March-April Pella II Newsletter March 2, 2014 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40 In this issue we see how we are serving the Lord by teaching children and going on serve trips. We then meet the “Let’s Remember” scrapbooking group, look at the album “Rise,” and finally see how to be less busy. There’s a lot to cover as we continue to serve. Three-Year-Olds to PreK Teachers: Matt Walker & Lisa Vos Helpers: Martha Uitermarkt & Judy Van Zee Students: Dane Geetings, Teah Hugen, Liam Nieuwsma, Lucas Schreur, Nora Van Arendonk, Gabe Vander Molen, Ian Vander Molen, Kynlee Van Wyngarden, Isaac Walker, Antonia Zylstra, Georgia De Vries, Tyson Vander Linden, Ethan Tukker, Haylee Walker In the 3yrs – Pre-Kindergarten class we have been having tons of fun listening to stories, playing with play dough, coloring and playing games. We are a large and very active group. We average 10-12 children each week. Matt Walker and Lisa Vos are the teachers with Martha Uitermarkt and Judy Van Zee helping each week. Some of our stories have included Creation… how God made the world, Adam -1- and Eve disobeying God in the Garden and how we sometimes disobey too. We talked about how Abraham and Sarah obeyed God and how that is important. God took care of Moses – from his time as a baby to the exodus and to providing for the Israelites with manna in the dessert. The manna in our story came when our heads were down “sleeping” and popcorn appeared before us when we “woke up”. The kids were thrilled with that! One of the other stories we enjoyed was when we talked about David and Goliath. We had a special visitor come (Brian Van Kooten) who was our Goliath and told our story. After sitting through church or C4C, we like to move about and play games. If you ever hear a lot of thumping on the floor it probably means we are playing our version of “Red Light, Green Light” (that has a yellow in the middle sometimes too). The kids would play this every week if possible. Ask one of the kids and they will happily tell you how we play. “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” is another kid favorite. We love our time together each week. Thank you for loving us and watching us grow! March-April Pella II Newsletter Kindergarten to 1st Grade March 2, 2014 We also have time to either play a game or do a craft after each class that pertains to the lesson for the day. There is so much energy in the room you can feel it. Energy to talk, play and learn about our God! 2nd and 3rd Grades Teachers: Clarissa Van Zee & Marti Zylstra Helpers: Kim Hoekstra & Susan Pierson Students: Kate Braafhart, Henry De Boef, Adalynn Van Arendonk, Hunter Vander Linden, Carmen Walker, Kyler Hartson, Ryley Hoekstra, Rob Schreur, Zackary Stearns, Megan Vander Molen, Kirby Van Wyngarden, Taylor Walker, Xavia Walker, Aurelia Zylstra Teachers: Nick Braafhart & Will Van Wyngarden This year has been a fun year so far for our K-1 class. We have been learning about God's plan for us and even though we may not be the smartest or strongest, He finds ways to use us to fulfill His ultimate plan. Students: Claire Braafhart, Dane Geetings, Carson Tukker, Caleb Van Arendonk, Alexis Vos, Kennedy Hartson, Emily Vander Molen, Haley Van Houweling, Kaden Van Wyngarden We started off the year learning about His plan for us by listening to the stories of Noah, Elijah, and Jonah to name a few. Each person was not perfect but God used them to carry out His perfect plan! Nick Braafhart and I have the privilege of teaching 2nd and 3rd grades again this year. We are continuing on in the Wonder series of lesson plans. At the beginning of the year we had lessons on the final part of Christ’s ministry on earth and the ministry of the apostles. We have learned some big Bible words like Ascension and Pentecost. Then we switched back to the beginning of the Bible, learning about Creation and moving on through Adam and Eve and Noah and the ark. We are now studying David. We just heard the stories about how David was a shepherd and took care of his sheep and how Jesus is our shepherd and takes care of us. Last week, we heard the story about David and Goliath. It’s a familiar story by now, so we had fun listening to it by having the students act out parts when they heard the words “David, Goliath, Philistines, and Israelites.” -2- Many of our lessons include components consisting of lots of physical action and letting the kids use their imagination. The March-April Pella II Newsletter young kids enjoy getting a chance to use their energy toward acting out Bible stories. I really think it also helps to reinforce the lesson and concepts in their young minds. We get a chance to act out the stories, often with the kids getting to wonder about how people would have reacted in these situations and what their facial expression might have looked like. This allows the kids to enter the story. They wonder what they would have done if they had seen Jesus ascending into heaven or washing their feet. They get to imagine what it would have been like in the Garden of Eden when God banished Adam and Eve. It is a joy for us to have the chance to witness the kids seeing the stories come to life. March 2, 2014 Currently we are finishing up lessons centered on David. We have always thought of David as a “man after God’s own heart” – which he was. He was respectful of Saul as King, a good friend to Jonathan, and caring of Jonathan’s lame son, Mephibosheth. He led the people well as King of Israel. But we also saw the other side of David. He was prideful, lustful, even planned out the perfect murder. He needed God’s forgiveness just like we do. We learned that when we sin, we need to confess our sin to God, and he will forgive us. Finally, our last lessons will revolve around Solomon. We look forward to what we can learn from Solomon’s life and how this impacts how we live. We asked the kids what they enjoy about our time together and here’s what they said – Playing “hangman”, candy, and talking. They are very good at discussing the lessons. The favorite lesson theme is David. 4th and 5th Grade Thanks for all your prayers! Teachers: Bill & Barb Wilson, Darrell & Bonnie Boot Students: Drew Geetings, Nia Hoekstra, Carter Vos, Riley Zylstra, Noah De Boef, Ty Hugen, Bailey Roose, Brett Vander Molen, Nathaniel Veenstra Our lessons have centered around 3 different themes. First - we studied Paul and his missionary journeys. We learned that being a missionary can be very difficult, but we are all called to be missionaries no matter where God places us in our lives. -3- March-April Pella II Newsletter 6th, 7th, & 8th Grades March 2, 2014 community and leadership, forgiveness, faith, salvation, grace, the sacraments, the Ten Commandments and our relationship to God. Recently, we’ve been working on memorizing Psalm 23. We conclude with prayer and dismiss at 11:35. High School Teachers: Steve Roose & Robert Rus Students: Matthew Bokhoven, Kenyon Geetings, Alexa Matherly, Tessa Vander Molen, Maxwell Wichhart, Taryn Hugen, Brett Roose, Blake Vander Molen, Tyler Vander Molen, Charles Yang, Grace Bokhoven, Abigail Gosselink This group meets in the Council Room. We begin wandering in before 10:50, which gives us a chance to discuss general tropics such as family, school and sports. One of the rewards of teaching is becoming acquainted with these youth as unique individuals. Sometimes the lesson provides an opening activity for us to have fun together or burn off some excess energy. We have a prayer to get us focused on studying a Bible story, followed by questions and discussion. We are using the DIVE material from Faith Alive Christian Resources. It includes a magazine to follow every lesson with appropriate questions and answers from the Heidelberg Catechism. In addition, each young person receives a devotion book with three devotionals related to each lesson and connected by a story symbol. Teacher: Ken Van Woerkom Students: Brooke Van Woerkom, Miles Wichhart, Claire Gao, Annie Matherly, Justin Boot, Nina Meister, Krisztina Sarkezi This year in the high school class, our goal was to evangelize to others. We visited our elderly church members and one Sunday we even made cookies for all the residents of the manor (with help from Thressa Nieuwsma and Cathryn Van Ee). We delivered them to the residents and wished them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We have gotten to know each other and our other church members better. Together, we have grown in our faith. Educational Ministries Report The four unit titles this season are “Who Is the Holy Spirit?”, “Who is the Church?”, “What is being a Christian all about?” and “What’s with all the Rules?”. The topics include the Holy Trinity, the church By Crystal Schreur and Tina Vander Molen The church school season at Pella II has been a great one! We are blessed in our -4- March-April Pella II Newsletter church to serve 65 children and young people. This year our 3-year olds-8th graders are participating in the DWELL curriculum. This curriculum focuses on thinking deeper about the Bible stories and wondering about different aspects of each story told. Students are encouraged to dwell in God’s Word. The 3-year old-5th grade lessons focus on various stories in the Old and New Testaments. The 6th-8th lessons use the Heidelberg Catechism and the Belgic Confession as their focus of study. Teachers and students alike really seem to enjoy using this curriculum and we think it is a good fit for the younger members of our congregation. Our high school class has been busy visiting members of our congregation. A big thank you to all of the teachers and helpers for your efforts and your time! In addition to our church school classes, the children are involved in singing each week and learning new songs. Sharesa has brought in some fresh music to teach the kids as well as incorporate those beloved, familiar Sunday School songs. The children also worked hard this year preparing for the Christmas program. Thank you to the Christmas Program Committee, Jeanetta Nieuwsma, Melissa Tukker, Wendy Hartson and Susan Vander Molen for all of their work! C4C (Children for Christ) is another group in which our youngest children can participate. The three-year-olds through PreKindergarten children leave the morning service about twice a month for a short Bible lesson, craft and songs. Many volunteers from the congregation make this time possible for these children. We have always asked for parents with children in C4C to take a turn either leading or helping with a -5- March 2, 2014 Sunday, but it is truly a blessing to have quite a few older students, grandmas and others from the congregation volunteer to help out. We have been using lessons from a resource book that accompanies the Beginner’s Bible to guide our C4C lessons. The offering we are collecting this year is for two families that live in Pella. We connected with both of these families through Crossroads in Pella. The first family is a single mom with a six-year-old girl. The second family is a mom with two kids, one girl and one boy. We have been able to give them all they needed for winter, from coats and boots to a teapot. We have also given them food, bathroom items, clothes and toys for Christmas. So far this year, the church school children and generous people in the church have given over $550.00. THANK YOU! The families have asked for prayers and expressed how very thankful they are for the people at our church. We hope that the children understand how much they are really helping these families, in Jesus’ name. We as an Education Committee have been grateful for all of the support the congregation gives to this important ministry for our children. We are continually looking for ways to better our educational programs and we welcome any questions or concerns. One giant challenge our committee faces is how to adequately address the education of our adults through small groups or a Sunday-School type group. Please pray for wisdom in this area. Above all, we pray for God to be glorified as we share and learn from His Word with each other. March-April Pella II Newsletter Cary Trip 2014 By Will Van Wyngarden 12 men from several different churches loaded up three vehicles at Pella II at 4 a.m. on January 19. We stopped briefly in Oskaloosa to pick up three more men and then we were on our way. It was a cold morning, and it took a while for it to get much warmer as we headed south. I think we had all hoped we were in for a nice, warm week, but I guess God had other plans! The first three houses we did were all basically within one or two blocks of each other in Anguilla. That allowed us to spread out and work apart from each other so we weren’t in each other’s way. We got two roofs done the first day as well as having a third mostly torn off. The weather was decent that first day, and we all enjoyed it. We were also treated to a series of flyovers from a nearby crop duster. And a select handful of us enjoyed shakes at Chuck’s. Tuesday, however, was not nearly so nice. I don’t know if the temperature ever reached much above 40, and the wind was strong and gusty. In addition to making it uncomfortable, it caused bits and pieces of shingles and tarpaper to blow all over. There were times where you could barely open your eyes for fear of debris flying in. Needless to say, we didn’t feel like stopping at Chuck’s on our way home! We worked on two different roofs that day, and some members of the crew went to hang drywall. We were also blessed to have two local young men there to help lend a hand. They hung in through the tough weather and hopefully they learned a thing or two about shingling. Wednesday was definitely nicer than Tuesday. It was a bit warmer, but there was -6- March 2, 2014 no wind, which made it quite pleasant. The homeowner treated us to fried chicken for lunch that day. Unfortunately, we had already eaten the lunch we had brought with us! But being the polite men we are, we went ahead and ate again. It is safe to say we didn’t move very fast the rest of the day, and strangely no one was too hungry for supper when we got back! We completed that house and then went back to Cary, where we spent the rest of the day (and part of the night) working on the roof of the dorm. Several of us left for home on Thursday, while the rest of the crew stayed behind to unload a truck at the thrift store and to finish the section of roof we had started the day before. I wasn’t there to witness it, but apparently the men finished that section of the roof in a sleet-storm. You just never know what to expect when you go down to Mississippi. “Let’s Remember” Enjoys 10 Years of Scrapbooking Together by Kim Hoekstra Adhesive, cardstock, embellishments, Cricuts – these are words that may sound foreign to many of you. But they are commonly heard in the church basement two Thursday nights a month when the Let’s Remember Scrapbooking group is together. March-April Pella II Newsletter Ten years ago, Julie Vander Molen had a desire to share her passion for recording her memories in scrapbooks and started a small group. Since then, somewhere between 6 to 10 women meet a couple of times a month to scrap. We also have a few Saturday all day “crops” per year. Since we each work on our own projects, some people might wonder, “Why bother to meet at church together? Why not just stay home and work on your photos?” There are a lot of answers to that. First, as a group of women who share a common interest, we have a bond and enjoy just being together. We scrap a little, laugh a lot, and sometimes shed tears together. Second, each evening includes a time of shared prayer requests, devotions, and snack (of course). Third, sometimes we actually get some scrapbook pages or cards completed. Fourth, having a specific time to work on our projects is very valuable due to the busy schedules we all maintain. And fifth, we are able to get new ideas and share supplies/tools with each other. Here’s a translation of the “scrapbook-ese” language that we use: • Adhesive = sticky stuff such as glue or tape. • Cardstock = thick paper. Available in lots of colors! • Embellishments = stickers or flowers or ribbon or anything to make the page special. In other words, bling. • Cricuts = not bugs (we do not like bugs or bats in the basement). This is a machine that will cut out letters and shapes in various sizes. • Crop = when a group of people get together to scrapbook. Sound interesting to you? Our season is nearing an end, but watch the bulletin for -7- March 2, 2014 meeting times and dates for Saturday crops and join us sometime. Sound crazy to you? No problem. God has given each person different talents, whether that be quilting, or cooking, or organizing, or leading, or roofing, or music, or….you get the idea. Whatever talent you have, just remember to use it. God didn’t bless you with that talent so you could waste it! Skillet – “Rise” “3, 2, 1 for all and all for 1” “Times will be bad, times will be good Things I wish I hadn’t done and some I wish I would Cutting through the American noise You’ve got a voice and a song to sing (and a song to sing) Drink deep in the morning Drink deep in the morning See what the day will bring” “La da da da Lift up your voice Let love cut through the American noise La da da da Lift up your voice Let love cut through the American noise” The band Skillet was formed in 1996 in Memphis, TN. While it has had a number of members over the last 18 or so years, John Cooper (vocals & bass)—one of the bands March-April Pella II Newsletter founders—and his wife Korey (guitar, keyboards & backing vocals) are the cornerstone of today’s version of Skillet. For the last few years they have been joined by Jen Ledger (drums & vocals) and Seth Morrison (lead guitar) to complete the band. The lyrics above are taken from the song “American Noise” off of their most recent album “Rise”, which was released last summer. “Rise” takes an interesting path as it is thematic. A consistent thread runs through the album that focuses on the struggles and feelings of alienation a young person might feel in today’s society. Around those struggles the album repeatedly speaks of strength, faith, perseverance and salvation. The frail nature of the human condition (man’s fall) is expressed in clear and at times weighty statements. While the struggles of life may seem overwhelming Skillet repeatedly draws the listener back to the path towards peace that can only be found in God’s grace. Never give up, never surrender and never turn away. With God there is always HOPE. While their message is not presented in a “from the pulpit” sermon format it is repeatedly presented loud and clear. Our lives begin and end with God. In the November-December 2013 newsletter, I described Skillet as utilizing “big drums, powerful guitars and forceful vocals;” as the band contains “both male and female vocals” their music “provides a nice mix and some very complimentary arrangements.” If you were to look at reviews of their music you would see terms -8- March 2, 2014 like “Christian Rock”, “Christian Metal” and “Hard Rock” used to describe them. I think the term I like best is “Symphonic Metal”. I think that term could also describe a band like Trans Siberian Orchestra. Both bands present a very large, hard driving and powerful sound but not at the expense of retaining a very melodic and structured presentation to their audiences. As I dove more deeply into “Rise” I was really intrigued by their use of keyboards, strings and ethereal vocals. As with most long tenured bands Skillet has shown a lot of musical progression over their careers. “Rise” also presents some very beautiful and artistic ballad-like numbers. “American Noise”, as quoted above, would fall in that category. When you review the whole of “Rise” it is very clear that this edition of Skillet has the complete musical package. The more I listen to “Rise” the more there is to like. I’ve always tried to listen to an entire album at least three times before defining a final opinion. If you cannot make it through an album three times that sends a pretty clear message as well. No problem here—I’ve been through “Rise” seven or eight times and am still finding some neat nuances that I’d missed before. Skillet is not going to be for everyone. No music genre is. I do know that it appeals to this 49-year-old father and to a number of his children. Just as our musical tastes change over time (at least a little) it will be interesting to see where the Coopers (now parents and 40ish) take Skillet next. They March-April Pella II Newsletter have repeatedly proven they are willing to smack their listener’s right between the eyes, or better stated, right between the ears with their music and their message. They are doing a great job of reaching an audience that perhaps more traditional evangelical methods are missing. Like their music or not, their message cannot be disputed. As a result it has value in the work of God’s Kingdom, and that reminder is good for us all. Jesus Can Help Us Avoid OverBusyness By Pastor Dan Festo Kivengere, an outstanding African Christian leader, told of his conversion experience: “My life was like a spinning top. You know the problem of a spinning top – it has a very big head and a very thin base. It can’t stand up unless it’s spinning. And a top just spins around itself – that’s all. My life was exactly like that. I was just running faster and faster, thinking that the faster I ran the better life would become. How wrong!” Then a friend who was a new Christian told Festo the story of salvation and how he could truly live when he took the time and made the effort to “dwell in Christ.” As Festo describes what happened when God showed him these things, “God smashed my heart open and introduced me to the living reality of Jesus -9- March 2, 2014 Christ, who entered in. My top stopped spinning, and He gave me direction that lasts through eternity.” We can learn something from Festo’s experience. One of my favorite old Country and Western hits includes the following lyrics: “I’m in a hurry to get things done. I rush and rush until life’s no fun.” I think these words capture the frustration that many in our world feel – including many Christians who know (or at least they ought to know) that the alternative to numbing busyness is being “filled with the Spirit.” Making the switch from numbing busyness to invigorating engagement with God in Christ is a lifelong task. Our congregation as a whole seems to be longing to tackle it more effectively. That’s a good thing, and I am thankful for it. We need to begin by making room in our busy lives for what really matters. We need to recognize the reality that our chronic busyness is holding us back. The spiritual consequences of being too busy can be disastrous. They include burn-out, despair, and the need to escape into activities that bring some relief in the short run, but devastating personal disintegration in the long run. When we try to cram more into our days than our limited time and energy allows, we are not only crowding out the things that will feed our spirits, we are also showing signs that our spirits are seriously out of alignment with the way of Christ. People who don’t have time to “abide in Christ” show that they believe too much in themselves and not enough in God. On the other hand, people who trust in God do not need to run around like Chicken March-April Pella II Newsletter Little with their heads cut off, worrying about how to hold up the sky. As our tops begin to wobble and topple, we need to resist the temptation to find a way to wind them up again. We need to remember that God has the whole world in His hands, and that “underneath are the everlasting arms.” A spinning tire gets no traction until it stops spinning. If nothing is added to the mix after the tire stops, the tire will only spin as before when the power is reapplied. If we want any real traction in our spiritual lives, March 2, 2014 we not only need to stop the busyness, we also need to apply the living presence of Christ to our daily living. Our spiritual lives will get no traction until we “abide in Christ.” We need to follow Jesus’ example. I have never read that Jesus was in a hurry. He was on track and at peace because he was in constant fellowship with his Heavenly Father. Through him, as we take the time every day to “abide in him,” we can grow deeper in our own fellowship with God, and bear the real and lasting fruit in our lives which results. In Loving Memory Hariet Vanden Baard July 12, 1917 – January 30, 2014 Pella II Newsletter invites your contribution. Drop a note in the “Newsletter” box in the church kitchen or contact one of our editors. Joel Vander Molen [email protected] 628-1303 Ryan Hoekstra [email protected] 628-3964 -10- Jan Van Weelden [email protected] 628-4034 Pella II Newsletter Mar - Apr 2014 Mar 2 Sandi Vander Molen Cathryn Van Ee Sharon Walker Hermina Stursma Apr 6 C J C J C C J S S S Mar 9 JoAnn Boot Joann Verhey Vicky Slings Deb Klyn C C C J C J S Sharon Walker Bev De Vries S Lisa Vos S Arlys Veenstra C C J C J East Doors Mar. 2 Levi & April Nieuwsma Mar. 9 Jeremy & Tina Vander Molen Mar. 16 Brad & Cheryl Veenstra Mar. 23 Kurt & Emily Boender Mar. 30 GEMS Apr. 6 Matt & Lisa Vos Apr. 13 Gary and Norma Kuiper Good Friday April 18 Les and Carla Nieuwsma April 20 Jason and Wendy Hartson April 27 Zach and Carissa Vander Linden C C J C C J S S C S S S S S S S S JoAnn Boot Carroll Boot Carissa Vander Linden Sharesa Van Arendonk Leona Nunnikhoven C J C J C S Apr 27 C C J C J C Mar 30 Mary Ann Vander Molen Lawrence Vander Molen Carolyn Harthoorn Kristen Vander Molen S Apr 20 Mar 23 Lola Spoelstra Darlene Kloosterman Elmer Kloosterman Tina Vander Molen Susan Pierson C C C J C J Apr 13 Mar 16 JoAnn Boot Carroll Boot Ruth Van Hal Brenda Klyn Lola Spoelstra Kathleen De Haan Ruth Stevenson Carla Nieuwsma C C J C J S S S Lola Spoelstra Cathryn Van Ee Paula Klyn Norma Kuiper C C J C J C S S S Please mark cookies and juice that are brought in before Sunday with “Sunday S coffeetime”, so that if there are other things going on at church, we know S what they are for. Thanks, S Coffeetime Committee North South Sid & Mary Klyn Gary & Sandi Vander Molen Larry & Jan Van Weelden Rob Rus Wes & Arlys Veenstra Bill & Hermina Stursma Jason & Sharesa Van Arendonk GEMS Brian & Glenda Van Kooten Jerry & Martha Uitermarkt Deb Klyn Ed Uitermarkt Bob and Karen Spencer Ken and Janiece Van Woerkom Shane and Melissa Tukker Gary and Sandi Vander Molen Tom and Sharon Walker Mar - Apr 2014 AM AM AM AM AM AM AM AM AM Pella II Newsletter Nursery Attendants March 2 Susan Pierson PM Melissa Geetings Carissa Vander Linden Dane Geetings Riley Zylstra March 9 Barb Gosselink PM Vicky Slings Sharesa Van Arendonk Tessa Vander Molen Abigail Gosselink March 16 Susan Vander Molen PM Martha Uitermarkt Ruth Van Hal Drew Geetings Brooke Van Woerkom March 23 Crystal Schreur PM Kim Hoekstra Kim Vander Molen Carter Vos Taryn Hugen March 30 Amy Bokhoven PM Arlys Veenstra Mary Van Haaften Ty Hugen Bailey Roose April 6 Jeanetta Nieuwsma PM Judy Van Zee Allison Van Wyngarden Annie Matherly Kenyon Geetings April 13 Melissa Tukker PM April Nieuwsma Kristen Vander Molen Emily Vander Molen Kennedy Hartson April 18 Good Friday PM Paula Klyn, Nia Hoekstra April 20 Easter Kim Roose PM Mary Brouwer Clarissa Van Zee Nathaniel Veenstra Kaden Van Wyngarden April 27 Libby Braafhart PM Sharon Walker Angie Roose Brett Vander Molen Max Wichhart March Ushers: Center: Jason Van Arendonk, Jon Van Haaften South: Robert Rus North: Phil Slings April Ushers: Center: Joel Stevenson, Jeff Vander Molen South: Carl Van Houweling North: Dave Stevenson
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