Sunday, June 14, 2026, 9:30 am Pastor Jeff Vanderhooft will be leading our worship service. We are continuing the sermon series Grounded and Growing – Bearing Fruit. The Scripture Passages are Isaiah 11:1-9 and James 3:13-18 and the sermon title is “Those Who Sow in Peace.” We will hear an update from the Bronsinks and a report from the Living Water Bike Trip.
Sunday Morning Volunteers
Nursery – Susan VanderWeide - Sign up HERE to help
Little Lambs – Abbie Meckes, Macie Brigham, Alena Brinks
Coffee – Elaine VanEssen, Pat Hirdes
Congregational Life
Office Hours Office hours are Tuesday – Thursday, 9am – 2pm.
Birthday Blessings – June! Let’s celebrate with our Covenant friends as they celebrate another year of God’s faithfulness and love!
Bev Hirdes - June 6
Jay Morren - June 6
Joanne Naber - June 6
Alida Zylstra - June 7
Nels Haan - June 13
Jan Hoekema - June 14
Pearl Diephouse - June 21
Marilyn DeJong - June 29
Looking for an easy way to serve your church family? Do you enjoy coffee, cookies, and fellowship after church? We are looking for a few more volunteers to help serve coffee on Sunday mornings. This involves making coffee, setting up cookie trays, serving after church and cleaning up once every 6-8 weeks. No experience necessary! We would love to have you join our team. Questions? Talk to Pat Hirdes or the church office.
Driver Needed Nalini Manickam lives in Caledonia and is in need of a ride to and from church every Sunday. If this is something you would be willing to help with, please contact a pastoral elder or the church office.
Wednesdays on the Lawn – Join us for a variety of different Wednesday Nights on the Lawn community building gatherings this summer for both Covenant Church and the neighborhood on June 17, July 15, and August 19. These community building gatherings are open to everyone. Bring a neighbor. Meet a neighbor. Specific details can be found on the church app calendar and sign-up tab, or at this webpage: https://covenant-crc.org/onthelawn/.
Our first gathering, a team jigsaw puzzle competition, is coming up on June 17. Gather a team of up to 8 people to work on puzzle together. There will also be a kids puzzle, so be sure to bring your kids with you! Prizes will be given for the most diverse teams and for the team that completes the puzzle in the least amount of time. Come join the community building fun! PLEASE register HERE so we know you’re coming.
FINANCIAL
This week’s offering is for: Celebration Fellowship
Total Offering Received: The offerings from June 7 and June 14 will be recorded in the June 21 News and Notes.
June Offering Schedule
June 7 - Ministry Fund
June 14 - Celebration Fellowship
June 21 - Benevolent Fund
June 28 - Impact Burundi
Adult Discipleship
Higher Ground – Men’s Bible Study – We have wrapped up our meetings for this season, but we will plan to meet a handful of times over the spring and summer for coffee, pie, or ice cream. Keep an eye out for meetup details in future News & Notes.
The Well – Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study
Women in the Word – Thursday evening Women’s Bible Study – We hope you will consider joining us in the fall!
Youth Discipleship
Service Opportunity Volunteers in Service reached out to us. There is a person in our community who needs some help with some yard work. Students, are any of you interested in helping with this project? If so, let Pastor Henry know.
BIKE TRIP 2026 – Thank you to everyone who was part of the 2026 Living Water Bike Trip.
Thanks to all the bikers, support team, and those who donated time and supplies needed to
make the bike trip a success.
Furniture Ministry
Thank you for your continued support of the Furniture Ministry!
Items needed this week:
Baking Pans (9×13, 9×9, round, loaf)
Silverware Sets
Bathroom Rugs
Shower Curtains with Rings
Bath Towel Sets (body, hand, face)
Hangers
Cutting Boards
This summer we are going to be collecting food items for our Hand 2 Hand Program.
Please check out the Bulletin Board in the Narthex of church and check your church mailbox for more information.
Thank you! ~Heidi Westra
Pray for the Kids Hope students and mentors as they wrap up their mentoring sessions for this school year and prepare for summer break. Pray for safety and protection for the students and mentors as they are apart for the summer.
IAs you pray this week, pray for Streams. Hold our neighbors, volunteers, and staff before God with patience and compassion. Pray for encouragement in places that still feel uncertain, for steady provision where needs remain ongoing, and for the kind of community that helps people feel less alone in what they carry.
Prayer Requests
Do you have a prayer request or a praise / thank you? Call your Pastoral Elder or Pastoral Care Assistant, leave a message on the church office phone at (616) 455-5120, or send an email to prayer@covenant-crc.org.
Prayer Requests
Covenant family, there are no adequate words to describe our gratitude towards you all over the past 4 months. You have overwhelmingly blessed us with prayers, cards, meals, gift cards, surprise pictures, memories, hugs, patience, grace and understanding. Early February our lives looked ordinary and by early April they were shattered. We continue to covet your prayers as we are just beginning to navigate a life and a future we never imagined. We are blessed to be part of this amazing family called Covenant Church. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Tammi, Caleb, Ellia, Gabriella and Braeden Agar
An update and prayer request from Cheri DeHaan:
Larry and I thank you for your prayers. We have been seeking God's plan for wisdom and clarity in making some decisions related to my ovarian cancer diagnosis. We have spoke with a gynecologist oncologist thru Corewell Health who wants to do chemo and surgery and then follow-up chemo. We have also reached out to another alternative Christian holistic doctor and we feel God is leading us to Nevada for the holistic option. We know not everyone will agree and understand our choice and we do seriously appreciate our medical doctors, hospital, and their knowledge. We will be leaving Sunday and most likely return back home the following Saturday. This is truly a faith journey and we have confidence and peace in our decision. We want to ask BOLDLY for your prayers, asking you to specifically pray that our triune God, (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) be present and in his name pray BOLDLY and with faith that all the cancer, disease, and bad stuff in my body is completely eliminated. Thank you in advance for your prayers. We are trusting that God has got this. Luv you all. Cheri and Larry DeHaan
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13. (Elder: DeVries)
We express our sympathy to Abbie and Aaron Meckes and their family in the passing of Abbie's sister, Amy Hoekstra. She was in hospice care for kidney failure, so while this was not unexpected, it is a painful loss. Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 14, from 3-6pm at Ventura Baptist Church, 16240 Quincy St., Holland 494247. The funeral will be held on Monday, June 15, at 11am at Ventura Baptist Church. Please pray for God's comfort and peace to surround Abbie, Aaron, Harrison, Fletcher, Franklin, and their extended family during this time. (Elder: Padding)
Please continue to pray for Jeff and Tammy Todd, stepchildren of Bev and Bob Vander Heide. Jeff has treatments every three weeks, thankfully with minimal side effects. Tammy is recovering well from her surgery; however, her last pathology report showed several lymph nodes were cancerous. She will begin radiation therapy at the end of June. Please pray for successful treatments, strength, comfort, peace and healing for both Jeff and Tammy as they face this battle together. (Elder: Jammal)
Please Continue to Pray For
We express our sympathy to the Lubbers family in the passing of Clay’s mom, Judy Lubbers. Please pray for God’s comfort and peace to continue to surround Clay, Jaci, Maggie, Seth, Christian, and the rest of their family. (Elder: Patterson)
Jay Morren has moved to Breton Woods Assisted Living and is under hospice care for congestive heart failure. Please be in prayer for Jay and Toots as well as the extended Morren and Heidmann families at this time. You are encouraged to show love to Jay and Toots with a card, a call or a visit. His address is Breton Woods Assisted Living, 2565 Breton Woods Drive, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, room #1013. Please pray for God's comfort and peace to surround Jay, Toots, and their family during this time. (Elder: Jammal)
Michele Neuberg’s facial surgery and follow-up appointments have gone well. Give thanks to God for a successful surgery and please pray for complete healing for Michele. (Elder: Padding)
Judy Schut’s parathyroid surgery went well. Please pray for complete healing for Judy. (Elder: Padding)
Because of the war, our missionaries, David and Jill Martin, have lived and worked in Romania but kept their apartment in Odesa in hopes of returning to Ukraine to begin the Anchor School again. Recently their apartment in Ukraine was severely damaged by a water leak, so they must vacate it. Many 9-hour trips were necessary, each one complicated by border crossing difficulties. Please pray for an end to the war, their eventual return to Ukraine, and success in finding another place to live.
Ann Cool went to her cardiologist this week and found out she will have surgery to find out why her heart is beating too fast. Please pray for patience for Ann as she awaits this surgery and for healing. (Elder: Brinks)
Click HERE for the June Prayer Newsletter
Please Pray for Our Missionaries
We support several missionaries and mission groups who serve in the United States and in other countries. Through our prayers and gifts we help them bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to people throughout the world.
Click here to see information from our missionaries on the website.
Requested Announcements
Walk for Life Join the Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC) on Saturday, June 20, for the annual prayer walk in Grand Rapids and Middleville. Together, we will walk, pray, and boldly proclaim the value of life – standing in the gap for women and children at the moment decisions are made. The walk is approximately 2 miles long and raises money for PRC. Every step you take and every dollar you raise helps ensure that when a woman is searching for answers, PRC is there – ready, open, and prepared to serve her with truth, love, and hope. Register online and find more information at prcforlife.org/events/walk-for-life. You can also join PRC in prayer June 7-21. We will pray for two weeks leading to the anniversary of Roe-v-Wade being overturned on June 24, 2022. You can find the prayer guide HERE.
Covenant Council Corner
Council Members
Chair of Council: Dave Ballast
Vice-chair of Council: Jaci Lubbers
Clerk of Council: Dave Geldersma
Chair of Pastoral Elders: Matt Brinks
Chair of Deacons: Tom Wolffis
Council
Council Minutes, November 2025
Council Minutes, December 2025
Council Minutes, January 2026
Council Minutes, February 2026
Council Minutes, March 2026
Administrative Elders
Administrative Elder Minutes, October 2025
Administrative Elder Minutes, November 2025
Administrative Elder Minutes, December 2025
Administrative Elder Minutes, January 2026
Administrative Elder Minutes, February 2026
Pastoral Elders
Pastoral Elder Minutes, May 2026
Pastoral Elder Minutes, April 2026
Pastoral Elder Minutes, August 2025
Pastoral Elder Minutes, October 2025
Deacons
Deacon Minutes, July 2025
Deacon Minutes, August 2025
Deacon Minutes, September 2025
Deacon Minutes, October 2025
Deacon Minutes, November 2025
Deacon Minutes, December 2025
Deacon Minutes, January 2026
Deacon Minutes, February 2026
Deacon Minutes, March 2026
Deacon Minutes, April 2026
Deacon Minutes, May 2026
Mission Team
Mission Team Minutes, July 2025
Mission Team Minutes, September 2025
Mission Team Minutes, February 2026