October 8, 2006 – 11:00 AM

WE ENTER INTO GOD’S PRESENCE
Preparation for Worship
*Call to Worship-
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
We have come to praise our gracious God.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!
*God Greets Us
*We Greet Each Other
*Continuing Praise
241 - “This Is the Day”
          “Be Glorified”
A Time of Examination and Preparation
Call to Confession – I John 1:5b-8
Prayer of Confession
Most holy and merciful God, we confess to you and to one another that we have sinned against you by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength.  We have not fully loved our neighbors as ourselves.  We have not always had in us the mind of Christ.  You alone know how often we have grieved you by wasting your gifts, by wandering from your ways, by forgetting your love.  Forgive us, we pray you, most merciful Father, and free us from our sin.  Renew in us the grace and strength of your Holy Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior.  Amen.
Declaration of Pardon
To all who confess themselves to be sinners, humbling themselves before God and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, I declare this sure promise:  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  I John 1:9
*Song of Response – “Thank You, Lord”
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
The Invitation
Come to this table:  you who have much faith, and you who would like to have more; you who have been to this sacrament often, and you who have not been for a long time; you who have tried to follow Jesus, and you who have failed.  Come.  It is Christ who invites us to meet him here. 
The Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord.
It is right for us to give thanks and praise.
With joy we praise you, gracious God, for you created heaven and earth, made us in your image, and kept covenant with us – even when we fell into sin.  We give you thanks for Jesus Christ, our Lord, who by his life, death and resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.  Therefore we join our voices with all the saints and angels and the whole creation to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory. 
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Prayer
Lord, our God, send your Holy Spirit so that this bread and cup may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  May we and all your saints be united with Christ and remain faithful in hope and love.  Gather your whole church, O Lord, into the glory of your kingdom.  We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven… Amen.
The Preparation
The bread that we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.
We who are many are one body, for we all share the same loaf.
The cup for which we give thanks is a sharing in the blood of Christ.
The cup that we drink is our participation in the blood of Christ.
The Communion
The body of Christ, given for you.
Thanks be to God.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Thanks be to God.
*Song of Thanksgiving – 490 “Blessed Assurance:  Jesus Is Mine”
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
Children’s Time
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Reading – Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:23-28
Message – “Our Day or the Lord’s Day?”
Prayer
WE RESPOND WITH THANKSGIVING
*Song – 560 “Like a River Glorious”
The Offerings – First:  General Fund
  Second:  Samaritan’s Purse
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Intercessory Prayer
WE ARE DISMISSED TO LOVE AND SERVE
Opportunities for Ministry and Service
*God Blesses Us
*Parting Song – 440 “Children of the Heavenly Father”
Postlude

THIS WEEK IN THE LIFE OF VALLEY CHURCH

Thank you for continuing to bring food items for distribution to families in this community through our CHOW pantry.  We more than met our goal of five hundred items given by our members.  But hunger alleviation is an ongoing need in our area.  Dry milk, cookies, fruit, rice, instant potatoes, beef stew and other canned meats are all in short supply right now. 

Today we thank God for answered prayers as we see significant improvement in the condition of several people who have been in hospitals recently.  Mabel Benedict and Thea Huizinga have left the hospital to focus on rehab programs in nursing facilities after their hip surgeries.  Sue Parker is still hospitalized but has improved remarkably.  Continue to pray for them, as well as for Danielle Wood and unborn baby.

Today we also will be observing the sacrament of Holy Communion as part of our worship together.  If you have made a public profession of your personal faith in Jesus as your Savior and Lord and if your life is lived in a way that is consistent with that profession, please receive the bread and cup as they are passed and join us in eating together and drinking together after all have been served.

The second offering this morning is for Samaritan’s Purse.  This organization is headed by Franklin Graham and will be coming to Broome County next summer with a Franklin Graham Festival.  However, they also have a disaster response arm, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which did a lot of clean up work here following our June floods.  The offering next Sunday is one way for us to say thank you to them for their help and to enable them to help somewhere else as needs arise.

Wednesday, 11:30 AM Women’s Luncheon at Cracker Barrel
Thursday, 7:00 PM Elders’ meeting

Next Sunday is the annual Hunger Walk for CHOW.  It will again be held on the campus of Binghamton University, with the walk beginning at 2:00 PM.  This is one of the largest fund raisers for CHOW each year and your generous support will help not only our pantry here at Valley Church but all the pantries in churches around the county.  You are encouraged to take an envelope and gather pledges of support.  If you are not going to be walking yourself and wish to support CHOW, Betsy Gelder will again be doing the Hunger Ride in her wheelchair and will appreciate your support.

The church carpets will be cleaned this Tuesday, so it may be wise to avoid the building that day to allow them time to dry.  Thank you.


Next Sunday, October 15 2006

SUNDAY SCHOOL:  9:45 AM  Sunday School classes for all ages.  The adult class continues its study of “What’s Up with the Church Down the Street” which will help us understand the beliefs and practices of other Christian groups.  In doing so, we will come to a clearer understanding of our own Reformed tradition. 

MORNING WORSHIP:     11:00 AM   Pastor Gelder will be with us and bring us a message “The Promise” based on Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:1-3.  This will continue our look at each of the Ten Commandments, God’s guide for Christian living in 2006.   We will also join with many Christians around the world in taking note of Micah Challenge Sunday, renewing our commitment to reduce world poverty and hunger by 2015.