SOUTH AIKEN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Transcription

1 SOUTH AIKEN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Our Purpose Opening Doors to Serve Christ 1711 Whiskey Road Aiken, SC 29803

2 Welcome to South Aiken Presbyterian Church! We are very glad that you are here this morning to join in offering a service of worship to the Lord. We believe all people are children of God. We believe that the redeeming grace of God can bring each of us into a new day. We believe all people are loved with a love that has no end in Jesus Christ. Today, may our eyes be opened again to these truths. May we each do our part to make this a place of grace for all. May the blessings of joy and hope that can only come from the nearer presence of God fill each of our hearts. Let us worship God! REV. DR. LARRY DUNSTER We once again welcome the Rev. Dr. Larry Dunster as our pulpit supply pastor. Please take a moment after the service today to say hello and thank Larry for the assistance he has provided SAPC during this time of transition. This is Larry s last Sunday with us. He and his wife, Susan, are off on an exciting world cruise in early January. Bon voyage Larry and Susan! Nursery & Children s Church Infants are welcome in the nursery during our 8:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship services and during our 10:00 a.m. Sunday School hour. The nursery/toddler room is located on the north side of the SAPC building complex. To find it, please exit the front (main) entrance and turn left. The entrance to the nursery is around the corner in the next building. You will see a sign at the entrance door. During the 8:45 a.m. service, children are invited to either stay in the service or go to the nursery/toddler room. Worship bags are available for children who remain in the worship services and are available at each entrance. Bags are divided for older children (blue handle) and younger children (purple handle). During today s 11:00 a.m. service, children 3 years of age through 5K are welcome to join our Children's Church worship program following the Moment With Children. Chaperones will escort the children to the Fellowship Hall for the program. You may pick your children up in the Fellowship Hall after the service. If you need assistance, please feel free to ask an usher. PLEASE NOTE: If needed, large print hymnals and sound amplification devices are available in the Narthex. Please see an usher for assistance in obtaining these items. 2

3 December 31, 2017 (Please stand, if able, when indicated by an *) First Sunday after Christmas 8:45 & 11:00 a.m. GATHERING Prelude Chiming of the Hour (11:00) Welcome & Signing of the Friendship Register Andy Goslen Introit He Came Down Cameroon Melody *Call to Worship (Responsive) PREPARATION FOR THE WORD One: People of God, we prepare for a new year. All: We prepare for a new day! One: The Lord stands before us, longing to take our hand and lead us to the land of promise. All: Now is the accepted time! One: Let s welcome the Spirit of Christ the Lord. All: We welcome Christ into our hearts and into our lives. One: Let everyone who has breath praise the Lord All: We lift our voices in praise to Christ Jesus, Our Lord. *Prayer of the Day (Unison) Rejoice in the Lord always, for God is with us. Our God is with us, the God of our salvation in whom alone we trust. Rejoice in the Lord always for God is our Father and He draws us home by streams of living water where we shall thirst no more. Rejoice in the Lord always for he knows our thoughts, understands our hearts and enables us to become the people we were meant to be. Amen. *Hymn #151 We Three Kings of Orient Are *Prayer of Confession (Unison) As another year draws to a close, we come together before God and with one another, confessing the ways in which we have been caught up in the frenzied spirit of the holidays and turned away from Your Spirit of Peace; the times we have focused so much on our own lives and desires, that we have neglected the voices of your children who cry out for Justice; in our focus on making the season perfect, we have turned away from the hurting people and broken places in our world in need of Healing; in the times we have dismissed Christmas as a time only for children, and we have stubbornly closed our hearts to your amazing gift of Love. (Time for Silent Confession) One: O Holy Child of Bethlehem, Word Become Flesh, our Savior and King, hear us as we humbly pray, cast out our sin, and enter in; be born in us today. All: Amen. 3

4 *Assurance of Pardon Hear the good news of Christmas. Today God reveals to us the wonders of divine love. For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. In His name we are forgiven. All: Thanks be to God. Amen. *The Gloria Patri Hymnal Page 581 *Passing of the Peace (11:00) (Responsive) Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen. One: Since Christ has extended to us the peace of God, let us, as his disciples, spread his peace to others. The peace of Christ be with you. All: And also with you. One: Let us exchange signs of Christ s peace with one another Children s Moment (11:00) Sharon Johnson Prayers of the People & the Lord s Prayer Hymnal Page 35 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. Prayer Response Love Has Come Eric Myers 4

5 THE WORD OF GOD Prayer for Illumination Reading Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 Pew Bible Page 616 One: The Word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God. Anthem Dance into the Light Joseph Martin Sermon New Beginnings Rev. Dr. Larry Dunster OUR RESPONSE TO GOD S WORD *Hymn #143 Angels, from the Realms of Glory *Affirmation of Faith: The Apostles Creed (Traditional) (Unison) I believe in God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand Of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. 5

6 Offering of Tithes and Gifts Offertory *Doxology Hymnal Page 606 *Prayer of Dedication Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. SENDING *Hymn #136 Go, Tell It on the Mountain *Charge & Benediction *Congregational Response Angels We Have Heard on High Augustine Smith Hymn #113 *Postlude Glo ria in excelsis De - o! Glo ria in excelsis De - o! 6

7 Those Serving in the Military Daniel Bartlett - grandson of Ron & Sandy Bartlett Kris Cloud - son of Ed & Robin Coward Ian Fields - husband of Tracy Kelly-Fields Robert Kocis - son of Andrew & Jodi Kocis Tom Kocis - nephew of Andrew & Jodi Kocis Ben McCullough - son of Lisa McCullough Louis Wilson - son-in-law of Brenda Martin Morgan Prayer is a powerful force for those in need of healing, comfort, strength, and encouragement. It can also be a blessing for those offering prayer. If you have a prayer request after office hours, on weekends, or during holidays or would like more info, contact Emily Lockard. You can either call Emily at (803) or her at: emilybim@bellsouth.net. If you have a prayer request during office hours (M-TH; 8am-5pm), please contact Denise at the church office at or at 1denisesap@gmail.com. Vickie Schmidt as she recovers following surgery Jan Auernheimer as she undergoes rehabilitation at Anchor after a hip fracture Katie (Dave & Pam Pethick s daughter) as she receives treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma Wayne Durden (Brenda Martin Morgan s brother-inlaw) as he continues to fight cancer Chris Parnell (Emma Parnell s son) as he deals with multiple health issues Joe Lookabill as he continues to recover at home LaVerne Price as she undergoes rehabilitation at Anchor Rehab after a fall 2018 Giving Envelopes are available in the narthex for pick-up. They have been placed (more or less!) in alphabetical order. If you don t find your envelopes in one of the boxes, please contact Denise and she will provide you with a packet. The church office will be closed tomorrow, Jan. 1st. The office will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2nd. The SAPC Session, Diaconate, and staff wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year! 7

8 Jan 7 th -Feb 25 th - Worship Class for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd graders Dec. 31st No Youth - New Years Eve Jan. 7 th Movie Night 5:30-7:30 p.m. - Youth Room Jan. 14 th No Youth - MLK Holiday Sanctuary Flowers Needed for 2018 It s a new year! Please consider donating flowers for a Sunday service in Sanctuary flowers are a beautiful way to honor your loved ones and mark special occasions. For $27.50, a lovely arrangement will be placed in the sanctuary. After the 11:00 a.m. service, you may either take the arrangement home or give it to a shut-in or another SAPC member as a token of concern or best wishes. To donate sanctuary flowers, please either sign up on the bulletin board in the back hallway or contact Lynn Shepard at (803) (cell). I wish to express my deep gratitude to the congregation for all the generous acts of kindness shown to me and all of the staff during the Christmas season. We are grateful and blessed to serve Christ with you. - Allison Kelly 8

9 Thank you! Because of you, over 300 children and their families woke up on Christmas morning knowing the blessing of Christ s love though Secret Santa. This year, in addition to the Christmas gifts, families received a Bible, and each children received a personal needs bag. This program takes two and a half active months of hard work and many volunteers to be successful. Community participation was greater this year than in previous years. Registration was blessed with many volunteers as well as hand knitted caps and blessing bracelets. Sponsors at Thanksgiving allowed a new element of cyber shopping. We had more self-shopping sponsors this year. However, there was still enough shopping for those who wanted to participate in our annual shopping trip. Target was gracious again this year with its participation and accommodation for Secret Santa. South Aiken NJROTC helped volunteers from the church at our weekend wrapping parties. Inventory and distribution were adjusted this year to the Fellowship Hall. A big thank you to all who participated and brought their pickup trucks. A special thank you to the Kindergarten, which sacrificed its lunch space for three days. Again this program would not be successful without everyone s participation. God Bless those of you who participated and we look forward to another successful year in Kelly Frontroth Witness and Service Committee 9

10 Clip a Box Top & You Help SAPK! It s the start of a new semester, and SAPK would like remind everyone that the school participates in the Box Tops for Education program. Clipping box tops is an easy way to help the school buy what it needs. Box tops are worth 10 cents each, and they quickly add up. So, please clip your box tops when you see the Box Tops for Education logo. You may drop them off at either the school or church office. Thank You!! JANUARY COLLECTION Mac & Cheese You may drop your ACTS food donations in either the basket in the narthex by the church entrance or the basket across from the church office. Monetary donations may be made by placing a check made out to SAPC in the offering plate on Sundays and noting 'ACTS' on the check s memo line. Thanks for sharing with others! February Collection: TBA A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD Sunday, Dec 31 st 8:45a - Worship Service (Sanctuary) 9:45a - Sunday School (Campus) 11:00a - Worship Service (Sanctuary) Monday, Jan 1 st New Years Day Office Closed/No School 6:00p - Basketball Practice (Gym) Tuesday, Jan 2 nd SAPK Holiday/No School 10:00a - Sonshine Cirlce (Library) 2:00p - Membership Committee (PCR) 6:00p - Basketball Practice (Gym) 6:45p - M Aiken Music Practice (Choir Room) 7:00p - Boy Scouts (F205) Wednesday, Jan 3 rd SAPK Holiday/No School 6:00p - Basketball Practice (Gym) 7:00p - Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary) Thursday, Jan 4 th SAPK Classes Begin 7:30a - Morning Glory (Gym) 8:45a - SAPK Chapel (Sanctuary) 12:15p - Bible Friends (Gym/Playground) 1:30p - Karate (FH) 6:00p - Basketball Practice (Gym) Friday, Jan 5 th 7:30a - Morning Glory (Gym) 9:00a - Small Group Women s Bible Study (Library) 12:15p - Bible Friends (Gym/Playground) Saturday, Jan 6 th No events are currently scheduled 10

11 ATTENDANCE LAST SUNDAY Worship Service: (8:45) - (11:00) - VOLUNTEERS FOR TODAY Flowers: In memory of Kim Craig and with love for Sandy & Ron Bartlett. Given by Lynn Shepard Pulpit Assistant: Andy Goslen Sound System: (8:45) Larry Hinson (11:00) John Kelly Ushers: (8:45) Jim Shaw (H), Shirley Shaw (A), David Filler, Sharon Filler (11:00) Phil Lockard (H), Emily Lockard (A), Will Erwin, Shannon Erwin VOLUNTEERS FOR NEXT SUNDAY Flowers: To the Glory of God Pulpit Assistant: Rev. Erin Morgan Sound System: (8:45) Robert Glance (11:00) Alan Riechman Ushers: (8:45) Lyn VanDervort (H), Brent Hager (A), Ken Chase, Jenny Chase (11:00) Julie Rodriguez (H), Heather Bradham (A), Gary Rodriguez, Dwight Bradham (H) Head (A) Assistant Vacant, Pastor: ext. 104 SAPC STAFF Erin Morgan, Assoc. Pastor for Youth/Outreach: ext. 106 Allison Kelly, Dir. of Children & Families: ext. 105 Phillip Hare, Director of Music Scott Chappell, Pianist/Accompanist Tracie Toulson, Financial Manager: ext. 103 Denise Underwood, Secretary: ext. 100 Michelle Lorio, Kindergarten Director: ext. 107 Cissy Kelley, Assistant Kindergarten Dir./ Childcare Coordinator ext.110, Cell (803) CHURCH CONTACT INFORMATION Church Office: Fax: Web Site: 1denisesap@gmail.com Follow SAPC activities on Facebook. 12