January 18, 2009, 11:00 AM
WE ENTER INTO GOD’S PRESENCE
Preparation for Worship
*Call to Worship –
Clap your hands, all you peoples;shout to God with loud songs of joy.For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,a great king over all the earth.God has gone up with a shout,the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.Sing praises to God, sing praises;sing praises to our King, sing praises.(Psalm 47:1-2, 5-6)*Opening Praise – 465:1,3,4 “Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above”
*God Greets Us
*We Greet Each Other
*Continuing Praise
“I Worship You, Almighty God”
“Shout to the Lord”
“Majesty”
Call to Confession
We cannot come before God unless we are first honest with ourselves about who we are, about the mistakes we make, and about how well or poorly we care for others. In this spirit, let us offer our prayers to God.
Prayer of Confession
Eternal God, you do not change. You have revealed yourself to us in your Word. You call us to worship you in spirit and in truth. But we confess that we often worship not your true self but who we wish you to be. We too often ask you to bless what we do rather than seeking to do what you bless. Forgive us for seeking concessions when we should be seeking guidance. Forgive us when our worship shapes you into what we want instead of shaping us into what you want. Help us to meet you here, that we might bow before your unspeakable majesty and so live for you now and ever, in Christ. Amen.
*Song of Assurance – 499:1,3-5 “My God, How Wonderful You Are”
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
Children’s Time
Prayer of Preparation
Scripture Reading –Romans 8:26-39
Message – “Who’s in Charge Here?”
Prayer
WE RESPOND WITH THANKSGIVING
*Song – 253:1-3 “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
The Offering - General Fund
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Intercessory Prayer
WE ARE DISMISSED TO LOVE AND SERVEOpportunities for Ministry and Fellowship
*We Confess Our Faith – Apostle’s Creed
*God’s Parting Word
*Closing Song – 195 “Our God Reigns”
Postlude
ANNOUNCEMENTS
This morning you were greeted as you arrived for worship by the children in Mrs. Doller’s Sunday School class. We thank them for welcoming us to worship. This is a way of applying what they have been learning about the importance of the fellowship of believers in the early church.
We extend our sympathy to the family of Glen Green, who passed away on Monday. May God’s peace surround Cherry and her family in these difficult days.
Tim Brown had outpatient surgery Friday to remove a large cyst from his leg. We pray that he will have a complete and uneventful recovery.
Reserve Sunday afternoon, February 8, for an all-church event. Ron Crawford will be presenting material he has developed on living and working cross-generationally in the church. There will be a soup and bread lunch after the morning service and the “Generations” part will follow that and last no more than two hours. This is geared to everyone from teens up. There will be child care during the presentation. You can talk with Ron or any member of the Growth and Renewal Team for more information.
Council notes:
1.Dave Derzanovich led opening devotions, reminding us that people need Jesus first of all, even more than a church building.
Dave Derzanovich led opening devotions, reminding us that people need Jesus first of all, even more than a church building.2.We discussed possible ways to encourage more people to attend the semi-annual congregational meetings.
We discussed possible ways to encourage more people to attend the semi-annual congregational meetings.3.We received and discussed the audit report of the church financial records. We continue to be blessed by the faithful work that the Roossiens do for Valley Church.
We received and discussed the audit report of the church financial records. We continue to be blessed by the faithful work that the Roossiens do for Valley Church.4.We approved sending an overture to classis seeking the appointment of deacons as advisors to the annual Synod meeting.
We approved sending an overture to classis seeking the appointment of deacons as advisors to the annual Synod meeting.5.Reports of ministry teams were reviewed.
Reports of ministry teams were reviewed.Youth Announcements:
Friday, January 30 – overnighter at church. Let Erin know today if you are going to participate and how many friends you will be bringing with you.
NEXT SUNDAY, January 25, 2009
SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:45 AM Regular Sunday School classes for all ages meet. The adult class continues with “The Lure of the Cults”. All are encouraged to participate and learn how to respond to these groups that come to our homes or use the media to try to influence us.
MORNING WORSHIP: 11:00 AM Pastor Gelder will bring us the message as he continues the series on “Reformed? What’s That?” The message is “God Communicates”, based on II Timothy 3:16.
