ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Transcription

1 ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Established 1727 November 3, :00 a.m. Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost All Saints Sunday The Friendly Church at the Center An Open and Affirming Community

2 ~ O R D E R O F W O R S H I P ~ We welcome all and extend a special greeting to our guests; our service is enriched by your presence! Please join us in for fellowship time after worship. The Welcome Table in offers information about the church and members who can answer your questions. Hearing devices and large-print bulletins are available for worship ask an usher. Nursery care is always available downstairs in Room 4. Today we worship God through song! The worship service on this Hymn Sing Sunday includes many hymns that congregation members and friends have named not only as their favorites but also bring them into the presence of the living God. Let us join hearts and voices in praise and thanksgiving, in confession and renewal, and in hope and joy! WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS The Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza Please include your full address and phone number as you sign our friendship registration pads, and please wear your nametags. All announcements should be written down and given to the ushers or pastors prior to worship. If you have a prayer request you would like read aloud for today s prayers, please fill out one of the prayer cards found in the pew racks (your name is optional) and be prepared to pass it to the center aisle at the time of the offering, when the cards will be collected. PRELUDE "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" by Christoph Gluck Victoria Bower, Violin CALL TO WORSHIP Meghan D. Young Thanks be to God, our Rock and our Redeemer; for God has been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were made, before the earth had form, from everlasting to everlasting is our God. With the faithful of every time and place, we in our time and place join our voices to the chorus: God is our dwelling place in all generations, through time and beyond time, always and forever faithful. Alleluia! * P l e a s e r i s e i n b o d y o r i n s p i r i t. * B o l d t y p e d e n o t e s c o l l e c t i v e r e s p o n s e.

3 * HYMN Forward Through the Ages New Century 377 *GATHERING PRAYER O God who is the beginning and the end of all things, we give thanks as we gather here for our place in a sacred story, a living history. We listen now for the Word you will speak, as generations before us have listened. We hope in the dawning of your realm, as those before us have hoped. Because our faith falters, because we do not always trust, we need reminders of grace and renewal of spirit, courageous hearts and ready wills. Awaken us, God of all generations! Give us courage for today and a living faith, that with the whole communion of saints, we might know ourselves as your people, made for lives of justice and mercy. In Christ s name and spirit we pray, Amen. *SUNG RESPONSE: Bless God, O my soul MESSAGE FOR ALL AGES READING FROM THE SCRIPTURES Selected verses from Hebrews 11 & 12 SERMON Cloud of Witnesses The Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza

4 OFFERING OF GIFTS Following the receiving of offerings by the ushers, the pastor(s) will come to the center aisle to receive prayer request cards. Invitation to the Offering For those who have already given their offering, Giving Cards are available in your pew so that all may participate in the act of the offering. Offertory Anthem "God Be In My Head" by John Rutter The Choir words from the Sarum Primer, 13th century music *Doxology God be in my head and in my understanding. God be in mine eyes and in my looking. God be in my mouth and in my speaking. God be in mine heart and in my thinking. God be at my end and in my departing. Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen *Prayer of Dedication PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Joys & Concerns Pastoral and Silent Prayer Prayer Response

5 THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION *Hymn Come Risen Lord Pilgrim 286 Invitation Friends in Christ, we come now to God s table, where all are invited, all are welcomed, all are offered the gifts of new life in the forgiving grace of God. With the community of the faithful through time and beyond time, we bear witness together to the presence of the Risen One. Prayer of Preparation 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 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. The Words of Institution: Recalling the Story Sharing the Bread and the Cup This church practices open Communion. All are welcome to participate, including children, and regardless of denominational affiliation or church membership. This morning, the congregation will be seated for Communion; the elements (bread and non-alcoholic grape juice) will be brought to each pew. Please wait until all have been served so that we may take the elements together. As you pass the trays to your neighbor, you may use the words The bread of life and The cup of blessing. If you would like to receive gluten-free bread, please raise your hand so that a Deacon may serve you. Communion Music "Voluntary on Jefferson" from Missouri Harmony setting by Dale Wood "Moderato Cantabile" by Sergei Rachmaninoff

6 Prayer of Thanksgiving We give thanks to you, O God, for the gifts of your table, for love that heals and forgives and redeems the world. Now send us out to take our place in the great cloud of witnesses, to be bread for each other and light for the world, as we follow Jesus into your kingdom. Amen. The Practice of Peace Now let us share among us a sign of God s peace. You are invited to share a sign of the reconciling peace of Christ with those around you (a handshake, an embrace, or a non-contact gesture). *HYMN For All the Saints Pilgrim 306 *BENEDICTION POSTLUDE "The Spirit that Dwells Within" by David Paxton GREETERS HOSPITALITY USHERS The Jokl Family Eric, Michelle, Eric and Nick The Rolfe Family Tom, Nancy, James, Ben and Will Janet Hansen, Steph Heneghan, Dave and Bobbie Hawkins, Dave Sageman The flowers this week are given in loving memory of Sharon Grover Vassilopoulos by Kim, Mark and Sarah Biglow. N e x t W e e k Sunday, November 10 Meghan D. Young is preaching

7 S.P.I.R.I.T. Corner Serve, Pray, Invite, Receive, Ignite, Tell Children are invited to remain in worship today, following along with the children and youth bulletins. Join us again on November 10 th for our first ALL S.P.I.R.I.T. Mission s Project! All classes will be joining together to participate in a church school wide missions project. We will be making holiday decorations for the residents of Apple Rehab in Rocky Hill. We will also be writing letters and making care packages for an Army infantry platoon that has just been deployed for a 9 month deployment in Afghanistan. The S.P.I.R.I.T. Church School will be supporting the soldiers of this unit throughout the coming year. ALL S.P.I.R.I.T. Missions Project How you can help! The RHCC S.P.I.R.I.T. Church School is participating in a missions project during church school on November 10 th. We are in need of: - Holiday decorations and stickers to help us create cards and door decorations. - Care package items for military personnel (small toiletries, snacks, magazines, gum, candy, jerky, etc.) - Soldiers on deployment experience a wide range of emotions. Many do not have support networks back home that they can be in dialogue with to keep their perspective as well as process their experience. Some have found it helpful to have adult writing partners that they can be in correspondence with during their deployment. If you are interested in being paired with a specific soldier, and would like to find out more, please talk with Meghan Young. Items can be dropped off at the church office. NURSERY VOLUNTEERS: Nursery Volunteers are needed. If you are interested in volunteering in the Nursery during Sunday morning worship, please contact a member of the Childcare Committee or them at RHCCchildcare@gmail.com for more information. You can also signup outside the Nursery. NOAH S ARK The RHCC Youth Group (6 th -12 th Grade) has started. We meet every Sunday after church for lunch, fellowship, and faith formation from 11:30 AM 1 PM. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP with Diana Hellyar. BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPS Every first and third Monday 5:00 to 6:30 pm Middlesex Hospital, Conference Room A or B, Middletown Every second and fourth Wednesday 10:00 to 11:30 am One MacDonough Place (Sign in at front desk and receive directions for the meeting area) (The Hospital s assisted living facility on the corner of Main Street extension and MacDonough Place) Middletown For more information and Essex locations Call Middlesex Hospital Chaplain Dennis McCann

8 NOVEMBER 10 SECOND HOUR 11:30 A.M. Join us in where Rochelle Ripley will tell us about the hawkwing Organization that she founded in Hawkwing is a Native American Federal non-profit 501(c)3 organization created to offer cross-cultural education while assisting the people of the Lakota (Sioux) Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota meet their basic human needs. With permission from her Elders, she is a Native Storyteller. Through hawkwing, Rochelle is fulfilling a promise to her Lakota Grandmother "to go home and help the people." Each year, hawkwing conducts a major collection drive in order to bring basic need items to some 3,000 children and 500 Elders on the Cheyenne River. Rocky Hill Congregational has contributed to this effort and last year sent a check to help build a food pantry at the reservation. WINTER ITEMS NEEDED On the Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux reservation, snow has already fallen. These native Americans are already in need of winter clothing, adults and children, especially mens. If you have warm, any size, winter items in good condition please bring them to on Sundays during the month of November. Any questions about clothing, call Joan Tennyson (860) MUSIC MINISTRY AT RHCC Lessons and Carols will be held on Sunday December 8 at 4:00p.m. CHILDREN AND YOUTH MUSIC The Children (through grade 5) and Youth (grades 6-12) music programs are underway with rehearsals Monday evening at 6:00-6:40pm (children) and 6:45 to 7:20pm (youth). We are preparing some beautiful songs with chimes to present at the Lessons and Carols service. If your child would like to participate but cannot attend rehearsals, please contact Mary at Mary@RHCCUCC.org. or call the office and leave a message so that an alternate time can be arranged. THE ADULT CHOIR Rehearsals for Lessons and Carols are held every Wednesday evening from 7:00-7:45pm, and Sunday from 11:30-12:30. New members are welcome. Please come and experience the joy of singing the beautiful music of the Advent and Christmas seasons. THE HANDBELL CHOIR Rehearsal are held every Monday evening at 7:30-8:45 pm with preparations for Lessons and Carols underway. New members are always welcome. Please contact Mary at Mary@RHCCUCC.org with any questions for all the groups.

9 ADULT FAITH FORMATION OPPORTUNITY Fall Book Study Thurs. Nov. 14 and Thurs. Nov. 21, 7 p.m. Led by the Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life,by Richard Rohr. All welcome for two-part discussion (half the book each time). Please note: Books can no longer be ordered through the church. You are welcome to obtain your own copy. SCRIP-SURE What is it? Scrip-sure is a fundraising program for our church, which allows the regular shopping we do at a variety of retailers to generate income for the church. How? Participating retailers sell gift certificates or gift cards to our church at a discount. Church members buy the certificates for full face value and redeem them for full face value, and our church keeps the difference as revenue. Everybody wins! The retailers get our business, and our church gets a regular source of revenue that involves nothing other than what we would all be doing anyway shopping/spending at grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants, gas stations, and many other businesses, including online retailers. October was another strong month for Scrip-Sure, with profits exceeding $1,400 on total scrip purchases of $19,000. Importantly, 38 different members or families purchased scrip at least once during October. Thanks to everyone who persistently supports this important fundraising program. Halfway through the fiscal year, RHCC has earned $8,000! If you placed a scrip order last week, you may pick up your cards at the scrip table in this morning. We also have a variety of cards in inventory available for immediate purchase this morning, including (but not limited to) Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Bonefish Grill, Dunkin Donuts, Kohl's, On the Border, Panera, Subway, Sunoco, Target, and Walmart. In addition, we always carry cards for Big Y, CVS, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, West Side Marketplace, and Whole Foods. See Gail Hall at the scrip table for a full listing of available cards, or to have all of your questions answered. Think SCRIP!

10 THIS WEEK AT RHCC N o v e m b e r 3 10:00am Worship 11:30am Shrimp Boil 11:30am Noah s Table 12:30pm Search Committee N o v e m b e r 4 10:30am Apple Rehab Service 5:30pm Yoga with Lynn 7:00pm Women s AA 7:00pm Bowling 7:30pm Bell Choir N o v e m b e r 5 7:00pm Boards /Committees S u n d a y Sanctuary Fiorilli Room M o n d a y Loft T u e s d a y N o v e m b e r 6 W e d n e s d a y 9:30am Quilters Room 6 12:00pm Bible Study Fiorilli Room 7:30pm Adult Choir Choir Room N o v e m b e r 7 5:30pm Tops 8:00pm Men s AA N o v e m b e r 9 8:30am Yoga with Lynn 6:00pm Dinner/Movie T h u r s d a y S a t u r d a y Nov. 3 Philip Swain 5 Meghan Wilcock 6 Thomas Matthias Mary DeLibero 7 Michael McKenna 8 Robert Grandell Alyssa Somes 9 Lisa Taylor Jennifer Martin Christopher Marshall Weekly Bible Study: Wednesdays, 12 noon 1 p.m. (Fiorilli Room) Led by the preaching pastor for the week, the study is based on the Scripture text(s) coming up for the following Sunday in worship. All are welcome. No experience necessary. Bring your favorite translation or pick one up from the shelf. Brown bag lunch is optional.

11 Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ 805 Old Main Street Rocky Hill, CT Church Office: / Church Website: rhccucc.org Visit us on Facebook at: O f f i c e H o u r s Monday Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Friday 8:30 to 12:00 Open and Affirming Statement Because we believe that all people are created in God s image and thus are blessed and loved equally by God, and because love is a unifying and strengthening force within our Christian Faith, We, the members of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, hereby declare ourselves an Open and Affirming Christian community, actively expressing Jesus inclusive embrace of all people. We welcome all who seek to follow Jesus, including persons of every age, gender, race, national origin, faith background, marital status and family structure, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, economic and social status, and educational background, to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, blessings and joys of our church family. Jesus teaches us to welcome all God s children into God s covenantal community. As we grow together in faith and love, we will strive to celebrate the diversity in which God has created us. Approved by congregational vote June 2009 Ministry Team Ministers: All the members of the church Interim Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza brenda@rhccucc.org Acting Associate Pastor for Faith Formation: Meghan D. Young meghan@rhccucc.org Minister of Music: Mary DeLibero mary@rhccucc.org Office Manager: Mitsey Baker office@rhccucc.org Webmaster: Dave Hall webmaster@rhccucc.org