Douglas Estella

October 12, 2014 — Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

PRELUDE:

Prelude and Fugue in d, Johann Sebastian Bach
Air, Johann Sebastian Bach

WELCOME
* CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP
* SANCTUS (pew card)

* CALL TO WORSHIP AND SALUTATION (Psalm 23), Sue Nicholas

Leader:  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
People:  He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
Leader:  He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
People:  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.
Leader:  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
People:  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
Leader:  Grace and peace to you from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
ALL:  Amen.

* HYMN No. 22:  Come, We That Love the Lord

* PRAYER OF CONFESSION  (unison)

Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son.  Amen.

* KYRIE (pew card)
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
* SUMMARY OF THE LAW
    * Gloria Patri  (pew card)

JUNIOR SERMON

ACT OF PRAISE:  Sweet Hour of Prayer    

Elizabeth Mahowald, soprano

MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
    Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
    Prayer Response

* HYMN No. 310:  O Word of God Incarnate

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Isaiah 25:1-9, Pew Bible, page 568

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Philippians 4:1-9, Pew Bible, page 955

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

The Word of God for the people of God. Let the people of God say - AMEN!

THE SERMON:  An Antidote for Anxiety, Rev. Douglas Estella

WORSHIP OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
    Offering
        Offertory:  Elizabeth Mahowald, soprano
    * The Doxology  (pew card)      
    * Prayer of Dedication

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH:  The Heidelberg Catechism, Q/A 1 

Pastor:  What is your only comfort in life and in death?
All: That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.  He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

* HYMN No. 568:  Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated

* BENEDICTION 
      Response

POSTLUDE:  We All Believe in One God, Johann Sebastian Bach

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WE WELCOME back the Rev. Douglas Estella to the pulpit.  Rev. Estella served as pastor of the Sunnyside Reformed Church from 2000 to 2006. Currently he is a teacher at the Academy of Urban Planning in Brooklyn. Doug and his wife, Janet, live in Sunnyside with their daughter, Renee.

SYNODICAL ASSESSMENT (Pink Offering Envelope)

Last installment is due.  If you have not given a special offering for your assessment ($95.00 per member), please help us by making the payment.  The Synodical and Classical Assessment is the amount we owe Reformed Church in America for your membership.

SAVE THE DATE:  ANNUAL AUCTION – Saturday, January 10, 2015

LOOKING AHEAD – Mark your calendars!

  • Sat. Oct. 18    1:00 PM    WCC Luncheon

        2:00 PM    Elder Law speaker – Gessner Hall (insert)

  • Sun. Oct. 19    12:00 PM    Coffee Hour celebrating October Birthdays
  • Sun. Oct. 26    9:30 AM    Men’s Communion Breakfast (insert)
  • Sat. Nov. 15    10:00 AM    HARVEST FESTIVAL (inserts)

OUR APPRECIATION FOR TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS:

Coffee Hour Host: Rhoda Jabbour 
Greeter: Irma Schubert
Ushers: Sally Ann Castle, Marilyn Cooney, Nancy Gessner, Jayne Halley
Children and Worship: Christina Schaub and Michael Iovale

VAN SERVICE: If you need a ride to church on Sunday, speak with Gerry Mendler at (917) 362-6284 (day) or (718) 464-3464 (evening).

CHILDCARE during the worship hour

Children thru age 3 in the Educational Building, 1st floor, in Room 1A.
Children ages 3 thru 2nd grade will share in the service through the Junior Sermon, then go to Room 2E for the Children and Worship Program.

COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – To host a coffee hour after church, speak with Rhoda Jabbour.

YEAR-ROUND COLLECTIONS – 

  • Donations for the Food for Kids Ministry should be brought to the Church office.  This food will be given to families in need in Jamaica, New York. 
  • Donations for pets brought to the church office will be given to Worthy Pause to be distributed to local animal shelters.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Grace Attanasio, Ruth Bailey, Kenneth Cornwell, Letty Delgardo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Jenny Hampton, Robert Keller, Fritz Kunisch, Harvey Moder, John Molino, Marge Renstrom, Josephine Rivera, Janice Serra, Evelyn Stuedly.

July 20, 2014 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

PRELUDE:

Prelude and Fugue in e minor, Johann Sebastian Bach
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Johann Sebastian Bach

WELCOME
* CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP
* SANCTUS (pew card)             

* CALL TO WORSHIP AND SALUTATION, Emerson Chen

Leader:     O come, let us sing to the Lord;
People:     Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!
Leader:     Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
People:     Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Leader:     O come, let us worship and bow down,
People:     Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Leader:     For he is our God,
People:     And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Leader:     Grace and peace to you from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.   
ALL:     Amen. 

– Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-7

* HYMN No. 34:  Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart

* PRAYER OF CONFESSION  (unison)

Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son.  Amen.

* KYRIE (pew card)
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
* SUMMARY OF THE LAW
    * Gloria Patri  (pew card)

JUNIOR SERMON

ACT OF PRAISE:  Hear My Prayer, O Lord, Antonín Dvořák

Emerson Chen, baritone

MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
    Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
    Response        

* HYMN No. 311:  God Has Spoken by His Prophets

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalm 100, Pew Bible, page 481

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Acts 17: 1- 28, Pew Bible, page 901

After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.” Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the marketplaces they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason’s house. When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.” The people and the city officials were disturbed when they heard this, and after they had taken bail from Jason and the others, they let them go.
That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, including not a few Greek women and men of high standing. But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Beroea as well, they came there too, to stir up and incite the crowds.Then the believers immediately sent Paul away to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained behind. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and also in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. Also some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.” (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new.
Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’

The Word of God for the people of God. Let the people of God say AMEN!

THE SERMON:  Why Worship?, Rev. Douglas Estella

WORSHIP OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
    Offering
   Offertory:  The Beatitudes, Albert Hay Malotte

    * The Doxology  (pew card)
    * Prayer of Dedication

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH 
    * Apostles’ Creed (pew card)

* HYMN No. 543:  Christ Beside Me 

* BENEDICTION 
      Response

POSTLUDE:  Trumpet Tune, Henry Purcell

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WE WELCOME BACK THE REV. DOUGLAS ESTELLA TO THE PULPIT.  Rev. Estella previously served as pastor of the Sunnyside Reformed Church and currently teaches ESL at the Academy of Urban Planning. 

APPRECIATIONS: We thank Emerson Chen for sharing his musical talents to enhance our worship service.

OUR WORSHIP HOURS will continue at the 10:00 AM hour through Labor Day Sunday, August 31, 2014.

2014 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Weird Animals – Where Jesus’ Love Is One-of-a-Kind

August 11- 15, 9:30 AM- 12:30 PM; Fee: $40 per child
Registration taken thru July 31; Forms at the back of the church

VAN SERVICE for worship service will not be available during the summer but will resume on September 7th.

CROP WALK September 21, 2014 – Donation envelopes are available at the back of the sanctuary.

FINANCE – Please remember to submit your pledge cards for 2014.  If you have already done so, thank you.  If you need a pledge card, speak to an usher or call the church office.

YEAR-ROUND COLLECTIONS – 

  • Donations for the Food for Kids Ministry should be brought to the Church office.  During the school year, this food will be given to families in need in Jamaica, New York. 
  • Donations for pets brought to the church office will be given to Worthy Pause to be distributed to local animal shelters.   
  • Christmas cards (with Forever Stamps on the envelopes) are collected in a basket at the back of the sanctuary.  These cards will enable inmates at the Nassau County Correction Center to correspond with their loved ones.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Grace Attanasio, Ruth Bailey, Letty Delgardo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Jenny Hampton, Robert Keller, Fritz Kunisch, Gina Lombardo, John Molino, Josephine Rivera, Janice Serra, Evelyn Stuedly

May 11, 2014 - Mother’s Day

PRELUDE:

Choral Song, Samuel Sebastian Wesley 
Aria, Flor Peeters 

WELCOME
* CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP
* SANCTUS (pew card)             

* CALL TO WORSHIP AND SALUTATION - Psalm 100:1-3a    Emerson Chen

Leader:     Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
People:    Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Leader:     Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his;   
People:     We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Leader:      Grace and peace to you from God our Father, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  
ALL:     Amen.      

* HYMN No. 52: I Sing the Mighty Power of God

* PRAYER OF CONFESSION  (unison)

Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son.  Amen.

* KYRIE (pew card)
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
* SUMMARY OF THE LAW
    * Gloria Patri  (pew card)

JUNIOR SERMON                   

ANTHEM: Prayer to Jesus, arr. John Ness Beck

Lord Jesus, think on me and purge away my sin, from selfish passions   set me free and make me pure within. Lord Jesus, think on me, by  anxious thoughts oppressed; let me your loving servant be and taste   your promised rest. Lord Jesus, think on me, nor let me go astray, through darkness and perplexity point out the heavenly way. Lord Jesus, think on me, that when this life is past, I may the eternal brightness see, and share Thy joy at last.  Amen.

MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
    Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
    Prayer Response, Louis Lewandowski

How good it is to thank the Lord, to praise Thy name, O Thou Most High; to tell Thy kindness through the day, Thy faithfulness when night draws nigh.  With joyous psalms and with the harp, will I Thy marvels gladly sing; Thy works have made my heart rejoice, I triumph in Thy work, my King!

* HYMN No. 115: Fairest Lord Jesus

SCRIPTURE READINGS

1 Peter 2:19-25, Pew Bible, page 984

 

For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

John 10:1-10, Pew Bible, page 872

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

The Word of God for the people of God. Let the people of God say - AMEN!

THE SERMON: The Perfect Pastor, Rev. Douglas Estella

WORSHIP OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
    Offering
   Offertory: Proclaim the Glory of the Lord, arr. Jack Schrader

Proclaim the glory of the Lord.  Let every tongue confess He reigns;  lift up His name in praises forever.  Proclaim the glory of the Lord.  Make known His mighty deeds to all; take up the call, Let every nation know: He is our Messiah, our Savior and our King; Let all our voices join as one and fill the earth with singing.  Glory to our God, His greatness we applaud.  Let every race on every shore Proclaim the glory of the Lord.  Proclaim the glory of the Lord; Give honor to the Prince of Peace; For if we cease, the stones will start shouting.  Proclaim the glory of the Lord; With hands uplifted let us raise immortal praise to Him who  reigns on high!  He is our Messiah.

    * The Doxology  (pew card)      
    * Prayer of Dedication

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (pew card)    Apostles’ Creed

* HYMN No. 569: Living for Jesus a Life That Is True

* BENEDICTION 
    Response, Harold W. Friedell

Day by day, Dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: to see thee more  clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly day by day.

POSTLUDE: Trumpet Dialogue, Louis Clerambault

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WE WELCOME back the Rev. Douglas Estella to the pulpit.  Rev. Estella served as pastor of the Sunnyside Reformed Church from 2000 to 2006. Currently he is a teacher at the Academy of Urban Planning in Brooklyn. Doug and his wife, Janet, live in Sunnyside with their daughter, Renee.

OUR FLOWERS: The carnations are given by Judie and Buck Kellaway in loving memory of her mother, Grace Kales and will be distributed to all ladies after today’s service.

THE COFFEE HOUR is hosted by Judie and Buck Kellaway and the Congregational Care Committee in honor of the May birthdays and Mother’s Day.  Please join us in this time of fellowship.

CONGREGATIONAL LUNCHEON & MEETING on MAY 18, 12:00 pm 

Reports from Church organizations. 

Election of Elder and Deacons.  The slate is as follows: 

    Elder nominee: Judie Kellaway 
    Deacon nominees: Emerson Chen, Irma Schubert  

MARK YOUR CALENDARS :   

  • Saturday, May 17    1:00 PM    WCC Luncheon & Program
  • Sunday, May 18    12:00 PM    Congregational Luncheon & Meeting
  • Sunday, June 1    11:00 AM    Confirmation Sunday
  • Sunday, June 8    11:00 AM    Children’s Day / Stewardship Sunday

        12:00 PM    Church Barbeque

  • Saturday, June 21    12:00 PM    WCC Luncheon (see insert)

OUR APPRECIATION FOR TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS:

Van Driver: Roger Bow
Greeters: Nina and Bill Proschel
Ushers: Dana Chan, Cascille Hampton, Jennifer Hopper, Stephanie Parker and Jerry Good
Children and Worship: Judie Kellaway and Yessenia Iovale-Perez

VAN SERVICE: If you need a ride to church on Sunday, speak with Gerry Mendler at (917) 362-6284 (day) or (718) 464-3464 (evening).  

CHILDCARE during the worship hour 

Children through age 3 in the Educational Building, 1st floor, in Room 1A.

Children ages 3 through 2nd grade will share in the service through the Junior Sermon, then go to Room 2E for the Children and Worship Program.

COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – To host a coffee hour after church, speak with Rhoda Jabbour.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Grace Attanasio, Ruth Bailey, John Benik, Letty Delgardo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Patricia Hamill, Jenny Hampton, Robert Keller, Hope Kingman, Fritz Kunisch, John Molino, Josephine Rivera, Janice Serra, Evelyn Stuedly, Melvin Werbel.

April 27, 2014 - Second Sunday of Easter

PRELUDE:  Second Sonata, Felix Mendelssohn

WELCOME
* CELEBRATION OF FRIENDSHIP
* SANCTUS (pew card)

* CALL TO WORSHIP AND SALUTATION, Gerry Mendler

Leader:  The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
People:  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
Leader:  I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
People:  I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices!
Leader:  Grace and peace to you from God our Father, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.   
ALL:  Amen. 

– from Psalm 16: 5-9

* HYMN No. 247: The Day of Resurrection

* PRAYER OF CONFESSION  (unison)     

Holy God, you gather the whole universe into your radiant presence and continually reveal your Son as our Savior.  Bring healing to all our wounds, make whole all that is broken in us, speak truth to all our illusions, and shed light in every darkness that all creation will see your glory through us and know your Christ.  Amen.

* KYRIE (pew card)
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
* SUMMARY OF THE LAW
    * Gloria Patri  (pew card)

JUNIOR SERMON                   

ANTHEM:  Lord, We Pray Thee, Franz Josef Haydn

Lord, we pray Thee that Thy grace may always prevent, and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

MORNING PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
    Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
    Prayer Response, George Frideric Handel

Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son; endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won. Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay. Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son; endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

* HYMN No. 242:  In the Garden

SCRIPTURE READINGS

1 Peter 1: 3-9.  Pew Bible, page 983

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

John 20: 19-31.  Pew Bible, page 883

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

The Word of God for the people of God. Let the people of God say - AMEN!

THE SERMON:  What More Proof Do We Need!, Rev. Douglas Estella

WORSHIP OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS
    Offering
   Offertory:  Crown Him With Many Crowns, arr. Craig Courtney

Crown Him with many crowns! Crown Him the Lord of love! Behold His hands and side, rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified: no angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, but downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.

Crown Him with many crowns, the lamb upon His throne; Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own! Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee, and hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed o'er the grave, and rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save; His glories now we sing who died and rose on high, who died, eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of years: the potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime. All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me; Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity. Crown Him with many crowns!

    * The Doxology  (pew card)
    * Prayer of Dedication

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH 
    * Apostles’ Creed (pew card)        

* HYMN No. 239: I Know That My Redeemer Lives

* BENEDICTION 
      Response: Alleluia, Amen!, Charles Villiers-Stanford

POSTLUDE: Fuga (Second Sonata), Felix Mendelssohn

ANNOUNCEMENTS

WE WELCOME back the Rev. Douglas Estella to the pulpit.  Rev. Estella served as pastor of the Sunnyside Reformed Church from 2000 to 2006. Currently he is a teacher at the Academy of Urban Planning in Brooklyn. Doug and his wife, Janet, live in Sunnyside with their daughter, Renee.

THE COFFEE HOUR is hosted by the Congregational Care Committee in honor of the April birthdays.  Please join us in this time of fellowship.

CONGREGATIONAL LUNCHEON & MEETING on MAY 18, 12:00 pm 

Reports from Church organizations. 

Election of Elder and Deacons.  The slate is as follows: 

    Elder nominee: Judie Kellaway 
    Deacon nominees: Emerson Chen, Irma Schubert  

OUR APPRECIATION FOR TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS:

Van Driver: Jorge Alamilla 
Greeters: Vivian and Peter Sclafani
Ushers: Gina and Sal Lombardo, Nina and Bill Proschel and Jerry Good
Children and Worship: Michael Iovale and Sharon Rivilli

VAN SERVICE: If you need a ride to church on Sunday, speak with Gerry Mendler at (917) 362-6284 (day) or (718) 464-3464 (evening).  

CHILDCARE during the worship hour 

Children through age 3 in the Educational Building, 1st floor, in Room 1A.

Children ages 3 through 2nd grade will share in the service through the Junior Sermon, then go to Room 2E for the Children and Worship Program.

COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – To host a coffee hour after church, speak with Rhoda Jabbour.

YEAR-ROUND COLLECTIONS – 

  • Donations for the Food for Kids Ministry should be brought to the Church office.  This food will be given to families in need in Jamaica, New York. 
  • Donations for pets brought to the church office will be given to Worthy Pause to be distributed to local animal shelters.   
  • Christmas cards (with Forever Stamps on the envelopes) are collected in a basket at the back of the sanctuary.  These cards will enable inmates at the Nassau County Correction Center to correspond with their loved ones.                        

THE COTH SCHOLARSHIP FUND provides assistance to students who are part of our church community.  Scholarships are available to graduating high school students and students enrolled in post high school studies.  Applications are available in the church office and must be returned by May 1st.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Grace Attanasio, Ruth Bailey, John Benik, Letty Delgardo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Patricia Hamill, Jenny Hampton, Robert Keller, Hope Kingman, Fritz Kunisch, John Molino, Josephine Rivera, Janice Serra, Evelyn Stuedly.