Kinderhook Reformed Church Celebration of Worship, November 5, 2017

“To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”

Rev. Rudy Visser, Pastor

A warm welcome to visitors.  We 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, The Lord’s Greeting, and Morning Prayer

*Morning Praise

  Sermon Text                                                                                          2 Corinthians 12:2-10

  Message                                                           “There Is No Hope...but I May Be Wrong!”

  Prayer of Thanks

  Sacrament of Communion

  Offering and Prayer of Blessing

    PLEASE NOTE:  BASKETS ON THE BACK TABLE FOR COLLECTION OF DISASTER RELIEF DONATIONS.

  Intercessory Prayer

*Closing Hymn and Benediction

  10:00 A.M.  CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP

Following worship today, all are invited to enjoy refreshments and fellowship

downstairs in the Fellowship Hall.

Thanks to today’s ushers, Jim Baker, Merrill Johnson, and Wayne Van Allen.

Thanks to today’s greeters, The LaTorre Family.      Nursery facility available downstairs.

  Prelude                                         Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux                      Nicolas de Grigny

  Welcome and Announcements

  God's Greeting

Drawing Near to God

  Call to Worship  (Responsive) 

Though we may be inclined to boast,

       let us come together with humility.
Though we may be tempted to use harsh words,

       let us come together with gentleness.
Though we may want everything to happen quickly,

       let us come together with patience.
Though the world around often encourages hate,

       let us come together in love.
In humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity,
       Let us worship the God who has called us together.

*Hymn of Praise #89 (Verses 1, 2, and 3)                                                    Our Great Savior

Allowing God to Shape Us

  Call to Confession  (Unison)  Based on the words of the prophet, Zephaniah

Let us acknowledge our arrogant disobedience to God, and seek righteousness and humility.  Let us seek forgiveness from the Lord our God, for he is mighty to save.

 Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon  (Unison)

Righteous God, who will judge the living and the dead, we confess to our self-centered and ungodly pursuit of worldly pleasures and passions; we admit to our proud and arrogant impulse to put ourselves first and to brag about our accomplishments; and we acknowledge our need of your salvation.  Purify us from all wickedness.  Strengthen our hearts with your holiness.  Empower us to be self-controlled and upright in this present age, eager to answer your call to serve with humility while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[Silent Prayer of Confession]

Praise be to God, who forgives us through faith in his Son, our Redeemer;

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

Coming before God’s Open Word

  Children’s Prayer of Blessing  (Unison) and Invitation to Sunday School

All-knowing God, preserve these children from the sins of selfishness and pride.  Lead them into holy and virtuous lives of love, humble service, and generosity to you, to the work of your Kingdom, and to others. Amen.

  Prayer Hymn for Illumination (Verses 1 and 2)                         Open My Eyes that I May See

  Sermon Text                                                                                                   2 Corinthians 12:2-10

  Message                                                               “There Is No Hope . . . but I May Be Wrong!”

  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

  Sacrament of Communion

THE MEANING OF THE SACRAMENT

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we come to the table of our Lord in Remembrance, Communion, and Hope. 

We come in Remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was sent into the world so we might be saved through him.

We come to be in Communion with this same Christ who has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the world.

We come in Hope, believing that this bread and cup are a pledge and foretaste of the feast of love in the kingdom to come.

Since by his death, resurrection, and ascension Christ has obtained for us the life-giving Spirit who unites us all in one body,

so we receive this Supper in true love, mindful of the communion of saints.

THE INVITATION

This is the feast of the Lord’s Table, in which all who profess the Lordship of Christ in their lives are invited to share.  Come, for all things are now ready.

        COMMUNION HYMN #489  (Verses 1, 2, and 3)  Jesus Paid It All

                                                 THE COMMUNION PRAYER

Let us lift up our hearts and give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is holy and right to lift up our hearts and give God thanks and praise.

It is with joy that we give thanks to you in all times and places, Almighty and Everlasting God. You have shown the fullness of your love by sending to us Jesus Christ our Lord, made flesh for us, for our salvation, and for reconciliation with you.  For this precious gift of your Son, we worship and sing praise to you, O God:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth, and sky, and sea.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Most righteous God, we remember in this Supper the perfect sacrifice offered once on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world.  In the joy of his resurrection and expectation of his coming again, send your Holy Spirit upon us, that we may offer ourselves to you as holy and living sacrifices, and proclaim this mystery of the faith:

Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!

As this grain and these grapes are gathered from many fields and hills into one loaf and one cup, to be to us the communion of the body and blood of Christ, grant also that your whole Church may be joined together in him, attain unity in the faith, and soon be gathered from the ends of the earth into your Kingdom. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! And now, as Christ taught us, we pray together:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.

THE COMMUNION

The Lord Jesus, the same night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of me."

(Distribution of the bread)

The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ.

After the same manner also, he took the cup when they had supped, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

(Distribution of the cup)

The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ.

PRAYER after COMMUNION  (Unison)  Based on 2 Corinthians 13:3, 4

Triumphant Jesus, Son of Almighty God, we rejoice greatly in the certainty that, although you were crucified in weakness, yet you live by God’s power. We exult in the assurance that you are not weak in dealing with us, but powerful among us; and though we are weak in you, yet by God’s power we will live in you with strength, now and forever.  Amen. 

  Solo  Deborah Spaulding, soprano      “How lovely are Thy dwellings”  Katherine K. Davis

  Offering/Offertory                 “Our Father who art in Heaven”                  Dietrich Buxtehude

    PLEASE NOTE:  BASKETS ON THE BACK TABLE FOR COLLECTION OF DISASTER RELIEF DONATIONS.

*Doxology #809                                                           Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

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)

Faithful God, we gratefully acknowledge that you are the giver of all things. You call us to share these gifts so that we may experience the joy and humility of giving to others. We pray that this very act of offering our gifts to you will enable us to be obedient disciples of your work. We are blessed to receive and to offer the message of salvation. Jesus Christ is Lord. Praise your holy name! Amen. 

  Pastoral Prayer

*Prayer Hymn #561                                                                            Just a Closer Walk with Thee

*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                                     Fugue in e minor, BWV 533                                          J. S. Bach

HAPPY NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY!

Fred Hickman (3^rd), Ted Call (11^th), Joy Bertram (14^th), Claudia March (22^nd)

CONCERTS IN THE VILLAGE CONTINUES ITS EIGHTH SEASON NEXT SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, AS NINETY PERFORM

HANDEL’S MONUMENTAL “ISRAEL IN EGYPT”

       At 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 12^th at KRC, Concerts in the Village will present Handel’s monumental oratorio Israel in Egypt, with the Broad Street Chorale, the Cantilena Chamber Choir (Lenox), Andrea Goodman, Director, the Broad Street Orchestra, and soloists.  This will be the second program of CITV’s eighth season. CITV Artistic Director David Smith will conduct.

       For this concert CITV warmly welcomes the award-winning Cantilena Chamber Choir, in what is a first-ever collaboration for the Broad Street Chorale, CITV’s resident choral ensemble. Four outstanding soloists will be featured, each a returning CITV artist:  sopranos Rose Hunsberger and Katie Roppolo, countertenor Daniel Moody, and tenor Christopher Sokolowski. The choral and instrumental forces required to perform Israel in Egypt are not exceeded by any other work of Handel and contribute mightily to its powerful effect.

       In no other oratorio or opera is Handel more colorfully descriptive than in Israel in Egypt, where he portrays the dramatic exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Part I), and upon their deliverance extended thanksgiving and celebration (Part II). The composer’s text-setting is absolutely brilliant.

       In Part I the rivers run with blood, the King’s chambers are overwhelmed by frogs, there is pestilence for man and beast, flies and lice are everywhere, locusts devour crops, hailstones shower down, there is fire, and finally there is darkness . . . The first-born are beaten. There is no end to the horror so vividly conveyed by Handel. But at last the Red Sea is dried up and the Israelites escape, while the waters behind them overwhelm their enemies. All of this is high drama indeed, with action and emotion worthy of Hollywood at its cinematic best!

       According to David Smith, CITV’s Artistic Director and Conductor, “In Israel in Egypt Handel leaves no dramatic opportunity unpursued. Largely forgotten in the late 18^th and early 19^th c., this remarkable oratorio was reintroduced by Mendelssohn in 1833. The enthusiasm on that occasion lasted throughout the rest of the 19^th c. In fact for many years the popularity of this work was easily the equal of Messiah, and with good reason. However, current performances are not common due to the complexity of the choral writing and the extensive forces required to deliver the high drama of Handel’s work.

       “For Concerts in the Village, the time to offer Israel in Egypt seems just right – thanks in no small measure to the opportunity we have to collaborate with the award-winning Cantilena Chamber Choir of Lenox.  I am especially grateful to Andrea Goodman, Cantilena’s Director and founder, for being so receptive to this collaboration and for contributing so essentially to our preparation. All of the many necessary ingredients are falling into place. I am confident that our listeners will be thrilled with the results on November 12^th.

        Four fine soloists will join the combined choral and orchestral forces. Soprano Rose Hunsberger is a frequent soloist in the area and member of Cantilena Chamber Choir. Soprano Katie Roppolo is a member of the Broad Street Chorale, with which she has appeared on several occasions, memorably as the Sorceress in CITV’s performances of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in Kinderhook and at PS21 in Chatham.

Countertenor Daniel Moody will be making his second CITV appearance. Moody has appeared throughout the United States, and has been a Tanglewood Fellow. Among many laudatory reviews, the New York Times has noted that his “vocal resonance makes a profoundly startling impression...” Tenor Christopher Sokolowski, a Tanglewood Fellow in 2016, will be making his third CITV appearance. Sokolowski, a native of the Hudson Valley, has performed throughout the United States in both opera and concert repertoire. In October of this year his impressive talents took him to Japan. The New York Times calls attention to Sokolowski’s “solid, attractive tone.”

       As for Concerts in the Village and its previous Handel offerings, reviewing a 2014 program the late John Paul Keeler (Register Star, Hudson) concluded that the performance was “stunning . . . one of the finest musical events of its kind in many seasons . . . Maestro Smith has brought his musical forces to heights of musical grandeur . . . In a short time Concerts in the Village has taken on a major musical role in the Upper Hudson Valley.”

       Kinderhook Reformed Church, 21 Broad Street (US Route 9), Kinderhook, NY 12106.  Visit www.concertsinthevillage.org or call 518-758-6869 for further information and assured seating (recommended).  Contribution: $20.  Reception follows.  Handicapped accessible.

       For an informal talk about this program, please join CITV Artistic Director David Smith and Rev. Rudy Visser of Kinderhook Reformed Church at the Kinderhook Memorial Library, at 4:00 p.m., Sunday, November 5^th.

       CITV concerts are made possible with public funds from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered in Columbia, Greene and Schoharie Counties by the Greene County Council on the Arts through the Community Arts Grants Fund. Generous funding has also been received from the Hudson River Bank and Trust Company Foundation, T. Backer Fund, and Stewart’s Shops, as well as from many individual and business supporters. Kinderhook Reformed Church is especially acknowledged for its many in-kind donations. 

VALATIE FOOD PANTRY THANKSGIVING BASKETS

KRC's OUTREACH MINISTRY’S THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
ENDS NEXT SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12

    Dear Kinderhook Reformed Church Family and Friends,

       Thanksgiving Food Baskets will be given again this year to families who use the Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry and request one.  The baskets include turkey and all the trimmings for Thanksgiving dinner.  Along with the Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry’s financial appeal in support of its ThanksgivingFood Basket program, KRC’s Outreach Ministry is once again collecting Thanksgiving food items for the pantry, and grocery bags will be distributed for your shopping convenience this Sunday at the close of worship. THE DRIVE WILL END onSunday, November 12, so please place your bagged donations in the foyer on or before that date.                               
       Suggested food items most needed are, CANNED SWEET POTATOES and YAMS; PUMPKIN; CANNED VEGETABLES; CRANBERRY SAUCE; STUFFING MIX; WHITE, BLACK, and RED KIDNEY BEANS; EVAPORATED MILK; FLOUR; SUGAR; BROWNIE MIX; PUMPKIN PIE MIX; GROUND COFFEE; CEREAL; and DISH SOAP.  Otherwise, bring in whatever your heart moves you to provide - any nonperishable food items will be welcomed!
       If you would like to help financially, checks may be made payable to “Kinderhook Reformed Church” with “Thanksgiving Baskets” on the memo line and dropped into the offering plate.     

        AS A RESULT OF LAST YEAR’S FOOD COLLECTION DRIVE AND FINANCIAL DONATIONS, MANY NEEDY FAMILIES IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES ENJOYED GREATTHANKSGIVING DINNERS, AND KRC CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO THIS MINISTRY. LET’S MAKE THIS YEAR EVEN BETTER! 

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 and Rev. Paige Convis, KRC’s associate pastor, as they fulfill their ministerial duties.
• KRC ministries, programs & projects and those planning & administering them: KRC’s Consistory; 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 new 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: economic instability; poverty, hunger, and poor health; political oppression, unrest, terrorism, war, displacement.
• 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 loved ones nearing the close of this life.
• Stacey Baker as she works to make up credits needed to complete her college goals and as she deals with the challenges and complications of making necessary adjustments over the coming holidays to her living accommodations.  Praise God that, although she still experiences some residual effects of the serious concussion she suffered some time ago, Stacey is coping reasonably well.
• Donna Scalera, hospitalized and in a very weakened condition from her battle with sepsis and cancer.  Pray for God's healing, comfort, and strength for Donna.
• others battling or recovering from cancer or in hospice care: Christine; Michael, brother of Mary Jane Haywood; Connie Witkowski; Michael; Don Morse; Jill; J.B; Jen; Bill, Janet Smith's brother; Ronny; Ron Dick; Donna Scalera; Carol Nel; Jeff Peter; Mark; Ann; Steve; Dorothy Wheeler.
• those awaiting test results or surgery; recovering from surgery, injury, or illness; or chronically ill: Lauren Mitchell, great niece of Kay Haber; Michelle Martino; Lesley Haywood; Emese, Patti Varga's sister-in-law; Ruth Edge; Merrill Johnson; Barbara Vosburgh; Virginia Rothermel; Art Gross; Harriet Stockhoff; Jean Skipper; Floyd Haber; Paul Varga.
• those facing challenges, stressful circumstances, and difficult decisions: our students, from grade school to college, as they prepare to meet challenges of higher levels of education in this school year, career choices, and job searches; Suzy and Bill Nieman as they settle into their new home in New Hampshire; Greg Clause Jr.; Libby Little-Saxton, working with Afghan refugees – Libby’s latest newsletter is available for pick-up on the back table of the sanctuary; the epidemic of addiction to life-threatening drugs.
• 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 worship at KRC from time to time.
• 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.
• the good news that Dolly Petith, who was hospitalized with a possible mini-stroke, is home now after it was determined that she did not suffer a stroke, but was  suffering from severe dehydration.  Please continue prayers for Dolly as she recovers from cataract surgery this past week. 
• the encouraging report that Virginia Rothermel is now home from Whitter following a recent mobility issue.
• the happy news that Andrew and Melissa (Call) Welcome are expecting their second child.  The Welcomes would very much appreciate your prayers for a healthy pregnancy for Melissa.
• the comfort and strength Jean and Bob Wildermuth experienced from the outpouring of calls, cards, and notes of prayer support and encouragement received during Jean’s eye surgeries this past year.  The power of your prayers enfolded them "from head to toe," and blessed them inexpressibly, for which they are most grateful. 
• 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.

~FRIENDLY NOTE FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE~

Hi, Rudy and KRC Family,

       We are settled, doing well, and like being here! Hope all is well, and you are remaining in my prayers.

                                                                                 Suzy Nieman

THANK YOU FROM CAPITAL CITY RESCUE MISSION!

KRC 2017 CONSISTORY

Pastor Rev. Rudy Visser, President of Consistory

Deacons

Jane Deane – ’17  Outreach, Cemetery. . . . . .  758-7051  jdeane1943@gmail.com

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

Patrice Lyons – ’17  Property. . . . . . . . . . . . . .    758-8400  patricelyons50@gmail.com

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

Elders

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

Dawn Van Buren – ’18  Pastoral Relations . . 758-7564  dawnandleo@fairpoint.net

Patti Varga – ’17  Christian Education, Outreach,

                                Consistory Vice President . .755-3054  patvarga66@gmail.com

Barbara Vosburgh – ’17 Personnel, Clerk. . . . 758-6512  vosburgh1@nycap.rr.com

KRC TREASURER

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

                                                                    KRC STAFF

                KRC Office Manager              KRC Office Assistant          

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

                       KRC  Sexton                  KRC Cemetery Supervisor        

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

COMING EVENTS

Today, November 5 

       8:30 am  Early Communion Worship Service

       9:45 am  Bible study, Book of Genesis, main floor Conference Room

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

     4:00 pm Informal talk with CITV Director David Smith and Rev. Rudy Visser           

        @ Kinderhook Memorial Library about the November 12 CITV program

Mon,  November  6

      6:30 pm  Consistory meets

Tues,  November  7

      7:00 pm  KRC Youth Group meets

Thur, November  9

       9:00 am  Small Group Bible study @KRC.

            Group continues a new study: Grace, by Max Lucado – Please join us!

      10:00 am  Community Prayer Group @KRC

       7:00 pm  Bible study, 1 and 2 Peter, KRC main floor Conference Room

Sun,  November 12  Thanksgiving Food Drive Ends

       8:30 am  Early Worship Service

       9:45 am  Bible study, Book of Genesis, main floor Conference Room

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

       3:00 pm  Concerts in the Village @ KRC – Israel in Egypt, Handel

Sun,  November 19   Combined Worship Service     

     10:00 am  Combined Worship/Congregational Meeting Service

                              and Children’s Sunday School

Mon, November 20

      6:30 pm  Outreach Ministry meets

Sun,  November 26       

     10:00 am  Combined Worship Service

Please Note: There will be no First Friday dinner in December.

Instead we will have our Candlelight Night annual open house December 8.

Servers Next Sunday, November 12

Ushers:  Greg Clause Jr, Jim Dunham, Gary Leggett

Greeter(s):  Sally Heimroth