TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY February 14, 2010 Is your cell phone on? What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8) 9:40 a.m. VOLUNTARY Improvisations on Hymn Tunes (1989) 1. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty 2. Holy God, We Praise Your Name 3. Jesus Shall Reign 4. Thee We Adore 5. Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound 6. Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine 10:00 a.m. + + + The Approach to God + + + Robert Hebble GREETING Stacey Midge The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND WORSHIP ORIENTATION CALL TO WORSHIP INTROIT How Good, Lord, to Be Here Johann Speiss *PROCESSIONAL HYMN #462 Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies *OUR NEED FOR GOD (unison) Gracious Sovereign, against you we have sinned in thought, word and deed. Glorious Son, forgive our ignorance and selfish ambition. Life-giving Spirit, implant in us attentiveness, insight, and awe. *GOD S FORGIVING LOVE *AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Social Creed) In faith, responding to our Creator, we celebrate the full humanity of each woman, man, and child, all created in the divine image as individuals of infinite worth. In the love incarnate in Jesus, despite the world's suffering and evils, we honor the deep connections within our human family and seek to awaken a new spirit of community. In hope sustained by the Holy Spirit, we pledge to be peacemakers in the world and stewards of God's good creation. *PASSING THE PEACE Warm eye contact and a graceful nod are sufficient in this germy season. ANTHEM Walk in the Light Traditional, arr. André Thomas We ll walk in the light, beautiful light, come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright. Shine all around us by day and by night, Jesus, the Light of the world. Take us to the mountain fair, Jesus, the Light of the world; Where your light shines everywhere. Jesus, the Light of the world. Light as blinding as the sun, Jesus the Light of the world; You are God s beloved Son. Jesus the Light of the world. + + + The Word of God + + + PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Lord of love, help us to hear your Word. Amen. FIRST LESSON Psalm 33:1-9 (page 507) CHILDREN S MESSAGE SECOND LESSON Luke 9: 28-36 (page69) SERMON Awed & Attentive Daniel Carlson *RESPONSE OF PRAISE #579 Glory Be to the Father Gloria Patri
+ + + The Response to God + + + *HYMN #75 O Wondrous Sight, O Vision Fair Deo Gracias OFFERING OFFERTORY Be Thou My Vision arr. Hal Hopson Klokken Ringers *DOXOLOGY (Hymn 592) *PRAYER OF DEDICATION MINUTE FOR MISSION Mission Trip Stacey Midge PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD S PRAYER 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. *RECESSIONAL HYMN #420 God of Grace and God of Glory *CHARGE AND BENEDICTION *CHORAL RESPONSE *POSTLUDE Maestoso and Toccata on Deo Gracias (1992) Michael Burkhardt Welcome If you are a first time visitor, please fill out a little white card and place it in the offering plate. If you are interested in becoming a member, please speak with one of the ministers after the service. We are eager to know and serve you. Everyone is invited to enjoy fellowship and refreshments after the service in Assembly Hall. *The congregation may stand. Need Help? Large print bulletins and audio receivers are available to assist you. Please ask an usher. Special bulletins for children are also available. Restrooms are located out the front right doorway of the sanctuary. Service Online A recording of each of our worship services is online at 1stReformed.com one or two days following the service. Caring for Children During Worship Childcare for babies through age four is available between 10:00 and noon in Kinderwyk, which is located in the building near the church office entry. Kinderwyk needs more help! Please consider assisting on a Sunday of your choice to care for our children. Contact Sarah Bachorik (357-2014) or talk to one of the ministers to participate in this important ministry. Church School Children in grades K-8, who are visiting today, are welcome to join in our Church School activities! Follow the 'crowd' out of the sanctuary immediately after the Children's Message. Parents can pick up their children at 11:15am in Room 20 on the 2nd floor (at the top of the stairs). Prayers of the People Requests for prayer may be noted on a pew card and placed in the offering plate. As part of our prayers this morning we remember with thanksgiving members of this congregation who entered eternal rest in previous years about this time: George Bashor, Mary Bee, Jean Kemp-Bundy, J. Marie Herman, Bernice Stratton, Myrtle Wilson. If you are aware of a departed member, whose name has not been noted near the anniversary of their death please speak with one of our ministers or contact the church office. + + + In Memoriam Today s flowers placed in the chancel, to the glory of God, are given by Donna and David Bundy in loving memory of Jean Kemp-Bundy and George Bashor. We are grateful that these flowers, which represent our prayers and praise, will be taken to church members in recognition of a need or celebration. Chancel Flowers If you would like to order celebratory or memorial flowers for the chancel, please call the church office. You may send your check for $30 payable to Chancel Guild, c/o Marlene Risseeuw, 2140 Niskayuna Drive, Niskayuna, NY 12309-4126. Easter Flowers Each Easter, members of Chancel Guild adorn our sanctuary and chapel with beautiful Easter Flowers. Your family can contribute to remember a loved one or honor a loved one. Please send your suggested donation of $20.00 to Chancel Guild c/o Marlene Risseeuw, 2140 Niskayuna Drive, Niskayuna, NY 12309 and contact the Church Office with the following information: In Honor of In Memory of Even if you have donated in previous years please place an order for 2010 by March 29. Thank you.
Vespers Every Sunday, 5pm Today Chamber Leah Kidwell-Fernandes; harp Feb. 21 Jazz Peg Delaney, piano; Bill Delaney, bass; Tom D Andrea; drums Feb. 28 Organ March 7 Jazz Nat Phipps, piano; Pete Toigo, bass; Tom D Andrea, drums Johnson Library "I think that if we are aware and conscious, messages are everywhere." So writes one of the contributors to The Life of Meaning, by Bob Abernethy and William Bole and the contributors to PBS' Religion and Ethics News Weekly. This morning we will hear about those spaces in our experience, sometimes called "transcendent." The dictionary defines transcendent as "going beyond ordinary limits, emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual." The selections on the Johnson Library display table this morning attempt to address this phenomenon that each of us has experienced from time to time, and experiencing it, wish for more. Faith Bookshop Along with other items related to our church history, the Bookshop has two give-aways: a tape cassette of Ours Is To Hope, by Rev. Al Smith and Michael Tebbano (1990) with any Bookshop purchase, and a quiz on our church treasures. Camp Fowler Construction Briefing today during First Forum As part of Fowler s 5 Year Master Plan, a new Camp Office will be built as a welcoming point to Fowler for campers, parents and visitors arriving each week during camp. The project will be led by John Van Oort, and we can use everyone s assistance in building. No experience necessary, will train! Want to learn to build? Consider this a continuing education project. We will show you how to use power tools, hand tools so that you can tackle some of those projects around your house. The walls will be built locally in the Welch s barn and then taken up to Fowler to erect on site. So there will be plenty of opportunities to assist both locally and up at Fowler. Winter Vacation Bible School Feb 15 19 from 3-5pm Each day we will explore a new Bible story and related verses. Each day there will be crafts. Each day there will be games. Each day there will be songs. Each day there will be skits and drama. Each day there will be a healthy snack. Each day we will add a color (or two) to our rainbow. You just won t believe the third floor! Children ages 5 95 are welcome to attend! Bring your friends and neighbors. Please call the church office to register 377-2201. Lent @ FRC Ash Wednesday, February 17 begins our observance of Lent. A hearty meal will provided at 6pm in Assembly Hall as will a brief preview of the programs to be held the following Wednesdays. At 7:15pm a service is planned in Poling Chapel that will include the opportunity to receive the imposition of ashes. Wednesday Lenten Programs start February 24 at 6pm with a simple supper of soup (vegetarian or meat), salad, bread, and desert. At 7:15pm the learning begins: Stacey will teach Music as a Spiritual Practice (begins March 3); Bill will lead a Preacher's Preview for the Sunday s scripture and sermon; Daniel will guide a discussion on God and Human Suffering, based on the book of the same title (available now for purchase in the bookshop; reading required each week). At 8:30pm a brief service of prayer, silence, and communion in our sanctuary chancel is offered. During the Sundays within Lent, Bill will be preaching on the disciplines of meditation, fasting, and prayer. Several of the First Forums following worship will feature a prominent presenter from the community, who will speak on the sermon theme of that Sunday. Childcare for Lent will be provided in Kinderwyk from 7-9pm each Wednesday evening. Safe Inc. at Dialog Feb 17 At noon on Wednesday, February 17, the Dialog speaker will share information about Project Safe, an outpatient/referral program that serves persons age 12-35 who are at risk for or have engaged in prostitution, and Safe House, an emergency shelter for homeless or runaway youth between the ages of 16-20. Please plan to attend to share a tasty lunch and hear about this important community service to at-risk young people. Greening Team Brainstorming All those who desire to get in on discerning our greening work within and beyond the congregation this year are invited to the next Greening Team Meeting, Monday, February, 22, 7 p.m. in the church offices. Check out the Green Space in Assembly Hall for our current team members as well as recent news and views related to creation care. Winter Snowshoe Frolic It s time once again to frolic with your First Church friends. On February 28, following worship and first forum, we will leave to find the peace of God in the hills near the Helderberg Mountains. Our destination is Bennett Hill, a nature preserve south of Albany in Clarksville. The hill is located just outside the village and rises about 400 feet above the village below. The trail ascends gradually until it reaches the top of the hill. Once at the top, there is a trail which circles the relatively flat summit. From there you can see Albany in the distance. This is a moderate hike but may require snowshoes because of the time of year. Transportation will be provided but please make your own arrangements for snowshoes. Pack a lunch and appropriate clothing. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the Fellowship board in Assembly Hall. Group V Invites all interested women of the church to join them at their March meeting, Monday, March 1st, at 11:00 a.m.in the Dirck Romeyn Room. The program will be "A Conversation with Dr. Levering." The business meeting will follow the program. Bring a brown bag lunch and dessert and beverage will be provided. Any questions, please call Charlotte Greenwood, 373-1724. Youth Group The JHYG will meet on February 21 at 5pm. No meeting for SHYG.
Narthex Cases: Need Helpers Help design and fill the cases for the coming year. Contact the church office or Laura Linder 882-6866. Help for Haiti We are still collecting finished hygiene and baby kits and individual items to fill them. Items we especially need include: - baby gowns and sleepers - cloth diapers - diaper pins - nail clippers - wide-tooth combs Detailed instructions for assembling kits can be found at www.churchworldservice.org or from Stacey, and kits and items can be dropped off in Stacey's office. Monetary donations are also warmly welcomed. Hand Sanitizer Look for and feel free to use the black hand sanitizer dispensers. They are located in the office, the coat room (near Assembly Hall), and across from the Library. We have three more to install. If you have suggestions as to where they should be placed, please let us know by filling out a white pew card. Communion The Worship Committee is presently working on scheduling communion, served in the pews, four times during the church year. This was a suggestion given at the last worship feedback. We are also considering offering wine as well as grape juice sometime in the future. This is being done at the WE@FRC communion service. Please feel free to contact our committee members to share your thoughts. Nancy Ellen Swann, chair; Sara Erickson, Carolyn Jones-Assini, Tom Burgoyne, Carol Welch, Earl & Nancy Wainwright, Joyce Griggs and Johnny Willis. Counting Deacons Deacons/Ushers Elders This Sunday Joe Gallagher, Tom Lindsay Tom Burgoyne, Joe Gallagher, Maurice Robbins, Earl Wainwright Bob Beadle, Roberta Blackmer, Peggy King, Bill Rochelle, Linda Witkowski, Eugene Zeltmann Next Sunday Del Pierce, Carol Troost Jim McCullough, Carol Troost, Karen Dickson, Rob Dickson, Doug Todd Dick Blackmer, Darwin Brudos, Sara Erickson, Phil Falconer, Jerry Griggs, Emil Walraven Faith Bookshop Rae Forster Nancy Wainwright First Forum Fowler Plans: Sermon: Reflect Discipline Speaker: John Van Oort Flower Delivery Brad & Cathy Lewis, Nancy Passer Joe & Ann Gotwals, June Vandercar Greeters Steve, Tani, Nicole & Connor Donna & Dave Bundy Breitenbach Head Usher Mike Beals Del Pierce Kinderwyck Olivia Cox Cathy Wisniewski Liturgist Stacey Midge Stacey Midge Preacher Daniel Carlson Bill Levering Reader Shannon Kerwin George Trimarco Refreshments Betty Bumgarner, Wendi Matusic Betty Bumgarner, Ruth Roinos
Calendar for the Week of February 14, 2010 Sunday 9:15 a.m. High School/College Singers, Music Office Feb. 14 9:15 a.m. Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary 10:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary 11:00 a.m. Fellowship & Coffee, Assembly Hall 11:15 a.m. First Forum, Poling Chapel 11:30 a.m. Kirk Ringers and Singers, upstairs - Room 20 3:30 p.m. Youth Orchestra, Ipsen s Home 5:00 p.m. Vespers, Poling Chapel Monday Office Closed President s Day Feb. 15 9:00 a.m. Men s News Group, Poling Conference Room 3:00 p.m. Winter VBS, 3 rd floor 7:00 p.m. Klokken Ringers, Poling Conference Room Tuesday 9:00 a.m. Women s Group, Walton Conference Room Feb. 16 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer, Dykstra Chapel Wednesday 9:30 a.m. Kerygma, Poling Conference Room Feb. 17 12:00 p.m. Wednesday Dialog, Assembly Hall 1:00 p.m. Archives Group, Archives Room 6:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday Dinner, Assembly Hall 7:15 p.m. Ash Wednesday Service, Poling Chapel Thursday 10:00 a.m. Stitch Group, Office Lobby Feb. 18 12:00 p.m. Staff Meeting, Assembly Hall 7:30 p.m. Chancel Choir, Choir Room Sunday 9:15 a.m. High School/College Singers, Music Office Feb. 21 9:15 a.m. Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary 10:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary 11:00 a.m. Fellowship & Coffee, Assembly Hall 11:15 a.m. First Forum, Poling Chapel 11:30 a.m. Kirk Ringers and Singers, upstairs - Room 20 3:30 p.m. Youth Orchestra, Ipsen s Home 5:00 p.m. Vespers, Poling Chapel 5:00 p.m. JHYG, Mezzanine FIRST REFORMED CHURCH Schenectady, New York THE CONSISTORY Bill Levering, Senior Minister Daniel Carlson, Associate Minister Stacey Midge, Minister of Mission, Outreach, and Youth Andrew Chestnut, Bill Rochelle, Senior Elders Fred H. Daniels, Treasurer Joan Lindsay, Clerk Elders Deacons Carolyn Jones-Assini Caroline Brooks William Brooks Andrew Chestnut Christine Daniels Eric Evans Catherine Lewis William Rochelle Nancy Ellen Swann Linda Ward CHURCH STAFF Darwin Brudos Rachel Cox Fred Daniels Lisa Ettkin Cynthia Gallagher Adam Kerwin Joan Lindsay Jeanne Shoulder Chris Van Oort Caroline Welch Jamie Ipsen, Director of Children s Ministry Julie Panke, Director of Music Charles Moose, Organist Jamie Ipsen, Director of Children s Music Eric Bachorik, Director of Klokken Ringers Sarah Bachorik, Director of Kinderwyk Gay Doolittle and Heather Chestnut, Hospitality Coordinators Heather Scribner, Office Administrator Gary Nelson, Facility Supervisor
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH SCHENECTADY THE COVENANT OF OUR CONGREGATION Adopted by the Congregation in 1962 We do hereby set forth the principles of the Christian faith as commonly held among us, believing that no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. It shall be our aim to bring joy to little children, instruction and high ideals to youth, inspiration to men and women in the midst of life, and comfort to those in life's later years; and to labor together for the betterment of humankind. Our fellowship shall not be dependent upon identity of theological opinion, or of outward circumstance, or of denominational concern, but shall grow from a common loyalty to Jesus, a common commitment to serve the world we touch, and a common purpose to do justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. Our ideal is a church of the open mind, the warm heart, the hopeful spirit, and the social vision which ever seeks to express, in all walks of life, the mind of Jesus. February 14, 2010 First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street Schenectady, New York 12305 (518) 377-2201 www.1streformed.com Ministers: Daniel Carlson, Bill Levering, Stacey Midge