represented by Outreach Comedy (www.outreachcomedy.com), a Christian ministry that provides churches with the resources they need to have a successful comedy event. Over 500 people attended the event at Corinth, many of them first-time visitors to the church!

To maximize the effectiveness of this outreach to the community, volunteers from the church delivered "welcome bags" to people new to the community, inviting them to the event. Each bag contained information about the church, a free book, some candy, and two free tickets to the comedy night. Church members were also encouraged to take advantage of a "free ticket" offer to invite their unchurched friends and neighbors.

The Comedy Encounter night also included music provided by the Corinth Saturday evening worship band and a selection of fine desserts and coffee provided by the church following the event.

By Ryan Pazdur

MISSION OPPORTUNITY: SERVANTS CENTER

Did you know that forty percent of chronically homeless people in America are mentally ill? Have you ever heard of the Servants Center?

The Servants Center is a ministry that helps the mentally ill homeless get off the streets and stay off the streets. Their mission is to enhance the reputation of Jesus Christ through the provision of high quality, relationship-based street outreach and ongoing support service to the mentally ill poor and homeless people of the greater Grand Rapids area. In addition to direct service to the homeless, they also provide educational events related to their work throughout Michigan each year. These events include Sunday preaching, training seminars and consulting services to help congregations develop effective ministries among the poor in their own communities--urban, suburban or rural. Servants Center is funded through contributions from churches, individuals, corporations and foundations.

The Servants Center was organized in 1993 by Don Tack, a pastor and college educator , who had concerns about the drift of churches away from direct, relationship-based ministry among the poor. In conjunction with colleagues, he has developed a method of direct outreach services to help people in unfortunate circumstance who cannot help themselves.

Adult volunteers are needed to assist their professional staff with routine but important tasks that help the formerly homeless people they serve. For more information contact Don Tack at 616/456-8512.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

This will be a wonderful day of worship, fellowship, workshops and food. Look for registration forms to be mailed in January.

HELP NEEDED:

WESTOWN JUBILEE HOUSING is looking for individuals or church groups for two small projects. These include building a handicap ramp or building a set of steps to the second floor of a home. If you or your church group would like more information or are willing to do either of these projects, please contact Harry Kooyman at 458-4841 or Julie Ploeg at the Deacons' Center.

CLANCY STREET is looking for an experienced drywaller that could do a small job for a gentlemen from their congregation. For more information, please contact Steve Faas at Clancy Street at 616/235-2195 or contact Julie Ploeg at the Deacons' Center.

SERVANT'S COMMUNITY is looking for individuals or church groups to help with many repair projects at the church. If you are willing to help, please check their website at www.ServantsChurch.com for a list of projects.

How Can The Center Serve Your Diaconate?

1. Assisting with networking and collaborating with other RCA diaconates on service projects.

2. Providing resources to educate and to be more effective in service opportunities as a deacon board.

3. Consulting on community resources that can meet a need in your congregation.

4. Communicating opportunities for volunteering locally and globally.

5. Arranging training for your consistory in:

a. What is a deacon's role?
b. Stewardship education and congregational giving.
c. Mission involvement locally and globally.
d. Special individual and family concerns.
e. Responding to people in need through Reformed Church World Service.
f. Opportunities for volunteer service locally and globally.
g. Caring for creation and simple living.

Grand Rapids Deacons' Coordinating Center Board Members

Jim Flamming, President, Orchard Hill Reformed Church
Jeff VanDuinen, Treasurer, First Reformed Church - Grandville
Karen Breuker, Knapp Reformed Church
Kathleen Talsma, Olivet Reformed Church
Jon Lunderberg, Central Reformed Church
Rev. Warren Burgess, Corinth Reformed Church
Shari Dood, Grace Reformed Church
Betty Voskuil, Ex-Officio Member - RCA
Don van der Zwaag, Ex-Officio Member--Synod of the Great Lakes

If you would like to have a representative from your church on the Deacon Board, please contact Julie Ploeg, Coordinator at 616/532-2428 or e-mail jploeg@deaconcenter.org.