Woestina Reformed Church

1397 Main St. P.O. Box 420

Rotterdam Junction, NY 12150

Telephone: (518) 887-5152

E-mail: Woestina@localnet.com

Web Page Address:

http://woestinareformedchurch.org

The Newsletter January 2018

Pastor: the Rev. Kent Mc Heard

Telephone: (518) 843-9061

E-mail: kentmcheard@netscape.net

McHeard Moment Who is Jesus Christ?

Part One

This is not a question of wasted words or time and is certainly a question befitting queries from theologians; more so, however, this question comes from the secular word.

Who Jesus Christ? To some He is savior, a succorer (helper), sovereign, supreme, and source of all the fullness of the God head in bodily form. For some in the secular realm, He is simply a by word or a good moral person with notable ideals. He is a potpourri of Gandhi and King combined in an array of religiosity and social gospel manifested in a way that moved a mass of people to the establish particular churches. He is by some nothing more than a very Good person.

But who is Jesus Christ? I ask this question not expecting a full or complete answer, for I do not believe the world itself is big enough to handle that answer. I simply ask that question to explore what our Creeds and Confessions say about Him. So I asked the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Cannon of Dort the question of who Jesus is and notice with me their answers.

Apostles Creed:

"And in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead."

Nicene Creed:

"And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead; Whose Kingdom shall have no end."

Heidelberg Catechism:

"Question 18. Who is this mediator true God and at the same time truly human and perfectly righteous? Answer. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given to redeem us completely and to make us right with God.

Question 29. Why is the Son of God called "Jesus," meaning Savior? Answer. Because he saves us from our sins, and because salvation is not to be sought or found in any other. Question 30. Do those who look for their salvation and security in saints, in themselves, or elsewhere really believe in the only Savior Jesus? Answer. No. Although they boast of being his, by their deeds they deny the only Savior and Redeemer Jesus. Either Jesus is not a perfect Savior, or those who in true faith accept this Savior have in him all they need for their salvation. Question 31. Why is he called "Christ," meaning anointed? Answer. Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who perfectly reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God for our redemption; our only high priest who has redeemed us by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the redemption he has won for us.

Therefore, for you beloved...who is Jesus Christ?

Respectfully Submitted

Rev. Kent A. Mc Heard

Special Prayers for Those in Need

For Individuals:

Elizabeth Irwin, Joe Bennett,

Virginia Mastroianni, Cyndy McKay

For Our Church Family:

Shut-ins, Our Sunday School Children

For Our Community, Nation & World Peace:

Those serving in the Armed Forces

Victims of war The Poor Widows and Orphans

Victims of hurricanes, floods, fires and earthquakes

Christians throughout the World

Please give your prayer requests to Pastor Mc Heard.

Adult Bible Study

Sunday Mornings Tuesday Mornings Thursday Evenings

9:30 am 10:30 am 6:00 pm

Please check the church bulletin for occasional changes.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

January Birthdays

1 John Hemstreet 1 Donald Woodward 3 Dick Lordi 4 Linda Camardello 4 Janet Pickney 7 Nancy Rogers 8 Mary Jo Nagell 12 Peter Neff 19 Emma Lewis 24 Rebecca Dion 26 MaryLou McCarroll

January Anniversaries

15 Kent & Colleen McHeard 24 William & Janet Pickney

Mission of the Month

City Mission of Schenectady

This program seeks to meet the needs of the poor in ways that dignify and strengthen the individual, the family and the community. The city mission of Schenectady has been providing clothing, meals, shelter, educational training and biblical counseling since 1906.

Food Pantry

The food pantry will continue to be open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month from 9:00 until noon. The pantry is also open for seniors after Ginny’s Lunch which is usually held on the last Thursday of each month.

Coffee, juice, canned meat, meal packages, complete pancake mix, syrup, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, paper products and laundry detergent are some of the items that always need replenishing.

Thank you to all who contribute financially, donate food and personal care products and to Karin for coordinating this important community outreach.

Ginny’s Lunch

The next Ginny’s Lunch is scheduled for noon on Thursday, January 25th.

Please call 356-7178 for reservations by Monday January 22nd with your choice of soup, along with your name and telephone number.

The soup choices for January will be Turkey Noodle and Pea, with crackers, dessert and beverage.

Thank you to the volunteers and your financial support that make Ginny’s Lunch possible.

Sunday School News

I hope everyone enjoyed the Sunday School Christmas program. The kids did a really great job. I would also like to thank Mrs. Decker for making some of the costumes, Mrs. Havlik for being part of our program and playing the piano for us, Mr. Brittain, Emily and Amy for helping everyone with their parts. But most of all I wish to thank everyone who helps to make sure the kids can come to church and that we get to enjoy them!

Here are a few dates to enter in your calendar books:

Youth Group – first Sunday of each month, to be held during Sunday school. Youth group Activity – Our Friday night activity date must be changed for January. I will announce new date at Sunday School. Activities are for ages 10 and over unless it’s a game night where everyone is invited.

Last Supper program – held during church on March 25, 2018 (Palm Sunday)

Youth Sunday – June 10, 2018. Vacation Bible School – July 16 thru July 20, 2018.

We are still collecting used greeting cards to donate to St. Jude’s Hospital. This is for their “Recycled Card Program”, they use the front covers to make new holiday and all occasion greeting cards. We also are continuing to collect cans and bottles for recycling as our Youth Group fundraiser. Drop them off at the Country Feed Store, 5040 State Hwy. 30, Amsterdam and tell them they are for the Woestina Reformed Church Youth Group or you can drop them off at the church and we will get them there. Thanks for your support. Remember to invite children that you may know to come and experience God’s great world, also offer a ride because they may need one. Thanks! Nancy Gore Sunday School Director

Children’s Christmas Program

Potluck Supper

Our first potluck was a huge success! Please look for the pot-luck sign up sheet in the community room. We will select a date for January based on your feedback. Please bring a casserole, or dessert to share. The selection of dishes in December was excellent as were the desserts.

+ Christian Symbols +

XPICTOC

This set of letters spells “Christ” in Greek. It may be written using the Roman alphabet (from which the English alphabet descended), but is also often presented in Greek characters, as shown here. The NewsletterNewsletter January 2018

Three Questions

There’s a tale of a traveling priest who was confronted by a soldier in pre-revolutionary Russia. Rifle in hand, the soldier barked, “Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there?”

Instead of answering, the priest asked how much the soldier was paid — and offered double if the soldier would challenge him with those three questions each day as he passed. Those three important questions can guide us on our journey through the brand-new year ahead. For Christians, thankfully, the answers are clear:

• Who are you? “I’m a child of God!” • Where are you going? “I’m going out into the world!” • Why are you going there? “I’m going out of love for Jesus, who died for me!”

Place these questions and answers in a spot where you can see them each day. Then go forward confidently, knowing “whose” you are and what your purpose is.

The NewsletterNewsletter January 2018

The Newsletter Team

Ray Freer, Ken Brittain, Fran Kugler

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month’s newsletter. Items for the newsletter may be placed in the Newsletter Folder in the church office or they may be sent as a Word document to my e-mail address lkugler@nycap.rr.com

The newsletter is published September through June. Items for inclusion in the newsletter should be submitted by the 15th of the previous month.

Fran Kugler