Mt. Hope United Church of Christ

Transcription

1 Mt. Hope United Church of Christ Office: Fax: Rev. Kristin Gerner Vaughn & Rev. Lynne Hinton, Co-Pastors Phone: Pastor Kristin, Pastor Lynne, s: kristingvaughn@gmail.com; lynnehintonnm@aol.com Church mthope@triad.rr.com Church Website: Nearsighted

2 Mt. Hope United Church of Christ at Worship Second Sunday in Lent 11:00 a.m. February 25, 2018 Holy Hello s and Passing of the Peace: Share the peace of Christ with one another Ringing of the Hour Prelude The Light and Sacred Word Enter Welcome and Announcements Acolyte Kathryn Vaughn Presenter Skylar Whitman *Choral Call to Worship God Is Here Today God is here today; As certain as the air I breathe, As certain as the morning sun that rises, As certain when I sing you ll hear my song. *Call to Worship One: God did not hide God s face from me, but heard me when I cried. All: We walk this Lenten journey, remembering that we are God s children. One: Today we allow our spirits to wander deeper on this Lenten journey with Jesus. Today we let go of all the earthly treasures that cloud our vision of the Holy. All: We remember that dominion belongs to God and God rules over all the nations. One: The Psalmist reminds us, All who fear the Lord, give praise to God! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify God; stand in awe of God, all you children of God. All: We gaze upon your glory; we worship your majesty. *Opening Hymn #24 (BH) The God of Abraham Praise Children s Time (Children ages 0-4 years old are welcome in the nursery.) Prayers of the People and The Lord s Prayer: (In 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory forever and ever, Amen. Anthem O How He Loves You and Me Learn! Scripture Reading Genesis 17:1-7, Mark 8: Response to Scripture: Be Thou My Vision

3 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Nought be all else to me save that Thou art-thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence my light. Sermon The Temptation to be Nearsighted Pastor Kristin *Prayer of Confession (In Unison) Merciful God, we confess that we have not been sincere Christians. We claim to follow Jesus but have not taken his path of sacrificial love. We profess to be disciples, but we are not willing to bear the cost of discipleship. We affirm the virtue of self-denial, but we indulge our selfish desires and seek earthly gain. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for sincere repentance through Jesus Christ. Let it be so. Amen. *Words of Assurance Hear the good news: God has loved you, loves you now, and will always love you. This is the good news that brings us new life. Amen. Love! Sharing of our Gifts Musical Offering *Song of Thanksgiving Give Thanks Give thanks with a grateful heart; give thanks to the Holy One; Give thanks because he s given Jesus Christ, his Son. And now let the weak say, I am strong, let the poor say, I am rich, Because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks, give thanks, give thanks! *Prayer of Thanksgiving *Sending Forth #607 (GH) *Benediction Where He Leads Me Choral Benediction God of Love, God of Peace God of love, God of peace, keep us safe in your caring, While apart may each heart feel the love you are sharing. Mercy and grace are your promised gifts, gifts which faileth never; God of love, God of peace, lead and guide us forever. Amen. *Postlude *Indicates please stand for those who are able. Announcements: We welcome all of you to worship today and we are particularly happy to welcome any visitors that are joining us this morning. Please fill out a visitor s card found in the small pew racks and place them in the offering plate. If you have questions about Mt. Hope, please contact one of the pastors. We re glad you are here! February Greeters: February 25 Jeff Holt DESSERTS NEEDED FOR Chicken Pie and BBQ Supper, March 10 Mt. Hope is famous for our Chicken Pie and BBQ - BUT... we are also famous for our delicious homemade desserts!! Sign Up Sheets are in the Narthex Or call Dee Greeson at if you can prepare a dessert.

4 Upper Room Booklets: The new Upper Room Booklets are available in the Narthex and in the Breezeway. Be sure to pick one up and leave a dollar in the boxes provided to help cover the cost. Consistory: Please note that Consistory will meet on Thursday, March 15 th instead of March 8 th. This change is due to the Chicken Pie / Barbecue Supper on Saturday, March 10 th Old Fashioned Hymn Sing: Jeff and I would like to host an Old Fashioned Hymn Sing at our house TODAY, February 25 th at 6pm. Tim Hucks has agreed to set up his keyboard and provide the music for us. This is informal, fun, and a great way to Praise the Lord with singing. It would be helpful if you could let me know if you are coming so we know about how many chairs to set up and Hymn Books to have on hand, but reservations are not required. We will have some finger foods, coffee, and tea, after we sing. All are welcome!! My is SRoush@PalletExpress.com. Home Phone # is Our address is: 7178 Cone Club Rd Gibsonville. Sue Holt. Condolences: Our Christian sympathies go out to the family of Robert Andrew Hamlett who passed away on Tuesday, February 13. Robert was the father of Bob (Cindy) Hamlett. Please keep the family in your prayers. Weekly Meditation: Try every day to set your mind on divine things not human things. Be conscious about your willingness to lose your life for the sake of the gospel. Pay attention to the values and ideals that you focus on every day. Do you strive for earthly things like wealth, keeping up a house, a car, eating, (earthly things) or do you strive for divine things like a closer relationship with God, spending more time in prayer and fasting? A good way to practice setting our minds on the divine instead of human things is to practice a fast. If you have not ever fasted or it has been awhile, you may want to practice a partial fast before participating in a full fast. 1. Set aside a time period this week to fast, which is to abstain from food from a set period of time. You may decide an afternoon is all that you can do at first, you may want to try for 24 hours. 2. Tell those closest to you about your plan to deny your human desires so that you may hunger for God. Ask those that you tell, to pray for you. Your pastors would love to know of your plans to fast so that we might support you. 3. Abstain from eating food during the time period that you designate. If you feel hunger, that is ok. You will be able to feed your body at the end of the desired fast. During the fast, allow the discomfort you may experience to help you lean on God s mercy, strength and power. NOTE: If you are contemplating a 24 hour fast, you may want to start after the evening meal one night and end your fast with the next evening meal the following day. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. 4. During the fast, consider the easiest parts of the fast, the hardest part of the fast, how you feel physically during the fast and after the fast, how you feel spiritually during and after the fast. 5. Plan your next fast. Repeat steps 2-4. *If you have any health related questions about how your body will respond to a fast, consult your physician prior to beginning your fast.

5 Opportunities for Worship and Service Today, February 25 9:30 a.m., Communion Service SAN 9:30 a.m., Fellowship in the Hallway 9:30 a.m., Youth Deliver Blessing Bags 10:00 a.m., Sunday School 11:00 a.m., Worship, Pastor Kristin 4:30 p.m., Young Disciples NFH Monday, February 26 9:00 a.m., Quilters Meet Tuesday, February 27 5:30 p.m., Meals4Kids Volunteers OFH Wednesday, February 28 5:45 p.m., Soup Dinner NFH 6:15 p.m., Bible Study NFH 6:30 p.m., Handbell Choir Rehearsal CR 7:30 p.m., Choir Rehearsal SAN Thursday, March 1 2:00 p.m., Classic Fit 3:00 p.m., Peacehaven Fiber Arts OFH 7:00 p.m., High Lonesome Strings OFH 7:00 p.m., Creative Worship Team CR Saturday, March 3 10:00 a.m., Centering Prayer SAN 10:30 a.m., Meditative Writing Class - CR Sunday, March 4 9:30 a.m., Communion Service SAN 9:30 a.m., Fellowship in the Hallway 10:00 a.m., Sunday School 11:00 a.m., Worship, Pastor Lynne 4:30 p.m., Young Disciples NFH Monday, March 5 9:00 a.m., Quilters Meet Tuesday, March 6 7:00 p.m., New Women s Group CR Wednesday, March 7 5:45 p.m., Soup Dinner NFH 6:15 p.m., Bible Study NFH 6:30 p.m., Handbell Choir Rehearsal CR 7:30 p.m., Choir Rehearsal SAN Thursday, March 8 2:00 p.m., Classic Fit NFH Consistory Meeting moved to March 15 Saturday, March 10 4:00 p.m., Chicken Pie & Barbecue Supper OFH & NFH Upcoming Events: Saturday, March 24 Youth Easter Egg Hunt

6 CHICKEN PIE & BAR-B-Q SUPPER SATURDAY, March 10, :00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Plates $10.00, BBQ $7.00/lb. MT. HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 2400 Mt. Hope Church Road, Whitsett, NC Call for more Information

7 Health Care Center Alamance House Bill Starr (#305) Blakey Hall Helen Whitesell Clapps Nursing Center Coy Amick (# 703-B) Clapps Nursing Center Robert Ingold (#311-A) Clapps Nursing Center Irene Sharpe (106-A) Fisher Park Rehab. Melvin May Alpha Concord Greens. Denny Ingold(#106) Murdoch Center Dreama Greeson Ralph Scott Homes Betty Kim Settlemyre Woodhaven (Albemarle) Annie Lee Apple Mt. Hope Military Connections Scott Amick Josh Ellis Christopher Bahleda Kyle Gerner David Blakesley, Jr. Grant Harden Michael Clapp Megan Moore Mikayla Stevens Members Junie Clapp Diz & Doris Reece Dottie Deeter Elizabeth Shoe Hoy & Lorene Greeson Helen Smith Ruth Harris Tyler Stewart Clarine Ingold (palliative care) Tony Staley JW & Helen Johnson Betty Kime Jeff Tucker Bill Welker Pat Levens Jim & Nancy Wimbish Khloe Moser Friends & Relatives Larry Amick brother of Dora Moore Marcia Bailey Will Brame friend of Betty Tucker Dick Cherry father of Tammy Holt Billy Currie son of Brenda Currie Joanne Danley neighbor of Jaynee & Linda Mary Davis friend of Cleo & Virginia Barker Natalie Davis friend of Lisa Moser Billy Farmer Carol O Ferrell sister of Ralph O Ferrell Logan Forbis Jim Gallagher Francis Glover Prue Griffin friend of the Crafts Family of Robert Hamlett father of Bob Jean Livesay friend of Barbara Greeson Alan Miller Association Minister Donna Perry friend of Wesley Reece Emma Reddig, baby cousin of Shannon Levens Sheila Scott niece of Cheryl Royal & Randy Underwood Bud Stokley son-in-law of Mary Moser Joe Tickle friend of Junie Clapp Lindy Welker daughter of Bill & Peggy Paul Willard brother-in-law of Peggy Levens Debbie Harris - MCH Peggy Welker MCH Karen Kirkman - WLH ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interim Choir Director / Organist Ekin Ustunel Sound Bennie Gerner/Byron Greeson Conner Chapmon Please contact the church office if you would like to add someone to the prayer list.