March/April 2021 Why go to Church? Author Unknown A Churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all." This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: "I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing..... God is UP to some-thing! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment! 27 Jeremiah Risch 28 Weston Huenink April 02 Clare TenPas 03 Gabriel Bruhn May Sandy LeClair 03 Larry Wieberdink-80 Natalie Prinsen 04 Paul Nyhof-96 04 Jocelyn Stapelkamp 05 Karen Schreurs 05 Marie Heinen Nick Wieberdink 06 Kaslin Ebbers 06 Roger Jentink-84 08 Owen Williams 07 Kevin Kappers 10 Katie TenPas 08 Pam TenHaken 11 Sally Veldhorst 09 Katrina Dulmes 14 Joan Dana 13 Carol Prinsen-83 15 Ginny Rice-82 Avery Spriggs 16 Lillie Hartmann 14 Jason Jones 17 Kurt Rubsam 14 Cameron Prinsen 18 Harrison Biederwolf 15 Jason Krause Jason Jacoby 16 Betty Lorge 19 Jody Ebbers 17 Mark O’Connell 20 Nicole Veldhorst 19 Gordon Moen-99 21 Erin Mentink 20 Susan Prinsen 22 William Mentink 22 Tami Jacoby 23 Jere Ebbers Alyce Veldhorst-85 24 Mary Bender-81 23 Austin Kettenhoven Larry TenPas Linda Walvoord 25 Marion DeRuyter-81 26 Ron Hinze 26 Gloria Teunissen 29 Leo Poplar April May 04 Jeff & Aileen Starr 02 Dale & Jodi VanEss 11 John & Sherry TenPas 09 Eric & Sally Veldhorst 18 Larry & Jackie TenPas 16 Dave & Karen Watry 25 Dale & Betsy Theune 23 Doris Buyze & Linda Jensema 30 Gene & Joan Dana June 06 Jack & Becky Dulmes 13 Jere & Jody Ebbers 20 Joe & Kaye Ebbers 27 Larry & Marie Heinen On behalf of the family of Karen Otte, we would like to extend our sincerest thank you for the outpouring of love and support on the passing of our mother, grandmother and sister, Karen. She has left an incredible footprint on the hearts of so many in this community and we are so grateful for all of those she has positively impacted. We thank you for the Thanks to all who remembered me prayers, attending the visitation, the with cards, calls and prayers. Our cards, phone calls and gifts to the Memorial Funds. prayers were answered. Thank you to Pastor Brad for your Also a big thank you for the kitchen and cleaning staff to make our prayers and calls. I appreciated luncheon and funeral all possible! each and every one of you. The Eernisse Family The Meeusen Family Lois VanEss The Otte Family First Reformed Church Thank you very much for your generous financial support of Campus Life ministries. Your gift will greatly help us First Reformed Church as we continue to help the children, Thank you for sincerely sharing our youth, and adults of this community sorrow. Your kindness is deeply move one step closer to Jesus. appreciated and will always be remembered. Thank you for the May God richly bless you, beautiful plant in mom’s memory. Jim Green The family of Lucile LeMahieu Executive Director Join us for Holy Week Palm Sunday Service at 9:00am. Maundy Thursday Service at 7:00pm. Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at Amsterdam Park at 6:30am. Continental breakfast at the church at 8:15 Easter Sunday Service at 9:30am Resurrection Egg Hunt at 10:30. Come, be a part of the Celebration! Maiji Gakuin Higashimurayama High School This is the school in Tokyo Japan John and Diane Navis have been working with for many years in their Home Stay program. There have been many people from the community who have housed their students. These students came with the bell choir, or for a five-and-a-half-week program. Some stayed as a foreign exchange student with families. There are many areas in the United States these students would visit all in an effort to spread the good news of how much Christ loves us. There are books on the information counter you can take if you like. It shows the many people who were involved in this program in 2019. Because of Covid-19 they were unable to come in 2020. The Bell Choir hopes to come again in 2022. For those who know Nori Odate that will be his last year, and probably the last tour for Mr. Onoda as well. We have enjoyed them! Hey kids! Plan ahead to attend VBS here at First Reformed Church this summer Monday-Friday August 2-6 from 9-11:15. Open to all kids entering 4K thru 5th grade. Invite your friends Details to follow. If you want to be part of the planning email or call Judi O’Connell at: [email protected] 920-668-6522 We are now able to fellowship over a cup of coffee after church and how we’ve missed it. Now all we need is people to help get the coffee ready on Sunday mornings. If you would help serve in this way contact Kenda Kettenhoven at (920) 627-5366. What’s happening in the Church Library? 1. We are doing some Spring cleaning!. You will find older books on the FREE table in Rosemary Hall. Help yourself. More will be added weekly. 2. We have purchased some Bible games for checkout. Get a family game night going in your home and learn about the Bible at the same time. Try to bring the game back after two weeks. (All pieces intact please) 3. A few new books have been added: -Diagnosed with Breast Cancer by Joni Eareckson Tada -What did Jesus Really Mean by David Platt -The Holiness of God by RC Sproul First Reformed Church Cedar Grove, WI 237 S. Main Street P.O. Box 319 Cedar Grove, WI 53013 Phone: 920-668-6261 Website: www.firstreformedcg.com Church Ministry Contacts Missions We Support Elders Deacons Pastor Simon Muntolol Administration RCA Missions – Kenya Eric Veldhorst Dan Hartmann Bob Abel Contact: Eric Veldhorst RCA – Remember Nhu 920-946-5027 Todd & Darlene Voskuil Congregational Life JAARS/Wycliffe – North Mark O’Connell Nate Hinze Carolina Contact: Mark O’Connell Words of Hope 920-946-4420 Uganda Challenge (Connect & Care with Compassion) Contact: Joan Dana God’s Kidz in the Neighborhood Milwaukee 920-918-7785 Discipleship The Faithful Workers of Adullam – Milwaukee Pastor Brad Dan Teunissen Contact: Pastor Brad Bradford Kelsey (TeBeest) Corpas 904-518-7304 World Team – Spain Missions Alex Holle Lloyd TerMaat Dan Teunissen InterVarsity @ Carroll University Contact: Lloyd TerMaat and Carthage College 920-980-5798 Beautiful Response – Haiti Property RAJ Ministries Dale Theune Kevin Hopeman Camp Daniel Contact: Kevin Hopeman 920-668-8173 DeMaster Media Praise Radio Worship Brian Huenink Paul Teunissen Pastor Esperanza Contact: Brian Huenink Dominican Republic 920- 627-9996 Ongoing Mission Projects Little Shephard’s Inn Board Roger TeStroete Dan Hopeman Sunday Morning Worship Services Rev. Brad Bradford –Pastor Live stream worship on Facebook Cell: 904-518-7304 & on Website at time of service email: [email protected] also on Access Channel 20 or [email protected] Sundays at noon Kaye Ebbers – Office Administrator Monday, Wednesday & Friday email: [email protected] 9:00 & 11:00am Patti Hinze – Financial Administrator 1:00-3:00-5:00-7:00 & 9:00pm email: [email protected] .