9:00 am Blended Worship - April 24, 2016

Transcription

1 9:00 am Blended Worship - April 24, 2016 Prelude Welcome - Peter Semeyn, Lead Pastor I Will Sing of My Redeemer I will sing of my Redeemer and his wondrous love to me On the cruel cross he suffered, from the curse to set me free Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer, with his blood he purchased me On the cross he sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free I will tell the wondrous story, how my lost estate to save In his boundless love and mercy he the ransom freely gave I will praise my dear Redeemer, his triumphant power I ll tell How the victory he giveth over sin and death and hell I will sing of my Redeemer and his heavenly love to me He from death to life has brought me, Son of God, with him to be Responsive Reading from Psalm 145 Leader: I Will Exalt you, my God the King All: I will praise your name forever and ever Leader:Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise All: his greatness no one can fathom Leader: One generation commends your works to another All: they tell of your mighty acts Leader: They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty All: and I will meditate on your wonderful works Great Is the Lord Great is the Lord, he is holy and just; By his power we trust in his love Great is the Lord, he is faithful and true; By his mercy he proves he is love

2 Great is the Lord and worthy of glory Great is the Lord and worthy of praise Great is the Lord! Now lift up your voice Now lift up your voice: Great is the Lord! Great is the Lord Great are you, Lord, and worthy of glory Great are you, Lord, and worthy of praise Great are you, Lord! I lift up my voice I lift up my voice: Great are you, Lord! Great are you, Lord Choir Anthem: A New Psalm Greetings - Matt Lee When a Prophet Speaks of Justice When a prophet sings of justice like broad rivers flowing free Let me clearly see the vision of an earth that might yet be God s intention, human dreams, righteousness like mighty streams Waters teeming with salvation to wash clean the whole creation When a gospel speaks of hunger for the Word and for the bread Let me hear how with each feeding of the hungry, Christ is fed How, as we attend their cry, loaves and fishes multiply In a eucharist of sharing, in a sacred meal of caring When an old song can remind us of how simple gifts can be God, you let us come together, from our selfish selves set free Freed from pomp and circumstance, free to join in Christ s own dance Turned around right, and in the turning, your own will for us discerning As you grant us better insight with the vision your grace gives Help us make the wiser choices, simplest of alternatives Stripped of empty act and talk we may take a humbler walk Justice, kindness no abstractions, but made real in words and actions Prayer Search Me, O God Search me, O God, and know my heart today Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray See if there be some wicked way in me Cleanse me from every sin and set me free I praise thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin Fulfill thy Word and make me pure within Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame Grant my desire to magnify thy name Message: Playing Favorites - Bert DeJong

3 James 2:1-13 Prayer of Response Announcements Offering The offering is for the Elmhurst Ministries Fund Lord, We Hear Your Word With Gladness Lord, we hear your word with gladness: you have spoken--we rejoice Words of love and life and freedom--help us make their truth our choice Now in holy celebration for your Word we worship you Spoken, written, known in Jesus, ours today to prove anew May we hear with understanding, by your Spirit taught and led May the springs of all our being by your living Word be fed May our hearts accept with meekness all the grace your light makes known May obedience mark our footsteps till we make each word our own You have spoken; yours the fullness, ours the wealth of this your Word Debtors, then, as living letters we must make your gospel heard By your Spirit s power transform us; shed your saving light abroad Till our lives by love in action show our world the truth of God Song of Hope May the God of hope go with us every day May the God of justice speed us on our way Filling all our lives with love and joy and peace Sending & Blessing Postlude Choir Director - Marve Wolterstorff, Song Leader - Kathy Feringa Organist - Jake Groenewold, Pianist - Dina Zeilstra Prelude: One Thing Remains Welcome - Peter Semeyn, Lead Pastor 10:30 am Contemporary Worship - April 24, 2016 Open the Eyes of My Heart Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart I want to see you, I want to see you Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart I want to see you, I want to see you

4 To see you high and lifted up, shining in the light of your glory Pour out your power and love as we sing Holy, Holy, Holy To see you high and lifted up, shining in the light of your glory Pour out your power and love as we sing Holy, Holy, Holy Holy, Holy, Holy; Holy, Holy, Holy Holy, Holy, Holy; I want to see you Responsive Reading from Psalm 145 Hallelujah Your love is amazing, steady, and unchanging Your love is a mountain firm beneath my feet Your love is a mystery, how you gently lift me When I am surrounded, your love carries me Hallelujah, hallelujah Hallelujah, your love makes me sing (2X) Your love is surprising, I can feel it rising All the joy that s growing deep inside of me Every time I see you, all your goodness shines through I can feel this God-song rising up in me Your Love, Oh Lord Your love, oh Lord, reaches to the heavens Your faithfulness stretches to the sky Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains Your justice flows like the ocean's tide I will lift my voice to worship you, my King I will find my strength in the shadow of your wings Greetings - Matt Lee You Are My Strength You are my strength, strength like no other Strength like no other reaches to me You are my hope, hope like no other Hope like no other reaches to me In the fullness of your grace; In the power of your Name You lift me up, you lift me up Unfailing love, stronger than mountains Deeper than oceans reaches to me

5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens Your faithfulness reaches to the sky (2X) Prayer Message: Playing Favorites - Bert DeJong James 2:1-13 Prayer of Response Announcements Offering The offering is for the Elmhurst Ministries Fund With Every Act of Love Fade With Our Voices After all the songs are sung And our prayers for Kingdom come Did we bring honor to the words we sing Does our worship have hands? Does it have feet? Does it stand up in the face of injustice? Does our worship bow down? Does it run deep? Is it more than a song that fades with our voices? Does it fade with our voices? Lord it's you we long to please, make our lives a melody That we proclaim when we live in Jesus name So if we raise our hands high let us also reach them out And if we lift our voices up let it be the sound of love, let it be the sound of love Let our worship have hands, let it have feet Let it stand up in the face of injustice Let our worship bow down, let it run deep It s more than a song that fades with our voices It won t fade with our voices, it won t fade with our voices It won t fade with our voices Sending & Blessing Postlude Worship Team - Bob Boomsma, Bethany DeHaan, Brian Hoekman, Craig Kocol, Erin Lanenga, Kyle Olson, Steve Van Hout, Sheri VanSpronsen-Leppink Sunday worship services are streamed live and archived for viewing on the web via LIVESTREAM (new.livestream.com/ecrc).

6 TODAY AT ELMHURST CRC This week, we look at James' warnings against favoritism, which he says leads to arrogance. Although the rich were favored over the poor in James' day (some things never change!), James tells us that God favors the poor. Thus, James encourages us to love our neighbor as ourselves regardless of economic status, ethnic origin, background, or even faith perspective. Where favoritism builds barriers and resentment, loving everyone as we love ourselves levels the playing field. NEXT WEEK AT ELMHURST CRC Next week, we look at the power of words. Though much good can be accomplished through words, they can also be destructive. Words spoken in cruelty, anger, or frustration can destroy a person. Words of disappointment spoken by a parent can crush children. The way we speak about others, in their presence or their absence, carry with them a power, which is why God desires that we follow his Word on how we use ours. Read James 3:1-12 as preparation. OUR CHURCH FAMILY We extend our sympathy to Ticks Groenboom, Maria & Karl Vos and family, as well as their extended family, as they mourn the loss of Roger Groenboom, who passed away on April 21. Visitation will take place at Knollcrest Funeral Home (1500 South Meyers Road, Lombard) from 3-8 pm on Saturday, April 23. A memorial service will be held at Elmhurst CRC at 7 pm on Sunday, April 24. ANNOUNCEMENTS Rehoboth Christian School expresses its thanks to the congregations who were so helpful in the latest Rehoboth High School Choir tour. Thank you to Elmhurst CRC for hosting the Navajo taco dinner and concert. Thank you to Ebenezer CRC for helping with getting food for the dinner. Thank you to Lombard CRC for coordinating the host families. Thanks to the many congregations who had members host choir members. The Rehoboth community truly felt a sense of "belonging" with the body of Christ in Illinois. We are proud to recognize our middle, high school, and college graduates. If your student is graduating from middle school, high school, or college at the end of this academic year, please kirsten.fryer@elmhurstcrc.org or call the church office at by May 29 to let us know the name of the student, the institution from which they are graduating, as well as type of degree (when applicable). We'll publish their accomplishments in June. The LINK (Love, Interact, Neighbor, Kneel) ministry at ECRC is again searching for volunteer mentors beginning Fall of 2016 to work with a homeless client family that will be living in the apartment rented by our church in Addison, IL. As a church family, we have been partnering with BRIDGE communities for the last ten years to provide housing and mentorship to a homeless family in DuPage County. Please consider learning more about this outreach ministry that has been quietly thriving at our church. Mentorship to a homeless mother and her children is an opportunity to be God's shining light and living water right in the community in which we live. Contact Bob Boomsma (Bob.Boomsma@trnty.edu) or Rachel Rieger (rboere52@yahoo.com) with any questions or interest in this ministry. Please donate to Lampstand Ministries! We are accepting toiletries and lightly used coats for people of all ages for Lampstand Ministries (a Community Service Partner). Lampstand Ministries is a Christian outreach that serves the inner city of Chicago by offering help and hope to people by providing them with resources that address their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Please drop off your contributions in the Lampstand Ministry bins behind the Information Center. Want to be a part of SpringHill day camp?! We have a variety of ways you can be involved! We need high school students to volunteer as counselors in training. Adults can help with Monday morning registration, hosting counselors (host homes and staff gatherings), or with the different activity stations (water slides, bungee trampoline, flying squirrel, etc.). Sign up on the table in the lobby or contact Kara at kara.hackert@elmhurstcrc.org.

7 Please join us for our Ministry Fair on May 15 in the Garden Room. Come and discover the ministries of our church and the opportunities there are for you. Ministry leaders will be available from 10-10:30 am and 11:30 am-noon to answer all of your questions and give an overview of the ministry. The Single Mothers Support Group (SHE) will meet on May 1 from 12:15-2:30 pm. Come with your children and enjoy a luncheon and fellowship with our table hosts. Children, ages (infants-age 12) are dismissed for age appropriate activities at 1 pm. We will have a short drama entitled "Woman at the Well" by Lisa Capozzoli, followed by a time of "Sharing and Caring." There will be an early dismissal so all mothers can take advantage of the free clothes that will be available for their children and some for adults. Come with your friends and take advantage of this special day. This is our last meeting of the season, and than we will resume on September 17 with a Spa Day. If you have questions, contact jane.loerop@elmhurstcrc.org. Single Mothers Support Group (SHE) is in need of clothes to be distributed to the children of single mothers at a meeting on May 1. If you have clothes to donate, sizes infants through teens, please leave it in the lower level of church by the living tree. Please identify bags of clothes by sizes. Thank you for your generosity as you begin cleaning the closets in preparation for spring. Please join us for our next New Member Class: Journey to the Center of the Church. Classes will be held Tuesday May 24, May 31, and June 7 from 6:30-8:30pm in the Garden Room. To register please contact our church office at Childcare provided for infants to age 3. Please let us know by May 17 if you need childcare. Please join the Community Service Team as we serve at Northern Illinois Food Bank on June 25 from 9 am-noon. We will meet in the ECRC parking lot at 8 am and carpool together. We will be stopping for lunch afterwards and arriving back at church by 2 pm. Interested in going? Please Lisa Capozzoli at lisa.capozzoli@elmhurstcrc.org by June 15. You are invited to join the Community Service Team as we serve at My Brother's Kitchen on July 16 from 9 am-1pm. We will meet in the ECRC parking lot at 8 am and carpool together. We will arrive back at church by 2 pm. To sign up please Lisa by July Short Term Missions Trip will be November 1-7 in the Dominican Republic. We will be partnering with our long-term supported missionaries Max and Kina Van Til. All skill levels are needed! We will be working alongside locals building a ministry center as well as getting a deeper understanding of what God is doing with our missionaries in the Dominican Republic by visiting with local pastors, participating in Sunday worship and seeing youth involved in outreach to the Cane cutter villages. We are planning to fly non-stop on Southwest and stay in a hotel. Interested? Or to learn more contact Dan Barak at for further details. Have a job you need done around the house? Yard work, painting, cleaning, or that pile of dirt moved from here to over there? Let the youth group do the work for you as your support us in our Honduras Mission trip this summer! Sign up at elmhurstcrc.org/events, studentministries@elmhurstcrc.org or call the church at This year our student mission trip will be to Comayagua, Honduras to work alongside the organization All God s Children (AGC). AGC works with orphanages and homes for the hurting. We will be doing building projects, spending time playing with the children, and teaching them about God s love. Partner with us today! COMMUNITY You re invited to a Spring Luncheon hosted by the Women s Auxiliary representing Saratoga Grove and Providence Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center on April 26 at 12:30 pm. It will be an afternoon of good food and entertainment. The luncheon is taking place at Faith CRC (1070 S. Prospect, Elmhurst). A freewill offering will be taken. Please RSVP by April 16 to Sharon Rozendale at

8 Join LOVE Christian Clearinghouse on April 30 at 9 am for the 5th annual 5K Run or 2 Mile Fitness Walk to raise funds to help local families. The event begins in the parking lot at Esplanade at Locust Point (1901 Butterfield Road, Downers Grove). To register go to You re invited to join believers at Faith Christian Reformed Church (1070 S. Prospect, Elmhurst) for a National Day of Prayer Service at 7 pm on May 5. You are invited to end your day in God's presence, lifted up with music and the prayers of His people. Faith Flower Extravaganza! On May 6 & 7, Faith CRC (1070 S. Prospect, Elmhurst) will be selling flats of annuals, vegetables and for that perfect Mother s Day gift hanging baskets and patio planters! Sale hours are 8 am 5 pm on Friday and 8:00 am - 4:00 pm on Saturday. Proceeds will benefit the Timothy Tuition Assistance Fund at Faith CRC. Immanuel Lutheran Church (142 E. 3rd St.) welcomes you to a joy-filled family musical experience featuring animated videos, energetic vocals, and exuberant piano, guitar and mandolin instrumentals! Randall Goodgame (former Silly Song writer for VEGGIETALES and the driving force behind Slugs and Bugs) has brought the Slugs and Bugs Live concert into churches and schools all over the US and Canada. Countless families have been encouraged toward a deeper walk with Jesus while having a great time together. Slugs and Bugs music rollicks from bluegrass to Dixieland to folk-pop to arena rock with songs you ll be glad you remember long after the concert is over. The concert will take place at 6 pm on May 13 and tickets are $5 individual/$20 family. Visit ilselmhurst.org for more details. Please join Roseland Christian Ministries for a dedication of the Van Zanten Center at S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, on May 21 at 3 pm. Parking and security is available. Light refreshments will be served. Want a vacation with a purpose? Participate in an adult service project to Mexico, September 11-17, spreading God s love to the people there and building an orphanage with a group of individuals from various area churches. For more information, please contact Dave Van Kampen at or at david.vankampen@att.net. #FreeToCRC - The Christian Reformed Church of North America recently announced the launch of free digital access to denominational resources for anyone who attends a Christian Reformed Church. With this new CRC Digital Library, you can access hundreds of Faith Alive titles in a more convenient way anytime, from anywhere, on any device that's connected to the web. This includes free access to hundreds of books and ministry resources: curriculum, devotionals, Bible studies, resources for elders, deacons, youth groups, worship planning, small groups, and more. Access the library online at crcna.org/library.

9 Sunday, :00 am Blended Worship 9:00 am Men s Fraternity 9:00 am Children s Worship, 3 yrs- 5th 10:00 am Coffee & Community 10:30 am Contemporary Worship 10:30 am Children s Worship, 3 yrs- 5th 11:30 am Coffee & Community 4:45 pm Handbell Rehearsal 5:30 pm Student Ministries Monday, :00 pm Engagement Elders 7:00 pm Little Lambs Program WEEK AT A GLANCE Wednesday, (continued) 7:00 pm Quiet Waters 7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal Thursday, :00 am Men s Fraternity 9:00 am Little Lambs 9:00 am Men s Bible Study 7:00 pm Little Lambs Program Friday, Saturday, :30 am Prayer Group Tuesday, :00 am Men s Fraternity 9:00 am Little Lambs 7:00 pm Little Lambs Program Wednesday, :00 am Coffee Break Spring Brunch 12:30 pm Little Lambs 6:00 pm Prayer Time 6:00 pm Evening Coffee Break Dinner 6:15 pm GEMS 7:00 pm Little Lambs Program 7:00 pm Men s Fraternity Sunday, :00 am Blended Worship 9:00 am Men s Fraternity 9:00 am Children s Worship, 3 yrs- 5th 10:00 am Coffee & Community 10:30 am Contemporary Worship 10:30 am Children s Worship, 3 yrs- 5th 11:30 am Coffee & Community 12:30 pm SHE Ministry 4:45 pm Handbell Rehearsal 5:30 pm Student Ministries 6:00 pm Small Groups

10 WELCOME We re glad you re here. NEW? We would love to meet you. Please fill out a welcome card and place it in the offering basket. Join us for coffee in the lobby after the service. Stop by the Information Center and let us know you re new. SUNDAY SERVICES 9:00 am Blended Worship Service 10:30 am Contemporary Worship Service CHILDREN Nursery is available for children 0 to 36 months old. Children s Worship (10:00) meets for children 3 years old through 5th grade in the lower level RESOURCES Assisted listening devices are available from an usher or sound booth at the rear of sanctuary Large print bulletins are available in the Worship Center inside the doors PRAYER PARTNERS Prayer partners are available after each service to pray with in the west rear of the Worship Center GROW AND SERVE ADULT MINISTRIES: Find opportunities to grow and serve in Small Groups, Coffee Break Community Bible Study, Men s Fraternity, MOPS, SHE, Prime Time (55+) and more. STUDENT MINISTRIES Grow together, enjoy relationships, be encouraged and empowered with our student ministry programs; Maximum Velocity (6-8th grade) and The EDGE (9th-12 grade) CHILDREN S MINISTRIES We love children, and want to help raise up children that love God and serve him. From Nursery (0-3 years old), Little Lambs (3-6 years old), Pathfinders and Cadets (1st-8th grade boys), to GEMS (1st-8th grade girls), and much more. More growing and serving opportunities online at elmhurstcrc.org Pastors: Rev. Peter Semeyn - Lead Pastor, Dir. of Outreach peter.semeyn@elmhurstcrc.org Rev. Gregg DeMey - Associate Pastor, Dir. of Worship gregg.demey@elmhurstcrc.org Complete announcements are at elmhurstcrc.org/this Week or scan the QR code below.