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SESSION
Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Melissa Barton Nancy Pienta Steve Hohneker Bill Ring Chuck Shattenkirk
Moderator: Rev. Kathi L. Jones
Clerk of Session: Melissa Barton
DEACONS
Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Alicia Albertson Rosalie Hemingway Laurae Hoffmann Tina Coons Hertha Matuszek Karen Leffingwell
Moderator: Rev. Kathi L. Jones
Church Treasurer: Sandra Hohneker
Assistant Treasurer: Vieve Gay Financial Secretary: Bill Ring
First Presbyterian Church 3212 Church Street P.O. Box 267, Valatie, NY 12184
Church Phone – 518-758-9658 Pastor’s Phone – 518-755-2557 www.firstpresbyterianvalatie.weebly.com
Church’s Email – [email protected] Pastor – Rev. Kathi L. Jones
Pastor’s Email – [email protected] Organist – Ardelle Stewart Secretary – Naomi Handley Sexton – Ginny Becker
First Presbyterian Church
Valatie, NY
Where friends are made, Faith is nurtured,
Service begins and
All are Welcome!
October 22, 2017 11:00am.
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
* * * * * *
Gathering in the Name of the Lord
(In silence and meditation, prepare yourself for worship)
WELCOME
LIFE OF THE CONGREGATION
MISSION STATEMENT (Unison)
We are a small congregation, part of God’s larger family,
teaching and living God’s Word, and sharing God’s love
throughout the community.
PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP (Responsively)
Sing, sing of God’s unalterable love!
We will rejoice as we walk in the light of our God.
Tell everyone around you of God’s faithfulness.
We will share the stories of the One who experienced our
life in all its fullness.
Shout out loud of God’s presence with us, on this day and in all the
days to come.
Justice and goodness are God’s gifts to us; truth and
love walk by our side.
*HYMN 267 All Things Bright and Beautiful
THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR
TODAY 9:30am. Sunday School
Adult Education 11:00am. Worship
12:15pm. Coffee Hour
MONDAY 12noon Food Pantry Open
TUESDAY 7:00pm. Finance and Stewardship
7:00pm. Boy Scouts
WEDNESDAY 6:00pm. Food Pantry Open
SATURDAY 9:00am. Food Pantry Open
Looking Ahead – NEXT SUNDAY – October 29, 2017
9:30am. Sunday School
Adult Education
11:00am. Worship -
Reformation Sunday Hymn Sing
Birthdays This Week
10/23 Rona Hadcock
10/24 Henry Hickok
10/26 Karen Leffinjgwell
Minute for Mission: Educate a Child Transform the World I was in a morning Bible study when I received the phone call. It was from the father of one of my youth group teens who had called to let me know that his son “B.A.” had been shot. Hearing this news, I felt overcome by disbelief and sadness as I began asking a flurry of questions. Dad calmly replied, “Reverend, he is alive, he is OK; the gunshots were not fatal.” I was thankful and relieved that B.A. was still alive, but then another wave of sadness overtook me as I remembered that two weeks earlier, I had suspended B.A. from youth group activities because he, as a “prank,” had brought a BB gun there and threatened others with it. This happened the week following the massacre at Sandy Hook, Connecticut, so as one can imagine, I did not find his “prank” amusing.
Days later, when I visited B.A. in the hospital, he told me in detail what happened. He said that he had been a victim of circumstance, that he was shot because of the new “friends” he had been spending time with. B.A. told me that the shooting happened so fast, he had no idea what to do. I asked him about the friend he was with when it happened, and B.A. looked downward. He hesitated for a minute and replied, “Reverend, I tried to wake him, but he didn’t make it.” Silence filled the room for a minute and B.A. then said, “Reverend, I’m staying away from that life; that was scary. Maybe God is telling me I need to be at church.”
I am grateful that B.A.’s life was not taken on the streets. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to imagine the pain of the parents of the young man and many other young people whose blood cries out from the ground due to violence. When I think of B.A., Psalm I also think of Psalm 99. It is a reminder that the church is a gift of God’s grace and that we are called to be “lovers of justice” in establishing “equity and righteousness” in being tireless advocates for young people. Our faith communities should be sanctuaries where young people can find love, refuge and protection so that all of our children can experience hope.
This weekend marks the 26th annual National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths. The 2017 Children’s Sabbath theme, “Moving Forward with Hope: Love and Justice for Every Child,” focuses on the importance of being vigilant in keeping our promises as adults to nurture, protect and be advocates of children. We can do this by providing alternatives to violence and responding to the issues of poverty, failing schools and other crises that prevent children from living lives of dignity and self-determination. Children’s Sabbath reminds us that we are called to renew our commitment to justice through love, advocacy and compassionate service to all children. (Free resources for the Children’s Sabbath can be downloaded at childrensdefense.org.)
Alonzo Johnson, Coordinator for the Presbyterian Committee of the Self- Development of People and Convener of the Educate a Child, Transform the World National Initiative
CALL TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Unison)
Merciful God, you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you.
We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy. We have not
loved you with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as
ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked
humbly with you, our God.
Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness. In your
great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Create in us a
clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Do not
cast us from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from us.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain us with your
bountiful Spirit.
SILENT PRAYER OF PERSONAL CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
RESPONSE 68 (v. 4) What Star Is This, with Beams So Bright
Proclaiming the Word
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (Unison)
Prepare our hearts, O God, to accept your Word. Silence in us
any voice but your own, that, hearing, we may also obey your
will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Genesis 22:1-14 (O.T. pg. 17)
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON Hebrews 11:1-5 (N.T. pg.220)
NOT FOR CHILDREN ONLY
Presbyterian Women are collecting calendars and magazines for
Barnwell Rehabilitation Center and magazines for Columbia Memorial
Hospital. Please put those that you’re donating in the box on the table at
the rear of the sanctuary or give them to Rosalie Hemingway.
Check your information on the Members and Friends list on the
table in the back of the sanctuary. We would like to update our
Church Directory. Please update your address, phone number and email
address if you have any changes. If there are no changes please
indicate that by putting a check mark by your name.
The Valatie Ecumenical Food Pantry needs your help.
We serve more than 200 families in the Ichabod Crane School District.
Our dedicated volunteers could use your help in working on food
distribution days, helping out with food pickup at local and regional
locations (strong backs required), helping with sorting and stocking on
special food collection events, and helping with our special Thanksgiving
and Easter food basket distribution. Our volunteers may commit to just a
few hours a month or, if you choose, a bit more. We just need some of
your time and a good and helpful attitude toward our neighbors here in
the Ichabod Crane school district. We are also looking for a warm dry
space to store extra quantities of food for those occasions when our
distribution site doesn’t have enough space. Contact Dorothy Johnson,
Carol Matthews or Pastor Kathi for more information. Thank you for your
consideration.
Commemoration of the Reformation Ecumenical Service scheduled for
3:00pm on October 29 at Kinderhook Reformed Church has been
cancelled.
The November-December edition of The Upper Room is available on the
table at the back of the sanctuary. Feel free to pick up one of these
helpful devotional guides to use each day.
SERMON Faith Responding to the Word SHARING OF JOYS AND CONCERNS PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE THE LORD’S PRAYER (sins, sin) OFFERING OF TITHES AND GIFTS *RESPONSE 375 (v.1) Lord of All Good *PRAYER OF DEDICATION (Unison)
We have been given a feast of blessings by you, Generous God. We ask that you bless these gifts that we have given back that they may be multiplied to your glory. We ask, O God, that you remind us of the spiritual gifts you have given this congregation; gifts of mercy, comfort, hunger for righteousness, peacemaking, and purity of heart. Guide us God, as we seek to use your gifts in a hurting world in need of your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
*HYMN 276 Great Is Thy Faithfulness *CHARGE AND BENEDICTION *PASSING THE PEACE (Responsively) The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. Go in peace. Amen.
* * * * * * * - Indicates that all who are able, may stand. We welcome the Reverend Nadeem Sadiq to the pulpit this morning. Nadeem is the pastor of the Pakistani-American Fellowship in Albany and is Executive Director of the South Asian Resource Center (SARC) also in Albany. He is a minster member of the Albany Presbytery and recently became a US citizen. He is married to Sadaf and they have 2 children, Sharrell and Mathias.
Laurae Hoffmann is lay reader today.
Nancy Pieta is Head Usher for October.
OUR CHURCH FAMILY Katelyn Armstrong Tamara Armstrong Lucy Haemmerlein
Mary and Charles Heermance Ricky Jacker
Geraldine and Bruce McCrum
EXTENDED FAMILY AND FRIENDS Dawn Danis’ friend
Caren Stewart Iran, Iraq, Syria
Refugees and Immigrants around the world Our government and its leaders
Texas and the victims of Hurricane Harvey Florida and the Caribbean
Puerto Rico Las Vegas
California and the victims of wild fires
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NURSERY CARE DURING WORSHIP is provided for infants and
children through the second grade. Parents are asked to take their child
(ren) to the nursery during the hymn just before the sermon. The nursery
is found through the door to the left, down the hall on the left. Children
who are in the third grade and older should remain with their families
during the worship service.
THE ECUMENICAL FOOD PANTRY continues to meet a growing
need in the Ichabod Crane School district. They are grateful for all
donations of non-perishable foods (that have a future
expiration date) and are asking particularly at this time for
strawberry jam, brownie mix and cold cereal. If you have
any questions about the Food Pantry or how you might get
involved, speak with Dorothy Johnson or Carol Matthews, our
representatives on the Food Pantry Committee.
Have you considered giving flowers for a Sunday worship service? A sign
-up sheet is on the table for you to give the information necessary for the
bulletin and a form to fill out and put in the Secretary’s box. You may
bring any flowers you want – from the garden or store arranged. We all
appreciate the beauty of creation!
Many thanks to all who helped with the Tag and Bake Sale. It was a
success because of it. Special thanks to Nancy Pienta for chairing the event
and for her “out of the box” thinking on how to do it. Also thank you to
Dorothy Johnson and Karen Leffingwell for running the bake sale portion of
the day.
The North Chatham United Methodist Church is collecting clean and
empty prescription pill bottles without labels to send to Africa. There is a
collection box at the Valatie Senior Center or they can be left at the back
of the sanctuary in the marked container on the table.