1 Pre-Service Music (Barbara) Begin playing around 10:15 around 10:26 begin Amazing Grace. Service will start after Amazing Grace, right about 10:30. Welcome and Introductions (Courtney): Good morning and welcome to the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. My name is Courtney Felzke and I serve as one of the care Pastors here at Resurrection. It is truly a joy to worship with you today. Helping with worship today, we have Diane who will be singing for us today. We have Barbara who is playing the piano. Ed who will be reading liturgy. And we have many other volunteers helping with the service and we are so thankful for each of them. Today we are going to reminisce about summer vacations and summer fun. We ll talk about dances you might have taken part in as well as think about road trips and time spent around camp fires. Would you please bow with me for our opening prayer: Gathering Prayer (Courtney): O God from whom every gift derives, we gather to worship you this day. Move in our midst, fill us with your Spirit, Make your love real here and now, through Jesus Christ. Amen Transition to Opening Hymn (Courtney) Let us sing together now Joyful Joyful, We Adore Thee, which reminds us that it is God who is the giver of everlasting gladness. Opening Hymn (Diane and Barbara): Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee UMH# 89 vs 1-4
2 Scripture (Ed): Hear these words from Psalm 16 which remind us of the joy we find as we remember God s faithfulness: Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful [a] one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16: 9-11, NIV) Transition to Hymn (Ed) Let us continue in worship as we sing together, Blessed Assurance Hymn (Diane and Barbara): Blessed Assurance UMH # 369 vs 1-3 Reminiscing on Summer Fun (Courtney) I was recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk with my Grandma Betty who will turn 93 this September. As we were sitting outside on a warm evening, I asked her what she used to do for fun in the summer. She said one of the things she always loved to do in the summer was to go dancing! She enjoyed dancing to swing music and polka music and loved to get dressed up: (put up picture of 1940 s dancing fashion)
3 Betty talked about throwing on a favorite circle skirt, a shiny blouse and dancing heels. She talked about how her husband, George, would typically wear a suit, his leather dancing shoes and striped socks! I wonder if any of you ever enjoyed getting dressed up to go dancing? Take a look at this video, which I m sure will bring back many good memories: Video Clip Start video at 0:15 and end at 1:45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9zhykkol4a Reminiscing on Summer Fun part 2 (Courtney) How much fun! Another thing Grandma Betty loved to do in the summers was go camping. She talked about how when she was in her late teens, her best friend s family purchased a Travel Trailer: (Put up picture of Travel trailer)
4 Betty went on several family camping trips with her best friend s family, which consisted of the mom and dad, her best friend Kate, and Kate s 3 brothers. You may remember these travel trailers which became popular in the 1930 s. With the country in a time of economic hardship, people saw these travel trailers as an alternative to traditional travel, where you would have to pay train fares and hotel bills. These trailers included foldout beds, stoves, sinks and many other amenities that could allow a family to travel for a pretty reasonable price. Betty remembers on these camping trips that she and Kate often times got to sleep in the trailer with Kate s parents, but the three brothers slept in a tent outside, which would look something like this: (Put up picture of camping)
5 Another favorite memory that Betty had, and I m sure you do too, was singing campfire songs around the fire at night. She remembers that as the sun would go down, everyone from the neighboring campsites would come together, someone would grab their fiddle and another person would grab their guitar, and they would sing songs. So that s what we re going to do right now. Diane is going to lead us in a medley of campfire sings sing along! Campfire Songs (Diane and Barbara) My Darling Clementine: verse 1 and chorus Home on the Range Vs 1,3,4 + chorus You are my sunshine... Vs 1, 2x Scripture (Ed) Now hear these words from Psalm 139, which remind of God s constant presence with us: Psalm 139: 7-10 (NIV) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast
6 Message (Courtney) What fun it is to sing campfire songs together! Well, the last Campfire song we will sing together is Kum Bah Yah. I m sure many of you are familiar with this song and this song has an interesting history: The origins of this song are disputed. Reverend Martin Frey (1918 1992) claimed to have written this song in the 1930s under the title "Come By Here". However it s also thought that this song might have come from Africa, and was made known in America as a missionary family returned from their trip in Africa. There is another debate that the song originated off of the South Carolina Coast and was sung in Gullah by the slaves which lived on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. Regardless of it s roots, Joe Hickerson, one of the Folksmiths, recorded the song in 1957, as did Pete Seeger in 1958. The song enjoyed newfound popularity during the folk revival of the 1960s, largely due to Joan Baez's 1962 recording of the song, and KumBaYa became associated with the Civil Rights Movement of that decade. It is a standard campfire song in Scouting, YMCA, the Indian Guides, and others. It was also commonly used in Catholic "folk" masses of the 1970s. Let s take a listen now to Pete Seeger sing a verse of KumBaya: (start at beginning of video and go to 0:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msumzmivwq&list=rdmsumzmi-vwq#t=0
7 Kum Ba Yah translates into Come by here so the lyrics of the first verse, are Come by here my Lord, Come by here... This song is thought to have originally been a simple prayer people used, pleaing for God to come and help, for God to be near them. Today, I would remind you that God is near to you. As our Scripture reading from Psalm 139 reminds us, there is no where we can go to get away from God. God is always with us. Now, it may be hard at times to feel God s presence. And this is where our song, Kum Ba Yah comes to help us. This song reminds us that all we need to do to feel God s presence is to ask God to come near. By doing this small act, God will open our hearts and our minds and make His presence known. Listen to these words from the Devotional book, Jesus Calling: When you feel far from Me, whisper My Name. This simple act, done in childlike faith, opens your heart to My presence. Speak to Me in lovetones; prepare to receive My Love, which flows eternally from the cross. I am delighted when you open yourself to My loving Presence. This devotion reminds us to simply say God s name when we can t feel God, and God will open our hearts and our minds and help us to feel Him. Our senior Pastor recently shared with the congregation one instance in which he was able to experience God present with him. He told us the story of when he was in his teens, and there was a lot of difficult things going on in his family life and he turned to God to help him deal with it all he prayed to God for help. And not long later, he felt this strange warmth come over him. He felt as though he was receiving a hug from God and he felt as though he heard God saying I Love you God is always with us. But, if we re needing to feel God with us even more, we simply follow the advice of Kum Ba Ya and ask God to come near. Let us sing together this beautiful song:
8 Kum Ba Yah UMH# 494 vs 1-4 (Diane and Barbara) Communion (Courtney) At this time we move to Holy Communion. I would invite those who are assisting with Communion to come forward. Holy Communion is the way in which we formally express our desire to follow Jesus Christ. I want to invite you to partake in this Holy meal. If you are not a part of this church or any church, you are welcome to receive communion here. We will come around to you. So please stay seated. Our servers will take a piece of bread, dip it in the cup and then place this bread gently in your mouth. If you don t wish to receive the Eucharist today, please let your server know and they will offer you a blessing instead. I remind you that at the last supper, Jesus took bread, he gave thanks to God, he blessed it and then broke it and he said to his disciples, Take and eat - this is my body which is given for you. As often as you do this remember me. After the supper was over, Jesus took the cup and when he d given thanks to God, he said to his disciples, This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of your sins as often as you do this, do this in remembrance of me Let us Pray: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his Heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ who taught us to 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 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 and the power and the glory forever. Amen
9 Please stay seated and enjoy the music and our servers will come around to you. Communion Receiving and Music (Diane and Barbara) Transition into Final Hymn (Courtney): Let us sing together our final hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy which reminds us of God s merciful and mighty character. Final Hymn (Diane and Barbara): Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty UMH #64: vs 1 and 4 Benediction (Courtney) Please bow for our benediction: Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost Please remain seated. We will let you know when it is time for your facility to head towards the buses.