Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
Palm Sunday
April 14, 2019 10:30 am
Meditation
Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground. ― Rumi
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 Hosanna, Hosanna, Praise to the King Douglas Nolan
Gospel Lesson Luke 19:28-40 (p. 1274)
The liturgy of the Palms is the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
¨ Palm Processional
Everyone is invited to join in the Processional. When invited, please move to stand lining the aisles as the pastors, children, and adults process through “the crowd.” Those processing will begin by the door under the Peace Bell. All who would like to do so may gather in that hall, or join as the procession passes your pew.
¨ The Call
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God!
All: If our voices are silent, the very stones will shout for joy!
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God!
All: The birds sing, the trees sway, and all creation proclaims God’s goodness!
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God!
All: Let us worship God, sender of Messiah, our friend, our hope, our salvation!
¨ Hymn #216 Black All Glory, Laud and Honor St. Theodulph
¨ 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 Joy of Receiving New Members
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 when invited. Thanks be to God for these ministers among us.
¨ 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 Living Word among us
Anthem Hosanna J. Hunnicut
Children’s Church with Choir Octet
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 Children’s Church in Cowan Chapel. They are also welcome to stay in the service if they prefer. The Children’s Worship Center in the back of the sanctuary has toys, books, and drawing materials for children (or parents) 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.
Sung Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Debbonnaire Kovacs, cantor p. 700
The Psalms were originally musical compositions. During Lent we will pray the psalms in musical form with congregational responses. Please sing the response when invited.
Gospel Lesson Luke 19:41-44 (p. 1265)
Jesus weeps over the future destruction of his beloved Jerusalem.
Sermon The Cry of the Stones Rev. Kent Gilbert
Hymn #290 Black Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart (v. 1,3,5) Morecambe
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.
Prayer in Action and Reflections
In many traditions, stones remember. They are set up as memorial stones and monuments, even in our own contemporary society. What do stones say to you? Ponder the unbearable tension between the acclamation and praise and joy on Palm Sunday and the betrayal and violence that is to come. Where in your life do these tensions show themselves? What are you singing about right now?
Our Offering Offering baskets are placed in the aisle, and can also be brought to your seat. Our gifts help sustain this particular community of caring by sustaining the building, pastors and staff, and all the materials that make our ministry of healing, justice, and teaching available to all in need. In addition, a good portion of our contributions flows out to aid those in need via many external agencies.
Many friends give online, and you can use your smart phone or computer and go to www.easytithe.com/union. You don’t have to register to make a contribution, but if you do, it can make future generosity that much easier. You can even give by text! Text to 859-448-3403 (Example: Text “$50.00 Offering)
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
Community Sharing Table During Lent, one of the many ways you can kneel and kiss the ground is through your contributions at the Community Sharing Table. We are considering how our contributions can walk along with our scriptures each week.
Week 6 (Palm Sunday): One Great Hour of Sharing
Use the Labyrinth as Meditation During the season of Lent, you will have three ways of walking a labyrinth here in the sanctuary.
- Your bulletin cover will feature a different finger labyrinth each week, which you can travel prayerfully without leaving your seat.
- For this season, the entire sanctuary is our labyrinth. As you walk, whether to a prayer station or for another reason, walk mindfully, pondering the paths your life is taking right now. Consider taking the long route some-times, around a set of pews.
- One of your destinations could be the labyrinth station in the front corner by the Peace Bell.
Kneeling in Prayer We are enlarging our prayer corner for you to kneel for your unique prayer journey. Each week the articles for contemplation will reflect the lectionary readings for that week.
Record Your Hundred Ways In the children’s corner is a large family star chart for recording and celebrating the actions we have taken in our “Kneel and kiss the ground” focus. If you have participated in one of the suggested actions or in any other way of letting the beauty you love be what you do, put a star or sticker on the chart. There is room to write in more actions, and a marker on the plate rail above the chart for that purpose.
Gather in a Circle
As we end our time of prayer, you are invited to form a large circle around the sanctuary. Those who have not left their seats to pray are encouraged to join the circle. Feel free to create “arms” of our “amoeba of love” which include those who cannot leave their seats. We will pray the Lord’s Prayer together and then sing our parting blessing responsively, repeating each line after the minister.
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
¨ The Sending and Blessing
Announcements
The One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be received today, Palm Sunday. If you are considering a gift, why not a sacrificial gift for each day of Lent? ($1? The cost of a daily cup of coffee for 46 days? Every dollar makes a difference!) Funds directly support flood relief in the Midwest and anti-poverty initiatives around the world in a time of desperate need.
We buy our palms from Eco-Palms, which sells palms sustainably gathered in the forests of Mexico and Guatemala.
Sing to our Neighbors! 1:30 today. Let’s meet in the Community Room and carpool to spread our love and joy and the songs we have been practicing to our friends in local care facilities with some Spring Caroling!
Today, 3:00 pm. The Berea College Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, Stephen Bolster conductor, will present their annual spring concert in the sanctuary. The public is invited to attend, and there is no charge for admission.
Meeting re: use of public spaces in Berea today. Grace McKenzie invites you to join her as part of her final work with KFTC (and her Master’s program) and take part in a conversation about public spaces in Berea. April 14th 2-4 in the basement of city hall.
Lilies for Easter, order by Wednesday! Easter morning flowers are a glorious way to celebrate the joy of resurrection. You can order sanctuary lilies in honor or in memory of loved ones for just $15 by using the blue slip or with a click at the website, union-church.org! All orders must be received by April 17 to have dedications included in the Easter service bulletin.
There will be no childcare or Children’s Church on Easter Sunday. (Our faithful nursery workers have Prom the night before!) We look forward to celebrating the joy of Easter with a sanctuary full of children of all ages.
The Easter Egg hunt will begin at 10:00 in Cowan Chapel on Easter morning. Thank you SO MUCH to our Youth Group for organizing this event for our littles!
Country Drive to an Afternoon Easter Egg Hunt! Ally and David Nurre have graciously invited families with children to their home about 25 minutes outside of Berea for an Easter egg hunt at 2:30 on Easter Sunday. They have limited driveway space, so only the first six vehicles will be able to attend. If you are interested, let Laura know and we can arrange a carpool. (joyfulsunflower@ gmail.com or 859.358.0106).
We want to celebrate our graduates!! We will recognize our college graduates on April 28, and our high school graduates on May 12. Please let us know if you are graduating so we can be sure to honor you! (Contact Laura: joyfulsunflowergmail.com or 859-358-0106 — call or text).
Youth Group Fundraiser extended! Our Youth Group is selling cards as a fundraiser. Buy a box – buy 2 – never get stuck without a card when you need one -order online at the church website (union-church.org) soon!
Want to keep your hands busy during service? There’s a basket in the back of the church with knitting projects started by the knitters among us. You can knit a few rows and pray for the person who will receive the finished item, and then return it to the basket after service for someone else to add their stitches and prayers.
Friday, April 26: SaraCare Celebration SaraCare is a memorial fund in honor of Sara Elizabeth Kennedy, the daughter of Eddie and Norma Kennedy who, with tremendous hope, fought Rhabdomyo-sarcoma (an aggressive childhood cancer) from June 16, 2004 until March 23, 2005 when the battle was lost. This fund was established in order to support the work of her wonderful health care providers (Kentucky Children’s Hospital and The Pediatric Oncology Clinic). The SaraCare Fund is also dedicated to providing assistance and comfort to young patients and their families. Spaghetti supper starting at 5:30 pm in the Community Room ($5) with silent auction items available followed by a concert in the sanctuary at 7:30 (donations accepted).
Wednesday, April 17 – Big Doings at Wednesday Nite Live! How about a summer cookout for our meal! The menu would include dishes like fried chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon, and strawberry shortcake. Shirley Carlberg would love some help preparing this feast for you. Contact her at nonesuch_1998@yahoo.com or 859-985-5501 and let her know if you’d like to bring something. (Supper at 5:45) THEN – after supper stay for Thrivent’s Retirement Workshop. Our Thrivent representative, Joe Volpi, will help you! Retirement Accumulation: How much should I save? What type of accounts should I have? Be confident in what you’re saving for retirement when you learn how to build a strong and adaptable financial strategy. AND – Kids’ Activity Night – parents can go to the Thrivent workshop while the kids (of all ages) are having fun!
WNL Speaker on April 24 – “Pay As You Save” Energy Efficiency Programs For Berea – Now Is The Time (Steve Wilkins) On-bill financing is an innovative strategy that allows both businesses and households of ALL income levels to vastly improve the energy efficiency of structures by financing upgrades through their electric utilities. With this strategy, which some refer to as “pay-as-you-save,” investments in energy efficiency are funded through very low-cost loans from the utility. The upgrades are paid back on electric bills via the energy savings realized through the improvements. Steve’s presentation will explore this strategy in more detail. He will also describe next steps for bringing pay-as-you-save programs to Berea.
Berea Ministerial Association Good Friday Service will Include Foot Care to Homeless People
On Good Friday, Christians remember Christ’s sacrificial love for all in crucifixion. To commemorate the day, pastors and parishioners from many local churches will participate in a joint Good Friday service, April 19, at 12:15pm at Union Church.
Remembering that Jesus washed the feet of those with whom he served, ministers from the Berea Ministerial Association are organizing a foot care mini-clinic especially for those who are experiencing homelessness or disabilities making foot care difficult. Volunteers will wash feet, trim nails and provide non-medical assistance, new socks, and a small foot care kit to any in need.
Participants in the Good Friday service are invited to help create foot care kits that will include:
¨ Small wash cloth
¨ Nail trimmers
¨ 1 pair of cotton athletic socks
¨ Band aids in multiple sizes
¨ Small bottle of lotion/balm
¨ Small bar of soap
All participants in the service can assist in assembling the kits. Those wishing to donate materials from the above list are asked to bring them to First Christian Church, or to the Good Friday Service.
The Berea Ministerial Association includes representatives, clergy and lay, active and retired, from southern Madison County. They formed and continue to support the Food Bank, Bereans United for Utility and Rent Relief, and the Frank Gailey Transient Aid Fund through “Berea Faith Community Outreach (BFCO).” A freewill offering to benefit BFCO will be taken or may be sent to 108 Parkway Ave, Berea, KY 40403.
For More Information Contact: Rev. Lisa Caldwell-Reiss, Pastor, First Christian Church, Berea, KY 859-986-4553, or Rev. Kent Gilbert, Pastor, Union Church, Berea, KY 859-986-3725
Around Town and Notes & Notices
April 16, 6 pm. Development work in Central America. Sarah Junkin Woodard of the Center for Development in Central America will be at the Friends Meeting House in Berea on Tuesday, April 16, at 6:00 pm, 300 Harrison Rd. CDCA has worked in Nicaragua for 30 years, starting co-ops, improving water and sanitation and providing healthcare and training. Doors open at 5:30, and a simple supper will be served. Registration is encouraged: hankfay@gmail.com.
April 23, 6:30 pm. RITI Volunteer celebration! All volunteers who contributed their time, resources, and/or gave financial support to Room in the Inn Berea this season are invited! At Berea Baptist Church’s Fellowship Hall, 310 Chestnut St.
The Census Bureau is hiring now and up to the 2020 Census. You must be 18 years old or older, a US citizen, have transportation, an email address, internet access to apply (you can use a computer here). Pay is $14 an hour + 58 cents a mile driven for the job. Part time, flexible hours. Paid training for 3-5 days. 2020census.gov/jobs
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