December 7, 2014

KINDERHOOK REFORMED CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICES   DECEMBER 20 14  

 “To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”

Rev. Rudy Visser, Pastor

A warm welcome to visitors.  We would like to get to know you better  

and invite you to sign our Guest Book in the entranceway and fill out a pew card and place it in the offering plate

 

8:30 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

  Announcements and the Lord’s Greeting

  Morning Prayer

*Morning Praise                                                                           Rejoice, the Lord Is King                                                              

  Scripture                                                                                         Isaiah 40:1-11 (p. 511)

  Message                                                                          “The Lord Comes with Power”

  Prayer of Blessing

  Communion

  Offering  

  Intercessory Prayer

*Closing Hymn                                                                     O Come, O Come, Emmanuel                                                                 

*Benediction

10 A.M. CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

All are invited to enjoy refreshments and fellowship downstairs in the Fellowship Room following today’s Worship service.

UshersJim Baker, Bob Dreier, Dick Silvano

Greeter(s):  Barry Knights and Laurie Phillips        Preschool Nursery available downstairs.

Flowers are given today by Dawn Van Buren

in celebration of the 86th birthday of her mother, Doris Williams.

Guest Organist, David Smith

 

 

  Prelude            “Now come, Saviour of the heathens”  BWV 659                J. S. Bach

  Announcements and God’s Greeting

  Drawing Near To God  

  Call to Worship  (Responsive)

As we worship, prepare a way for the Lord to come into your life.
       In this Advent season we will open a highway for our God to come.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and people everywhere shall see it.
       We know the Lord comes, and he will feed his flock like a shepherd.

 

  Around the Advent Wreath – 2nd Sunday in Advent  (Responsive)

LEADER:  Today we relight the candle of HOPE.  (1st purple candle is lit.)

Now we light the candle for the 2nd Sunday in Advent.  (2nd purple candle is lit.)

This is the candle of PEACE. As we prepare for the coming of Jesus, we remember that Jesus is our hope and our peace. From the prophet Isaiah, let us read together:

       ALL“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests       

       upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     

       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6-7)

LEADER:  From the Gospel of John we read together:

       ALL: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you  

       as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let        

       them be afraid.”                                                          (John 14:27)

LEADER:  Let us now join together in a responsive prayer:  Gracious God, grant that we may find peace as we prepare for our Lord’s birth.

       PEOPLE:  May divisions in ourselves and in our families be peacefully

       resolved. 

                                                 (Continued on next page.)

LEADER:  May there be peace in our cities and in the countries of our world.

       PEOPLE:  Help us to see the paths of peace in our lives.

LEADER:  Give to us courage to follow your leading.

       ALL:  Lord, let us remember that you only are the giver of lasting peace     

       and that you are always with us. Amen.

*Hymn of Praise #262                                                                  Rejoice, the Lord Is King

  Call to Confession   From Psalm 32

The psalmist says, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you.” With repentant hearts, let us faithfully offer our transgressions up to God.

  Prayer of Confession  (Unison)  Based on Psalm 130

Out of the depths we cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear our voices.  Let your ears be attentive to our cries for mercy.  If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his Word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.  O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with him is unfailing love and full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. Praise you for your unfailing love and forgiveness. We put our hope fully in you, for you have redeemed us. Thank you, Lord. Amen. 

  Assurance of Pardon 

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. Believe the good news of the Gospel: In Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.

Allowing God to Shape Us

  Children’s Message and Prayer of Blessing  (Unison)

Heavenly Father, may these children come to understand that faith in Jesus brings a righteous heart; that a righteous heart is a heart at peace; that a heart at peace gives life to the body; and that joy awaits those who promote and share the peace that is in Christ. Amen.   

  Scripture                                                                                         Isaiah 40:1-11 (p. 511)

  Message                                                                          “The Lord Comes with Power”

  Prayer of Thanks

  Communion (Insert)                                                                                                      

    Giving Ourselves for God’s Glory

  Offering/Offertory          Pastorale in G major (1867)        Louis J. A. Lefébure-Wély

*Doxology and Offertory Prayer (Unison)

Gracious God, you have given your only Son for us and clothed us in his garments of holiness and everlasting life. You have inspired us with your generosity, and in return we give these gifts freely so that others may experience your love, salvation, and life eternal.  Amen.

  Prayer Requests and Pastoral Prayer

*Hymn of Rejoicing #133                                                   O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

*Benediction, Blessing, and Response Hymn    My Friends May You Grow in Grace

  My friends, may you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.   

My friends, may you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

To God be the glory, now and forever, now and forever, amen. (2x)

  Postlude              Toccata on “Creator of the Starry Heights”                  Pietro Yon

 

~CCRM MEN’S and WOMEN’S GIFT PROGRAMS END TODAY ~

       Please remember to place your gifts for the men and women of Capital City Rescue mission in the collection containers provided. Early this coming week, your contributions will be delivered to the mission, where they will be distributed

 

~ANGEL TREE GIFT PROGRAM~

      Gift needs for Angel Tree’s children of prisoners are now displayed on angel cut-outs on a Christmas tree in the church’s main entrance. Each angel contains very specific age, size, and gift-request information for a particular child to assist donors as they gift-shop, and GIFTS MUST BE RETURNED TO THE CHURCH BY NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14.  Please consider taking an angel.  Your gifts will bring Christmas joy to those Christ blessed and of whom he said, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

     Volunteers will also be needed to participate in the delivery of the gifts to local Angel Tree families. Please see Sara Hartman, or call 828-6368 or 917-538-6576, if you are willing to participate in the gift-delivery ministry.

~VOLUNTEERING THAT CHANGES LIVES~

       While KRC volunteers go directly to the homes of Angel Tree children to deliver gifts and to interact with the children and their families, some churches invite their Angel Tree children to parties where presents are given out. Please read this insightful testimony from an Angel Tree party volunteer:  

       “I brought my kids to the Angel Tree party, and I put them to work setting up chairs and putting candy on the tables.  When the Angel Tree kids arrived, mine just blended right in - carefree kids, playing games, doing crafts, taking pictures, and even helping to hand out presents.

       At one point, my youngest son, who we adopted from Ethiopia, caught my eye.  Next to his new friend, he looked no different - just two little boys at a Christmas party, their whole lives ahead of them.  And then it hit me - my boy has everything he needs for success. And he has a daddy in his life every day to teach him and be a role model. But Julian’s dad is in prison and has been there his whole life. In fact, Julian’s chances of going to prison himself are 7 in 10 - purely because his dad is there. 

       That’s why Angel Tree is so critical for these kids. It’s not just about a present for Christmas. It’s about connecting them to a community of Christians who can offer support for their mom or grandma and introduce the whole family to the love of Jesus Christ.”

 

~CANDLELIGHT NIGHT FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12E

       KRC will sponsor its annual Candlelight Night Open House 6 – 8:30 p.m. Friday, December 12, in conjunction with Kinderhook Village’s Candlelight Walk celebration.  KRC’s Open House will feature tours of our beautiful sanctuary -  decorated with lighted garlands, candles, poinsettias, the lovely Chrismon tree, and the nearly-life-size Fontanini Nativity - together with Christmas music, cookie decorating, refreshments, and community fellowship in the Fellowship Room. Refreshment buffet will include hot dogs, cookies, cake, candy, hot drinks, and eggnog. Volunteers to assist, as well as donations of buffet items and Christmas paper products, will be much appreciated.  Please watch for a sign-up sheet on the back table in the near future, but feel free to contact a member of the Outreach Ministry if you are able to help with this ministry.

       The hay wagon ride will be making a second stop at the Fairpoint parking lot this year to enable people to visit KRC and the art gallery next door more easily. In order to do this, at least two volunteers are needed at all times to assist people on and off the wagon over the 2-hour period it will operate, and this will help reduce the cost of providing the 2nd stop.  Jim Dunham has volunteered to take one half-hour shift of duty, and has told KBPA that KRC will try to line up 3 other volunteers, each to take a half-hour shift.  This will provide the same service over two hours as one person alone would provide, and KBPA will recruit the additional assistant(s) needed. If you are willing to work a half-hour (or more) at the wagon stop, please contact Jim. 

     

~SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PAGEANT NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14S

As part of our Worship Service next Sunday, December 14, KRC’s Sunday School children will be celebrating the birth of Jesus with the presentation of their Annual Christmas Pageant.  (Snow Date is Sunday, December 21.)

 

~ CHRISTMAS CANTATA NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14S

At 4 p.m. Sunday, December 14, The Southern Columbia Community Choir will present a Christmas cantata, The Name . . . JESUS!, at the Reformed Church, 20 Church Avenue, Germantown, NY.  A free will offering will be taken to benefit a local charity, and refreshments will be offered afterward.  Everyone is invited.

 

~LESSONS AND CAROLS 4 P.M. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21~

      Directed by David Smith, Lessons and Carols is a worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus, and will be presented at 4 p.m. Sunday, December 21, at KRC. A Christmas gift to our community from the KRC family, Lessons and Carols is open to all.

     The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus are told in nine short Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books, and the Gospels, along with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns, and choir music. The first Lessons and Carols was held on Christmas Eve, 1918, at King's College, Cambridge, England, and has been broadcast from there by the BBC to millions of listeners around the world each Christmas Eve since 1931. The order of worship was adapted from an order prepared 38 years earlier by Edward White Benson, Bishop of Truro. Tradition says that the bishop organized a 10 pm service in Cornwall on Christmas Eve, 1880, in a temporary wooden shed serving as his cathedral.

     

~SALVATION ARMY LOOKING FOR BELL-RINGERS~

If you don’t mind the cold weather of winter, this might be the ministry for you this holiday season.  Also, the hours spent doing this count toward completing community service requirements for anyone who may need them.  If you would like to volunteer, call 567-6412.

 

Notes of Appreciation

Dear Friends and Supporters at Kinderhook Reformed –

     You all mean so much to me.  At the close of this busy year, I’m so grateful for your support and your prayers – I appreciate you – and I do look forward to seeing many of you at one of your Christmas events!

                                                                  Love, Libby Little

 

Dear Kinderhook Reformed Church,

     Over the Thanksgiving celebration, countless men, women, and children found nutritious meals, shelter, and care as they walked through the doors of the Rescue Mission.  Thank you, thank you for your support that offers hot meals and lasting hope.  You are a partner with the God of all hope, who gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  May God bless you for doing your part. 

     You are restoring hope and dignity to hungry, hurting people right here in the Capital Region – to women like Ayanna, who graduated from the New Faith program for women in 2006.  Gradually she drifted away from support and spiraled downward.  She returned to the Mission in 2013, and today she is grateful for forgiveness, for restoration, and for hope in Christ and hope for the future.  She is now employed full time, caring for her children, and is eager to live a God-honoring life.  Please pray for Ayanna in her journey.

     Again, thank you so very much dear friends at KRC for providing meals, shelter, clothing, and programs for struggling souls . . . care that leads to transformed lives and people who are contributing to their community again. 

                                                                 Gratefully, Perry Jones

 

Dear Rudy and Kinderhook Reformed Church,

     On behalf of the Regional Synod of Albany’s Ministries Board, I am enclosing the Mission Grant of $500 for your Stop Hunger Now event.  It is wonderful to see the people of the congregation and community accept the challenge of working with this organization to help defeat hunger around the world.  We pray that not only would the hungry be blessed by this mission event, but that the individual participants would also be enriched by their participation.

                                   Blessing in Christ, Bob Hoffman, Regional Synod of Albany

 

Dear KRC Family and Friends,

     Income from our recent Annual Bazaar now totals $0,000, all of which has been designated to KRC’s 4th Century Fund for church restoration.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank once again everyone who helped to make this event such a success! 

                         With our sincere appreciation, Dawn Tuttle and Bonnie Dunham 

                   

The  following slate of nominees is being presented to fill positions on the 2014-15 Consistory, and these nominees have agreed to serve if elected:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         As Elders:  MERRILL JOHNSON, PATRICE LYONS, & DAWN VAN BUREN. As Deacon: DERICK La TORRE.  Consistory is still seeking someone to fill the remaining Deacon’s position, and requests your prayers that God will call an active confessing member to this ministry.   Please keep these individuals in your prayers as they anticipate serving the Lord in their respective ministries.                                                                                                                           

HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY!

Birgitta Sherman (2nd), Elizabeth Carroll (4th), Beth Ennis (8th),

 Merrill Johnson (15th), Marion Arnold (22nd), Nikki Barmen(22nd),

 Mackensie Clinton (22nd), Cricket Warren (26th,), Patrick Carroll (27th)


 
REMEMBER TO THANK & PRAISE GOD FOR
  • Pastor Rudy Visser, our Spirit-filled minister and leader of vision.
  • those men and women who have served or are now serving our country, and those who have sacrificed their well-being and lives for the peace & liberties we enjoy.
  • all His provisions for our basic life needs, and the wonderful ways God shows His love to us, especially during difficult times.
  • the many dedicated and hard-working friends and members of the Kinderhook Reformed Church Family who serve on Consistory, church ministries, and committees; teach Sunday School; lead Youth Group, Bible studies, and prayer group; organize and carry out special church events; prepare food, serve, and clean up for coffee hours, receptions, and dinners; and who are always ready to offer whatever help and support they can to those in need.

 

PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR HEARTS PRAYERS THE MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES

AROUND THE WORLD THAT KRC HELPS TO SUPPORT:

Dave and Char Alexander, RCA missionaries, Taiwan;

Alight Pregnancy Center, Hudson

Perry Jones and Capital City Rescue Mission, Albany

Compassion International, KRC-Sponsored Children:

Evelin Chuquinia, 15, Bolivia              Giulbert Muguna, 18, Kenya

Alex and Fran Knauss, Trans-World Radio

Maureen Menard, Youth with a Mission

Dick and Carolyn Otterness, RCA missionaries, Hungary

Brian and Bea Post, Wycliffe Bible Translators

Seth and Melissa Rogati, missionaries, Young Life Ministry, St. Thomas

Betty Ann Stedwell, Christar International Mission

 

REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR

  • those who do not know Christ, or who are struggling in their faith.
  • KRC programs & projects and those planning & administering them: adult and children’s Sunday School; KRC’s youth; small group ministries; adult Bible studies; Community Prayer Group; outreach programs. 
  • KRC’s Consistory members and administrative ministries, chairpersons, and supporting members.
  • our military men & women, their families, and friends, that they may know God’s presence, protection, and peace.
  • survivors of warfare, terrorism, violence, and natural and other disasters worldwide, especially those in Syria, Iraq, other areas of the Middle East, and in our own country, that they may be blessed with God’s reassurance that he is in control.
  • our state and national leaders, that God will grant them the leadership skills, wisdom, and the personal protection needed to govern effectively and safely.
  • those, especially children, suffering poverty and hunger; abuse; exploitation; neglect; family hostility.
  • containment of the ebola virus, and for the thousands who are suffering from or have lost family members and friends to this disease.
  • family and friends grieving the death of loved ones.
  • those battling or recovering from cancer: Zoe Covey; Andy; Lucy B. and Rodrigo; Jean; Edward Giordano; Glen Simmons; Karen; 2-year-old Logan; Sandy; Bridget; Charlie Ropollo; Donna Scalera.
  • those awaiting test results or surgery; recovering from surgery, injury, or illness; chronically ill; or in hospice care: Danielle Lyle; Dick Van Alstyne; Linda Moran; Carl, Susan Lamont’s cousin; Randall; Karen Warren; Kara Ennis; Paul Varga; Jackie and her sister Barbara; Brother Arnold, Shaker friend of Suzy Nieman; Alan Dick; Maureen Mooney; Jane Smith; Blanche Rogers; Baby Ellie LaTorre; Liz Carroll; Ruth Edge; Laurie (Dunham) Maul; Florence Rivera.
  • those facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions: Craig Johnson; Holly and Marc Morales; those facing the challenges of their college education - pray that God will bless them with wisdom in all of the many choices, and decisions that they are facing; Christians everywhere who are suffering persecution; Libby Little.
  • those who are traveling,  especially Elize, Annake, and Liezl Visser, visiting family and friends in South Africa.
  • reassurance and peace for our loved ones who are nearing the close of this life; those caring for the elderly, displaced, disabled, or ill.
  • Residence-bound members Gordie Van Buren, Murray Leonardson, Joan Van Alstyne, and Doris Schmeider

 

 

EMAIL, WEBSITE,  AND FAX INFORMATION 

Email Address – krc@fairpoint.net

Website Address – kinderhookreformedchurch.com

Rev. Rudy is available at his church office

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings.

Please call ahead for an appointment.

Evenings are set aside for meetings, pastoral visitations, and counseling.

For assistance on Mondays, please call 859-4158

Church Phone  758-6401                Church Fax   758-6402

Phone messages are picked up several times daily.

If you need immediate assistance at anytime, call 859-4158.