Oak Grove Church of the Brethren June 24, 2018 * Gathering Hymn Great is Thy faithfulness # 327 Announcements, Joys and Concerns Please sign the guest book at the end of the pew, then pass it on to the person next to you. Prelude Prelude Mozart * Call to Worship 2018 Carol Penner, leadinginworship.com (adapted) The congregation responds in bold Jesus Christ is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:18-20) Jesus, we come to worship today beginners in the school of beginning. You are the firstborn of the dead, bringer of hope in the midst of despair, bringer of light into our darkness. Begin a new thing in us today: new ways of thinking, new ways of living, new ways of being a reconciling community. We pray this together as people of peace, as a people longing for peace, your peace, peace that passes understanding. Amen. * Hymn Beyond a dying sun # 323 Children s Story Kindergarten through fourth graders are now invited to Children s Church Sharing our offering Moment for Mission insert Blessing for the Junior High Workcampers Offertory Once to Every Man and Nation Williams Congregational Response Praise God from whom # 119 Hearing from God s Word Scripture Reading Ruth 3 (OT, page 243) Song I Will Come to You in the Silence Haas Message Radical Risk Prayers of the People Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you and against others. I have sinned through my own fault by thought, word and deed in things done and left undone. I have been moved by images and stories and pictures of tragedies both at home and abroad; but my concern has stopped with my thoughts and prayers. Gracious God, hear my confession: Silence is kept
I repent; for these and all my sins I am truly sorry, and pray for forgiveness. I firmly intend to make amends. Strengthen me to serve you in newness of life. Amen. * Hymn Rain down insert * Sending * Postlude *Please stand as you are able. Everyone is invited to the after-church fellowship in the social hall. A nursery is available during the worship service for children five and under. For a hearing device, wheelchair, or cushion, please ask the head usher. A CD of this morning s service is available upon request. You can also listen to recent sermons at www.oakgrovecob.org. Our Meditation Garden invites us to meditate outdoors in all seasons. It is located in our side yard, surrounded by bushes. It has benches, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, and a plaque of the Prayer of St. Francis. Handicapped Parking Spaces: Because we have a limited number of handicapped parking spaces in our lot, we ask those who are free of mobility challenges to park in the spaces farther away from church entry doors. This will help ensure that all drivers or passengers with limited mobility have the easiest and most welcoming possible entry into our church.
Litany of Commissioning 2018 Church of the Brethren Workcamps The congregation read the bold print Workcamp participants read the underlined print 1 John 4:19-21 (NRSV) We love because he first loved us. Those who say, I love God, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. You have been called into the ministry of Jesus Christ-- to live out the call to love. Let your hearts be filled with the love to follow the Lord s command. We look forward to stepping into God s call to love our brothers and sisters. Jesus taught us the greatest commandments: To love the Lord with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself. We pray that you join with your fellow workcampers, strengthening together in God s love. Let your hearts be filled with a great love for God and for your neighbor. We seek to love God more abundantly by loving our neighbor. God showed us how to love through the wonderful promise of grace. We hope that your hearts are moved by the example of God s overwhelming love in the world. Let your hearts be compassionate just as Jesus is compassionate. We seek to love more fully, just as God loves us through the promise of Jesus. Beloved, Jesus showed us the overwhelming power of love, even to those who would persecute him. In this way, we pray you strive to love deeper even through struggle and discomfort. Let your hearts be filled with understanding even in life s challenges. We seek to show love, even to those whom we struggle with and who reject us.
Children of God, each one of you has been given unique talents by the spirit. May you recognize the individual gifts you have been blessed with and seek to bring out the abundant gifts in others, spreading love for all through the kingdom on earth. Let your hearts be filled with support for one another. Lifting each other up in God s name. We will go to this place to serve, using our talents to spread God s love. Followers of Christ, go now with the love of God that surpasses all understanding, to meet this exciting new opportunity with openness and love. We send you out into the world to love, and we will welcome you back home with love in our hearts. We thank you for your loving support, we leave this place with open hands and open hearts.
OAK GROVE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN 2138 McVitty Rd., SW Roanoke, VA 24018 (540) 774-3217 Website: www.oakgrovecob.org June 24, 2018 PASTOR Tim Harvey Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9:00 a.m. - Noon MINISTER OF NURTURE AND MUSIC Carol Elmore INSTRUMENTALISTS & OTHER MUSIC WORSHIP PARTICIPANTS Joe Blaha, piano Randall Cronise, organ OTHERS PROVIDING FOR OUR SERVICE OF WORSHIP Worship Leader - Tim Harvey Children s Story - Lisa Newell Deacons of the Month - Garland & Rena Brown Communion Table Arrangements - Robin Craighead Greeters - Jan Grisso, Barbara Mann Sound Booth Coordinator - Don Pizzullo Head Usher - Bill Whitlow CHURCH VOLUNTEERS Baby Nursery - Robin Craighead & Rena Brown Preschool Nursery - Randall Eakin & Lisa Newell Children s Church - John & Phillip King Offering Counters - Elizabeth Atkinson, John King, III, Jamie Knox, Dan Lubbs, Emily Nelson, Sam Phillips, Fred Widdowson
THIS WEEK S ACTIVITIES: Today 1:00 p.m. Visioning Committee 5:00 p.m. Youth families dinner and Bible Study Wed. 6:19 a.m. Jr. Highs leave for workcamp (Brooklyn, NY) Thur. 9:30 a.m. Joyful Hearts meet at church to carpool to Foutz cabin Sun. 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship Service - Jr. High Workcamp dedication **If you would like a ride to an activity, please call the church office at 774-3217. For calendar activities, go to www.oakgrovecob.org. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the District Office: Pray for the ministry of Laurel Branch CoB, in Floyd County, as they celebrate their 100th anniversary this year. Let us honor the spiritual foundation laid for us by that great cloud of witnesses and work with a will in our own generation for the edification of the church. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Church Office for June 17, 2018: Sunday School - 70 Worship - 121 Received through 6/17 - $135,470 West End, Father s Day - $274 Budget through 6/17 - $138,648 Vistar parking - $640 Received on 6/17 - $2,645 Messenger - $15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Joyful Hearts June meeting will take place on the 28th at the Lowell and Alice Foutz cabin in Bedford County. We will meet at the church at 9:30 a.m. to carpool, and the meeting will begin at 10:30. Lowell is sure to entertain us with his many stories about this historic cabin and surrounding area. Come with an appetite, as Lowell promises a country meal of beans, cornbread, and drinks at noon. RSVP to Joyce Harmon by Sunday, June 17, if you plan to come. From the Missions and Service Commission: We will be collecting for the following service projects beginning May 20 and continuing throughout the month of June: T-shirt Diapers for Midwives for Haiti Clean out your closet, and bring in 1-2 t-shirts you don t wear anymore (no stretchy material preferably cotton; any color is fine). NYC participants will be tracing and cutting out diaper patterns as part of our service projects. The diapers will then be sewn by CoB churches and sent to orphanages in Haiti through Midwives for Haiti. They use about 200 diapers a month, and that is only supplying each baby one diaper. The goal is a year s supply of diapers, which is 2,400. There will be a box outside the fellowship hall for collection of the t-shirts. Witness to Our July Annual Conference Host City (Cincinnati) Founded in 1993, First Step Home is the only addiction treatment center in Cincinnati that allows children up to the age of 12 to live with their mother while she is in treatment. They provide a continuum of care and work to assist women in rebuilding their families as they break the cycle of drug and alcohol addiction. Through an array of services including residential and outpatient treatment, group and individual counseling, maternal and newborn support, job placement, and wellness education, they have helped thousands of pregnant and new mothers fight their addictions and established stable lives for themselves and their children. Oak Grove will be collecting $5.00 gift cards to Walmart or Kroger to be donated to the program. A box for collecting these cards will be placed in the vestibule. Emily Harvey and Jeremy Bender are getting married in July! Let's get them started off well with a Basket of Blessings! We will collect things that fit in a basket: gift cards (to restaurants, theaters, grocery stores,...), small kitchen items, small picture frames, cash, special recipes, etc. Be creative! Please bring items to Carol Elmore's office through the month of June.