GATHERING IN GOD S NAME

Transcription

1 DOWNTOWN UNITED (St. Paul s and Wilmot United Churches) July 10, 2016 Portions of the service printed in bold are spoken by the whole congregation. At the points marked * - those who are able are invited to stand. GATHERING IN GOD S NAME Prelude: Voluntary (Stanley) Welcome and Life in Our Christian Communities Introit: Dance with the Spirit (sing twice) MV #156 Dance with the Spirit early in the mornin, walk with the Spirit throughout the long day. Work and hope for the new life a-bornin, listen to the Spirit to show you the way. Lighting of the Christ Candle Call to Worship: Let us start this service well, by reminding ourselves: That it is not we who chose Christ, but Christ who chose us, That we are not here because of our goodness but because of Christ s grace, That we are not here to enlighten ourselves, but to allow Christ to enlighten us, That we have not come to be entertained but to worship God with heart, soul, mind and strength. Let us worship God! Sarah Magie 1

2 Prayer of Approach: God of justice and compassion, you have told us that if we love you with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and love our neighbours as ourselves, we will inherit eternal life. You give us gifts beyond our imagination: filling our ears with the song of mockingbirds; filling our eyes with the sight of falling stars on summer nights; filling our nostrils with the sweet, heady scent of new-mown grass drifting on the gentle breeze of a summer morning. You measure our lives with a plumb line, calling us to live with integrity and generosity. Hold us in your love and guide us in our thoughts and actions so that we may serve the world as the Body of Christ, shining with the light of your eternal realm. Amen. * Opening Hymn: Let All Things Now Living VU #242 Storytime for the Young and the Young at Heart * Hymn: God of the Sparrow VU #229 Prayer of Confession: They may not be beaten down or lying by the road, but there are people we pass by, Watching God. Some are family and friends we take so much for granted we cannot see how we have stripped them of our love and compassion. Others are neighbours: who have been left half-dead by crushing work; who have fallen into the hands of despair; who have been abandoned by all those who walked on by them. Many are strangers. People we don t know, but quickly judge: they are weak, or poor, or strange, or they remind us of who we once were, or could become. Rescue us from the power of our sins, Righteous One of all generations. Pour out your mercy on us, rather than your judgement, that we would be moved with pity, and spurred to action; that we would hear of the hope that is ours, and share it with sisters and brothers; that we would 2

3 shower mercy on all we meet, even as we have received forgiveness for our sins through Jesus Christ, our brother and our friend. Amen. Silent Prayer Assurance of Pardon: The Word is very near to us, in our hearts and on our lips. In Christ, we are forgiven; our lives are made new, and our future of hope is restored. Thanks be to God! Amen. Minute for Mission Guitar Solo: Galliard - Steven Peacock Cutting) LISTENING FOR TRUTH Prayer for Understanding: O God, your Word is a lamp to our feet And a light to our path, Give us the grace to receive Your truth In faith and in love. Amen. Anita Jones Scripture Readings: Colossians 1: 1-14 Psalm 25 VU #752 Gospel Readings: Luke 10: Ellen Beairsto Reflection: With Caring Hearts Prayers of the People RESPONDING TO THE WORD * Hymn: For the Fruit of All Creation VU #227 3

4 Offertory Invitation Offertory Music Presentation of our Offering * The Doxology: VU #541 Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures high and low; Give thanks to God in love made known, Creator, Word and Spirit, One. * Offertory Prayer SENDING FORTH IN GOD S NAME * Closing Hymn: Christ Has No Body Now but Yours MV #171 * Blessing: (Based on Colossians 1: 9-12) May God grant us spiritual wisdom and understanding so that we may be able to see things from a spiritual point of view, and so that our lives may be worthy of God, and pleasing to Him. May we bear fruit in all that we do, and continue to grow in our understanding of who God is. And may God give us the strength we need to endure whatever comes with patience and even joy, always giving thanks to God who, through Jesus Christ, has given us new life. Amen! * Choral Amen VU #967 Postlude: Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow (Post) ************************************************************************** 4

5 WELCOME to our service of worship and thank you for being with us this morning. A special welcome to our friends from St. Paul s as we come together as Downtown United. We are certainly looking forward to the coming weeks. Everyone is invited to join us for ICED TEA & CONVERSATION in the Dr. G. M. Young Memorial Hall immediately following this morning's service of worship. Thank you to Ellen Sherren for hosting this time of fellowship. CONGRATULATIONS: Our congratulations go out to Katie (Springer) & Oliver Glencross on the birth of their first child. Harrison William Francis arrived on June 26 at 7:15 pm weighing in at 8 lbs 1oz. Both mother and son are doing well. Katie and Oliver help out with our Senior Youth. Proud grandparents are: Reg & Mary Lue Springer, Arlene Glencross, Jackie Greenman and Allison Brewer. Very proud great-grandparents are: Jean Smith, Maxine Glencross and Jackie Webster. The rose on the communion table has been placed by the Youth Group. CONDOLENCES: Our condolences go out to the family and friends of the late Edith Cameron who passed away on July 2 with her service being held this past week. Last month, Edith reached an amazing milestone years of living. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family CONDOLENCES: Our condolences also go out to the family and friends of the late Robert MacDonald who was killed this past weekend in a motorcycle accident. Rob's sister, Gayle MacDonald, was a very active member of Wilmot before moving to Halifax this past year. Our thoughts and prayers are with both the MacDonald and the Cameron families. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: August Vacation Bible School will once again see St. Paul's, Forest Hill and Wilmot combining together for a week of fun from August nd th ( 9:00 11:30 a.m.) With the construction on Carleton Street, we decided to hold it at St. Paul's this year. The program, SURF SHACK, is based on Nehemiah 4:14b - "Remember that the Lord is great and awesome." It looks exciting filled with stories, music, games and a few surprises. Give Ellen ( ) a call if you have any questions. 5

6 KIDS ADVENTURE CAMP THE GO PROJECT WHO? GRADES 2-7 WHEN? JULY WHERE? NASHWAAKSIS UNITED CHURCH This environmentally based day camp is an action-packed week for children and youth. Trained staff and volunteers will lead programming inspired by The GO Project along with traditional camp experiences like games, crafts, delicious food, singing and lots of fun! This camp will do their part to make our world a better place. Ecological clean-ups, team-building activities, growing and sharing food, and other environmental projects will spark their imaginations and give campers the confidence to change the world one small step at a time. This camp is sponsored by the United Churches in our area, Maritime Conference as well as the National Church. For more information or to register visit or contact Ellen ( ). NOTE SUMMER HOURS: (Wilmot United) Sexton, Randy s hours July Tues & Thurs 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Wed 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. August holidays are th August Office Administrator, Marlene s hours July & August- office open 3 days / week Tues, Wed & Thurs 9-4:30 p.m. July 19 & 20 - Vacation days. Always wise to call the church first to check and arrange access in advance. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Pine Grove Nursing Home is looking for motivated individuals who would be interested in contributing to seniors lives in their community. Pine Grove is a vibrant 70 bed nursing home located on the Woodstock Road in Fredericton. We are actively accepting volunteer applications from students, adults and seniors. Please see the pamphlet and application on the bulletin board downstairs for more information or contact Jocelyn or Candice at ext

7 SUMMER HYMN SING: The congregation of Brunswick Street Baptist Church invites you to join them on Wednesday, July 13, 7 p.m. for an evening hymn sing accompanied by David (organ) and Leah (piano) Steeves. The hymn sing will be followed by an Ice Cream Social. All are welcome! rd JULY 23 : YARD SALE, SUPPER AND AUCTION at Knox Presbyterian Church in Harvey. Yard Sale begins at 8 a.m. and runs all day. Supper will run from 4-6 p.m. Menu: BBQ chicken, salads, rolls and pies for dessert. Cost: Adults - $12; children under 12 - $6. Auction begins at 7 p.m. sharp! Everyone welcome. th Free Noon Hour Concert this Wednesday! Wednesday, July 13, from 12:10 pm- 12:50 pm at Christ Church Parish Church, Duo Cantilena with Sally Wright, flute and Steven Peacock, guitar. All are welcome! Admission by free will offering. Downtown United staff for July: Rev. Richard Bowley (St. Paul s) Rev. Ellen Beairsto Sarah Magie Organist: Virginia Leiter Music Director: Steven Peacock Office Administrator: Marlene Phillips Sexton: Randy Randall Church Office: