Kinderhook Reformed Church

Kinderhook Reformed Church Celebration of Worship, March 18, 2018

 “To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”

Rev. Rudy Visser, Pastor

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

 

8:30 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

  Announcements, The Lord’s Greeting, and Morning Prayer

*Morning Praise

  Prayer for Illumination and Scripture Reading                                              John 12:20-33

  Message                                                         “The Cross, a Symbol of Life and Not Death”

  Prayer of Thanks

  Offering and Prayer of Blessing

  Intercessory Prayer

*Closing Hymn and Benediction

 

10:00 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

Following worship, all are invited downstairs for refreshment and fellowship.

Thanks to today’s ushers, Phil Hurst, Matt Osborne, Andrew Welcome.

Thanks to today’s greeters, Susan Patterson.         Nursery facility available downstairs.

  Prelude

  Welcome, Announcements, and The Lord’s Greeting

  Call to Worship   (Responsive)

On these days of Lenten journey,
       Christ goes with us side by side.
While we gather here for worship,
       may our lives be focused with praise and care.
As we sing, pray, and listen,
       may God's Spirit deep within us come alive.
And may this time of worship
       be for us a constant guide.
Now let us sing with joy and vigor
       as we learn how to serve Christ more fully.

*Hymn #5                                                                                          Come, Thou Almighty King

  Morning Prayer  (Responsive)

Merciful God, we embrace this season of Lent

as we prepare again to walk with Jesus to the cross.

       Speak to us, we pray, the solemn truth of Christ's passion.

Remind us that there is no life without death,

no communion without separation, no glory without suffering.

       Give us courage and faith to receive these difficult truths

       and to align our hearts and lives with them.

May we choose to lose our lives so that we may gain them;

       to endure the pain of separation

       that we might enjoy the fellowship of all your saints;

to enter Christ's suffering by entering the suffering of your children on earth

that we may one day share in your eternal glory.

       For the sake of Christ, we pray. Amen.

*Hymn #100                                                                                               My Jesus, I Love Thee

  Children’s Sermon and Prayer of Blessing upon Our Children (Unison)

God of all creation who sustains and watches over the lives of these children, let your love and the glory of your Son, Jesus, flow abundantly into their lives.  Fill them with an irresistible desire to share your love and the gifts of your saving grace with others.   Amen. 

  Prayer for Illumination and Scripture Reading                                              John 12:20-33

  Message                                                         “The Cross, a Symbol of Life and Not Death”

  Prayer of Blessing

Silent Prayer for Those Seeking to Accept Christ as Their Savior:

"Dear Jesus, I confess that I'm a sinner, and not right with you. I repent and ask forgiveness.  I believe that you died on the cross to take my punishment and to pay the price for my sins.  I believe that you rose from death to give me new life. Wash me clean from all sin, shame, and guilt, and come into my heart as my Lord and Savior.  In your name I pray.  Amen."

*Prayer Hymn #552                                                                        My Faith Looks Up to Thee

Celebrating God, His Care, and His Abundance

  Offering/Offertory

*Doxology #809                                                    Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

*Offertory Prayer  (Unison) Based on Ezekiel 37:13-14

Lord, you commanded us to lay down our lives and follow you in service, and you have empowered us to fulfill this God-given task. Thank you for calling us to be an important part of your plan to bring in your kingdom. May our gifts presented today show our commitment to this mission, and may they bring glory to your name. Amen.   

  Pastoral Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer 

*Hymn of Devotion #569                                                   Living for Jesus a Life that Is True

*Benediction and the Lord’s Parting Blessing

*Response Hymn                                                             My Friends May You Grow in Grace

  Postlude

 

 

 

~VALATIE ECUMENICAL FOOD PANTRY EASTER BASKETS~

       Easter Food Baskets will be given to families who use the Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry and request one. In November, 135 families, accounting for 572 individuals, received Thanksgiving baskets, and we anticipate about the same number of families for Easter. The baskets include food for Easter dinner: ham, potatoes, yams, corn, green beans, pineapple, and brownies. The Pantry buys all food items for the baskets in bulk, and if you would like to help financially with these purchases, checks may be made payable to Kinderhook Reformed Church, with Easter Baskets on the memo line, and dropped in the offering plate.  If you prefer, you may make checks out directly to Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry, Inc., with Easter Baskets on the memo line, and mail them to:  Jean Norton, 35 Harris Drive, Valatie, NY 12184. The Pantry thanks you in advance for any help you are able to give. All monies or food items left over after the Easter baskets are distributed will be put into the Pantry account or onto the Pantry shelves.

 

       On the following Wednesdays – March 21, and 28 – KRC will host Lenten Bible-Study Meals at 6 pm each Wednesday. “On the menu” will be soup, bread, coffee, and a healthy portion of the series theme, "RESTORED - Finding Redemption in Our Mess." The Bible study will be offered at the same time the meal is being shared in community by those attending, and we are prayerfully expecting a blessed, meaningful experience for all.

 

 

~HELPERS NEEDED FOR ST. LUKE’S FREE DINNER MARCH 27~

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church family, Valatie, together with other area churches, continue the tradition of free dinners during the winter months at the St. Luke’s Fellowship Hall. KRC will be providing and serving the free dinner on Tuesday, March 27.   Volunteers are needed to setup, cook, serve, and clean up, and a sign-up sheet is available on the back table for those willing to participate in this ministry.  

 

For the next few Sundays, a printout of the names, email and mailing addresses, and phone numbers listed in our computerized Membership and Friends Manager will be available on the back table.  We ask that you take a look at the listing, check over your particular information, and make any necessary corrections and additions directly on the printout.  Also, please place a ✔ in the “Correct” column if no changes are needed.  If your information does not appear on the printout, and you would like to have it listed in the new directory, please enter it at the end of the printout.  Photos will be taken in April for those who wish to have them included; photo appointment reservations are necessary through the church office, 518-758-6401, or online at https://booknow-lifetouch.appointment-plus.com/Y9L8RZTK/

 

French Music from the early 20^th century:

Works of Lili Boulanger, Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy

4:00 pm Next Saturday, March 24, Van Buren Hall, 6 Chatham Street, Kinderhook

       CITV celebrates an especially beautiful and critical evolutionary period in music history, while also recognizing two centennials: the untimely deaths of Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) and Claude Debussy (1862-1918). Eight outstanding musicians are brought together for performances of richly-textured vocal and instrumental works, some well-known, others less so. The exceptionally precocious Lili Boulanger, at 19 the first woman to win the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome, will be represented by eight pieces, including four songs from her colorful, but not often performed song cycle, Clairières dans le ciel, written at the age of 20. Lili’s older and better-known sister, Nadia, is regarded by many as the most important musical pedagogue of the 20^th century. Unfortunately, her talent as a composer has been largely overlooked. When Nadia Boulanger decided to cease composing, about 1922, Gabriel Fauré and other luminaries regarded this decision as a significant loss. In CITV’s program she is represented by seven dramatic, but virtually unknown songs (1906-1922), and the especially clever Trois Pièces for cello and piano (1914).

       Following intermission, Maurice Ravel’s exotic, forward-looking Chansons madécasses (1925-26) for soprano, flute, cello and piano, wondrously capturing the spirit of Madagascar, has a rare performance. The program concludes with Debussy’s last major work, the virtuosic Sonata for Violin and Piano (1916-17). Performers include sopranos Amanda Boyd and Andrea Bargabos, tenor Jon Morrell, violinist Elizabeth Silver (Concertmaster, Broad Street Orchestra), cellist Jay Shulman, flutist Elizabeth Chinery, and pianists Noah Palmer (CITV Musical Assistant) and David Smith (CITV Artistic Director).

A $20 donation is suggested from those attending either of the above concerts.

 

KRC will sponsor an indoor flea market and bake sale from 10 am – 2 pm Saturday, April 14, for the benefit of the youth mission trip to New Berlin, NY, this summer. Please see Dawn Van Buren for details on setting up your own table at the flea market ($20 fee), and Susan Patterson if you are able to donate baked goods.

 

~PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT PLANNED FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 14~

The next Parents' Night Out at KRC is being planned for Saturday, April 14, from 5:30 - 8:30 pm.  You are invited to take advantage of this great opportunity to have your kids, ages 3 and up, well-looked-after as they enjoy activities, dinner, and movie entertainment, while you and your spouse enjoy a night out together.  The maximum number of kids that can attend is limited to 20, so parents must register their children in advance for this program; forms are available in the church fellowship hall.   Additional volunteers are needed to help out, and if you are able to do so, please contact a member of Outreach Ministry.  

 

Tens of thousands of CROP Hunger Walkers are committed each year to building a hunger-free world.  For nearly half a century.  CROP Hunger Walks have ensured that more people worldwide have access to nutritious, sustainable food sources.  From combatting droughts in Nicaragua to providing agricultural training in Indonesia to stocking shelves in hundreds of food pantries across the US, CROP Hunger Walks help end hunger by raising funds to support local food programs and the international anti-hunger work of Church World Service.  This year's walk is on Sunday, May 6, and will step off at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Kinderhook.  The walk will still wind around the village of Kinderhook, but it will be a little shorter, making it more do-able for more people.  Kinderhook Reformed Church is once again invited to stand with its neighbors in our community who rely on food-assistance programs, and to partner with and support families worldwide struggling in the face of grinding poverty. CROP WALK committee chair this year is Beegee Ropollo (biroppolo@gmail.com, 518-320-6232).   KRC's contact person, Patrice Lyons, will be attending an organizational meeting at 7 pm Monday, March 26, at St Luke's Lutheran Church to receive information and materials to pass along to the KRC family and friends, and to encourage participation in this year's effort.  

 

REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR

• those who do not know Christ or who are struggling in their faith journey. 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.
• Pastor Rudy, as he fulfills his ministerial duties.
• KRC ministries, programs & projects and those planning & administering them: KRC’s Consistory, especially newly installed officers, Jane Deane, Jean Hacker; Susan Patterson, and Deborah Spaulding; KRC’s administrative ministries, KRC’s Youth Group; Sunday School; KRC’s small group ministries and Bible studies; Community Prayer Group; 1st Friday; and other outreach programs.
• our state, national, and world leaders, especially President Donald Trump and all of the government officials now in office, 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, especially Jason Lansing serving in S. Korea.
• victims world-wide suffering natural and other hardships and tragedies, especially families and friends grieving those who were killed in the recent walkway bridge collapse in Florida; those suffering economic instability; poverty, hunger, and poor health; political oppression, unrest, war, displacement and terrorism, especially the survivors of, and those who have lost loved ones and friends in recent gun violence.
• those grieving the death of loved ones, especially family and friends grieving the recent death of Terry Toomey, friend of Jim and Nancy Baker; Janet Smith, family, and friends grieving the recent death of Janet’s father; those grieving the recent deaths of Carl Racquet and Mark McIntosh.
• those who, even after many years, still hurt from the void left by loved ones who have passed on from this world.
• reassurance, peace, and dignity for those nearing the close of this life, especially John Lewis.
• Morgan Hickman, daughter of Fred and Angie, who recently suffered a serious concussion and is currently experiencing many side effects from it. It is expected that she will have a long recovery ahead of her, but please pray for a speedy and complete healing for Morgan, and that she, her parents, and family will be blessed with God's strength, reassurance, and peace during this difficult time.
• Vickie Metzger, 98, Nancy Baker's mother. Please remember also Nancy and Jim as they serve as Vickie's caretakers.
• Jim Baker's mother, in nursing care in Livingston after falling and suffering brain bleeds.  Pray that she may know God's presence, comfort, reassurance, and healing.
• Two friends of Erika Johnson, one who is recovering from recent back surgery, and another who has been diagnosed with bone cancer. Prayers for successful treatment and full recovery for both would be greatly appreciated. 
• Ted Call, recovering at home following recent hospitalization and the placement of 2 cardiac stents. Pray for Ted’s continued recovery as he begins cardiac rehabilitation, and for his family as they assist him in moving forward.
• Jean Hacker, recovering at home from surgery this past Friday and doing well.  Continue prayers as Jean awaits additional test results to determine appropriate follow-up treatment.
• Judy Alvarez, battling a very aggressive form of lymphoma.  Your prayers for healing for Judy, and for God's strength, comfort, and peace for her, will be greatly appreciated during this difficult time.                       

• others battling or recovering from cancer or in hospice care: Charles Roppolo; Terri; Michael, brother of Mary Jane Haywood; Connie Witkowski; Michael; Don Morse; Jill; J.B.; Jen; Bill, Janet Smith's brother; Ronny; Carol Nel; Jeff Peter; Mark; Ann; Steve.
• those awaiting test results or surgery; recovering from surgery, injury, or illness; or chronically ill: Fred Borrelli, nephew of Jane Deane; Bill Lansing, father of Carol Zincio; Merrill Johnson; Virginia Rothermel.                       
• those facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions: Brianna; Merrill Johnson, dealing with unspoken issues; our students as they deal with challenges of higher levels of education in this school year, career choices, and job searches; Greg Clause Jr.; Libby Little-Saxton, working with Afghan refugees – please pick up Libby’s latest update now available on the back table; the epidemic of addiction to life-threatening drugs.
• God’s protection for travelers.
• residence-bound KRC family, George Clowe, and those caring for the elderly, displaced, disabled, or ill.

 

 

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, John Bowen, Derek DeJager, and others who lead KRC worship from time to time.
• the welcome news from Suzy and Bill Nieman that they have settled happily and comfortably into their new home, church, and surroundings in New Hampshire, and send warm greetings to all in the KRC Family.
• those men and women who have served or are now serving our country, and those who have sacrificed their wellbeing and lives for the peace & liberty we enjoy.
• all those of KRC's family and friends who volunteer their time, talent, and energy so generously and so selflessly to the various ministries and programs of our church, and who often do this quietly behind-the-scenes with little notice or recognition.

 

CAPITAL CITY RESCUE MISSION

Hearts of Hope Luncheon

Friday, April 20 & Saturday, April 21, 2018

"Women Helping Women"

What?

Hearts of Hope is a women's fundraiser luncheon that will benefit our women and children's programs. There will be a testimony from a program participant, a fabulous lunch, and some door prizes! 

Where?

Shaker Ridge Country Club

802 Albany Shaker Rd

Loudonville, NY 12211

 (Shares driveway with Hilton Garden Inn)

When?

Friday, April 20th

Saturday, April 21st

12:00 - 2:30pm

(Choose the most convenient day)

RSVP

The cost is $24 per person and there will be complimentary valet parking for your convenience.

Online registration closes April 17th. Don't delay!

QUESTIONS?

Sue Jones

518.462.0421

                 sjones@albanymission.com                 

Mandy Schettini

518.462.0459 x 255

mschettini@albanymission.com

~STUYVESANT REFORMED CHURCH ANNOUNCES REGULAR MONTHLY EVENTS~

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, visitations, and counseling.

For immediate assistance at any time, call 518-859-4158.

Church Phone   518-758-6401                Church Fax   1-518-758-6402