Dear Rose Park,
Have you noticed the past few Sundays we have been blessed with some new faces in worship? It is such a blessing to see new faces; whether they are families from other towns, siblings who have come home, or even new residents who have moved to Holland we are certainly blessed as a Church family to welcome new families and individuals to worship.
Dear Rose Park,
35 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” 37 But Jesus answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
Dear Rose Park,
As another academic year is beginning (Simon starts 1st Grade and Winnie begins Young Kinders) my own memories of elementary school are coming to the surface. Memories of sack lunches and recess twice a day. Memories of book reports and science projects. Memories of dodgeball and dear friends.
Dear Rose Park,
Earlier this week I finished listening to the audiobook entitled “Miracle and Wonder” by Malcolm Gladwell. In this particular book, Gladwell interviewed Paul Simon, the famous singer-songwriter from the duo Simon & Garfunkel. Simon shared thoughts and context from his illustrious career while also shedding light on his creative process. Near the end of the interview though, I heard Paul utter a phrase that’s continued to echo in my mind.
Dear Rose Park,
I imagine we all know someone who needs a little encouragement. Maybe they’re a little down after a recent relationship struggle. Maybe they’re bummed about a job opportunity that didn’t pan out. Maybe they’re depressed with how life is currently going. I also imagine each and every one of us has been that person who at one time or another needed a little encouragement. The past two days, it was me.
Dear Rose Park,
Last Thursday, Sam and I brought our two kids to meet my mom downtown for the street performers. We met in front of Kilwins and then began walking down 8th street enjoying all the sights and sounds. We stopped to see some of the breakdancers, listen to one of our neighbors play guitar in a local band, and even grab a couple goodie bags from a Gentex sponsored event. At the very end though was the culmination of our fun because Simon and Winnie convinced us to wait in line for the balloon artist.
Dear Rose Park
If the discipleship of children must be paramount for the church of 2050, then I hope and pray we are not going through the motions when it comes to loving, encouraging, supporting, teaching, or modeling God’s love to future generations. A 2022 Barna study concluded, “children who have a meaningful relationship with an adult in the church are more likely to be rooted in Scripture, to be grounded in children’s ministry and the life of the church, and to externalize faith and move towards generous, countercultural behavior. Strong intergenerational connections don’t happen by accident. For the future church we must invest in community-building today.”
Dear Rose Park
This past Sunday afternoon, with the help of Aaron and Anna Welsch and our neighbor Paul, Sam and I put up a new basketball hoop in our driveway. It took all hands-on deck to lift the backboard, but after a few busted knuckles and a couple of words mumbled under our breaths, the job was done. As I stood in the driveway marveling at our work, I was reminded of the Church.
