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A Note from Pastor Andrew
When I think back on 2023, the phrase that comes to mind is “deep breath.” We collectively got to inhale deeply of God’s goodness and grace. Some of the pressures we have felt in recent years have lightened. We have relaxed in the love of God a bit more.
We also took a “deep breath” as a church in the sense that there is work ahead of us. The Spirit continues shaping and sending us into the world as ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Like a diver about to descend, we are taking a big gulp of air in preparation for our task of living God’s grace and truth.
Both these “deep breath” meanings are embodied in our “broken and beautiful” vision. We gasp in horror at seeing the sin within and around us. And we inhale in awe at God’s craftsmanship in making all humans. The world and we the church called Thornapple are both loved by God in our broken and beautiful state.
We finished the year of “lamenting the gap” between heaven and earth with a visual representation of how the God works with the fragments of our lives. We began the year of “remodeling relationships under Jesus.” We look to Jesus as the model and seek Jesus’ help to change our relationships.
In Genesis 2, God breathes into the dust and creates the earthling. In John 20, Jesus breathes on his frightened disciples and gives them the Holy Spirit. God is creating a people by the same Spirit who live the way of Jesus in Cascade and beyond.
May we be known as good news people in 2024, Thornapple!
In Christ,
Pastor Andrew
Adult Ministries
MOPS
Women's Bible Studies
Men's Small Groups
College & Young Adults
- 58 moms and their 99 kiddos attending this year with 8 Mentor Moms and 13 MOPPETS volunteers
Women's Bible Studies
- Two morning groups and one evening group are meeting with approximately 60 women participating; the studies are providing connection, biblical study and application, as well as prayer support.
Men's Small Groups
- Four groups with 44 participants have studies three books ("Not In It To Win It", "Your Are Only Human" and "The Divine Conspiracy."
- Three Men's Breakfasts with speakers: Peter Ek, Julia Sandstrom and Rob Peterson; averaged 50 men per breakfast.
College & Young Adults
- Four Sunday post-church brunches
- Handed out exam study/treat bags in the spring and winter
- Attended the church fair at Calvin University
- Sent notes and gift cards to Thornapple's recent high school grads
pastoral care
Stephen Ministry
Grief and Loss
Care Ministries
- We have 21 Stephen Ministers, including 6 newly trained Stephen Ministers
- We’ve had 5 or 6 care receivers at any one time. We would love to see more people at Thornapple take advantage of the gift of having a Stephen Minister.
- “Cancer, Now What?” books to people diagnosed with cancer
- Grateful the leadership team who leads and did the training this year - Marian Hunt, Barb Hoogeboom, Cheri Fox, Sam Woolpert, and Joyce Zaagman
Grief and Loss
- Supported families and spouses with Journeying Through Grief books, personal notes, and calls throughout the first year of loss and beyond.
- Blue Christmas service in December
Care Ministries
- Meals to families and individuals in times of crisis, illness, or grief
- Helping find rides for people as needed
- Regular visits to Thornapple members in assisted living, independent living, and living alone.
- Meeting with people as needs arise and just to check-in
- Prayers of the People each week and easy access to give prayer requests on the app
Pine Rest Church Assistance Program (CAP)
- We had one workshop on emotions in January of 2022. We look forward to more in the upcoming year.
- Thornapple people used 30 sessions of counseling , financial assistance, legal assistance, and the hotline through the CAP this year. We hope there are even more in the future!
- The CAP is available to all individuals who attend Thornapple in some way and includes 3 free counseling sessions per person per issue, financial advice, legal advice, and an online library full of resources.
Love Mercy Do Justice
- Family Promise Partnership - temporarily housed and fed nearly 20 families in crisis this year over 4 weeks, over 100 Thornapple members were involved, invited Keystone Community Church into the hosting work
- Glenn VanNoord Summer program expanded beyond Thornapple for the first time, allowing additional youth from our community to serve at and connect with GR urban organizations.
- Provided hands-on opportunities to serve meals via Degage, cards for prisoners, blood drives, and hands-on work days with ICCF, Habitat, and Family Promise.
- More than 200 gifts were provided for the Degage Christmas Store in less than 2 weeks
- Hosted a multi-generational very well-attended housing and homelessness simulation
- Financially support 6 ministries in Grand Rapids and abroad
- Began the process of honing our team focus for 2024 and beyond
international missions
- Ongoing support of 10 mission partners, including new support for our own Mitchel Strawser and for Satya Maharjan and Johnson Rajen.
- The International Missions team met regularly in 2023, including meeting with several Thornapple members to learn about their individual passions and are working on a vision to help enable the church body engage with missions, as well as working more closely with our "in country" brethren at Love Mercy Do Justice
- Partnered with Keystone and Cascade Fellowship churches for the Cascade 6K for Water
- Visits this year from the Hirts, Misras, Ziegelbaurs and Groots
- Incorporating mission partners into our worship services in various ways.
