Summer 2021 Green—C85 M22 Y100 K9 / R32 G136 B66 Green—Pms 363 Red—C13 M100 Y100 K4 / R204 G33 B39 Red—Pms 485 Gold—C13 M29 Y100 K0 / R225 G177 B37 Gold—Pms 124
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HOPE CHURCH LOGO PURPLE—C61 M96 Y0 K0 / R127 G51 B146 a hope church publicationPURPLE—PMS 2602 SUMMER 2021 GREEN—C85 M22 Y100 K9 / R32 G136 B66 GREEN—PMS 363 RED—C13 M100 Y100 K4 / R204 G33 B39 RED—PMS 485 GOLD—C13 M29 Y100 K0 / R225 G177 B37 GOLD—PMS 124 77 W. Eleventh Street, Holland, MI 49423 77 W. Eleventh Street Holland, MI 49423 Master Final CE Wiers | Hedgehog Arts & Letters 06.09.2011 - modified 07.15.15 by MK Holland MI 49423 MI Holland Street 11th West 77 PERMIT NO. 607 NO. PERMIT Church Hope HOLLAND, MI 49423 MI HOLLAND, PAID U.S. POSTAGE U.S. NONPROFIT ORG. NONPROFIT CONTENTS Who Is at the Table? 2 Who Is at the Table? Children’s Ministry and You: 3 By Beth Carroll, Associate Pastor of Discipleship Wonderings Teens Vs. 2020 4 Though it was 1992, I still remember an important lesson I All I Really Want Is a Heavenly 5 learned in my Hope College Resident Assistant training. It was Home the first time the concept of “inclusion” had been taught to me, and I learned that representation matters. Whether it’s a play, The Happy Science of Micro- 6-8 homecoming sign, textbook, college brochure, or anywhere Friendships else where pictures of people are present, we notice if our Trial by Trauma: Naming Our 8-9 likeness is not included. In fact, one of the complicated parts Present and Framing Our Future of representation is that the more you include diversity, the more stark it becomes who is missing. Diversity is vast. We Poetry Corner 10- tend to start with racial diversity, but we must also include 11 the gender spectrum, sexual orientations, differing abilities, Let Parks Pique Your Interest 12 ages, and more. That is a lot to fit on a college brochure! When you think of it, being prompted to ask who is missing is important. Jesus was always thinking about outsiders. The Good Shepherd said in John 10:16, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” You might be aware that seminarian intern Elliot Weidenaar and I started “Bible Pride,” a Bible study for LGBTQ youth and their allies. This is a place where the theological and experiential lens of LGBTQ folks is prioritized. Sadly, in our greater world, certain marginalized voices have been omitted because their perspectives are labeled sinful, especially in the case of LGBTQ and female-identifying voices. This is an affront to the work of OUR FAITH the Holy Spirit. Denying someone’s voice as a commentator or engager of scripture is abusive to the person being marginalized Hope Church is called by and even damaging to us, because we miss out on their gifts. God and equipped by the Recently at High Hopes we talked about how reading the Bible Holy Spirit to be a witness in community is so important. None of us have truth all on to the unity, reconciliation our own; we individuals each have a slice of it. Therefore, the and justice given in the more people coming together and studying the Bible, the more saving grace of Jesus slices we have of the pizza of understanding. The writer of 1 Christ. These touchstones Timothy says in 4:13, 14, “Let no one despise your youth, but drawn from the Belhar set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in Confession give voice to faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading the historic Christian faith of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching.” The fruit of the Holy in our time and place. Spirit is manifested through the diverse body of believers. As we pastors have been talking about justice more, especially CONTACT US from the pulpit, several of you have been great about reminding Hope Church, RCA us about who or even what we are accidentally excluding. A 77 West 11th Street focus on racial and LGBTQ justice is critical, but so is justice [616] 392 . 7947 engaging age discrimination, ableism, environmental justice, HopeChurchRCA.org and more. Thank you for caring so much about who is at the table and let us continue the good work of exhorting, teaching, EDITORIAL & DESIGN and loving the fullness of creation and all who inhabit it. Lois Maassen, Megan ~Peace, Pastor Beth Arevalo, & Michael Kolk 2 SALT & LIGHT Children’s Ministry and You: Wonderings By Jocelyn Van Heest, Children’s Ministry Director • Is there something new they learned to do during the winter? • Did they, like so many church members, miss our Shrove Tuesday/ Mardi Gras celebration? • How did families spend time during Lent to prepare for the celebration of Easter? • Did they shout ALLELUIA on Easter Sunday? • How long did it take for the children to eat the candy from the Easter Egg Hunt? • Did they enjoy the outdoor Easter service and how special • What emotions have the was it to see familiar faces? The children spend a lot of time children been feeling? wondering as they respond to • Weren’t the Zoom family the story in the worship centers. • What new and exciting things services a wonderful way We wonder about our favorite have happened in their families? to worship together and part of the story, how someone share communion? in the story would feel, whether • Are there times that they we’ve ever done something like missed their friends and leaders at Hope Church? And for the congregation: that, have we ever felt that way, does something in this story • Was there a special family • Have you held these remind you of another story, activity they did last summer? families in prayer? why did people act that way or • Were you aware that there say what they said, what would • How has school been going for were over seventy Children in you do in this story, where could the children and their parents? Worship story videos sent to this place really be among many • Did they find ways to show the children—one or two each others. As I look at this picture, love and concern for others? week—with suggested activities? I am reminded that we have not met in the worship centers As they went through the • Have you remembered together for over a church church year, I wonder: your Prayer PAL? year. As we continue around this church-year circle, I have • Would they have some other • Have you missed the some wonderings to share. shares and cares to put opportunity to watch these on the fall tree display? children grow in spirit? I wonder: • Did they enjoy doing the Advent • Can you think of ways to be • Are church families feeling activities (wreath-making, involved with these families? supported as they seek ways candlelighting, crafts, St. We as a congregation stay to help their children in Nicholas visit, pageant, etc.)? their spiritual formation? connected through prayer, • What was a favorite Christmas worship and caring for each memory from this year? other. Let’s stay connected. SUMMER 2021 3 Teens vs. 2020 By Kelly Rosenau, Hope Church Youth People don’t agree on much, but I think we can to do nothing. I slept for the first three days of all agree that historians will probably look back lockdown. After that I tried to keep up with the on 2020 as one of those train-wreck years. weekly assignments from teachers, but I was pretty Personally, I’ll never look at toilet paper or the bummed about the musical and the orchestra trip. word “unprecedented” in the same way. Everyone I had been pouring myself into those things for has struggled in different ways this past year. months and I felt like I didn’t have anything else to As teenagers, we have faced our own unique set give. Eventually I sort of shut down. I tried to stay in of challenges. Many of us are busy with school touch with people at first, but once summer started and extracurriculars. Lots of teens have jobs I stopped reaching out and grew less responsive. and are learning to drive. Things like this were halted rather abruptly in March of 2020 for me. I didn’t see a lot of people outside of my COVID What followed was a lot of trying to stay busy bubble, which consisted of my household and and connected, and inevitably, loneliness. my grandma, until July. July was when I took Driver’s Ed. That was my first real bit of social interaction since March. We were outside at “If I’ve learned one thing a park in lawn chairs, but we were in person. Never have I been so excited to see people my own age. Now, at this point I’d basically lost all ability to socialize and didn’t remember how to from lockdown, it’s that act in a classroom setting. I ended up having a friend in the class, and there was another girl who I kind of knew there. The three of us were I need people much more all really socially deprived, and I’m surprised the instructor didn’t kick us out of the class for all the talking we did about things that weren’t than I thought I did.” driving related (e.g. dinosaur chicken nuggets). I was kind of giddy after being able to talk like a At least in my family, our lives kind of revolve teenager with other teenagers.