Dear Congregation,
It will be good to have some time to relax together at the Fall Retreat tomorrow and Saturday. One advantage of the retreat format is that many of the distractions of daily life are set aside (maybe someday we’ll ban electronic devices as well!). 🙂 The weather is looking beautiful for the weekend — so Saturday should be a great day for walking, talking, playing in the sun.
Also, a reminder that Sunday school now starts at 9:00 a.m.!
And at 10:00 a.m. we have our weekly catechism quiz — followed by singing practice! Brendan Sunshine and Hayley Mullins are leading us in learning to sing parts — so if you have been wanting to work on this, we work through the soprano, bass, tenor, and alto lines of one of the songs that we will be singing.
New Members
The session has received the following members by transfer:
Lauren Lee
Daryn and Kristan Pobanz (with Benjamin, Lena, and Heidi)
Ember Workman
Sermon Series
In the morning service, I am preaching through the book of Exodus. After finishing Exodus, I will preach Philemon in October and then Book Four of the Psalms from November-January.
In the evening Joel and I are preaching a catechetical series through the topics of the Shorter Catechism. Then I will preach through Lamentations and Daniel (Joel will continue preaching once a month during the school year).
Prayer Requests
- For rulers and those in authority
- For the spread of the gospel
- Missionaries
- Will Traub (Dundee, Scotland)
- Jamie & Julia Thornton (Ukraine)
- Nell (France)
- C family (that place over there)
- Bruce and Pat (France)
- Markus & Sharon Jeromin (Uruguay)
- Lee & Emma DeHoog (North Africa)
- PCA Ministries
Mission to the World, Mission to North America, Reformed University Ministries, Interchurch Relations, Christian Education & Publications, Covenant College and Seminary, etc. - Great Lakes Presbytery
- Pastor Wallace serves on the Mission to North America Committee (church planting & Reformed University Fellowship)
- Mark Hanson serves on the Administrative Committee (reading session minutes, stewardship, and nominating members for committee service)
- Joel Irvin serves on the Candidates & Credentials Committee (examining and overseeing candidates for the ministry)
- Michiana Area Churches
- Grace Reformed OPC (Walkerton) — Pastor Matt Barker
- Elkhart RPCNA (Elkhart) — Pastor Wade Mann
- Grace Fellowship Church (Bremen) — Pastor Jon Hueni
- Grace Baptist Fellowship (Warsaw) — Pastor Aaron Hoak
- Fulkerson Park Baptist Church (Niles) — Pastor Brian Hedges
- Hillsdale OPC — Pastor Everett Henes
- New City EPC (South Bend) — Pastor Luke Potter
- Greater Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church (South Bend) — Pastor Earl Hairston
- All churches where Christ is preached.
- Pastor Peter and pastoral intern Joel
- Preaching Christ faithfully
- Discipleship and imitating Christ (as husband, father, and pastor)
- Writing and teaching projects
- MCPC Elders and Deacons
- for wisdom in leading the congregation
- praise for cash offer for the former LaPorte church building
- Elders: Jay, Mark, Rex, Joel, Stephen, and Jacob
- Deacons: Hugh, Mihkail, Jake, Dan, Matthew, and Bob
- That we would be salt and light in our community
- For those who are suffering, pray both for relief and for grace to endure in the midst of trials in our community:
- Patty (Jamie Irvin’s mother) — recovery from transplant
- Myrle Rowley’s great-grandson, Isaac (leukemia)
- In our congregation:
- Ian Heitzmann (diabetes)
- Bob Taylor (traumatic brain injury)
- Michael Kaufmann (rehab)
- Loss of loved ones
- wisdom that we might always number our days
- For students, wisdom to prepare effectively for future service
- Students away from home:
- Immanuel Deliyannides (Calvin)
- Olivia Deliyannides (Calvin)
- Lena Wallace (Bethel)
- For those who are looking for employment, that God would provide them with gainful employment so that they might provide for their households and be useful in the kingdom of God.
- For teachers, wisdom to train students for that service
- For the Michiana Covenant Academy as we seek to provide assistance to home schoolers
- For other area Christian (e.g., Covenant, Elkhart, and Granger Christian Schools) and public schools
- For home school teachers and students
- For husbands and wives; parents and children
- Lynns — with Audrey’s transition
- Longs — living in Germany, Maria’s schooling
- For those who desire children
- Irvins (fostering)
- For pregnant mothers
- Margaret McMillan
- Margaret McCarthy
- For those seeking to adopt
- For singles, both wisdom to devote themselves fully to Christ’s service and also (for those who desire it) a godly spouse
- For those preparing for marriage
If you would like a particular prayer request to appear in the Pastoral Notes, please let me know.
Below is the order of worship for Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Peter
http://www.peterwallace.org/
http://www.facebook.com/peter.wallace.3990
Morning Worship
“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God…”
*Call to Worship Psalm 99
Pastor: The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! He is holy!
People: The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! He is holy!
Pastor: Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD and he answered them. In the pillar of cloud he spoke to them; They kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.
People: O LORD our God, you answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
All: Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; For the LORD our God is holy!
*Hymn of Approach PHSS 225 “We Have Come to Zion’s Mount”
Preparation for Confession
Prayer of Confession with Lord’s Prayer (From Psalm 19)
Almighty God, the heavens declare your glory, and the firmament proclaims your handiwork, for you created all things out of nothing by the Word of your power, and you formed us of dust from the ground. And your law, O LORD, is perfect, reviving the soul. Your precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. And your commandments are pure, enlightening the eyes. But we have turned away from your law: our hearts have rejoiced in the lies of the world, the flesh and the devil, and our eyes have wandered from your commandments. We have earned death as the wages for our sin: we are dust and to dust we shall return. Have mercy upon us, O God, according to your steadfast love demonstrated to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Acquit us, O LORD, of all our hidden faults. Keep us from committing rebellious and willful sin. Do not let our sins rule over us. Forgive us, O LORD, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will be blameless; acquit us, and do not hold our great transgressions against us, but grant that as we have borne the image of the man of dust, that so also we may bear the image of the man of heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom you delivered to death for us, and raised up from the grave and seated in glory at your right hand. Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer. For we come to you in the name of Jesus, our Savior, who taught us to pray, “Our Father…”
Declaration of Pardon
*Hymn of Praise TH 174 “O Christ, Our King, Creator, Lord”
*Offertory Prayer
Offering
*Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise him all creatures here below! Praise him above, ye heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Amen
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”
Old Testament Reading Isaiah 12 (p. 60)
*Psalm of Response Psalm 103 “Praise God, My Soul”
New Testament Reading Luke 18:9-17 (p. 1008)
Sermon “Like Little Children” Rev. Ted Powers
*Hymn of Praise TH 460 “Amazing Grace”
“Now therefore, O LORD, let your word be confirmed…”
Congregational Prayer
*Nicene Creed (p.846)
Lord’s Supper
Exhortation & Blessing
Pastor The Lord be with you
People And also with you
Pastor Lift up your hearts
People We lift them up to the Lord
Pastor Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
People It is right to give him thanks and praise
Pastor prays: It is indeed right, and a good and joyful thing . . .
The Peace
Communion (We use wine as the element commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. We provide grape juice in the outer ring for those who conscientiously abstain from wine.)
Prayer of Thanksgiving (from the Didache)
We give thanks to you, Holy Father, for your holy name, which you have made to dwell in our hearts and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which you have made known to us through Jesus your Son; to you be the glory forever. For you have created all things for your name’s sake, that they might give thanks to you; but on us you have graciously bestowed spiritual food and drink and eternal life through your Son. Remember, O Lord, your church, to deliver her from all evil and perfect her in your love, and gather her from the four winds into your kingdom, for yours is the power and the glory forever. Amen.
*Closing Hymn Psalm 67 “O God, to Us Show Mercy”
*Benediction
Evening Worship
*Call to Worship
*Prayer of Invocation
*Hymn of Praise Psalm 73 “Surely God Is Good to Israel”
Psalms and Hymns
Scripture Reading 1 Chronicles 29 (pp. 531, 810)
Sermon “Thine Is the Kingdom” Pastor Peter Wallace
Q. 107. What does the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
A. The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen, teaches us to take our encouragement in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to him; and, in testimony of our desire, and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen.
Congregational Prayer
*Apostles’ Creed (p.845)
*Hymn of Praise Psalm 90 “Lord, You Have Ever Been Our Dwelling Place”
*Benediction
