WELCOME TO HANOVER VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Our purpose is to become an authentic community that knows Christ and makes His grace and truth known with such power and glory that lives are transformed by the gospel, multiplying worship and praise to God throughout Hanover and the world.
Welcome. We’re glad that you’re with us. We hope you’ll find joyful worship that engages both your heart and mind, as well as genuine friendship and a caring atmosphere. Please take advantage of any of the opportunities offered here. If we can serve you in any way today, simply speak to one of the ushers.
Children are welcome to stay in the service, but if you prefer, quality childcare is provided throughout the service for children from infants to kindergarten aged. Please speak to one of our ushers for locations.
This bulletin will guide you through the service – just start on the next page and continue as the pastor leads. (Moments when you should stand are noted).
As a courtesy to you and those around you, we ask that you please mute cell phones during the worship time.
To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest;
To all who mourn and long for comfort;
To all who struggle and desire victory;
To all who sin and need a Savior;
To all who are strangers and want fellowship;
To all who hunger and thirst after righteousness;
And to all who will come,
this church opens wide her doors and
offers welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
REFLECTIONS
But the structure of sin in the human personality is something far more complicated than isolated acts and thoughts of deliberate disobedience commonly designated by the word. In its biblical definition, sin cannot be limited to isolated instances or patterns of wrongdoing; it is something much more akin to the psychological term complex: an organic network of compulsive attitudes, beliefs and behavior deeply rooted in our alienation from God…. The human heart is now a reservoir of unconscious disordered motivation and response, of which unrenewed persons are unaware if left to themselves, for “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
The Holy Spirit comes to make us holy, by making us know and feel the reality of God through His son Jesus Christ – God’s hatred of, recoil from, and wrath against our sins, and his loving insistence on changing and rebuilding our characters while he forgives us for Jesus’ sake. Have we ever felt these things, that is, been stirred and shaken and altered by their impact? And are we inwardly ready now to embark on a pursuit that may leave us feeling them?
SUNDAY WORSHIP
April 27th, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship
Gathering Songs (Please Stand)
Arise, My Soul, Arise
Arise, my soul, arise. Shake off your guilty fears
The bleeding sacrifice on my behalf appears
Before the throne my surety stands
Before the throne my surety stands
My name is written on His hands
Chorus: Arise (arise) arise (arise)
Arise, arise my soul arise
Arise (arise) arise (arise)
Arise, arise my soul arise
Shake off your guilty fears and rise
He ever lives above for me to intercede
His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead
His blood atoned for every race
His blood atoned for every race
And sprinkles now the throne of grace Chorus
My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear
He owns me for His child, I can no longer fear
With confidence, I now draw nigh
With confidence, I now draw nigh
And “Father, Abba, Father” cry Chorus
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee Whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
O Lamb of God, I come come.
I Come By the Blood
You are the perfect and righteous God
Whose presence bears no sin.
You bid me come to Your holy place,
How can I enter in when your presence bears no sin?
Through Him, who poured out His life for me,
The atoning Lamb of God.
Through Him, and His work alone I boldly come.
Chorus: I come by the blood, I come by the cross
Where Your mercy flows from hands pierced for me
For I dare not stand on my righteousness,
My every hope rests in what Christ has done
And I come by the blood.
You are the high and exalted King,
The one whom angels fear
So far above me in every way,
Lord how can I draw near to the one whom angels fear?
Through Him, who laid down His life for me,
And ascended to Your side.
Through Him, through Jesus alone I boldly come. Chorus
Corporate Prayer of Confession
O Lord Jesus Christ, no day of my life has passed that has not proved me guilty in your sight. My best services are filthy rags. All things in me call for my rejection; however, all things in Christ plead my acceptance. Grant me to hear your voice assuring me that by your stripes I am healed, that you were bruised for my iniquities, that you have been made sin for me that I might be righteous in you. Grant that by resting in your righteousness I may hereafter walk in newness of life and run hard after your commandments. Amen.
Private Confession
Words of Encouragement
Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.
Isaiah 44:21-23
Song of Assurance
(Please Stand)
Fairest Lord Jesus
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
Son of God and Son of man;
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor;
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairer are the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight,
And all the twinkling, starry host:
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heav’n can boast.
Beautiful Savior! Lord of all nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be thine.
Announcements & Prayers of the People
Special Music & Offering
Scripture
Galatians 5:16-26
Sermon
Living by the Spirit
Song of Reflection
(Please Stand)
Mercies Anew
Ev’ry morning that breaks there are mercies anew.
Ev’ry breath that I take is your faithfulness proved,
And at the end of each day, when my labors are through,
I will sing of your mercies anew.
When I’ve fallen and strayed there were mercies anew.
For you sought me in love and my heart you pursued.
In the face of my sin, Lord, you never withdrew.
I will sing of your mercies anew.
Bridge: And your mercies they will never end;
For ten thousand years they remain.
And when this world’s beauty has passed away,
Your mercies will be unchanged.
And when the storms swirl and rage, there are mercies anew.
In affliction and pain, you will carry me through.
And at the end of my days when your throne fills my view,
I will sing of your mercies anew.
Benediction
Parting Song of Praise
Mercies Anew
And when the storms swirl and rage, there are mercies anew.
In affliction and pain, you will carry me through.
And at the end of my days when your throne fills my view,
I will sing of your mercies anew.
I will sing of your mercies anew.
WORSHIP MUSICIANS
Jessi Stauffer – piano, vocals
SCRIPTURE
Galatians 5:16-26
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
COMMUNITY & CHURCH LIFE
Parking on Sundays
We’re glad you’re here today! There is a map available on our website (www.hanovervalley.org), highlighting available local parking. There’s plenty and it’s all less than a block away. There is also a parking lot, especially for guests, next to our building outside the Railroad Street Entrance. All public, metered, on-street parking is free on Sundays.
Live Stream & Bulletin Instructions
You can access the livestream from the front page of hanovervalley.org or through youtube.com/user/HanoverValley.
If you would like to access the weekly bulletin electronically, you can do so through the member area of our website. To access the bulletin, login to the website (after registering for free using your email), click the drop down menu in the upper right hand corner and select ‘Weekly Bulletin’ to download and view the most recent bulletin.
Sunday Morning Childcare
We have childcare for children up to the age of four during our 10:00am worship service. The nursery has recently been renovated to provide more space and will be cleaned thoroughly each week.
Catechism Class
From 9:00-9:45am we offer a class discussing the Westminster Shorter Catechism for students in 1st-5th grades. This class is taught by Noah Trask. This class meets in the 1-3 grade class room.
Pre-K & K Sunday School Class
From 9:00-9:45am we a class for students in Pre-K and K (ages 3-5). This class will be taught by Becky Derreth and Sarah Schwarz and meets in the 3-K Sunday School room.
Ladies Bible Study
The ladies Bible Study will continue to study “Becoming a Woman of Grace”, by Cynthia Heald, the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 10:00am at Hanover Valley PCA, beginning January 12th, 2025. You don’t have to have been to the study previously to come study God’s grace with us. All are welcome.
Prayer Gathering
We are meeting on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month @ 6:30 pm at the church. We would love to have you join us! Please contact Gary Harrity for more information at (717) 630-2771.
Youth Group & Kids Group
Youth group (6-8pm) and kids Group (6-7:30pm) meet on Sunday evenings. Youth group is for students 6th-12th grade and kids group is for students in 1st-5th grade. Kids group is currently coordinated by Ellis Lankford while youth group is coordinated by Noah Trask.
PRAYERS
Prayer Requests:
- Please continue to pray for the Schmoyer family as they grieve the death of Carrie earlier this year. Pray for her husband Brian and her girls Ella and Addy.
- Please pray for Amanda Cooper’s mom as she’s struggling with knee pain and has an upcoming knee replacement surgery in June.
- Amanda Cooper’s, mom’s best friend, Leslie, had surgery for ovarian cancer and it was successful! They were able to get all of the cancer. Please pray for strength, as she will have a few more chemo treatments.
- Tom Simon returned home this week after a return stay at Johns Hopkins to address some infection, but he is healing well and happy to be home to recover. Please pray for healing, pain relief and stamina. The family is grateful for all the prayer support and expressions of love and care.
- Pray that Andrew Hauser will continue to remain clear of any rejection of his new organs and for safety as he travels to and from Pittsburgh for his tests.
- Pray that we would recognize God’s hand in our lives and the lives around us.
- Ann Kerrison, a friend of Debbie Stapf, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Pray for Ann and her family as they navigate this challenging time, both physically and emotionally. Please pray for the doctors in their discernment of her treatment.
- Debbie Stapf had surgery on her back on December 4th. Please pray for continued healing and strength.
We want to share your concerns and praises. If you have something to include here please contact Sarah Trask; Call or text 443-277-0110 or email office@hanovervalley.org. Nothing is included here without express permission.