St. Thomas Reformed Church St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Founded in 1660 March 10, 2019 All are welcome In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ
We Gather In God s Presence... Prelude Music (Please take time to prepare for worship and silence electronic devices) Greeting and Ministry Updates Introit There s a Lifting Johnson Call to Worship Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth! Amen! On this first Sunday in Lent, I call you to put first things first: Human beings shall not live by bread alone. You shall worship the Lord, your God, this God alone shall you serve. You who live in the shelter of the Most High, you who remain in the shade of the Almighty, will say: You, Lord, are my refuge and fortress, my God in whom I completely trust. Prayer First Sunday in Lent The liturgical color today is purple representing preparation and penitence. *Hymn # 622 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah CMW RHONDDA Call to Confession Prayer of Confession (read responsively) Since even when we give our best and strongest love to your service, we still fall short of the glory you intended for us; Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Since even in our moments of sharpest clarity and wisdom we are yet creatures of profound ignorance and much foolishness; Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy. Since you know how hard it is for us to see your truth clearly, to follow it fully, and to love you completely; Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Gracious God, the magnitude of our sins is far outreached by the magnitude of your mercies. We your grateful people turn to you in trust, asking through Christ Jesus that our sins may be forgiven and our folly overruled by your abundant 2 grace. In Jesus name...
Response O Lord, Hear My Prayer Taizé Words of Assurance and Hope Choral Response My Soul Finds Rest Cozad/Jensen My Soul finds rest in God alone; You alone are my Rock and salvation You will be my fortress, this I know; under You, I ll not be shaken Pour out your heart to God alone; trust in God at all times, O ye people When assaults and lies are man s delight, I will trust the Lord, my Savior Children s Message * Hymn Day By Day BLOTT EN DAG See insert. 3
...To Hear God s Word Scripture Psalm 91 Page 537 Message Show Us Your Salvation! Offering Offertory Trust In You Daigle Lori Abbotts, soloist Letting go of every single dream; I lay each one down at Your feet Every moment of my wondering never changes what You see I ve tried to win this war I confess; my hands are weary I need Your rest Mighty warrior, King of the fight; no matter what I face You re by my side When You don t move the mountains I m needing You to move When You don t part the waters I wish I could walk through When You don t give the answers as I cry out to You I will trust in You Truth is You know what tomorrow brings; there s not a day ahead You have not seen So in all things be my life and breath; I want what You want Lord and nothing less You are my strength and comfort; You are my steady hand; You are my firm foundation The Rock on which I stand. Your ways are always higher; Your plans are always good There s not a place where I ll go You ve not already stood *Doxology Pastoral Prayer & The Lord s Prayer *Hymn # 548 The Old Rugged Cross Bennard *Benediction...And Respond with Gratitude! *Postlude.Depart in peace 4
GIVING THANKS: Leading Worship Today: Ministers: All the people of the church Preaching: Pastor Jeff Neevel Music: Chanelle Schaffer, Lori Abbotts and the Adult Choir Greeters: Michael Conforti and Daniel & Tyler Yannone Ushers: Dr. Adam Flowers, Joel Comissiong Audio: James Cobb, Henry Ong, Tyler Yannone A warm welcome to our visitors. You are invited to complete the visitor registration forms at the end of the pew or on the back table. Inquirer s Class: If you are interested in learning about membership at STRC and would like to deepen your commitment to this body of Christ, you are invited to meet with Pastor Jeff TODAY after worship (11:30 a.m.) in the Conference Room. Use the second door from the parking, the one next to the main office. XYG Mission (High School Youth) WALL OF GIVING: You are invited to take any of the envelopes off the wall and return them with the posted amount. Your generous gifts will directly support the Mission Trip 2019 Be One to the Dominican Republic. Thank you for your support of our youth! Pray for our 2019 XYG Mission Trip participants: Josh Bearden, Marissa Bornn, Chantal Carty, Gregory Christian, Devonte Duncan, Anika Hahnfeld, Hobie James, Haley Jennings, Eliana Lima, Aviela Maynard, Grant Newton, Diego Villegas, Isabel Villegas, Matthew Wojtylak, Nia Woods and Tyler Yannone. Leaders: Cathy Clements, Seth Rogati, Bob & Camille Stolz and Pastor Jeff. The sacrament of baptism will be celebrated during worship on Sunday, March 17 with Gabriel Anthony Igala Joseph, son of Christina Luton and Daniel Igala Joseph. Baptisms will also be celebrated on Easter Sunday at the sunrise service at Smith Bay (Lindqvist Beach). If you have not been baptized and are seeking baptism for yourself or your children, please speak with Pastor Jeff. 5
TODAY 9:00-9:45 a.m. 9:15-9:55 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 10:20 a.m. After Service 11:30 a.m. 11:30 - noon 12-12:30 p.m. CALENDAR Fellowship Time Sunday School Sunday Worship Senior High Session (Conference Room) Birthday Sunday (Pavilion) Inquirer s Class (Conference Room) Children s Choir Rehearsal YouthSong (Music Room) Tue. Mar. 12 11:30-1:00 p.m. Salvation Army Lunch Thur. Mar. 14 6:00-8:00 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal Sat. Mar. 16 Sun. Mar. 17 10: 00 - noon 11:00-2:30 p.m. 9:00-9:45 a.m. 9:15-9:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m. After service 11:30 - noon 12-12:30 p.m. Adult Choir Rehearsal Bethlehem House Lunch Fellowship Time Sunday School Sunday Worship XYG Bake Sale & BBQ (Pavilion) Children s Choir Rehearsal YouthSong (Music Room) Today is Birthday Sunday! We will celebrate with a cake from My Brother s Workshop Bakery and cold refreshments. Please join us following the Worship Service in the Pavilion. Lectionary Scripture Readings for this week: Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a) Bathrooms are located in the Undercroft and inside the gate going to Bakery Square. 6
BETTY KING Continue to pray for the family of Betty King, who died on February 14. 2019 Funeral arrangements are being provided by Grissom Funeral Home located at 803 Emmet St in Kissimmee, Florida. Her memorial service will be held on March 22 at 10 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church located at 15 Church St. in Kissimmee, Florida. Cards and condolences may be sent to: Gordon King 2891 Frontier Drive Kissimmee, FL 34744 PRAYER REQUESTS THIS WEEK*: Associate Pastor search process and search committee Committee members: Malcolm Schweizer (Chair), Nalani Figueroa, Bridget Gallagher, Amber Knight, Steve Marsella, Rebecca McDonnell and Bill Thompson For healing and hope: Robert dejongh, Dr. Mark Livingston, Henry Vogel, Tom Baily and Savannah Boden Comfort for Hope and Issaacha Smith, whose 2-day old son, Yakal, died Hannah Upp, Georgia Ann Murphy and all missing persons in the VI STRC Prison Ministry: - Charisma: for forgiveness and mercy over her life *If you would like prayers added to our Sunday prayer list please contact Pastor Jeff at mail@stthomasreformedchurch.org or call the church office at 340-776-8255. The nursery located in the Bakery Square annex is open to children 3 years and under. Volunteers take turns staying with the little ones. Also needed are parents to run Activity Time during the service for children 4 to 7. 7
Music and Arts Updates STRC YouthSong meets on Sundays from 12 to 12:30 in the Music Room. Each session, we ll cover vocal technique and performance skills as we work on songs to sing in worship and beyond. Come if you re interested in developing a strong, healthy voice! As we build our repertoire, we ll also work on soloing and audition technique. This group is open to all teens (Jr. High/High School). YOU Are Invited The season of Lent has begun - if you love the somber beauty of the Good Friday service and the joyful musical celebration on Easter morning, why not join the Easter Choir? All who are available are welcome to participate. NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY! The only requirement is the ability to match pitch. If you're interested in making a joyful noise during this most sacred of seasons, please contact Chanelle for more information. STRC Staff Pastor: Rev. Jeffrey Neevel Minister of Music & Arts: Chanelle Schaffer Church Administrator: Dawn Wheatley Comissiong Operations Administrator: Vicky Gomez Christian Maintenance Supervisor: Charles Edwards STRC @ LPCC Directors: Noel Regalado and Lucy Sutton Website Manager: Phyllis Carrozza 8 Contact Information Office Phone 340-776-8255 Street Address 2105 Crystal Gade # 5 St. Thomas, VI 00802-6661 Mailing Address PO Box 301769 St. Thomas, VI 00803 Website: www.stthomasreformedchurch.org Email: mail@stthomasreformedchurch.org STRC APP free from itunes and Google Play Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stthomasreformedchurch/
An update from Kirstyn Livingston: Post surgery, Mark was supposed to be in the ICU for 18 24 hours; instead, it has been 20 days. Thankfully, we are now moving to the next phase of this journey! Mark is being transferred to a long-term acute care hospital where he will remain until he is able to participate in at least three hours of rehabilitation (physical, occupational and speech therapy) per day. When he reaches that goal, he will relocate to an inpatient rehabilitation program. For those who have asked about sending something to him - I would like to fill Mark s room with visual reminders of the love being directed toward him. I would like his walls to be covered in photos, cards, notes and crayon artwork made by his littlest fans. I want Mark to open his eyes each morning and see tangible evidence that you re thinking of him. Please don t send food or stuffed animals. If you want to send flowers or other small gifts, my advice would be to hold off for a few more weeks until he can enjoy them more. Mark Livingston c/o Promise Hospital of Dallas 7955 Harry Hines Boulevard Dallas, TX 75235
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