May 22, 2022
Adult Sunday School at 9:30 am in-person and on Zoom.
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
PRELUDE
led by Dana
WELCOME & GREETING, COMMUNITY LIFE
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: We gather to worship the God who speaks a good word,
People: who tells us the story of our beginnings and opens up the promise of never-endings.
Leader: We gather to worship the God who embodies a good Word,
People: who shows us through Jesus Christ what impact a faithful, bold, and loving life can make.
Leader: We gather to worship the God who spreads the good word,
People: who enables us through the Spirit’s power to go forth in mission.
Leader: We join voices in praise of our great and gracious God.
INVOCATION
God of grace, you have given us minds to know you, hearts to love you, and voices to sing your praise. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may celebrate your glory and worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
WAY MAKER
You are here moving in our midst
I worship You, I worship You
You are here working in this place
I worship You, I worship You
chorus
(You are) Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper
Light in the darkness, my God, that is who You are
You are here touching ev’ry heart
I worship You, I worship You
You are here healing ev’ry heart
I worship You, I worship You
You are here turning lives around
I worship You, I worship You
You are here mending ev’ry heart
I worship You, yeah, I worship You, Lord
tag
That is who You are
That is who You are
That is who You are
That is who You are
bridge
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working
CCLI Song # 7115744 CCLI License # 349090
Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu © 2016 Integrity Music Europe
GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
Luke 9:46-48
46 An argument arose among them concerning which one of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the least among all of you is the greatest.”
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
* CHRIST BE MY LEADER
Christ be my leader
By night as by day;
Safe through the darkness,
For He is the way.
Gladly I follow,
My future His care,
Darkness is daylight
When Jesus is there.
Christ be my teacher
In age as in youth,
Drifting or doubting,
For He is the truth.
Grant me to trust Him;
Though shifting as sand,
Doubt cannot daunt me;
In Jesus I stand.
Christ be my Savior
In calm as in strife;
Death cannot hold me
For He is the life.
Darkness, nor doubting,
Nor sin and its stain
Can touch my salvation:
With Jesus I reign.
Covenant Hymnal, #603
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON
Philippians 1:1-18a
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy 5 for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, for all of you are my partners in God’s grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the tender affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the progress of the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ, 14 and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.
15 Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry but others from goodwill. 16 These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way.
Children ages 3-5 are dismissed to the fellowship hall for Children’s Church
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
You Are Here! Surprise!
Chaplain Jim Stoel
THOUGH I MAY SPEAK WITH BRAVEST FIRE
Though I may speak with bravest fire,
And have the gift to all inspire,
And have not love, my words are vain,
As sounding brass, and hopeless gain.
Though I may give all I possess,
And striving so my love profess,
But not be giv’n by love within,
The profit soon turns strangely thin.
Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
Our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide ev’ry deed.
By this we worship and are freed.
Covenant Hymnal, #581
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Kristine Brandel’s family, Michael Bucci, Barb Cannon, Art & Rosa Hamilton, the Koeller family, Jon and Jamie Kratowicz and baby Sullivan, Mary McKirchy, Shirley Nicholas, Laura Smith, Mary Smith, Delores and Steve Staurseth, Pastor Phil and Kerry Staurseth, and Esther Stoel.
Ministries & Mission
Christopher & Kristi Johnson, serving in Thailand, 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 & OFFERING
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle® to: giving@administrator
OFFERTORY
Largo
Benedetto Marcello
led by Erin 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.
* CORNERSTONE
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name
chorus
Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Saviour’s love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all
When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil
When He shall come with trumpet sound
O may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless stand before the throne
CCLI Song # 6158927 CCLI License # 349090
Edward Mote | Eric Liljero | Jonas Myrin | Reuben Morgan |
William Batchelder Bradbury © 2011 Hillsong MP Songs
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
Toccata in D minor
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 axiom.brass
About our guest preacher
Chaplain Jim Stoel served three Christian Reformed churches as sole pastor in each, and then served in hospital chaplaincy for 24 years.
Worship update
Due to an uptick in Covid-19 cases in Chicago, the Leadership Team of Ravenswood Covenant Church recommends mask use during services, but this is not mandatory.
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.
Thank you, Children’s Sunday School teachers!
Childen’s Sunday School is now on hiatus for the summer. We want to thank our Children’s Sunday School teachers (as well as Faith Forum leader LeRoy Carlson) for all of the dedication and hard work that they’ve devoted to our church’s teaching ministry!
2022 RECC church picnic
This year’s church picnic will be held today on the church grounds after the worship service. Please join us for fun, food, and fellowship. There will be activities for the children, including the bounce house!
Worship schedule change
Next Sunday, May 29, we will make our annual move to our summer hours for worship. The worship service will begin at 9:30 am, continuing every Sunday from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. There will be no Children’s Sunday School or Faith Forum during the summer.
Congregational meeting
There will be a congregational business meeting following worship on Sunday, June 5. We will vote to fill openings on the Leadership Team and will receive updates from the Leadership Team and the pastoral search committee. Please make plans to attend this meeting.
Graduation recognition
Please let Gregory in the office know if you have a student in your family who is graduating from elementary school, high school, college, or graduate school. Please let us know so we can celebrate with you with a cake reception on Sunday, June 5!
Taco Fridays
Coming this summer to a fellowship hall near you: Taco Fridays! Stay tuned for more information.
Gardening Day
Interested in helping to beautify the church grounds? We are exploring the idea of holding a gardening day this summer. Speak to or email Pastor Denise for more information.
Fellowship hour returns
Fellowship hour is back! The aim is to hold fellowship hour every other week until there is a full roster of volunteers for each of the fellowship hour serving teams, at which point it will again be a weekly aspect of our community life. We are in need of people who are willing to make coffee and set out food downstairs as well as clean up afterwards. If you would like to bake or bring treats to donate, you can also volunteer in that way. Please connect with Kari Johnson or Beth Anderson if you are willing to help out. We will teach you what you need to know for making coffee and finding what you need in the kitchen. We will pair people up so that no one has to do it all themselves. Contact Kari by email at Karinelson88@gmail.com.
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
Wanted: Church directory coordinator
Ravenswood Covenant is in the process of updating its online church directory, with the intention of eventually making paper copies of the directory available. We are seeking a volunteer who is willing to take on this project, which means gathering information and photographs and inputting them onto the church’s WordPress-based website. If you are interested in coordinating the directory update, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at 773-784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org.
Farmers market season begins June 15
Farmers market season is almost upon us! The first farmers market of the year will be held on Wednesday, June 15, and the season will run until our annual fall festival on Wednesday, October 12. This year’s markets will run from 4 pm to 7 pm, and as always they will be held in the church parking lot.
As always, we are looking for market volunteers to help out with set-up, assisting with kids activities, and take-down on Wednesdays. If you can assist, even if it’s only for one Wednesday, please contact Sneha John, Pastor Denise, or the church office.
Thursday evening adult Bible study
Our weekly Bible study meets on Thursday evenings at 7 pm. We are currently studying the book of Romans. We welcome anybody to the upstairs lounge on Thursday evenings who wants to take part in the Bible study. If you would prefer to participate remotely, or if you are out of town, the Bible study will continue to provide Zoom access as well for online participants.
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 May and June
May 22: Chaplain Jim Stoel
May 29: Gregory Sager
June 5: Pastor Kevin Swanson
June 12: Pastor Denise
June 19: LeRoy Carlson
June 26: Chaplain Eric Hillabrant
Scripture for next Sunday
Luke 6:43-45
Philippians 2:1-13
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.