2022 Thornapple Year-in-Review

Annual meeting pre-read packet

A Note from Pastor Andrew

Dear Thornapple,

As I look back at 2022, I see us taking Jesus more seriously. The year began with the harder-than-we-expected work of discerning and communicating where God is taking Thornapple. Describing this takes several paragraphs and resulted in a new Visionary Plan. The best we can do in a sentence is: 
Thornapple will be a refreshing oasis for our community, authentically and wholly centered on Jesus in order to show our neighbors that God is for them and provides healing for the hurt, division and grief in our world.

In looking back over last year I also see us taking ourselves less seriously. I remember when we celebrated Communion together with real bread and real juice in the summer. The table was A MESS afterward. It was exactly what we needed. Someone told me that when things are so “perfect” at Thornapple, she feels there’s no room for her and her imperfect life. Amen!

The world is far from perfect and so are we. We have been leaning into a part of the Christian faith that is called “lament.” That’s a confusing and off-putting word sometimes. Despite lament encompassing a third of the Psalms, critical parts of Jesus’ life, and being woven into the tradition of the Church, the word itself and its place in our lives has a lot of cultural baggage with it and perhaps even misunderstanding.

Lament is simply telling God everything we know when things have gone wrong. It requires us to embrace God's great love as the foundation of our relationship. It is a way of being broken and beautiful as God’s beloved children. Lament is one way of taking Jesus more seriously and ourselves less so. There is always something to praise and there is always something to lament as we pray and hope for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Thank you for entering into this work of taking Jesus more seriously and ourselves less so, Thornapple.

In Christ,
P. Andrew

Ministry Updates

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All-Church Highlights

Children's Ministry

Highlights

  • Sunday morning classes for birth to 5th grade with an average of 45 kids + 32 volunteers (12 students)!
  • Trailblazers (3rd-5th) meets every Tuesday with dinner, Jesus and games (average attendance: 20-25)
  • 160 kids blessed by VBS with 60 students volunteering
  • Summer pool parties and a family movie night
  • Birthday cards sent throughout the year
  • Celebrating Palm Sunday (palm branches) and the "Joy" week of Advent (balloons) with our kids in service
We're looking forward to all the fun, learning and joy we'll share in the coming year, especially as we welcome children into the start of worship with us each Sunday morning!

Student Ministry: Middle School

Come to the Thornapple Community Center on a Tuesday evening and you will find a gym full of students enjoying basketball, broomball and many other activities. The energy level is high! Follow it up with some pizza and talks about Jesus and what it means to know and follow Him and you get a glimpse of middle school ministry at Thornapple. One of our students has brought five friends who come consistently to JAM on Tuesday nights.

A highlight of our year has been serving. We were able to serve locally with ICCF helping get houses ready for new families to live in. In June nine students and two adults traveled to Detroit to serve at Hope House Detroit. We cleaned ministry spaces, painted ceilings, built a walkway, stained picnic tables and hung out with some neighborhood kids. We spent time in God’s word together, laughed a lot, enjoyed some local ice cream and donuts, and grew closer to Jesus and to each other.

MS Huddle meets during part of the service on Sunday mornings. We spend time in God’s Word and praying for each other.

The awesome ministry team of Dave Hayhurst, Ryan Russell, Brent and Holly Gustafson and Scott Prioli share the love of Jesus and model a life faith to students.

Highlights

MS JAM (Jesus and Me)
Tuesday nights

MS Huddle Sunday Mornings

Sledding

Coke Clubs (Small Groups)

JAM and Trailblazer
Winter Olympics

Crossover for 
5th grade into MS and
8th grade into HS

Pool Parties

Cedar Point

The Hunt

Fall Retreat at Portage Lake

Student Ministry: High SChool

This past year, we made awesome memories both here at home and out on the road. We have been fortunate to have space at church for our regular Sunday night Huddle gatherings as well as after worship “bagels & bible study,” each providing a place to grow and learn together. We have even opened up our homes to each other for our small group dinners we call “Supper Clubs!”

We are also incredibly grateful for all the opportunities to pile in the church vans to go experience how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. From our day trip to Cedar Point, our retreats at Portage Lake and Gull Lake, worshiping at local college campus ministries, and our summer Adventure Trip//UNITE North conference mega trip, God revealed himself to us through his creation, community, diversity, and fresh perspectives.

We praise God that He pushed us beyond ourselves - our students followed God’s nudge to serve far and wide both at Thornapple and out in our community. Even events like the Amazing Race allowed an opportunity for outreach! Of the 66 students who participated, 35 were regular attendees and 31 were students new to Thornapple. Praise God!

We are so grateful that God’s faithfulness is not limited to place, attitude, circumstance, or time. We thank God for all that was, and all that is to come!

Highlights

Sunday Night Huddle & Small Groups

“Supper Clubs” Small Group Dinners at students’ houses

Student Led Bible Study

Student Service & Worship Band

Return of the “We Love TSM Brunch” fundraiser

Senior High Winter Retreat at Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp (27 students, 9 leaders)

Senior Banquet and Senior Say-So Huddle

Summer Pool Parties

Students participating in Glenn VanNoord  Program

VBS Volunteering

Cedar Point Trip

Senior High Camp at Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp

Adventure Trip (WI) & UNITE North Conference (MN)
(40 students, 17 leaders)

Baptism of brothers Josiah and Miles DeBaets

Amazing Race: 80s Prom Edition in downtown GR
(39 adult volunteers, 66 total students
= 35 regulars and 31 invitees!)

“Stand Up for Your Sibling” Survey

Visited and worshiped with GVSU Campus Ministry’s
“The Well” Sunday night service

Fall Retreat at Gull Lake Ministries (37 students, 11 leaders)

“Grinch Night” Huddle: buying gifts for families in need through ICCF (34 students, 9 leaders, $735 raised and spent on gifts = 5 families helped and 20 kids who now have Christmas gifts!)

Huddle Christmas Party

Adult Ministries

MOPS
  • 54 moms and their kiddos attending this year in-person with 9 Mentor Moms

Women's Bible Studies
  • Two morning groups and one evening group are meeting with approximately 50 women participating; each is providing a good place of connection and has added new members this year

Men's Small Groups
  • Nearly 40 men attending one of four groups that meet each week
  • Men's Breakfast returned with two Saturday morning gatherings in September and December - attendance averaged about 37

College & Young Adults
  • We brought back Sunday post-church brunch and have welcomed an average of 45 students and recent grads at each brunch served up and prepared by a multitude of volunteers

Pastoral Care

Stephen Ministry
  • We have more people receiving care through this quiet ministry of the church
  • Hoping to do a training in Fall 2023 as we need more caregivers.
  • Grateful to the leadership team: Marian Hunt, Cheri Fox, Sam Woolpert, Barb Hoogeboom and Joyce Zaagman

Grief and Loss
  • Supported families and spouses with Journeying Through Grief books and personal notes throughout the first year of loss
  • Advent Lights service in December 

Hospitality & Assimilation
  • Meals provided for families and individuals in grief, illness and crisis
  • 12 Below Lunches and Starting Point gatherings to meet those new(ish) to Thornapple
  • Outdoor Community Concert on the parking lot stage
Small Groups
  • 20 groups with about 200 people involved
  • Vital part of our connection and care for people
  • Room for more people in current groups
  • Would like more groups to develop

Pine Rest Church Assistance Program (CAP)
  • Available to all families/people who attend Thornapple in some way
  • Includes counseling (3 sessions/person/issue), financial advice, legal advice and a library full of resources
  • Thornapple people used 10 sessions of counseling and took advantage of the hotline help
  • We hosted three mental health seminars attended by people from Thornapple and our community

Love Mercy Do Justice

Highlights

Hosted 10 families through our partnership with Family Promise and their rotating shelter; four more hosting opportunities scheduled in 2023

Donations to Family Promise's Prevention (Diversion) program helped 17 families avoid losing their permanent housing

Regularly serving meals at Degage Ministries

Provided financial support to: International Justice Mission, Hope Project, Degage Ministries, Family Promise, Servants Center & United in Christ Ministries

Funded the Glenn VanNoord Short-Term Urban Missions Program with five student participants serving at ICCF, Heartside, Mel Trotter Ministries and Exalta Health

Multiple food, clothing and household supply drives to support local organizations

Continued to host successful blood drives every other month in partnership with Cascade Fellowship and the American Red Cross

Work days organized for Habitat for Humanity, Family Promise and ICCF

International Missions

The International Missions Committee seeks to provide vision and direction for our churches’ participation in the biblical call to global mission. Our means to achieve this goal is through the support of our missionary partners in prayer, financial support and regular communication. In addition, our committee seeks to educate of our church body about the ministry and needs of these missionary families.

“Go therefore and

make disciples of all nations . . .
 
teaching them to observe

all that I have commanded you.”

Matthew 28:19-20