Made One by Christ Welcome News for the Good of the Church Prelude Elevation Dubois Choral Call to Worship Opening Prayer * Hymn #550 Give Praise to the Lord (Psalm 149) Clothed by Christ Moment of Silence Corporate Prayer of Confession It is only by the power of God that we are able to stand against evil. Trusting in God s grace, let us confess our sin. Eternal God, we confess that we have failed to seek Your will. You call for faithfulness and love; we respond with half-hearted praise. You call for righteousness and peace; we respond with empty promises. Forgive us, God of grace. Teach us how to worship You with the sacrifice You desire: loving You and loving one another, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now stand firm in your faith, covered by the saving grace of God and ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God. Sharing of Christ s Peace * Song of Praise, Hymn #633 Praise Ye the Lord
Sharing God s Blessings and Compassion Presentation of Tithes and Offerings Choral Musical Offering Communion Meditation Herber/Wetherhill *Doxology Hymn #606 Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow * Affirmation of Faith the Apostles Creed 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 Lighting a Candle - Sharing a Memory The special candle in the Sanctuary today is placed by Brad Spiers and his sister Bonnie Spiers, in loving memory of their mother Frances C. Spiers, in honor of their father Harvey E. Spiers Jr., and in celebration of the anniversary of their parent's wedding at First Presbyterian Church 70 years ago, on Saturday, October 23, 1948. We give thanks to God for this sacred story of love and faithfulness. Hearing God s Word of Hope and Power Time with the children First Reading Isaiah 40:2-31 pages 619-620 Second Reading Mark 12:28-34 page 881 Sermon Time to Soar the Rev. Steve Frazier * Hymn #460 Break Thou the Bread of Life Invitation to the Lord s Table The Great 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 our 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. Communion of the People
Taking Christ s Blessing to the World * Hymn #538 Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises Charge * Benediction Hymn #543 God, Be the Love to Search and Keep Me Verse 5 A Blessing in Music Dorian Toccata J. S. Bach Communion Meditation Bread of the world, in mercy broken; Wine of the soul, in mercy shed; By Whom the words of life were spoken, And in Whose death our sins are dead. Look on the heart by sorrow broken; Look on the tears by sinners shed And be the feast to us, the token That by Thy grace our souls are fed.
The Vision of the Congregation: We see ourselves as the embracing arms of Jesus Christ for each other, for the community, and for the world. Welcome to our friends and visitors! We hope that you find our congregation a welcoming one. Please join us after worship for refreshments and fellowship in our courtyard lobby. Prayer List Dick Barnwell (friend of the Butlers), Alan Butler (Paul Butler s brother), Jeanne Butler (Paul Butler s sister), Rebecca Duncan (friend of Oralie & Raymond), Mona Evick (Toni Rustch s sister) Jackie & Tyler Forsythe, Lt. Col. Rob Gerlach (deployed to Kuwait) Bobby Harrell (friend of the Butlers), Mae Holoman, Mary Alice Jarman (friend of the Powells), Brian Mills, Carl Rhodes, Dee Dee Strauss, Dorothy Wooldridge (friend of Carl Rhodes) Everyone suffering with cancer and facing surgery Our friends at home, especially Ronald Curry (Grace Yingling s son), Lanier Halterman, Frances Hardy, A. T. Mayo, Sue Parker, Lane Pittman, Joan & Jim Plaatsman, Harvey Spiers, Joyce Wright, Grace Yingling Leading in worship today The Rev. Steve Frazier Edna Broadhurst, Director of Music Ministries Ushers: David Culpepper, Yolanda Faas, Dan Swanson Counters: David Culpepper, Nancy Grant Our bulletin is printed on Wednesday. We are pleased to include any you wish to be added to the prayer list. You may contact Raymond (email: bulletin@fpcports.org, cell: 757-319-5019) or the church office (757-397-3622) by Tuesday evening.
October Offerings 10/7 $ 3,328.00 10/21 $ 4,017.00 10/14 $ 2,420.00 10/28 $ 1,219.95 MTD $ 10,984.95 October Attendance 10/7 Worship 43 Sunday school 21 10/14 Worship 50 Sunday school 17 10/21 Worship 52 Sunday school 21 10/28 Worship 50 Sunday school 21 The church office will be open on Wednesdays only, from 1:00 4:00. To assist with timely preparation of the bulletin, please send all notices to pastor@fpcports.org and/or bulletin@fpcports.org no later than 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Music is reprinted by permission and under CCLI License #2350381. Session Moderator of Session The Rev. Dr. Steve Frazier Clerk of Session Gail Pittman (2019) Administration/Property Paul Butler (2020) Christian Formation Kim McCormick (2019) Congregational Fellowship/Care Betty Bartlett (2019), Pat Sparks (2020) Finance - Diane Griffin (2018) Mission/Outreach Oralie Wilhite (2020) Worship Michael Broadhurst (2020) Members and friends of the congregation are encouraged to contact the appropriate elder with their comments and suggestions. Church Staff The Rev. Steve Frazier, Covenant Pastor 397-3622 ext. 202 pastor@fpcports.org Edna Broadhurst, Director of Music Ministries 397-3622 ext. 203 ednafpc@aol.com Gabbi Goodrich, Secretary 397-3622 g.furman121@hotmail.com November Birthdays 1 Betsy Brown 4 Toby Pennell 9 Graham Fitzwater 12 John Hackworth 15 Tanner Furman 19 Susan Fay 19 Corbin Taylor 20 Paul Butler 23 Diane Turner 28 Connor McCormick Missing a birthday? Contact the Church at pastor@fpcports.org or call 397-3622 Bulletin Editor bulletin@fpcports.org Ministries 11/4 BF Raymond Rodrigues SS Alice Butler PWF PLBC 11/11 BF SS PWF 11/18 BF SS PWF 11/25 BF SS PWF Alice Butler Birthdays Cameron & Ashley McCormick Nancy Grant Nancy Grant www.fpcports.org pastor@fpcports.org
First Presbyterian Church Portsmouth, VA Coming Events Sunday, November 4 9:00 Breakfast fellowship 9:20 Children s music 9:30 Sunday school, 10:30 Worship, with the Lord s supper 5:00 PLBC bagged meal distribution to those in need Tuesday, November 6 10:30 Ladies circle Wednesday, November 7 6:45 Bells 7:15 Choir Thursday, November 8 10:00 Bible study with the Rev. Dr. Chreston Holoman Sunday, November 11 9:00 Breakfast fellowship 9:20 Children s music 9:30 Sunday school, 10:30 Worship, birthday blessing 4:30 Fall Hymn Fest at Wycliffe PC Wednesday, November 14 6:45 Bells 7:15 Choir Thursday, November 15 10:00 Bible study with the Rev. Dr. Chreston Holoman Sunday, November 18 9:00 Breakfast fellowship 9:20 Children s music 9:30 Sunday school, 10:30 Worship Monday, November 19 6:00 Session meets Wednesday, November 21 NO Bells or Choir Sunday, November 25 Christ the King Sunday 9:00 Breakfast fellowship 9:20 Children s music 9:30 Sunday school, 10:30 Worship
First Presbyterian Church Portsmouth Announcements A memorial donation in memory of Kendall Rhodes was made by Carl Rhodes. The Center for Sacred Music at Virginia Wesleyan University presents its annual Fall Hymn Festival on Sunday, November 11, 2018, at 4:00 p.m., at Wycliffe Presbyterian Church, 1445 N. Great Neck Rd, Virginia Beach, VA, led by Brian Hehn, Director of the Center for Congregational Song (a division of the Hymn Society of the US & Canada). The choir will be performing the cantata Tapestry of Light A Celtic Christmas Celebration by Joseph M. Martin during worship on Sunday, December 23, 2018. Seeking singers! - The PEVA Chapter of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus and the PEVA Peacemaking Committee is seeking choir members for the annual MLK service. The MLK service will be held at King's Grant Presbyterian Church on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, at 4:30 p.m. See Raymond for more information. Why is the choir wearing green stoles? Green is the liturgical color that represents Ordinary Time in the church calendar. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has sanctioned the use of liturgical colors and promoted their use in the 1993 Book of Common Worship. Advent and Lent are periods of preparation and repentance and are represented by the color purple. The feasts of Christmas Day and Christmastide, Epiphany Sunday, Baptism of the Lord Sunday, Transfiguration Sunday, Easter Season, Trinity Sunday, and Christ the King Sunday are represented by white or gold. Green is the color for periods of Ordinary Time. Red is for Pentecost Sunday but may also be used for ordinations, church anniversaries, and memorial services for ordained clergy. Red or purple is appropriate for Palm Sunday. During Holy Week, the church may use purple or remain bare (although a few churches will use black for Good Friday). The stoles and robes that the choir is wearing are from Cradock Presbyterian Church. The Fellowship & Congregational Care Committee is considering the idea of beginning a book club which would meet once a month at the church, possibly during the day on Tuesdays. Members of the club would select the books to be read. If you are interested in participating, please call Pat Sparks at 393-0895.