Sunday, June 3, 2018 This morning s worship service is a celebration of children and youth in our church community! Children are always invited to participate and be present in our worship services but today is a special service honoring our young people! If your child wishes, childcare is offered downstairs in the Yoga Room; the classroom on the right at the bottom of the parking lot stairwell. The Reception Room offers a quiet space where you can follow along with live audio of the service for any folks who may need a break; this room is located outside the Sanctuary and to the right. Worship widgets are provided for anyone who may need help focusing while in the Sanctuary. Coloring books and crayons, soft books and toys are located on the table in the narthex. Please return soft books and toys at the end of the service. Thank you!
PRELUDE Prelude Bach Offered by Tillie Slosser GATHERING SONG O Praise Him David Crowder Band One voice: Youth band: Congregation: One voice: Youth band: Congregation: Lift your ear to heaven and hear a joyous noise. The sound of angels awe, the sound of angels songs All this for a king, we could join and sing, all to Christ the king. How constant, how divine, this song of ours will rise; How constant how divine, this love of ours will rise, will rise. O praise him! O praise him! He is holy! He is holy! O praise him! O praise him! He is holy! He is holy! Lift your gaze to heaven and raise a joyous noise The sound of salvation come, the sound of rescued ones; All this for a king, angels join to sing, all for Christ our king. How infinite and sweet, this love so rescuing, How infinitely sweet, this great love that has redeemed O praise him! O praise him! He is holy! He is holy! O praise him! O praise him! He is holy! He is holy! Alleluia! Alleluia! He is holy! He is holy! Alleluia! Alleluia! He is holy! He is holy! WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Recognition & Blessing of Graduates Rev. Heike Recognition of Christian Education-Youth Committee Maddie Recognition of Abbot Scholars Outreach Committee 2
CONGREGATIONAL GREETING CALL TO WORSHIP & INVOCATION One: We are witnesses, All: To the love God has poured into us. One: We are witnesses of God s love, All: Sharing it with each person we meet. One: We are witnesses to everyone we encounter, All: Little children like us, sisters and brothers and kin in God s family. One: Come! Holy spirit, come upon us. Open our eyes and ears and hearts to see and hear and feel your presence in this space and in our lives. Come! All: Let us worship God! Amen. Song: Forever Young Bob Dylan Offered by the Youth Band TIME FOR GROWN-UPS Offered by Alex Morrison ANTHEM: Thanks and Praise Ruth E. Dwyer Joyful Noise/Hallelujah Choir READING: Jeremiah 1:4-10 1 Samuel 3:1-10 HYMN: Here I Am, Lord (verses 1&2, see insert) Dan Schutte HOMILY: Here I am, Lord! Maddie Downer, MDiv 3
HYMN: Here I Am, Lord (verses 2&3, see insert) Dan Schutte OFFERING OF TITHES AND GIFTS Invitation to Offering In following Jesus, we are called to love like Jesus. We are commanded to love others as God loves us. We give our time, our talents, our treasure and our hearts to do the work of love in the world. The morning offering will now be given and received. Offertory Anthem: Beautiful City Stephen Schwartz Shepherd s Staff Choir Doxology: 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: Holy One, we offer our lives and these humble gifts to do your work of love in this world. In all our offerings and actions, may we do justice, love kindness and mercy, and walk humbly with you, O God. Amen. CELEBRATION OF COMMUNION Invitation & Institution Prayer of Consecration 4
Sharing the Meal Communion Hymns Won t You Let Me Be Your Servant NCH #539 For Everyone Born (see insert) Prayer of Thanksgiving & The Lord s Prayer This morning we invite you to use an inclusive language Lord s prayer based on the traditional wording and structure. God, thank you for bringing us together to share in this meal. May we be nourished in body and spirit by your love for us. In eating this bread and drinking from this cup, help us remember Jesus, our brother, who taught us how to pray saying, Our father and mother in heaven, Holy is your name. Your presence come. Your 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 yours is the fullness And the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen. SONG: Sweet Child, Borning Cry Rose/Ylvisaker Offered by the Youth Band BLESSING Rev. Jim, Rev. Heike, Maddie 5
SUNG BENEDICTION Benediction Peter Anglea Shepherd s Staff Choir POSTLUDE: Parting Glass The Wailing Jennys Offered by members of the Youth Band Today we honor the 2018 High School graduates from our church community: James Allen Chris Amato John Andre Tim Andre Milo Durante Daniel Borah Rose Evans George Gworek Gabriella Heaney-Secord Brendan Rock Kenneth Reutenik David Yeh 6
Thank you to this year s Youth Band for offering music during this morning s worship service: Kate Allgood Leyna Blume Alex Morrison Katherine Rock Brendan Rock Liam Salerno Nora Slosser Tillie Slosser Thank you to David Owens for playing the organ for us today. Deacons: Rick Devereux, Dibby Moder, Kevin Blume Altar Guild: Jean Veigas, Carol Miller Ushers: Jim Leighton, Rich Weitzel, Robert Kennedy Flower Delivery: Caryl Johnson The flowers on the altar are given in blessed memory of my parents, Harry and Shirley Clayton by Jane Clayton-Matthews and Family. 7
Welcome to all who are new or here for the first time! If you are interested in learning more about our church, please email Rev. Jim at revjim@needhamucc.org, Rev Heike at revheike@needhamucc.org or call the office at 781-444-2510 to set up a conversation. For updates on church life, our family ministries, Christian Education and Youth Ministries follow us at: @NeedhamUCC on Instagram Congregational Church of Needham UCC on Facebook @needhamucc on Twitter www.needhamucc.org Please silence your cell phone before attending the service. You can Check In on Facebook and let people know you are here. Feel free to Tweet, Snapchat, or Instagram during the service. If you would like or need a hearing device an usher will be able to assist you. Children s Childcare is offered for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers in the Nursery located downstairs during the service. Rev. Jim Mitulski s Office Hours Please contact the church office to schedule an appointment during his office hours of Tuesday & Wednesday 2 6pm; Thursday 2 5pm Evening hours are also available by appointment. *If these mes do not work for you please contact the office for alternate availability. Staff Interim Senior Minister The Rev. Jim Mitulski RevJim@needhamucc.org 781 444 2510, ext. 106 Associate Minister The Rev. Heike Werder RevHeike@needhamucc.org 781 444 2510, ext. 105 Director of Children &Youth Ministries Madelyn Downer Youth@needhamucc.org 781 444 2510, ext. 104 Housekeeper Sanira Alchaar Church Administrator Danielle Jurdan Office@needhamucc.org 781 444 2510, ext. 101 Office Assistant & Bookkeeper Cindy Sullivan Office2@needhamucc.org 781 444 2510, ext. 100 Music Director Valerie Becker musicdirector@needhamucc.org Handyman Bill Donovan The Congregational Church of Needham 1154 Great Plain Avenue Needham, Massachusetts 02492 www.needhamucc.org Facebook: Congrega onal Church of Needham UCC Twi er @needhamucc Instagram: needhamucc 781 444 2510 of ice@needhamucc.org The Rev. Dr. Paul Clayton, Pastor Emeritus 8
ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS June 3, 2018 NEWS FROM THE SEARCH COMMITTEE The Search Committee is scheduled to meet weekly this summer. We have received a number of candidate profiles and expect that we will continue to do so throughout the summer. After having carefully read the Church Profile, each committee member is prepared to read the profiles of pastoral candidates with your wishes, needs, visions and hopes in mind. We are learning effective methods for giving each candidate s profile the faithful attention and consideration it deserves. We appreciate your continued prayers. TODAY: ONA Then and Now: Today @ 11:30am, Linden Hall We will look at the Covenant our church adopted 20 years ago. We will show two brief films "Celebrating the Open and Affirming Movement in the United Church of Christ" https://youtu.be/x3v_n6skssw and "Maybe We're Talking About a Different God" featuring our June 17th preacher, Rev. Janie Spahr. Here's the trailer https://youtu.be/ofewsz9kh6a. Bring your comments and questions about this topic. Needham LED Street Lighting issues - EMT table TODAY at coffee hour Come learn about the too-cool/blue-light content LED street lighting retrofit that the Town has planned for YOUR street, the unintended consequences to your health, to safety due to glare, and to the environment we steward. Better, warmer-light solutions are available that are just as energy-efficient. NOW is the time to act: a final decision will be made by the Select Board in June. We have letters ready for you to sign. EMT@needhamucc.org A Community Conversation about Transgender Equality, June 6 @ 7 pm (note location: at First Parish Unitarian Church up the street, across from Town Hall) co-sponsored by us as founding members of the Needham Coalition for Transgender Rights. The June 7th Thursday Lunch will be a Friendly Society Luncheon and Strawberry Festival for everyone! Please join us for a luncheon on June 7, 2018 at 12 noon at the church. Everyone is welcome to attend, especially Friendly Society Members and their friends. Please RSVP to the church office at office@needhamucc.org or 781-444-2510 by Monday, June 4, 2018. Get Your Pride On! The 48th annual Boston Pride parade is Saturday, June 9. The theme is Rainbow Resistance. The organization Freedom for All Masssachusetts will be honored as Grand Marshal. The Old South Church Pride service will be at 11am, the parade at noon, and the festival on City Hall Plaza from noon until 6pm. You can join up with the MA Conference ONA churches marching delegation, 21 churches and 100 people strong. Individuals and families are welcome. See how much the Open and Affirming witness means to people who have been called less than and see how good pride can look! To join up, please contact Kathie Carpenter at kacarp@comcast.net. 9
June 10 - Race Amity Day is a new observance in Massachusetts; this is the second annual Race Amity Day. Ramin Abrishamian represents the Baha'i community on the Needham Interfaith Clergy Association and will share a testimony in our worship service as to why this is a spiritual as well as a secular holiday. There s Something About Mary Monday, June 18 th at 6:30pm Mary is a complex figure in Christian spirituality. Our liberal Protestant tradition generally rejects devotion to Mary as superstitious. Evangelical Christians denounce her prominence in Catholic spirituality as placing her on par with Jesus, and, especially in the Catholic identification of her, as "coredemptrix". Catholic and Orthodox teachings often lift her up as a model of subservience. None of these traditions allow for feminine expressions of deity. Can Mary find a place in our spiritual lives as a powerful role modeled source of inspiration? Some of us have been reading "Untie the Strong Women" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (who also wrote Women Who Run With The Wolves ) - copies are available outside the chapel. Regardless of whether you have read it, come to a class taught by Maddie Downer and Rev. Jim to look at the history but also to explore how it is that we affirm female divinity. #BYOR (Bring your Own Rosary) if you have one, and we'll have some extras too. Bring your questions, your skepticism, your curiosity, and an open mind. We will meet in the Chapel (with the beautiful Window...) August Delegation to Guatemala (August 1-12, 2018) Last Call (June 20 Deadline) for August Delegation Participation. The August 1-12 delegation to Guatemala is nearly full, so if you are interested, contact co-leaders Alan Clayton-Matthews (a.clayton-matthews@neu.edu) or Caryl Johnson (carylgjohnson@gmail.com) ASAP. Volunteer Opportunity for Baby Basics We are looking for a person who can host the distribution table on the first Tuesday of every month. This entails giving families diapers from 6-7 pm, dinner provided for you and your family. Contact Jennifer Haggerty at jenniferhaggerty@hotmail.com for more information or to volunteer. Garden Friendly People Invited! The Flower/Garden/Decorating Team is welcoming new members who might like to help out on a project by project basis, to take on a once-a- year task or to be more involved in the church s decorations, Easter & Christmas flowers and outdoor gardens and beds. If interested, please contact Danielle in the office at office@needhamucc.org or 781-444-2510. Save the Date! Sun., June 10th at 11:30am Mid-year Meeting and BBQ! 10
Community Dinners continue over the summer months! Upcoming dates for summer community dinners are: June 5, July 10, and August 7, 2018. Volunteers are always welcome to help set up, serve, and clean up at our monthly community dinner for our Baby Basics families. Please contact Diana Conroy if you would like to join our volunteer team. Kids are invited to join us as we explore God's Big Backyard! Children will learn about God's love through arts and crafts, science, cooking, and games workshops. Each day we will learn about a Bible story that teaches us about caring for the earth and all of our friends who call this place home! During the week we will be collecting donations of school supplies and Spanish-language children's books for our Guatemala Partnership and the ministry they do in Santa Maria Tzeja, Guatemala. A gluten-free, nut-free snack is provided each day. Students should bring a bagged lunch (please, no nut products). Program Ages: Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5 Program Dates & Times: Monday, August 20, 2018 - Friday, August 24, 2018 Drop-off is between 9:00 and 9:15 AM. Pickup is between 12:45 and 1:00 PM. All students take home crafts and activities. Students who participate for the full week will receive a VBS t-shirt! Wednesday is Water Day! Our activities include water toys and shaving cream races. Bathing suits, towels, and a dry change of clothes are encouraged. If you are registering more than 3 children, please submit two forms. Questions? Get in touch with Maddie, our Director of Christian Education and Youth Ministries by emailing youth@needhamucc.org or calling 781-444-2510. 11
Sunday June 3rd Youth Sunday Monday June 4th Tuesday June 5th Wednesday June 6th Thursday June 7th Sunday June 10th Monday June 11th Wednesday June 13th Thursday June 14th Sunday June 17th Father s Day Monday June 18th Wednesday June 20th Thursday June 21st Sunday June 24th 8:30 am 10:00 am 11:30 am 2:30 pm 7:00 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship Youth Sunday, Sanctuary ONA Then & Now, Linden Hall Junior High Youth Group @ Puzzle Break Guatemala Meeting, Library 9:00 am Cancer Support Group, Reception Room 6:00 pm Community Dinner, Linden Hall 7:00 pm Board Meeting, Library 12:00 pm 7:30 pm 8:30 am 10:00 am 11:30 am 9:00 am 7:00 pm Strawberry Fest & Lunch w/ Heike, Library Choir Practice, Linden AB Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship Race Amity Day, Sanctuary Mid Year Meeting & BBQ Meditation w/ Sue Findlay, Reception Room Cancer Support Group, Reception Room Finance Team Meeting, Conference Room 7:00 pm Deacon s Meeting, Library 7:00 pm Meditation Book Group, Library 8:15 am 8:30 am 10:00 am 11:30 am 9:00 am 6:30 pm Men s Breakfast, Library Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship Rev. Janie Spahr Guest Preacher Sanctuary Pioneers, talk with Janie Spahr, Linden Hall Cancer Support Group, Reception Room There s Something About Mary, Chapel 7:00 pm Property Team Meeting, Conference Room 7:00 pm CE/Youth Meeting, Reception Room 8:30 am 10:00 am 11:30 am Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship Music Appreciation, Sanctuary Meditation w/ Sue Findlay, Chapel 12
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The next Phase of Chapel Renovation Opportunities for Giving I dwell in Possibility A fairer House than Prose More numerous of Windows Superior for Doors Of Chambers as the Cedars Impregnable of eye And for an everlasting Roof The Gambrels of the Sky Of Visitors the fairest For Occupation This The spreading wide my narrow Hands To gather Paradise Emily Dickinson Chapel Window Update! We now have subscribed nearly all of the Chapel window replacements! A resounding THANK YOU to all the generous donors. Construction will begin at the end of June and we hope to dedicate them on Sunday, August 5th at 10:00am Worship Service in the chapel so we can see the windows we are blessing. One donor has provided a seed gift for a "Peoples Window" (as described by one person.) In June we will accept donations of any size toward the one remaining Chapel window and, if you wish, your dedication (in honor of...in memory of... ) will be included on a large plaque with other contributors of this cooperative window project. Contact Jim or Danielle or use the special envelope that will be in the pews over the next several weeks. 16
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