Hi friends,
Enjoy these excerpts from our weekly Connections electronic newsletter for Friday April 17, 2020.
Jen

WORSHIP WITH US

After his resurrection but before his ascension, Jesus spent 40 days walking this earth. The New Testament writers show the risen Jesus eating, teaching, assuring, and embracing. And while Christ’s embodied, post-resurrection presence has fascinated the church for millennia, it holds particular power during this time of social distancing. What does it mean that Jesus can both walk through walls and still be physically touched? What can we learn from a resurrected body that still eats food? What comfort might we find in his promise to be with the disciples, even to the very end of the age?

Join us for the next few weeks as we explore the implications of Christ’s bodily resurrection, and how the Holy Spirit enlivens our embodied reality right here and now—even while we grapple with new challenges to being an embodied people and an embodied church.

In-Home Worship

Sunday, April 19
Pastor Ryan Boes
John 20:19-31

Pastor Ryan’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.

Liturgy
Songs & Pastor Ryan’s Message (YouTube)

**This worship liturgy, and previous Sunday liturgies, can also be found on the homepage of our church website and on the sermons page.

If your children would like to participate and engage by using the new children’s bulletin, it is attached HERE.

Please join us on Sunday @ 9:30 am for a virtual Fellowship Hall!

AACRC is inviting you to a Fellowship time via a Zoom meeting. Link in Connections email or from your elder. We hope you will be able to join us as we greet each other and share how we are doing.

GROW WITH US

New! Weekly Bible Study: Starting next week Thursday (April 23) at 10 am, the pastoral staff will be leading a bible study over Zoom. Watch for an invitation to the study to come from your elder via email.

SERVE WITH US

1. 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:

2. Rotating Shelter:  Our church continues to provide shelter for several gentlemen from the Delonis Center.  Rachel Bush has compiled a list of ways we can support these men while they are staying at our church. Contact Rachel if you would like to help with any of these items:

  • Volunteer to stay overnight
  • Volunteer to stay during daytime hours
  • Provide monetary donations for groceries
  • Sign up to provide snack bags: HERE
  • Donated used men’s clothing and shoes
  • Cook meals or desserts from home
  • Lend DVDs of movies (comedy or action–be sure to label)

Updates from Some of Our Ministry Partners:

An Update on the Habitat Build:

All volunteer activities are cancelled at the Habitat build site through the end of April. We will have a meeting on April 27 or 28 to plan how to move forward. We will attempt to reschedule the build dates we have missed due to coronavirus cancellations. There will be new guidelines in place when that happens—smaller build crews, and everyone will bring their own lunches, among them.

Update from Family Life Services during COVID 19:

Family Life Services  is “closed but functioning as best as we can.” We have been able to refer pregnancy tests and ultrasounds to our Medical Director at his office. Our administrative staff is answering the phone and referring needs to the staff. Our nurse and counseling staff are working by phone from home attending to the needs of clients.

We are operating a “drive through” program on Tuesdays and Thursdays to supply material goods (diapers, formula, wipes, thermometers, etc.) to clients who depend on our support. In fact, in the first three weeks, we were able to supply over 4500 diapers to 75 families.

We did have to postpone our March 13th Gala fundraiser – a major source of our income. We’re looking at how to reschedule or replace that event at some future time. In the meantime, we have fewer funds available than we had planned and we still have building, staff, and other normal expenses.

How can you help?

  • Certainly any funding you could share would be great. (You can give through church via My Well Giving online at: www.mywell.org/give/aacrc)
  • We also need material goods – everything from thermometers to the cherished size 6 diapers! Check out the complete list of needs HERE.
  • FLS is looking for someone to help with lawn and grounds maintenance during this crisis.  The lawn is not that big, but if you might know of someone who would be willing to volunteer to help our ministry in that manner, we would be very grateful.

Church office is currently closed–email, mail, and voicemail are checked regularly
Contact Information:  734-665-0105, office@aacrc.org