THIS WEEK AT FPC WORSHIP SCHEDULE May 31, 2015 Scripture Lesson: Romans 8:12-17 Scripture: Live By The Spirit The Rev. William P. Proctor, Pastor During the Praise and Worship Service the congregation will sing the following praise songs: As We Gather, Holy, Holy/All The Earth, Father, I Adore You, Rushing Wind, and Benediction. The Praise Team will be singing Benediction, as the special music. During the Traditional Worship Service the congregation will sing the following hymns: Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! and Dear Lord and Father of Mankind. The Introit will be Sweet, Sweet Spirit by Doris Akers. The choral response will be Holy Spirit, Dwell with Me. Praise & Worship Service Father, I Adore You A birth took place in sisters Terrye and Cathy Coelho s car in southern California in 1972. But, it wasn t a boy or a girl. It could be said that in fact a father was born in that car. What? Terrye says that car ride with her sister was where she wrote the song Father, I Adore You, a tune that extols the Father, and the Son and Holy Spirit. Terrye Coelho says some other things about this song s origin that probably seem unconventional, at least to those who haven t been born like her.
The Coelho sisters were driving to and from a fun time in Newport Beach that summer, and doing what lots of teenagers do when on the road. Singing. I remember being on a bus with other teenagers in the 1970 s, and we sang lots of songs to pass the time, perhaps because we were all band kids and music seemed so natural to us. I cannot remember ever having sung spiritual tunes, though, so our singing never conceived nor brought to fruition anything that notable. Terrye Coelho seems to have somewhat the same attitude, saying that she was only the vessel through whom God worked that day. And, the song she helped God deliver that day was so simple, at least on paper it might look a little underwhelming. It contains some very simple thoughts about love and devotion, and transparency before the Holy One. One might say it s summed up as God, I m open to you and I love and admire you. That s it. Indeed, the words of the song are just about that simple, but their meaning serves to draw us into worship. Traditional Service Dear Lord and Father of Mankind John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) grew up on a farm in Massachusetts. While he did not have the advantage of a higher education, a teacher in the district school that he attended as a boy introduced him to poetry. He became particularly fond of the poetry of Robert Burns. Whittier was a lifelong Quaker whose faith shaped his life and much of his writing. He didn't intend to write hymns for two reasons: First, he didn't feel competent musically. Second, in his Quaker tradition, hymns were not sung in worship. Nevertheless, several of his poems were set to music by other people. Many modern hymnals include one or two of his hymns, but "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" is the only one that has had nearly universal acceptance. The verses of this hymn come toward the end of a longer poem entitled, "The Brewing of Soma." Soma was an intoxicating drink used in Hindu worship to induce religious frenzy. Whittier, who was appalled at the frenzied revivalism of his day, asks God to "Forgive our feverish ways." He honors quiet qualities of religious devotion "purer lives" "deeper reverence" and "simple trust" qualities that he learned from his Quaker faith. Whittier's faith led him to become a strong advocate of the abolition of slavery. William Lloyd Garrison, the famous abolitionist, was the first person to publish his poems, and the two men became lifelong friends. Whittier was one of the founders of the Republican Party Lincoln's party devoted to the abolition of slavery. He lived long enough to see the slaves freed in the United States. Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan
/ / SUNDAY, May 31: Praise Worship School, 9:00 a.m.; Sunday School, 10:00 a.m.; Traditional Worship Service, 11:00 a.m., with Communion. VBS Kick-Off, 6:00, Lake Lodge MONDAY, June 1: VBS, 9:00 a.m.; No Angel Academy TUESDAY, June 2: VBS, 9:00 a.m. WEDNESDAY, June 3: MBS, 6:45 a.m., Rm. 210; VBS, 9:00 a.m.; No Angel Academy; Praise Team Rehearsal, 5:15 p.m.; Chancel Choir, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY, June 4: WID, 10:30 p.m., CR SUNDAY, June 7: Summer Worship Hours begin: Sunday School, 10:00 a.m.; Combined Worship Service, 11:00 a.m. COMBINED WORSHIP AND SUNDAY SCHOOL: We will begin our summer worship schedule next Sunday, June 7. We will have one worship service at 11:00 a.m. All adult Sunday School classes will combine in the Parlor. Children ages 3 through 5 th grade will also combine in Rm. 101. Food for the month of June: Rice, beans, spaghetti, canned tomatoes, boxed cereal and peanut butter. Please place your donations in the basket in the Commons.
FPC is at the Wesley Daily Bread Soup Kitchen the 4th Monday of every month. Our next date will be this Monday, June 22. If you would like to join this fun and enthusiastic ministry team, give Susan Gober a call at the church, 655-5694. Chemo Care Packages THE METS (Meet, Eat, Travel & Serve) continue to meet. We eat the third Thursday of each month and we have a great trip scheduled in May! And, now we have our latest service project to introduce to you. Born from an idea of one of our church members, we are going to embark on putting together and distributing Chemo Care Packages. Because of a gift given our church and with the blessing of the givers, we have been able to order reusable bags and cups for the care packages. Each will have a Celtic cross and the name of our church. We need the generous and thoughtful members of our church family to donate any and as much as you d like of the following items: tissues, peppermints, lemon drops, gum, fragrancefree lotion, hand sanitizer, nice quality lip balm, antibacterial hand wipes, soft socks, soft head wrap or hat, fleece-knot, crocheted or knitted blankets, satin pillow cases, Biotene Dry Mouth Toothpaste, Biotene Dry Mouth Mouthwash, Luden s Moisture Drops, Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy, Aquaphor Healing Ointment, lavender baby oil, journals, pens, notepads, word puzzles, tea bags (peppermint, Ginger, or lemon citrus are suggested), inspirational messages, restaurant gift cards and for children: Ring pops, Lemonheads, soft and cuddly washable stuffed animal, coloring books, crayons and stickers. Items needed for June are: soft socks/footies; any of the Biotene products; Chamomile tea bags and tea mugs. MEN S BIBLE STUDY The Community-wide Men s Bible Study meets on Wednesday mornings at 6:45 a.m., in Rm. 210. All men in the church are welcome to attend.
Women s In Depth Study (Conference Room) The WID group meets on Thursdays. They will be wrapping up their study in two weeks and will then begin again in the Fall. Women of the Word (WOW) The group meets on Tuesdays. The group has finished for the Spring & will begin again in the Fall. Sunday School: 10:05-10:50 Youth Fellowship will not meet again until September. Contact Info: Amy Hill, 325-212-1179; shill17@aol.com; youth.director@fpcsanangelo.org Upcoming Events WOW WEDNESDAY: Wed June 3, 6-8pm at the RIVER STAGE. This event will be an evening of music & worship and entertainment by a Christian comedian. We want to encourage you to make plans to come and bring your friends to be enriched by God s message with music and laughter. Youth Fun-day Monday s at the Lake Lodge: Every Monday this summer, June 8-Aug 17 6pm-8:30pm, will be Youth Night! We will have fun at the lake with swimming, boating, volleyball, 9-Square, games, music, and supper! Bring your friends to join in the fun! Mission 2015 T-shirts are on sale now! Available in The Commons after church and in the office during the week! $20 each. All proceeds will go to the Guatemala Scholarship Fund.
July 18-25, 2015. This year, we will focus our mission work on construction, children, youth, & a new women s ministry project. N EEDS FOR GUATEMALA MISSION TRIP! Our mission trip to Guatemala is just about one month away. Thirty-one members of our congregation are assisting Promised Land Ministries in their mission to provide for the housing needs of poor families in the San Lucas Tolimán region. Please prayerfully consider how God might be calling you to help this vital mission with your special pledge towards the Guatemala mission. We are hoping to raise $35,000.00. Here are a few other ways in which you could help: Buy a house. A two bedroom house costs $2,000. Buy a quarter of a house for $500. Buy a share of a house for $200. Buy a stove for $150. Buy a water filter for $50. Buy crafts for 10 kids for $20. We will be offering a VBS. Buys supplies for our new women s ministry, 10 packages for $20. To date we have raised over $11,000 of our $35,000 goal. Thank you! We need to have all of the money in by June 21. Please prayerfully consider contributing.
HOUSE OF FAITH: First Presbyterian Church, for the fourth year in a row, is forming a team of volunteers to prepare and serve a meal to House of Faith campers on Wednesday, July 15 at Lake Brownwood! The last three summers a team of FPC volunteers have traveled to Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat and fed over 300 elementary-age children and their counselors. This year we will feed high school age campers and plan to feed 350. We need your help! This is a great way for our youth to get any service hours they might need for school or civic organizations. It is also a wonderful opportunity for mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, cousins, and grandparents to work side-by-side in service to our Lord by feeding and serving others. Call Susan Gober to volunteer, 655-5694. VBS 2015 Conquering Challenges with God s Mighty Power! As in years past the week begins with a family fun kick-off party at the Lake Lodge on Sunday, May 31, from 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. and then June 1-June 4, from 9:00 a.m. noon at our main church campus. E very year we provide a teachers lounge in the Parlor for the volunteers! If you would like to bring treats to ensure our volunteers are well-fed, you may do so anytime during the week of VBS (June 1-4). You may bring your donations to the Big Kitchen, beginning, Sunday May 31. Bring anything you believe teenagers and adults would enjoy consuming. Savory, sweet, healthy, crunchy, crispy it doesn t matter! FMI, call the church office 655-5694.