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 – ifirstpresbyter1@nycap.rr.com Pastor – Rev. Kathi L. Jones

Pastor’s Email – revkathiljones@yahoo.com 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

HYMN We Come to You for Healing, Lord

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.