April 16, 2023 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

April 16, 2023

Worship live on Sundays in person,
or on YouTube at 10:45 am.

Children’s Sunday School for ages K-7th grade at 9:30 am in-person.
Faith Forum (adult Sunday School) at 9:30 am in person and on Zoom.

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PRELUDE
led by Dana

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

COME, PEOPLE OF THE RISEN KING
Come, people of the Risen King
Who delight to bring Him praise
Come all, and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in

chorus
Rejoice, rejoice, let ev’ry tongue rejoice
One heart, one voice
O Church of Christ, rejoice

Come, those whose joy is morning sun
And those weeping through the night
Come, those who tell of battles won
And those struggling in the fight
For His perfect love will never change
And His mercies never cease
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace

chorus

Come, young and old from ev’ry land
Men and women of the faith
Come, those with full or empty hands
Find the riches of His grace
Over all the world His people sing
Shore to shore, we hear them call
The truth that cries through ev’ry age
Our God is all in all

chorus

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Psalm 40:9-10

I have told the glad news of deliverance
    in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
    as you know, O Lord.
¹⁰I have not hidden your saving help within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

* GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but they doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Reader: The word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God!

HEAR OUR PRAISES
May our homes be filled with dancing
May our streets be filled with joy
May injustice bow to Jesus
As the people turn and pray

chorus
From the mountain to the valley
Hear our praises rise to You
From the heavens to the nations
Hear our singing fill the air

May our light shine in the darkness
As we walk before the cross
May Your glory fill the whole earth
As the water over the seas

chorus

bridge
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

ending
From the mountain to the valley
Hear our praises rise to You

CHILDREN’S MOMENT
Erin Stoel

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.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Don’t lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will direct your paths.
Al-le-lu-ia, Al-le-lu-ia, and
He will direct your paths.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
The Last Words of Jesus
Pastor LeRoy Carlson

WE HAVE HEARD THE JOYFUL SOUND
We have heard the joyful sound:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to ev’ry land,
Climb the steeps and cross the waves;
Onward!—’tis our Lord’s command;
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Send it on the rolling tide,
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Tell to sinners far and wide,
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing, you islands of the sea!
Echo back, you ocean caves!
Earth shall keep her jubileeL
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Sing above the battle strife:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
By His death and endless life:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing it softly thru the gloom,
When the heart for mercy craves;
Sing in triumph o’er the tomb;
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Give the winds a mighty voice:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Let the nations now rejoice:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout salvation full and free,
Highest hills and deepest caves;
This our song of victory:
  Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Covenant Hymnal, #686

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Messian Burgos, Frank Coszach, Vira Coszach, Pedro Gomez, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Mary McKirchy, Nona Michael and the Michael family, Kathy Sager, Mary Smith, and Steve Staurseth

Ministries & Mission
Gary & Mary Lou Sander, serving in Colombia; Barb & Steve Swanson, serving in Sweden

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
Largo
G.F. Telemann
led by Tim Liu

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.

BECAUSE HE LIVES
God sent His son
They called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal, and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove
My Savior lives.

Because He lives
I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives
All fear is gone;
Because I know
He holds the future,
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives.

And then one day
I’ll cross the river;
And I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory
And I’ll know He lives.

Because He lives
I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives
All fear is gone;
Because I know
He holds the future,
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives.

Covenant Hymnal, #744

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

POSTLUDE
Allegro
led by Tim Liu

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

We welcome guest musician Tim Liu to our worship today. Tim is completing his freshman year at Lake Forest College as a viola major. He is a graduate of Stevenson High School.

Worship update
The Leadership Team of Ravenswood Covenant Church recommends mask use during services, but this is not mandatory.

Ravenswood Covenant livestreams worship each week on YouTube, so Sunday morning worship is accessible to anyone who has Internet access.

Our pastoral candidate
As tasked by this congregation fourteen months ago, the pastoral search committee is presenting a candidate to receive the call as pastor of Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church. His name is Ryan Eikenbary-Barber, and he and his family will join us over the course of the final weekend in April, beginning with a community dinner on Thursday evening, April 27, from 5:30 to 6:30. The candidate weekend will conclude with our worship service on Sunday, April 30, in which Pastor Ryan will help lead worship as well as preach, and a congregational meeting after worship in which a motion to call him to be our pastor will be voted upon.

A full list of the weekend’s activities will be made available shortly.

His c.v., which includes his faith statement and a description of his approach to ministry, has been sent to the church’s mailing list, along with some pictures of him and his family.

We hope that you will make the most of this opportunity to meet Pastor Ryan and to welcome the Eikenbary-Barbers as our guests that weekend. And we pray for both a good spirit amongst us in the coming days and for the Lord’s guidance as we seek to discern God’s will for our community of faith.

An update from Pastor Mark
Loving greetings once again!

We wanted to send you news sooner, but talk about hitting the ground running! Mark has already spoken seven times and Aly has spoken some as well. They apologized and said they wanted to wring every drop of ministry they could from us! Ha ha! It has been hilarious and an absolute blast!

Among other engagements: two seminars for our ReWire ministry, a devotional, and preaching as the closing presenter for the annual meeting of the national Covenant church of Argentina. Another three messages preached and greetings brought to other churches. We still have some more to go!

We have been spending time with people and leaders/pastors from the Covenant churches as well. We are staying in their homes. Incredible food is of course the order of the day.

We really wish you could be here to share in the joy of this time with our beloved Argentine brothers and sisters. Some we last saw in 2019, but most we have not seen since 2010.

We so appreciate your prayers and support.

Lake County Symphony Orchestra concert
The Lake County Symphony Orchestra, featuring our own Cynthia Arden, will be performing “A Celebration of Classical Jazz”, featuring Mussorgky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, in concert at the Gurnee Community Church, 4555 Old Grand Ave. in Gurnee, on April 22 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 presale and $25 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased at www.lakecountysymphonyorchestra.com.

Wedding invitation
Elizabeth Bleakley and James White would be honored to have you attend their wedding ceremony at North Park Covenant Church on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 12 pm. Michael Bucci will be walking his mother down the aisle. All three are excited to share this moment with you and hope you are able to join them. A cake reception will follow in the parlors.

Community Dinners
Thursday night community dinners are our main community gathering occasions during the work week. Our next community dinner will be held on Thursday, April 27 at 5:30 pm. The suggested donation for the dinner is $5 for individuals and $10 for families.

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. 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!

Aid for Ukrainian refugees
Jeremy and Amanda Foster, who attend our church, have a direct connection to a mission that is serving refugees who have fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Jeremy’s parents Don and Beatrice Foster are in Hazebrouck, France as tentmaker missionaries and have prepared rooms in their home for refugees coming from Ukraine.

If you would like to donate to help the Fosters pay for extra food and supplies, please give a donation to Ravenswood Covenant that is specially designated for Ukrainian refugees. If you would like to give directly online, the website for the Fosters is https://ukraine.la-ferme-de-la-papote.com/ .

The Covenant denomination is also raising funds for Ukraine through Covenant World Relief. Here is the link if you would like to donate through the Covenant’s program. https://giving.covchurch.org/priorities-detail/ukraine-response

Thursday evening Bible study
The weekly Bible study meets Thursdays at 7 pm. We are about to begin studying the Gospel of Mark. The Bible study meets in the lounge, and is also accessible by Zoom. For more information, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at (773) 784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95052558015?pwd=N3d1eFpUUmUwenhCSzNJNUk3WEV2QT09

The Zoom meeting ID for the Bible study: 972 871 4458
The Zoom passcode for the Bible study: 1qa3CD

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.”

RECC preaching schedule for April
April 2: Pastor Mark
April 9: Central Conference Superintendent Danny Martinez
April 16: LeRoy Carlson
April 23: Gregory Sager
April 30: pastoral candidate

Scripture for next Sunday
Acts 10:1-17, 34-48
Matthew 9:36-37
Psalm 98

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.