Congregational Life
Office Hours Office hours are typically Tuesday - Thursday, 9am – 2pm.
Things Coming Up This Week
March 22 - Morning Worship, 9:30am
Discipleship Journey & Sunday School, 10:45am
Bunco, 4pm
March 23 - Higher Ground, 7:30pm
March 24 - The Well, 9:30am
March 25 - Worship Choir, 6:30pm
March 26 - Shofar Brass, 7:45pm
Birthday Blessings – March and April! Let’s celebrate with our Covenant friends as they celebrate another year of God’s faithfulness and love!
Jerry Schepel - March 3
Fay Berger - March 6
Jim Berghorst - March 10
Dirk Bakker - March 17
Toots Morren - March 18
Esther Ritsema - March 19
Gerry Hoekema - April 2
Rob Ritsema - April 3
Nalini Manickam - April 5
Tom Zuidema - April 5
Bev Vander Heide - April 7
Mary Leep - April 7
Millie Lanser - April 12
Dan Huisman - April 21
Ron Bosserman - April 23
Doug Maranda - April 27
Pete Haaksma - April 27
Worship Choir As Worship Choir nears the end of its choir season, we thank the congregation for their sharing in worship with us. Our remaining rehearsals are Wednesdays, April 1 and April 15. We plan to sing on April 19. If you would like to share your voice with the choir, we invite you to join us for our last rehearsals. High School vocalists (and beyond High School) are encouraged and welcome!
Pregnancy Resource Center Clothing Collection Right now, PRC is experiencing a serious shortage of children’s summer clothing in sizes 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months/2T. With what is on the racks, PRC can only offer four items of clothing per mom in these sizes, far less than what these families truly need. New or gently used summer clothing is greatly appreciated and every donation, no matter how small, makes a real difference. You can place your donations in the bin in the collection center at church.
Classis Grand Rapids South Outreach Seminar This seminar is designed to equip people to share their faith and give them an opportunity to put it into practice. It will take place at Hillside Community Church on Saturday April 25, 2026, from 8:30am – 3:00pm. From 9am-noon the seminar will focus on worship and equipping you for sharing your testimony. Lunch and sendoff will be from 12:00 noon – 1pm and from 1-3pm there will be opportunities to share your faith. Stay tuned for more details and sign-up information.
Sunday, March 22, 2026, 9:30 am Pastor Jeff Vanderhooft will be leading our worship service this morning. We are continuing our series focusing on the Psalms. This week’s sermon title is “Life with God” and the Scripture passage is Psalm 127.
This education and worship year, as a congregation we will immerse ourselves in the voice and language of the Psalms. We will learn the languages of lament, wisdom, royal, thanksgiving, hymn, trust and praise which will lead us into a deeper and fuller relationship with Christ.
Sunday Morning Volunteers
Nursery – Tammy Vanderhooft, Sign up HERE to help
Little Lambs – Laura Geldersma, Levi Jansen, Carolyn Brinks
Coffee – Mary Leep, Ada Van Der Weide, Elaine VanEssen
Neighborhood Community Building Gatherings Join us this winter and spring on the 4th Sunday afternoon of the month from 4:00 – 5:30 pm for a variety of different community building gatherings.
Our next neighborhood community building gathering BUNCO, is THIS SUNDAY March 22, at 4:00 PM at Covenant Church. Bunco is a fast-paced dice game that people of all ages and abilities can play. Players are divided into groups of four players, trying to score points while taking turns rolling three dice in a series of six rounds. A Bunco is achieved when a person rolls three-of-a-kind and all three numbers match the round number. After each round, players move places and get a new partner. Bunco games are known for getting noisy and rowdy with all the socializing, dice rolling, friendly competition, and celebrating! It's a gaming event that brings people together again and again in a spirit of fun and friendship. Details and sign up can be found on the church app. Please register so we can plan the game set up accordingly. Invite a friend or two to come join the fun. Bring a friend. Meet a friend.
For more information about these gatherings, please visit: https://www.covenant-crc.org/on-the-lawn
FINANCIAL
This week’s offering is for: Hand2Hand
Total Offering Received: $12,377
Offering Schedule
March 29 - Calvin Seminary
April 2 - Mission Fund
April 4 - Resonate Global Mission
April 12 - Ministry Fund
April 19 - Benevolent Fund
April 26 - Impact Burundi
From the Deacons Because Easter falls on the first Sunday of the month this year, the Deacons have elected to push the Ministry Fund offering back one week to April 12. The offering on Easter Sunday will be taken for Resonate Global Mission to assist in proclaiming the good news of the resurrection to all corners of the world. As part of a matching gift campaign, the gifts that we collect for Resonate for this offering will be matched, effectively doubling their impact. Please prayerfully consider support of this opportunity to spread the Gospel.
Adult Discipleship
Higher Ground – Men’s Bible Study – We meet Monday evenings at 7:30pm in the Covenant Room. Plan to join us! We will meet again Monday, March 23.
The Well – Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study – We meet Tuesdays at 9:30am and we hope you will join us!
Women in the Word – Thursday evening Women’s Bible Study –We are done meeting for the year. Join us again in the fall.
Youth Discipleship
BUNCO Students, join us on THIS Sunday, March 22, at 4:00 PM at Covenant Church for BUNCO. Bunco is a fast-paced dice game that people of all ages and abilities can play. Invite a friend or two to come join the fun. Details and sign-up can be found on the church app. Bring a friend. Meet a friend.
Youth Group Gathering Our next youth group gathering is Sunday, March 29, 2026, from 4-6pm at Covenant Church. Join us for group games, discipleship time, small groups, and dinner. Youth group is open to all 6th – 12th grade students. We hope to see you there!
Furniture Ministry
Please pray for the Furniture Ministry:
Pray that the Bibles and devotionals we give out will be read and that the Word of the Lord is effective
Pray for the safety of our volunteers and clients
Pray for more volunteers to join our team to do donation pickups. We would love to chat with you about volunteer opportunities!
Pray for the families in need. Pray they feel seen and loved by our ministry
Pray for Kari as she reaches out to churches and businesses in our area to help fill volunteer needs and mattress needs
Items needed this week:
New Sheet Sets (twin, full, queen)
Cooking Utensils
Storage Containers
Toasters
Bath Rugs
Shower Curtains
Cutting Boards
Baking Pans
Food Donations needed by Sunday, March 22, 2026:
Cream of Wheat Packets - need 94
Pop Tarts - need 15
Mandarin Orange Cups - need 50
Canned Carrots - need 111
Jello Cups - need 59
Please place any donations on the black cart in the Narthex.
Any Questions? Ask Heidi.
Pray for eagerness for students and mentors to continue their relationship.
Please remember the ministry of Streams and the people who visit Streams in prayer. Pray for the neighbors who come through the Streams Food Center, along with the volunteers and team members who make this work possible. Pray for those who are navigating food insecurity alongside other unseen burdens. Pray that they would experience not only provision, but dignity, welcome and hope. Please also pray for the volunteers and staff, whose steady presence and compassion create space for care to happen day after day.
Prayer Requests
Do you have a prayer request or a praise / thank you? Call your Pastoral Elder or Pastoral Care Assistant, leave a message on the church office phone at (616) 455-5120, or send an email to prayer@covenant-crc.org.
Praise / Thank You
We would like to thank the congregation for all your thoughts, prayers, cards, and words of encouragement over the last few weeks after the passing of Evonne Ballast. We are truly blessed to be a part of the Covenant CRC family. The Ballast Family
Prayer Requests
Please continue to pray for Jason Agar. Please pray that his liver function improves and for strength. You can follow their Caring Bridge page for more updates HERE. (Elder: DeVries)
Please pray for Libere Dusabe as he plans to return home from Burundi tomorrow, March 23. Please pray for safe travel. (Elder: Brinks)
Judy Tiesma has been discharged from the hospital following surgery for a serious bowel obstruction. Please give thanks that she is doing well and pray for pain relief, no infection, and complete healing. (Elder: Patterson)
We are praising God for our son Jeff Todd’s latest scan! The cancer in his bones and lymph nodes has not spread, in fact, it has gotten much better. His blood cancer count went from over 100 to 1.9. His doctor feels strongly that, for now, the current chemo is working, and he will continue treatment every three weeks. His wife Tammy continues her treatment every 2 weeks and anticipates surgery in May. Please continue to pray for minimal side effects, strength, peace, and healing for both Jeff and Tammy. Thank you for all your prayers! They are deeply needed and appreciated! Bob and Bev VanderHeide (Elder: Jammal)
Please Continue To Pray For
Jan Haan fell and fractured her hip. She has moved to a rehab facility. Please pray that her rehab is successful, for complete healing, and for God’s peace to surround Jan and Nels during this time. (Elder: Brinks)
Hussein Hasan fell and broke his pelvis recently. Please pray for complete healing and patience for Hussein. (Elder: Jammal)
Please pray for American civilians and military members who are in the Middle East and who may be in harm’s way. Please pray for their safety. Pray specifically for TJ Brigham (US Navy stationed out of Bahrain) and Katie Westra Kamdem and her boys (live in UAE).
Click HERE for the March Prayer Newsletter
Please Pray for Our Missionaries
We support several missionaries and mission groups who serve in the United States and in other countries. Through our prayers and gifts we help them bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to people throughout the world.
Click here to see information from our missionaries on the website.
Covenant Council Corner
Council Members
Chair of Council: Dave Ballast
Vice-chair of Council: Jaci Lubbers
Clerk of Council: Dave Geldersma
Chair of Pastoral Elders: Matt Brinks
Chair of Deacons: Tom Wolffis
Council
Council Minutes, November 2025
Council Minutes, December 2025
Council Minutes, January 2026
Council Minutes, February 2026
Administrative Elders
Administrative Elder Minutes, October 2025
Administrative Elder Minutes, November 2025
Administrative Elder Minutes, December 2025
Administrative Elder Minutes, January 2026
Administrative Elder Minutes, February 2026
Pastoral Elders
Pastoral Elder Minutes, August 2025
Pastoral Elder Minutes, October 2025
Deacons
Deacon Minutes, July 2025
Deacon Minutes, August 2025
Deacon Minutes, September 2025
Deacon Minutes, October 2025
Deacon Minutes, November 2025
Deacon Minutes, December 2025
Deacon Minutes, January 2026
Mission Team
Mission Team Minutes, July 2025
Mission Team Minutes, September 2025
Mission Team Minutes, February 2026