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

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

August 19, 2018              10:30 am 

Meditation
Be gentle when you touch bread. Let it not lie uncared for–unwanted. So often bread is taken for granted. There is so much beauty in bread. Beauty of sun and soil, beauty of honest toil, Winds and rain have caressed it, Christ often blessed it. Be gentle when you touch bread.
— Celtic Blessing

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 Harp Selections Jeni Balcom, Harp
The Call
Prayer for Approach, Confession & Release  
¨   Hymn #451 Black Be Thou My Vision Slane
¨   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

Musical Meditation Harp Selections Jeni Balcom, Harp
Lesson from the Psalms Psalm 111 (p. 729)
A Psalm of praise to God for all God’s glorious works.
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  John 6:51-58(p. 1289)
Jesus compares himself to “the living bread that came down from heaven.”
Sermon Not by Bread Alone: Uplifting, Upstanding, UprisingRev. 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.
Prayers in Action and Reflections
You are invited to reflect and pray at the 4 stations also in the room. Here you will find meditations focusing on waiting, resting, rising.  Some suggested prayer direction is on the reflection sheet in the bulletin, and at the tables you visit.  You are also free to choose to rest in private prayer, remaining with your own thoughts and in your pew. The reflection page is provided for your thoughts, notes, drawings or other meditations at any time during the service.
Musical Meditation Two Celtic Hymn Tunes:Dundee and Irish arr. David N. Johnson
Our Offering 
As Jesus teaches, sometimes the work of the kin-dome starts small, and the forces of growth and fruition are unseen. As with bread dough that is leavened by the yeast, giving it rise, so is the work of helping others raised by the gifts we make today. We rise in the service of setting aside evil and harm and poverty, in favor of God’s vision of people united for the common good.
This August, our practical prayer has been provision for the Berea Food Bank. Anyone in Berea can get a weeks worth of groceries for their family 6 times a year. Because of generosity here, bread and meat, and organic fresh vegetables are bought and grown for any in need. Your financial “yeast” in the form of contributions is already at work today in support of incoming students: We have committed to providing airfare for at least 2 foreign students who have no other means to come to college. We are providing reusable water bottles for incoming freshman as part of our environmental stewardship and hospitality work. And we are carefully using contributions to share our pastoral and prayer resources with more and more people. Your gift is raising the bar! May the giving be as sustaining as the receiving.
When invited, please join in singing the familiar chorus: Alleluia!
Community Prayer & 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

¨   Hymn  The King of Love My Shepherd Is (opposite) Dominus Regit Me
The Sending and Blessing
 Postlude (please be seated)     Praise and Thanksgiving (Bunessan) Dale Wood
Prayer in Action Reflections
Space is provided for you to write notes, to reflect, or draw responses to questions on the included sheet, at the tables, or holy questions of your own.
Stillness:  Celtic spirituality is deeply connected to the natural world. In your prayer and quiet, immerse yourself in the quiet of a favorite, still place. What can you hear here that you can’t hear anywhere else?
Warmth:  To work, yeast needs the right conditions: warmth, moisture, food. What is the source of warmth for your soul? Have you been a source for someone else? In what ways are you expanding in these conditions?
Bubbling:  As Sour-dough prepares, fine bubbles appear. In bread dough, the rise comes from trapped lift from the work of the yeast. As you breathe, both in and out, feel yourself expand. Spiritually, are you bubbling? To what are you rising? If not, what feels missing, deflated, or incomplete? As you breathe, pray to take in the yeast to lift your spirit. As you exhale, blow out anything that hinders your rise.
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 Liberia and Sierra Leone, and our brothers and sisters at Berea Baptist Church 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.
¨ Prayers for the members of the Friends of the Library board and all affected by recent thefts. Prayers also for Jack Marshall, perpetrator of those those thefts, that he and his offenses may be made right.
¨ For the family and friends of Wayne G. Cooper, Jerry Cooper’s brother, who has passed away at age 93.
¨ The Ngabwema Family, our adopted refugee family from the Congo! That God will help us help them with all they need for a full and safe life in Lexington.
¨ Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon.
¨ 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.
¨ For Incoming Students! May God bless their learning! And for all Berea College Faculty, Staff, and returning students as the year begins.
¨ Dave Wellinghurst, with a recurrence of glioblastoma. Hospice is involved now.
¨ Cheyenne Olson and family, at the death of her sister.
¨ David Duffee, recovering from surgery for a torn rotator cuff.
¨ Maurice Hibbard, still suffering from pancreatitis.
¨ The family of Bea Chasteen, at her death. Bea and her daughters, Jennifer and Dorrie, provided childcare here for many years. Cards can be sent to 414 Buffalo Hollow Rd. in Berea.
¨ Critley King’s father, recovering from open heart surgery on Thursday.
¨ A request received by email, for healing for James B.
Announcements
 
You Matter! Please Sign the Register, Check in on Facebook/Twitter and try a nametag! It’s hard to get to know people elsewhere, but we don’t want it that way at church.  Let’s all try to get to know each other better.
 
Welcome Berea College Family and Friends! This weekend we are delighted to welcome family, new and returning students, faculty and staff back to campus, and to pray for a fruitful academic season. As a founding partner in Berea College, Union Church continues our 163-yr old tradition of service and support for learning!
 
Note from Gabe Evans: Joseph and I thank EVERYONE for the wonderful send off notes, gifts, hugs, kisses, Liberace capes, etc. We will cherish and hold all of the wonderful memories that have been made in Berea and at Union Church! Keep being the wonderful church that you are! With lots of peace and love, Gabe.
 
Socks & underwear needed for kids 5– 12 year olds, boys & girls, for back-to-school. Bring to the church office and Dodie Murphy will collect and deliver them. Or write a check to Union Church with “No Child Cold, No Child Hungry” in the memo line.
 
New Church Directory Coming. Especially our newer folks – we may not have your info – please let us know if you’d like to be included in the new Directory! Does your Directory photo show you with a smiling toddler….who’s now driving? Ditched your land line? College student left the nest? OR are you a college student new to Berea? Maybe you’d like to opt out of the Directory? Let us know! office@union-church.org. Thanks.
 
Sometimes our church members need help. If you have a skill you are willing to share, please email the information to dodiemurfmsw @yahoo.com. It will be printed on a page in our new church directory for folks to contact you directly. Thanks for consider-ing! Possible categories (include your own skill if it’s not listed):

• Yard work –planting, weeding, watering
• Making a meal
• Babysitting
• Baking
• Driving to appointments
• Running errands
• Grocery shopping
• Doing laundry, ironing
• Mending or hemming
• Writing thank you notes
• Lending books, DVDs or CDs
• Typing
• Computer software/hardware instruction, repairs
• Small plumbing jobs

Time to make a Joyful Noise! Handbell Choir begins August 29, 7 pm. Vocal Choir begins August 30, 6:15 pm. Both in the 3rd floor Choir Room and YOU are very welcome to join them!
Piano keys in the vestibule. If you contributed to the piano fundraiser, thank you!! And if you didn’t pick up your keys, you’ll find them in a basket in the vestibule.
Potluck Brunch at the Berea Urban Farm 201 Adams St.  Saturday, Aug. 25, 10 am– noon. Fee St. Cleanup at 9 am Tiny Library Inauguration, Raffle, Name the Chickens … and MORE!! You’re invited!
Programs upcoming at the bell hooks Institute – all at the Institute, 300 Center St. at 4:00 pm:
· August 20 – On Family Homophobia, Sarah Schulman
· August 27 – Talks with bell hooks about his new novel, Silas House
· September 10 – Identity Politics and Feminist Studies, Beverly Guy-Sheftall
· September 27 – White Men Engage Feminist Studies, Billie Korinko & Eric Carter
Bridge Classes. The Bridge Club will hold “Bridge for Beginners” classes every Friday at 1:00 pm in the classroom. Join and learn to play! Also good for existing players who need to brush up on their skills (no charge). Then we play at 1:30!
CoCoDA visit August 29. At 5:45 pm, our CoCoDA Salvadoran friends, Ivan Villasboa and Yunior Gomez will visit Union Church. They will bring their wonderful expertise and slides to catch us up on what is going on in El Salvador and Nicaragua, the two regions in which CoCoDA works.
Especially of interest for us is the current situation in the El Roble village and its school project.  The water projects in various areas are moving along.  Student medical delegations have been learning and working in Suchitoto.  And there is always the thought of a delegation from our area going to El Salvador again and renewing our relationship with our friends there.  CoCoDA has been working on many projects. 
Food will be provided!  Bring interested friends as well as yourself for a great evening of catching up, good humor and renewal.
Berea Home Village Fundraiser Sept. 13. Berea Home Village presents “September Serenade” featuring The Jigs! Join them on September 13 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Churchills in Berea. Help them to continue to provide services for Berea Home Village members! Call Katie Heckman for more information or to purchase tickets at 859-985-0099.
Healing Arts Retreat Saturday, September 15, 8:30-5:30. Led by Donna Eder, this year retreatants will enjoy the centering and meditative movement of calligraphy, brush painting (bamboo), and Tai Chi. Chinese brush work is an ancient tradition which strengthens “chi,” while promoting sensi-tivity and an appreciation for simplicity. Advanced registration requested online at union-church.org or by calling the Union Church office, by September 5. Please bring a suggested $25 materials & lunch fee to the retreat (can be waived).  Adults only.  Limit 12.
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.
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 Liberia and Sierra Leone, and our brothers and sisters at Berea Baptist Church 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.
¨ For the family and friends of Wayne G. Cooper, Jerry Cooper’s brother, who has passed away at age 93.
¨ The Ngabwema Family, our adopted refugee family from the Congo! That God will help us help them with all they need for a full and safe life in Lexington.
¨ Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon.
¨ 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, with a recurrence of glioblastoma. Hospice is involved now.
¨ Cheyenne Olson and family, at the death of her sister.
¨ David Duffee, recovering from surgery for a torn rotator cuff.
¨ Maurice Hibbard, still suffering from pancreatitis.
¨ The family of Bea Chasteen, at her death. Bea and her daughters, Jennifer and Dorrie, provided childcare here for many years. Cards can be sent to 414 Buffalo Hollow Rd. in Berea.
¨ Critley King’s father, recovering from open heart surgery on Thursday.
¨ A request received by email, for healing for James B.
Announcements
You Matter! Please Sign the Register, Check in on Facebook/Twitter and try a nametag! It’s hard to get to know people elsewhere, but we don’t want it that way at church.  Let’s all try to get to know each other better.
Joseph and I thank EVERYONE for the wonderful send off notes, gifts, hugs, kisses, Liberace capes, etc. We will cherish and hold all of the wonderful memories that have been made in Berea and at Union Church! Keep being the wonderful church that you are! With lots of peace and love, Gabe.
Socks & underwear needed for kids 5– 12 year olds, boys & girls, for back-to-school. Bring to the church office and Dodie Murphy will collect and deliver them. Or write a check to Union Church with “No Child Cold, No Child Hungry” in the memo line.
New Church Directory Coming. Especially our newer folks – we may not have your info – please let us know if you’d like to be included in the new Directory! Does your Directory photo show you with a smiling toddler….who’s now driving? Ditched your land line? College student left the nest? OR are you a college student new to Berea? Maybe you’d like to opt out of the Directory? Let us know! office@union-church.org. Thanks.
Sometimes our church members need help. If you have a skill you are willing to share, please email the information to dodiemurfmsw @yahoo.com. It will be printed on a page in our new church directory for folks to contact you directly. Thanks for considering! Possible categories (include your own skill if it’s not listed):

• Yard work –planting, weeding, watering
• Making a meal
• Babysitting
• Baking
• Driving to appointments
• Running errands
• Grocery shopping
• Doing laundry, ironing
• Mending or hemming
• Writing thank you notes
• Lending books, DVDs or CDs
• Typing
• Computer software/hardware instruction, repairs
• Small plumbing jobs

Time to make a Joyful Noise! Handbell Choir begins August 29, 7 pm. Vocal Choir begins August 30, 6:15 pm. Both in the 3rd floor Choir Room and YOU are very welcome to join them!
Piano keys in the vestibule. If you contributed to the piano fundraiser, thank you!! And if you didn’t pick up your keys, you’ll find them in a basket in the vestibule.
Potluck Brunch at the Berea Urban Farm 201 Adams St.  Saturday, Aug. 25, 10 am– noon. Fee St. Cleanup at 9 am Tiny Library Inauguration, Raffle, Name the Chickens … and MORE!! You’re invited!
Programs upcoming at the bell hooks Institute – all at the Institute, 300 Center St. at 4:00 pm:
· August 20 – On Family Homophobia, Sarah Schulman
· August 27 – Talks with bell hooks about his new novel, Silas House
· September 10 – Identity Politics and Feminist Studies, Beverly Guy-Sheftall
· September 27 – White Men Engage Feminist Studies, Billie Korinko & Eric Carter
Bridge Classes. The Bridge Club will hold “Bridge for Beginners” classes every Friday at 1:00 pm in the classroom. Join and learn to play! Also good for existing players who need to brush up on their skills (no charge). Then we play at 1:30!
CoCoDA visit August 29. At 5:45 pm, our CoCoDA Salvadoran friends, Ivan Villasboa and Yunior Gomez will visit Union Church. They will bring their wonderful expertise and slides to catch us up on what is going on in El Salvador and Nicaragua, the two regions in which CoCoDA works.
Especially of interest for us is the current situation in the El Roble village and its school project.  The water projects in various areas are moving along.  Student medical delegations have been learning and working in Suchitoto.  And there is always the thought of a delegation from our area going to El Salvador again and renewing our relationship with our friends there.  CoCoDA has been working on many projects. 
Food will be provided!  Bring interested friends as well as yourself for a great evening of catching up, good humor and renewal.
Berea Home Village Fundraiser Sept. 13. Berea Home Village presents “September Serenade” featuring The Jigs! Join them on September 13 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Churchills in Berea. Help them to continue to provide services for Berea Home Village members! Call Katie Heckman for more information or to purchase tickets at 859-985-0099.
Healing Arts Retreat Saturday, September 15, 8:30-5:30. Led by Donna Eder, this year retreatants will enjoy the centering and meditative movement of calligraphy, brush painting (bamboo), and Tai Chi. Chinese brush work is an ancient tradition which strengthens “chi,” while promoting sensi-tivity and an appreciation for simplicity. Advanced registration requested online at union-church.org or by calling the Union Church office, by September 5. Please bring a suggested $25 materials & lunch fee to the retreat (can be waived).  Adults only.  Limit 12.
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.