This Week (April 5-11):

• Monday, 7:00pm – Prayer Partners Online
• Tuesday, 7:30am – Men's Devotional Breakfast
• Tuesday, 9:30am – Women's Bible Study
• Wednesday, 6:15pm – Women's Bible Study

Announcements:

• Blood Drive Tuesday, April 14, 2:00-6:30pm
  We are partnering with Versiti Blood Center to host a mobile blood drive to address the very high need for blood in our community. Please consider signing up for an appointment here. 

• The Case for Christ Movie Night – Sunday, April 19, 4-7pm
  The Youth Group would like to invite you to a special movie night in the church sanctuary! We will be watching the inspirational film The Case for Christ, which tells the true story of a reporter who sets out to debunk Christianity by refuting the Resurrection. The movie will run from 4:00–6:00pm, followed by a pasta bar dinner in the gym from 6:00–7:00pm. Childcare will be provided, and children will enjoy watching the movie David. We hope you will join us for an evening of fellowship, encouragement, and great food!

• Grad Sunday – May 3
  If you have a high school or college graduate this year, let us know so they can be included in the bulletin May 3. Please provide the following information: student's name, school they are graduating from, parent(s)' names, future plans (college, work, military, etc.) and anything else they would like to share, and a photo of the student. Please have all information to us by April 26.

• Abide – Friday, April 24, 6:30pm
  Hello church family. You may have been at one or both of our prayer and worship nights these past months. Starting April 24th, those nights are becoming a monthly staple called Abide — last Friday of every month, ongoing. The format is simple: we open with a Psalm, worship together, read a passage of Scripture aloud with no commentary, sit in silent prayer, respond in worship, and close with a blessing. This month we're starting in Paul's letter to the Galatians. It's intentionally unhurried — warm, gathered, Word-centered. I'm building a small team to help design and lead these nights. The commitment is simple: one Friday a month, the last Friday. The vision is a team of four (five total) people who understand that Abide is a different kind of night — not a performance, not a Sunday morning, but a family gathered around the Word. I also need musicians who are interested to be a part of these nights as well. If you're interested, talk to me, or there will be a sign up sheet in the worship room. I'd love to grab coffee and share more of the vision with you. April 24th is the first official Abide night. Hope to see you there — and hope you'll consider being part of the team. In gratitude, Nick Verburg

• Song Spotlight: Because He Lives
  Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote "Because He Lives" in 1969 during one of the hardest seasons of their lives — Bill was sick with mononucleosis, his sister was in the midst of divorce , and the world outside felt like it was coming apart at the seams (Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement, the aftermath of the Watts riots). When they discovered Gloria was pregnant with their third child, they thought "Who would bring a baby into this world?” One night a friend came over, recognized that their struggles were not against the flesh- but against Satan, so he prayed over them and something shifted — not their circumstances, but their confidence that God was still in control. When their child was born, that confidence became a song: a declaration that because Jesus lives, a child can face uncertain days. Years later, when Gloria's father died suddenly, the song's final verse — about crossing the river and seeing the lights of glory — broke open for her in a new way. It became personal all over again. Of all the hundreds of songs the Gaithers have written, "Because He Lives" is the only one translated into every language — because the resurrection of Jesus isn’t just a doctrine; it’s life-transforming truth.

• Car Needed
  Gary and Rachel DeLeon, our missionaries from Malaga, Spain and their sons Xavi and Iker will be in Grand Rapids this summer for a furlough. They have a home in Allendale to live in, but are looking for a car to use for four weeks, either June 23-July 21 or July 21-August 18. Please let Tim or Ruth know if you have one available. We look forward to hearing from them in July.

Upcoming Events: