A Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the

Church of Christ, Union

Second Sunday of Easter

April 27, 2014, 10:30 am

Meditation
Faith keeps many doubts in her pay. If I could not doubt, I should not believe.

―  Henry David Thoreau

Gathering in the Room
Welcome & Announcements
Prelude     Air       J.S. Bach
*  Call to Worship
One:     Where two or three are gathered
All:      Peace be with you.
One:     Where rooms are darkened and locked
All:      Peace be with you.
One:     Where hope seems lost
All:      Peace be with you.
One:     Peace be with you now and at all times, for Christ is risen!
All:      Christ is risen indeed!  Thanks be to God!
*  Hymn #256 Black           We Live by Faith and Not by Sight      Dunlap’s Creek
*  Affirmation of Faith                   written by Bruce Prewer
One:     Faith demands choice. By the grace of Christ, we can choose.
All:      We choose to believe that light is better than darkness, sharing is better than hoarding, truth is better than deceit, mercy is better than revenge, love is better than indifference, God is stronger than chaos.
One:     We choose to have faith in the God who is love, and that choice will verify itself on the long and narrow road of life.
All:      By grace, we choose to choose faith. Thanks be to God!
*  Passing the Peace of Jesus 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 joy.
Breathing in The Living Word
Anthem    “Christ Rising Again”            K. Lee Scott
Union Church Choir
Christ rising again dies no more, death has no strength, no power over him; for in that he lives, he lives to God.
1. Now death with all its dread o’er us no longer reigns, for Jesus rising from the tomb has burst its chains.
2. Destruction is destroyed by Christ, our Lord and King, whose rising forth with life restored removes death’s dreadful sting.
3. Victorious Lord of Life, who sets our hearts aflame, thorough deadly pain and fearful strife, we triumph in his name.
4. Now lift your heart and voice in praise of him who died, in Christ now let all the earth rejoice, our Lord, once crucified.
Epistle Lesson                  1 Peter 1:3-9
Children’s Moment     
Following Children’s Moment, Little Church for children Preschool & under is available in the Nursery, downstairs off the Fellowship Hall, and Children’s Church, for grades K-3, takes place in the chapel.  If this is your child’s first time attending Little Church or Children’s Church, please accompany them to fill out a registration form.  Otherwise, children are welcome to follow volunteers to their worship spaces. As the children return to their seats, we sing:
Gospel Lesson                  John 20:19-31
Sermon                             Inside, Outside, Upside Down            Rev. Rachel Small Stokes
Sharing The Gifts of Love
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.
Silent Prayer and Prayers of the Community
Our Lord’s Prayer   
One: Our Maker, our Mother,
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.
Offering
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 to those in need via many external agencies.
This can now be done online! or by text to  859-448-3403 (Example: Text “$50.00 Offering” to contribute to the ongoing ministries, or add “youth,” or “missions” or designation of your choice to benefit one in particular.) Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
Offertory  Trumpet Tune in A      Michael McCabe
*  Doxology              Avery/Marsh
Going Forth
*  Closing Hymn     The Risen Christ          Woodlands
 *   Blessing the Way of Our Graduates
With deep feeling, we commend you to your life and work in other places, taking with you our strong support and sincere prayers.    
All:      Go forth into the world!
Piano Side:   In peace!
Bell Side:      In love!
Piano: To teach!
Bell:                To learn!
All:      Go forth into the world!
Piano:            To preach!
Bell:    To pray!
Piano: To heal!
Bell:     To comfort!
All:      Go forth into the world!
Piano: To build!
Bell:     To plant!
Piano:            To grow!
Bell:     To thrive!
All:      Go forth into the world to love and serve the Lord.
*  Song of Blessing  In God’s Hand            Deborah Payne
*   Benediction                    
 Postlude   Sortie   Chester Nordman
____________________________

*  Please rise in body or in spirit

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 Djibouti and Somalia and our brothers and sisters at Middletown Baptist Church inyour hearts, and pray for them.
Please also hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week:
¨ Those in harm’s way in the service of our country and all those who wait and worry for them.
¨ John and JoAnn Hayden, Rob and the family, at Rob’s father’s death
¨ Judy Royalty,  recovering from surgery
¨ Peggy Coyne’s daughter’s future mother-in-law, Jan Dailey-Hosp, awaiting a lung transplant
¨ Mary Robert Garrett, Andrew and family at the birth of Ella Valentine, on  April 22
¨ Steve Bolster, and the whole family, at his brother, Greg’s death
¨ Michelle Tooley, with recurrence of melanoma
¨ Our church family members recovering at home and in nursing homes: Rose Brandenburg, Naomi Brandenburg, Jerry Cooper, Edith Hansen, Klara Welsh, Bernice Robertson, Nancy Jones
¨ Marlene Payne’s niece, Sarah, her daughter, Reldy, and grand daughter, Lola
¨ Barbara Frederiksen, recovering from emergency surgery
¨ Virginia Piland, who has relocated. Her new address: Belmont Village Assisted Living, 500 McHenry Rd., Buffalo Grove, IL, 60089
¨ Glen Stassen and family, at his illness
Interested in Knowing More About Union Church? This Sunday and every Fourth Sunday of the Month  anyone wanting to know more about Union Church or wanting to explore church membership, as well as new members who have not been able to participate in a previous meeting, are invited to come to the classroom two doors past the church office immediately following worship for conversation with the Pastors and the Community Life and Growth Board. We want “outsiders” to feel like “insiders!” New members are received every Second Sunday of the month.  YOU are welcome here!
Feel like folding, spindling, stickering and mutilating a newsletter? Our newsletter, Consider, will be ready to process for mailing tomorrow after lunch.  Many hands make light work! Come if you can, we’d sure appreciate it!
Donate ONLINE or by TEXT, Now or Anytime! For online giving, Union Church uses EasyTithe, a completely secure contribution system. You can use Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express Credit and Debit Cards, or an E-Check from your checking account. Scan the code here to go right to the website on your smartphone, or visit www.union-church.org and click on the Donate button for instructions.  You do not need to register to make a donation (just choose “Quick Give” ). If you do register, your information will be securely stored making future visits faster and giving you full control of  your giving reports.  Credit card processing does cost the church about 3.1% of your transaction. ACH (E-Checks) only incur a 1% fee. Please use whichever is best for you, but if you can, consider adding a little additional to help cover the bank fee!
Give By Texting 859-448-3403: Yes! You can give using your web-enabled phone. Text any amount to 859-448-3403. The first time you do–and just the first time–you’ll get a link to associate your phone and enter your securely stored credit or debit card. It doesn’t go on your phone bill, but only to a card you specify. After that, all you need to do is text the number with an amount and any designation. It’s fast and easy! Of course, like every credit card transaction the church pays a 3.1% fee. If you can include that little extra bit, it will make a big difference!
Examples: Text “$50.00” to contribute to today’s offering. Text “$200.00 Capital Campaign” to contribute to a building pledge, or substitute the designation of your choice (youth, missions, BFCO, etc. Amounts texted without a designation will automatically go to the Annual Ministry Budget and all giving will be included in your annual giving records.
Enjoy The Berea Classic Chorale Spring Concert this afternoon, 2:30 pm, sanctuary The 25-voice choir, under the direction of Larry Brandenburg, will sing a program of all sacred music, featuring the “Te Deum” of John Rutter.  Works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Faure will be included.  Music by contemporary composers Dan Gawthrop, Imant Raminsh and Brant Adams will round out the one-hour program.  Anne Crabb and Jenny Bromley will provide the keyboard accompaniment.  Suggested donation, $5
“Elaine Shaffer, Angel in Black” Special Presentation, today 7:00 pm. Bob Shaffer’s sister, Beverly, has written a book about another sister, Elaine Shaffer. She was a flutist, one of the finest in the world at the time, who played at Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Tokyo’s NHK Hall and Moscow Conservatory.  The book, Angel in Black, chronicles her like and career. After her remarks, Beverly will play a selection of highly-regarded recordings Elaine made during her career.
From Amazon.com: At a time when opportunities were closed to women and orchestral venues boasted signs, “Only Men Need Apply,” Elaine Shaffer’s extraordinary talent and perseverance forged a career that would lead her to soaring heights. Angel in Black, as written by her sister Beverly Shaffer Gast, tells the true story of how Shaffer became the first female concert flutist in the world. Shaffer’s life journey, preserved in countless personal letters, press reviews, and recordings, reveals the many facets of her impossible dream. Her dazzling career took her across the globe for solo performances that left audiences spellbound. Angel in Black unfolds the incredible story of how one woman overcame grueling challenges to fulfill the life of her dreams—performing the kind of music that transported her listeners to a beautiful place.
It’s almost time for Vacation Bible School, “Living Waters for the World,” June 8-11!  Vacation Bible School will be held the evenings of June 8-11 for those  in pre-school – grade 5 and there’s also an adult class. Youth can volunteer to help with younger kids or join the adults . We will continue with a theme that has arisen this year – how we understand the gift of water in our faith with a mission focus on the world water crisis. We need lots of people to make this a special event for our young people – cooks, musicians, shepherds, storytellers…to volunteer, contact Pastor Rachel!
Wanted! Interested members to help manage Gift Card Program…The Church Finance Board is looking for individuals who would be interested in helping administer a new revenue stream for Union Church. We will be making gift cards available for over 400 local and national retailers, including groceries, hardware, online retailers, gas stations and restaurants. For each card the church will receive between 4%-12% of the purchase. Volunteers are needed to help plan, fulfil orders from members, and work with the online “back end.” Our research suggests that without any member spending anything more, the church could realize up to $10,000 in corporate donations. A team of 3-4 would be ideal. Please contact Dave Kobersmith if you are interested.
Congregational Meeting set. Union Church’s meeting to consider budget issues has been set for May 21, 7:00 pm. Childcare and transportation will be provided.