Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina www.gcpcusa.org April 19, 2015 10:30 am Third Sunday of Easter There is something here within us which doesn t let us sleep, which doesn t let us rest, which doesn t stop pounding deep inside... in the very pupil of our eyes which during sleep, though closed, keep watch with each contraction of the heart in every awakening... To dream awake, to keep watch asleep to live while dying and to already know oneself resurrected! - Julia Esquivel
Prelude Great is Thy Faithfulness arr. John Nordquist Introit [Hymn 251] Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia MFURAHINI, HALELUYA (Choir sings the stanzas and the congregation joins on the refrain) * Call to Worship How joyful it is, to celebrate the good news of God s love! We are called, each and every day, to be Easter people. Darkness cannot claim us - Fear cannot bind us - Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! * Hymn 65 Guide Me, O Thy Great Jehovah CWM RHONDDA * Call to Reconciliation * Prayer of Confession We use a lot of words, Gracious God, but do little to turn them into deeds. Instead of being of one heart and soul, we choose sides and form groups of folks just like us. We have so much love and we have so much stuff but we have trouble sharing it with those who need it the most. Forgive us, God of love. Forgive us, as we step out of our shadows into your light. Hear our prayers and restore us, as we reveal our brokenness. Amen. * Assurance of Forgiveness This is the good news we have to declare: God leads us out of the shadows to walk in the light of Christ. This is the word we have heard: our faithful God forgives our sins and raises us to new life. Thanks be to God.
* Response * Passing of the Peace The Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. Prayer for Illumination New Testament The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! Revelation 21:1-4
Psalter My Soul Is at Rest Psalm 62 [Congregation sings the following refrain as directed] Old Testament Deuteronomy 34:1-12 The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! Sermon What Moses Saw Kristy Farber Silent Meditation * Hymn 687 Our God, Our Help in Ages Past ST. ANNE * Affirmation of Faith (from Romans 8) What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? God, who did not withhold God s own Son, but gave Jesus up for all of us, will God not with Jesus also give us everything else? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Jesus who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Our Life Together (Please sign the Friendship Pad located in your pew) Presbyterian Women Mission Offering Betsy Wilson Offering (Please place prayer cards in the offering plate for the Prayers of the People) Prayer of Dedication Offertory Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring J. S. Bach * Doxology Faith Sharing with Children Prayers of the People Each section of the prayer will conclude: God, in your grace Please respond: Hear our prayer
Hymn 464 Our Father, Which Art in Heaven WEST INDIAN * Charge and Benediction * Hymn 815 Give to the Winds Thy Fears FESTAL SONG Postlude Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee arr. Nielson and Young * Please Stand in Body or Spirit. We gather to worship God who is larger than all our imagination! We encourage all persons to sing the gender nouns and pronouns they prefer in referring to God.
Our Life Together Thank You! Ushers: PW Women (Betsy Wilson, Cathy Clevenger, Tina LaFontaine, Diane Chambers, Mary Rhoads, Margaret Kennedy, Susan Stradley) Liturgists: Carol Kavalhuna, Anna Olivia Ungert, Cathy Froehlich Musicians: Ruth Elliott, Barbara McLean, Susan Propst, Cathy Walgenbach. Thank you to Joan Bass for the flowers that decorate our sanctuary, given for the glory of God and in loving memory of Tom Bass. real.life.stories Sunday, April 26 5:00 PM Avenue M Childcare at GCPC Theme for the evening: "Mind Your Own Business..." Listen to Chris Hartbarger, Mark Ramsey, Andrea Rosal, Alice Schmitz, Christi Stokes, and Paul Tescione tell a first- person story centered on the theme "Mind Your Own Business." Please arrive by 4:30 to enjoy Avenue M's hospitality before we get started promptly at 5 PM. Dress rehearsal is Friday, April 24. It begins at 5:30 and is open to GCPC members who'd prefer to listen in the comfort of the fellowship hall instead of Avenue M. Seating is limited to 50. Childcare is not provided this evening. Serve Annual Blood Drive TODAY Narthex Presbyterian Women TODAY Special Offering We invite you to open your hearts to the Community of St. Therese of Lisieux (Memphis, Tennessee) and Bethesda Christian Community Center (Barranquilla, Colombia). These two projects, which support women who are overcoming oppressive situations, have been selected as recipients for the 2015 Birthday Offering. More information on these projects will be found in the bulletin on April 19. There will be special envelopes in the pews for this offering. Nickel- A- Meal Collection NEXT Sunday, April 26 NAM helps hungry children internationally. $18,800 was allocated for the Guatemala Partnership Health Program. $35,752 provided food for patients in the children's ward at Nkhoma Hospital and $12,604 to help children in the Thandizo Orphan Care Program, both projects of the Presbyterian Church in Malawi, Africa. Make the change; make a difference.
Grow Special Adult Education Offering: Thinking about Christmas after Easter Sundays, April 26 - May 14 Jerusalem Room 9:15 AM Barry Sharpe and the Journey s class invite you to join them for a four- week study that brings a post- Easter perspective to the birth narratives of Jesus and the promises of Christmas. The class will study early chapters from the gospels of Matthew and Luke alongside excerpts from the book The First Christmas by John Crossan and Marcus Borg. No outside reading, just show up for lively discussion. 2015 Marketplace, AD Volunteers, Crafts, & Registration Marketplace AD will be held June 22-25. This is for children ages 3 through completed 5th grade. All 6th- 12th grade youth and adults are all ages are encouraged to volunteer for this fun- filled week. Marketplace Volunteer Workday May 14 10am- 12pm Marketplace craft prep workday at First Presbyterian Church. All volunteers welcome! Marketplace List of Supplies Needed Information Station Please place donated craft supplies in the labeled box in the Information Station. Thank you! Altoid tins or other small metal tins Clean oatmeal or coffee cans with lids Cotton fabric of any size Marketplace Registration Deadline: May 17 Return to Nancy Quick Pick up a registration form from the Information Station, and return it to Nancy Quick (we need individual forms for each participant AND volunteer). Lord s Supper Workshop: Understanding of the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper April 26 9:15 AM (Education Hour) We welcome all to God's Table to share in today's joyful feast. If you or your children have any questions about communion, Heather, Kristy, or Mark will be happy to talk with you right after the service. In addition, we have an annual workshop to help school aged children better understand the meaning and practice of communion. Care GCPC Anniversary Potluck / Picnic Sunday, May 3rd Grace Covenant is turning 62! Come celebrate with us! In addition to our anniversary, we will be honoring this year's confirmation class and also our financial secretary, Barbara Boyd for her 25 years of service. Please drop your covered dish to share in the kitchen before worship, and bring an outdoor chair or blanket to enjoy lunch as we fellowship together immediately following the 10:30 service. Fried Chicken and drinks will be provided. If it rains, we ll move indoors.
Youth News Sunday, April 19 5-7 PM Planning & rehearsing for Youth Sunday Important: We will most likely schedule a Youth Sunday rehearsal the Saturday before youth Sunday (April 25th) in the early afternoon. We are still deciding on a time and will let you know as soon as possible! Sunday, April 26 Youth Sunday 8:45 AM NO Afternoon Meeting Please arrive no later than 8:45 AM. Marketplace, AD VBS Needs Youth Volunteers June 22-25 9am- Noon We need help in the Marketplace with crafts, Tribal Parent Assistants and Drama Troop (high school). We are happy to sign off on any volunteer hours that you need! Please sign up and direct questions to Heather Gast. hgast@gcpcusa.org Care Prayer List [We are happy to pray for anyone who is in need. The people on this list will be removed after a month, unless we hear otherwise. Please keep us updated.] Jerusalem Church elders deacons congregation; Betty Huesemann (Liz Huesemann's mother); Frank Wilson (Martha Kisiah's nephew); Jamie Blackburn (Laura Tompkins' friend); Linda Albin (Les & Susan Stradley's friend); Jeff Riedesel (Steve Riedesel's brother); Ruth Cannon (Steve & Florence Riedesel's son's mother- in- law); Stephen Billings (Anna Thomas' uncle); Ruth Johnston (Ginnie Stevens' friend); Joseph Casey (Gordon & Robin Gaiser's grandson); Dr. Doug Michael (Ginnie Stevens' friend); Matt Lyles (Fred & Heather Hudson's friend); JoDell Hawthorne (Donna Robertson's cousin); Heath & Peggy Rada (Moderator of the PCUSA General Assembly); Barrett & Ali Payne(Commissioned to Columbia Seminary); Richard Simons (George and Gerry Simons' son); Michael Siburt (Anna Jarvis son- in- law); Dorothy LaRue Sloane (Donna Robertson s cousin); Frances Buchanan (Brian Buchanan s mother); Al Williams; Sandy Jividen; Janet Bondurant; Jack & Betty Smith; Lorraine Formato; Dana Victor Little; Mimi Aldridge; Bettie Pritchard; Sarah Harwell; Mary Ellen Horne; Sergio Kavalhuna Support and sympathy are extended to Bill Neeriemer, upon the death of his father, Harold Neeriemer, in Indiana on April 11.
Next Sunday s Education For All Ages 9:15 AM ADULT EDUCATION [Contact Rebecca Gurney with questions] Pressure Points (Library) Explore thorny 21st century church issues in a safe, interactive, non- judgmental environment, where differing viewpoints and life experiences enhance our spirited conversations! The Bertha Lewis Class (Sun Room) This class explores the biblical texts used in worship each Sunday with lively discussion and warm friendship. These discussions prepare us for worship, where the same text guides the content of prayers, selection of hymns, and the sermon. The Journeys Class (Jerusalem Room) The Journeys class is currently discussing what we as Christians actually believe and how we might best articulate that belief. First up: The Apostle s Creed. CHILDREN & YOUTH EDUCATION [Contact Heather Gast with questions] Preschool The Holy Spirit (Acts 2). TPZ Lord s Supper Workshop: Understanding of the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper We welcome all to God's Table to share in today's joyful feast. If you or your children have any questions about communion, Heather, Kristy, or Mark will be happy to talk with you right after the service. In addition, we have an annual workshop to help school aged children better understand the meaning and practice of communion. Middle School Rehearse for Youth Sunday. Please ARRIVE at 8:45 am. Next Sunday, April 126, 2015 Fourth Sunday of Easter Youth Sunday Worship Service at 8:15 & 10:30 AM Education Hour at 9:15 AM Lord s Supper Workshop Sermon: In the Reeds Scriptures: Exodus 2
CALENDAR Sunday 19 PW Sunday Pritchard Park 8:15 AM Worship 8:30 AM Blood Drive 9:15 AM Education hour 10:30 AM Worship 11:30 AM Deacons 4:00 PM Worship at Westminster Pres. (15 Overbrook Pl.) 5:00 PM Youth Group Tuesday 21 9:00 AM Prayer Group 1:00PM PW Guat. Microloan Wednesday 22 11:00 AM Wed. Bible study 7:00 PM Chancel choir Friday 24 5:30 AM real.life.stories rehearsal Sunday 26 Youth Sunday 8:15 AM Worship (Nickel- A- Meal) 9:15 AM Education hour (Lord s Supper Workshop) 10:30 AM Worship (Nickel- A- Meal) 2:30 PM Asheville Symphony young artists 4:00 PM Hymn Festival at First Pres. 4:00 PM Worship at Westminster Pres. (15 Overbrook Pl.) 5:00 PM real.life.stories @ Ave. M