Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

July 8, 2018         10:30 am  

Meditation
Those who set out to share the good news often discover that they are changed in the process. Good news does not always travel on a one-way street. —Martin B. Copenhaver

From there to Here: We Gather

Welcome & Announcements                
Welcome to this service of worship!  During the service, you are invited to rise in body or in spirit, standing or sitting, at points in the service marked “ ”.”
Please sign in using the pew folder, passing it back down the row so all can greet one another by name, and place the sheet in an offering plate. We’re glad you’re here!
 Prelude    We’re Marching to Zion         Gordon Young
 The Call  From For the Time Being by W.H. Auden    
¨  Opening Hymn  Gather Us In           Gather Us In
¨  Prayer for Approach, Confession & Release
¨  Acclamation!      Glory, Glory! Hallelujah        Glory, Glory

1. Glory, Glory Hallelujah, since I laid my burdens down.
2. I feel better, so much better …
3. Feel like shouting “Hallelujah”….

¨  Passing the Peace of Christ
All who come to this sanctuary are welcome companions on this day! You are invited to turn to those nearest you and greet them with words of peace and hospitality.

The Living Word among us

Anthem    Laudamus Te  Natalie Sleeth
                  Union Church Summer Choir
Laudamus te. We praise the Lord, this joyful day. We praise Thee, we bless thee, we magnify Thy name. Laudamus, Thy majesty proclaim. Glory, now and for eternity. Heaven and earth are full of Thee, Holy One in Three.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Ezekiel 2:1-5  (p. 977)
The Lord speaks to Ezekiel.
Children’s Moment                                       as the children return to their seats we sing:
May God’s presence guard, protect and guide you.  God bless you, God bless you. Our savior’s loving arms be ever ’round you. God bless you, God bless you. 
Following the Children’s Moment, children kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to stay in the service or visit the Children’s Worship Center in the back of the sanctuary, which has toys, books, and drawing materials for children (or adults) who would like help staying present in the service. For children preschool age & under, care is available in the Nursery, downstairs in Room 104 off the playground.
Gospel Lesson                  Mark 6:1-13 (p. 1199)
Jesus expands his ministry by calling disciples to assist him in his work.
Sermon     Envoys of the Sacred, Dealers in Dust           Rev. Kent Gilbert

Living Prayer

Ringing of the Peace Bell
The Union Church Peace Bell was created by Jeff Enge in honor of Union Church member Carl Eschbach (1904-1998).  A twin bell hangs in Berea’s sister province in Japan and is also rung in the hope of peace for all nations.
Acts of Reflection and Prayer
Our prayers today are embodied in our acts of reflection. During this time you are invited to visit any or all of the prayer stations in the sanctuary. You are further invited to visual and silent prayer when and while you are seated, as you are led. Today in worship you are invited to reflect on what sends you and what blessings you both receive and offer. You can go to all or none of the stations. And you can also simply use the time alone in your pew. Commune with God as you are led, or to use the contemplation questions for personal reflection. There is space in the bulletin for your notes and thoughts or use a journal at home. 

Leave it. This is a Give Away Life. We Cannot Be Full Until We are Empty. An Offering…

Every act of generosity is holy. Today we’ll receive our offering with prayer and intention at the station with the backpack, staff, and cloak. Just as Jesus sent his envoys out “in pairs,” our offerings are envoys of good news. They are a lens on our discipleship and service. The goal for Jesus was not “paring down” but “pairing up.” As you make a gift, think about these questions:

• Meditate on being sent. What do you need to leave behind in order to be light enough to travel? What do you need to leave behind? What will you take? If you like, write a few of these things and leave them alongside the staff and cloak and backpack.
• Offering a Gift: With what action, prayer, or internal shift could you pair up with this sending of money to magnify the power of your gift?
• Could you consider sending two gifts into the world today? Consider one gift for the daily blessings the provided through the Church annual budget, then consider sending it outward with a partner gift foran immediate and tangible need:
• Refugee Resettlement in Lexington,
• Legal help for immigrant mothers and fathers detained in ICE facilities,
• The Berea Leadership Experience that teaches peacebuilding skills to young people. Or a need that only you know of.

Working in pairs is power!

Sent As A BLESSING Into The World…

Jesus tells the disciples “travel light, you don’t need all you think you do to be a blessing.” For  you, in this moment, what does traveling light mean? In what ways are you willing to let others bless you? In what ways does having too much, carrying too much, keep you from receiving? What blessing would you send into the world right now if you could? Who will you take with you?

• Using the sheets of paper here, in a few words describe the holy work you are sent to do.
• Place a candle on one edge of your paper. As you light it, pray that God will magnify your light and send you all you need to heal self and others.
• If you see other holy work that you could join, take a second candle and place it with the author’s so the light can go out two by two to illumine “the just, the ideal, the sublime, and the holy.”

Kick up Your Heels! Shake the Dust.

At this station you will find shoes and trays of sand. Jesus reminds his envoys that there will be those who reject what they are about. He tells them to shake the dust of those places off their feet so that the negativity does not impede their sense of sacred work.

• What are barriers to the things you hold sacred right now? What negativity do you need to shake off your shoes so you can move freely to work that matters?
• With your finger or a stick write what impedes you in the sand. Place a shoe or sandal on the words you have written. In your prayer, ask for release, and for recentering as you gently shake off the dust of your words. If you wish, write what you have dusted off on the slate.
• As you depart the table, don’t go alone. Today, tomorrow, or later this week, tell a trusted friend what you shook off. As you walk anywhere, even back to the pew,  embody the prayer that in following the sacred, you may depart from anxiety into Christ’s peace.

Our Offering 

At any time during the reflection you are invited to bring your offerings to the station with backpack, cloak and staff. (If you prefer not to come forward, ushers with baskets will cheerfully come to you!). Before coming up, read the reflection suggestions on the insert. We will send these gifts into “the towns and villages” to be a blessing.

One way to send blessing into the world is “pair up” your funds. Send some to sustain the blessing of ministers and building and music, then send a companion gift to meet a pressing need in our community.  Funds received today will help send a welcome team to a Congolese refugee family recently placed in Lexington. Along with Bluegrass United Church we will be their support. Send a child to learn and teach peace in our upcoming children’s Leadership Experience, or designate a gift for Habitat for Humanity so there can be a village of hope for all. Working in pairs is better!! So thank you for every gift, large and small. May what you send out as your financial envoy heal the world. And by emptying yourself, may you be full in the work we do together.

When invited, please join in singing the familiar chorus: Alleluia!

 Community Prayer and Our Lord’s Prayer
One:     Our Maker, our Mother, and …
            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 sins as we forgive those who sin 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.

From Here to There

Introduction and Invitation to Membership   
Union Church is a vital and growing family of faith, a home to those committed to the way of Christ’s sacrificial love and service. All who feel led to join will be received in joy, and are welcome to come forward during the Closing Hymn. Thanks be to God for these ministers among us.
¨  Closing Hymn     The Summons          Kelvingrove
¨  Questions of the Congregation and New Members   
¨  Covenant of Welcome               
And we, the members of this church, renewing our own covenant to God and to each other, do now heartily welcome you to our fellowship, promising to watch over you in love, and praying that  you, and we, may be true witnesses for Christ, a light in the world, and continue to increase in usefulness and joy in his service.
The Sending and Blessing
 Postlude (please be seated)         God of Grace and God of Glory       Anna Laura Page
Especially in our prayers
Each week we join millions of Christians who pray for one another through the ecumenical prayer cycle and, locally, the Berea Ministerial Association’s prayer cycle.  Let us hold the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia our brothers and sisters at Lighthouse Baptist Church in our hearts, and pray for them. Please hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week.
Prayer requests to be printed may be sent to the office anytime before 10:00 am Fridays.
The Justice Candle this week is lit for the Rev. Fred Rogers, children’s television pioneer and loving, compassionate values champion.
¨ Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon.
¨ Leaders with authority to make the lives of the poor less burdensome; that they may be generous and loving in all they undertake.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound: Ruth Butwell, Edith Hansen, Nancy Hindman, Loyal Jones, Mary Miller, Alva Peloquin
¨ Dan Rohrer, who is suffering from a severe liver disorder.
¨ Dave Wellinghurst, receiving treatment for glioblastoma.
¨ Jimmie Lewis’ sister, undergoing cancer treatment.
¨ Judy Rowell thanks everyone for the prayers these past few weeks. They surely did help! Judy is doing very well, many thanks!
¨ Dana Rousey’s continued recovery
¨ John Dobyns, still recovering from foot surgery at home in Nancy, KY.
¨ The Youth Group from the Federated Church of Carlinville, IL, who stayed overnight on their way home Friday!
¨ The family and friends of Minerva Bobbit, who has passed away at age 96.
¨ Holding in the light of God members and friends burdened with financial worry and lack of work. May God inspire them and those around them for endurance and breakthrough.
Announcements
We Want to Join YOU! Membership Sunday today! As a family of faith committed to boldly and creatively embodying the life and ministry of Jesus, we would like to join YOU. We’d like to be a context and inspiration for your own spiritual path, and work with you to make your heart, your world, your life more peace-filled and joy-full. Today we have an opportunity to covenant together. No prior action on your part is required, but if you have any questions at all, we’d like to help. Working together, we want to make God’s love visible and real to all. Please let us join with you!
Greetings from Samuel Mugabi of Samuel’s Kids orphanage in Uganda. He and the children watch Union Church services every week and are so appreciative of the support that is making meals, school, and a chance for life possible for each one of them! You can see pictures on their Facebook page!
Rev. Kent will be out of the office Monday -Thursday this coming week.
We have all been praying for refugees suffering around the world. The Rohingya people in Burma (Myanmar) are in desperate need of foreign pressure and assistance. A bill moving through congress could provide critical support and our Senator, Mitch McConnell, is key to scheduling that vote. Sign this petition supported by The Kentucky Council of Churches, American Jewish World Service – AJWS, and dozens of other clergy and faith groups from around the state to let him know of our support. https://kycouncilofchurches.salsalabs.org/rohingya/index.html
Summer Choir meets July 8, 15 and 22. New anthem every week—no commitment beyond showing up at 9:45 the morning you’d like to sing.
Community Hymn Sing July 15, 2:00 pm, Cowan Chapel. Did you know that singing with others releases endorphins in our brains that promote a sense of well-being and community connectedness? Come see, hear, sense, and feel for yourself! All ages welcome! 
Share-YOUR-Music Sunday, July 29 This is an opportunity for vocal and instrumental soloists and ensembles to share the music of their hearts in worship. If you would like to participate in this special worship service, please contact Gabe by Sunday, July 15 (TODAY)  with your name, title/composer, instrument, and whether you need an accompanist or microphones. gevans@union-church.org. We will need this information well in advance so we can craft an inspiring, and smooth-running worship service, as well as an efficient sound-check schedule. Please contact Gabe to schedule additional practice times. 
Handbell Anthem in Worship July 22. Rehearsals July 18, 7:00 pm & July 22, 9:00am. Adults and youth are most welcome. Please contact Pearl Marshall (pmarshall@union-church.org) as soon as possible if you are interested in ringing  the handbell anthem this summer.
Hymn Favorites on Handbells Sunday, August 12, 2:00 pm Whether you are a current ringer with UCHE, or you have rung bells in another time or place, we would love to have you join us for the August 12, 2:00 pm, performance. There are three more scheduled “full ensemble” rehearsals.  July 11 & 25, and August 8, at 7 pm in the sanctuary.  Please contact Pearl (pmarshall@union-church.org) if you’d like to participate.
The Habitat ReStore in Richmond seeks a manager. Accepting resumes until July 16. Email for info info@habitatmadisonclark.org
Liberty Place anniversary. July 13, 1:30—4:00 pm. All are invited to join Liberty Place in celebrating 10 years of helping women overcome addiction.  Tours, refreshments, recognition of supporters, speakers. 218 Lake St., Richmond. RSVP to Karen at Karen@foothillscap.org or 624-2046 x. 1111.
You’re Invited to make a small quilt based on a favorite book! Join the Friends of the Madison County Public Library Fundraiser today! Contact Rita Barlow at lashleybarlow@gmail.com for details. The quilts will be on display at both library branches and are sold by silent auction.
Save The Date! Habitat For Humanity Foundation Blessing, July 28. The Berea Faith Build will kick off at 10am, July 28. Soon we’ll need volunteers to help raise the roof and paint the walls! Stay tuned!!
Kentuckians For The Commonwealth Annual Membership Meeting “Claiming Our Commonwealth: Creating Kentucky’s Beloved Community” August 3-5 at Berea College. To register: kftc.org/events/2018-annual-membership-meeting
Pool Party August 1, 7-9 at the Berea City Pool. Pizza provided, please bring salads and desserts.
Please Sign up to Read Scripture or to Help Greet and Usher!  Please use our electronic sign up system, http://signup.com/go/xkdVtB, where you can pick a date that works for you and get reminders!  OR you can also call the office and we’ll get you on the lists.