Old Greenwich, THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL United Church Connecticut CHURCH OF GREENWICH of Christ Founded in 1665 The First Sunday after Epiphany 13 January 2013 10 o clock in the morning Simeon and Anna Praise the Infant Jesus Arent de Gelder, ca. 1700
The First Congregational Church of Greenwich declares itself to be open and affirming; open to all for participation, membership, leadership and employment, and affirming of all who wish to join us as children of God. We continue to give thanks for God s guidance in our journey of faith.
W elcome to this Service of Worship at First Congregational Church of Greenwich. Today we continue the celebration of the season of Epiphany which marks the sending of Christ s light of love into the world in its infinite and varied ways, places and people. We thank you for joining in our worship this morning. PREPARING FOR WORSHIP Please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices. *All who are able please stand. Seating of latecomers. PRELUDE Dr. Craig Scott Symons, organ Mass for the Parishes Francois Couperin (1668-1733) Plein Chant Fugue Recit de Cromhorne CALL TO COMMUNITY Please sign and pass the red book. CALL TO THE 342 nd ANNUAL MEETING Rev. Mark D. Montgomery Phoebe Griffith PRAISING GOD CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: In the beginning our God created the light. People: Morning broke open on the first day. Leader: This God of ours sent the light. People: Jesus the Christ came to the world s people. Leader: Morning light opens for us. People: God s Light illumines our lives; and opens us to worship this day. * HYMN We Have Come at Christ s Own Bidding New Century (black) Hymnal 182
OPENING PRAYER (in unison) Lord Jesus Christ, you have shown yourself to the nations and transformed many by your radiant light. Your ongoing revelations bring a continual rebirth, recreating each of us in your likeness. May today s rising sun remind us that your light is for the healing of the nations, and, so, we pray, LORD'S PRAYER 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. *GLORIA Pilgrim (red) Hymnal 513 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen. HEARING GOD'S WORD FIRST LESSON Isaiah 56:1-8 Jean Watkins God s Message: Guard my common good: Do what s right and do it in the right way, For salvation is just around the corner, my setting-things-right is about to go into action. How blessed are you who enter into these things, you men and women who embrace them, Who keep Sabbath and don t defile it, who watch your step and don t do anything evil! Make sure no outsider who now follows God ever has occasion to say, God put me in second-class. I don t really belong. And make sure no physically mutilated person
is ever made to think, I m damaged goods. I don t really belong. For God says: To the mutilated who keep my Sabbaths and choose what delights me and keep a firm grip on my covenant, I ll provide them an honored place in my family and within my city, even more honored than that of sons and daughters. I ll confer permanent honors on them that will never be revoked. And as for the outsiders who now follow me, working for me, loving my name, and wanting to be my servants All who keep Sabbath and don t defile it, holding fast to my covenant I ll bring them to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. They ll be welcome to worship the same as the insiders, to bring burnt offerings and sacrifices to my altar. Oh yes, my house of worship will be known as a house of prayer for all people. The Decree of the Master, God himself, who gathers in the exiles of Israel: I will gather others also, gather them in with those already gathered. The Message SCRIPTURE ANTHEM The Chancel Choir Lord, Make Me to Know Thy Ways William Byrd (1540-1623) Lord, make me to know thy ways. O Lord, teach me thy paths. O lead me in the truth and teach; for thou art the God of my salvation.
SECOND LESSON Pat Larrabee W Luke 2:22-38 hen the time came for their ritual cleansing, in accordance with the Law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (It s written in the Law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord. ) They offered a sacrifice in keeping with what s stated in the Law of the Lord; a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Simeon s response to Jesus A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was righteous and devout. He eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn t die before he had seen the Lord s Christ. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus parents brought the child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the Law. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said, Now, master, let your servant go in peace according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation. You prepared this salvation in the presence of all peoples. It s a light for revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your people Israel. His father and mother were amazed by what was said about him. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, This boy is assigned to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that generates opposition so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your innermost being too. Anna s response to Jesus There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old. After she married, she lived with her husband for seven years. She was now an 84-yearold widow. She never left the temple area but worshipped God with fasting and prayer night and day. She approached at that very
moment and began to praise God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Common English Bible CHILDREN S MESSAGE Rev. John W. Collins * HYMN I Look To You In Every Need New Century (black) Hymnal 463 (As the hymn begins, the Church School children and teachers will leave for their classrooms. Children in second grade and older will leave independently. Children in kindergarten and first grade will meet their teachers at the back of the Meetinghouse (narthex) and will go to their classrooms as a group.) SERMON Spirit Led? Rev. Avery C. Manchester RESPONDING TO GOD PASTORAL PRAYER Rev. Daniel B. England CALL TO OFFERING OFFERTORY ANTHEM The Chancel Choir O Splendor of God s Glory Bright David Ashley White (b. 1944) O splendor of God s glory bright, O Thou that bringest light from light; O Light of light, light s living spring, O day, all days illumining. O Thou true Sun, on us Thy glance. Let fall in royal radiance; The Spirit s sanctifying beam, Upon our earthly senses stream.
Creator, too, our prayers implore, Creator of glory evermore; Creator of all grace and might, to banish sin from our delight. To guide whate're we nobly do, with love, all envy to subdue; to make ill fortune turn to fair, and give us grace, our wrongs to bear. *DOXOLOGY Pilgrim (red) Hymnal 515 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 GOING FORTH TO SERVE GOD *HYMN Jesus Shall Reign New Century (black) Hymnal 300 *BENEDICTION May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you; may he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm; may he bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders he has shown you; may he bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors. *CHORAL RESPONSE POSTLUDE Mass for the Parishes Plein Jeu Francois Couperin * Please join us for Coffee Hour following the worship service.
Music Notes: William Byrd was a highly gifted composer in the British Chapel Royal. His early career was spent composing music for the Anglican Church, particularly while he was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Lincoln Cathedral from 1563-1572. From that point onward, Byrd became very involved in Catholicism, even though his compositions remained steeped in the Anglican faith. David Ashley White is a Houston-based composer, where he is the chairman of the University of Houston's Moores School of Music. His choral works have been sung around the world and have been featured on compact discs from Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church's Palmer Choir. He holds degrees in oboe performance and composition from University of Houston and University of Texas at Austin. We have child care for babies and toddlers every Sunday. Your children are always welcome for the entire service or for a respite time if needed. Please see an usher if you need directions. The 10:00 am Service is broadcast live each week on WGCH 1490 AM Radio. In addition, the service is available through the church s website: www.fccog.org. A bulletin can be found there as well as a link to the live broadcast. Previous sermons may also be found there. Calendar TODAY Church School Most of our children will be hearing the story of two very elderly people who were waiting for the Messiah. Simeon and Anna both saw Jesus when Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple to be
dedicated. Next week is Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and we will be meeting in Room 104 for a Big Event. Help With Ordination Reception for Jack Davidson If you want to bring a finger-food item (savory or sweet) for the Ordination Reception for Jack Davidson on February 1, or would like to help with the reception, please contact Barbara Oppedisano at bopped1@aol.com or 203-561-6785 or Betsy Kreuter at betsykreuter@hotmail.com or 203-698-3016. You may also sign up at Coffee Hour. Why not sign up today? Contribution Envelopes For those who requested them, a set of contribution envelopes for the year 2013 continue to be available in the Auditorium during Coffee Hour every Sunday in January. If you neglected to ask previously, but still would like a set, please contact Kirk Young at kirky@fccog.org or ext. 32; we still have a few left that have not yet been spoken for. "Souper Bowl Sunday" Soup Sale Sign up Today! Get your soup recipes ready to donate soup for Sunday, February 3 when the Women's Fellowship Soup Sale takes place. Soup donations have begun! Please sign up to donate soup today at Coffee Hour or anytime in the Church Office (instructions and containers are there as well). Quarts of soup, chili or stew will be sold on February 3 from 11:00 am 1:00 pm (or as long as supplies last!) in the Auditorium. All proceeds go to support Women's Fellowship projects. (Note: Ingredients to make the soups are tax deductible as a donation.) For more information call Sue McCalley at 203-273-6526. Greeters Needed If you can smile and say Good morning we need you to help us welcome everyone to worship on Sunday mornings. Please sign up to help at Coffee Hour today or contact Ginny Breismeister at ginnyb@fccog.org or Mary-Ann Assing at mazalman@aol.com. You ll be contacted by email with available dates. Please help! You ll be glad you did! Greeting is fun!
Bible Study Bible Study starts up again today. So if one of your resolutions was to do something more for your brain and your faith, then the day of decision has come. We're going to be looking at the book of James, a book that had a lot of trouble getting into the New Testament -- we're going to try to figure out why. But more than that, James (as in Jesus' brother) writes with a kind of clear ethical simplicity that can be attractive, especially after all the work we've done with the convoluted prose of Paul. And if you say, well I can't come because I've never heard of James and I don't know anything about the Bible, then you are the perfect candidate. If after the first five minutes you don't know more about the Bible than you did before, you have permission to leave (not valid if you've memorized Dan England's famous Bible timeline). Stop dithering; just come to the Lounge at 11:20 am and leave renewed. Youth and Cherub Choir Rehearsals The Youth Choir will rehearse today from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm in the Choir Room and the Cherub Choir will rehearsal from 11:15 to 11:45 am in Room 104. Flu Shots There are still a few flu shots available. Please look for your Parish Nurse in Room 203 immediately following the Worship Service. The cost for the vaccine is $30, cash or check made out to FCCOG. Parish Nurse Sue Asselin, RN, is available for blood pressure screenings and health consultations in Room 203 following today's Worship Service. Join us at our linc service today at 5:00 pm in the Auditorium. Our theme today is Water of Life John 7:37-44. This story of life-giving water is amazing. As the story goes, Jesus shares just a few words with the crowd but something about the way he said it, the fact that they had never heard anything like this, or maybe just that they really understood a water image something about the story opened people s eyes to the importance of Jesus for the first time. Rev. John
Collins will be preaching. This is a casual service good for all ages, so come as you are and bring the whole family! NEXT WEEK Nights Off The Women s Fellowship Group, Nights Off, will meet next Monday, January 21 at 6:30 pm at the home of Irene Savage. We will be making soup for the annual Women s Fellowship fundraiser, Souper Bowl Sunday Soup Sale being held on February 3 at the church. After we have made the soup, we will have a Stone Salad. A large bowl with lettuce will be provided. Please bring a salad ingredient which will be added to the salad. Also, please bring along a beverage of your choice. The evening will be a time of fellowship, fundraising and fun. Any questions, please contact Shirley Flierl at 203-629- 4939 or at FBTWorld@aol.com. All women of the church are invited to participate. It is a great way to see old friends and make new ones! Fellowship and Tea Come and enjoy an afternoon of fellowship and tea, sponsored by the Women s Fellowship, on Thursday, January 24 at 3:00 pm in the Auditorium. Learn about the history and benefits of tea by the Bigelow Tea folks. Bigelow Tea and other goodies will be served. NEWS AND NOTICES Call to the 342nd Annual Meeting - UPDATED The 342nd Annual Meeting of the First Congregational Church of Greenwich, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, is hereby called for Sunday, January 27, 2013, immediately following the worship service. The meeting will be held in the Meetinghouse: To create and elect a Search Committee for a new Senior Pastor. To hear and act upon the annual reports of the pastors, officers and committees;
To hear and act upon the report of the Nominating Committee, and to elect officers for the coming year; To discuss the budget process for 2013; To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting. Ordination of Jack Davidson Friday, February 1, 2013, 7:30 pm Many of you had the privilege of being a part of Jack Davidson s Ecclesiastical Council. It was a wonderful event, resulting in the unanimous recommendation that Jack be approved for ordination. We now have the great honor of hosting a Service of Ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament for Jack. This is the final step in Jack s journey toward Ordination and Full Standing within the Fairfield West Association and the United Church of Christ as a Pastor. Please join us February 1, 2013 at 7:30 pm in the Meetinghouse for this service. A reception will follow. Happy New Year from The Rummage Room 191 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich Monday, January 14: Good winter clothing available for adults and children, including ski clothing. Hours of Operation: Monday through Fridays 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and on Saturdays 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Donation Hours: Monday through Thursdays 9:30 am to 4:30 pm and on Saturdays 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Manager's Wish List: Valentine items; handbags; jewelry; and any Christmas gifts for shoppers to buy for regifting. Tax Slips for Donors: Only one tax slip is required during the year of 2013. Ask any volunteer for help. One thing that gives hope and radiance to others is the idea of help being just around the corner. The Rummage Room has been "just around the corner" for almost 50 years, so when you shop, donate, or volunteer, you are giving a much needed radiance to Women, Children and Family organizations that are hoping help is just around the corner. Thanks for your continued support through the years.
Tai Chi Fitness with Luis Duarte Improve your balance, health and well being. Come and experience the many wonderful benefits of Tai Chi and Qi Gong exercises. Classes are held on Wednesdays at 8:00 am and Thursdays at 9:00 am. Only $7 per class if paid by the month, and $8 per class for drop ins. Join us! You ll love it! All are welcome. Food Collection There continues to be great need for food at Neighbor to Neighbor, between the hurricane and the holiday season. Please remember to contribute food each week. The Food Collection Barrel remains in the back of the Meetinghouse. Adding a few items to your weekly grocery store visit will continue to make a significant difference at Neighbor to Neighbor. Items in need include: Cereal pasta sauce dried beans canned tomatoes smaller size peanut butter jelly 100% juice If you ve forgotten your food items this morning, feel free to email fccoghungermission@gmail.com with your contact information and someone will pick up the food from your home.
Next Week at First Congregational Church 10:00 am Worship Service Meetinghouse Choral Music by The Chancel Choir: Cantate Domino by Giuseppe Pitoni Many Gifts, One Spirit by Charles Callahan Rev. John Collins, preaching *** linc Worship Service 5:00 pm in the Auditorium. Theme: Water that Threatens Living where we do, we know the power of water. It can offer a refuge from the shoreline; a way to get away. It can break through the shoreline and change our ways of living. In moderation, it nourishes. In excess, it threatens. When something on which we depend then threatens us, the result is foundation-shaking. Take a look at Luke 8:16-25. This latter part of the reading is the story of Jesus calming the seas. It creates a fuller story if you take a look at some of the stories leading into this one. Rev. Mark Montgomery preaching. Our linc worship is casual, so just come as you are!
Find us on Facebook and LIKE the page! We're now on Twitter @FCCOGCT Check out our new YouTube page, too! And visit our Forum and start a conversation. The First Congregational Church of Greenwich 108 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, 06870 203-637-1791 www.fccog.org Ministers: The Members of The First Congregational Church of Greenwich Interim Senior Pastor: Rev. John W. Collins Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry: Rev. Mark D. Montgomery Associate Pastor for Communication/Adult Education: Rev. Daniel B. England Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care: Rev. Avery C. Manchester Director of Music: Dr. Craig Scott Symons Director of Church School: Rosemary Lamie Director of Membership: Ginny Breismeister Director of Communications: Barbara Wilkov Parish Nurse: Susan Asselin, RN Pastors Emeriti: Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Stiers and Rev. Sally Colegrove Director of Music Emeritus: Dr. John Stansell