Sudbury United Methodist Church November 11, 2018
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Before worship, please feel free to greet those around you. Concerns or celebrations to be included in today s prayers may be recorded on cards in the pew pockets and passed to the ushers during the second hymn. During the prelude, let us prepare silently to worship God. Welcome *indicates worshipers may stand, as they are able Prelude: A Prayer for the Nation Wihla Hutson *Call to Worship: (Church of Scotland, 21 st cent., alt.) Liturgist: Remember Ypres, Gallipoli, the Somme, Mons and Verdun. Remember the Western Desert, El Alamein, the Normandy beaches. Remember Coventry, Dresden, Hiroshima and the Burma Road. Remember Korea, the Balkans, East Timor, Afghanistan and the Gulf. People: Remember the courage, the comradeship, the ingenuity, the spirit of working together for a common cause, the hoping together for a better world that would come with peace. Liturgist: Remember the carnage; the colossal horror of war. Remember the widows of sixty years and more, the old men and women who never knew their fathers. Remember the love that was lost, the wisdom wasted, the minds that are still pained by memories. Remember the families bereft by recent wars and conflict. People: Remember this day the children who will die while nation fights nation. Remember the One who asked us to remember them. Liturgist: Almighty God, remember us. People: And forgive us our sins against you and our fellow human beings. *Opening Hymn: UMH # 698 - God of the Ages *Opening Prayer: (Church of Scotland, 21 st cent., alt.) God of the nations, whose sovereign rule brings justice and peace, have mercy on our broken and divided world. Pour out your peace into the hearts of all, that all peoples may learn to live as one family in obedience to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 12:38-44 This reading is found on pages 49-50 in the New Testament. Children's Time: How Much Is Left?
Special Music: For the Beauty of the Earth A Reading from the Scriptures: Hebrews 9:24-28 This reading is found on page 224 in the New Testament. Sermon: Once *Hymn of Response: UMH # 435 O God of Every Nation A Time of Fellowship Greeting Our Guests Concerns and Celebrations Pastoral Prayer arr. K. McChesney The Rev. Joel Guillemette Presentation of Tithes and Offerings Stewardship Moment Offertory: For Those We Love Kennedy/Plainsong *Doxology: UMH # 94 - Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power up-lifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Holy Communion *The Great Thanksgiving: UMH pages 12-14 A Service of Word and Table II *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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 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 Giving of the Bread and Cup ( Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another [UMH page 12]. At the ushers invitation, worshipers may join the line to receive a morsel of the gluten and lactose-free bread in their hands, dip the bread in the cup of grape juice, and partake of both at the same time. After communing, worshipers return to their seats by the closest side aisle.) Prayer after Communion
*Hymn of Commitment: UMH # 437 This Is My Song *Dismissal with Blessing Postlude: Sortie on National Hymn Lani Smith Reconciling & Welcoming Statement: The United Methodist Church is a community of believers and seekers, with differences in age, class, nationality, race, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, abilities, and limitations. We at SUMC recognize that there are attitudes, concerning these diverse characteristics, which violate the integrity of individuals and deny the richness of God s creation. Therefore, we affirm our welcome to all people into our community of faith. We are committed to be a fellowship in which all persons feel a part of our family, enabling them to grow in their faith, to be fed by our fellowship, and to contribute their talents to the life of the church in its worship, programs, and outreach. We call the church and society to be sensitive to all persons and to advocate programs which attempt to ensure justice for all. Sudbury United Methodist Church 251 Old Sudbury Road, Sudbury, MA 01776 Phones: (978) 443-4351 or (978) 443-6785 Fax: (978) 443-3052 Church Office: sumc@sudbury-umc.org Website: http://www.sudbury-umc.org Lead Pastor: The Rev. Joel Guillemette pastorjoel@sudbury-umc.org Director of Adult Formation: The Rev. H. Cho-Kim pastorchokim@sudbury-umc.org Christian Education Director: Eric Magnuson eric@sudbury-umc.org Youth Ministries Director: Zachary Moser zack@sudbury-umc.org Music Director/Organist: Kevin Murphy, AAGO kevin@sudbury-umc.org Sanctuary Choir Director: Rob Hammerton rob@sudbury-umc.org Business Manager: Michael Greb michael@sudbury-umc.org Office Administrator: Shetal Kaye sumc@sudbury-umc.org Sexton: Joe Picorelli joe@sudbury-umc.org We are a Stephen Ministry Congregation We are a Reconciling and Welcoming Congregation
Welcome, Guests! Sudbury United Methodist Church November 11, 2018 Are you visiting Sudbury UMC today? Welcome! If you have time after worship, please pause in the narthex to meet our pastor and a few of our church s leaders. If you have time for a longer visit, enjoy coffee and conversation in Hawes Hall, just past The Columns, on the south end of our facility. We hope you enjoy your visit and invite you to come back as soon as you can! Bring a Friend to Church - Sunday, November 18 Faith is better with friends, don t you think? So is singing! Don't keep the good news to yourself. The Church Growth Commission urges you to text, call or invite a friend to join you for worship on Sunday, November 18. We ll have a special welcome for all guests, along with free smiles and snacks. One of the best (and free!) ways for us to support Sudbury UMC is to share our good news with friends. Your friend need not be church-shopping or even a Christian to enjoy our amazing music, friendly congregation, and beautifully renovated building. We look forward to meeting your friends on November 18! Church Conference to Be Convened November 18 at 11:00 a.m. Following worship on Sunday, November 18, members of Sudbury UMC are called to participate in our Fall Church Conference. The Rev. Rene Perez, superintendent of the Central Massachusetts District, will preside. Our annual meeting will include readings about following God s Way from Psalms 25 and 37, Exodus 3, and John 14 as well as a conversation about these questions: What do we give thanks for as a church? How has God s Way been revealed and embraced since we last met? What struggles and challenges do we pray about? How has God s Way closed behind/before the congregation? What are our hopes and dreams for the year(s) to come? In what ways can we pray for and seek God s Way in the year to come? What is our prayer for the greater UMC s Way Forward? The agenda will include a motion from the Staff-Parish Relations Committee regarding the 2019 compensation package for Sudbury UMC s appointed pastor. Please Recycle This Bulletin The Worship and Music Commission has placed blue recycle bins near the church s three entrances. Materials not needed at home, along with other clean papers, may be recycled in these bins. Please dispose of paper soiled by food or anything else in wastebaskets.
Where Is the Rest Room? A unisex rest room is located in the southeast corner of the narthex, behind the back row of pews on the pulpit side of the sanctuary. The next closest rest room is located just past the side door of the sanctuary near the pulpit and three steps up. Is There a Room for Children during Sunday Worship Services? Infants and toddlers are welcome in worship. Parents with young children may also visit our Family Room with visual and aural access to the sanctuary. Stairs in the northwest corner of the narthex lead up to a cozy room furnished with sofas, toys, and children s books. If Our Shopping Cart Could Talk Donations made to the shopping cart in the narthex are delivered to Open Table, our partner in Maynard. If our shopping cart could talk, it would give a polite Thank You! to all who visit. Or, it might drop hints like, I always need solid white tuna in cans, spaghetti sauce in jars, mixed vegetables in cans, pineapple in cans, raisins, dried beans in bags, bread crumbs, condensed milk, rice pilaf, and instant coffee. Sudbury UMC Is a Nut Free Zone! Several Sunny Hill preschoolers and staff members have dangerous allergies to nut products and coconut oil. Do not bring food products or soaps containing tree nuts into the church and remember that coconut oil in kitchen cleaners and lotions can be lethal. Thank you! Stephen Ministers Offer a Listening Ear Loneliness, sadness, and anxiety sometimes increase as the holidays approach. Do you know someone who could benefit from a listening ear? Sudbury UMC s Stephen Ministers are available to offer support. To ask about starting a relationship, speak to Pastor Joel or Lori Granger. To pray with a Stephen Minister today, knock on the O Reilly Room door after worship. Lovefeast Fellowship Opportunity - Trimming Candles for Christmas Eve! are welcome to attend. Read for Spiritual Growth The Lovefeast team is already making plans to host the seventh annual Lovefeast service this Christmas Eve at 6:00 p.m. We hope you ll join us for cider, cookies and carols, followed by the lighting of beeswax candles on this special night. Trimming these candles with red crepe paper frill will take place on Thursday, November 29, at 10:00 a.m. in the O Reilly Room. Volunteers are needed to prepare 200 candles. Cider and holiday treats will be served. All Ten minutes each day with The Upper Room can cause a growth spurt! Monthly booklets are available in the narthex or visit The Upper Room online at http://devotional.upperroom.org/.
All Aboard the SUMC Express! Spread the Bread Today s Church School lesson for kids age three to Grade 5 will begin after Children s Time in worship. In observance of the long Veteran s Day weekend, Children in preschool through Third Grade will take a break from exploring the Ten Commandments. The eighth commandment will be next Sunday s focus. Questions? Contact Eric Magnuson at eric@sudbury-umc.org. The Sudbury Community Food Pantry regularly provides food assistance to 60-80 families per week year-round. Their mission is never to turn away anyone in need. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, however, that mission is always tested. In November, it is not uncommon for the Food Pantry to feed nearly 300 families in a single week. So Sudbury UMC s youth have decided to help them out. Since school is closed for Veterans Day on November 12, the teens will gather in the church s kitchen from 1:00 till 4:00 p.m. to bake at least fifteen loaves of pumpkin bread. These loaves will be delivered to the Food Pantry on Tuesday. All teens are invited and urged to bring friends. Calling all Christmas Card Collectors! Treating Prisoners like Neighbors Do you have a stack of prior years Christmas cards lying around your house? The Church School would love to have them for Christmas crafts in November and December. Pictures of the Christmas story are great ways to convey the meaning of season with nonreaders or beginning readers. So please recycle your old Christmas cards by bringing them to church. Please drop them off in the church office or see Eric Magnuson, Director of Christian Education. Thank you! Inmates often refer to prison as the living cemetery - a place where they are virtually dead and forgotten by the rest of the world. The Outreach Commission offers us an opportunity to demonstrate that inmates at MCI-Concord are neighbors who are worthy of Christian love by collecting toiletries to fill holiday gift bags and creating cards after service on November 25. Along with cash gifts or checks made out to Concord Prison Outreach, here is a list of items to pick up: 4-5oz bars of deodorant soap Pads of WHITE paper 6" X 9" or 5" X 8" (100 pages - NO WIRE) White CREW socks - 5" of ribbing or less (no tube socks, knee highs, "tennis socks") Stick deodorant 2.5oz or larger (no roll-ons, No gels) 12-15oz plastic bottle shampoo 5.8 6oz tubes of toothpaste
Community Thanksgiving Service - November 18 at 4:00 p.m. Sudbury s Interfaith Clergy Association invites residents of our town as well as friends from neighboring communities to worship together on Sunday, November 18, at 4:00 p.m. The 2018 Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be hosted by St. Elizabeth s Episcopal Church, 1 Morse Road, in Sudbury. Worship will be led by lay and clergy representatives of Sudbury s synagogues, churches, area mosque, and other religious communities. A freewill offering will be received to support S.T.O.P. Students Together Opposing Prejudice. Refreshments will follow the service. Fall Series for Adults Continues through November 26 The Rev. Dr. Hakyung Cho-Kim, Sudbury UMC s new director of adult formation, is offering a series of classes on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Becoming Compassionate Disciples of Jesus Christ will meet in the O Reilly Gathering Room just inside the parking lot entrance to the church office. November 12 Jesus Ministry of Compassion and Jesus Parables November 19 Peter s Teaching on Christian Discipleship (2 Peter 1:1-11) November 26 Becoming Participants in God s Kingdom (2 Cor. 5:16-21) Thursday Bible Study Welcomes Newcomers Sudbury UMC s Thursday Bible study welcomes new participants. Meetings take place at 10:00 a.m. on Thursdays at Panera Bread located at 21 Andrew Avenue in Wayland s Town Center, two miles from Sudbury UMC! Each week s focus text is next Sunday s sermon passage. Remember to bring your Bible and funds for something warm to sip. Hey, Kids! Want to Be in the Christmas Pageant? All of Sudbury UMC's children are invited to participate in the 2018 Nativity Pageant during the 10:30 a.m. Christmas service on Sunday morning, December 23! This year, weekly pageant rehearsals will begin the Saturday before Thanksgiving, November 17, and run through the Saturday before Christmas Eve. There is a role for every child speaking parts and non-speaking. Rehearsals take place between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. with an 8:00 a.m. practice for Dancing Angels. If you have not registered your child(ren) yet, please print the registration form in The Chronicle or see Kristin Murphy for a ready-made copy. Do You Need Hearing Assistance? Individual hearing assistance units are available. They re easy to use like transistor radios. Our ushers will help you try one on. Imagine how fulfilling it would be to hear every word in worship!