Sunday, September 20, 2026, 9:30 am Pastor Jeff Vanderhooft will be leading our worship service. The Scripture Passage is Genesis 3 and the sermon title is “The Covenant of Grace.” We are invited to read Genesis 2-5 in preparation for worship. Daylia Bulthuis will be making her public Profession of Faith this morning.
God’s Big Story, Our Calling Our theme for this ministry year is God’s Big Story, Our Calling. During the year we will be going through the Bible, focusing on different parts of the story along the way, learning that God’s plan for his creation is our calling. We will see how God works through history to bring about his plan.
Each week, we are invited to read selected Scripture passages in preparation for worship on Sunday. These passages will allow us to read and reflect on the stories of Scripture before hearing the message. For Sunday, September 27, please read Genesis 6 - 11:9. Bookmarks with the readings through mid-November were placed in your mailbox, a PDF is available here, and additional copies are available on the Welcome Center.
Sunday School and Discipleship Journey begin today! Students in grades K-5, middle school, high school and their leaders join us downstairs in the fellowship hall after the worship service for refreshments before we dismiss to our groups. Groups will be done meeting between 11:30 and 11:45am.
Adult Discipleship Journey Starting this week, following the worship service, after a brief time of fellowship, adults are invited to join an Adult Discipleship Journey group that will meet in the Covenant Room. During their time together, they will work their way through the Spiritual Formation Guide. The group will begin approximately 10 minutes following the morning worship gathering and will meet until about 11:30am (approximately 10:45 – 11:30am). Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. Please come join this group! Talk to Rev Ev or Pastor Henry if you have any questions.
Sunday Morning Volunteers
Nursery – Liz Wojczynski, Please sign up HERE to help
Little Lambs – Dori Heerema, Carter Jansen, Kyleigh Rottman
Coffee – John & Marilyn Admiraal
Congregational Life
Office Hours: Office hours this week are Tuesday - Thursday, 9am – 2pm.
Birthday Blessings – September! Let’s celebrate with our Covenant friends as they celebrate another year of God’s faithfulness and love!
Bob Theule - September 22
Things Coming Up This Week
September 20 - Worship Service, 9:30am
Sunday School & Discipleship Journey, 10:30am
Adult Discipleship Journey, 10:45am
Youth Group, 4pm
September 22 - The Well, 9:30am
Women in the Word, 7pm
September 24 - Shofar Brass, 7:30pm
Diaper Drive Update The diaper and wipe drive for Streams ends today, Sunday, September 20. Thank you for the overwhelming support of this initiative. Your response to this need was truly profound. We will have an opportunity to celebrate what God has done with Nate Heyboer from Streams during our worship service on Sunday, October 11.
Registration Forms for Children and Student Ministries Students and parents, we are looking forward to the upcoming year of ministry at Covenant Church. To help us prepare, PLEASE fill out the 2026-2027 Children and Youth Registration Form. All students participating in children’s and student ministries need this form completed. This includes nursery, Little Lambs, Sunday School, GEMS, Discipleship Journey, Youth Group, and Cadets (at First Cutlerville CRC). You can find the form on the Sign-Up tab on the church app or by clicking HERE. Thank you for taking the time to fill this out before the ministry year begins!
Neighborhood Community Building Gatherings Join us this fall on the 4th Sunday afternoon of the month from 4:00 – 6:00pm for a variety of different community building gatherings.
We are kicking things off on Sunday, September 27 (the day before National Good Neighbor Day) with BINGO. The purpose of these community building gatherings is to combat isolation and loneliness in our neighborhoods and communities by replacing these with friendship and community. We seek to honor God’s command to love our neighbor as our self. Which neighbor could you invite to join you at BINGO? To sign up for BINGO, click HERE. These community building gatherings are open to everyone! Bring a neighbor. Meet a neighbor.
For more information about these gatherings, please visit: https://www.covenant-crc.org/on-the-lawn
FINANCIAL
Total Offering Received: $19,309.05
This week’s offering is for: Resonate Global Mission
Offering Schedule
September 27 - Benevolent Fund
October 4 - Ministry Fund
October 11 - Mission Fund
October 18 - Thrive (Disability Awareness Sunday)
October 25 - Discovery Church Mobile Food Pantry
Adult Discipleship
Higher Ground – Men’s Bible Study – We have wrapped up our meetings for this season, but we will plan to meet a handful of times over the summer for coffee, pie, or ice cream. Keep an eye out for meetup details in future News & Notes.
The Well – Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study – Our first meeting is this Tuesday, September 22 at 9:30am. Plan to join us for our study on good and evil. Have any questions about our group? Ask Dori Heerema.
Women in the Word – Tuesday or Thursday evening Women’s Bible Study – This fall, we will be studying Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation by Nancy Guthrie. Our first meeting will be this TUESDAY, September 22 at 7pm in the Covenant Room. A schedule is available here. All women are welcome and we hope you will join us! Contact Kim DeVries with any questions.
Youth Discipleship
Youth Group Gathering Our first youth group gathering of the year is this Sunday, September 20, 2026, from 4-6pm at Covenant Church. Join us for group games, discipleship time, small groups, and dinner. We hope to see you there!
Youth Group Fall 2026 Schedule The youth group fall schedule is available on the Covenant Church app calendar and also on the youth group webpage: https://www.covenant-crc.org/youth-group
Youth Group Dinners Each year, we invite youth group parents to sign up to help prepare one of the dinners at our youth group gatherings. We use Sign Up Genius for this. If you would like to help, click HERE or look on the sign-up tab on the church app for the link to sign up. Thank you in advance for helping out with one of these meals.
Furniture Ministry
URGET NEED! Don’t like to or can’t lift furniture but have a car and like to welcome people? Then we need YOU! We need a Gate Attendant for Saturday mornings starting right away. We hope to find at least 3 people who are interested so that we can rotate weeks. Please read the description of our Gate Attendant below and let us know if you can help!
Gate Attendant (Saturday Mornings from 9:45-11:00am) Your job will be to greet the clients and make sure they know how to get to the storage location once through the gate. We will provide you with the gate code and a simple training. The day before you are scheduled to work the gate, a list will be emailed/texted to you with a schedule of orders for the day. Please reach out to Kari Plaisier for more information or to sign up at (616) 262-1728 or kari.plaisier@covenant-crc.org
Please see the list below of the items we need this week:
Bath Towel Sets (body, hand, and face)
Glasses (Set of 4 or more)
Dishes (Set of 4 or more)
Silverware (Set of 4 or more)
Check the Hand2Hand table in the narthex for shopping lists for the following food items we are collecting:
Food Donations we are looking for by Sunday, September 20:
Canned Corn (need 100)
Fruit Cups in 100% Juice (need 100+)
Food Donations we are looking for by Sunday, September 27:
Mini Muffins (need 100)
Pudding Cups (need 100)
Pop-tarts (need 100)
Food Donations we are looking for by Sunday, October 11:
Cream of Wheat packets (need 100)
Nutri-Grain Bars (need 100)
Belvita Bars (need 100)
Trail Mix (need 100)
Fresh Stacks Ritz Crackers (need 100)
Cheez-Its (need 100)
Cheese or PB Sandwich Crackers (need 100)
Please place any food donations on the black cart in the narthex.
Thank you!
Any questions? Ask Heidi Westra
Please pray as matches are made between new mentors and students. Pray that the right mentors and students are paired together. Please also pray for the mentors and students as they begin meeting together soon.
Thank you for continuing to lift Streams’ neighbors, volunteers and staff in prayer. Pray that Streams would continue to be a place of hope, belonging, and tangible care, and that their volunteers and staff would be strengthened as they faithfully serve.
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
Thank you for all your prayers and concern for my son David. He has had a miraculous recovery so far and we thank God and you for sustaining him through this ordeal. Lovingly, Elaine VanEssen and family
Prayer Requests
Please pray for Matthew Bakelaar as he is in Georgia for basic training. Please pray for peace and strength for him as basic training officially started this week. Please also pray for healing for Matt as he is dealing with a very sore knee. (Elder: Brinks)
Fay Berger fell and is in the hospital. Please pray for healing for Fay. (Elder: Brinks)
Please pray for Julie DeVisser as she moves to Chicago for a new job on Tuesday, September 22. Please pray that things go smoothly, for safety for her and the movers, and for God's peace to surround her during this time. A note from Julie: Covenant Family – You have been such a blessing to me, welcoming me when I needed a new church family, but also in helping me grow spiritually. Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it. That being said, I will still be attending Covenant online and visiting when I am staying with family in West Michigan – so please keep in touch! (Elder: Brinks)
Randy Knoll hoped to come home from the hospital on Thursday. He will be having surgery next Friday, September 25, to put a stent in his kidney. He is also scheduled to begin radiation the following week. Please pray for healing for Randy, that his surgery next Friday goes well and that his radiation treatments go well, for minimal side effects and that these treatments are successful. (Elder: Brinks)
Please Continue to Pray For
Gord DeBoer received the results of his CT scan and it shows that new tumors have developed in his lungs and there has been growth in the previous tumors which is causing his stomach pain and not wanting to eat feeling. He has decided to try another form of chemo. It will be an IV infusion once every three weeks. Please pray that this new treatment is successful, for healing for Gord, and for God's peace to surround the DeBoer family. (Elder: Hirdes)
Deb DeKam's recovery is going well. She has been working hard at her therapies and is now able to walk with a walker and is getting control of her fingers back. She was even able to play her trumpet! Give thanks to God for the progress Deb is making and continue to pray for complete healing. (Elder: Jammal)
On Tuesday, September 8, Margo Diane Theule was born to Joel and Keagan Theule. Mom and baby are doing well. Give thanks to God for the birth of a healthy baby girl! (Elder: DeVries)
Click HERE for the September 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: Jaci Lubbers
Vice-chair of Council: Michelle Vonk
Clerk of Council: Dave Geldersma
Chair of Pastoral Elders: Matt Brinks
Chair of Deacons: Tom Wolffis
Council
September 2026
August 2026
July 2026
Administrative Elders
September 2026
August 2026
July 2026
Pastoral Elders
Deacons
Mission Team
Click HERE for Archived Minutes