SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE, JULY 10, 2016

KINDERHOOK REFORMED CHURCH - REV. RUDY VISSER, PASTOR

“To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”

Welcome visitors!  Please fill out a pew card and place it in the offering plate.

9 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

  Following worship today, all are invited to enjoy fellowship and refreshments at the Lemonade Stand hosted by Sara Hartman on the front lawn of the church.

Thanks to today’s ushers, Bob Dreier, Phil Hurst, Dick Silvano, Andrew Welcome

Thanks to today’s greeter(s), Donna and Jerry Flansburg

 Preschool nursery available downstairs.

Guest Organist, David Smmith

  Prelude                        “O God, You righteous God” (mvts. 1-6)                          J. S. Bach

                                                 from Chorale Partita, BWV 767

  Welcome, Announcements, and God’s Greeting

Drawing Near to God

  Call to Worship  (Responsive)  Based on Psalm 108:1-4

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

       Our hearts are ready, O Lord!

Our hearts are ready!

       We will sing and make melody! We will awaken the dawn!

We will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples.

       We will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens,

       and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

*Hymn of Praise #2                                                       Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty

Allowing God to Shape Us

  Call to Confession Based on Isaiah 45:21-22

“There is no God apart from me,” says the Lord.  “I am a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.  Seek after me, for I am God, and there is no other.  Turn to me and be saved, all of you. ”  

  Prayer of Confession (Unison) Based on the words of the prophet, Malachi

Almighty Lord, we have not set our hearts to honor you, but have shown contempt for you by not offering ourselves to you as living sacrifices acceptable in your sight.  We have not revered your name, and have not remembered your laws or followed your ways.  We have not kept faith with you or with one another.  We have minimized and made excuses for the evils of our sin, and in some cases, have deceived ourselves into believing that our bad behavior was actually the right thing to do.  We acknowledge that we have fallen from grace and are under the curse of our sin, and we seek your mercy upon us. 

[Silent Prayer of Confession]

Forgive us, O Lord, we pray; purify us, and refine us.

Let the righteousness of Jesus Christ rise within us like the sun

with healing in its wings.

Assurance of Forgiveness (Responsive)

Praise be to God, who forgives us, who keeps us pure and blameless and sanctifies us body, soul, and spirit for his righteous purposes - until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.         

       Thanks be to God!

Coming before God’s Open Word

  Prayer for Illumination

  Scripture                                                                                          Matthew 22:1-14 (p. 699)

  Message                                                                           “The Church on Her Way to 2030”

  Prayer of Thanks

Celebrating God

  Offering/Offertory                     O, How blest are Ye,” op. 122                          J. Brahms              

*Doxology (#809)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below.

Praise him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

*Offertory Prayer (Unison)

Gracious God, we give our best, lest in gaining the world we lose life itself. As a covenant people, we seek to witness to your will and way. As your church, give us wisdom to know what you would have us do with the resources entrusted to our care. As we contribute to the purposes of your kingdom, we present ourselves as living sacrifices, through Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

  Pastoral Prayer, and The Lord’s Prayer

*Prayer Hymn #669                                                               God of Grace and God of Glory

*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                           “O God, You righteous God” (mvt. 9)                          J. S. Bach

                                                   from Chorale Partita, BWV 767

“God is with me and will watch over me wherever I go!”

Genesis 28:15

VBS WILL RUN THIS SUMMER AT KRC FROM AUGUST 15^TH TO 19^TH, 9 AM TO NOON, with arrival and sign-in at 8:45 to 9 am daily.  All kids of our community ages Pre-K (3 and potty-trained) through Grade 6 are invited to this year’s fun and spiritually-nurturing program.  Forms are now available on the back table for pre-registering your children or grandchildren, and Christian Ed Ministry is looking for VBS volunteers to teach and to help. For information about the positive rewards of serving in this ministry and the relatively small time commitment involved, please speak with Patti Varga.

At Deep Sea Discovery, kids dive into God’s Word to see how He

has been with His people every step of the way. Hands-on service projects and sea science will help kids experience a VBS adventure like no other! KIDS WILL: Know that God is always with them!
Explore God’s presence in their lives!
Serve God by serving others!

HAPPY JULY BIRTHDAY!

Sally Heimroth (3^rd), Virginia Rothermel (3^rd),

Virginia just celebrated her 89^th. Congratulations, Ginny!

Patrice Lyons (5^th), Jay Rippel, (6^th), Will Ferguson (7^th)

 Dick Van Alstyne (13^th), Ted Tuttle (18^th), Edward Arnold (26^th), Glenn Warren (26^th), Carien Zietsman (28^th), Patti Varga (30^th),

Stacey Dunbar (31^st)

REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR

• those who do not know Christ or who are struggling in their faith journey, especially Martha, suffering depression and having difficulty with questions of faith.
• Pray also that God will provide opportunities for us to witness for Jesus, and give us the courage and winsome words needed to make the most of these opportunities.
• Rev. Paige Convis, KRC’s new associate pastor, as she is called to take up her ministerial duties as full-time pastor to the Muitzeskill and Stuyvesant Reformed Churches beginning May 1.
• KRC ministries, programs & projects and those planning & administering them: KRC’s Consistory, especially new members, Tana Thompson and Chip Wood; KRC’s administrative ministries; Adult and Children’s Sunday School; KRC’s Youth Group; VBS; KRC’s small group ministries; Bible studies; Community Prayer Group; 1st Friday, and other outreach programs. 
• our state, national, and world leaders, that God will grant them the leadership skills, wisdom, and the personal protection needed to govern effectively and safely.
• our military men & women, their families, and friends, that they may know God’s presence, protection, and peace.
• victims world-wide suffering natural and other hardships and tragedies: famine, earthquakes, and other climate-related disasters; economic instability; poverty, hunger, and poor health; political oppression, unrest, terrorism, war, displacement.
• those grieving the death of loved ones, especially: Bill Van Alstyne and family grieving the death of Linda Van Alstyne who died Friday after a 5-year battle with cancer. Bill is the brother of Darla Skiermont and daughter-in-law of Arlene Van Alstyne of Stuyvesant Reformed Church.     
• those who, even after many years, still hurt from the void left by loved ones who have passed on from this world. 
• all who have suffered and struggled with significant recent loss of any kind.
• reassurance, peace, and dignity for loved ones nearing the close of this life.     
• those caring for the elderly, displaced, disabled, or ill.
• Virginia Rothermel, now recovering at home from a virus following several hospitalizations over the past three weeks.  Pray for a speedy and complete recovery without complications for Ginny.
• Mark, in remission from kidney cancer, but severely diabetic. Pray that Mark's doctors will find a treatment regimen that will better-control his condition.
• An unspoken request for Laurie.
• Jay, in his mid-forties, who has had an initial diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  Please pray for peace and reassurance for him and his family during this very difficult time.  Jay is a co-worker of Deborah Spaulding.
• others battling or recovering from cancer or in hospice care: Donna Scalera; Ron Dick; Steve; Dorothy Wheeler; Baby Szafran; TJ Vooris; Judy Alvarez; Leonard Blish; Carol, Elize Visser’s sister-in-law; Marlene.
• those awaiting test results or surgery; recovering from surgery, injury, or illness; or chronically ill: Vicki Smith; Maggie Brower; Art Gross; Ted Tuttle; Angie Rivera; Aaron and Susan Clause; Steve Shpur; Stacey Baker; Harriet Stockhoff; Ruth Edge; Merrill Johnson; Jean Skipper; John Bowen; Floyd Haber; Alan Dick; Paul Varga; Liz Carroll; Laurie Maul.
• those facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions: the Lamont Family; Greg Clause Jr and his mother; Donna and Jason; Amber, granddaughter of Erika and Merrill Johnson; Don and Phyllis Tymeson; Harry Sturgill; the alarming wave of new, young heroin addicts; those facing the challenges of a higher level of education or seeking a career; Vince Beaudoin; Libby Little.
• residence-bound KRC friends and family, Murray Leonardson; Joan Van Alstyne; George Clowe.

REMEMBER TO THANK & PRAISE GOD FOR 

• Pastor Rudy Visser, our Spirit-filled minister and leader of vision, and for the Christ-centered messages God gives to Pastor each and every Sunday for the spiritual nourishment and growth of our church family.
• the inspirational ministries of our guest preachers, Perry Jones, Tom McCrossan, and others who visit KRC from time to time.
• 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.
• The good news that Charles Spaulding has completed radiation treatments and is doing well at nearly 92!
• the good report that Aaron and Susan Clause continue to improve following a recent auto accident, and that Aaron is able to be back to work part time.
• the amazing improvement that Gary Silvano's recent successful heart transplant has made in his energy and activity levels.
• 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, ministries, and committees; teach Sunday School; lead Youth Group, Bible studies, and prayer group; organize special events; prepare food, serve, and clean up for coffee hours, receptions, and dinners; and who always offer whatever support they can to those in need.

PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS OUR MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES

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

~STEWARDSHIP UPDATE~

This past Sunday our weekly offering was $2,663, well under our weekly need of $3,000. This and previous shortfalls, however, have resulted in a current budget deficit of $11,683 as reflected in the figures below. Regular contributors are asked to “double up” on their giving if they miss a Sunday, and Stewardship Ministry urges that everyone give prayerful consideration to how they might adjust their giving to help keep income at a level that will meet daily operating expenses.  

Total income to date:    $79,650          Total expenses to date: $91,333

Inspired by the abundance with which the Lord has blessed us,

 let us continue, as his faithful stewards, to be ever mindful of the need

 to maintain a weekly offering sufficient to cover our commitments.