Fuller LifeFuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church

OCTOBER 2016

Lord of Harvest

“Go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everythingI have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always,to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28: 19 & 20

Fuller Life is the newsletter of the Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church

1239 Fuller Avenue, SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Published monthly, except July

Barb Straatsma, editor

Connie Scheurwater, member in focus articles

Freda Rufli, collating and circulation

September Council Report

By Bill Kooy, Clerk

Ed Stuursma opened by reading the Fuller CRC Mission Statement. We spent a moment in prayer for the life of Dan

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Holwerda and lifted up Laurie and family. Pat DeVries read from John 15 and a devotional from Daylight by Andrew Kuyvenhoven and prayed.

From the Finance Committee we heard that the audit is complete and we reviewed the financial report for the first half of 2016. Our numbers are better than last year at this point and we appear to be in good financial shape.

We reviewed the letter to the congregation which gives updates on Next Steps in seeking God’s Vision for Fuller, hiring of two Missional Ministry Interns to help with the coordination of our outreach ministries, and the plans for the new Fuller Boys Club. The letter will be distributed to the congregation in the next week and there will be a short presentation on each topic at the September 25th Congregational Meeting.

Pastor Nate, Sam, and the boys welcomed Ruby to their family on July 18 and thank the congregation for the many cards and words of encouragement in this new addition to their family. We have concluded the sermon series, I Heart Worship, and have begun the new sermon series walking through the book of 1 Peter. He has continued to work with Barbara Bjelland and Barb Engbers toward our new goals in Faith Formation as well as with the Outreach Committee and Jan VanVeen looking at ministries for the fall.

Pastor Morris visited many members of our congregation this month. He also led the morning worship service and conducted Jean Sluiter’s funeral. Earlier this summer, he attended the prayer service at True Light Baptist Church. The aim of this service was to help bring police and the black community together.

Evening Worship services are set to begin again on September 11 and the Worship Committee recommended that the evening services be preaching services except for Care Group gatherings. The additional services are to be filled by pulpit supply. This was discussed and approved by the Elders at their meeting.The Deacons noted the needs that we have in our church and neighborhood and encouraged continued participation with Fest (Fuller Emergency Response Team) to help meet those needs.

Care Group Elder and Deacon Teams met together to discuss their Care Group.

The next meeting is October 6.

Global Outreach Week Schedule

By Paul Van Beek

The Global Outreach Week is scheduled for October 2 through October 9, 2016. Plan on attending as many as possible of the four church services, the Adult Education session and the Congregational Lunch. By attending, you will encourage the missionaries that Fuller sponsors, you will learn about efforts missionaries make to spread the Gospel to many corners of the globe and you will hear how you too can respond to the Great Commission.

On October 2, our Pastor Nate launches the week by preaching during the morning worship. This year's theme is “Lord of Harvest”. The evening service will be a more informal event led by Susan Lucasse. The service will be an opportunity to learn more about her work.

On October 9, Pastor Morris will lead the service and introduce a retired foreign missionary and acquaintance of his, Rev. Case Van Wyk. Rev Van Wyk will give us the sermon. We have special speakers to lead the Adult Education period, Jim and Josephine Zylstra. They will discuss their work in Tanzania. We will have a prayer service in the evening. Anne Lucasse will be one of the participants. We want to have a good turnout at that service so Fuller can bring many prayers to God for all of our missionaries.

Also on October 9, the entire congregation is invited to a

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Potluck luncheon after Adult Ed. The GO Committee will provide meat, rolls and drinks. Fuller members are asked to sign up to bring salads and desserts. Jim and Josephine Zylstra will be our guests which gives us an opportunity to visit with them.

As usual, we will decorate the sanctuary with flags and a new banner designed by John Knight, Fuller's own member and artist.

The Global Outreach Week is a wonderful time for you to learn about missions while you show support to our missionaries just by your presence. Please come and get blessed while being a blessing.

G. O. WeekBy Jay Van Bruggen

Very soon we will begin our annual celebration of our Global Outreach Week.  We began this decades ago when it was called Mission Emphasis week.  We have changed the name to reflect the change in the world.  Jesus last command was to go into all the world and if we look at our outreach we can see where we are.

Our home, of course, is in our church building in Grand Rapids, but our outreach goes around the world. The old slogan was, “Go West,” so we begin our view of our church in New Mexico where we help support Eryn Hannink who is

teaching in the Rehoboth Christian School.   Next moving north and west, we find Brian and Betsy Turnbull in Seattle attempting to build a church among the bright and capable people adept at technology but wondering what life and work is really all about.  Over an ocean and south of the equator, we find Eric and Penny Schering in Papua, New Guinea who are working to spread Christianity and Christian values to people who have never before heard of this.   Susan Lucasse has been teaching English in Viet Nam, but also witnessing to the reality of Jesus Christ.  We will no longer support her at the end of this year, but her mark has been left behind.  An ocean farther west takes us to Sri Lanka where Charles and Maxine Jansz struggle to spread Christianity in a Buddhist society and nation.  As we continue west we find ourselves in the continent of Africa.  On the east coast Jim and Josephine Zylstra are working with World Renew to serve the needs of many people. Farther west in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mitogo Opira is working to start and encourage Christian Schools in that land that is both the richest in natural resources and the poorest in wealth in all of Africa. Farther west and slightly north is Jos, Nigeria, where we find a Christian Reformed church that has more members than the denomination to which we belong.   Anne Lucasse is our representative there as

Superintendent of Hillcrest Christian School and her husband, Mark Wiersma, works with CRC World Missions. From there we can cross the Atlantic to Haiti, where Zach and Sharon Segaar-King are working hard to build a Christian Reformed church in a half of an island that is suffering from many social problems as well as confidence in soothsayers.  Finally, back in the United States we can find Daryl and Carol Van Dyken who are sending the gospel through modern communication technology.  Trans World Radio has a huge bank of Christian resources that can be found in many parts of the world with modern technology.  Finally, back in Grand Rapids, Ann Kaptyn is working diligently to translate the Bible into languages that are found in different parts of Africa.  She is using skype and email and an occasional commute to work to make the Bible available to many people who have not had that necessity.

Even with modern transportation it would probably take a month to visit with each of these people who are following Jesus final command.  They do come to visit us from time to time and many of us have seen them in our congregation when they are here in Grand Rapids.   The Apostle Paul set a precedent when he reported back to his fellow Christians after his mission trips and these people do it in person or often in letters

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and reports from wherever they are.  Most of us have probably met some of them.  Even though they may seem far away, we must remember that today no place on earth is more than twenty four hours from Grand Rapids

New Banner to Celebrate Global Outreach Week

By John Knight

“Therefore go . . .” are words we find in Matthew 28:19 followed by “and make disciples of all nations.” This year we introduce a banner with new symbolism. As a sending congregation we open our church doors, each marked with a fish symbol, to a world beyond ours. In the center we see a ship with full sails, a centuries-old missions’ image of missions. The cross promises the bringing of a message of salvation “to the very end of the age.” Today, we may use other forms of transportation but few symbols speak louder than a

ship setting out on uncharted seas, often for weeks on end to unknown destinations and cultures. Think of the voyage of St. Brendan for instance who may well have been the first missionary to North America. In searching for other outreach symbols, I found none that show the essential element of gifts, tithes, and continued support. So I added paper money of various denominations to remind our sending church of its obligations. Note: If the colors remind you of Monopoly money, think again: None of our bills are green and each denomination has its own shade of various colors. We left out praying hands as it would complicate the design. Besides, it is one element that we assume automatically as part of our daily support. As for the theme of this year’s GO Week, “Lord of the Harvest”, our bulletin covers show words that morph into a growing plant. It is up to you to interpret if the ovals between and above each leaf are

actual seeds, fruits, newly reached people, or all of the above.

The deadline for the November 2016 Fuller Life is Sunday,

October 23, 2016

Streetfest at Fuller

By Dan MillerOn Thursday, September 1, eighteen first year Calvin College students showed up at Fuller Church for the annual Streetfest service learning project that is part of their freshman orientation. After lunch and

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an introduction to the history and ministry of Fuller Church by Pastor Nate, they went out into the neighborhood to deliver flyers that announce Fuller's fall activities. Later they broke into work teams and went to four homes in the area and the Green Sprawl site to clear brush, empty garages, and do other chores. Gordy Van

Haitsma located the four homes and encouraged their owners to spend time with the students talking

about their lives and experience in the Fuller area neighborhood. That fit wonderfully ith the theme of this year's Streetfest: "Listening to the stories of the Neighborhoods." All in all, it was a very successful event: lots of work got done and the students not only had a great time, but they met some wonderful people and learned to view the neighborhood as full of folks worth knowing. Kudos to Gordy and the other volunteers: Ken Bratt, Tom Jonker, Dan and Kate Miller.

Mary E. Andersen Exhibit at The Gathering Place

By John Knight We welcome back Mary E. Andersen who was one of our first exhibitors at The Gathering Place some years ago. Since then, Mary’s celebrative work has matured and received wide recognition. Mary’s exhibit features Michigan landscapes while attributing the beauty around us as truly a gift from our Creator God.  Most of the thirteen works on display recently came from a summer exhibit at a Leland gallery.  Mary produced her first landscape painting at the age of 14. Maybe this early attempt to recall a memory of California redwoods in the moonlight was an early sign of her ultimate

pursuit of an art career as a landscape painter. In the early 1980's while living in Owosso, Michigan, she accompanied another artist to Grand Rapids to attend a CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) conference at Calvin College.  She recalls her excitement of connecting with Christian artists from around the world.  It was during that time, she knew deep down she had been “called” as a Christian to make a difference in the visual arts.  This calling continues to be validated today.  Mary continues to paint images that celebrate God's creation in the midst of our culture that denies its beauty and is increasingly marked by violence, emptiness, darkness and chaos.   Her oils of vineyards and fruit on vines remind me of Jesus’ parables. Mary’s exhibit will run through November 1. Please take time to enjoy her work.

Congratulations Ruth!It looks like we have some very talented Ruths in our congregation! This time we read about Ruth Romeyn. She is in her sixth year of retirement. Two years ago while on chemo, she got an idea to do what she has always had a hankering to do as she tells it—write a novel just for the sheer pleasure of working with words and telling a story. That idea turned into a full length novel which has just been published. It is the story of a young couple who lived in the late 1800s and moved from Pennsylvania to Dakota Territory to minister among the pioneers. It is the story of two people working as a team, serving God by serving others. They experience the harshness of the unforgiving

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prairie and the humanity of the people who lived there. For them there is no turning back. If you are interested in reading her book or would like more details, you can contact her. Watch the bulletin for her book signing date. You can find her book at Schuler Bookstore in the section of Michigan authors.

TreesBy Jana Dykhuis

This summer, I spent 10 weeks at Granite Springs Church in Lincoln, CA, just North of Sacramento. It was through the Jubilee Fellows Program at Calvin in which 12 students take a class on ministry and leadership in the spring, do an internship at a church over the summer, and serve in a ministry capacity for a set amount of time in the fall. To sum it up in a sentence, one of the goals of the program is to help students discern whether or not or how they might be called into ministry.

This summer, I spent a lot of time thinking about trees.

Initially, it is easy to say that makes sense, seeing as I was in Northern California and not too far from some beautiful, scenic

places with lots and lots of trees. But other than that, why trees? What do trees have to do with a ministry/leadership internship?

Trees and forests, in many ways, mirror people and churches. They have a lot in common. First of all, trees do not spring up overnight. I was coming to a place where there was rich history, where trees had shared a variety of experiences and had grown together for many years in the same place. I was a transplant into a new forest that would be the setting for my summer.

Trees also come from small seeds. Ten weeks is a very brief time to be anywhere, and being in a place for a short and finite amount of time gives someone two options. First, one can choose to be flippant about their actions and experiences since they will soon be leaving, or one can choose to invest as much as possible and plant seeds that might eventually become trees for the next journeyman to come across and marvel. Much of what I did - such as running a church booth with free kid’s activities at a Farmer’s Market, plugging in on music teams on Sundays, going on trips with youth group students, or even having good conversations with church members did not yield many immediate and visible results. And yet, I had to trust that seeds were being planted in the forest where we were.

After seeds are planted, they must also be nurtured. At the end of the day, this was the work that I had to learn to trust God to do. I like to be self-sufficient and independent, to see the results of the work that I do, but ultimately when I was gone, he would be the one watering seeds and making sure they got enough sunshine as he worked through his church. He would also be the one cultivating the seeds that had been planted in me during my time in California as well.

Fires, rainstorms, and other weather events also affect forests. I saw and met many people who had been affected by storms in their lives. Storms are not new; we’ve all been through a few of these. But the nice thing is that in a forest, trees are not alone. Many people were open and kind, not hiding their scars but pointing to the beautiful growth that was taking place in spite of but also because of all they had been through. This relational aspect was such a gift.

Trees also go through seasons. Sometimes everything is blooming, the birds are singing, and the world is teeming with life. Other times, branches are bare and everything is cold, gray, and dismal. I had a significant amount of reflection time this summer to look back at God’s faithfulness through the seasons in my life so far and see where he was taking me and the many forests I have been a part of.

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Lastly, forests are beautiful. And I have very little to do with that except receive it. This summer was a gift. The forest that welcomed me was a gift. Marveling at the majesty and work of God seemed the only fitting response to all of the beautiful pieces and stories that he wove together before, during, and after my time in California.

It is this wonder, awe, trust, and thankfulness that we trees have a forest, the body of Christ. This is one thing I bring back with me to the forest of Fuller Avenue. I am thankful for all of the trees we have here and the rich history that I get to share with you all.

For more information, please visit beautiful-pieces.weebly.com, a blog which I wrote this summer to record the learning and experiences which I had.

In Memory of Jean Sluiter, 1924-2016

By Connie Scheurwater

Jean Sluiter, Fuller Avenue Church member for over 50 years, passed away on August 18 at the age of 92. Jean and her husband Arie lived for a

number of years in the house next to the church parking lot at 1160 Hall SE, and were very active members of Fuller Avenue Church during that time.

Jean was born Jozina Jacoba Noorman in Grand Rapids on June 1, 1924. Her parents were Kasper and Grace Noorman, and Jean was the oldest of six siblings. Her sister Marion died as a child of diphtheria. Jean attended Kelloggsville Public School, and graduated from high school in 1942. She held jobs at a cookie factory and also at Herpolsheimers’ Store. The family attended Kelloggsville Christian Reformed Church, where Jean and Arie Sluiter were married on December 3, 1949.

Arie and Jean continued to be members of Kelloggsville Church until 1965, when their family moved to Hall Street and became members of Fuller Avenue Church. They had four children, Barbara, Kathleen, Cheryl, and Andrew. Jean was a member of the Women’s Bible Study group for many years. She also helped to assemble and distribute Fuller Life, served at funeral luncheons, and babysat children of Bible School volunteers. When Arie retired, he helped with the babysitting as well as driving for the FISH program and delivering Meals at Home. He also served as deacon and elder. When Dave Hollemans served as church custodian, Arie and Jean would take care

of his duties when he had to be away.

Arie Sluiter passed away from cancer on November 9, 1996. Jean continued to be involved in church work. She helped out with the custodial work in Dave Hollemans’ absence, sometimes assisted by her daughter Barbara. She loved being at church, especially when Bert Wieringa was practicing the organ! Rose Wanamaker, Jean’s only living sibling, would also assist her with Fuller Life, accompany her to Bible Study, and join her in other church activities.

After 36 years, Jean moved away from Hall Street in 2001 and moved in with her daughter Barbara in Gaines Twp. She loved her new home where she enjoyed walking to the mailbox and walking around the yard. She continued to attend Fuller Avenue Church for a time and was appreciative of those individuals who volunteered to pick her up for Sunday worship services. Eventually her health caused her to be unable to continue church attendance.

During her last months of life, Jean suffered with Alzheimer’s disease, and was also diagnosed with lung cancer just weeks before she died. She passed away at her own home surrounded by her four children. Her children, as well as her ten grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren feel that they were truly blessed to have her for their mother,

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grandmother, and great-grandmother, and will miss her very much. Some of Jean’s family members took part in her memorial service on August 22, including a granddaughter from Alaska who sang Amazing Grace by telephone. The memorial service, held at Fuller Avenue Church and led by Morris Greidanus, was a celebration of a beautiful life lived in service to her family, her church, and her heavenly father.

This article was written with the assistance of Barb Sluiter, Jean’s daughter.

1   Morris Greidanus2   Deb Gabites4   Polly Slotsema5   Barb Engbers6   Penny Schering (M) 7   Marcus Feyen8   Alex DeJong McCarron9   Jana Postma     David & Kimmi Vu Lagerwey (2004)10 Andrea Brown David Lagerwey11 Dawn Cornell Don Van Stee12  Jack Stegink Eric Straatsma14  Allison Hollemans          15   AJ Heyboer   Pauline Hoolsema   Jeanette Vander Meer

  Jerry & Jan Van Veen (1977) 16  Hannah Segaar-King18  Dennis & Karen Vander Meer (1974)22  Essence Shields24  Edna Venlet25  Matt Postma   Dan Rietberg26  Bruce Engbers28  Dave De Windt31  John Vanden Berg

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October 2016Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesd

ayThursday Friday Saturday

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2 GO Week10 am:Lord’s Supper, Offerings: Missions & SECOM11:30 am:Welcome Lunch

3 4 59:30 am: Women’s Bible Study7:30 pm: Choir

67 pm: Council

7 87 pm: Pinochle

9 GO Week11:30 am:Missions Lunch

10 11 129:30 am: Women’s Bible Study7:30 pm: Choir

136:30 pm: Bakers & Boys Club

14 15

1611:30 am:Welcome Lunch

17 18 199:30 am: Women’s Bible Study7 pm: Adams Park Game Night-Group 47:30 pm: Choir

206:30 pm: Bakers & Boys Club7 pm: Admin

21 22

2311:30 am:Welcome Lunch

24 25 269:30 am: Women’s Bible Study7:30 pm: Choir

276:30 pm: Bakers & Boys Club

28 29

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FROM: Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church1239 Fuller Avenue, S. E.Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506-3248

TO:

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