February 22, 2015 First Sunday in Lent. Bell Prelude A Round of Praise Michael Helman The Norfield Memorial Handbell Choir

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1 Ringing of the Church Bell February 22, 2015 First Sunday in Lent Bell Prelude A Round of Praise Michael Helman The Norfield Memorial Handbell Choir Call to Worship Leader: We are gathered to worship our God. People: Gracious God, send your Spirit upon us. Leader: We come from many places, with many burdens. People: Gracious God, send your Spirit upon us. Leader: We turn our hearts to you, O God. All: Gracious God, send your Spirit upon us, and make us your beloved family in this Lenten Season. *Hymn No. 341 Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine ASSURANCE Welcome Call to Prayer As the Deer Panteth for the Water Tom Fettke (Join on second time:) As the deer panteth for the water, So my soul longeth after thee; You alone are my heart s desire, And I long to worship thee. Pastoral Prayer The Lord s Prayer 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

2 Rejoice Choir Song When We Are Living (based on Romans 14:8) Children s Sermon At this time the children will go to Discovery Hour in the Christian Education Building *Hymn No. 80 Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley LONESOME VALLEY Scripture Readings In Unison Psalm 25:1-10 (NRSV) 1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. 3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. 6 Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness sake, O Lord!

3 8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. Mark 1: 9-15 (NRSV) 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. 12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news. Sermon Finding God in The Wilderness Rev. Dr. Bernard R. Wilson Invitation to Giving Offertory Anthem Teach Me, O Lord the Way of Your Statutes David Hurd This anthem is based on Psalm 119:33-41, p. 494 in the pew Bibles. This Psalm is the longest chapter in the Bible, consisting of 22 poems of 8 lines each; the poems use each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet for their starting letter in order (this is called an acrostic poem). *Doxology Prayer of Dedication Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Christ, all people here below; Praise Holy Spirit evermore; Praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen. OLD HUNDREDTH *Hymn No. 339 Be Thou My Vision SLANE Benediction Response Postlude Voluntary No. 1 William Boyce *Asterisk indicates standing for those who desire

4 Sunday Morning Soul Food Series for Spring 2015 The Marks of Discipleship and Spiritual Gifts A Lenten Journey through Henri Nouwen s A Spirituality of Living and an opportunity to discover our Spiritual Gifts. Sunday, March 1 Community Led by Rev. Kelly Hough Rogers We will explore why Christianity is meant to be practiced in community and why community is a vital mark of discipleship. We will learn the four meanings of faith. Sunday, March 8 Discovering our Spiritual Gifts & Spiritual Gifts Inventory Co-led by Rev. Kelly and new member Laura Casellas We will explore Scripture as it pertains to Spiritual gifts. We will also work through a Spiritual Gifts assessment and have a facilitated discussion of our individual and corporate gifts. Sunday, March 15 Solitude Led by Rev. Dr. Bernard R. Wilson We will learn what it means to live faith by practicing prayer, solitude and Scripture reading in our daily lives, and learn to see the Bible as the heart of our tradition. Sunday, March 22 Spiritual Gifts Discovery Results Led by Laura Casellas We will decipher our Spiritual Gifts Assessment results and learn how to better use our gifts to serve God and serve others! Each Soul Food morning begins with a delicious fellowship breakfast at 8:30 am followed by the educational program from 9 to 9:45am, in the Parish Hall. Children are welcome to join us at breakfast and then do a learning activity together. No need to R.S.V.P.! Please bring a friend along!

5 Welcome Visitors! We are delighted to have you joining us here at Norfield today! Please let us know if you have additional questions, or require further assistance. Do not hesitate to ask one of our greeters or ushers, a deacon (identified by name badges), or one of our ministers. Please also take a moment to fill out a nametag for yourself so we can greet you by name. Infant and toddler care is available in the lower level of the Christian Education Building. An usher can direct you. You can also see and hear the service in the Greene Room if you need to. A Children s sermon is shared most Sundays and all children are invited to come to the front of the altar and join us. Norfield s Church School, called Discovery Hour, meets during the service. Children leave after the Children s Sermon, accompanied by their teachers. All children are welcome and encouraged to attend. Pre-registration is not necessary. Children can then be picked up following the service at the Christian Education Building. Please ask us for directions. Hearing Assistance System amplifiers are available. Please speak with an usher if you would like to use one. Large Print Bulletins are available, including all hymn texts and responsive readings. Please speak with an usher if you would like to use one. Prayer Cards are located in the pew racks. If you have a prayer request, please fill one out and place it in the offering plate or give it to a minister. We pray over these concerns each week. Please fill in your address and any questions you might have on the back of one of the Prayer Cards in the pews, and then put the card in the offering plate or give it to a minister. Please join us, following the service, for coffee hour in the Parish Hall so we can welcome you personally and introduce ourselves. Please visit our website at for more information, and for updates on church activities and service schedules.

6 P a ri sh Note s February 22, Norfield Congregational Church Office Hours: Monday Friday 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Senior Minister Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Welcome! Thank you for joining us today! We hope that the hour spent in this sacred space will draw you closer to God, and an awareness of God s love. Name Tags! In an effort to maintain and nurture our Norfield family we ask that everyone please put on a name tag. They can be found in the pew box in front of you! Leaders of Worship Senior Minister Rev. Dr. Bernard R. Wilson Associate Minister of Children, Youth and Families Rev. Kelly Hough Rogers Pastoral Associate for Wholeness Ministries Rev. Diane Stevenson Director of Music & Worship Arts Dr. David H. Connell Youth Music Associate Kaitlin Carey Ushers Judy Albin & Dan Klein Deacon of the Day Jim Hodel Greeters The Hodel Family Coffee Hour Hosts The Sather Family Our Prayer List (February) I lift up my eyes to the hills from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2) (If you would like to put a name, concern, or joy on the prayer list, please call the church office at Your prayer concern will remain on the list for the month; if you would like to extend that time please call the church office.) Flowers this morning are donated by Phyllis & Don Gary in honor of our 51 st Wedding Anniversary. D iscovery H ou r Penny Anderson, Christian Education Director Discovery Hour Children will do an activity with Penny this morning.

7 Announcements Calling All Knitters Wanted: Knitters to re-supply the Prayer Shawl Ministry closet. Yarn and instructions given willingly each Sunday during coffee hour. Call Jackie Pike at (203) Youth Group News Midnight Run Clothing Collection We are continuing to collect in February and into March to benefit Midnight Run. The clothing will be distributed to New York City's Homeless population. We particularly need donations of men s shoes, packs of tube socks and winter jackets, jeans and sweaters. Larger sizes appreciated. Please bring your donations to the Banks Room. Our 30 Hour Famine this past Friday into Saturday was a huge success! Our goal was to raise $2000 and at last count, we doubled that! Thank you to our 6-8th graders and their parents for participating! There is no Youth Group today because of the 30 Hour Famine. Hope everyone is catching up on rest! There IS Confirmation Class tonight from 5:15-6:30! Music News Next Sunday s music will include the Cherub Choir (pre-school/kindergarten) with Marcia Louis! Drum Instructor Randy Brody will be back leading drum circles one more time, on February 25. We gather from 4 to 5:30 each Wednesday for music, movement and much more. Family dinner in the Parish Hall follows at 5:30. Come learn and explore with us! On Sunday, April 19, our worship will feature a men s chorus. Anyone who can sing in tenor or bass range is welcome to join us immediately after worship on Sundays in March (starts next Sunday!) so we can be prepared for this special morning. If you want to know more, contact David! Photo Directory Now Available on Website! Just a Reminder that our Photo Directory and Board Minutes are always available online for all of our members. Here are the instructions: 1.) Go to Norfield.org, hover over the Members menu tab at the top of the page and click on Directory. 2.) If you already have an account, you can click on the sign in link. If you don't have an account, click the Sign Up button. Once approved, you will have access to all options under Members. If you ever forget your password, you can reset it very easily.

8 C h u rch Calendar Day Date Time Event Place Sunday 2/22 8:30am SOUL FOOD Breakfast / Program Parish Hall 10:00am Worship Sanctuary 11:15am Music Board Conference Room Monday 2/23 9:30am Mom s Bible Study Banks Room 7:00pm Boy Scouts Parish Hall Tuesday 2/24 6:00pm BeeKeepers Association Parish Hall 7:30pm Trustee Meeting Conference Room Wednesday 2/25 9:30am Open Door Bible Study Banks Room 11:00am Senior Lunch Parish Hall 4:00pm Music Makers Ministry CE Bldg 5:30pm Community Supper Parish Hall 6:15pm Handbell Choir Greene Room Thursday 2/26 11:00am Senior Exercise Senior Center Friday 2/27 9:00am Senior Yoga Senior Center 5:00pm Confirmation Retreat Silver Lake Saturday 2/28 8:30am Kiwanis Parish Hall 8:30am Norfield Shepherds Meeting Greene Room Sunday 3/1 8:30am SOUL FOOD Breakfast / Program Parish Hall 10:00am Worship Sanctuary 2:30pm Boy Scouts Parish Hall BOARD AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Moderator Don Gary Church Clerk Kerri Meredith Assistant Treasurer Pam LaFontaine Board of Trustees Britta Lerner Human Resources Walter McCullough Senior Shepherds Arlene Pitts Board of Christian Education Eric Braun Prayer Shawl Ministry Jacqueline Pike Board of Christian Outreach David MacWilliams Vice Moderator Rob Sanders Nominating Committee Gaitrie Bos Altar Committee Bobbie Sassano & Gaitrie Bos Board of Deacons Carol Hamilton Board of Music Andrew Bunger Board of Fellowship Kim Gautier Prayer Requests Jackie Troxell Shepherds Lois Bechtel & Missy Dorsey Treasurer- Herb Cotter