April 14, 2024 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

April 14, 2024

Worship live on Sundays in person at 11:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.

PRELUDE
“He is Exalted”
led by Leslie and Cynthia

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: We praise God, the Creator – of an awe-inspiring eclipse; rain and wind; spring flowers; and of our lives.
People: God, You are filled with glory and power!
Leader: We worship Jesus, the Savior – saving all who call on His name.
People: Jesus, You are filled with love and compassion.
Leader: We experience the power of the Holy Spirit – renewing our lives and the earth; comforting and guiding; and equipping the church with gifts and unity.
People: Holy Spirit, You fill us with faith and joy.
In celebration, we worship our living Triune God!

UNISON PRAYER
from Psalm 103:1-5
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Forgive our sins. Heal our diseases. Redeem our lives from the pit. Crown us with love and mercy. Satisfy our needs with good things. Renew our youth like eagles. Amen.

* HE IS LORD
He is Lord, He is Lord,
He is risen from the dead and He is Lord!
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord.

He is King, He is King,
He will draw all nations to Him; He is King!
And the time shall be when the world shall sing
That Jesus Christ is King.

He is Love, He is Love,
He has shown us by His life that He is Love!
All His people sing with one voice of joy
That Jesus Christ is Love.

He is Life, He is Life,
He has died to set us free, and He is Life!
And He calls us all to live evermore,
For Jesus Christ is Life.

Covenant Hymnal, #310

WE EXALT THEE
And we exalt thee, we exalt thee,
We exalt thee, O Lord.

repeat

For thou, O Lord, art high above all the earth,
Thou art exalted far above all gods.

repeat

Covenant Hymnal, #13

GOSPEL LESSON: Rod Kutz
Mark 6:53-56

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. ⁵⁴When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized Him ⁵⁵and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. ⁵⁶And wherever He went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might touch even the fringe of His cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

* NO, NOT ONE
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus.
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our souls’ diseases.
No, not one! No, not one!

refrain
Jesus knows all about our struggles.
He will guide til the day is done.
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus.
No, not one! No, not one!

No friend like Him is so high and holy.
No, not one! No, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly.
No, not one! No, not one!

refrain

There’s not an hour that He is not near us.
No, not one! No, not one!
No night so dark but His love can cheer us.
No, not one! No, not one!

refrain

Public Domain/Paul Zach Publisher: Integrity Music

CHILDREN’S MOMENT

Children 6 and under are dismissed to Children’s Church in the upstairs lounge. Parents can pick up their children in the lounge after the service.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
Acts 3:1-10
The Lame Shall Walk
Pastor Ryan

WE BELIEVE IN THE NAME
We believe in the saving power
In the saving power
Of the name
His name is justice
A mighty fortress
A balm for the weary
Our refuge and our strength
His name is power
Our strong deliverer
We believe in Jesus’ name
We believe in the name
We believe in the healing power
In the healing power
Of the name
What’s His Name
Jesus

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden; Messian Burgos; Frank Coszach; Vira Coszach; Art & Rosa Hamilton; Trevor Hanks; Tatiana Randall; Sara Rosado; Mary Smith; Phillip, son of Iris Velez; and Lauren Vilardo

Ministries & Mission
Lisandro & Patricia Restrepo, serving in Mexico; Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp

THE LORD’S PRAYER:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

GIVING OF OUR TITHES & OFFERINGS
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle^® to: giving@ravenscov.org

OFFERTORY
“He is Lord”
led by Leslie and Cynthia

* DOXOLOGY & PRAYER
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

* GO, MY CHILDREN
Go, My children, with My blessing,
Never alone.
Waking, sleeping, I am with you;
You are My own.
In My love’s baptismal river
I have made you Mine forever.
Go, My children, with My blessing—
You are My own.

Go, My children, sins forgiven,
At peace and pure.
Here you learned how much I love you,
What I can cure.
Here you heard My dear Son’s story;
Here you touched Him, saw His glory.
Go, My children, sins forgiven,
At peace and pure.

Go, My children, fed and nourished,
Closer to Me;
Grow in love and love by serving,
Joyful and free.
Here My Spirit’s power filled you;
Here His tender comfort stilled you.
Go, My children, fed and nourished,
Joyful and free.

I the Lord will bless and keep you
And give you peace;
I the Lord will smile upon you
And give you peace:
I the Lord will be your Father,
Savior, Comforter, and Brother.
Go, My children; I will keep you
And give you peace.

Covenant Hymnal, #676

* BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God

POSTLUDE
Tiento de Falsas de Sexto Tono
Sebastian Aguilera de Heredia (b. 1570)
led by Cynthia

INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday. We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.

Please wear a nametag
We’ve had a number of visitors and new attendees lately, and it’s very important that we not only welcome them warmly to our church but also allow them to attach a name to a face. We’re asking everyone to return to our old practice of wearing nametags on Sunday morning. Blank nametags and Sharpies will be available both in the narthex and in the sanctuary.

Central Conference Annual Meeting delegates wanted
The Central Conference, our local region within the Evangelical Covenant Church that encompasses Illinois, Wisconsin, northern Indiana, eastern Missouri, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, will hold its Annual Meeting on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at Batavia Covenant Church in west suburban Batavia. If you are a member of Ravenswood Covenant and are interested in being a delegate from our church to this annual celebration and business meeting of our conference, please contact Pastor Ryan or Gregory Sager as soon as possible.

All delegate costs (registration fee, mileage, meals) will be reimbursed by the church.

Wedding shower for Josie & Nolan
On Saturday, April 27 at 10:00 am the church will hold a wedding shower for Josie Stratham and Nolan Baumgartner upstairs in the Nelson Lounge. All are invited to attend, women and men alike! Josie and Nolan are registered at Target and Crate & Barrel. For more information, or if you would like to help with the shower, please contact Stacey Johnson or Kelly Vetter.

“Classics & Jazz” concert by Lake County Symphony Orchestra
The Lake County Symphony Orchestra, featuring our own Cynthia Arden, will present a concert entitled “Classics & Jazz” on Saturday, April 20 at 7:00 pm at the Gurnee Community Church (4555 Old Grand Ave. in Gurnee). The concert will feature the famous “Appalachian Spring” by legendary American composer Aaron Copland, as well as a tribute to famed jazz saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker that will feature a jazz combo with the orchestra. Ticket information is available at this link.

Church garden plots available
Are you a gardener, or would you like to become one? Ravenswood Covenant has free garden plots available along the north boundary of the church parking lot. if you would like to claim a plot, please contact the church office at 773-784-7091 or at office@ravenscov.org.

Farmers market is returning!
Our farmers market will be back this summer and fall, and this year it will commence in the spring as well! We’re moving the start of the market forward to Wednesday, May 8, so it’s not too early to think about volunteering. We have openings for RECC greeting tent staff, children’s art tent staff, bounce house monitors, as well as people who can help to set up and/or take down the market.

This is not necessarily a commitment to the full span of the market; whenever you can help out would be great! For more information, please contact Bekah Carlson or leave your name and contact info at the church office.

Camp Booster Fund
Interested in sending your children to overnight camp at Covenant Harbor or Covenant Point next summer? We have a camp booster fund that will give $200 towards the fee of any Ravenswood Covenant child (or that child’s friend) who wishes to attend one of our two Central Conference summer camps. We feel that every child from our congregation who wants to attend camp should have the opportunity to go!

Sunday School and Faith Forum
Sunday School and Faith Forum meets at 10:00 am every week, unless otherwise noted. Come join us as we gather together to learn and grow in faith every Sunday morning.

Scripture reader sign-up
We are seeking people to read the scripture passages of the day as part of the worship services this coming spring. If you are willing to be a scripture reader in April, May, or June, please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the church office or in the narthex on Sundays, or contact Gregory Sager or Pastor Ryan.

Pastor Ryan’s office hours
Pastor Ryan’s office hours at church are typically Tuesday thru Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. If you would like to meet with Pastor Ryan please call the church office in advance to schedule an appointment.

Coffee hour changes
There is now a coffee hour bulletin board downstairs in the fellowship hall! (It’s right next to the kids’ serving window.) Please look there for updated serving instructions as well as to find out what team you’re on. We’ve had some turnover, so we encourage you to sign up to join a serving team if you haven’t done so already. A self-sign-up will now be available on the board so that you can pick which Sundays work best for you. As always, thanks for serving!

Thursday evening Bible study
The weekly Bible study meets Thursdays at 7:00 pm. We are studying the Gospel of Mark. The Bible study meets in the upstairs lounge. For more information, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at (773) 784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org.

We now have Zoom available again for those who would like to take part in the Bible study but cannot be physically present. The Zoom link for the Bible study is:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83923376849?pwd=YUlYVXBmOVdwV0d5L20ySng3aHU3Zz09

Meeting ID: 839 2337 6849
Passcode: 318853

Join Us in Sponsoring a Student in the NPTS SRA Program
North Park’s School of Restorative Arts offers a MA in Christian Ministry and Restorative Arts, allowing free and incarcerated students to study together. This unique degree program is designed to prepare individuals for ministries of restoration in contexts susceptible to violence and includes courses in trauma, race relations, nonviolent communication, conflict transformation, restorative practices, and transformative justice, in addition to Bible, theology, and history. In partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections, this four-year degree is currently offered at Stateville Correctional Center with 80 incarcerated men and a first cohort of 20 women at Logan Correctional Center.

We, Ravenswood Covenant Church, have partnered with North Park Theological Seminary by committing to sponsor a student in this program. To help us support an SRA student please send a check to church or give online and in the memo line write: “SRA Sponsorship.”

Scripture for next Sunday
Acts 17:1-9
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Our church exists to love and worship God, and love and care for others. By God’s grace, we commit to help people find and follow Jesus Christ through the guidance of His Spirit and His word.