Greenwood Forest Baptist Church Christ the King Sunday Hanging of the Green. Sunday, November 26, :00 am. The Hanging of the Green

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Greenwood Forest Baptist Church Christ the King Sunday Hanging of the Green The Hanging of the Green In Isaiah 60:13 we find these words: "The Glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the fir tree, the

" For many generations, Christians all over the world have participated in a special worship service called the Hanging of the Green where they decorate the sanctuary as a way to prepare the church

1 Greenwood Forest Baptist Church Christ the King Sunday Hanging of the Green The Hanging of the Green In Isaiah 60:13 we find these words: "The Glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the fir tree, the pine tree and the box together, to beautify the place of your sanctuary." For many generations, Christians all over the world have participated in a special worship service called the Hanging of the Green where they decorate the sanctuary as a way to prepare the church and their own hearts for the seasons of Advent and Christmas. The most striking feature of this service has been the use of evergreens as decorations. Among ancient Romans, evergreens were an emblem of peace, joy, and victory. However, the early Christians placed them in their windows to indicate that Christ had entered the home. Holly and ivy, along with pine and fir, are called evergreens because they never change color. They are ever-green, everalive, even in the midst of winter. They symbolize the unchanging nature of our God, and they remind us of the everlasting life that is ours through Christ even in the midst of the death and darkness of winter. It is our hope that every time you enter the sanctuary during the next few weeks that the visible presence of the light, the Chrismons and the greenery will remind you of the glory and the grace of the one on whom we patiently wait to come during this holy and sacred season. Sunday, November 26, :00 am

2 GREENWOOD FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH The Worship of God Christ the King Sunday Hanging of the Green Invocation Hymn 97 Rev. Spears-Newsome The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns There will be no Children s Time programming this Sunday. All children are invited to stay in Worship. However, there is nursery care available in the Children s Wing. Chiming of the Hour Processional Hymn 340 (v. 1 & 2) Welcome to Worship Leader: The Lord be with you People: And also with you. All Hail the Power of Jesus Name Rev. Lauren Efird Offertory Prayer Mark Soyars Offertory The Holly and the Ivy arr. Rowley Presentation of the Offering Transcendent God OLD 100TH Transcendent God, we bless your name, Incarnate Christ, the risen one, The Spirit with us, Immanent, The Source, the Word, the Breath of life! Amen. Passing of the Peace Meditation on the Evergreens Matthew Greg Preparation for Worship Prelude on CORONATION Fields A Liturgy for the Greening of the Church Rev. Wesley Spears-Newsome Leader: How shall we prepare this house for the coming of the king? People: With branches of cedar, the tree of royalty. Leader: How shall we prepare this house for the coming of the king? People: With garlands of pine and fir, who leaves are ever living, ever green. Leader: How shall we prepare this house for the coming of the king? People: With wreaths of holly and ivy, telling of his passion, death and resurrection. Leader: How shall we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Son of God? People: By hearing again the words of the prophets, who foretold the saving work of God. Leader: For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn it, People: But that through him the world might be saved. Hymn 90 Meditation on the Candles People, Look East (During this hymn, the youth will hang the greenery.) Hymn 86 (v. 1 & 3) Now the Heavens Start to Whisper (During this hymn, we will light the church.)

3 Prayers of the People and Lord s Prayer Rev. Stephen Stacks Anthem Lo, How a Rose E er Blooming arr. Doug Andrews Leader: Lord, in your mercy... People: Hear our prayer. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Lo, how a rose e er blooming from tender stem hath sprung. Of Jesse s lineage coming as saints of old have sung. It came a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter, when half-spent was the night. Isaiah twas foretold it, the rose I have in mind: With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind. To show God s love aright she bore to us a Savior, when half-spent was the night. Meditation on the Advent Wreath Hymn 82 (v. 1-4) Light the Light, the Fire of Life (During this hymn, we will place the Advent wreath.) Children s Parable (Meditation on the Chrismon Tree) Kadeisha Bonsu Benediction Hymn 88 (v. 1 & 3) Blest Be the God of Israel (During this hymn, the children will hang the Chrismons.) Scripture Reading Matthew 25:31-46 Rev. Spears-Newsome We affirm the reading of Scripture with the following response: Reader: The word of God for us, the people of God. People: Thanks be to God. Postlude Postlude on Forest Green Keene Please stand as you are able. The flowers are given today in honor of Harry and Marilyn Cleland s 47th Wedding Anniversary. The Deacon of the Day is Mark Soyars, Chair of the Youth Ministry. Today s acolyte is Ivy Nuss. The cover art is based on a liturgical banner by John Stuart. Hearing assistance devices are available at the back of the sanctuary.

4 Prayer Concerns Wayne Abbott (Helen Bishop s father), Emma Aeppli, Luke Blanton (Bill and Kitty Blanton s great grandson), Wilma Caldwell, Jennifer Denning, June Dykstra, Mary Kent, Eva Puryear, Iris Thomas, and Jimmy Welch (Kathy Winstead s brother-inlaw) Dot Alexander and Kathleen Wicker: Oaks at Whitaker Glen-Mayview Bill Whelan: Pruitt Health, Raleigh Our partner church, Ebenezer Baptist, Cuba, and our brothers and sisters of the Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Mission GFBC by the Numbers Focus on Finance 2017/2018 Budget (MDP + MSP) $900,457 Amount of Budget supported through Stewardship Giving $825,216 (excludes cell tower lease, GFCC receipts, and outside groups) Week 12 of 52 (November 19) Stewardship Giving needed Week 12 YTD to fully subscribe budget $16,844 $196,455 Actual Stewardship Giving $16,162 $178,712 Over (Under) $ (682) $(17,743) Attendance Last Week Faith Formation 135 Worship 187 Announcements and Upcoming Events Souper Love Feast Tonight November 26 Join us this evening at 5:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall as we enjoy a soup supper and enter the season of Advent together with Advent wreath-making and a brief service. Please bring a pot of soup to share, a small donation for wreath-making materials, and a container to hold your wreath. Hot cinnamon buns and wreath supplies will be provided. Christmas Breakfast and Service of Lessons and Carols December 17 Mark your calendars for a special day at GFBC on December 17! The service will tell God s story from Genesis to the birth of Christ. The service will also include the singing of carols with special music by a brass ensemble, the Sanctuary Choir, Youth Choir, Children s Choirs, and Praise Team. Before the service, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall for our annual Christmas breakfast. More details about the breakfast are available a few pages over. Please invite people to come join us! Service of Lament December 20 We hope that everyone will come to share the burdens of those grieving in our community by surrounding them during the Service of Lament on Wednesday, December 20 at 7 pm. Lament is a communal act that we should not allow our brothers and sisters to do alone. Therefore, we strongly encourage all to attend, whether or not you personally are dealing with loss. Staff Love Offering At GFBC, we have a tradition during Advent of letting our staff know how much they mean to us by collecting a love offering for their benefit. The offering is distributed to the staff as an expression of our gratitude for all of their hard work in serving our church throughout the year. If you would like to contribute to this offering, please give your contribution to Toni Beal, Chair of the Children s Ministry, or to any other members of the Deacon Board by Sunday, December 17. Checks can be made out to Toni Beal. If you have any questions, please contact Toni.

Welcome New Members! Please welcome our new members who joined our church on Sunday, November 5. Alex and Sarah Walden are the parents of Madeline and Sam and live in Cary.

5 Welcome New Members! Please welcome our new members who joined our church on Sunday, November 5. Alex and Sarah Walden are the parents of Madeline and Sam and live in Cary. Carolyn Munn also lives in Cary, and Beth Jernigan lives in Fuquay-Varina. Welcome to all! Stock Donations Year-End Tax Reminder If you plan to make a stock donation to the church this year, please do so immediately as it takes several weeks for transfers to be processed. The donation must be in the account by Friday, December 29 to receive credit for Sanctuary Flowers If you would like to provide flowers in 2018 in the Sanctuary during Worship in honor or in memory of a loved one, please sign up on the chart posted outside the church office. The church office will order the flowers for you and be sure they are delivered on your chosen Sunday. The cost is $55. Notes of Thanks We would like to thank the members of the Sanctuary Adornment Committee for their hard work in preparing the Sanctuary for the Hanging of the Green and for decorating the rest of our property as well. Please join us in thanking MaryBeth McDermott (Chair), Doug Black, Scot Glasgow, Richard Nuss, Sue Perkinson, and Linda Stribling. Thank you to all the GFBC members who participated in the GFCC Raffle and Auction. We appreciate your support and with your help, the Dr. Jones Scholarship Fund has money to help fund students who are in need. Congratulations to church members or staff who won items in the Raffle/Auction: Carrie Twellman, Karen Burden, Harry Cleland, Lynda Mowery, and Sandy Duncan Second Wednesday Community Meal December 13, 2017 at 5:30 pm GFBC Fellowship Hall Remember to sign-up for the December Second Wednesday community meal! We encourage you to both sign-up and prepay online at community/community-meals. If you are unable to sign-up online, please complete this form and either place it in the offering plate or turn it in at the church office. All reservations whether on paper or online must be made by Friday, December 8 at noon. Name # of Adult Servings ($10) # of Vegetarian ($10) # of Children Servings ($5) # of Vegetarian ($5) Menu for December 13, 2017 Beef Enchiladas Vegetarian Option: Cheese Enchiladas Green Rice Refried Beans with Green Onion and Cheese Mexican Green Bean Salad Dessert: Cookie and Brownie Tray

This Week at GFBC Sunday, November 26 Christ the King Sunday/Hanging of the Green 9:45 am Children, Youth, and Adult Faith Formation 10:30 am Coffee in the Narthex 11:00 am Worship 5:30 pm Souper

This event has become a wonderful time in the life of our church as we gather together to share a meal on the final Sunday before Christmas.

6 This Week at GFBC Sunday, November 26 Christ the King Sunday/Hanging of the Green 9:45 am Children, Youth, and Adult Faith Formation 10:30 am Coffee in the Narthex 11:00 am Worship 5:30 pm Souper Love Feast As is our custom, the GFBC family will gather together to celebrate the Christmas season with our annual breakfast. This event has become a wonderful time in the life of our church as we gather together to share a meal on the final Sunday before Christmas. Mark your calendars now for the annual GFBC Christmas Breakfast that will occur on Sunday, December 17, at 9:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. There will be no Faith Formation on this day. Please plan to bring your favorite breakfast dishes and casseroles to share. Coffee and juices will be provided. Wednesday, November 29 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal Sunday, December 3 The First Sunday of Advent 9:00 am Praise Assembly 9:45 am Children, Youth, and Adult Faith Formation 10:30 am Coffee in the Narthex 11:00 am Worship 3:00 pm Youth Alpha and Omega 4:30 pm Youth Choir Then join us afterwards for worship at the Service of Lessons and Carols in the sanctuary at 11 am. You are encouraged to invite guests and friends to both the breakfast and the service to follow. It will be a great time of fellowship and worship for everyone!

THE SEASONS OF ADVENT & CHRISTMAS AT GREENWOOD FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH Special Worship Services & Events Christ the King Sunday & Hanging of the Green November 26, 11 am Souper Love Feast November 26,

December 3, 11 am Watch Out! Mark 13:24-37 The Second Sunday of Advent December 10, 11 am Straighten Up!

7 THE SEASONS OF ADVENT & CHRISTMAS AT GREENWOOD FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH Special Worship Services & Events Christ the King Sunday & Hanging of the Green November 26, 11 am Souper Love Feast November 26, 5:30 pm Church-Wide Christmas Breakfast December 17, 9 am A Service of Lessons & Carols December 17, 11 am A Service of Lament December 20, 7 pm Advent Worship Services The First Sunday of Advent December 3, 11 am Watch Out! Mark 13:24-37 The Second Sunday of Advent December 10, 11 am Straighten Up! Mark 1:1-8 The Third Sunday of Advent December 17, 11 am Service of Lessons and Carols Luke 1:26-38 Christmas Worship Services Children s Christmas Eve Service December 24, 11 am Candlelight Christmas Eve Service December 24, 8 pm The First Sunday of Christmas December 31, 11 am Our Eyes Have Seen Luke 2:22-40 Epiphany Sunday January 7, 11 am The Boundless Riches of Christ Ephesians 3:1-12 an inclusive community of faith 110 SE Maynard Road Cary, NC Church Office: Fax: Website: info@gfbccary.org Leadership Rev. Lauren Efird, Senior Pastor Rev. Stephen Stacks, Associate Pastor of Worship and Faith Formation Rev. Wesley Spears-Newsome, Associate Pastor of Community and Youth Ministry Kadeisha Bonsu, Director of Children s Ministry Matthew Greg, Pastoral Intern Helen Bishop, Organist Dr. Luther Brewer, Pastor Emeritus All Who Serve This Church

Greenwood Forest Baptist Church Christ the King Hanging of the Green. Sunday, November 20, :00 am. The Hanging of the Green

Greenwood Forest Baptist Church Christ the King Hanging of the Green The Hanging of the Green In Isaiah 60:13 we find these words: "The Glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, the fir tree, the pine tree