THE CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER The Reverend Doctor Rochelle A. Stackhouse, Senior Minister Sunday, May 22, 2011 Fifth Sunday of Easter

Transcription

1 THE CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011

2 THE CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER The Reverend Doctor Rochelle A. Stackhouse, Senior Minister Sunday, May 22, 2011 Fifth Sunday of Easter PRELUDE Healey Willan Three Chorale Preludes INTROIT Francisco Feliciano Silence My Soul CALL TO WORSHIP please stand Leader: Praise be to God for the sun that rose this morning and the light by which we see beauty. People: Praise be to God for East and West Rocks and all the rocks that make the solid ground on which we stand. Leader: Praise be to God for trees and flowers, for fruit and vegetables and fertile dirt in which they grow. People: Praise be to God for creeping and crawling things, for furry and scaly and winged life, for no-legged, two-legged and four-legged creatures. All: Praise be to God for the Earth and the universe in which it revolves, and for all the love that God poured into its creation. Let us worship God! PROCESSIONAL HYMN please stand For the beauty of the earth #28, black hymnal PRAYER OF CONFESSION please stand Leader: For the beauty of the earth that we have not seen, For the beauty of the earth that we have not preserved, For the beauty of the earth that we have damaged, All: Forgive us, merciful God. Leader: For the joy of human love that we have ignored, For the joy of human love dying while we change channels, For the joy of human love that we damage with hate and prejudice and greed, All: Forgive us, merciful God, and renew in us our connection with all created by your imagination and love. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. WELCOME

3 ANTHEM Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Surge propera amica mea Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; flowers appear on our earth, the time of singing of birds is come and the voice of the turtle is heard. The fig tree brings forth fruit and the flowers give a good smell. (Song of Songs) CHILDREN S MESSAGE Pastor Shelly PASSING OF THE PEACE Let us welcome one another with the traditional Christian greeting: Peace be with you. And also with you. Our children and teachers are invited to leave at this time to go downstairs for Church school. Nursery care is available for infants and toddlers. Parents may accompany new children to get them settled and return to worship at any time. ANNOUNCEMENTS HYMN OF PREPARATION please stand We cannot own the sunlit sky #563, black hymnal INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE Reverend Stackhouse SCRIPTURE Psalm 31:1-5 Acts 7:51-60 Luke 19:36-40 SCRIPTURE RESPONSE Leader: In God s light, All: Let us see light. SERMON Stones Reverend Stackhouse

4 MOMENT FOR SILENT REFLECTION PASTORAL PRAYERS AND SILENT MEDITATION Reverend Stackhouse Prayer requests may be offered aloud at this time, or in written form before worship. THE LORD S PRAYER unison 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. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. HYMN God of the sparrow #32, black hymnal OFFERTORY OFFERTORY ANTHEM Healey Willan Rise up, my love, my fair one THE CONGREGATIONAL DOXOLOGY please stand (Tune: Lasst uns erfreuen) Let all things their Creator bless, And worship God in humbleness: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God and Jesus Christ the Son, And Holy Spirit, Three in One: O Praise God, O Praise God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! PRAYER OF DEDICATION RECESSIONAL HYMN please stand Touch the earth lightly #569, black hymnal verses 1, 3, and 4: all verse 2: choir

5 BENEDICTION please stand CHORAL AMEN POSTLUDE Marcel Dupré How Fair and how Pleasant art thou Please be seated during the postlude and use this time for silent reflection. Please join us for coffee hour and refreshments in the Sterling Room following worship this morning. You can get to the Sterling Room by exiting the side door at the front of the church.

6 THANK YOU TO THOSE PARTICIPATING THIS MORNING IN OUR SUNDAY WORSHIP Reader: Kathy Czepiel Ushers: Bill and Julie Moore, Wes and Carol Poling Hospitality servers: Helen Bartlett and Ken Suzuki Nursery Assistant: Peggy Strickler The flowers are given by Babz Rawls-Ivy in honor of Briana and Gregory s Confirmation on May 15, Next week s lectionary readings : Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66: Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21

7 REDEEMER S VISION STATEMENT We are the Church of the Redeemer, United Church of Christ, an inclusive community committed to the worship of God, the work of justice, and the recognition of our common humanity in the struggles of life. We follow Jesus Christ who welcomes all people to his table. We celebrate the rich diversity of God s people: in race, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, marital and economic status and culture. Join us on a journey of the Holy Spirit, where faith and intellect meet, learning never ends and music and the arts draw us closer to our Creator.

8 ANNOUNCEMENTS CALLING ALL YOUNG INSTRUMENTALISTS! We hope there are children who would like to play a solo on Children s Sunday, June 19. If you would like to play, please bring your music and your instrument to church next Sunday, May 29 so that you can play for Julia and Maggie after worship. TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE WITH REDEEMER S CHILDREN The CE Committee is currently seeking volunteers to teach Sunday School next year. Currently, working with the older children involves volunteering only once a month. Volunteers with the younger children volunteer for several weeks at a time (one unit of the curriculum) to give the little ones the opportunity to connect with the teacher (and the teacher with them!). Please let Sue Hauser or Heather Jessen know if you are interested in teaching Sunday School next year. The CE Committee is also looking for volunteers for the Summer Sunday School Program. This involves signing up with a partner for one Sunday to share your gifts with the children. Past participants have engaged the children in art projects, music and exercise. Topics have been as varied as talking about a trip to China, sharing children s stories, a hands-on discussion of a medical workplace, etc. CE will provide guidelines about how to structure your time, and often a CE member will be present for support. Please sign up for the summer program on the poster in the hallway. Thank you for fostering the growth of the children in our church! ACTING ON HOPE: LIVING ON PURPOSE All are welcome! 12:30 4:30 today. Join us for the launch of this community and personal development workshop series today! We will meet in the upstairs parlor at 12:30 to share a light lunch. Pastor Shelly and leadership trainer David Carter will lead a workshop featuring exploration of our life purpose and motivation, interviewing skills, articulating hopes, overcoming obstacles, and finding the bright spots in our communities. For those wanting to continue, there will be some hope-work, and follow-up sessions weekday evenings over the course of the summer. See David after worship to sign up (so we know how much lunch to provide!). A great opportunity to put your faith to work in the world. THEOLOGY ON TAP Come join other Redeemer friends for an informal conversation about matters theological on Tuesday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. at Wall Street Pizza (between College and Temple). This month we will gather to talk about Jesus; who do you say he was/is? The only faith statement the UCC Constitution says is common to members of our denomination is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. What do you think this means? Let s talk; bring friends!

9 LAUGH IN PEACE You can t laugh with someone and then hate them. That is, in essence, the message of Laugh in Peace, a multi-cultural/multi-religious comedy show that Christian Community Action is sponsoring on Thursday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hamden Middle School. Featuring a practicing rabbi, a Baptist minister and a Muslim, all of whom are also stand-up comedians, the show is meant to foster mutual understanding and respect while, at the same time, generating lots of laughs and good humor. Tickets are $30 at the door. Call (203) , x 19 for details. SAVE THE DATE! The Helsingborg Chamber Choir will sing at Redeemer on Saturday, June 18 at 7:00 p.m. The chamber choir is based in Helsingborg in Skåne, in the very south of Sweden. Since its debut in 1984 the choir has given more than 400 concerts. Among the larger projects are Messiah by Handel (1990), Mass in C Minor by Mozart (1991 and 2007), Requiem by Mozart (2003) and Mass in H minor by Bach (2005). The choir has also been on several tours, both in Sweden and abroad. The choir has visited Jordan, Hungary, Germany, Denmark and in 2008 Shanghai, China. Join us for the 60 minute concert of music of Swedish composers, Philip Glass, Eric Whitacre and traditional Swedish songs. FRIENDS IN FAITH FELLOWSHIP GROUPS BEREAVEMENT GROUP Our Friends in Faith Bereavement Support Group meets the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Youth Room upstairs. Our next meeting will take place on June 20 for all who seek the support of such a group of spiritual friends. FRIENDS IN FAITH EVENING BOOK GROUP The next meeting of the Friends in Faith Evening Book Group will be at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 23 at the home of Shelly Stackhouse. The book is My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira. The book for the June 27 th meeting is The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell and the book for July 25the is The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien. Descriptions of the books may be found on the Deacons bulletin board. New members are always welcome.

10 CHURCH MEETINGS AND EVENTS Sunday, May 22, 2011 Monday, May 23, 2011 Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Wednesday, May 25, 2011 Thursday, May 26, 2011 Sunday, May 29, :55 a.m. Senior Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary 10:00 a.m. Worship and Church School, followed by coffee hour and refreshments 11:15 a.m. Boys /Girls Choirs Rehearse 12:30 p.m. Acting on Hope, Upstairs Parlor 7:30 p.m. Friends in Faith Evening Book Group, Home of Shelly Stackhouse 2:00 p.m. Staff Meeting, Phillips Room 7:00 p.m. Theology on Tap, Wall Street Pizza 7:30 p.m. Senior Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary 10:00 a.m. Friends in Faith Playgroup, Nursery 8:55 a.m. Senior Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary 10:00 a.m. Worship and Church School, followed by coffee hour and refreshments 11:15 a.m. Kinder/Girls Choirs Rehearse Please contact the church office by Wednesday to have your announcement placed in the Sunday bulletin.

11 WELCOME TO THE CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER WELCOME If you are new to this church, we are delighted to have you worshipping with us. Please sign our red guest book and introduce yourself to our minister and ushers following the service. They will be happy to answer questions and offer directions. We hold newcomer orientation sessions periodically so that you may learn more about our church, but we are happy to answer your questions at any time. We hope you experience a warm welcome and the love of Christ at the Church of the Redeemer this morning. INFORMATION Information about the church can be found on the table in the Tower Lobby as you exit through the doors at the right front of the church. This is where you can sign up for all church events. CHILDCARE DURING AND AFTER CHURCH Children are always welcome in church, but often the little ones are happier in the nursery. You may take your children, before or at any time during the service, to the nursery downstairs (from the Tower Lobby, follow the Nursery signs). Parents may also take children with them into the Chapel, where they can listen to the service in privacy. The Chapel is located through the front right door of the sanctuary down the hall to the left. After-church childcare is also offered during meetings, newcomers orientation, and adult education classes. Children are kept in the nursery until picked up by their parents. There is also a rocking chair at the back of the sanctuary available to anyone that would like to rock a baby during the worship service. CHURCH SCHOOL FOR THE OLDER CHILDREN Children in preschool through grade 6 are invited to join their teachers downstairs for Sunday School during the Passing of the Peace. Visitors are welcome to join our classes or remain in worship. REDEEMER OFFICE HOURS The Redeemer office is open Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You may also contact the office by sending an to redeemer@snet.net. CONTACT REVEREND STACKHOUSE Shelly is in the Redeemer office Mondays through Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ( ). You may also reach her via at rastackhouse@gmail.com.

12 The Church of the Redeemer United Church of Christ 185 Cold Spring Street New Haven, CT Phone: Join us on Facebook at Church of the Redeemer New Haven The Rev. Dr. Rochelle A. Stackhouse, Senior Minister Alan Kendrix, Moderator of the Church John Seashore, Treasurer Carolyn Ladd, Clerk Susan F. Hauser, Director of Christian Education Marguerite Brooks, Director of Music Julia Blue Raspe, Kinder Choir and Boys Choir Director Larry Bishop, Organist Debra Tangarone, Office Administrator and Financial Secretary Geoffrey Johnson, Security Jeff Owens, Sexton