Baptist Church. Ann Caldwell, organist; Charles Schaible, panist Vineville Brass, Kelly Graves, director Hanging of the Green

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1 Baptist Church The Worship of God Ann Caldwell, organist; Charles Schaible, panist Vineville Brass, Kelly Graves, director Hanging of the Green Prelude Prelude on the Holly and the Ivy Sumsion A Voice Crying in the Wilderness Welcome and a Word of Explanation Music for Celebration Go, Tell it on the Mountain Vineville Blue Grass Invocation Ray Wilkes Lighting of the Candle of Hope Allie and John Hilton Kuipers Pastor: Hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? People: But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Pastor: So Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel. People: That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Pastor: O Come, Desire of nations bind, all peoples in one heart and mind. People: Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease; Fill the whole world with heaven s peace. Pastor: Rejoice! People: Rejoice! Pastor: And so on this First Sunday of Advent we light the Candle of Hope. Call to Worship Come Thou Long Expected Jesus arr. Miller Scripture Reading Isaiah 11:1-6 *Hymn of Summons 79 O Come, O Come Emmanuel veni emmanuel A Little Child Shall Lead Them Song by Preschool Choir Dance and Sing! arr. Gifford All Ages Shall Praise Him Scripture Reading Isaiah 9:2-7 Leigh Halverson Song by Treble Makers Choir Advent Candles arr. Eernisse Songs by Youth Choir Let There Be Peace on Earth arr. Rouse Song by Ladies Ensemble All Is Well arr. Smith Scripture Reading Luke 19:1-10

2 Homily "Why Did Christ Come?" *Hymn 96 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light houston Offertory Prayer Leigh Halverson Offertory Hodie Christus Natus Est arr. Olson Invitation to Discipleship *Hymn of Response 127 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing mendelssohn Song by Combined Choirs Antiphonal for Advent Raney O Come, All Ye Faithful! *Celebrations and Concerns *Metaphor of Light *Pastoral Benediction *Congregational Benediction O Come, All Ye Faithful adeste fideles O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels! O come, let us adore Him Christ the Lord! Postlude Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme Walther A Day of Pure Joy What a delightful privilege it was to begin this day of worship and the Advent season with a hearty breakfast that Melissa and her band of merry cooks provided. I thank all who gave of their time and talent to help prepare and serve the breakfast, and I thank everyone who came to enjoy it. We welcome you this morning to our Hanging of the Green service. It is meant to give vent to a pure festive joy as we adorn our sanctuary in Christmas finery to enhance our anticipation of the coming of the Christ. I express gratitude to everyone who donated a poinsettia in memory or in honor of someone, and thanks to everyone who fills a role this morning in helping us decorate our sanctuary to the glory of God. Special thanks go to all of the choir leaders, accompanists, instrumentalists and singers who are sharing their talents with us today. The highlight of the service will be a joint sermon in song delivered by all of our choirs. What a delight! Speaking of sermons in song, next week we have a special treat in store for us. During our combined worship service at 10:45 am, our adult choir, accompanied by orchestra, will present Go Sing It on the Mountain. Our choir s Christmas music always conveys meaning and wonder. I encourage you to come and invite a friend. This will be another joyous service of worship. Remember also that we have two special events before us on successive Wednesday nights in December. On the Wednesday of December 12, at 6:45 pm, the children s and youth choirs of the church will be presenting their Christmas concert in the sanctuary. You will not want to miss this enjoyable evening of music. On the following Wednesday, December 19, we will enjoy our Offering of Gifts. On that night we will not have the regular Wednesday night meal, but we invite you to bring an offering of food, perhaps a heavy hors-d oeuvre or dessert, with the meal beginning at 5:30 pm. Then, starting at 6:30 pm, we will afford time for a sharing of gifts, perhaps a story, song, poem, instrumental selection whatever the Spirit moves you to offer, as long as it has a Christmas theme. Make sure that your offering is not too long, so as to allow as many people as possible to participate. Parents and grandparents, note that Melissa will be providing a Christmas craft table that will allow young and old to make their own Christmas decorations. This will be our last Wednesday night gathering of Our 2018 Advent devotional booklets are ready for pick-up today. The booklet features stories, testimonials, artwork and Scriptures for every day of Advent, beginning today and continuing through Christmas Day. Many thanks go to Jody Thornton and Melissa Kremer for their hard work in shaping our entries into a publishable form! And thanks to all who offered a contribution to this meaningful Advent instrument.

3 Sunday, December 16, will offer another special service for worship that will feature the children of the church taking part in a living Nativity scene as part of the Sunday sermon. It will also be our Pledge Sunday! You should have received a pledge card this week. We will offer a time to lay our pledge cards on the altar during worship on a day when our theme will be The Power of Community. If you can t be there that Sunday, please send your pledge card in promptly. We will remain on the one-service schedule on the Sundays of December 23 and December 30. We will have Sunday School on both Sundays. The Christmas Eve Candles, Carols and Communion, service will be at 5 pm. Finally, if you have picked up an Angel Tree request or a Salvation Army stocking, note that they need to be returned by Sunday, December 9. A word from your pastor, Dr. Sympathy We extend Christian sympathy to the following families: The family of Velma Evans. Ann and Dan Caldwell in the death of Dan s cousin, Shirley Sigmon. In Memorium In Memoriam Velma Evans April 2, November 22, 2018 Angel Tree and Stockings Again this year, the Salvation Army needs our help to provide a Merry Christmas for 1,154 needy middle Georgia children through the Angel Tree and Stocking programs. Angels and stockings will be available across from the church office and the deadline is December 9. Youth Today: Youth will have lunch together today following the church service, followed by an short road trip outing that will hopefully include some outdoor activities if weather permits! If weather does not permit, we will have a back-up plan! Wednesday: Advent is a wonderful time to explore the mystery and miracle of the Trinity! Come on Wednesday for Bible Study in the youth room at 6:30 pm as we discuss and explore this challenging and worthy topic of three in one! Next Sunday: Youth choir and skit review at 4:00 pm, dinner at 5:00 pm, and volunteering with Fuller Center kids until 6:30 pm. Join us for Ladies Lunch December 10 at 11:30 am Panera Bread Tom Hill Sr. Blvd. One Service Only in December Please remember that we will only have the 10:45 am service during the month of December. Children s and Youth Choirs Christmas Program Mark your calendar for Wednesday, December 12 at 6:30 pm. The children s choirs and the youth choir will present a special Christmas music program that you will not want to miss! Christmas Caroling All are invited for a fun time of fellowship and caroling on Sunday, December 16 at 4:45 pm. Bring your favorite pot of chili to share!

4 Upcoming Events December 9 Go Sing It on the Mountain Adult Choir at 10:45 am December 12 Children s and Youth Choirs Christmas Program December 16 Christmas Caroling and Chili Supper 4:45 pm This Week at Vineville Sunday, December 2 8:15 am Advent Breakfast 8:30 am No Early Service 9:15 am Media Library 9:35 am Bible Study 10:45 am Hanging of the Green 2:30 pm Handbells Monday, December 3 No Activities Tuesday, December 4 10:30 am Exercise/Stretching Class Wednesday, December 5 9:00 am Media Library 5:30 pm Vineville Brass 5:30 pm Family Supper 6:15 pm Children s Choirs 6:30 pm Family Worship 6:45 pm Mission Friends 6:45 pm Kingdom Kids 6:30 pm Youth Bible Study 7:30 pm Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal Thursday, December 6 10:30 am Exercise/Stretching Class Friday, December 7 No Activities Sunday, December 9 8:30 am No Early Service 9:15 am Media Library 9:35 am Bible Study 10:45 am Sanctuary Choir Christmas Program 2:30 pm Handbells 4:00 pm Youth Choir 5:00 pm SNYF

5 Deacon of the Week The Deacon of the Week is Rick Jones. Next week is Harold McAbee. A Convenient Option for Giving The QR code can be scanned with your smartphone and it will direct you to the VBC giving website. Report as of November 25 ATTENDANCE Bible Study 139 8:30 Worship 33 10:45 Worship 113 STEWARDSHIP Budget Offering $7,461 Following Christ 2 (ytd) $51,079 ytd Budget Contributions $722,095 Our Staff Angela Blizzard Angela Blizzard Leigh Halverson Peggy Jones Jody Thornton Ginny Ferguson Sandra Head Tonia Boyd Kathy McCray Pastor Minister of Music Minister to Youth Minister to Family and Education Financial Administrator Administrative Assistant Receptionist Music Ministry Coordinator Weekday Morning School Higher Life Our Lay Leadership Church Council Todd Smith Deacon Ministry Kathy Kendrick Grief Ministry Nell Jones Homebound Ann Purser Media Center Kay Defore Men s Ministry Todd Smith Missions Jim Jones Senior Adults-XYZ Jackie Odom Sunday School Jeane Easom