For the Beauty of the Earth

Transcription

1 .THIS WEEK AT FPC WORSHIP SCHEDULE July 5, 2015 A Member Congregation of the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians SINGLE SERVICE AT 11:00 A.M., THROUGH AUGUST 16 Scripture Lesson: Mark 4:1-20 Scripture: Putting Down Roots Rev. William P. Proctor, Pastor This morning during the Combined Worship Service the congregation will be singing the following hymns: For the Beauty of the Earth and O Beautiful for Spacious Skies. The Chancel Choir will be providing the special music, In the Garden, composed by Mark Hayes, will be sung by John Triplett. John will also provide the benediction, God Bless America. For the Beauty of the Earth This hymn was written by Folliott Pierpoint, a classical scholar who lived a rather leisurely life in the lovely town of Bath, England. It is thought that the loveliness of the area inspired Pierpoint to write this hymn. While he wrote other hymns and poetry, it is only for this hymn that we remember him today. While we would be inclined to classify "For the Beauty of the Earth" as a hymn of thanksgiving or praise, Pierpoint wrote it originally as a Eucharistic hymn. He ended the refrain with these words, which reflect the idea of the Mass as a sacrifice:

2 Christ our God, to thee we raise, This our sacrifice of praise. However, those words were later edited to read: Lord of all, to thee we raise. This our hymn of grateful praise. And it is these words, rather than the original words, that we find in most hymnals today, including most Catholic hymnals. The hymn praises God for a host of beauties things that we encounter in everyday living, but often fail to appreciate the beauty of the earth and skies, the beauty of each hour, the joy of ear and eye, and the joy of human love. It also expresses thanksgiving for the church and for Christ. As we sing this hymn on Sunday, let us determine to be more intentional about seeing and appreciating the many beauties and joys that God has placed at our disposal. Richard Niell Donovan SUNDAY, July 5: Combined Sunday School, 10:00 a.m. (children ages 3-5 th grade in Rm. 101; adults in Rm. 107); Combined Worship Service, 11:00 a.m. MONDAY, July 6: Angel Academy, 9:00 a.m.; Youth Fun-Day Mondays at the Lake Lodge, 6:00 p.m. TUESDAY, July 7: Healing & Prayer Ministry Meeting, CR, 11:00 a.m. WEDNESDAY, July 8: Men s Bible Study, Rm. 210, 6:45 a.m.; Angel Academy, 9:00 a.m.; Praise Team Rehearsal, 5:15 p.m. THURSDAY, July 9: Property Committee Meeting, CR, 5:15 p.m. SUNDAY, July 13: Combined Sunday School, 10:00 a.m. (children ages 3-5 th grade in Rm. 101; adults in Rm. 107); Combined Worship Service, 11:00 a.m. Food for the month of July: Canned tomatoes, peanut butter, canned beans (green, pinto, refried, or ranch), jelly, crackers and cereal. Other items to consider: canned meats, dry pasta, boxed mac n cheese, other canned vegetables, canned soup and broth, baby formulas and diapers. Please place your donations in the basket in the Commons.

3 FPC is at the Wesley Daily Bread Soup Kitchen the 4th Monday of every month. Our next date will be this Monday, July 27. If you would like to join this fun and enthusiastic ministry team, give Susan Gober a call at the church, Chemo Care Packages THE METS (Meet, Eat, Travel & Serve) continue to meet. We eat the third Thursday of each month and we have a great trip scheduled in May! And, now we have our latest service project to introduce to you. Born from an idea of one of our church members, we are going to embark on putting together and distributing Chemo Care Packages. Because of a gift given our church and with the blessing of the givers, we have been able to order reusable bags and cups for the care packages. Each will have a Celtic cross and the name of our church. We need the generous and thoughtful members of our church family to donate any and as much as you d like of the following items: tissues, peppermints, lemon drops, gum, fragrancefree lotion, hand sanitizer, nice quality lip balm, antibacterial hand wipes, soft socks, soft head wrap or hat, fleece-knot, crocheted or knitted blankets, satin pillow cases, Biotene Dry Mouth Toothpaste, Biotene Dry Mouth Mouthwash, Luden s Moisture Drops, Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy, Aquaphor Healing Ointment, lavender baby oil, journals, pens, notepads, word puzzles, tea bags (peppermint, Ginger, or lemon citrus are suggested), inspirational messages, restaurant gift cards and for children: Ring pops, Lemonheads, soft and cuddly washable stuffed animal, coloring books, crayons and stickers. MEN S BIBLE STUDY The Community-wide Men s Bible Study meets on Wednesday mornings at 6:45 a.m., in Rm All men in the church are welcome to attend.

4 Women s In Depth Study The WID group meets on Thursdays. They will begin meeting again in the Fall. Women of the Word (WOW) The group meets on Tuesdays. The group will begin again in the Fall. Sunday School: During the combined Sunday school the Youth are asked to help with the children s program in Rm Contact Info: Amy Hill, ; shill17@aol.com; youth.director@fpcsanangelo.org Upcoming Events Youth Fun-day Monday s at the Lake Lodge: Every Monday this summer, July 8-Aug 17, 6pm-8:30pm, will be Youth Night! We will have fun at the lake with swimming, boating, volleyball, 9-Square, games, music, and supper! Bring your friends to join in the fun! HOUSE OF FAITH: First Presbyterian Church, for the fourth year in a row, is forming a team of volunteers to prepare and serve a meal to House of Faith campers on Wednesday, July 15 at Lake Brownwood! The last three summers a team of FPC volunteers have traveled to Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat and fed over 300 elementary-age children and their counselors. This year we will feed high school age campers and plan to feed 350. We need your help! This is a great way for our youth to get any service hours they might need for school or civic organizations. It is also a wonderful opportunity for mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, cousins, and grandparents to work side-by-side in service to our Lord by feeding and serving others. Call Susan Gober to volunteer,

5 COOKIES WANTED! Even if you aren t able to travel with our team of volunteers over to Lake Brownwood, you have an opportunity to help make this year s meal a roaring success! Last year our dessert offering was less than appealing (it was cookies that came in a box), so this year we want to change that by asking all you awesome bakers in our congregation to consider baking homemade cookies, brownies or bars! Any cookie/brownie/bar you d like to make would be welcomed with the exception of cookies containing peanuts or peanut butter. With so many having peanut allergies, it s just best to steer clear of peanuts. If you would like to showcase your baking talents by contributing to the feeding of 350, of which are mostly hungry high school students, please call or Susan at church, or programs.director@fpcsanangelo.org by July 10. You could bring your baked goods with you to church on July 12, if your contribution can survive the freezer or bring to church on Tuesday, July 14 anytime from 8:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Or, Wednesday, July 15 by 11:30 a.m. Or, call and arrangements could be made for someone to come to your home and pick-up your baked goods! We aim to please and to make serving possible for all. Mission 2015 T-shirts are on sale now! Available in The Commons after church and in the office during the week! $20 each. All proceeds will go to the Guatemala Scholarship Fund. July 18-25, NEEDS FOR GUATEMALA MISSION TRIP! Our mission trip to Guatemala is less than one month away. Thirty-one members of our congregation are assisting Promised Land Ministries in their mission to provide for the housing needs of poor families in the San Lucas Tolimán region. Please prayerfully consider how God might be calling you to help this vital mission with your special pledge towards the Guatemala mission. We are hoping to raise $35, Here are a few other ways in which you could help:

6 Buy a house. A two bedroom house costs $2,000. Buy a quarter of a house for $500. Buy a share of a house for $200. Buy a stove for $150. Buy a water filter for $50. Buy crafts for 10 kids for $20. We will be offering a VBS. Buys supplies for our new women s ministry, 10 packages for $20. To date we have raised over $23, of our $35,000 goal. Thank you! Please prayerfully consider contributing. MISSION 2015 PRAYER VIGIL NEEDS YOU! Not being able to travel with the Mission 2015 team of volunteers does not mean you cannot play an integral role in this summer s mission trip to Guatemala! We need prayer warriors who will sign up for a time slot and pray for the mission team, the people the team will be serving and all involved with Promise Land Ministries. You are welcome to come and pray at church, if the time slot you choose is during office hours, or you can simply pray wherever you find yourself at the time you signed up! It s that easy. The sign-up sheet for Mission 2015 Prayer Vigil will be available on Sunday, July 6 and Sunday, July 12. Or, during the week from 8:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, or 8:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. on Friday.