Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina

Transcription

1 Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina April 1, 2018 Easter...philosophy may not neglect the multifariousness of the world the fairies dance, and Christ is nailed to the cross. ~ Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality (All children wishing to carry in Communion elements please meet Samantha Gonzalez-Block in the narthex 10 minutes before the service begins.) Prelude Sunrise Quartet Franz Joseph Hayden Call to Worship Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, indeed! * Hymn 232 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today EASTER HYMN * Call to Reconciliation

2 * Prayer of Confession God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, The mystery of resurrection is hard for us to trust. We try to make sense of it. We try to measure and quantify it. We try to find ways to control it and hoard it. Take away the terror we feel when faced with death and with the unknown. Heal us of our fear and lack of trust. Christ is Risen! Amen. * Assurance of Forgiveness * Response * Passing of the Peace The Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. Our Life Together (Please sign the pad located in your pew) Prayer for Illumination

3 Hebrew Scripture Isaiah 25:6-9 The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! Anthem Hallelujah Ludwig von Beethoven Gospel Reading John 20:1-18 The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! Sermon Resurrection Quest Marcia Mount Shoop, Richard Coble and Samantha Gonzalez-Block * Hymn 240 Alleluia, Alleluia! Give Thanks ALLELUIA NO. 1 Invitation to The Table Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Prayer of Thanksgiving The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give God thanks and praise! 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 Bread And The Cup Communion is by intinction. Come to one of the stations as directed by ushers. Return to your pew by the outside aisles. You may also be served in your pew. All bread is gluten-free. Music During Communion Minuet Opus 18, no. 5 Alleluia Prayer After Communion Ludwig von Beethoven Ralph Manuel Offering (Please place prayer cards in the offering plate. Staff will pray for them this week.) Offertory Scherzo and Minuet Opus 18, no. 1 Ludwig von Beethoven

4 * Doxology * Prayer of Dedication Holy God, Thank you for all the ways you provide for us. Bless these gifts that they may be sources of your love. Direct them that they may cultivate your justice and mercy. Multiply them so that they can spread your good news of resurrection. Amen. * Hymn 233 The Day of Resurrection! LANCASHIRE * Charge & Benediction (Children will be invited to come forward and help take the remaining Communion elements out for a life-giving purpose) * Postlude Allegro Moderato George Frideric Handel (For some, the Postlude serves as festive music to accompany their going back out into the world. Others prefer to remain seated and listen. Please be mindful of these different needs as you depart. Thank you!) * Please Stand in Body or Spirit. We gather to worship God who is larger than all our imaginations! We encourage all persons to sing the gender nouns and pronouns they prefer in referring to God.

5 WORSHIP NOTES: The liturgical art you see today was created by our Celebration Team and others from the GCPC community. GCPC creativity for Easter was supported and encouraged by liturgical artist Rev. Lisle Lynne Garrity. Our Life Together Thank You! 8:30 Head Usher: Rick and Beth Philipsen Liturgist: Katherine Blankenship 10:30 Head Usher: Cathy Froehlich Liturgist: Omar Bolivar & Meghan Vance Special thanks to the String Quartet: Paul Stroebel, Erin Klimstra, Audrey Bass, and Elizabeth Crute. Deacon of the Week: Ann Brown, Thank you to Jeannette Williams for the flowers that decorate the sanctuary this morning, given to the glory of God and in loving memory of her parents, Jeannette and Richard Ralph. A brief congregational meeting has been called immediately following the 10:30am worship service on Sunday, April 15, for the purpose of electing an elder to fill an unexpired term on Session. One Great Hour of Sharing offering opportunity PC(USA) congregations all over the country receive One Great Hour of Sharing offerings. This offering helps sustain the important PC(USA) ministries and programs that are supported by One Great Hour of Sharing like Presbyterian Disaster Assistance sites all over the world, Self Development of People grants, and many more. Find out more about OGHS at And you can make a gift online any time throughout the year. Checks may be sent care of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to P.O. Box ; Pittsburgh, PA Presbyterian Women Sunday April 8 This is a day where we celebrate the service of Presbyterian women throughout the denomination and collect a special offering in support of PW Missions. The theme of the 2018 PW Birthday Offering is "Welcome to this Place. Proceeds from the April 8th offering will be dedicated to three projects in the U. S. and Honduras, providing safe housing communities for low-income residents in rural areas, a hospitality and retreat center for mission co-workers, and sheltered transitional housing and support services for women and children following escape from a violent partner. Special offering envelopes are available in the pews for the next few weeks. Earth Team Meeting Sunday, April 8 11:45 AM Garden Room Agenda: Earth Team participation in Earth Day Service (April 22), blessing of the animals service on a Sunday afternoon and a bird watching trip in early May. Creating Sanctuary Team Meeting Sunday, April 8 11:45 AM Jerusalem Rm

6 PART The Racial Justice Book Club Thursday, April 12 12:15 PM Jerusalem Room For April, we will be reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Care A Support Group for Cognitive Impairment Wed., April 4 12 PM Garden Rm A support group for those experiencing cognitive impairment or decline, led by Paul Rogers, a retired physician in our congregation. Contact Richard with questions. SOS ~ Save Our Sanity 7 PM Monday, April 9th at Taryn Duncan s home A social, prayer, support group for mothers of young children! Come with an appetizer or dessert; leave the kids at home. To be added to the list, Anna Louise at almurchison@gcpcusa.org. tmrduncan@yahoo.com with questions. Serve VRQ BBQ Cook Team Next cook date: April 3rd 4:30 or 5:45 PM Come help us serve a meal to the veterans! Come at 4:30 to help cook or 5:45 to help serve. This mission service has a long history. We would love for you to be a part of the service & camaraderie. Questions? Contact Bill Neeriemer, bill.nmer@gmail.com. Time for PRITCHARD PARK Sunday, April 15 Sign-ups for the next Pritchard Park are in the Narthex today, April 1 and Sunday, April 8. Food donations are needed. The GCPC youth will be preparing and serving the breakfast this month! Questions? Please contact David Bailey at or him at david.bailey@unitedwayabc.org. Clothing Bin Volunteers Needed! The Serve Committee and the Property Committee have approved placement of a Haywood Street clothing receptacle bin at the north corner of our parking lot. Volunteers are needed to empty the bin and transport the donations to the Haywood Street facility. We are looking for 12 individuals/couples/families/groups to volunteer. Also, we are looking for a lead volunteer who would manage the volunteer calendar. To sign up or for additional information, contact Nancy Kramer at nancykramer1981@gmail.com. There will be no Youth Group on April 1 st or April 8 th. Happy Spring Break! *NO Education Hour on Easter Sunday* Adult Education - Spring Term begins next week! April 8 May 20 Pressure Points: Islam 101 for Christians at Such a Time as This Choir Room This adult Sunday School seven-week course will begin with a brief overview of the theology, practices, and history of Islam, the fastest growing religious tradition in the world. Topics to be included over the remaining sessions will include: Women in Islam, the teachings of the Qur an, the Hadith, and the Shar iah, Islam and other religious traditions; the varieties of Islam, and contemporary issues in Islam. Facilitator: Kathy Meacham

7 Digging In: Apocalypse Past and Future: The Book of Revelation Jerusalem Rm With an eye to our current fascination of popular apocalyptic books and movies, this class will examine what drove John of Patmos to write the book of Revelation. How was Revelation a response to the situation of early Christians under the threat of Rome and what does its message of hope, judgement, and the end of time have to say to us today? Is Revelation really about escape and heaven, or is there also a message about how to live our lives today, in this world, in a trying time such as this? Come with your hopes and questions, as we dive into this fascinating, obscure, and exciting book. Facilitator: Richard Coble The Improv: The Enneagram Fellowship Hall The Enneagram is a dynamic system that identifies nine personality types. The enneagram system is spiritually rich because of its commitment to transformative growth and its ability to name personality habits that keep us from living more authentically. Knowing our ennea-type enhances how we show up in relationships, in work and in the world. Rev. Carol Hovis, Presbyterian minister and spiritual director, has studied the enneagram for over 20 years and was recently certified by the Enneagram Studies in the Narrative Tradition (ESNT). Facilitator: Carol Hovis CHILDREN & YOUTH EDUCATION [Contact Samantha] Preschool/Kindergarten (ages 3-5) anytime from 8:30 11:30 AM Preschool Sunday School Room (downstairs, Children s Center) Elementary (grades 1-5) 9:10 10:10 AM Temple Room (upstairs, Promise Zone) Middle School (grades 6-8) 9:15-10:10 AM Middle School Classroom, PZ Senior Highs (grades 9-12) 9:15-10:10 AM Senior High Classroom, PZ CALENDAR April Sunday 1 Easter 8:30 AM Worship 10:30 AM Worship Monday 2 OFFICE CLOSED 9:45 AM PW Circle 5 Mtg. Tuesday 3 9:00 AM Prayer Group 4:45 PM VRQ BBQ Dinner Wednesday 4 10:00 AM Knit & Knatter (Knitting Group) 11:00 AM Bible Study 11:45 AM Sanctuary open for prayer 12:00 PM MCI Group 7:00 PM Chancel Choir Sunday 8 PW Sunday 8:30 AM Worship 9:15 AM Education Hour 10:30 AM Worship 11:45 AM Earth Team Mtg. 11:45 AM Creating Sanctuary Team Mtg.

8 Prayer List [Concerns will stay on this list for a month unless we hear otherwise. Please keep us updated.] Jerusalem Church congregation; Sherry Harcke (Les and Susan Stradley s friend); Nikita Norris, Regina Hunter & family (Habitat for Humanity partner family); Pat Cocke (Les and Susan Stradley s friend); Roy and Maxine Hicks (Melissa Hicks parents); Mary Ann Dykes (Sister in Law of Steve and Sandra Dykes); Kathy Giddens (Steve Dykes' sister); Bob Keever (Cynthia Keever s father); Glen Russell (Robin Gaiser s brother); Betsy Needle (Robin Gaiser s friend); Pieter van den Bergh (Lisette de Groot s brother); Steve and Joanna Bowman (Mike Fleenor s brother-in-law and sister); Jerri Alexander (Phil Brown s aunt); Family of Buddy Monahan (Marcia Mount Shoop s colleague and friend); Virginia Bradley; Hettie Lou Garland; Dot Holladay; Teresa Stern; Cindy Egerer; Susan Stradley; Sally Richardson; Betty Smith; John Curry; Rick Noble; Caitlin Stout Next Sunday, April 8, 2018 Presbyterian Women Sunday Second Sunday of Easter Worship services at 8:30 & 10:30 AM Education Hour at 9:15 am Sermon: Resurrection Tales by Samantha Gonzalez-Block, Mary Lou Nash, Keaton Hill and Elizabeth Propst Scriptures: Acts 4:32-35; John 20:19-31