Gather and Center. Listen and Respond

Transcription

1 FIRST FRIENDS MEETING September 3, 2017

2 Gather and Center Prelude Sonata in C minor (2 nd movement) Beethoven Welcome and Announcements Sheila Hoyer Joys and Concerns Silence for Centering Prayer Listen and Respond Hymn 24 God, You Spin the Whirling Planets Musical Meditation Farther Along Don Durham Offertory Invitation and Prayer Don Durham Offertory But the Lord Is Mindful Mendelssohn Scripture Reading Exodus 3:1-15 Don Durham Hymn 618 Go Down, Moses Message "Liberation and Silence" Wess Daniels Waiting Worship After the Manner of Friends If led to speak, please stand and wait for a host to bring a microphone. Please allow for a few minutes of silence between messages. Benediction Go Forth in Spirit Don Durham Sung Response Go Now in Peace Hymn 717 (stanza 1) Please close Meeting for Worship by shaking hands with your neighbors. A special thanks to Bob Winsor for providing his musical talents for today s Worship Service.

3 Joining Wess Daniels on the facing bench is Don Durham. C. Wess Daniels is the William R. Rogers Director of Friends Center and Quaker Studies at Guilford College. Prior to teaching at Guilford, Wess was a released minister at Camas Friends Church in Washington State. He is the author of, A Convergent Model of Renewal: Remixing The Quaker Tradition in Participatory Culture, and has a passion for the renewal of the Quaker tradition. Don is Intentional Interim Pastor at First Friends Meeting. Today s flowers were provided by the Plummer family, in appreciation of all of our students and educators, both in Sunday s Godly Play, Small Group Gatherings, and in our area s schools and universities. We hope you all have a wonderful school year! First Friends warmly welcomes visitors. Please complete the visitor card and place it in the offering plate. We invite you to contact pastoral staff with any questions. Please help yourself to Quaker literature in the foyer. Activity packets are available for children as well as a fully staffed nursery. Hearing devices are also available. Please see a morning host for assistance. Gentle Reminder: Please silence all electronic devices.

4 Exodus 3:1-15 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up. When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am. Then he said, Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. He said further, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? He said, I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain. But Moses said to God, If I come to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your ancestors has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? what shall I say to them? God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. He said further, Thus you shall say to the Israelites, I AM has sent me to you. God also said to Moses, Thus you shall say to the Israelites, The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you : This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.

5 IN THE LIGHT Those caught in the destruction of Harvey s path. School administrators, teachers and students as they begin the new school year. Maryann Phillips Eisenbrand, Gloria Phillips Turlington s sister, who is in the fourth stage of second-hand lung cancer. She has had hospice with her for the past two months. Maryann is also the sister-in-law of Gail Bradford Phillips. Martha Eakes is recovering at home after a hospital stay. Prayers and cards are appreciated. Bill and Este Rayle as Bill rests comfortably under the wonderful care of Hospice. They continue to welcome s, cards and phone calls. Brad McHargue has begun another series of chemo in preparation for additional procedures. He will be with us as his strength allows. Please continue to hold him in the light. Robert Dixon appreciates the prayers these past few weeks. He will have several procedures in September to determine the causes for his symptoms. PRAYERS FOR ONGOING HEALTH CONCERNS Laura Mason Altizer s mother, Dot Mason, Fred Small, Jim Wilkinson, Ray Hurley, Norman Rider, Helen Hoffman s mother, mother-in-law and husband. Dawn Davis and her mother, Heidi McLaughlin s son Christopher, Rose Corbett s mother Betsy Wray. Janis Hammett s cousin, Alan Cochran, Beth Joyce s mother Hattie, Edith Shepherd s friend Jan, Mary Elizabeth Barwick and Patrick Tillman s mother Marian and nephew, Harrison Tillman. Mary Elizabeth and Patrick s cousin. Traci Cossman s Aunt Polly and Uncle Bob.

6 JOYS AND THANKSGIVINGS Together we celebrate our dear friends Bill and Este Rayle who are celebrating their 67 th Wedding Anniversary. They will be gathering with family and F/friends and counting their blessings! On September 1,1950, William Rayle and Estelene Patterson were married in a candlelight ceremony by Dr. O Herschel Folger in the Asheboro Street Friends Meetinghouse. Cherished memories. The Gilbert-Rowlett family is pleased to welcome Siyi Zhou of China to their home. She will be living with them this school year while she attends 9th grade at Greensboro Day School. We look forward to introducing her to everyone at First Friends. Meetingroom Painting Project. The painting project is moving along. The scaffolding is still up, and the crew is still working to patch the walls and paint. They estimate that it will take at least two more weeks for them to finish. As speakers pointed out this past Sunday, having Meeting for Worship in the fellowship hall feels more intimate and more connected so we can continue to experience that a little longer! Greg Woods for providing last Sunday s powerful message, A Great People to be Gathered. Jean Christy for providing her musical talents during last Sunday s worship service.

7 CALENDAR AND ANNOUNCEMENTS A note from Scott Wagoner at Deep River Friends. Good Morning Friends...Everyone is quite aware of the flooding in the Houston area. Many have been looking for ways to donate funds to reputable organizations. Friends Meeting is a Quaker meeting that is located in Friendswood, Texas (a suburb of Houston). David Bridges is a good friend of mine and pastors this meeting. In fact, he and his family had to be evacuated from their house on Saturday. I have contacted him and his meeting is ready and willing to receive funds. He says that 100% of the fund received will go towards relief efforts in the following ways... 1) Assisting with temporary housing, 2) Rebuilding costs, 3) Purchasing supplies for clean up efforts. Deep River Friends meeting will receive any funds you would like to donate and pass it on to Friendswood Friend Meeting. Here is a link to their website: Please make checks out to "Deep River Friends" and memo it "Helping Houston". Of course, if you have already donated to other organizations you trust, that is great. We offer this simply as another avenue and a way for us to partner with a Quaker meeting in the middle of it all. We will make this available as long as we need to and we'll keep in touch with Friendswood Friends Church.Thank you and let us know if you have any questions! Blessings, Scott The Christian Education Committee is still looking for a few more leaders and assistants for Godly Play. We have a wonderful group of 4-9 year olds that would love to get to know you. We need team members to be available one Sunday a month from 10:00am-11:00am. We will have a training session with Anne Barton Carter this Sunday, September 3, at 9:45am in Room 205. If you are planning to join us or can t make it and are interested in helping please contact Sheila sheila@firstfriednsmeeting.org.

8 A note from David Hobson. I've been asked to send out a request for the Friends Emergency Material Assistance Program (FEMAP) for toothpaste for the emergency kits. Tubes of toothpaste or funds to purchase them can be delivered to the FEMAP Office in the Allen Jay House across from Springfield Friends Meeting at 606, East Springfield Road, HIGH POINT, NC on Wednesdays between 10 am and 2 pm. If you want to mail a donation, please make the check payable to "FEMAP" and send it to Becké Jones, 600 Gatewood Ave, HIGH POINT, NC Thank you. Time to Celebrate! First Friends Kick-off Breakfast will be Sunday, September 10 at 10:00am in Fellowship Hall. Come for the fellowship as we regather after the summer. We will also share about upcoming 10:00am gatherings for all ages which will resume on September 17. Daisy Newman starts back up on September 13 at 6:15 p.m. and will be hosted by Nancy Dixon (Rnak1215@bellsouth.net) and Colette Edwards (cmedwar2@gmail.com). Please bring your favorite salad topping plus a couple of items for the food pantry. Thank you. Look forward to seeing you there. North Carolina United Society of Friends Women (USFW) Annual Gathering at Springfield Meeting, Saturday September 16, Registration deadline was Sept. 2, Our speaker will be Jacque Pagels, a member of Up River Friends Meeting. She has just returned home from spending a little over 4 months in Ramallah, volunteering in the Friends school there. She will share with us her travel experiences and the work that is going on in Ramallah. Mark your Calendars now for our Annual Gathering at Springfield Meeting. 9:00 10:00 am Registration and Bookstore with light morning refreshments 10:00 am 12 noon Welcome, Music, Business and Program 12:00 noon Luncheon If you have questions please contact Jan Dough (336) Deadline was September 2, 2017 (Preregistration is requested due to the catering of the meal). The cost of the meal is $12.00.

9 North Carolina Quaker Men Fall Fling. You are warmly encouraged to attend our annual NC Quaker Men Fall Fling which will start at 5:59pm at Quaker Lake Camp on September 25, The Centre Quaker Men will host the event and provide a meal. All Quaker men of North Carolina, whether affiliated with the Yearly Meeting or not, are encouraged to attend. Our scheduled speaker will be Terry Linthicum from Marlboro Friends. Friends Disaster Service will announce plans for their upcoming work and construction projects. Come and help us plan our project list for 2018 and continue to aid in expanding Christ s footprint at home and around the world. Invitation to Clerking Workshop. You are invited to Learn about Quaker Process in a workshop with special guest Arthur Larrabee. To register for lunch please Sharon Burton at office@ngfm.org or call as soon as possible but no later than September 15th. Registration and lunch reservations are required. September 30, New Garden Friends Meeting, 801 New Garden Road, Greensboro, NC 27410, Gather at 8:30 am, Session from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Catered luncheon to follow, Topic: Clerking, Quaker Process and Decision Making. Arthur Larrabee is a lifelong Friend and member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. He has led many workshops on clerking, including annually at Pendle Hill. He has served as clerk of his meeting, the Committee in Charge of Westtown School, and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, where he also served as General Secretary. New Garden is underwriting the workshop expenses and luncheon costs but contributions from attending organizations and individuals will be gratefully accepted. Finance Committee. The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 9, 7:00pm in the Library. Quaker Lake Retreat Day will be Saturday, October 28. Hold this space for a day of gathering with friends. Come enjoy relaxing in a rocker on the porch overlooking the lake, hiking in the woods, playing board games, eating good food and simply being together. More details to come as the retreat gets closer.

10 NOTES, DOODLES, AND REFLECTIONS...

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12 First Friends is a Quaker Meeting building healthy relationships with God, one another, and all creation office@firstfriendsmeeting.org Office Hours: Monday: Closed Tuesday-Friday: 10:00am-2:00pm Ministers: Everyone Don Durham, Intentional Interim Pastor Sheila Hoyer, Pastor of Education and Outreach Monica Citty Hix, Minister of Music Ellen Ramsey, Office Manager Pam Reese, Treasurer Ryan Gordy, Nursery Care Adrian Quarles, Nursery Care Bill Davis, Monthly Meeting Presiding Clerk Beth Joyce, Clerk of Ministry and Counsel Jim Kimel, Clerk of Personnel Committee To a Clerk or Staff: (first name)@firstfriendsmeeting.org Don, Sheila, Bill, Beth, Monica, Jean, Ellen or Pam Sunday Gatherings Unprogrammed at 9:00 a.m. in the Gathering Room Choir Practice at 9:45 a.m. Sunday Morning Gathering at 10:00 a.m. Semi-programmed at 11:00 a.m. in the Meetingroom Childcare available in the Nursery (Six years of age and younger)