Offering Prayers
Please pray for our campus ministers this summer as they balance intentional discipleship, summer outreach, administrative planning, and necessary rest. Pray that students and faculty staying on or near campuses will find deep community and encounter the love of Christ in refreshing ways.
We pray for high school youth in exams this week and next. May they be given what they need as they prepare. Pray that stress will be minimal and that they will represent their learning well. Pray also for teachers as they prepare exams and evaluate students’ work.
Although sunshine and warmth lift our spirits and can revitalize us, there is no recipe for the relief of grief. It charts its own course. And sometimes busyness, events, and gatherings can even make loss feel more poignant. So, we pray for all those grieving. May God bring comfort, strength and peace to all who mourn.
As temperatures and humidity rise, we remember people who are unable to easily escape intense heat. We pray for resources, safe spaces, support, and long-term solutions to long-standing issues related to social and cultural dimensions of health, mental health, and justice.
Synod opens this Friday, June 12th at Calvin University (until June 18th). We pray for the Spirit’s intervention and presence in all that is deliberated. May God’s wisdom and grace prevail in discussions and decision-making. May Synod to seek your will and your kingdom in all that is thought, shared, said and done. May good fruit be born of this work.
Please join us in holding up in prayer those who manage daily burdens of one kind or another (chronic or acute illness, grief, mental health, loneliness, loss of abilities). We think specifically this week of: Kit Rustenberg, Annie Boekestyn, Anna Geuze, Theresa Jongerden, Trudy Hofland, Rita Klomps, Susan VanderVaart, Dorothy Veenhof, Bertha Vermeer, and Hetty Romkema. May God give them each what they stand in need of. May God give wisdom and strength to those who walk alongside them. We also pray for those who are dealing with issues of which we are not aware.
Giving Thanks
This Sunday morning we celebrate the graduation of kids (and adults) from SK, Grade 8, Grade 12, College, University, and Certificate, Apprenticeship, Master’s or PhD Programs. We praise God for all of the opportunities we have to both learn and serve, for the ways we can uncover how best to use the gifts we have been so graciously and abundantly given. We celebrate learning and we celebrate and pray for all those graduating! May God bless and keep them in their work as they move forward.
This Sunday we also commission our Camp Staff for their Ministry with children and families this summer. We pray a blessing over their important work. May they be a unified team that is well equipped, engaged, and eager to share God’s light. May the hearts of staff and kids alike be open and ready to receive. May seeds of faith, hope and love, seeds of the kingdom they are seeking in their “Kingdom Quest”, be planted and nurtured in every heart at camp. May God bless Camp Staff as they finalize preparations for KidsCamp.
The Cadets are off on their annual camping trip this weekend. We pray for safety, fun, and a great weekend of community building.
The season of camping and outdoor adventures has begun. We give thanks for the beautiful land we live in that we are free to explore. We give thanks for safety and resources enabling us to travel. We give thanks for opportunities to enjoy your beautiful creation whether traveling, camping, or gardening. We give thanks for opportunities to connect with family and friends. We give thanks for altered routines and respite from the regular.
The Doppenbergs returned to Guatemala this week. We give thanks for a safe journey home. It was a blessing to connect with them and hear about their ministry in person. May God bless their ongoing work and relationships!
We Celebrate The Coming Week’s Birthdays!
(Milestone Bdays listed by request) - On BRIDGE APP in the DIRECTORY see “UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS”
Sunday June 14 – Michael Hamilton, Henry Lof, Rien Moraal (Sr.), Eli Van Geest
Monday June 15 – Art Piersma
Tuesday June 16 – Randy Vermeer
Wednesday June 17 – Millie Heerema
Friday June 19 – Carol Van Dijk
Saturday June 20 – Derrick Posthumus, Jean Prusak, Janice Schwanz, Danielle Vanderkolk
REMINDER: The most up-to-date information for members, at any given time, can be found in the Bridge App Directory.