ORDER OF WORSHIP June 25, 2017 – 9:30 A.M.
Prelude: Emily Hoffman, accompanist Welcome *God’s Greeting/Mutual Greeting *Our Songs of Hope: “Our Hope in the Church” (unison) Christ elects the church to proclaim the Word and celebrate the sacraments, to worship God’s name, and to live as disciples. He creates this community to be a place for the weary, and to lead people to share in His service. *Songs of Praise: “God is Here” “Be Thou My Vision” ~ Celebration #562:1-3 Call to Right Living: The Biblical Rule of Thanksgiving (responsive reading) We are to love to the Lord our God with all of our heart, all of our mind and all of our soul. We will love God with an intensity such that no substitute will suffice. The very mention of God’s name will be precious as we cling to our time of communion with the Most Holy. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We will respect the wisdom of our elders. We will protect the lives and reputation of those around us. We will cherish the relationships entrusted to us. We will not take what is not ours. We will learn the value of “enough.” May the Spirit of God guide us to be obedient to these words. *Sung Response: “All I Have is Christ” Prayer of Adoration ~ led by retiring Council members Bill Heerema, Bob Storms, and Gary Veenstra
Installation and Dedication of Elders and Deacons Elders: Rich Botbyl, Bob Dyksen Deacons: Deb Vandenberg, Sue Vander Ploeg
*Song of Dedication: “Shout to the North” Morning Prayer: Hank Schuurman Offering: 1st: Cedar Hill Ministries; 2nd: Scholarship Fund Offertory Prayer *Song of Illumination: “Speak, O Lord” Children’s Message: Marcia Kuipers (Children may leave for Children’s Worship) Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15-16 (pg. 1890) Sermon: “If Anyone Should Ask . . .” ~ Pastor Chris Prayer *God Blesses and Sends Us *Response: “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow” *Postlude
*please stand, in body or in spirit.
Sermon Notes: 1 Peter 3:15-16 “If anyone should ask…” *When is the last time someone asked you, “Why exactly are you a Christian? What accounts for the hope you have? An Apology for the Faith In classic Greek, an apology is a reasoned, well-thought-out explanation. Apologetics is the department of theology that focuses on this and this 1 Peter passage is always the leading passage. A Couple Immediate Applications: 1) People might ask you about your faith and hope. A person will see something compelling in you and take note. 2) Peter wants us to be thoughtful presenters of the faith. A huge part of that is how we present our hope’s apology is just as important as what we say. Practicality of this Gentleness “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16
+Peter knew it would be easy for suffering and criticized Christians to want to respond in kind with cynicism and shouting. Does that kind of culture sound familiar!?
Christ-Like Character matters in Defending Christ Apologetics is not a contest of any kind, with winners and losers. It is a loving service. It is the finding of answers that strengthen faith. It should be done in the spirit of Christ and with his kind of intelligence, which by the way is made available to us “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) +Dallas Willard The Allure of Gentleness
Cross Shaped Hope & Story +Our hope is based on the fact that the worst thing that could ever happen in history has already taken place. God’s own Son was crucified. And from this emerges the good news and the reason we have hope.
*What does it mean for you/us to live out this hope in a manner that is rooted and bearing fruit of this hope?
WELCOME We welcome you to Sunday Worship at Cedar Hill CRC. For information about our church, see the back of the bulletin. If you are visiting, please fill out a Visitor Card which you will find in the pew and place it in the offering plate. Join us for coffee time following morning worship in the fellowship hall. WORSHIP SERVICE INFORMATION This Week ~ June 25 PM:
This evening at Faith Community CRC’s 6 PM service, there will be the Spark of Hope Ghana Team commissioning for the mission trip.
GREETERS:
Welcome Team #4
USHERS:
Mark Anema, Bill Bushman, Skip Bruining
NURSERY:
Sara Heerema, Aiden Heerema
CH/JR CHURCH:
Caitlin Shurminsky/Greta Botbyl, Allie Steiginga Next Week ~ July 2
GREETERS:
Welcome Team #1
USHERS:
Sally Haven, Jared Post, Harold Post
NURSERY:
Kristen Borduin
CH/JR CHURCH:
No Children’s Church
SPECIAL OFFERING SCHEDULE FOR JUNE/JULY 6/25 ~ Scholarship Fund 7/2 ~ Faith Promise 7/9 ~ Benevolence 7/16 ~ Building Fund 7/23 ~ Scholarship Fund 7/30 ~ Calvinist Cadet Corps
CEDAR HILL CHURCH CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
At the recent congregational meeting, the 2017-18 budget was passed and the new council members were affirmed. Today, we will install Deb Vandenberg and Sue Vander Ploeg as deacons and Bob Dyksen and Rick Botbyl will be installed as elders. The new officers will be Bill Bushman, Clerk of Council; Rick Botbyl, Vice President of Council; Chris Borduin, Chairman of Deacons; Marilyn Chickey, Comptroller; and Deb Vandenberg, Assistant Comptroller. Hank Schuurman will continue as President of Council and Paul G. Heerema as Secretary of Deacons. FAITH PROMISE COLLECTIONS
The Faith Promise collections for the first six months of 2017 have been lower than our pledges. Please prayerfully consider your contributions for the coming months. PM SERVICE
Faith Community CRC in Wyckoff will NOT be hosting a PM service on Sunday, July 2. RENEWAL LAB CORNER
How do these thoughts affect gospel and life? “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal . . . it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit . . . Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.” ~ C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory WEDNESDAY MORNING PRAYER
The prayer group will meet this Wednesday at 6:15 AM. Join us in the library! BABY BOTTLE BOOMERANG If you have not returned your baby bottle for the Lighthouse Pregnancy Center, please do so by today.
ANNOUNCEMENTS SPECIAL COLLECTIONS UPDATE Special offerings for the month of May: GEMS ~ $96.00 CADET TRIP ~ $900.00 WORLD MISSIONS ~ $628.00 OFFERING ENVELOPES
The offering envelopes for 2017-2018 have arrived and are available for pick up in the nursery hallway. Please note that your number has changed. Those who do online payments, please add the new envelope # in the memo section of the payment. MEALS NEEDED Meals are needed for Betty Szypiotko and her son while Betty continues to convalesce. If you can contribute a meal, please sign up at the welcome center. Meals can be delivered to the church on Sunday and Bernie Joustra or Willie Kohere will deliver them to the Szypiotko family. NEW CITY KIDS CHURCH Thank you for once again participating in the
New City Kids Graduation Celebration. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. We as a church sponsored two graduating seniors, Fatim and Genesis. If you are still interested in contributing, see Joyce Bruining. CADET POTLUCK DINNER FUNDRAISER
Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the Cadets! Your donations totaled $1,570 towards our goal of $3,600 to help offset the costs for transportation and accommodations. If you would still like to donate, there is a box at the Welcome Center. We are very excited about our trip to the International Camporee at Camp Elk Run in South Dakota from July 12-19. There are 4 counselors, 1 junior counselor, and 7 cadets going from our local Cadet clubs in Cedar Hill, Goshen, Madison Ave, and Pompton Plains. If you would like to know more about the Camporee, talk to Chris Borduin, Steve Martin, Josh Borduin, Luke Martin, or Sean Post.
Building Community… Through Prayer They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. – Acts 2: 42
June 25, 2017
This week’s prayer focus: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” ~ Matthew 6:12 I am glad God does not put a limit on how many times He will forgive us. Regardless of how many times we fall short, He continues to demonstrate His love for us by forgiving us and welcoming us back. But isn’t it amazing how we are willing to keep receiving forgiveness from God, yet how little we want to give forgiveness to others? As people who have been forgiven much, it is important that we learn to share that same forgiveness with others.” – Joyce Meyers, Closer to God Each Day If there are people who have hurt you, ask God to remind you of how often He has forgiven you, and to give you the grace to forgive.
Prayer needs in our church community: Ask God to bless our new council members Rick Botbyl, Bob Dyksen, Deb Vandenberg, and Sue Vander Ploeg. Ask Him to give them wisdom and strength as they do the vital work they have been called to do for Cedar Hill.
Prayer needs in our local community: That neighbor you prayed for last week – if they asked you about your faith, would you be able to tell them why and what you believe? Ask the Lord to help you “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” – I Peter 3:15
Prayer needs in our national community: It’s summer and, all across America, people will be taking off on vacations to see all the beauty that our nation offers. Thank God this week for the natural beauty that abounds in our nation. Ask God to protect those who are traveling with safety and a renewed awe for the Creator of all that they see.
Prayer needs in our world community: This week we are praying for the nation of Nigeria. Nigeria is the seventh most populated nation in the world, and has the largest population of any country in Africa. It is one of the world’s leaders in petroleum resources and exportation. Weak and corrupt governments have kept the oil profits in the hands of the wealthy, so 70 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line. The Nigerian population is split equally between Christianity and Islam and often relations between these two groups become violent. Pray for the dismantling of government corruption and for the Christian organizations that continue to minister to the Nigerian people. Pray that God’s Word and His love will spread throughout the people of Nigeria.
“Always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” – Ephesians 6: 18 Prayer of Sympathy: The co-worker of Allison Douma that we have been praying for, Sherlyn, has gone home to be with her Lord on Sunday, June 18. Thank you on behalf of the Telcide and Diaz families, and from all of us who knew her and cared for her, for all your prayers and kind thoughts. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those how are in any affliction in the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. This is my new prayer, that God comforts all who are hurting from this loss and that we may show His mercy to each other. Allison Douma
Prayer of Safety: We pray for the Cadets and their leaders who are currently on their Cadet Campout for safety in travel and a meaningful time of learning and fellowship.
Pray for those with ongoing concerns and those who are homebound: Bob & Gert Troast Marge De Jong Iva Englishmen
Hen & Dot Hagedorn Virginia Steenstra Betty Szypiotko
Jean Stonehouse Stephen Minck David De Koek
Ruth De Vries Tena Stavinga Edie Fylstra
Don’t forget, you can call our prayer line at 201-652-4277, ext. 2. The prayer line is updated as needed on Friday afternoons. You can also check our denominational prayer requests at 888-CRC-PRAY or www.crcna.org/pray.
This week at Cedar Hill Church June 25 ~ July 1, 2017 SUNDAY 9:30 AM ~ Sunday Morning Worship (Sanctuary) 12:30 PM ~ NJ Faith Church (Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall) 6:00 PM ~ Joint Worship at Faith Community CRC in Wyckoff
MONDAY 7:00 PM ~ Deacon Meeting (Deacon Room) 8:00 PM ~ Barbershop Chorus (Fellowship Hall)
TUESDAY 8:45 PM ~ NJ Faith Church (Sanctuary)
WEDNESDAY 6:15 AM ~ Wednesday Morning Prayer Group (Library) 8:45 PM ~ NJ Faith Church (Sanctuary)
THURSDAY 7:30 PM ~ Worship Team Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
FRIDAY 8:00 PM ~ NJ Faith Church (Sanctuary)
SATURDAY 6:30 AM ~ NJ Faith Church (Sanctuary)
CEDAR HILL CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH 422 Cedar Hill Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ, 07481 Rev. Christian Pedersen, Pastor A Family of Christ Where You Belong ~ where everyone is encouraged to grow in their walk with Christ daily, to live intentionally in the Holy Spirit as they go, and so create a culture where people are served, invited, and enfolded into the Kingdom. Sunday Worship: 9:30 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.* (See calendar for location of evening service.) Church Office: 201-652-4277 Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:45 AM to 2:45 PM Bulletin Announcement Deadline: Wednesday 12:00 Noon Prayer Line: 201-652-4277, extension 2; Fax Line: 201-652-3245 Worship Service for Sick & Homebound: 1-855-231-0914, code 218-237-7378 # Pastor Chris email:
[email protected] Church office email:
[email protected] Website: www.cedarhillchurch.org
2016 ~ 2017 Council Members Elders Hank Schuurman, President (HH #1 & 8) Pete Steensma (HH #3) Harold Post (HH #7) Ralph Faasse, Vice President (HH #2) Bill Heerema, Clerk (HH #6) Roy Heerema(HH #4) Bill Bushman (HH #5)
Deacons Marilyn Chickey, Assistant Comptroller (HH #4) Kevin Post, Treasurer (HH #6) Robert Storms, Chairman (HH #1 & 8) Gary Veenstra, Comptroller (HH #5) Chris Borduin (HH #2) Paul G. Heerema, Secretary (HH #3) Steve Martin (HH #7)
Child Care (Year-round) ➢ Nursery for infants and toddlers available during all services. Main floor, library corridor. ➢ Children’s Worship (Ages 3 ~ Pre-K) meets on the lower level during the morning service. (Contact Jo-Ann Angelucci at 973-427-5443 with any questions.) ➢ Junior Church (Kindergartners and 1st graders) meets in the lower level. Children are dismissed as a group following the Children’s Message in the morning service. Christian Education Hour ~ 11 AM – 12 PM (September ~ May) ➢ Sunday School (Preschool ~ Grade 8) meets in lower level classrooms. ➢ Catechism (Grades 9 ~ 12) meets in the lower level classrooms. ➢ Adult Sunday School meets in the Youth Room, main level. Fellowship ~ Tuesday Night Connection (September ~ April): 1st and 3rd Tuesday evenings at 6 PM, begins with a family dinner followed by various youth and adult activities. Worship Aids ~ Tape Ministry: The Tape Ministry Table provides audio/video tapes of all services, main lobby. Assistive-Listening Devices, Large Print Bibles, and Orders of Worship are available in main lobby. **Our ushers or greeters will gladly assist you with any questions or if you need direction**