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Allen Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Pastor Benjamin Oliveira 695 Allen Avenue, Muskegon, MI 49442

November/December, 2018

Special Offerings:

11-11 GEMS 11-23 Thanksgiving Envelopes 12-2 Calvin College 12-25 Love, Inc.

November 4 Hymn Sing & Dinner

November 11 Veteran’s Day

November 23 Thanksgiving Day

December 25 Christmas

December 31 New Year’s Eve

Psalms and Hymns for a Lifetime By Karen DeMol

I often hear stories of visits to elderly friends and family who suffer memory loss and dementia and who have forgotten most things—but who can still sturdily sing the Psalms and hymns learned long ago. These aging saints are no longer able to recognize their children who come to visit or to identify faces in family photos, but they can sing “The Lord’s My Shepherd” and “Crown Him With Many Crowns,” their vague eyes becoming bright as they do so. And I wonder: with what songs are we equipping ourselves and our chil-dren for such a moment to come in our own lives? In an age of rapid song-turnover in our churches and schools, what enduring songs are we learning and using? For if the song repertoire of a worshipping community consists mainly or only of popular contemporary songs which have a limited lifespan and which are

replaced every few years, what songs will nurture us for a life-time and into advanced old age, what songs will enable the generations to sing together, what songs will be common to the Church at large? Not that new songs are wrong, of course; many Psalms

command us to “sing a new song to the Lord.” And, some new songs will be-come the great classics of the future. But not all. Many new songs are ephemer-al. An interesting exercise can be to track the top contemporary Christian songs on websites ranking such songs and see how many years a song remains on the list. In our efforts to be “contemporary” and “up-to-date” in our worship, some worshipping groups have turned largely or even exclusively to contempo-rary songs, allowing hymn classics and even Psalm-settings to fall into disuse. Whatever the good reasons for using contemporary songs are, there is a great loss to our communal worship and to our spiritual understanding and growth if we neglect Psalms and hymns. And singing a song for a few years only to have it replaced by other short-lived songs does not bode well for equipping ourselves with songs that nourish us into our old age. Our “estate planning” would do well to include equipping ourselves with songs that have nurtured the Church for dec-ades and centuries. What, then, do we lose when we set aside classic hymns and Psalm-settings? In focusing only on recently-composed worship music, we lose the sense of worshipping with the Church of all times. In neglecting the Psalms, we lose the richness of a Biblical book of songs, which for thousands of years has nourished believers. In setting aside hymns, we lose the richness of texts that

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often deeply detail what we believe and even shape our response to that faith. What do we gain by singing Psalms and hymns? In addition to equipping ourselves with songs that nurture us for a life-time, there are many benefits to knowing and using classic hymns and Psalm-settings. Consider the following: Psalms and hymns can lead us forward in our faith understandings and expressions. Psalms can begin with deep and difficult emotions, such as feelings of distance from God or abandonment in trouble, and move us from those dark places to trust and praise. The multiple-verse nature of hymns allows them to unfold a long story or doctrinal concept in depth and with deliberation.

Hymns and Psalms are content-rich. While many praise choruses express how we feel about our faith, many hymns express what we believe, in carefully crafted statements of faith. “Hymns tend to engage our imagination, intellect, and will together. Good hymns give us rich language and images that require us to think and imagine as the way to stir the passions.” Hymn texts help us to grow taller and deeper—they build us up. A care-fully-gathered collection of hymns, such as is available in a hymnal, makes sure we give atten-tion to the entire range of the Christian story, from creation through every part of Christ’s life to the promised new creation. Since it has often been claimed that we believe what we sing (more than what we hear!), singing our faith is very important in faith-formation. “We are what we sing,” writes John Witvliet. Hymns and Psalm-settings strengthen inter-generational worship. Singing classics of the faith that have been “keepers” for decades and centuries enables the various generations within a congregation to sing together, strongly. Having a common core of songs that have been used over time and continue to be used across denominations allow grandparents and grandchildren to sing “in unison.” Hymns and Psalm-settings connect us with the Church of all times. Each age of the Church has contributed rich and meaningful classics for the nurture and faith-expression of be-lievers. Hymn classics bring insights uniquely developed and expressed from different periods of the long centuries of Christian worship: the longing and sense of mystery of the middle ages (“O Come, O Come Immanuel”), the sturdy faith statements of the Protestant Reformation (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”), the devotion of the 18th century revival in England (the Wes-leys’ “O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”) and the United States (Isaac Watts’ “When I Sur-vey the Wondrous Cross”). The words of hymn-writers from past times and other places pro-vide us with rich content for voicing our faith amid doubt, our praise amid distress, and our trust, expanding and deepening our range of expressions.4 Hymns and Psalm-settings unite us across churches and denominations. They strength-en our ability to worship through music in churches other than our own. Many of us have had the experience of attending a church service while on vacation or other travel and finding we do not know any of the songs (and if only the text without music is projected on the screen, we have difficulty singing at all). Just as having common creeds to recite, notably the Apostles Creed, unites us with all believers, so does having a common core of songs that are used in all denominations. This is entirely possible, for the song books of most denominations do share a rich core of songs. In addition to connecting us with the Church of all times, hymn classics con-nect us with the Church of our own time in all its denominations. All the songs listed above

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appear in the hymnals of the main denominations—Reformed, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Method-ist, Mennonite, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic (yes, hymns of the Protestant Reformation are in the latest Catholic hymnal). Hymns and Psalms are set in a variety of fine musical styles which have stood the test of time. Classic hymns and Psalm-settings employ well-shaped and sing-able tunes and rich har-mony—the stuff of which durable music is formed. In an effort to “stock” the singing repertoire of students and others with treasured, well-known hymns, Dordt College has compiled a list of fifty classic hymns to use and promote. Fifty is of course a small number; many times that number are worthy of our singing and are common to denominational songbooks. But, fifty was chosen as a “starter collection,” a man-ageable number of hymns that students could learn by the time they graduate. In addition to classic hymns, Psalm-settings are formative and expressive. The Book of Psalms is our first and primary songbook, providing the oldest songs of our faith. And, they are Biblical! They provide us unchanging and faith-full texts in a changing world, speaking out of the heart and to the heart, crying out the deepest anxieties, worries, griefs, longings, joys, and thanksgivings of human-kind. Some contemporary songs are Psalm-settings; for example, “Ten Thou-sand Reasons” is a setting of Psalm 103, and “On Eagle’s Wings” is an adapta-tion of Psalm 91. There are other musical styles for Psalms as well, and sing-ing them can unite us with Christians of other times and places. A remarkable resource for singing the Psalms is Psalms for All Seasons, a collection in which each of the 150 Psalms is set in multiple styles (traditional harmony, chant, Genevan settings, songs from Iona and Taize, African-American spirituals, and music of Asian, African, and South American origin), so that each worshipping body may be able to sing the Psalms in its preferred style—or in a variety of musical styles. The introduction to this Psalter, subtitled “A Complete Psalter for Worship,” provides further insight into the riches of singing the Psalms. “O, for a thousand tongues to sing!” wrote Charles Wesley. Such a desire should lead us to learn a wide, deep, and rich heritage of Psalm-settings and hymns—to sing with Christians in all denominations, to sing with all generations, and to sing by heart in our old age.

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Coffee Schedule November 4 Becca & Martin DeJong Sue & Jim Secord 11 Susan & Bob Vanderlaan Charry & Phil Snyder 18 Rebecca & Scott Sytsema Kelly Dauser 25 Val & Steve Morris Marie & Chuck Ritchard December 2 Nancy & Steve Rop Joanne & Dave Bishop 9 Becki & Randy Fisher Jean & Bob Botting 16 Kellie & Bob Cavanaugh Toni & Scott Schuitema 23 Laurie & Jack DeJonge Mary Patton, Tim Maat 30 Sue & John Sytsema Amber & Dean Johnson If you are unable to serve on your designated Sunday, please try to switch with someone, otherwise, contact Deanna VanderPloeg at 231-683-3946.

Greeters November 4 Tim & Mary Maat 11 Rebecca Cloud Family 18 Axel & Retha Johnson 22 Scott & Toni Schuitema 25 Dean & Amber Johnson December 2 John & Carol Schuitema 9 Scott & Rebecca Sytsema 16 Gord & Carol Peterman 23 Bob & Kellie Cavanaugh 25 Bob & Myla Workman 30 June Walcott, Kelly Dauser If you are unable to greet on your designated Sun-day, please try to switch with someone, otherwise, contact the secretary at aacrcsecretary@gmail.com

Nursery Schedule November 4 Renee Vlasma, Molly Patton 11 Barb Malda, Taylor Johnson 18 Toni Schuitema, Carlie Vander Ploeg 23 Sue & Zoe Sytsema 25 Charry Snyder, Shelby Schuitema December 2 Amber Johnson, Yeabsira Vlasma

9 Jean Botting, Devin Snyder 16 Nancy Rop, Sydney Sytsema

23 Kristen VanderStelt, Emily Snyder 25 Karen Alphenaar, Daniel Vander Ploeg 30 Mary Patton, Maelin Vlasma If you have any questions, call Sue Sytsema 798-7619.

Note: If you exchange assignments with someone, let the secretary know so she can have it right in the bulletin. aacrcsecretary@gmail.com or 231.722.6411

Ushers for November:

Martin De Jong Becca De Jong Roger Slorf

Ushers for December: Greg Stahl Dave Bishop Mike Breuker

If you are unable to usher for this month or a week in a month, please find a replacement.

Children’s Church November 4 Barb Malda, Tekalegn Vlasma 11 Amber Johnson, Travis Snyder 18 Dale Johnson, Taylor Johnson 25 Rebecca Sytsema, Yeabsira Vlasma December 2 Renee Vlasma, Zoe Sytsema 9 Beth VanRees, Marcia Breuker 16 Sunday School Program 23 Sherrie Wolffis, Addy Oliveira 30 Sue Sytsema, Carlie Vander Ploeg If you have any questions, call Amber Johnson 670-4865. Thank you to all the teachers and helpers that serve in Children’s Church.

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YOUTH GROUP UPDATE

Just so you know, we have a great group of high schoolers at Allen Ave. We are enjoying getting to know each other, playing games to-gether, eating together, and studying the Con-temporary Testimony together

The kids spent a Saturday morning raking leaves in spite of hail, rain, sleet, and snow (ok, maybe not all 4 but it seemed like it!).

We have plans to serve at the Senior dinner on November 4 and to attend the For King and Country Little Drummer Boy concert on De-cember 9. Please continue to support and pray for the youth group and the leaders.

Jill and Brian, Bob and Kellie, Steve and Val

GEMS UPDATE

For two Wednesdays each month, about fif-teen 2nd-8th grade girls get together in the Education Center for GEMS. This year, at each meeting, the girls are reminded that they are blessed and that each one of them is a blessing. We have been exploring ways that God has blessed each one of us and ways we can show our gratitude and bless others.

We held our annual bake sale on Sunday the 21st and raised $531.10!! Thank you so much for your financial support that helps keep GEMS Camp affordable for each on of our GEMS.

Please keep these precious girls and their counselors in your prayers.

Jill, Rebecca, Charry, Re'nee, Amber

The Crop Walk The CROP Hunger Walk is history for 2018! We enjoyed a beautiful day for a walk around downtown Muskegon. There were more then 150 walkers who raised more then $20,000 for 4 local and world wide causes. Thank you to Karen, Serenity, Russ and Deb who walked and talked with me. Also, a HUGE

and heartfelt thank you for those who donated to this wor-thy cause. You have helped make a different in lives in Muskegon and in the world!

—Sue Sytsema

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Starlight Ministries Update: Lakeshore Expansion The first weeks of Starlight in Muskegon have exceeded expectations, with 14 adults and 3 kids partici-pating, plus a number of amazing, dedicated volunteers who really believe in this program. Allen Avenue is well-represented, with three of the trained facilitators being from our church: Val Morris, Charry Snyder, and Arlene DeKam. After the first night of group, one participant said, "First night was amazing. I so needed this meeting. Can't wait to see what the next meetings bring." We all feel excited about what God will do, and know that word is spreading and growth is coming!

Get Involved: If you'd like to support Starlight Ministries in their desire to help grieving families, spread

the word! All of our schools and neighborhoods have families and individuals that have experienced

grief. Send them to the website at starlightmin.org, or call Keri, at 231-855-6688 for more information.

We covet your prayers for wisdom and compassion as we come alongside grieving people in our commu-

nity!

You're Invited: If you're interested in learning more, come be a part of our annual

event “Embrace the Hope.” It will be held on November 3 at the Christian Re-

formed Conference Grounds. Enjoy dinner and a program, and invite your friends

to this event! You can register on Starlight's website, or call the office 616-669-

1999. We would love to see you there!

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