THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

Transcription

1 INFORMATION FOR VISITORS Welcome to First Presbyterian Church! We want you to feel comfortable and at ease in your surroundings. The following services are available to aid your comfort in worship. Please inform the ushers of your particular needs. Nursery Staff will welcome your infants and toddlers. Wireless hearing aids, large-print bulletins, and large-print Bibles are available from the ushers. Children s bulletins, activity backpacks, and Bibles are available from the ushers. Please turn all cell phones and pagers to vibrate during the worship service! Visitors -- Please take a sticker from the inside cover of the pew pad so that we may properly greet you after worship. Visitors and members are urged to record your presence at worship on the friendship pads which are in the pews. Please include your address, phone number and any other information you wish to share with us and acquaint yourself with those sharing the pew. We cordially invite you to join us for refreshments and fellowship every Sunday morning following the Worship Service in the Family Life Center. Anyone wishing to unite with the church, please let the Rev. Price-Gibson know. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US! WORSHIP SCHEDULE OFFICE HOURS 9:00 a.m. Sunday Church School Monday through Thursday: 10:30 a.m. Worship Service 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Coffee Fellowship following Worship Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Minister: Every Member of This Church Rev. Dr. Stephen Price-Gibson, Pastor Sandy McKirahan, Music Director Rose Miller, Office Administrator Sharon Rees, Accompanist Angela Wright, Bell Choir Director Tyler Newby, Nursery Coordinator Dennis Shultz, Custodian Kelsey Cobb, Nursery Attendant Connie Moon, Organist Susan Wallace, Organist Web-site: Presbyterian Church USA Presbytery of Central Nebraska Should you have a need for pastoral care, please contact Rev. Stephen Price-Gibson at or at revstephen@frontier.com.

2 Words of Preparation I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord! Psalm 122:1 December 1, 2013 WORSHIP FOR THE LORD S DAY 10:30 A.M. 1 st Sunday of Advent *All rise in body or spirit. PRELUDE Here I Am to Worship with Fairest Lord Jesus arr. Carol Tornquist WELCOMING Greeting and Announcements Welcoming One Another Stephen Price-Gibson CALL TO WORSHIP Isaiah 2:5; Matthew 24:42; Romans 13:11-12 Barbara Icenogle, Liturgist Now is the time to wake from sleep. The night is far gone; the day is near. Keep awake; be ready. Christ is coming! Let us walk in the light of the Lord. Lighting the Advent Candle We light this candle in hope. Sunday School youth Light the first candle. Choral Response He Came Down arr. John Bell Advent Prayer God of hope, out of death you bring life. Renew us in hope, so that we may be alert to the dawning of Christ s advent among us. God of promise, God of hope, into our darkness come. Amen. *HYMN "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" No. 82 *CONFESSION AND PARDON Trusting in God s Grace, let us confess our sins. Holy God, we confess that we do not walk in your light. We study the ways of war; we stray from the paths of peace. By day we waste your gifts; by night we dishonor your name. Forgive us; deliver us; awaken us to your Word, so that we may be ready to welcome you with joy, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *Sung Response Lord, Have Mercy No. 576 Choir First time Congregation Second time The wilderness will rejoice; the dry land will blossom. The people of God will return with joy and singing. Isaiah 35:1, 10 In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! *Sung Response My Soul Give Glory to My God Verse 1 No. 99 My soul gives glory to my God; my heart pours out its praise. God lifted up my lowliness in many marvelous ways. CHILDREN S TIME ANTHEM Call to Advent J. Jerome Williams O come, O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lowly exile here, until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand. Ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in His hand. Christ our God to earth descendeth, Our full homage to demand.

3 PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION Gracious God, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. Make us hungry for this heavenly food, that it may nourish us today in the ways of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen. SCRIPTURE LESSON Romans 13:11-14 Red Pew Bible, N.T., pg. 162 Gold Pew Bible, N.T., pg. 216 The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. SERMON "GAME TIME" *HYMN "O Lord, How Shall I Meet You No. 104 PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE TITHES AND OFFERINGS Offertory Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus Wihla Hutson SACRAMENT OF THE LORD S SUPPER Invitation to the Table Great Prayer of Thanksgiving The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. Eternal God, holy and mighty, it is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise. You establish your people to be a light for the nations, and called us to walk in your paths and follow your ways. Even now, you are coming to bring justice and peace to the world. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with choirs of angels, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name: We thank you that in Christ Jesus, you drew near to us for our salvation, teaching us to live in faith and to see the good of all. Through his dying and rising, you brought life to the world. Great is the mystery of faith:

4 Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ. Keep us faithful and alert for the hour of Christ s coming. Let us live honorably as children of truth and light, so that we may eat and drink together in your holy realm. Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, now and forever. *POSTLUDE Invention on Wachet Auf Thomas Chesterton We cordially invite you to join us for refreshments and fellowship every Sunday morning following the Worship Service in the Family Life Center. Liturgist: Barb Icenogle Acolytes: Brian and Christopher Barua Greeters/Ushers: Mike Bryson, Larry and Barb Meyer, Alan Oldfather, and Barbara Stevenson Communion Servers: Dwayne Hibbs, Kent Lilly, Pete Peterson, Bev Pickens, Charlie Pickens, and Janet Pickens Advent Candlelighters: Sunday School Youth Coffee Hosts: The Evangelism Committee Organist/Accompanist: Susan Wallace Guest Chancel Choir Director: Clayton Moyer Sound System Technician: Mark Nelson Nursery Attendants: Tyler Newby and Kelsey Cobb November 24, 2013 Church Attendance: 128 Dimes for Mission: 200 And now, with the confidence of the children of God, we pray: 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 the glory, forever. Amen. Breaking the Bread Sharing the Bread and Cup Prayer after Communion *HYMN Rejoice! Rejoice, Believers No. 362 *BLESSING *CHORAL BENEDICTION Soon and Very Soon No. 384 Choir and Congregation Verse 1 YOU VE GOT A FRIEND SUNDAY Sunday, December 1 Following 10:30 a.m. Worship Service Remember to Invite-a-Guest to worship and fellowship on Sunday, December 1st. Get ready for a good time with great food and wonderful fellowship. Everyone is welcome!! WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OLD HYMNALS? Books that were donated by church members still attending are on a table outside the sanctuary with a name on it. Please take them if you are interested. We will be donating some books to the congregation at Stapleton. There are many other books available for anyone who would like one. They are in the church office to be picked up after church or at a time when Rose is in the office.

5 WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY NEWS Please come to the Christmas Tea on December 8. It will be held immediately after church during the coffee hour. Please join all of us for this festive occasion, some hot beverage, some goodies and a chance to visit with friends at First Presbyterian Church. This month we are studying Lesson Four Passing through the Waters. Dates to remember are: December 12 December 17 December 18 Lesson Four Preview Ruth Circle B.A.G. Ladies Circle 10:00 a.m. 1:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Classroom Classroom Classroom In December we are remembering the Jubilee Center with boxes of macaroni and cheese, canned tuna, cake mixes, and canned vegetables. Money to the treasury will also be appreciated since we will give them $200 as well. YOUTH CHRISTMAS PROGRAM Sunday, December 15 during the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service Please make plans to have your child(ren) be part of the Christmas Program during the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, December 15th. Rehearsals will be held during Sunday School. Be sure to attend Sunday School, you won t want to miss it! Taize Worship Service Sunday, December 15, :00 p.m. TAIZE worship includes candlelight, prayers, readings, soft music, and silence. The service is very meditative and offers a wonderful opportunity to be silent and center on the Lord. The service is open to the entire community. Come as you are and bring your friends. BOB HOUSER S RETIREMENT Bob Houser, General Presbyter, will retire after 42 years of service on December 31, The Presbytery of Central Nebraska would like to thank Bob for his years of service to this presbytery and to the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. As a way to show our appreciation the Presbytery will have an informal reception at the Presbytery meeting and a formal reception closer to his retirement date. FORMAL RECEPTION Sunday, December 29 3:00 pm 5:00 pm First Presbyterian Church, th Avenue, Kearney, NE For those who are unable to attend the reception, you may send a note of appreciation or thanks to: Attention: Robert Houser Retirement, Presbytery of Central Nebraska, th Avenue, Suite 28, Kearney NE The Presbytery office will be collecting letters and cards between now and December 17th. We will pass on the notes of appreciation to Bob at the formal reception on December 29th. CHRISTMAS JOY OFFERING The Christmas Joy Offering provides tangible support to church workers who have faithfully served the church for many years and to the eight Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges where the gifts of students are being developed. Contributions should be clearly marked Christmas Offering. The Christmas Joy offering will be accepted on Advent Sundays and Christmas Eve. Christmas Joy offering envelopes are available in the Sunday worship bulletins. LOOK WHAT YOUR DIMES CAN DO Did you wonder what your dimes were doing? With the guidance of several young children in our congregation you have purchased 5 flocks of baby chicks, 1 sheep, 1 pig, a share of a heifer, and a share of a water buffalo. These animals will be sent to needy areas around the world through the organization Heifer International. Thank you for sharing your dimes. You make a difference. OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOX UPDATE First Presbyterian Church, the collection site for the Operation Christmas Child, had 10,543 shoeboxes (up 1100 boxes from last year) loaded on the trailers from the Central Nebraska area. The shoeboxes are being sent to children living Guyana, Mexico and Togo. Thank you to congregation members who donated shoeboxes.

6 WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACTIVITY October 2 December 4 6:00-7:30 p.m. Wednesday Night activities have begun to meet again each Wednesday evening. 6:00-6:30 p.m. 6:00-7:00 p.m. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Youth Bell Choir Practice Adult Bible Study Middle School & High School Sharon Rees & Peggi Jenkins Eldin Wells, Teacher Youth Group Bible Study HANGING OF THE GREENS Saturday morning, December 7, 2013 at 9:30 am The Congregational Life Committee will provide some breakfast treats (aka donuts and coffee). CHRISTMAS TEA Sunday, December 8, 2013 Following the Worship Service Everyone is welcome!! Hosted by the Women s Bible Study Circles HANDBELL CHRISTMAS CONCERT December 8, :00 p.m. Merryman Performing Arts Center The handbell choirs from First Lutheran, First United Methodist, First Presbyterian, and Holy Cross Lutheran Churches will participate. There will also be handbell solos and small ensembles. A freewill offering will be collected to help support the handbell ministries at the four churches. A cookie reception and fellowship will follow the concert. COOKIES NEEDED! First Presbyterian Church is the host church for the reception following the handbell concert. Please sign up on the sheet in the Narthex to bring 2-4 dozen cookies or call Rose in the church office. Servers are also needed to help at the reception. Our Members: Darrell Barnes Cheyenne and Cora Boyle Danelle Collins and children John and Mary Daake Lorraine Feind Dewaine Fisher Bernice Frauen Kathy Gappa For Our Prayers Don and Allene Gimeson Kitty Leibhart Matthew Lindsay Gordon Morrow Tommy & Relena Myers and Family Audrey and Bill Nelson Ken and Marilyn Whittaker Gary Zaruba Our Friends of the Church: Jim Deupree (brother of Bev Gustafson) Merlene Paul (sister of Bev Gustafson) Susie and Abraham Hernandez Kathy and Phil Shade Jake Hild (brother of Jack Hild) Gail Stover (cousin of Lyn Shaffer) Tammy May (friend of Pat Hild) Rich Vohland (son of Bob & Evelyn Vohland) Gary Mueller (friend of Ken & Ruth Slominski) Mike Zapp (friend of Ken & Lyn Shaffer) The Family of Jesse Evans (father of Sandy McKirahan) Ian Galloway (grandson of Mary Kulhanek s friend) Bobbi Hoffman and Family (friend of Rose Miller) The Family of Susan Martin (niece of Bev & John Gustafson) Dosia & Jimmy O Quinn (sister-in-law & brother of Ann Young) Craig Songster (son-in-law of Ken & Lyn Shaffer) Diane & Corey Troyer and Family (daughter of Gary &Donna Murphy) Paul Wagner, Paul Wagner Jr, and Tammie Wagner (son, grandson, and daughter-in-law of Bob Wagner) Tom Woodruff (son of Gayle and Wilma Woodruff and brother of Lissa Woodruff) Our Loved Ones In Service To Our Country: Brian Adams-Army Crystal Jacobson-USAF Danelle Collins-ANG Jason Keen-USAF Thomas Gibson-USAF Kristin Lindenstein-USAF Gary Haines-USAF Ryan Rowher-Army David Hild-Guard Greg Stevens-USMC Amy Jacobson-Guard Linda Youberg-Navy Our Presbytery and the Wider Church: Steve Deines, Honorably Retired Dean Seger, Lay Pastor Please help our Church office keep our prayer list current. Unless otherwise requested we will keep names on the prayer list for four weeks.

7 ANNOUNCEMENTS We welcome all visitors to worship this morning. We would like you to learn more about our church and give us a chance to make you feel at home. If anyone needs a ride to church on Sundays, please call the church office at so that we may arrange transportation for you. If you would like a tape recorded copy of the Sunday Worship Service, please call the church office at Person of the Month selected by the Worship and Music Committee for December is Thea Houser for her years of dedication to the CROP Walk. She has been very faithful in walking in the event as well as gathering dontions. Dimes for Mission. The Mission Committee designated the Tommy and Relena Myers Family as the recipient of the October through December Dimes for Mission. Please keep donating those dimes to help the Myers family as Relena pursues her seminary degree in Denver, Colorado. Equal Exchange Products. Check out the Equal Exchange Products available in the church office Coffee (Regular, Decaf, and Flavored), Tea (Breakfast, Green, Chai, Decaf Vanilla Rooibos), and Hot Cocoa. Why not consider giving a gift of Fair Trade coffee, tea or hot cocoa? These products make great additions to a gift basket. Just add some mugs to the basket and you re set for an easy gift! Save Best Choice Barcode UPC Labels For Cash. Please save your Best Choice barcodes (UPC symbol) and bring them to the church where a shoebox is located in the church office. Best Choice products are available at Grand Central Apple Market. Some Best Choice products excluded are aluminum soda cans, aerosol cans, and cigarettes. Wanted: Coffee Hosts for The Congregational Life Committee Needs YOUR Help! If you are one of the many who enjoy the coffee fellowship time after church, then WE WANT YOU! Please sign up on the chart in the narthex. Save General Mills Box Tops For Education And Campbell s Labels For Education. The Mission Committee would like you to know that the Menaul School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is collecting General Mills Box Tops for Education and Campbell's Labels for Education (UPC product code and Labels for Education coupons). This program helps them "buy" classroom supplies. The school is a project that we have donated Dimes for Mission to in the past. One of our former members, Ima Stapleman, worked for the school for a period of time. Please put your Box Tops and Campbell s labels in the Best Choice collection box in the church office. THIS WEEK AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Sunday, December 1 You re Got A Friend Sunday 9:00 a.m. Sunday Church School All Church 10:30 a.m. Worship Service with Communion Sanctuary Following Worship Service Coffee Fellowship Family Life Center Monday, December 2 7:00 a.m. Men s Bible Study Family Life Center Tuesday, December 3 10:30 a.m. Staff Meeting Pastor s Office 4:00 p.m. ARC Cooking Class Kitchen 5:00 p.m. Worship & Music Committee Meeting Choir Room 6:00 p.m. Christian Education Committee Meeting Classroom 7:00 p.m. Property & Grounds Committee Meeting Library Wednesday, December 4 6:00 p.m. Youth Bell Choir Practice Sanctuary 6:00 p.m. Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study Classroom 6:30 p.m. Middle School & High School Youth Group Sr. High Room 7:00 p.m. Chancel Choir Practice Sanctuary 8:00 p.m. Gloria Dei Bell Choir Practice Sanctuary Thursday, December 5 4:00 p.m. Mission Committee Meeting Library 6:30 p.m. Girl Scout Troop #873 Classroom Saturday, December 7 9:30 a.m. Hanging of the Greens All Church 10:00 a.m. ARC 4-H Classroom Sunday, December 8 9:00 a.m. Sunday Church School All Church 10:30 a.m. Worship Service Sanctuary Following Worship Service Christmas Tea Family Life Center 7:00 p.m. Christmas Handbell Choirs Concert Merryman Center