Guest post by Rachel Bush, deacon at Ann Arbor CRC
Over the past couple years I have been working hard to educate myself and struggle with my own personal role in racism. I found I have deep seeded tendencies and beliefs that I was not aware of being problematic until I took the time to read, weep, become angry, and admit that I’m not as anti-racist as I thought. The change begins within. My personal journey has occurred over the past three years as I have been moderating an Ann Arbor book club focusing on Race Relations. With the blessing of the AACRC Social Justice Committee and our pastors, I am now offering to moderate a 3-book summer series on the topic of racism. Continue reading
We’re thrilled to share the fourth episode in our Sabbath series. This is a deep and rich real-time conversation with Dr. Travis West, Megan Boes, and Pastor Ryan. Sit back and enjoy!
If you missed an earlier episode, you can find them all on the AACRC YouTube channel.
Hi friends, Enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections newsletters for May 27 & 29, online in our blog during this pandemic. Subscribe now to receive them in your inbox every week. Jen
Hi friends, Enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections newsletter for May 22, online in our blog during this pandemic. Subscribe now to receive them in your inbox every week. Jen
Hi friends, Enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections newsletter for May 15, online in our blog during this pandemic. Subscribe now to receive them in your inbox every week. Jen Continue reading
The Coronavirus has come as a huge shock to us, and within a very short time it has radically challenged our attitudes and behaviors. Our lives have narrowed and everyday tasks have suddenly become challenging. Social distancing brings new routines and sometimes spaces of loneliness. In the midst of this, our connection to God and our life of prayer, one that might have seemed centered and on track, can begin to feel troubled. But God hasn’t moved away from us! As we pray, we know that even though we are apart in body, God connects us through the power of the Spirit. What words might we offer as we seek to faithfully respond to where we find ourselves?
Here you will find resources that we have found to be life-giving aids to prayer, that are helping connect us to God. Some are online. Some are podcasts. Some are books. They range from ancient to modern, and from specific-for-right-now to timeless.Continue reading
Guest post from Rachel Bush, Deacon at Ann Arbor CRC and coordinator of Covid-19 Shelter
Hi all! I feel like it’s been a while since I updated you on the vulnerable men sheltering at the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church. Today is day #54 of having the men at the church!
During this time many things have shifted based on the direction of the health department, etc. Other off-site locations for the men have closed due to being too communal (ie everyone sleeping in one room, albeit spread out), men have been moved to a hotel, greatly reducing the number of homeless at the downtown center to safe levels. Two other churches even started hosting men a couple weeks ago, but just this week these men were also moved to the hotel when more rooms there were secured through the county. But one thing has remained constant: the AACRC site remained open and operating for the men to remain in place. Continue reading
Please enjoy these excerpts from our weekly electronic newsletter Connections for May 8, 2020.
A note from your AACRC elders
Hi friends,
It is hard to believe that this Sunday will mark our 10th Sunday of home worship. While we are committed to keeping distance and staying home to protect one another, some have started to ask what’s next. Therefore, the Shepherding elders would like you to know a couple of things. First, that the pastors are planning what worship could look like when we are able to return to 1717 Broadway again. Second, that the elders, staff, and pastors are thinking through the logistics of getting back into the building safely and quickly. Lastly, we are continuing to monitor the stay at home order and other instructions from officials and health professionals in order to communicate a date for our return to worship when it becomes available. Whenever we are allowed to meet again, we will have some transition time to get the building ready and make sure we have everything in place to meet safely. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your shepherding elder or one of the pastors. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.
God bless and stay safe,
Chris VanEe Sue DeZeeuw Godwin Okonkwo Roy Glover Bev Kraker Debbie Tuckey Malo Engel Jim Bryson Pastor Kristen Pastor Noah Pastor Ryan
Pastor Kristen’s sermon will premiere on YouTube at 9:00am. Allow yourself about 20 minutes prior to this start time to move through the liturgy if you want to catch the sermon when it premieres.
For our youth: new children’s bulletin
For our young children, this week’s Children & Worship story can be found HERE Please join us on Sunday @ 9:30am for a Fellowship time via a Zoom meeting: Join Zoom Meeting
**Worship resources can be found every week on the homepage of our church website: www.aacrc.org
We need your help with the Doxology!
Remember how the worship team has been recording collaborative videos during this season of social distancing? Pastor Noah is starting a project for the whole church! Watch this video, record yourself singing along, and send it to Pastor Noah (noah@aacrc.org):
Worship Time Feedback
As Council approaches the end of its leadership year, we will be making the decision of whether or not to continue in our current schedule of 9:15 faith formation and 10:30 worship. See your Connections newsletter for the link to a two question survey to gain your input and wisdom as we gather in June to listen and discern ourselves. This link will be active through May 22nd. Subscribe to Connections
GROW WITH US
Weekly Bible Study
You are invited to join the weekly Bible study on Thursdays at 10am. The pastoral staff will be leading this Bible study over Zoom. We’d love to have you join us when you can! Join Zoom Bible study
NEW!! The Sabbath: A Biblical Perspective
We’re excited to share the first in a series of videos about Sabbath! This series will look at what Sabbath is, what it means, and why it’s exactly the invitation from God we need to hear right now.
The first episode is a biblical perspective from our friend and Old Testament scholar, Travis West from Western Theological Seminary.
SERVE WITH US
Ways you can help out right now!
Continue our tithes and offerings
The AACRC supports many organizations and missionaries that are being directly affected by this pandemic and it is through our offerings and tithes that we can continue to support ourselves and the ministries we are in partnership with. Thank you for continuing to support the good work of God through the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church. Ways to donate:
Hope Clinic continues to collect donations for a number of items. The greatest need right now is for groceries, toilet paper and personal care items, and masks. Click HERE for their complete list of needs.
Rotating Shelter
With the Governor’s order extending to May 28, we are committed to continuing our support of the vulnerable men staying at our church through the provision of shelter and food. Rachel Bush has compiled a list of ways we can support these men while they are staying at our church. Contact Rachel (rachelbush360@gmail.com) if you would like to help with any of these needs:
Overnight volunteers (11:30pm-8:30am) one Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Monetary donations for groceries
Sign up to provide snack bags for the men at the hotel: HERE
Make a main dish and/or dessert at home for Rachel to pick up from your porch or for you to drop off at church
Ruben, our guest who has been heading up all the food at church, is on the hunt for an inexpensive laptop. If you know of anyone who is willing to part with one for ~$100, please contact Rachel Bush
I Believe in the Life Everlasting
Nathan Groenewold, Associate Pastor and Director of Cohort Detroit
I woke up with these ancient words running through my head, and I felt some comfort. Perhaps these words had grown stale for me, but they came alive this morning, sticking in my mind and refusing to leave. “I believe in the resurrection of the body. I believe in the life everlasting.”
Eugene’s smile is a gift I will never forget. It seemed almost childlike, a smile that was part mischievous and part radiant. He would sway back and chuckle…
Click HERE to read the rest of this impactful story on the AACRC blog.
House of Faith Build Update
by Mike Waldyke
The House of Faith build project at 792 N. Ford Blvd in Ypsilanti has had more than its share of challenges this year. First, tearing off the old roof revealed water damage in the walls of the upper floor, so the upper floor was demolished and…
On Monday, the Council of the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church met and reflected on the words of comfort from Psalm 46. We were reminded that “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble”. We encourage you to join us in dwelling in those promises this week.
We continue to give thanks to God for the faithful giving of this community. Council received the March financials showing the following: Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were facing a deficit to spending. During the months of March and April that deficit has shrunk because of your faithful giving and the church securing a forgivable loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program. But we still have more work to do as the church’s fiscal year winds down. We ask that you continue to remember the church and its ministries in your giving. Don’t forget about the church’s newest option for giving: you can create an account on the web at mywell.org/give/aacrc or download the app for your smartphone.
In these uncertain times, Council decided to set aside its current budget process and propose to the congregation a carry-over budget of the 19-20FY. The goal would be to approve a modified budget at the end of the first quarter of 20-21FY. Look for more details about how we can, as a congregation, vote on budget and affirm new office bearers in the near future.
Sometimes it feels like returning to worship is a distant prospect. After all, we have been away for so long. But the pastors have already begun thinking about what it might look like to resume worship and other programming both in the short and long term. While there is an ongoing freeze on general expenditures, council unanimously approved a proposal to purchase video equipment that will facilitate and improve the quality of live streaming of our services. Under normal circumstances this funding would fit within the worship budget, but with the spending freeze Council approved this expense. We do this out of pastoral sensitivity for the vulnerable among us and out of the reality that we might not be able to gather as a large group for some time.
While most ministries have come to a halt, our involvement with the rotating shelter program has increased. There are many in need at this time and we are grateful to have been able to house 18 guests for the past six weeks. This is oikos. This is extending Christian hospitality to a group of marginalized people in our community. In case you missed it, there is a wonderful post and video on the church blog where you can hear from some of our guests. Thank you to Rachel Bush, and the deacons, for heading up this endeavor and to all of the volunteers that have donated time, money and food to make this possible.
We thank God for each one of you and hope you are all well and look forward to being together again soon.
Grace and peace, Jaime Ventura, on behalf of Council
How can I stay connected?
You can keep connected with happening at the AACRC by signing up for Connections, our weekly electronic newsletter: Subscribe now
Guest post by Nathan Groenewold, Associate Pastor and Director of Cohort Detroit
I woke up with these ancient words running through my head, and I felt some comfort. Perhaps these words had grown stale for me, but they came alive this morning, sticking in my mind and refusing to leave. “I believe in the resurrection of the body. I believe in the life everlasting.”
Eugene’s smile is a gift I will never forget. It seemed almost childlike, a smile that was part mischievous and part radiant. He would sway back and chuckle, suppressing laughter at a joke about Mark’s cooking, leaning on the countertop microwave in the grease-splattered kitchen. I recall that the tension I carried in my neck always relaxed a bit when he was around.
On Thursdays like those, Eugene brightened the whole house. He was a regular attendee at Hesed Community Church’s weekday Bible study, even more regular around Christmastime, when gifts would be handed out. I loved that. Many of the Hesed Community members did not receive gifts from a parent growing up. I once asked a friend at Hesed if they had a ‘fun’ Christmas, only to realize that the holiday is more often a reminder of loss and brokenness than a day of laughter and joy. Eugene’s eagerness for Christmas, for presents, was a testament of resilience, of hope and of life.
***
Sometime between April 30 and May 4, Eugene passed away when the house he was staying in was burned down. These house fires are a regular occurrence Detroit, in Brightmoor especially. This particular fire, and this particular life, did not even make the news. Had the fire occurred 10 miles north, across city lines, it would have been on the front page.
So I woke up this morning, thinking about Eugene’s smile. I wish all of metro Detroit, our whole country, could wake up and remember Eugene’s smile.
I do not know his entire story. I do not know where his family lives, how they have responded to the news, or what water-stained scripture passage he was reading the night before he died. I do know he was made in the image of God. That he was a kind friend and a caring brother.
I look ahead to the hope we share in Christ—the hope that Eugene carried in his pocket—to the day when his life, his story, and his death, will matter to all of us. When his life, and all lives filling news cycles and convening vigils, will matter equally.
Hi friends, As we continue to shelter in place, we miss being able to meet in person, but are so grateful to our pastors for thoughtful worship, musicians for fun videos, staff for keeping us up-to-date, elders for reaching out, and so much more. Please enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections email newsletter from May 1. Blessings, Jen
Pastor Noah’s sermon will premiere on YouTube at 9:00am. Allow yourself about 20 minutes prior to this start time to move through the liturgy if you want to catch the sermon when it premieres.
Children and Worship: New This Week! Our Children and Worship program leader, Kerry DeKraker, has put together a video with a lesson for those younger members of our community who typically continue with worship together in a different space on Sundays. Check it out HERE!
Children’s bulletin: If your children would like to participate and engage by using the new children’s bulletin, it is attached HERE.
GROW WITH US
Weekly Bible Study: You are invited to join the weekly bible study on Thursdays at 10am. The pastoral staff will be leading this bible study over Zoom. We’d love to have you join us when you can! Join Zoom Meeting
SERVE WITH US
Ministry Highlight–Sheltering in AACRC
Thank you, AACRC! Our church continues to provide shelter for several gentlemen from the Delonis Center and has committed to continuing this through the duration of the “shelter in place” order. To read more about how God has been working at AACRC through this opportunity to provide hospitality for those in need, check out this blog post and a video of thanks from some of the men sheltering at AACRC.
Continue our tithes and offerings
The AACRC supports many organizations and missionaries that are being directly affected by this pandemic and it is through our offerings and tithes that we can continue to support ourselves and the ministries we are in partnership with. Thank you for continuing to support the good work of God through the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church. Ways to donate:
Hope Clinic continues to collect donations for a number of items. The greatest need right now is for groceries, toilet paper and personal care items, and masks. Click HERE for their complete list of needs.
An Update from Mission Partners, Joel & Jeannie Huyser
We want to see Jesus
“In some ways life has changed for Jeannie and I since we returned from a visit to Nicaragua on March 18. For one thing I (Joel) will no longer be traveling for the foreseeable future. And, yes, like everyone else we are being cautious and are concerned for family members that have lost employment. But inother ways life has not changed…” Read the entire update
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