First Parish Church, Congregational On the Village Green Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt, Interim Pastor Donald R. Dunn, Director of Music-Organist Jessica Skidmore, Christian Ministry Coordinator Tori Potter, Sexton Nancy Klebart, Office Manager 978-526-7661 office.fpchurch@verizon.net www.firstparishchurch.org
MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE Trinity/Memorial Sunday, May 27, 2018, 10:00 a.m. ORGAN PRELUDE: In Christ There Is No East or West Tune: McKee an African-American Spiritual Arranged by Charles Cherwien (b. 1957) WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS CALL TO WORSHIP (adapted from Touch Holiness) Leader: May the peace of God rest upon our busy lives-- People: That we may be quieted into prayer. Leader: May the love of God flow through our worship-- People: That we may be alive with opportunities for service. Leader: May the grace of God be with us this Memorial Day Weekend People: As we honor the men and women of our armed services who gave their lives serving their country, including those who are missing in action. All: Let us worship God, Creator, Christ, and Spirit, whose Grace calls us to loving service. *HYMN: God of Grace and God of Glory NCH #436 black PRAYER OF CONFESSION (adapted from Touch Holiness) Spirit of the Living God, we confess that we have not always accepted the challenge of your peace in the world. Sometimes we define peace in ways that preserve our own self-interests, overlooking the possibility that your peace may call us to great sacrifice. Sometimes we are content to believe that speaking of peace is sufficient, forgetting that your peace calls us to action and transformation. Sometimes, when we are speaking of peace, we disrespect the sacrifice that men and women have made in fighting to preserve human freedoms. Merciful God, forgive our lack of imagination and courage; forgive our disrespect. Empower us to let loving peace abound in our world. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
*THE 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen. *GLORIA PATRI: 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 MORNING PRAYER Lynda Griffiths Pastoral Prayer and Moment of Silence During the moment of silence near the end of the prayer, you will be invited, if you wish, to speak the names out loud of people you want to pray for. ANTHEM: Every time I feel the spirit, Moving in my heart, I will pray; Yes, Every time I feel the spirit, Moving in my heart, I will pray. 4 Ev ry Time I feel the Spirit Arranged by William L. Dawson (1899-1990) Jordan river is chilly and cold, It chills the body, but not the soul; There ain t but one train upon this track, It runs to heaven and right back. Upon the mountain my Lord spoke, Out of His mouth came fire and smoke; Looked all around me, it looked so fine, Till I asked my Lord if all was mine. SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 The pivots * on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph * touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out. 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, Here am I; send me!
Romans 8:14-17a 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, Abba! Father! 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ HYMN SING Rev. Dr. Llewellyn Smith In our sermon-time today instead of the sermon you will be invited to call out the name and number of your favorite hymn, and which hymnal it is in, and let us know which verse (or two) you would like the congregation to sing. STORY: A Flying Fortress Over Dresden by Charles Alling HYMN: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God PH #363 vs. 1, 3 & 4 OFFERTORY INVITATION OFFERTORY ANTHEM: Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning Our song shall rise to Thee. Merciful and mighty! God in three Persons. Blessed Trinity! All the saints adore Thee. Casting down their golden crowns Around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim Falling down before Thee. Which wert and art, Evermore shalt be. Hymn to the Trinity Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Though the darkness hide Thee, Through the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; Only Thou art Holy. There is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, In love, and purity. Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy Name In earth, and sky, and sea. Merciful and mighty! God in three persons. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Blessed Trinity! *DOXOLOGY: Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below, Praise God above ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*HYMN: O Beautiful for Spacious Skies PH #440 blue *[The Removal of the Flame, which symbolizes the Spirit of God accompanying us out into the world] *BENEDICTION *CHORAL RESPONSE ORGAN POSTLUDE: Trumpet Tune (adapted from Jean-Baptiste Lully, 1632-1687) Gordon Young (1919-1998) * * * * * After the service join us in the front of the church for hospitality. The greeters and lay readers are the Pick Family, Tilly, Sue, Charlotte and Ava. The Deacons are Lynda Griffiths and Ann Heslop. Readers and greeters are always needed, to volunteer speak to the Deacons, or you can also sign up online. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0444aca629a5f94-diaconate Listening devices are available for those in need; they are at the back of the Sanctuary. Feel free to address a Deacon should you need help using them. Welcome to all who are new to our worship. To join our mailing list fill out a Welcome Card to place in the collection plate or contact office.fpchurch@gmail.com, 978-526-7661 ext 1. CONFIRMATION SUNDAY June 3 rd 10 AM Come welcome and celebrate our confirmands as they become members of First Parish!
FPCC CARE TEAM Have you shared the experience? We support FPC families with meals, rides, & visits through times of illness and loss. Please contact Sue Pick (suepick1@me.com or 978-548-0145) if you would like to share your ideas, time, and talents with the FPC Care Team. SEASIDE PARISH KNITTERS We would love to have you join us on the 1 st and 3 rd Thursdays (June 7 & 21) of the month in the Conference Room of the Chapel, 3-5 PM. MY STORY We each have unique journeys of faith. One way to deepen our understanding of them is to share our stories with each other. Once per month, the Vitality Committee welcomes one of you to share your faith journey during Sunday service in brief 2 to 3 minute remarks. We hope you will consider sharing yours. A simple way to organize your thoughts is to answer these 3 questions: 1. What is your early faith history? (1 minute) 2. How did you come to First Parish Church? What is meaningful to you about your participation? (1 minute) 3. Can you share a specific moment of faith, an experience of divine intervention or God's or Jesus' presence in your life? (1 minute) We are eager to hear your faith stories! Please talk with Mary Ellen Cook (978-526-7178) or Allison Moir-Smith (978-526-1904) to learn more. Weekly Food Donations When you go to church Sunday mornings or to a meeting during the week, remember to take one item that can be donated to Open Door. Food baskets located in the Chapel and Church. It is easy to forget, but you can think ahead and bring one food item that will be much appreciated by folks who really need our help.
Brown Bag Lunch on Friday, June 30 sign-up coming soon or see Lelly Smith or Muriel Parker. Included in the Mission of our congregation is caring for God's creation. Especially as Spring reveals the wonder of it all, we think conservation! We will be putting forth alerts and reminders to help us awaken to God's creation and consider our own actions to care for this amazing town and the wider world we have been given. What can we do to help with Conservation? Here are some ideas from your Missions Committee. Our Green Church on the Green Transportation Notes How do we travel these days? 1. Carpool / Use public transportation 2. Walk / Bicycle 3. Pre-plan / Combine errands SETTLED PASTOR SEARCH PROCESS TO BEGIN BY THE END OF THE SUMMER Do you feel called to serve? First Parish will soon begin the process of searching for a new pastor. According to our church bylaws, the Church Council is responsible for appointing church members to serve on the search committee two from the Diaconate, one each from the Trustees, CE, Stewardship, Music, Missions and Youth Group, and 5 members-at-large. Council agreed that ideal criteria for serving on the committee include: regular church attendance, positive outlook, good listening and synthesizing of information skills, not being shy about speaking up in meetings, and looking to God for guidance. Further, the chair of the committee should have strong organization, motivation, and computer skills. Our hope is to create a cohesive committee that is representative of our faith community with a balanced mix of ages, gender, family contexts, and theological perspectives, and with a shared commitment to the
future of our church. Once the search starts, it will likely take six to nine months. The main components of the work include developing interview questions that help us assess whether a candidate would be a good match for our values, purpose, and vision; reading through candidates profiles; deciding who to interview; conducting interviews; and then recommending a candidate to the congregation. The committee will meet once or twice a month to prayerfully work through their tasks, and individuals will be expected to read candidates profiles in between meetings. There may also be a few visits to other churches to hear candidates preach. Our UCC Area Minister, Rev. Wendy Vander Hart, will help guide the committee through the search process, and Rev. Marlayna can be a guide as well but only on the process itself, not in the choosing of candidates. If you feel that serving God in this capacity might be a natural fit for your talents and interests, or if there is someone you would like to nominate who would also be a good fit, then please feel welcome to speak with, or to email church moderator, Nancy Peterson nancypete1@gmail.com. (Note: As a balanced mix of various components is required, not all people who volunteer for the committee may be appointed to serve.) VISION PROCESS Building on our four congregational meetings in the Vision Process, we (the Transition Team) have drafted a Vision Statement, which is available in the narthex and on the church s website. The congregation will have the opportunity to discuss the Vision Statement at our church s Annual Meeting on June 24 th, and, with the congregation s blessing, the Vision Statement will then be used to form the basis of a strategic plan, which the Executive Committee and Council will put together in the fall of 2018. Once a strategic plan (with goals and objectives) has taken shape, it will be presented to a special meeting of the congregation for approval. We (the Transition Team) are also using the information we have gathered from the Vision Process to help form our Church Profile,
which is the document used in the search for a new settled pastor. We plan to have the Church Profile done by mid June. Please continue to keep our church s Vision Process in your prayers! Your Transition Team (Paul Driscoll, Lauren Gudonis, Mary Lumsden, Jeff Parker, Jason Smith, Lelly Smith) Church Council minutes, Congregational Meeting minutes and documents can be found online. BOOK GROUP We continue with a new selection; for the month of May Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion and doesn't offer easy answers. Goodreads Wendy Clark will be hosting the next book group, Tuesday, May 29, 6:30 PM at 99 Pine St. Manchester. Please RSVP to Wendy 978-526- 4146 or hillerclark@gmail.com, so she can plan accordingly. TUCK S POINT WORSHIP Join us Sun. June 10, at the Tuck s Point Chowder House for the 10 AM worship. BYOB picnic lunch to follow, dessert and beverages will be provided. BIBLE STUDY will resume on May 31st and continue through June 14th. Rev. Marlayna is away at a preaching conference May 21 through May 29th. If you need emergency pastoral care while she is away, please call the church office, and you will be directed to someone who can help.
First Parish Church Vacation Bible School June 25-29, 1-3 PM Children K-6 th grade are invited to join us for a fun filled week of stories, games, crafts, and learning about Jesus love. First Parish Chapel VOLUNTEERS NEEDED This is our biggest outreach to the greater Manchester community, providing a free fun event to local families, and we need volunteers to help run the program and donate snacks. Please sign up to help today! High School students can earn community service hours. To sign up speak to Jessica 978-526-7661 x 3 or email cedirector.fpchurch@gmail.com. You can also look at volunteer slots and sign up online. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4caba822a1f49-canyou1 CHILDREN K-6 GRADE WELCOME Sign up your children and invite friends! Contact Jessica with questions 978-526-7661 x 3 or cedirector.fpchurch@gmail.com. You can also register online https://goo.gl/forms/grlpesnqryzglfkb2
Upcoming events can be found on our website (www.firstparishchurch.org ) under News and Calendar and on our Facebook page (First Parish Manchester-by-the-Sea) under Events THIS WEEK: Monday Memorial Day Office Closed Tuesday 7:00 PM Book Group Wednesday 10:00 AM COA Yoga 6:30 PM Diaconate Meeting 7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal Thursday 4:00 PM Bible Study 6:00 PM Confirmation Party Friday 8:00 AM Yoga Sunday 10:00 AM Worship, Communion Confirmation Sunday