Happy 50th Anniversary

William (Bill) Robert Mason

Linda Lou (Hall) Mason

Bill and Linda Mason of Cedar Springs are celebrating their 50th Anniversary.  They were married on April 27, 1963.  Their children are Johnny Mason (deceased) and Michael (Cindy) Mason of Sand Lake.  They have 7 grandchildren, Mercedes and Alexis Oliver, Kylie, Ryan, Alyssa, Brady and Cassie Mason.  Their first great grandson is due to be born on April 24, 2013.

Please join their celebration at the Courtland Township Hall.  7450 14 Mile Road NE, Rockford at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

No gifts please.

Mr. Ronald R. Weyerman, age 58, of Sparta, passed away on Friday, April 5, 2013. He graduated from Rockford High School in 1973 and was a member of the Marching Band, ran track and cross country, and delivered the GR PRESS. Ron attended WMU but left after a semester and worked at several places, but for 25 years he worked at “The Corner Bar” and then Venman’ Landscape. Ron met Sue while working at the restaurant and was known to come to her house and wash the dishes. He and Sue were married in 1991 by Sue’s dad, Skip Grabow. When you got to know Ron, you realized that he was a very tender-hearted person. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and being out of doors. Ron was a member of Sons of American Legion, Glen Hill Post #287 in Cedar Springs. Ron is survived by his wife, Sue; brothers and sister, Gary Weyerman, Cindy Nielsen, Jeff and Kirsten Weyerman; niece, Erin Nielsen; nephews, Zachary Weyerman and Alexander Weyerman; in-law, Skip and Nikki Grabow and Sharon and Jim Mayle and all of their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, Rex and Donna Weyerman. The Service for Mr. Weyerman will be Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the Pederson Funeral Home with Pastor Terry Grabow officiating. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider Faith Hospice, 2100 Raybrook, NE Suite 300, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 or ONRO (Oncology Nurse Reachout Organization), 145 Michigan, Suite 3100, Grand Rapids, MI in care of Heather Schnicke. Relatives and friends may meet with the family at the funeral home from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. on Saturday prior to the service. Arrangements by Pederson Funeral Home, Rockford www.pedersonfuneralhome.com

In Loving Memory

BETTY JO (SICARD) STULTS

November 4, 1938 – April 13, 2012

If Tears Could Build a Stairway

If tears could build a stairway,

and memories a lane,

I would walk right up to Heaven

and bring you back again.

No farewell words were spoken,

No time to say “Goodbye”.

You were gone before I knew it,

and only God knows why.

My heart still aches with sadness,

and secret tears still flow.

What it meant to love you -

No one can ever know.

But now I know you want me

to mourn for you no more;

To remember all the happy times,

life still has much in store.

Since you’ll never be forgotten,

I pledge to you today -

A hollowed place within my heart

is where you’ll always stay.

We will miss you always.

Love,

Your daughters & son, grandkids and great-grandkids 

Ilene Paepke – Boho

Cindy Paepke – Dobson

Sonya Paepke

Sean Troost

Baby Jayden Lynn Troost

Dick and Buzz,

We still love you.

Years have passed,

Easing our pain.

But you are in our hearts

Just the same.

At Jesus’ feet

May you rest above,

Basking in

God’s gracious love.

Love, The Goller Family

Lynsey Keyes and Adam Ickes of Saranac are pleased to announce their engagement. Lynsey is the daughter of Rick Keyes and Julie North. She is a 2003 graduate of Tri-County High School and is a Medical Assistant. Adam Ickes is the son of  Bob and Barb Ickes. He is a 1997 graduate of Dowagiac Union High School and is a police officer. Looking forward to celebrating the couple’s wedding on October 4, 2013 in Watervliet, Michigan are their children, Drew, Matt, Makenna and Reid, and Adam’s grandmother, Donna Brosnan.

Jane M. Allen, 90 of Cedar Springs, died Monday, April 1, 2013 at her home. Jane was born December 27, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Michigan the daughter of Leland and Grizelda (Morrison) Blanchard. She was a 1942 graduate of Cedar Springs High School, an avid Cedar Springs sports supporter and proud to be called a Red Hawk Granny. Surviving are her family whom she loved dearly; two children, Sandra Johnson of Cedar Springs, Carl (Deb) Allen of Cedar Springs; grandchildren, Amy (Chris Bush) Johnson, Laura (Andrew) Felsted, Matthew Johnson; great granddaughter, Piper Felsted; sister, Gay (Tom) Hudson; sister-in-law, Dorothy Blanchard; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by the love of her life, her husband, Leonard Allen; her beloved grandson, Todd Allen; brother, John Blanchard. The family received friends Wednesday from 2-4 and 6-8 pm at the Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs, where services will be held Thursday 11:00 am. Pastor Mary Ivanov officiating. Interment Elmwood Cemetery, Cedar Springs. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cedar Springs Athletic Boosters.

Arrangements by Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs

Andrew Stout, age 43, of Pierson passed away unexpectedly on March 26, 2013 at his residence.  He was born May 3, 1969 in Grand Rapids the son of George and Sandra (Noall) Stout.  During his working years he worked for Spectrum Industries.  He loved hunting and fishing and bow hunting was his favorite.

Surviving are His Father and Step-Mother, George and Sandra Stout of Pierson; his mother Sandra Noall Stout of Newaygo; a step-son Darren Huizena of Pierson; two step-grandchildren Faith and Bradley; brothers Bill (Tammy) Stout of Georgia, Chris (April) Stout of Indiana, Patrick Stout of Morley; step-brothers Lonny Pierce of Michigan, Mike (Charity) Pierce of Howard City, James Pierce of Pierson, Jason (Lena) Carter of Howard City; and several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews and cousins.  He was preceded in death by a nephew Brandon in 2007. Memorials in his memory may be left at the Heckman Funeral home where friends met on Thursday from 6-8 pm.  Private services took place on Friday.

Arrangements by Heckman Funeral Home, Howard City

Pastor Ryan Black

Cedar Springs Christian Church
340 West Pine Street, Cedar Springs

Springtime is finally approaching. What a lovely time of year. No other season invokes these sights, sounds and smells. Spring is the awakening of what was once dead but has now come alive. The Bible describes it, “For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!’ (Song of Solomon 2:11-13).

The spring season reminds us of how important life truly is.  But what is life and what does it mean? What does it mean according to God?

In the beginning God created a perfect world. Why was this world so perfect? Because God’s presence was there and the presence of God brings life! However, man fell into Satan’s temptations, which removed the presence of the One who gives life. As a result, a curse was placed on this earth because of sin which has resulted in all of us being handed a sentence of death.  The image of a physical death and a curse on the earth which forewarns us of an ending we do not want to inherit.  That picture is eternal death. Eternal death means eternal seperation from God, the One whom gives life.

However, God had a plan; a plan to rescue us from that separation. He accomplished this by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for us. This sacrifice bridges us back to the One who gives life! Eternally God has allowed us to escape our death sentence and has called us to live and reign with Him forever and ever. All you need to do is to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and He will set you free and grant you eternal life in His Kingdom.

While the life God is concerned about is eternal, He gives us reminders and illustrations here on this earth.  Spring is a perfect time of year for that reminder. Spring brings hope that there will be brighter days ahead; days full of sunshine, happiness and joy. We see plants come to life, trees blossoming, flowers blooming, animals lively and birds chirping. These are all wonderful signs of life and should remind us that Jesus Christ gave us life through His death. It is a life that will allow us to live in peace and harmony with Him forever and ever. Remember, God is Life!

Ronnie McBrayer

By Ronnie McBrayer

The words “holy” and “sacred” are used interchangeably. But, I think there is a huge difference between the two. Sacred comes from the Latin, “sacrum.” You might recognize that “sacrum” is also the name of the bones in your pelvis. The ancient Romans called this part of the body “sacred.” It is from where life springs. Thus, the sacred was anything that had to be protected.

That is an excellent picture of how we employ sacredness. People create sacred rituals that draw lines, build barriers, and protect and secure space and turf. We feel we have to keep everything that is perceived as a threat on the outside.

During one of my pastorates, we moved from a shabby little storefront building to a beautiful, magnificent sanctuary. It was an incredible upgrade with pews, a baptistery, a steeple, and other sacred things. We had been picking up children on our little church bus and bringing them to worship. When we moved to our new building we kept picking up these children, but I knew it would not last.

During our first week of Vacation Bible School in the new building one of the church mothers became enraged when a group of “those dirty bus kids” ran their hands down the newly painted wall as they walked to class. A campaign began immediately to stop the bus ministry. There would be no place or space for such children.

The sacred is the ritualistic dividing behavior of people; but the holy is something different. The holy is something that is “whole” or “healthy.” Holiness is something that cannot be divided. It is something that is complete, unbroken, and intact.

Thus, holiness is not something defined by lines of segregation or by different shades of acceptance. It is defined by openness and welcome. The holy doesn’t alienate, it invites. The holy doesn’t separate, it welcomes. The holy doesn’t divide, it embraces.

Whereas what is sacred is a small, restricted space that must be sheltered and guarded, the old Norse word for “holy” means “a large living room,” where people are made to feel very much at home. I pray that God makes us holy: Whole, healthy, welcoming people! But I also pray that he never allow us to become a sacred people, for when we lose our ability to be hospitable, inviting the outsider in, we have lost our unique witness in the world.

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and author of multiple books. You can read more and receive regular e-columns in your inbox at www.ronniemcbrayer.me.