The Congregational Church of Westborough UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST West Main & Church Streets, Westborough, Massachusetts

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1 The Congregational Church of Westborough UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST West Main & Church Streets, Westborough, Massachusetts OPEN DOORS GROWING FAITH! No matter who you are or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome here! WE WELCOME VISITORS AND NEWCOMERS! We are an Open and Affirming Church January 20, 2019

2 Children... Some Notes to Help You Feel at Ease this Morning Four and Under: The nursery is available downstairs during the service if needed. Pre-K and Up: Will go to Faith Formation after the Time with Children & Youth except on Communion Sundays, they will go after the Lord s Prayer. Outside the sanctuary are bags filled with crayons to keep little hands busy in pews! Visitors of all ages... We're glad you are here! You are welcome to an all-age fellowship after worship in the room downstairs directly under the sanctuary Folks new and returning to worship... There are no assigned seats; sit where you feel most comfortable. We celebrate the noises of small children; they remind us that we're alive! Generally, we stand for the opening of the service and for singing. We sing with joy and Spirit, without fear of judgement. We share our prayers vulnerably, and hold them with care. We pray with our eyes closed and open, our heads bowed and raised. We pass the peace with hugs and handshakes, with nods and smiles. We share communion with all who are willing-especially children Statement of Inclusion We, the people of The Congregational Church of Westborough, United Church of Christ, believe that all people are created equal, in God s image. We are all God s children. In our journey of faith, we strive for justice and equality for all. We invite and welcome into our community and into the full life and Christian ministry of this church, persons of every race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, family structure, faith background, economic circumstance, mental and physical ability. We say, and mean, No matter who you are, or where you are on life s journey, you are welcome here. We declare ourselves an Open and Affirming Christian community, actively expressing our belief in diversity and inclusion. We seek to be a faith community centered in Christ, ready to proclaim the Gospel and seek to grow through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. We offer to each person acceptance and the responsibilities and blessings of participation in this congregation. 1

3 THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF WESTBOROUGH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST Jan 20, :00 AM 2 nd Sunday after Epiphany *The Congregation is invited to stand. PRELUDE WELCOME & PASSING OF PEACE Wendy Reardon ANNOUNCEMENTS *OPENING SONG Mighty To Save by Reuben Morgan & Ben Fielding *CALL TO WORSHIP (Based on Psalm 133) Charlotte Bramley Leader: We have gathered from our different places to worship here. People: How good it is to worship together in unity! Leader: We come from our different occupations, our diverse activities. People: How good it is to worship together in unity! Leader: We come as unique individuals, bound together in the love of Christ. ALL: How good it is to worship together in unity! OPENING PRAYER (be seated) Heavenly God, we gather as strangers and friends, searching for new ways to live and follow You. Earthly Savior, come and live among us, that we might imitate You, using our hands to heal and our minds to create Your will. May our worship be filled with Your Spirit, transforming us into brothers and sisters, conforming us to Your glorious purpose. Amen. THE LORD S PRAYER (Debts) 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. (Everyone may be seated.) JOYSPRING ANTHEM Known by Tauren Wells, Jordan Sapp, Ethan Hulse SCRIPTURE Psalm 139:1-6, Rev. Sue Remick (pew Bible page 503) 2

4 CHILDREN S MESSAGE (Children leave for faith formation) Rev. Remick OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS Charlotte Bramley Invitation: God has blessed us with both spiritual and material gifts. As God has been generous with us, let us be generous and joyful givers. (In each of our pews today is a black friendship book which we encourage you to fill out and pass to the person next to you during the offering. If you have been with us before, just put down your name, but if you are new today, please let us know who you are. If you can, please leave the sheet on the top of the book at the end of the pew. Thanks!) Chancel Choir Anthem Shine on Me Spiritual, arr. by Rollo Dilworth *DOXOLOGY (unison) Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly hosts: Creator, Christ and Holy Ghost. Amen. *PRAYER OF DEDICATION Pete Graham Accept these gifts we humbly offer, gracious God. Use them, and use us, to reach into places where Your mystery remains hidden, where Your goodness is not yet known. Make us good stewards of Your word. Make us responsible heirs of Your promises, in Jesus name. Amen. PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Rev. Sue Remick SCRIPTURE Matthew 11:16-19, Pete Graham (Pew Bible page 792) MUSIC RESPONSE #353 Come to Me, O Weary Traveler by William P. Rowan SERMON On The Road Again Rev. Sue Remick *CLOSING SONG #490 Sister, Let Me Be Your Servant by Richard Gillard *BENEDICTION *POSTLUDE Known by Tauren Wells, Jordan Sapp, Ethan Hulse Charlotte Bramley served as liturgist. Linda Birch and Theresa DeMeo are Deacons of the day. 3

5 PRAYERS & CELEBRATIONS FOR JAN 20, 2019 Continued Prayers: Betty Barclay; Carolyn Bent; Serena Leiser; Joshua Nichols (grandson of Richard Nichols) who was in a motor vehicle accident; Anna Gavel, granddaughter/cousin of Karen Gavel and the Oevermanns; Linda Polatka (Cathie Achorn s sister); Linda & Dick Birch; Ron and Nancy Clark s daughter, Melissa Dickinson. Prayer requests: You can place prayer concerns on the church s distribution list at eprayers@uccwestboro.org. If you would like a prayer request included in today s service, please let a Deacon know prior to the start of worship. Prayers will remain listed for 8 weeks. If you would like a prayer renewed, please call the church office. PRAYER TIME CARDS We are encouraging people to speak to a pastor upstairs before the service if you want a prayer lifted up on Sunday morning, or you can fill out a blue card (located at a table near the front entrance, outside the sanctuary and in the pews) and give it to a Deacon, Thanks! MLK JR. DAY OF CELEBRATION We hope you can join us for our first community MLK Jr Day of Celebration, taking place on Monday, January 21, 9:30-12:30pm, hosted at Westborough High School. The event is co-sponsored by Central MA Connections in Faith, Westborough Connects, Westborough Public Schools, and the Westborough Interfaith Clergy Association. The event is aimed at adults and youth, and will feature the following elements throughout the morning: Come hear "Free Hugs Guy" Ken E. Nwadike Jr. deliver the keynote address. Listen to middle and high school students read excerpts from their winning essays. Enjoy music and song led by Westborough Resident Luanne Crosby. Take part in a community art project. Once completed, the project will travel around Westborough throughout Participate in facilitated community conversation circles and reading activities. Attendees are asked to bring a toiletry item for donation. Donations of chapstick, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bar soap, liquid hand soap, shaving cream or deodorant are greatly appreciated and will be collected during the Community Art Project. The Toiletry drive will benefit the Westborough Food Pantry. COME TO THE WELL WEDNESDAYS AT 7PM Each Wednesday, join us at The Well, for worship, reflection, conversation, and study in a relaxed environment designed for mid-week spiritual refreshment. We gather on Wednesday nights at 7:00 in the chapel. There will be contemplative worship, Bible study, and deep conversation, clear and cool and refreshing enough to get you through the rest of the week. Come thirsty and drink deeply. The Well is facilitated by Pastoral Associate, Pete Graham. PANCAKE BREAKFAST JAN 27 Join us next Sunday, Jan. 27 th after church for our annual Pancake Breakfast where you will enjoy pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit salad, juice, coffee and pastries. For more information call Cathie Achorn at Looking Ahead: Progressive Supper, March 23 rd. 4

6 WOMENS FELLOWSHIP FEB 4 TH Join us Monday, Feb. 4, 2019 at 6pm for our next Women s Fellowship program. We will be having a Pot Luck Supper at 6pm, followed by Chair Yoga, led by Latha Radhakrishnan. Last names, A-L Bring a salad, M-Z Bring a main dish, Program Committee will bring dessert. Monthly Mission: Valentine Boxes for College students. (see sign-up board in vestry) CALLING ALL KNITTERS! As winter sets in it's time to pull out those knitting needles and crochet hooks. We need to replenish our supply of prayer shawls and cold, snowy days are the perfect time to knit. These beautiful shawls are like a giant hug for someone who is hurting. If you need a pattern, please let me know. We will plan to bless the shawls in early spring. Completed shawls can be left at the church office where Lisa will put them in the box for blessing. Thank you for giving your time and talent to this special ministry. Pam Faustine FLOWER COMMITTEE If you would like to dedicate flowers in honor or in memory of another individual, please put your name on the flower chart in the vestry or contact a member of the flower committee or let the office know which Sunday you would like. If you have never done this before, contact a committee member and they will inform you of the procedure. It s always nice to have special flowers on the chancel! GROCERY CARDS 2018 Goal: $ 8, Total: $ 6, Goal: $ 8, YTD: $ OOPS! We were $1100 short of our commitment to the Church Operation Budget for 2018 by about $1,100. Together we can change that for 2019 as we all set new goals. If every grocery shopper in Church carries a grocery card for just those quick trips into the store and if all our faithful customers continue to be faithful, we can meet this challenge together. Eat healthy, shop locally, and carry a grocery card. If you can t make it to church contact Karen Hutchinson at or millarhutch@aol.com or Nancy Quimby at or nquimby11@gmail.com or Sally Petersen at sbpetersen4@gmail.com and They d be happy to deliver them. DISMAS HOUSE Our church goes on the first Thursday of the month to cook and serve a meal with the people of Dismas House, a home for ex-prisoners. If you would like to help, be in touch with Karen Hutchinson at millarhutch@aol.com. The next dinner will be Thursday, Feb 7 th. Donations of Stop and Shop cards are greatly appreciated to help with the shopping for the meals! Thank you. COFFEE HOUR Would you like to serve by helping out with the coffee hour after church downstairs? Please look for the sign-up downstairs on the coffee hour table. Suzanne Arpante at sbarpante@aol.com. Thanks! 5

7 CALENDAR Jan 20 th - Jan 27 th Jan 20 Sunday 10:00 AM Worship & Faith Formation 11:15 AM Music Committee 6:30 PM GSA/Kerygma Room Jan 21 Monday (office closed) 7:00 PM Mission Committee/Kerygma Room 7:30 PM AA/Nursery Jan 22 Tuesday (no scheduled events) Jan 23 Wednesday Evangel Published 10:30 AM Staff Meeting/Library 3:30 PM Journey Home Singers 7:00 PM The Well/Chapel 6:30 PM Chancel Choir 7:30 PM JoySpring Jan 24 Thursday 9:00 AM Playgroup/Nursery 1:30 PM PCC/Fannie Forbes Rm. Jan 25 Jan 26 Friday (no scheduled events) Saturday Set up for Pancake Breakfast Jan 27 Sunday 10:00 AM Worship & Faith Formation 11:00 AM Parish Life Pancake Breakfast 2:30 PM GSA/Vestry 5:30 PM GSA/Vestry Rev. Sue Remick, Interim Pastor revsuerem@gmail.com Wendy Reardon, Director of Children s and Youth Ministries - wendysreardon@yahoo.com Joseph Stillitano, Interim Minister of Music josephmstillitano@gmail.com Sue Menzel, Director of Bells westcongmusic@gmail.com Peter Graham, Pastoral Associate petegrahamiam@icloud.com Office hours: closed Mon; Tues & Wed 9am-2pm, Thurs 10am-2pm, Fri 9am-1pm Church office phone 508/ General Church westboroucc@verizon.net, Church website 6

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