ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR February 19, 2017

Activities this week:

After Worship: Stone House Day Committee

Sunday: 5:00 pm Youth Fusion

Tuesday: 9:30 am Badminton

11:00 am Balance for Life

Wednesday: 7:30 am Bible Study

8:30 – 5:00 AARP Tax Preparation

Thursday: 9:30 am Badminton

8:30 – 5:00 AARP Tax Preparation

7:30 pm Choir Practice

It’s Soup! The soup elves have Tuscan soup today.

Spire articles are due!!! (like tomorrow). Thanks in advance for your help.

Mission of the month: The February mission of the month is our Deacon Fund.Next month’s mission is "The Water Walk", an event to help the global water crisis. The "Walk" is scheduled forMarch 25th. More info to come.

The Reformed Church is a connectional church. Our classis includes 33 congregations in the Mid-Hudson Valley. We pray for the strength and vision of the pastors and the revitalization of their members. Today we pray for Flatbush Reformed Church, Lake Katrine, New York.

Contribution Statements are available. They are in Schadewald Hall today. You can also pick your statement up in the office.

FREE Tax Preparation for all low and moderate income taxpayers of all ages (provided by AARP Tax Aide and the IRS at various Ulster County locations). Please call 845-255-0791 on weekdays from 10 am to 3 pm for more information or an appointment.

If you are interested in joining the church,please talk to Rev. Gram.

Please keep Dave Giles in your prayers as he is having heart surgery on Monday. He is in St Peters in Albany.

Looking ahead:

  • February 26, 2017 Sermon: “Does Your Life Have Meaning?” Scripture text: Luke 12:13-21.
  • March 1, 2017, Ash Wednesday Service, 7:30 pm.

Events at other churches: Check the Bulletin Board in the entrance to

Schadewald Hall for more information.

Rhinebeck Reformed Church, Lunch and Learn: Mary Magdalene’s Politics of

Exorcism, February 19, Lunch at 1230; presentation at 1:00 pm. Presenter is Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton

Classics in Religion at Kingston Library, February Topic: Gnosticism: Christian

Heresy? Wednesdays, February 22 at 10:30 am

Classics in Religion at Kingston Library, March Topic: Seeking the Vitality of

God in Poetry. Wednesdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at 10:30 am

Classics in Religion at Kingston Library, April Topic: Perennial Philosophy by

Aldous Huxley, April 5, 12, 19, 26

Lenten Bible Study: Dr. Gram will be presenting a course on the Reformation whose 500th anniversary we celebrate this year. The class will be held Tuesday evenings, March 7, March 14, and March 21 in the Dutch Room.

March 7Martin Luther

March 14John Calvin

March 21Ulrich Zwingli and the left wing of the

Reformation

Each class will look at the biography and the significant writings. We will focus particularly on their understanding of the cross.

On Sunday, January 29, 2017, during the church service, Rev. Dr. Robert Gram announced to the congregation present, that he will retire in March 2018, as of his 70th birthday, in accordance with RCA guidelines.

In preparation for this departure, the Consistory requested Gretchen Giles and Douglas Constant to act as co-chairpersons for a transition team which would lead us through a search process monitored by a supervising minister from the Hudson Valley Classis.

This process follows specific guidelines set forth by the RCA in their Pastoral Search Handbook. Such.guidelines are organized according to the following eight steps:

  1. Termination
  2. Early Decisions
  3. Direction-Finding
  4. Self-study
  5. Search
  6. Decision-making
  7. Installation
  8. Pastoral Start-up

The Transition Team (“Team”) intends to keep the process independent, yet transparent so that the congregation is aware of the current step. While the Team is selected, we await the assignment of the supervising minister.