Greenwood Forest Baptist Church The Second Sunday of Advent Chiming of the Hour GREENWOOD FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH The Worship of God The Second Sunday of Advent Processional Hymn 79 (v. 3 & 4) Welcome to Worship Leader: The Lord be with you People: And also with you. Passing of the Peace O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Rev. Lauren Efird Rev. Efird Preparation for Worship Wake Up All Sons and Daughters Praise Team We have seen the pain that shaped our hearts And in our shame we're still breathing, 'cause We have seen the hope of your healing, rising from our souls, Is the feeling we are drawing close, your light is shining through. Wake up, wake up, wake up, Wake up all you sleepers, Stand up, stand up, Stand up all you dreamers, Hands up, hands up, Hands up all believers, Take up your cross, carry it on. All that you reveal with light in us Will come to life and start breathing, 'cause Sunday, December 10, 2017 11:00 am Here we stand our hearts are yours, Not our will but yours be done.
Lighting the Candle of Peace The Whitehouse Family Prayers of the People and Lord s Prayer Rev. Stephen Stacks Call to Worship (Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13) Leader: Lord, you were favorable to your land; People: You restored the fortunes of Jacob. Leader: You forgave the iniquity of your people; People: You pardoned all their sin. Leader: Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, People: For God will speak peace to those who turn in their hearts. Leader: Surely salvation is at hand for those who fear God, People: That God s glory may dwell in our land. Leader: Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; People: Righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Leader: Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, People: And righteousness will look down from the sky. Leader: The Lord will give what is good; our land will yield its increase. People: Righteousness will go before the Lord, and make a path for God s steps. Invocation Hymn 95 Offertory Prayer Matthew Greg Matthew Greg Prepare the Royal Highway Annette King Offertory On Jordan s Stormy Banks the Baptist s Cry arr. Aaron David Miller Leader: Lord, in your mercy... People: Hear our prayer. Children s Parable 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Kadeisha Bonsu During the following hymn, children (ages first grade and younger) are invited to go to Children s Time. Parents may pick up their children in the Children s Wing after worship. Hymn 89 Comfort, Comfort Ye My People Scripture Reading Mark 1:1-8 Matthew Greg Reader: The word of God for us, the people of God. People: Thanks be to God. Presentation of the Offering Transcendent God OLD 100TH Transcendent God, we bless your name, Incarnate Christ, the risen one, The Spirit with us, Immanent, The Source, the Word, the Breath of life! Amen.
Anthem Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence arr. Gustav Holst Soloists: Susan Meador and Rev. Lee Webb Let all mortal flesh keep silence, And with fear and trembling stand; Ponder nothing earthly-minded, For with blessing in his hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth, Our full homage to demand. King of kings, yet born of Mary, As of old on earth he stood, Lord of lords, in human vesture, In the body and the blood; He will give to all the faithful His own self for heav nly food. Sermon Straighten Up! Rev. Efird Hymn 132 Benediction It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Rev. Efird Postlude Jesus Shall Reign arr. David Paxton Please stand as you are able. The Deacon of the Day is Annette King, Deacon At-Large. Today s acolyte is Lucy Beal. Hearing assistance devices are available at the back of the sanctuary. The cover art is designed by Rev. Wesley Spears-Newsome. Rank on rank the host of heaven Spreads its vanguard on the way, As the Light of light descendeth From the realms of endless day, That the pow rs of hell may vanish As the darkness clears away. At his feet the six-winged seraph, Cherubim with sleepless eye, Veil their faces to the presence, As with ceaseless voice they cry: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Prayer Concerns Emma Aeppli, Luke Blanton (Bill and Kitty Blanton s great grandson), Wilma Caldwell, Margaret Curl, Jennifer Denning, Timothy Edwards (Zelma Palmer s brother), Joe Hughes, Wayne McCay (Kathy Watkins friend), Denise Morgan (Diane Smith s niece), Eva Puryear, Iris Thomas, and Jimmy Welch (Kathy Winstead s brother-in-law) Dot Alexander, Mildred McCray, and Kathleen Wicker: Oaks at Whitaker Glen Bill Whelan: Pruitt Health, Raleigh Carol Wells: WakeMed, Cary Our partner church, Ebenezer Baptist, Cuba, and our brothers and sisters of the Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Mission GFBC by the Numbers Focus on Finance 2017/2018 Budget (MDP + MSP) $900,457 Amount of Budget supported through Stewardship Giving $825,216 (excludes cell tower lease, GFCC receipts, and outside groups) Week 14 of 52 (December 3) Stewardship Giving needed Week 14 YTD to fully subscribe budget $18,474 $ 231,773 Actual Stewardship Giving $20,761 $ 210,913 Over (Under) $ 2,287 $(20,860) Attendance Last Week Praise Assembly 45 Faith Formation 143 Worship 205 Announcements and Upcoming Events Second Wednesday Community Meal and Program December 13 The rest of the world has been celebrating Christmas since the day after Halloween, but the church teaches a different way. The Christian calendar emphasizes a time of spiritual preparation called Advent that lasts until Christmas Eve and readies us to receive the deeper meaning of the God who comes at Christmas. There are lots of ways to celebrate Christmas but not many ways to practice Advent and tap into this deeper, more spiritual reason for the season. Join us on December 15 for our Second Wednesday Program as we explore some tools and spiritual practices for a more meaningful Advent. Second Wednesday Mission Kids December 13 Children's programming on the December Second Wednesday will include a "Birthday Party for Jesus. Our missions activity will be making birthday-party-ina-box kits for Dorcas Ministries. We need donations from the congregation for the birthday boxes. To contribute, drop off any of the following items in the box labeled "Mission Kids" outside of the church office: cups, plates, napkins, cake mix, cake icing, festive table cloths, birthday hats, or other decorative items. Questions? See any member of the Children's Ministry Team. Christmas Breakfast and Service of Lessons and Carols December 17 Mark your calendars for a special day at GFBC next Sunday, December 17! The service will tell God s story from Genesis to the birth of Christ and will also include the singing of carols with special music by a brass ensemble, the Sanctuary Choir, Youth Choir, Children s Choirs, and Praise Team. Before the service, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall for our annual Christmas breakfast. More details about the breakfast are available on the next page. Please invite people to come join us! Service of Lament December 20 We hope that everyone will come to share the burdens of those grieving in our community by surrounding them during the Service of Lament on Wednesday, December 20 at 7 pm. Lament is a communal act that we should not allow our brothers and sisters to do alone. Therefore, we strongly encourage all to attend, whether or not you personally are dealing with loss.
No Faith Formation on December 17 and 24 Because of the Christmas breakfast on the 17th and a special service on December 24th, there will be no Faith Formation on those dates. Welcome New Members Please welcome John and Kadeisha Bonsu who joined our church on Sunday, November 26. Kadeisha is our Director of Children s Ministry. Please also welcome Chris and Jessi Cook who joined our church last Sunday, December 3. Chris and Jessi live in Apex. Advent Devotionals We have selected Advent devotionals available for checkout in the Narthex Poinsettias The poinsettia dedications in memory or in honor of our loved ones will appear in next Sunday s worship bulletin. Please feel free to take home your poinsettias after either the 11 am or the 8 pm Christmas Eve worship services. Staff Love Offering At GFBC, we have a tradition during Advent of letting our staff know how much they mean to us by collecting a love offering for them. The offering is distributed to the staff as an expression of our gratitude for all of their hard work in serving our church throughout the year. If you would like to contribute to this offering, please give your contribution to Toni Beal, Chair of the Children s Ministry, or to any other members of the Deacon Board by Sunday, December 17. Checks can be made out to Toni Beal. If you have any questions, please contact Toni. Stock Donations Year-End Tax Reminder If you plan to make a stock donation to the church this year, please do so immediately as it takes several weeks for transfers to be processed. The donation must be in the account by Friday, December 29 to receive credit for 2017. As is our custom, the GFBC family will gather together to celebrate the Christmas season with our annual breakfast. This event has become a wonderful time in the life of our church as we gather together to share a meal on the final Sunday before Christmas. Mark your calendars now for the annual GFBC Christmas Breakfast that will occur next Sunday, December 17, at 9:00 am in the Fellowship Hall. There will be no Faith Formation on this day. Please plan to bring your favorite breakfast dishes and casseroles to share. Coffee and juices will be provided. Then join us afterwards for worship at the Service of Lessons and Carols in the sanctuary at 11 am. You are encouraged to invite guests and friends to both the breakfast and the service to follow. It will be a great time of fellowship and worship for everyone! This Week at GFBC
Sunday, December 10 The Second Sunday of Advent 9:30 am Children, Youth, and Adult Faith Formation 10:30 am Coffee in the Narthex 11:00 am Worship 2:00 pm Praise Team Rehearsal 3:00 pm Youth Alpha and Omega 4:30 pm Youth Choir Tuesday, December 12 11:00 am Senior Adult Fellowship Committee Meeting Wednesday, December 13 5:30 pm Second Wednesday Community Meal and Program 7:00 pm Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal Sunday, December 17 Third Sunday of Advent 9:00 am Church-wide Christmas Breakfast 11:00 am Service of Lessons and Carols 5:30 pm Youth Advent Party THE SEASONS OF ADVENT & CHRISTMAS AT GREENWOOD FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH Special Worship Services & Events Christ the King Sunday & Hanging of the Green November 26, 11 am Souper Love Feast November 26, 5:30 pm Church-Wide Christmas Breakfast December 17, 9 am A Service of Lessons & Carols December 17, 11 am A Service of Lament December 20, 7 pm Advent Worship Services The First Sunday of Advent December 3, 11 am Watch Out! Mark 13:24-37 The Second Sunday of Advent December 10, 11 am Straighten Up! Mark 1:1-8 The Third Sunday of Advent December 17, 11 am Service of Lessons and Carols Luke 1:26-38 Christmas Worship Services Children s Christmas Eve Service December 24, 11 am Candlelight Christmas Eve Service December 24, 8 pm The First Sunday of Christmas December 31, 11 am Our Eyes Have Seen Luke 2:22-40 Epiphany Sunday January 7, 11 am The Boundless Riches of Christ Ephesians 3:1-12
Please take a moment to remember the homebound members of our church during the Advent and Christmas seasons. Emma Aeppli 207 Briarcliff Lane -3929 Peggy Allgood Glenaire 5421 Glenhope Court Dorothy Beard 3113 Charles B. Root Wynd Apt. 107 Raleigh, NC 27612 Carol Bizzelle 910 N. Heritage Street Apt. 304 Kinston, NC 28504 Marion Chase Waltonwood 760 SE Cary Parkway Apt. 1017-5691 Margaret Curl Rex Nursing and Rehab 911 S. Hughes Street Room 312-A Apex, NC 27502 Adna Davis 111 E. Cornwall Road Fred & Nadene Dejarnette 15001 Searstone Drive Apt. 412 Cary, NC 27513-8394 Jean Eaton Rosewood Health Center 8710 Cypress Club Drive Raleigh, NC 27615 919-518-8999 Mary Evans Spring Arbor of Cary 1705 Kildaire Farm Road Merle Filipowski 760 SE Cary Parkway, Apt. 1003 Susie and Nanette Hall Woodland Terrace 300 Kildaire Woods Drive Room 233 Frances Jones 108 Kingussie Court Audrey Kelly Phoenix Assisted Care 201 Westhigh Street, Room 59 Cary, NC 27513 Gene Minton Windsor Point Main Building, Room 18 Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 Ava Perry 6607 Creek Wood Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Eva Puryear Windsor Point Main Bldg., Room 211 Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 Frank and Shirlene Smith Jordan Oaks 10820 Penny Rd., #2 Cary, NC 27518-1916 Alice Sykes 122 Cole Court -3824 Bob & Nancy Watson Windsor Point 205 Windsor Wynd Place Fuquay Varina, NC 27526
an inclusive community of faith 110 SE Maynard Road -4599 Church Office: 919-467-0481 Fax: 919-467-0556 Website: www.gfbccary.org Email: info@gfbccary.org Leadership Rev. Lauren Efird, Senior Pastor Rev. Stephen Stacks, Associate Pastor of Worship and Faith Formation Rev. Wesley Spears-Newsome, Associate Pastor of Community and Youth Ministry Kadeisha Bonsu, Director of Children s Ministry Matthew Greg, Pastoral Intern Helen Bishop, Organist Dr. Luther Brewer, Pastor Emeritus All Who Serve This Church