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WelcomeWelcome to the Reformed Church of Port Ewen this morning. We are glad that you are herewith us. Whether you’ve been worshipping here for a long time or you’re entering the doors ofour church for the first time today it is our hope that you’ll experience a kind welcome, a senseof genuine community, and the grace and truth that the Christian Church has celebrated forcenturies.Hymn of Praise“Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above”It is surely a fact of inexhaustible significance that what our Lord left behind Him was not a book, nor a creed,nor a system of thought, nor a rule of life, but a visible community. I think that we Protestants cannot too oftenreflect on that fact. He committed the entire work of salvation to that community. It was not that a communitygathered around an idea, so that the idea was primary and the community secondary. It was that a communitycalled together by the deliberate choice of the Lord Himself, and re-created in Him, gradually sought — and isseeking — to make explicit who He is and what He has done. The actual community is primary: theunderstanding of what it is comes second. The Church does not depend for its existence upon our understanding ofit or faith in in. It first of all exists as a visible fact called into being by the Lord Himself, and our understandingof that fact is subsequent and secondary.— Lesslie Newbigin, twentieth century British theologian and missionaryAPPROACH TO GODPrelude“What A Friend”BesigPassing of the PeaceThe peace of Christ be with you.And also with you.Welcome & AnnouncementsCall to WorshipMatthew 11:28-30Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yokeupon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Formy yoke is easy, and my burden is light.- 1 -- 2 -
Scripture LessonsCall to ConfessionFirst ReadingOld Testament: Isaiah 2:1-4Prayer of Confession(silent prayers of confession)Assurance of ForgivenessMatthew 11:28-30Call to New ObedienceHosea 12:6But as for you, return to your God,hold fast to love and justice,and wait continually for your God.Gloria PatriThe Future House of God2 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.2In days to comethe mountain of the LORD’s houseshall be established as the highest of the mountains,and shall be raised above the hills;all the nations shall stream to it.3Many peoples shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,to the house of the God of Jacob;that he may teach us his waysand that we may walk in his paths.”For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.4He shall judge between the nations,and shall arbitrate for many peoples;they shall beat their swords into plowshares,and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation,neither shall they learn war any more.The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.-Second ReadingNew Testament: Ephesians 2:11-22WORD OF GODPrayer for Illumination- 3-Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by thosewho call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember thatat that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to thecovenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus youwho once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, thedividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. Hispurpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one bodyto reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He cameand preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him weboth have access to the Father by one Spirit.- 4 -
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people andalso members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesushimself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holytemple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which Godlives by his Spirit.The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.Third ReadingGospel: Matthew 18:10-20The Parable of the Lost Sheep10“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angelscontinually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundredsheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go insearch of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more thanover the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one ofthese little ones should be lost.Reproving Another Who Sins15“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you arealone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take oneor two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or threewitnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses tolisten even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you,whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed inheaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done foryou by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there amongthem.”The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.Praise to you, O Christ.And in one Lord Jesus Christ,the only Son of God,eternally begotten of the Father,God from God, light from light,true God from true God,begotten, not made,of one Being with the Father;through him all things were made.For us and for our salvationhe came down from heaven,was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Maryand became truly human.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;he suffered death and was buried.On the third day he rose againin accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heavenand is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,and his kingdom will have no end.And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,who has spoken through the prophets.We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.We look for the resurrection of the dead,and the life of the world to come. Amen.RESPONSE TO GODTithes & Offering (Not collected during service. Plates at both entrance and exit)DoxologySermonWorship & Rejoice, #34Confession of the Faith: The Nicene CreedWe believe in one God,the Father almighty,maker of heaven and earth,and of all things visible and invisible;- 5-- 6-
Prayers of the People & The Lord’s PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy willbe done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive usour debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver usfrom evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.Hymn of Sending“The Church’s One Foundation”Benediction“Amen”Worship & Rejoice, #744PostludeWorship Participants:Ray Wells, lay readerLinda Bresnahan McCarthy, organist & choir directorRev. Kevin Slusher, preachingPaula & Matt Van Aken, guest vocalists- 7 -- 8-
2021 ConsistoryEldersDeaconsLinda Bresnahan-McCarthy (687-9664)Bonnie Lalor (339-7278)Kathy Kinsch (338-6378)Peg Rhoda (338-9291)Colleen Sutton (389-1445)Raymond Wells (338-2915)Prayer ListWorld — the nations of Burkina Faso and Mali admits the recent violence and massacres(J. Hadley); The Coronavirus, governments, scientists and public health officials around theworld responding to the crisis, all those who put themselves at risk to care for the sick (churchfamily); An end to the coronavirus, A solution for the refugee crisis around the world, esp. Syria(K. Lamb); for all the homeless (Phyllis & Janet Hutton); Military coup in Burma/Myanmar(Church Family).Nation — President Joseph R. Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris; Governor AndrewCuomo; U.S. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer; U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado;Repentance for racism, prayers for justice and resolution to racial tension.Church Worldwide — Persecuted Church (China, Nigeria, North Korea).RCA — Oman Protestant Church and Bode Family, Al-Amanda Center.Mid-Hudson Classis —Jim Van Benschoten, Rev. Bob Vanderlaan, Rev. Eric Titus.Petitions of healing, protection, and deliverance — Servicemen and women who sufferfrom PTSD (C. Sutton); Sara Hartrum (S. Goodrich); Kayla Van Aken (M. & P. Van Aken);Robert Holowiack (J. Loring); Cecillia Lalor (B. Lalor); Luke (Wells family); Ellen Lynch (Phyllis& Janet Hutton); Monica Kelbaugh, Linda Bresnahan-McCarthy, continue to pray for the nationof India, particularly for a friend of Pastor Kevin’s from seminary, Santosh Bardhan, and hisministry “Love One Another Ministries” that is at work in India, Martha Koelli, the militarycoup in Myanmar, Bea Hogan (Church Family); Gail Berger, Neil Shah (Glenn Knickerbocker);Fred Rhoda (Rhoda family); Reda family, Debbie Ennis, Lori Palladino, Charles Barnett III, FredRhoda (Bresnahan-McCarthy family); victims of Asian hate crimes (C. Van Deusen); BlakeParker (Stickley family).Homebound/nursing homes/institutions — Pauline Wyre, Verna Allen, Lucille VanSteenburgh, Bea Hogan, Martha Koelli, Marie Klippel.Grieving — Family & friends of: Marion Lucille VanSteenburgh, Kathleen Van Tassell(Spinnenweber), Annamarie Reda, Donna VanLoan Brice, Carol Esther Haynes-Brown, CharlesHartman, Lilian Bloch, Mary Van Deusen, Barbara Carlson-Wells, & Raymond Robinson.Praise & Thanksgiving — for being back together in worship, and for all the work that wentinto making worship possible from home these past five months! (J. Loring); Rev. Eric Titus hasretired from St. John’s in Red Hook and continues his recovery at home (J. Nolting).- 9 -General AnnouncementsPastoral Care—Pastor Kevin has official hours in his study every Tuesday and Wednesdaymorning from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. if you are in need of counsel and care. Pastor Kevin is also in hisstudy at various times throughout the week and encourages you to stop by and say hello! Friday isPastor Kevin’s Sabbath and he will not be in the office. You can also contact Cheri, the officeadministrator or Pastor Kevin to set up an appointment when necessary. Contact Information:Church: 331-2782, Home: 383-1274, and in an emergency Cellphone: 517-398-0986. Email:kevin.slusher@rcpe.info.Save the Date! On August 7th there will be a picnic to celebrate Pastor Kevin’s time with usand to wish him well in his new endeavor. It will be at the George Freer Memorial Park/Beach inPort Ewen at 1 PM.Masks and Social Distancing — The consistory has decided to follow the CDCrecommendations of May 14. All who are vaccinated are no longer asked to wear masks and/orsocial distance. We do require that those who are unvaccinated continue to wear masks. All thosewho choose to continue to wear a mask, for whatever reason, will not only be respected, but wewill actively make space for you to do as you feel comfortable.Elders’ AnnouncementsElders’ Meeting following worship today.Deacons’ AnnouncementsThe June Mission of the Month is The Bravo Center, formerly known as The PregnancySupport Center of Ulster County. It is affiliated with Care Net, an international organization ofpregnancy centers, serving in Ulster County, New York. They are a not-for profit, non-partisan,Christian organization supported by individuals and churches. Bravo provides pregnancy tests,and ultrasounds, counseling, and material resources, among other services to women and familiesin need. They also provide abortion recovery support groups. All of their services are free andconfidential. In lieu of the “Baby Bottle Project” this year, we will be giving our donations thismonth directly to the Center. If you feel called to donate to this mission, please clearly mark yourchecks and envelopes with “June M.O.M.”. As always, thank you for your generosity.Faith FormationWednesday Bible Study — Meets on Wednesdays at 1:00 PM. We are currently studying theEpistle to the Galatians. We are meeting in Fairbrother Hall, or, weather permitting, we meetoutside in the church yard.The July/August “Words of Hope” booklets have arrived. They are located on the table inFairbrother Hall.- 10 -
THE REFORMED CHURCHOF PORT EWENThe Reformed Church of Port Ewen160 Salem Street P. O. Box 580Port Ewen, NY 12466(845) 331-2782 rcpe.infoLinda Bresnahan-McCarthyOrganist & Choir DirectorRev. Kevin SlusherPastorkevin.slusher@rcpe.infoCheri Van DeusenOffice Administratoroffice@rcpe.infoAbout the Reformed Church of Port Ewen:Our Mission StatementWe, the people of the Reformed Church of Port Ewen believe that God, through the Son JesusChrist, and by the leading of the Holy Spirit, is calling us to be a servant church in the world. Webelieve the purpose of our congregation, through its ministry and program, is to raise up beforeall people the Lord Jesus Christ as our example and our hope by actions of worship and praise,by continuing Christian education, by opportunities and joys of church and communityfellowship, and the sacrificial Christ-like deeds we call mission. Our aim and goal is to becomea missionary congregation and not a self-serving institution.Sunday WorshipJune 20, 202110:00 A.M.Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Endowment Fund Policy ChangeThe Consistory is seeking to change the policy regarding the revenue generated by theEndowment Fund. We are required, by our by-laws, to inform the congregation of our desiredchanges. Beyond this requirement, one of our core values is to have transparent, open, andhonest discussion about our life together as a church.According to the current Endowment Fund Policy in our bylaws the spending of the revenuegenerated by our endowment fund(s) is limited to: “The income only of said endowment fundshall be used for the religious, charitable, and educational purposes of said church. Thesepurposes shall be limited to the maintenance, expansion, and upkeep of its physical properties,providing seed money for new programs for no longer than five years per program, and giving tomissions. Endowment fund monies are not to be used for the ordinary operating expenses of said church”(emphasis added).The Consistory plans to make the following change: The income received from ourinvested Endowment Funds can be used, without restriction, for the general operatingexpenses of our church.Our Endowment Funds were re-invested a few years ago in hopes that we would be able togenerate a greater return. The long-term goal was to use the income from these invested funds tohelp cover the gap we have each year in our budget. This change noted above would finalize thisprocess and free the income from our invested funds to be used to cover our budget shortfallsand to replenish accounts we have used to cover those gaps in years past.Please note: at this time we are not proposing any change to the policies regarding the spendingof the underlying endowment fund monies. This policy change only affects the income/revenuethat we earn from those invested funds. The monies of the invested endowment fundsthemselves can only be used with the approval of the congregation.If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to reach out to the consistory. RayWells, Elder and chair of the Finance and Stewardship Committee, would be best able to helpprovide answers to the questions you may have.Endowment Fund Policy ChangeThe Consistory is seeking to change the policy regarding the revenue generated by theEndowment Fund. We are required, by our by-laws, to inform the congregation of our desiredchanges. Beyond this requirement, one of our core values is to have transparent, open, andhonest discussion about our life together as a church.According to the current Endowment Fund Policy in our bylaws the spending of the revenuegenerated by our endowment fund(s) is limited to: “The income only of said endowment fundshall be used for the religious, charitable, and educational purposes of said church. Thesepurposes shall be limited to the maintenance, expansion, and upkeep of its physical properties,providing seed money for new programs for no longer than five years per program, and giving tomissions. Endowment fund monies are not to be used for the ordinary operating expenses of said church”(emphasis added).The Consistory plans to make the following change: The income received from ourinvested Endowment Funds can be used, without restriction, for the general operatingexpenses of our church.Our Endowment Funds were re-invested a few years ago in hopes that we would be able togenerate a greater return. The long-term goal was to use the income from these invested funds tohelp cover the gap we have each year in our budget. This change noted above would finalize thisprocess and free the income from our invested funds to be used to cover our budget shortfallsand to replenish accounts we have used to cover those gaps in years past.Please note: at this time we are not proposing any change to the policies regarding the spendingof the underlying endowment fund monies. This policy change only affects the income/revenuethat we earn from those invested funds. The monies of the invested endowment fundsthemselves can only be used with the approval of the congregation.If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to reach out to the consistory. RayWells, Elder and chair of the Finance and Stewardship Committee, would be best able to helpprovide answers to the questions you may have.
Jun 06, 2021 · upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. - 1 - H
