Kinderhook Reformed Church Celebration of Worship, March 4, 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

  Scripture                                                                                                                  John 2:13-22

  Message                                                                                      “The Scandal of the Gospel”

  Communion

  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, Derick LaTorre, Chris Laurie, Steve Shpur.

Thanks to today’s greeter, Joy Bertram.                    Nursery facility available downstairs.

Guest Organist, David Smith.

  Prelude                                            Le jardin suspendu                                          Jehan Alain

  Welcome and Announcements

  God’s Greeting

  Drawing Near to God

  Call to Worship  (Responsive)  Based on Psalm 19

The heavens cannot keep silent!
       The skies are shouting, too!
God's majesty compels creation to speak.
       To speak, and to shout, and to sing.
Day and night, night and day, God's glory is the talk of the universe.
       The roar of praise reaches the farthest star in the cosmos.
The sound of "hallelujahs" is deafening!
       The chorus of worship simply cannot be contained.
Let us join creation in ascribing honor to our God!
       The heavens cannot keep silent, and neither can we!

*Hymn of Adoration #2                                                                                     Holy, Holy, Holy

  Allowing God to Shape Us

  Call to Confession

Trusting, with the psalmist, that God is truly good and upright, and willing to teach sinners in God's own ways, let us confess our sins with confidence, seeking God's instruction. 

  Prayer of Confession  (Responsive)  Adapted from Psalm 25

Leader:  Merciful God, forgive us when we stray from your path and succumb to the temptation of the moment.

       People:  Make us to know your ways, O Lord; teach us your path.
Leader:  Forgive us for failing to see every person as one of your beloved children.
       People:  Make us to know your ways, O Lord; teach us your path.
Leader:  Forgive us when we fail to share from the resources we have, when others go hungry for lack of food, or have no place to rest.
       People:  Make us to know your ways, O Lord; teach us your path.
Leader:  Forgive us when we hold onto our anger and hurts, failing to forgive as you have forgiven us.
       People:  Make us to know your ways, O Lord; teach us your path.
Leader:  Forgive us when we forget to live our lives in a way that shows that you are our God and we are your people.
       People:  Make us to know your ways, O Lord; teach us your path.  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.

Coming before God’s Open Word

  Prayer of Blessing upon Our Children (Unison), and Invitation to Sunday School

Lord Jesus, grant our children an unshakable faith in the good news that you offered yourself up to suffering and death in love for them, and that God raised you from the dead.  Assure them that you are now alive within them, and that because of you, they will live forever, never to be separated from your love.  Amen.  

  Prayer for Illumination and Scripture Reading                                                John 2:13-22

  Message                                                                                      “The Scandal of the Gospel”

  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."

Celebrating God, His Care, and His Abundance

  Communion  (Intinction)

*Hymn of Praise #226                                                                      Hallelujah! What a Savior

  Offering/Offertory             Offertoire (“Dans le style ancient”)         Charles Tournemire

*Doxology #809                                                    Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

*Offertory Prayer  (Unison)

Holy God, we bring our gifts to you, remembering that Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Guide us, Lord, on this journey of discipleship, and use these gifts and us for the glory of your Gospel. Amen.

  Pastoral Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer 

*Hymn of Assurance #209                                                           In the Cross of Christ I Glory

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

  Postlude                                                    Sortie                                        Charles Tournemire

PARENTS' NIGHTS OUT BEING OFFERED MARCH 10 AND APRIL 14

Upcoming Parents' Nights Out are being offered at KRC this coming Saturday, March 10, and Saturday, April 14, from 5:30 - 8:30 each evening.  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.  

The First Friday Free Community Irish Dinner, which was canceled this past Friday due to the snowstorm, has been tentatively rescheduled for this coming Friday, March 9.  Please watch for information through emails and social media confirming this new date.  

       On the following Wednesdays – March 7, 14, 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 offering 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; please watch for additional information on the date(s) for sittings.

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 our participation in this year's effort.  

French Music from the early 20^th century:

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

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

Preview talk by David Smith and others:  4:00 pm, Saturday, March 17^th

Kinderhook Memorial Library, 18 Hudson Street, Kinderhook, NY 12106; 518-758-6192

       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.

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; 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 Carl Racquet and those grieving the recent death of 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.
• 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; Christine; 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.                       
• Brianna, 16, as she attends a specialized school to continue her education and learn a trade. 
• those facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions: Caleb L, youth group teen, suffering severe depression; 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; 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.
• the good news that Merrill Johnson’s shoulder pain and mobility are improving, and that Merrill will not be needing shoulder replacement surgery. Please continue to pray for his complete healing.
• 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.

     The Stuyvesant Reformed Church “Stitchers” will be meeting the third Saturday of every month from 10 am to 12 pm.  They will be prepared to do any light mending -buttons, hems, torn seams, patching, etc. - that members of the community may need done.  Free-will donations will be accepted in lieu of payment.

     On the fourth Saturday of every month, from 4:30 – 6 pm, SRC will offer a soup-and-sandwich light supper consisting of a limited number of soups and a limited number of sandwiches.  Free-will donations will also be accepted. 

COMING EVENTS

Sat,  March 10

       5:30 – 8:30 pm  Parents’ Night Out 

Sun, March  11 

       8:30 am  Early Worship Service   

       9:45 am  Bible Study, Genesis, main floor Conference Room

     10:00 am  Worship Service and Children’s Sunday School

Mon, March 12

       6:30 pm  Consistory meets

Wed, March 14,  21, and 28

       6:00 pm  KRC hosts a series of Lenten Bible-Study Meals:

            "RESTORED - Finding Redemption in Our Mess."

Please Note:  Wednesday evening Bible Study at Merrill and Erika Johnson’s

is in recess for the next 4 weeks to accommodate the Lenten Bible study series.

Thur, March 15

       9:00 am  Small Group Bible study @KRC

            Group continues its study, Grace, by Max Lucado – Please join us!

     10:00 am  Community Prayer Group @KRC

       6:30 – 8 pm  KRC Youth Group meets 

Sat,   March 17

       4:00 pm  CITV Concert Preview talk by David Smith and others

French Music from the Early 20^th Century

                 Kinderhook Memorial Library, 18 Hudson Street, Kinderhook

Sat,   March 24

    10:00 am  Annual Easter Egg Hunt @KRC        

      4:00 pm  CITV Concert - Van Buren Hall, 6 Chatham Street, Kinderhook  

                               French Music from the Early 20^th Century

Vocal and Instrumental Works of

Lili Boulanger, Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy

Mon, March 26

       7:00 pm  CROP WALK organizational meeting, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church

Tues, March 27 – Free Community Outreach Dinner, St. Luke’s

       1:00 pm  KRC volunteer helpers begin preparation

       5:30 pm  Dinner is served

Sat,   April 14

     10 am – 2 pm  Indoor Flea Market and Bake Sale @ KRC

          to benefit the youth REACH summer mission trip to New Berlin, NY

       5:30 – 8:30 pm  Parents’ Night Out       

Servers Next Sunday, March 11, 2018

Ushers: Derick LaTorre, Chris Laurie, Steve Shpur

Greeter(s): The Rippel Family

                                                 KRC 2018 CONSISTORY

                          Pastor Rev. Rudy Visser, President of Consistory

                               Deacons

  Noreen Dick – ’18   Church Family. . . . . . . .     518-758-6640  noreend122@twc.com

  Susan Patterson – ’19  Property. . . . . . . . . .   518-755-4909  patterss@strose.edu

  Beth Anne Rippel – ’18  Stewardship. . . . . . 518-392-5044  barippel@yahoo.com

  Deborah Spaulding – ’19  Outreach. . . . . . .   518-758-7316  ber00519@fairpoint.net 

                                                                  Elders

  Jane Deane – ’19  Christian Ed., Cemetery. . 518-758-7051  jdeane1943@gmail.com

  Jean Hacker – ’19  Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518-758-9412  jch9412@aol.com

  Merrill Johnson – ’18   Worship. . . . . . . . . . . 518-828-6726  docjohnson36@gmail.com

  Dawn Van Buren – ’18  Consistory Vice-President, Cemetery, Pastoral Relations,       

                                             Personnel. . . . . . . . .  518-758-7564  dawnandleo@fairpoint.net

Clerk of Consistory

Patti Varga – 518-755-3054  patvarga66@gmail.com

KRC TREASURER

Derick LaTorre – 518-376-1882  derick.latorre@gmail.com

                                                                         KRC STAFF

            KRC Office Manager                          KRC Office Assistant

     Paul Clause – 518-859-4158         Courtney Wood – 518-852-7172

                            KRC Sexton                            KRC Cemetery Supervisor        

     Steven Green – 518-505-4918         Greg Clause – 518-369-8472