Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Welcome to First Presbyterian Church. We are so happy that you are here today to share in our service of worship of the Living God! Gathering Around the Word The congregation is asked to make use of the prelude as a time of preparation, meditation and prayer. *All who are able, please stand. Gathering Call to the Clans Presbyterian College Alumni Pipes and Drums Chiming of the Hour Call to Worship (responsively) Leader: We praise you this day, O God, for your Holy Spirit, People: who worked in the lives of men and women, clans and families, Leader: to hand down to us a legacy of faith. People: May your Spirit help us proclaim in our day and our world Leader: that there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. All: Praise be to God! Procession of the Tartans: Highland Cathedral Pipe Band, Beadle, Worship Leaders, and Tartans Blessing of the Tartans (responsively) Introduction Leader: The Tartans! (Pause until all Banner Bearers lift high their tartans.) People: On behalf of all clans represented here, we raise these tartans before Almighty God in gratitude for our heritage and pray God s blessing on God s servant people in all lands. Leader: Eternal God, Our Father, bless these symbols of heritage, and grant that those who wear them, and the families they represent, may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Thee, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen *Hymn of Praise: 275 *Call to Confession A Mighty Fortress Is Our God EIN FESTE BURG *Prayer of Confession (unison) Holy and righteous Father, before whom we cannot justify ourselves or profess our innocence; we confess the evil of our ways, without concealment and without excuse. In the light of the sacrifice of Thy Son upon the Cross, we see and acknowledge the hatefulness of our sins. Grant us, in that light, also to see Thy great and wondrous mercy; that we may offer unto Thee the sacrifice of a humble and contrite heart. Have mercy upon us, O God, according to your loving kindness; according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out our transgressions, and grant us Thy peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
*Assurance of Pardon Leader: Almighty God, who in infinite love has given his Son to take away our sin, also empowers us by the Holy Spirit for new beginnings and daily strength. Friends, believe the Good News. We are forgiven! People: Praise be to God! Amen. *Response to Pardon: The Lord s My Shepherd, I ll Not Want My soul he doth restore again, and me to walk doth make Within the paths of righteousness, e en for his own name s sake. CRIMOND Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me, And in God s house forevermore my dwelling place shall be. Proclaiming the Word Time with the Young Disciples All preschool and elementary children are invited to come down front. Afterwards, children 2-4 years old are welcome to go to extended care with adults. Prayer for Illumination (unison) Almighty God, as the Scriptures are read, reveal yourself to us, and grant that in this time of holy quiet, the Holy Spirit may renew, illuminate and refresh our souls. Amen. Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:34-40 (p. 804 pew Bible) Leader: The Word of the Lord People: Thanks be to God Anthem: Take Up Your Cross Adult Choir arr. Anthony Giamanco Sermon: Xtreme Faith Dr. Jeri Parris Perkins Responding to the Word *Hymn: Highland Peaks BROTHER JAMES AIR From Highland peaks of chill and mist to warm and sandy plains, you led our parents in the past with love that still remains, and through our present joys and fears, your Spirit lives and reigns. By skirling pipes exalting notes our hearts are deeply stirred. In tears and laughter, praise and prayer your grace is felt and heard. In questions and in quietness, you speak your living word. With gifts to meet our neighbor s need, our lives are richly blessed: a cup to cheer, a loaf to feed, and balm of Sabbath rest; the fellowship of friends and kin, and Christ in ev ry guest. O God of past and future years, and Source of all we own; our peace and plenty, health and hope, our spirits true shalom in mist and sun, you light our path, and gently lead us home. Text: Mary Louise Bringle 2009 GIA Publications, Inc. Used with permission OneLicense.net License # A-714876
*Affirmation of Faith (unison) We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to Whom alone we must cleave, Whom alone we must serve, Whom alone we must worship, and in Whom alone we put our trust. Who is eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible; one in substance and yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. By Whom we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by His providence and to the manifestation of His glory. (from The Scots Confession of 1560) Remembering the Faithful Departed Dr. James Lister Skinner, III Robert M. Vance, Jr. Marion Hill Weersing Betty Ann Williams Harris Betty Baker Green Elsie Johnson Morton Edward Charles Anderson Ernest Wayne Barnes William Francis Bill Thomas Celebrations and Concerns of the Church Please sign the Friendship Register and pass it down the row. Prayers of the People and The Lord s Prayer Leader: May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you People: and also with you. Leader: Let us pray "Our Father who art 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. Offertory Sentences Offertory: The Servant King Graham Kendrick *Doxology OLD HUNDREDTH Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. *Prayer of Dedication (unison) Seeking God, all that we have is yours. All your children are our brothers and sisters. We are all inheritors of your grace. You have blessed us abundantly. Now bless what we have been moved to share, that our love for one another may increase. Amen.
Bearing and Following the Word into the World *Hymn-Anthem: O God, Our Help in Ages Past arr. John Ferguson Concertato on ST. ANNE for Organ, Choir and Congregation *The Charge and Benediction *Choral Response: A Gaelic Blessing Adult Choir Deep peace of the running wave to you, Deep peace of the flowing air to you, Deep peace of the quiet earth to you, Deep peace of the shining stars to you, Deep peace of the gentle night to you. Moon and stars pour their healing light on you, Deep peace of Christ, of Christ the light of the world to you, Deep peace of Christ to you. John Rutter *Recession of the Tartans: Scotland the Brave *Postlude: Toccata on Kirkin Pipe Band, Beadle, Worship Leaders, and Tartans Ludwig M. Lindeman/Gordon Young
The Leaders of Today s Service Include: Beadle: Jim Adair Acolyte: Chloe Holder Presbyterian College Alumni Pipes and Drums: Gary Hipp, Pipe Major; Christopher Bishop, drummer; Cassidy Reynolds, Marshall Davidson, Tim Foster (pipers) Large print editions of our hymnal, Glory to God, are located in the narthex for anyone who has trouble reading the pew edition. These three ring binders contain words AND music for the hymns selected for morning worship. Worship Bags For Children Before worship each Sunday, all children are encouraged to pick up a Worship Bag from the rack in the narthex or basket in the sanctuary entry near the chapel. These bags contain resources that will help children worship and praise God. Today the bags contain a special Scottish treat for the children. Bags should be returned to the rack or basket after worship. Please remember the following in prayer: Jenny Anderson, Beth Bell (John and Flo Dowdle s daughter), Mary Lou Blalock, Carl Cleveland (Kay Cleveland s father), Braden Cockrell (Bill and Marvine Tyler s step-grandson), Larry Coleman, T. W. Edwards, Dean Ferguson, Barbara Fischer (Mary Fuhrman s mother), Robert Hope (Nancy Goodbar s father), Mike Mahon, Lizzy McDaniel (Cathy Jacobs niece), Phoebe McLeod (Kristy Gambrell s mother, Jeffrey Young s grandmother), Mim Neiman, Susan Payne, Walter Reynolds (Karen Mattison s father), Jimmy Rogers (Rosanne Braswell s father), Dick Swetenburg, Mark Szymanski, Joyce Templeton, Marilyn Uhrich (Nancy Kritz s sister), and Kathy Warren (Pam Warren s mother) If you would like to be added to or taken off the prayer list, please let Jeri (jeri@fpcclinton.org) or the church office (833-1062) know. If anyone is in need of transportation to and from the church service, we will be glad to provide it. Please call the church office at 833-1062. The Kirkin o the Tartan Its Origins
The history The ceremony of Kirkin o the Tartan is of American origin, though based on Scottish history and legend. After Bonnie Prince Charlie s Scottish forces were defeated by the English at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Scotland once again came under British rule. To control the Scots, an Act was passed that forbade the carrying of arms and the wearing of kilts or tartans which represented Scottish heritage. Orders were given for British troops to kill any person dressed in or displaying the tartan. As the legend goes This Act prompted the stubborn Scots to secretly carry with them a piece of their tartans as they went to the Kirk. The minister then slipped a blessing (a Kirkin ) into the service for the tartans. The prohibition against tartans lasted for nearly 50 years. When at last repealed, the Church of Scotland celebrated with a Service of Family Covenant, at which time the tartan of each family was offered as a covenant expression for the Lord s blessing. The Kirkin in its present form was probably first held in Washington s New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1941. The minister was Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. He was also Chaplain of the St. Andrews Society of Washington, whose members took part in the ceremony. Dr. Marshall was born in Scotland, graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary, and had previously been the minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Covington, GA. His wife, Catherine, was an Agnes Scott College graduate. She wrote the book, A Man Called Peter, which was made into a popular movie. Kirk is the Scottish word for church and the tartan, with distinctive cross-lined patterns, represents specific Scottish clans, families, regions, and regiments. John Knox, the Scottish reformer, studied under John Calvin, the father of Presbyterianism, in Geneva, Switzerland in the 1500s. Upon returning to Scotland, he wrote the first capital Book of Church Order and established the first Presbyterian churches. The church spread to Ireland, and it was immigrants from Scotland and Ireland who brought the Presbyterian Church to America. The Scotts Confession 1560 was the first reformed confession in the English language. It has been called the charter of the Church of Scotland and of world Presbyterianism. The Scottish Parliament capitals, at the conclusion of a civil war, invited John Knox and five colleagues to prepare a confession of faith for the church and the nation. Perhaps no symbol is more associated with Scotland and the Scottish tradition than the colorful Highland dress. The tartan is an old tradition, with many references to it in early Scottish literature. The ancient tartan was described as chequered or striped or sundrei coloured. The pattern and length of tartan is made of one sett repeated over and over again until the desired length is reached. For many centuries, tartans formed part of the everyday dress of the highland people, and it was there that its use continued and developed until it became organized as a symbol of clan kinship. Tartans are registered with a Scottish Tartan Society. During the Middle Ages and through the Reformation, Bibles were rare among common people. The Bible of the Kirk (church) was a treasured possession. The value of the sacred scriptures and the danger of theft led to the establishment of a special lay office within the Kirk known as the Beadle. The Beadle begins the worship service by carrying the Bible ceremoniously into the sanctuary. The Beadle removes the Bible from the Kirk for safekeeping following the service. The bagpipe is a musical instrument now regarded as the national instrument of Scotland. Each clan has its own bagpiper, and its fame was based to some extent of the bagpiper s ability. Crimond, the bagpiper of the clan McLeod, wrote a tune to the twenty-third Psalm still used today.
Sunday, November 5, is the beginning of our annual Angel Tree Project for Memorial Home and Open Door. Please choose a gift from the tree in the narthex or Coffee Corner. Wrap the gift and use the Angel tag as your gift tag. Please sign the appropriate list with your name beside the person whose name you have taken. Return your wrapped gift to the box outside the Chapel by Sunday, November 26. Please consider being an Angel! The Session of First Presbyterian Church Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Austin Barnes Derrick Adair Larry Coleman Angela Bron Lee Atkinson Carroll Copeland Ted Davenport Holly Cook Nancy Goodbar David Dunagan Ann Hall ShaSha Gower Jimmie Graddick Holbrook Raynal Jimmy Jacobs Dawson Green Bill Tyler Paul Miner John Lapomarda Vaughn Vick Mica Nixon Craig Powell Elisabeth Zimmerman Susan Satterfield Skip Smith Leta Tribble Jettie Young The Session of First Presbyterian Church Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Austin Barnes Derrick Adair Larry Coleman Angela Bron Lee Atkinson Carroll Copeland Ted Davenport Holly Cook Nancy Goodbar David Dunagan Ann Hall ShaSha Gower Jimmie Graddick Holbrook Raynal Jimmy Jacobs Dawson Green Bill Tyler Paul Miner John Lapomarda Vaughn Vick Mica Nixon Craig Powell Elisabeth Zimmerman Susan Satterfield Skip Smith Leta Tribble Jettie Young
This Week at FPC
Sunday, October 29 9:45 a.m. Church School 10:00 a.m. Cherub Choir (during Church School) Room 114 10:30 a.m. Adult Choir practice Choir room 11:00 a.m. Worship Service Sanctuary After worship Light lunch reception Fellowship Hall 5:30 p.m. Youth Bells Choir room 6:00 p.m. Youth Choir Choir room 6:30 p.m. Senior High fellowship supper CLC dining room 7:00 8:00 p.m. Senior High: Self-Defense CLC Monday, October 30 9:00 a.m. Staff meeting Library 4:45 6:45 p.m. Stephen Ministry Training Library 5:30 p.m. Weekday Preschool Board Workroom 6:30 p.m. Advent Committee Library 6:30 p.m. Cub Scouts CLC Tuesday, October 31 9:00 a.m. Chapel Preschool 5:00 p.m. GriefShare CLC Room 110 Wednesday, November 1 Noon Lectionary Bible study (Matthew 23:1-12) Library 5:00 p.m. Adult Handbell practice Choir room 5:45 p.m. Church-wide fellowship supper Fellowship Hall 6:30 p.m. WE@fpc classes for infants through high school youth 6:30 6:55 p.m. 5K-2 nd graders WE Ensemble, 3 rd -5 th graders class 6:55 7:15 p.m. 3 rd -5 th graders WE Ensemble, 5K-2 nd graders class 6:30 p.m. Adult Ministry Men s and Women s Bible studies (Confession) 7:30 p.m. Adult Choir practice Choir room Thursday, November 2 6:00 8:00 p.m. PC Mission and Seminary Dinner 6:30 p.m. Christian Education Committee Library Church Staff Email Phone: 864-833-1062 Dr. Jeri Parris Perkins, Pastor jeri@fpcclinton.org ext. 12 Dr. Bob Smith, Parish Associate for Mission besmith@presby.edu 864-833-3022 Dr. Joe Brooks, Pastor Emeritus holyjoe@charter.net 864-833-6372 Jean Johnson, Dir. of Christian Education jean@fpcclinton.org ext. 18 Hunt R. Cook, Director of Music hunt@fpcclinton.org ext. 22 Dr. Karen W. Buckland, Organist kbuck@presby.edu 864-833-2820 Carolyn Payne, Financial Secretary carolyn@fpcclinton.org ext. 10 Debbie Boland, Church Secretary debbie@fpcclinton.org ext. 11 Susan Tallman, Communications Coordinator suebele@charter.net ext. 24 Avery Smith, Custodian macey1935@bellsouth.net Jimmie Graddick, Maintenance Technician jgraddick@bellsouth.net Missionaries: Donald Marsden (Siberia), Pam (Turkey), Al and Ellen Smith (Russia) Weekday Preschool Staff: Joyce Chadwick, Director; Latasha Brown, ShaSha Gower, Sheryl Owens, Audrey Sanford, Holly Szymanski, Chelsea Waters