An open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ December 30, 2018 at 10 am So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing covered up that will not be uncovered, nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I say to you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight; what you hear whispered you must shout from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Fear him rather [God] who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. [The Revised English Bible] Matthew 10:26-28
Welcome to our worship service. Please join us for refreshments and time for fellowship immediately following the service. PRELUDE GATHERING SONG #165 (Black, New Century) Love Came Down at Christmas GREETING and ANNOUNCEMENTS CALL TO WORSHIP The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The light shines even in the places where shadows darken our lives. Rejoice, then, you people, for Christ s presence lives among us, and brings joy to the world. *PROCESSIONAL HYMN #129 (Black, New Century) Good Christian Friends, Rejoice PRAYER OF CONFESSION Light of the world, you gave us the transforming birth of the child Jesus as a light for our path. Yet we confess that we don t see the light for what it really is. We were dazzled by the glitter and tinsel the world has made of Christ s birth. We admit we don t know what to do with the gift you have given us. We want your Spirit to be lit within us, that we may share your gifts of peace and justice with all people. We seek to receive, and return the gift of Christ s birth and death, again and again. Amen. ASSURANCE OF PARDON TIME FOR ALL AGES ANTHEM Suo Gan traditional Welsh arr. Judith Herrington and Kyle Haugen Sleep my baby; rest my loved one, warm and tender in my arms. Soft and gentle love surrounds you: may you sleep safe from harm. I will not let harm come near you as you dream in restful sleep. Hush, my sweet one as your loving watch I keep, your loving watch I keep. 2
READINGS Ephesians 1:15-23 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Matthew 10: 26-28 (see front cover) HYMN #158 (Black, New Century) O Morning Star SERMON Be the PUBLIC Church Rev. Rick Chrisman HYMN #126 (Black, New Century) Angels from the Realms of Glory COMMUNITY PRAYERS Concerns and Celebrations Prayers for Our Friends and Families, Our Church, Our Community, and the World. Lord s Prayer (debts/debtors) Our Father and Mother, 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. 3
OFFERING OF TITHES AND GIFTS In each of our pews today is a black friendship book which we encourage you to fill out and pass to the person next to you during the offering. If you have been with us before, just put down your name, but if you are new today, please let us know who you are. Thanks! Offertory Anthem Il est Né traditional French arr. Ryan Murphy He is born this heav nly day, Oboes play, set bagpipes sounding. He is born, this heav nly day. Let all sing his nativity. In a stable lodged is He, straw is all He has for cradle. In a stable lodged is He, Oh, how great humility. He is born this heav nly day, Oboes play, set bagpipes sounding. He is born, this heav nly day. Let all sing his nativity. Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God, all creatures here below, Praise God above, ye heavenly host, Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen. Prayer of Dedication *CLOSING HYMN #139 (Black, New Century) The First Nowell BENEDICTION POSTLUDE Worship Assistant: Crosby Goshgarian Deacons: Jan Rubenstein Flowers: Connie Kaufman Altar Guild: Carol Miller Ushers: Dave Johnson, Jan Rubenstein, Todd Barth TODAY: Environmental Ministry Team Please join us 11:30 in Linden Hall for a viewing of the movie, Thomas Berry: The Great Story. The 49 minute film portrays the life and work of the famous pioneer of spirituality and ecology. Light refreshments will be served. 4
Church Covenant We strive to be a joyful, welcoming Christian Community. We seek to be faithful in a world torn by suffering, injustice, oppression, and war. We are inspired by God, Christ s Ministry, and the examples of other faithful people. We join together in worship and song, fellowship, study, and mission to embrace the risks and challenges of continuing Christ s ministry We struggle to live out our faith in the world by furthering justice and peace, witnessing to the truth, and proclaiming God s love and mercy for all people. Open and Affirming Statement As a covenant community we are committed to the belief that all people are created equal before God. In affirmation of the inclusive love of Christ Jesus, we welcome persons of any race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability and economic circumstance to full participation in our community life and ministry. We strive to reflect these beliefs in the language and content of our worship and in our lives together. (This statement adopted in 2000, reflects the welcome of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people and their friends and families.) Update from the Board of Directors As we journey through a period of transition in our pastoral relationships, please keep our community and our ministers in your prayers. The Board of Directors and Board of Deacons want you to know of these upcoming dates and events: Tuesday, January 1 Rev. John Gage begins as our Senior Minister. Sunday, January 6- Rev. Gage s first Sunday with us and congregational lunch. Parish Care Team The new Parish Care Team has been formed to attend to the needs of our church community. If you or anyone you know could benefit from a call or a visit from a Parish Care Team member, or a minister, please contact Dibby Moder at 781-444-5061 or dmoder@verizon.net. You can also call the church office (781-444-2510) with your request for a visit. 5
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2018 Collections* 12/16/2018= $2,806 12/16/2018 Worship Attendance = 141 people November Electronic Pledge Amount: $11,879.96 Please contact the church office 781-444-2510 or office@needhamucc.org to find out how you can give electronically. *Collection amount does not include additional pledges received electronically. Our current pledge amount for 2018 is $392,968. This represents a budget shortfall of $57,032 for the year. The Board is responsible for the overall administrative life of the church including buildings, finances, personnel and the overall health of the church. Moderator: Jackie Allen Clerk: Jane Brand Term Ends 2019: Jim Conroy, Diane Rees, Kristin Mollerus, Keith McClelland Term Ends 2020: Howard Sesso, Barbra Morton, Amanda Angel Term Ends 2021: Craig Morrison, Scott Lively, Amy Hurley The Deacons are responsible for the spiritual life and well-being of the church. Term Ends 2019: Rick Devereux, Dibby Moder, Scott Stewart, Carol Miller, Jean Veigas Term Ends 2020: Kevin Blume, Paul Brown, Sue Cotton, Lucy Slosser Term Ends 2021: Jim Ruetenik, Phil Gotwals, KM Abraham, Patty Morrison, Janet Rubenstein The Outreach Committee advocates to the church and its members about important issues relating to social justice in our church, community, city state and the world. They provide opportunities to volunteer and guide us in financial giving. We aim to give 15% of our income from pledges to the church to Outreach financial giving. Term Ends 2019: Bill Rees, Fred Moder, Hiroko Hardebeck, Lynn Gotwals, Term Ends 2020: Carol Brown, Mi Herzog, Tom Mollerus Term Ends 2021: Connie Kaufman The PRC is an independent group that supports and maintains an open and healthy relationship between the Minister(s) and Members of the Congregation. The PRC does not take the place of communications between the Members and the Minister(s), but rather helps those who need advice and assistance with such communications. Members: Tom Mollerus, Fred Moder, Martha Lamb 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 or call the office at office@needhamucc.org; 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. Rick Chrisman s Office Hours Please contact the church office to schedule an appointment during his office hours on Wednesdays 1 5pm. Hours are also available by appointment. *If these mes do not work for you please contact the office for alternate availability. Bridge Senior Minister The Rev. Rick Chrisman RevRick@needhamucc.org 781 444 2510, ext. 106 Director of Children &Youth Ministries The Rev. Madelyn Foster RevMaddie@needhamucc.org 781 444 2510, ext. 104 Music Director Valerie Becker musicdirector@needhamucc.org Organist/Accompanist Sangyoung Kim Staff 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 Housekeeper Sanira Alchaar 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 December 30, 2018 Parish Care Team The newly formed Parish Care Team would like to be as attentive as we can to the needs of our church members, their families and friends. If you or anyone you know could benefit from a call or a visit from a Parish Care Team member, please contact Dibby Moder, the chair of the Deacons, at 781-444-5061 or dmoder@verizon.net. You can also call the church office (781-444-2510) with your request for a visit. Don t forget that Rev. Rick is also available for pastoral visits. Partner-Family (and Scholarship Donor) Letters Due January 6 th! Partner families and scholarship donors are asked to write their letters and submit them by the January 6 th deadline to Dave Johnson at: davebjohnson77@gmail.com. It takes 4-5 weeks for our volunteer translators to convert these 140+ letters to Spanish, in time for the February delegation s departure, so please do your part to make this a more manageable task for Dave. Yummy snacks for Coffee Hour! We invite you to host or co-host a Sunday! Families and individuals are invited to sign up for a Sunday to provide the food. You can use this opportunity to celebrate someone s birthday, anniversary or honor a person in your family or an occasion by providing goodies for coffee hour. Your sponsorship will be mentioned in the bulletin. The office has set up an online sign-up form at https://www.signupgenius.com/ go/10c0844a8aa23a2fd0-coffee or you can simply call the office to do so. Please call the office if you have any questions at 781-444-2510. Calendars to Support Education in Santa Maria Tzeja Beautiful calendars prepared by NIS- GUA (Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala) will again be sold, with proceeds to benefit education in our partner village. Stop by the Guatemala table after worship any Sunday during December. 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. 9
Sunday December 30th 8:30 am 10:00 am Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship, Chapel Thursday January 3rd Sunday January 6th Monday January 7th Tuesday January 8th Wednesday January 9th Sunday January 13th Monday January 14th Wednesday January 16th Thursday January 17th Sunday January 19th Monday January 20th 7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Linden AB 8:30 am 10:00 am 11:30 am Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship, Sanctuary Welcome Brunch for Rev. John Gage 9:00 am Cancer Support Group, Reception Room 6:00 pm 7:00 pm Community Dinner, Linden Hall Board Meeting, Library 7:00 pm Deacons Meeting, Library 8:30 am 10:00 am 11:30 am 9:00 am 7:00 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship, Sanctuary Guatemala Partnership Meeting, Library Mindful Meditation, Chapel Bible Study, Reception Room Cancer Support Group, Reception Room Finance Team Meeting, Conference Room 7:15 pm EMT Meeting, Reception Room 7:30 pm Cancel Choir Practice, Choir Room 8:15 am 8:30 am 10:00 am 11:30 am Men s Breakfast, Library Chancel Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Worship, Sanctuary Parish Care Team, Library Bible Study, Reception Room Youth Choir Office Closed Martin Luther King Jr. Day 10