PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
led by Cynthia

KIDS TIME
Music & A Visit from some friends

PRELUDE
He Lives
led by Cynthia

WELCOME & GREETING

CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: O Lord, open our eyes,
People: that we may see the beauty of goodness.

L: O Lord, open our ears,
P: that we may hear the truth.

L: O Lord, open our lips,
P: that we may show forth Your praise.

L: Christ is risen!
P: He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

HE LIVES
I serve a risen Savior,
He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever some may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need him
He’s always near.
He lives (He lives), He lives (He lives),
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives (He lives), He lives (He lives),
salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me
I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary,
I never will despair;
I know that He is leading
Through all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing
Will come at last.
He lives (He lives), He lives (He lives),
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives (He lives), He lives (He lives),
salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

Rejoice, rejoice O Christian,
Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs
To Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him,
The help of all who find,
None other is so loving,
So good and kind.
He lives (He lives), He lives (He lives),
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives (He lives), He lives (He lives),
salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

Covenant Hymnal, #253

NEW TESTAMENT LESSONS
Acts 1:4-7
While staying with [the apostles], He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” He said, “is what you have heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, is this the time when You will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. 

1st John 3:1-7
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when He is revealed, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. And all who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure.

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He was revealed to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has either seen Him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. 

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.

Covenant Hymnal, #423

GOSPEL LESSON
Mark 6:30-46
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told Him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, He saw a great crowd; and He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, His disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” 37 But He answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 And He said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then He ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people; and He divided the two fish among them all. 42 And all ate and were filled; 43 and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. 45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. 46 After saying farewell to them, He went up on the mountain to pray.

Leader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God

(sung)
Glory be to the Father, 
And to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
And He Had Compassion For Them
Pastor Phil 

JESUS BREAD OF LIFE
Jesus. bread of life, manna from heaven
Broken for the world
Offered up for every man
The feast of angels
Becomes food for the weary
And hungry hearts are filled
When You open up Your hand
When You open up Your hand

chorus
Oh Lord come fill us with your love
This table laid for us
There is more than enough
Oh Jesus bread of life

Sister, take what you need ,anything I own
There is no famine here, Jesus’ love will multiply
Brother. what’s mine is yours, you are not alone
There is no shortage here, Jesus’ love will satisfy
Jesus’ love will satisfy

CCLI Song # 7138305 CCLI License # 349090
Audrey Assad | Fernando Ortega© 2019 Fortunate Fall Music

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
led by Pastor Denise

Folks We Are Praying For:
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.

Church family who work in and around hospitals & nursing homes:
Alex A, Kyra A, Hannah A, Sam A, Linda C, Carl G, Katie G, Eric H, Rachel H, Chona I, Abby H, Dana J, Bryan J, Kari J, Neal J, Eric S, Don T.

(If we missed any people’s names above please let us know.)

We continue to pray for: Phyllis Levinson (Joyce Oseland’s sister), Kathy Salzano, Nikolas Arden, Katie Collier, Art and Rosa Hamilton, Shirley Nicholas, Paul Mounts, Joyce Andrews, Steve Hoden, Mary Spriggs, Alice Nilsson (Nancy Popovich’s sister), the Brandel-Tanis family, the Morales/Randall family.

Ministries & Mission
Helen & Timothy Smith, serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Barb & Steve Swanson, serving in Sweden

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

GOD THE MAKER
We bring our time we bring our treasure
We lay them down before Your throne
You will make them something greater
More than we could ever know

We bring our gifts we bring our power
Place them in Your sov’reign hand
You will take what we have given
You will use it for Your plan

chorus
Glory be to God the Maker
Glory be to God Creator
Take our time use our treasure
Turn them into something greater
Glory be to God the Maker

Though our hearts are weak from failure
Broken dreams and failed attempts
Show us that in ev’ry season
You will fill our emptiness

CCLI Song # 7097863 CCLI License # 349090
David Gungor | Isaac Wardell | Paul Zach © Hymns From The Porter’s Gate

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.  

COMMUNITY LIFE

.

CHRIST IS ALIVE!
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.

Christ is a live! No longer bound
To distant years in Palestine,
But saving, healing, here and now,
And touching ev’ry place and time.

In ev’ry insult, rift, and war,
Where color, scorn, or death divide,
Christ suffers still, yet loves the more,
And lives, where even hope has died.

Women and men, in age and youth,
Can feel the Spirit, hear the call,
And find the way, the life, the truth,
Revealed in Jesus, freed for all.

Christ is alive and comes to bring
Good news to this and ev’ry age;
Till earth and sky and ocean ring
With joy, with justice, love and praise.

Covenant Hymnal, page 259

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

POSTLUDE
Allegro in C, by J.S.Bach
led by Cynthia

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

music as we go, by maxeltoft

Reopening the sanctuary for worship
We have reopened the sanctuary for a small group of people to join in person for worship. Reservations are required, so if you would like to be a part of this group, contact the church office by phone (773-784-7091) or email (office@ravenscov.org) each week that you would like to attend. Ravenswood Covenant will continue to livestream worship each week on YouTube and Facebook; this is now a permanent feature of our ministry, so Sunday morning worship will remain accessible to anyone who has Internet access.

We have increased the number of people in the sanctuary we will accommodate to 35. We will continue to follow all of the current local and state safety protocols, including: temperature checks when you arrive; masks required at all times; sitting socially distant; avoiding handshakes and hugs; changes to communion and offering; and discouraging singing.

There will be no nursery, and all Sunday School classes will remain virtual at this time.

Congregational business meeting scheduled
The Leadership Team of Ravenswood Covenant has scheduled a congregational business meeting to be held after the worship service on Sunday, May 2. The meeting is contingent upon achieving a quorum of 25 members. On the agenda will be formally approving the 2021 budget, voting in new Leadership Team members, approving a bylaw amendment to allow for virtual Leadership Team Meetings, and voting to approve a few new members. If you are a member of the church, please make plans to attend. Of course, masks and social distancing will be in effect for the meeting.

Delegates sought for Annual Meeting
Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church is a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church. As such, our church takes part in the governance of the denomination by sending delegates to its governing body, the Annual Meeting. RECC is seeking interested members of the church to serve as delegates to this year’s Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church, which will be held June 24-26. All business sessions of the Annual Meeting will be held virtually via Zoom, so there is no travel involved. If you do not have Zoom, or if you wish to have the church’s resources at hand, you may use the Zoom link and the big screen in the church’s Nelson Lounge as your venue from which to participate in the Annual Meeting.

If you are interested in being a delegate to the Annual Meeting, please contact a member of the Leadership Team (listed at the bottom of this email), or contact the church office.

Covenant Harbor events
Today from 9 am to 2 pm is the annual Covenant Harbor Camp Maple Fest in Lake Geneva. This event is different from past years and is being done in a farmer’s market style. More information can be found at: https://covenantharbor.org/maple-fest/.

The Mother/Daughter Retreat is May 7-8 at Covenant Harbor. This event is geared for mothers and daughters ages K-8, but aunts, grandmas, friends, and sisters are invited to be a part of this weekend. See the website for more details: https://covenantharbor.org/moms-daughters-retreat/

Book study
In May we will begin discussing Race and Place: How Urban Geography Shapes the Journey to Reconciliation. The author, David Leong, is a professor of missiology at Seattle Pacific Seminary. 

“Race and Place reveals the profound ways in which these geographic forces and structures sustain the divisions among us. Urban missiologist David Leong, who resides in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, unpacks the systemic challenges that are rarely addressed in the conversation about racial justice.

“The evening news may deliver story after story that causes us to despair. But Leong envisions a future of belonging and hope in our streets, towns, cities, and churches. A discussion about race needs to go hand in hand with a discussion about place. This book is a welcome addition to a conversation that needs to include both.”

The book can be purchased through InterVarsity as paperback or ebook.  https://www.ivpress.com/race-and-place

Contact Pastor Denise for more information. denise@ravenscov.org.

Faith Forum


Faith Forum meets via Zoom at the traditional meeting time of 9:30 am on Sunday. This is the Zoom link for Faith Forum. The link is also provided at the top of the bulletin every week.

Thursday evening Zoom Bible study on two-week hiatus


The Thursday evening Bible study is taking a two-week hiatus before returning for good on Thusday, April 29 at 7 pm. The Bible study meets each Thursday at 7 pm and is currently studying the book of
1 Corinthians.

The Zoom link for the Bible study is https://zoom.us/j/95052558015?pwd=N3d1eFpUUmUwenhCSzNJNUk3WEV2QT09

Meeting ID: 950 5255 8015
Passcode: 141628

Worship bags for kids
Each week there will be worship bags for children ages 2 to 12 attending worship. The bag will have the child’s name on it and will only be used by that child. Parents are asked to inform the church office when registering for worship that they will be bringing a child or children between 2 or 12 with them, so that Pastor Denise can provide a bag for each child.

2021 camp registration update from HarborPoint Ministries
Spring may just have started … but at Covenant Harbor and Covenant Point Bible camps, the staffs are already thinking about summer! For those who are wondering about camp options for summer 2021, you may check out day, overnight, and family camp options at posted at www.covenantharbor.org and www.cpbc.com. Register now … spaces are filling up fast!

Prayer meeting has returned


The church’s biweekly prayer meeting that gathers every second and fourth Monday night each month has resumed! After being shut down due to the city’s pandemic guidelines, the city’s reduced infection rate and the upswing in vaccinations has led the church’s leadership to once again allow the prayer meeting to convene. The next meeting will be at
7 pm on Monday, April 26. Masks and social distancing will still be required, as before.

Free masks available
The church is offering free masks to anyone in the congregation who is in need of one. If you would like, you may make a donation to our benevolence fund when you come to the church building to pick yours up. Please contact the church office at office@ravenscov.org or 773-396-6175 for more information.

Our response to the current health crisis
As a community of faith we continue to pray for the health and welfare of our church and community as we resist the temptation to fall prey to fear. We do, however, want to continue to look out for the welfare of our friends and neighbors. We are doing our best to stay current with best practices for this unique time — please stay tuned as these may change. Our primary place for timely communication will be our website, ravenscov.org. We will also offer reminders and notes on our Facebook page and by email. We are livestreaming our Sunday morning worship on Facebook Live and YouTube so that you may continue to be a part of our worship. Do not, however, become isolated. If you need any help there are folks in our church who can do so. Call the office (773-784-7091) or email the office (office@ravenscov.org).

General fund giving:
April 4: $5,731

General fund giving:
April 11: $1,624

Scripture for next Sunday
Mark 6:47-56, 7:31-37
Acts 1:6-11
1 John 3:16-24

Art Used in this Bulletin: Steve Erspamer, SM
Clip Art for Year A © 1992, Archdiocese of Chicago.

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.

"With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." (Mark 4:30-32 NRS)