Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina

Transcription

1 Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina September 9, 2018 "My life flows on in endless song; above earth s lamentation, I hear the clear, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation." ~ Robert Lowry, "How Can I Keep From Singing?" Bell Peal Prelude Lasst Uns Erfreuen Charles Callahan * Call to Worship (adapted from Psalm 146) Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! We will praise the LORD as long as we live! We will sing praises to our God all our lives long. * Hymn 10 Sing Glory to the Name of God LASST UNS ERFREUEN * Call to Reconciliation

2 * Prayer of Confession O God, we confess that we often turn away from you. We are silenced by our fears; we are blinded by our anxieties. We fail to see your vision for the world. Help us to once again turn to you in trust. Teach us to sing out, see clearly, serve you with gladness, and receive the gift of new life through Christ our Lord. Amen. * Assurance of Forgiveness * Response Glory to God, Whose Goodness Shines on Me Hymn 582 * Passing of the Peace The Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. Faith Sharing with Children Our Life Together (Please sign the pad located in your pew) Prayer for Illumination Hebrew Scripture The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! Isaiah 35:4-7a New Testament Acts 16:19-34 The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! Anthem How Can I Keep from Singing? Bradley Ellingboe Roslyn Carney, flute; Ednamae Fisher, piano Sermon Voice Lessons GCPC Staff Sacrament of Communion (8:15 only) Commissioning of Director of Children s and Family Ministries Litany (Ephesians 4:1-6) Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as we were called to the one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

3 Commissioning Questions Affirmation of Faith (The Apostles Creed) Prayer & Laying On of Hands 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. Offering (Please place prayer cards in the offering plate for the Prayers of the People) Offertory This Little Light Of Mine arr. Barbara Brocker Bell Tree duet, Ednamae Fisher & Mary Donnelly * Doxology * Prayer of Dedication God of abundant love, you ask that we share what we have, reminding us that all we have comes from you in the first place. May our giving then be a part of our worship, as we give thanks and seek to spread your love widely. Amen. Prayers of the People Each section of the prayer will conclude: God, in your grace Please respond: Hear our prayer

4 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. * Hymn 749 Come! Live in the Light! WE ARE CALLED * Charge & Benediction * Postlude Festival Fanfare Malcolm Archer (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!) Indicates 10:45 worship only. * 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. Our Life Together Thank You! 8:15 Head Usher: David Bailey 10:45 Head Usher: Geneva Neeriemer Liturgist: Margaret Rada & Blake Bradley Deacon of the Week: Ann Brown, hbcove@aol.com The flowers that decorate the sanctuary this morning were given by John & Jessica Clark who are celebrating 9 years of marriage. *NEW LOCATION: The Worship Bags and the Children s Library are now located in the old Information Station. Creating Sanctuary GCPC New Sunday Morning Schedule 8:15 AM Worship 9:15 AM Education Hour (for all ages) 10:15 AM Fellowship & Meetings 10:45 AM - Worship The Creating Sanctuary Team (CST) will NOT meet today, Sept. 9. They will meet instead on Sunday, Sept. 16 after worship in the Garden Room. Apologies for the disruption in our regular "second Sunday" cycle.

5 PART (Power & Race Team) The Racial Justice Book Club Thursday, Sept :15 PM Jerusalem Room Back by popular demand, the Racial Justice Book Club enters its second year with a new list of 12 books examining institutional and interpersonal racism and racial equity. Come and join us for all twelve discussions or for just one or two. All are welcome, whether you have read closely or are just interested in learning more about the subject. Copies of the books can be found in the church library. For September, we are reading White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise. PART Meeting Thursday, September 13 7:00 PM Garden Room Grow Bible Study Wednesdays (beginning Sept. 12) 11:00 AM Garden Room Join the pastoral staff to read and study our sermon texts for Sunday. No preparation needed; just come ready to open scripture and discuss! Care Presbyterian Women Fall Kick-Off Sunday, September 23 4:30 7:00 PM GCPC Sanctuary All women of Grace Covenant are invited to attend the Presbyterian Women s kick off of our new program year. Lynne Noble will present the first lesson of our Bible Study, God s Promise: I Am With You. Our mission will be the Guatemala Microloan Project and Ellen Dozier will join us to talk about this project that has helped so many women and their families. We will then get together with the GCPC youth for dinner and to make quilt squares that will go into a quilt to take to our sister church in Guatemala. So, bring your creative side! Sign-ups will be today and September 16 th in the Church Narthex. Questions? Please call Cathy Froehlich at or her at oremont2@gmail.com. Support Group for Cognitive Impairment Wed., Sept PM Garden Rm This support group introduces techniques for daily living with such issues, led by Paul Rogers, a retired physician in our congregation. We welcome new participants at any time. Contact Richard with questions. Youth News Youth Group Fall Kick-Off (6th - 12th graders) TODAY, Sunday, September PM GCPC Are you ready to make positive changes in your community and world? Are you ready to build new friendships and grow in faith? Are you ready for a whole lot of fun with your church family? Then you are ready for youth group to begin! Pizza dinner (with gluten-free, dairy free options) will be provided. PARENTS, please join us at 6:30pm for a quick information session about what the year has in store. Questions? Contact Samantha at sgblock@gcpcusa.org.

6 Next Sunday s Education for All Ages 9:15 AM Adult Education Fall Term September 16 November 18 Digging In: Women of the Old Testament Jerusalem Room This class will offer a fresh look at some of the women in the Old Testament who may have unfairly been the recipients of negative press. Many of these women have been portrayed as failures: evil, irrational, unfaithful. Could this be due to an effort to reaffirm the structures of patriarchy in spite of Jesus' explicit affirmation of women? We will begin with Eve. Take a look at the 3rd chapter of Genesis and bring your thoughts to class. Facilitators: Barbara McLean and Jamie Lloyd The Improv: God at the Movies and Theater Fellowship Hall You sit down in your favorite theater, and Jesus walks up and asks to share your popcorn. You think, What is God doing here at the movies? In this intergenerational class, Senior high youth and adults will be exploring how movies and plays can deepen or change how we understand our lives and our faith. A list of titles can be found on our website. For information or to host a screening, reach out to Richard or Samantha. Facilitators: Richard Coble and Samantha Gonzalez-Block Pressure Points: Connecting Mass Incarceration and Forced Deportation: A Faithful Conversation about Justice Choir Room Members of two active groups in our congregation, PART (Power and Race Team) and CST (Creating Sanctuary Team), will co-facilitate a 10-week series to explore "Capital J" Justice. We ll explore connections and commonalities between issues of power and race, mass incarceration, immigrant detention, and forced migration. The discussion-based class will utilize a variety of resources, including segments of two films, Healing Justice and The Genesis of Exodus. We ll examine and reflect on how we, as followers of Jesus, can interrogate U.S. practices, laws, and systems while bringing theology into the realm of social justice. Facilitators: PART and CST CHILDREN & YOUTH EDUCATION [Contact Heather or Samantha] Toddlers (ages 2-3) God Loves Me 9:15 10:15 AM Toddler Room (downstairs, Children s Center) Preschool/Kindergarten (ages 4-5) Godly Play 9:15 10:15 AM Preschool Sunday School Room (downstairs, Children s Center) Elementary (grades 1-3) Godly Play 9:15 10:15 AM Temple Room (upstairs) Elementary (grades 4-5) CONNECT 9:15 10:15 AM Indie Room (upstairs) Middle School (grades 6-8) 9:15-10:15 AM Middle School Classroom, (upstairs) Senior Highs (grades 9-12) 9:15-10:15 AM Senior High Classroom, (upstairs) *Nursery care is available throughout Sunday morning beginning at 8:10 am.

7 Prayer List [Concerns will stay on this list for a month unless we hear otherwise. Please keep us updated.] Iglesia Jerusalem congregation; Sherry Harcke (Les Stradley s friend); Pat Cocke (Les Stradley s friend); Glen Russell (Robin Gaiser s brother); Francis Miller (Nancy Miller s son); Steve and Joanna Bowman (Mike Fleenor s brother-in-law and sister); Nancy and Richard Schaadt (Donna Robertson s sister and brother-in-law); Dagmar Peguero-Olinger (mother of Mary Craig s friend); Shaketia Simpson and children (Habitat for Humanity partner family); Jon Breen (Daniel Breen s uncle); Pam Morrell (Penny Ponder s daughter); Buster Fipps (Amber White s stepfather); Hettie Lou Garland; Dot Holladay; Teresa Stern; Betty Smith; John Curry; Madge Francis; Margaret Rada; Debbie Lee; Steve Dykes; Amanda Pressley CALENDAR Sunday 9 8:15 AM Worship 9:15 AM Education Rally (for all ages) 10:45 AM Worship 5:00 PM Youth Group 5:00 PM Children s Choirs Tuesday 11 9:00 AM Prayer Group 10:00 AM Circle 1 Mtg. 6:15 PM Building & Property Mtg. Wednesday 12 10:00 AM Knit and Knatter (Knitting Group) 11:00 AM Bible Study 5:30 PM Stewardship Mtg. 7:00 PM Chancel Choir Thursday 13 12:15 PM Racial Justice Book Club 7:00 PM PART Mtg. Saturday 15 10:00 AM Enneagram Gathering Sunday 16 8:15 AM Worship 9:15 AM Education Hour (for all ages) 10:45 AM Worship 11:45 AM Creating Sanctuary Team Mtg. 11:45 AM Deacons 4:00 PM PW Coordinating Team 5:00 PM Youth Group 5:00 PM Children s Choir

8 Next Sunday, September 16, 2018 Worship services at 8:15 & 10:45 AM Education Hour (for all ages) at 9:15 AM Sermon: Tongue Twisting by Marcia Mount Shoop Scriptures: Proverbs 1:20-33; James 3:1-12