WORSHIP
Worship is an integral part of our faith. Our service centers on God and is rooted in scripture. It blends traditional and contemporary genres of music, offering a resourceful, inspirational, and unique experience.
RHINEBECK REFORMED CHURCH
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS FOR USE OF THE CHURCH BUILDINGS
Update - November 2021
Our congregation is following a “do no harm” tenet since the outbreak of the pandemic. This tenet is grounded in our sacred tradition.
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We believe that there is an indwelling of sacredness in each one of us known as a “God-spark” (See Genesis 2:7). Therefore, we must treat each other with respect, consideration, and as sacred.
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We believe that God created us as moral and rational agents.
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We believe that Communal Covenants, as determined by the Consistory and scriptures, supersede personal and individual views, and that it should be grounded in the Golden Rule. Jesus stated, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12)."
To that end, in keeping with our beliefs and in keeping with the interests of public safety, the following protocols and guidelines will apply to anyone entering the buildings, whether to attend services or to participate with outside groups or as volunteers. These are based on current guidelines and protocols by the CDC, the NYS and Dutchess County Departments of Health. They will be updated in accordance with those groups. Dutchess County is currently rated at “high risk” for Covid transmission.
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We expect anyone entering the church for any reason to be fully vaccinated if eligible, including children of an approved age group. This is part of everyone’s duty to the community, regardless of any personal hesitations. We expect group leaders to understand this expectation but will not require enforcement.
Masks should be worn inside the buildings at all times with the following exceptions:
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When the sole occupant of a room
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When speaking from the pulpit, choir loft, or piano, at a safe distance
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When speaking from a lectern at a safe distance from the class
We do require that this protocol be enforced.
Hand sanitizers must be used on entering the building.
Social distancing must be maintained (currently a minimum of 3 feet) except for members of a shared household.
Volunteers and group participants should remain in the area they are authorized to use, to be defined in their participation agreement.
Group leaders or other users should notify the church office of any known positive Covid cases or tests so those potentially exposed can be notified. The details and procedures of quarantine, isolation, follow-up testing, formal contact tracing, etc. are the purview of the County or State Health Departments.
Anyone who is sick, or might be sick, or might be “coming down with something”, should stay home!
BECOME A PART OF OUR FAMILY
Join us Sunday mornings worship services begin at 10:00 am.
We welcome visitors and newcomers to our church and encourage them to join us for refreshments afterwards in Cordes Hall next door. We are the big, beautiful old white church on the corner of Route 9 and South Street in the Village of Rhinebeck, NY.
Nursery care is available for little ones of pre-school age and younger. Sunday school is held for older children and teenagers. Assisted hearing devices as well as large-print bulletins and large-print hymnals are available. Just ask the greeters at the front door.
Click below to hear our congregation!
MEET OUR PASTOR
Rev. Luis R. Perez is the 33rd pastor of the Rhinebeck Reformed Church.
Since his arrival in 2003, the congregation has experienced a period of spiritual rebirth as evidenced by annual double-digit membership growth and the creation of dynamic outreach and spiritual development programs, such as the co-founding of a lay hospital visitation program, a summer speaker series, and the co-development of youth mission projects, among other initiatives.
The Rev. Perez was trained at the Yale Divinity School,
where he earned a Yale President’s Public Service Fellowship, and
he studied journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he received a fellowship as part of a workshop
to write about religion in Israel and Gaza.
MEET OUR ORGAN
This is our 1892 historic Roosevelt Pipe Organ. It is named for Hilborne Lewis Roosevelt, a pioneering organ builder, telecommunication engineer, and a member of the Roosevelt family.
Hilborne was not interested in either business or politics, the traditional Roosevelt family occupations. Instead, he was musically and mechanically inclined and wanted to be an organ builder from an early childhood. He entered an apprenticeship at an organ factory and later traveled to Europe for further training in the field. He was one of the first to study the application of new electrical devices to the manufacture of organ actions. Hilborne founded the Roosevelt Pipe Organ Builders in 1870 with his brother Frank, and built some of the largest organs in the United States during his career.
Our organ has been loved and cared for since it's installation and is played every Sunday at our weekly service!
Click below to hear it's chimes!
MEET OUR CHANCEL CHOIR
We are grateful to have such a dedicated group of people to guide us in singing beautiful hymns each week. It's a pleasure to watch and hear such elegance.
Click below to hear!
Sarah Hitchcock - Organist and Chancel Choir Director
Sarah began her career as an organist in 1986 and has served as a church musician for over 30 years in most denominations in the Hudson Valley. She earned her bachelor degree at The College of Wooster, majoring in French and minoring in music and art. She then earned a Music History degree at The University of Notre Dame. She studied music in France for two years and returned to marry and raise a family of four children. Along the way, she earned a teaching certificate in music (K-12), was an opera accompanist at a local college, has served as the choral director for many adult and children’s choirs, and has been a private and public music teacher and coach with students ranging from 5-85 years old. Sarah recently earned a Masters in Music Therapy and has been working in the field of prisons and addictions. Sarah loves living in the Hudson Valley with its beauty, green spaces, and laidback perspective on life. She enjoys engaging with the great outdoors through swimming, hiking, biking, drawing and taking part in triathlons. Sarah is delighted to call Rhinebeck Reformed Church her spiritual home.
MEET OUR MUSIC MINISTRY TEAM
This is a musically gifted group of folks who sing each Sunday in celebration of the Lord. The instruments creating the music include the bass, piano, and guitar which are accompanied by a few amazing voices.
Click below to hear!
Caleb Nelson - Music Ministry Team Leader
Caleb brings over 20 years of worship ministry experience to Rhinebeck Reformed Church. After high school, he moved to Australia to pursue training in worship ministry at Hillsong International Leadership College and was heavily involved in the renowned worship ministry of Hillsong Church. Caleb then earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Oral Roberts University. While there, he wrote and recorded a 12-track worship album called The Vow. Since graduating from ORU, Caleb has been involved in church worship ministry in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Born in Rhinebeck and raised in Kingston, Caleb loves the various beauties the Hudson Valley has to offer. He enjoys hiking, patronizing the local arts, exercising vigorously, and delving into books from ancient and modern theological writers as well as great works of fiction. He and his wife, Ruth (a gifted actor, director, writer, and musician), married in 2014.
SUMMER SPEAKER SERIES
Throughout the summer months, we welcome notable scholars and leading authors to serve as keynote speakers to address a societal relevant theme. This is a time for spiritual growth.