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

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

August 26, 2018          10:30 am 

Meditation
 “The bread that you store up belongs to the hungry; the coat that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold that you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor.”        – St. Basil

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 Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether James Biery
The Call “Believe This” by Richard Levine
Prayer for Approach, Confession & Release  
¨   Hymn #331 Black Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life The Call
¨   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 Holy Manna
Berea Shape Note Singers
Brethren, we have met to worship and adore the Lord our God;
Will you pray with all your power, while we try to preach the Word?
All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down;
Brethren, pray, and holy manna  Will be showered all around.
Is there here a trembling jailer, seeking grace, and filled with fears?                                                                       Is there here a weeping Mary, pouring forth a flood of tears?                                                                      Brethren, join your cries to help them; sisters let your prayers abound;                                                             Pray, O Pray that holy manna may be scattered all around.
Let us love our God supremely, let us love each other, too;
Let us love and pray for sinners, till our God makes all things new.
Then He’ll call us home to heaven, at His table we’ll sit down;
Christ will gird Himself, and serve us with sweet manna all around.
Epistle Lesson  Ephesians 6:10-20 (p. 1427)
The letter to the Ephesians concludes with admonitions to “be strong in the Lord” by putting on “the whole armor of God.”
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 6:56-69 (p. 1289)
Jesus commands his disciples to “abide in me,” speaking of a relationship with himself that is nothing less than their food and drink.
Sermon Not by Bread Alone: Reaching Beyond the Fire 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.
Prayers in Action and Reflections
You are invited to reflect and pray, either in your pew or at one or more of the 4 stations. Here you will find meditations focusing on baking, savoring, drinking deeply, and serving others.  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 Become to Us the Living Bread (O Filii et Filea) David Johnson
Our Offering 
Our offering will be taken by bringing our gifts forward to the bread baskets on the altar. (Ushers will be happy to take yours forward if you prefer not to leave the pew). In addition, we will bless the food collected all this month for the Berea Food Bank, which is people working to help neighbors in need.  Anyone in Berea can get a weeks worth of groceries for  their family 6 times a year. On a global level, Union Church also partners with Bread for the World, a Christian group seeking to eliminate poverty through sound policy and wise stewardship of national and international resources. Your gift helps feed people today and end hunger of the future. We are carefully using your contributions to share our pastoral and prayer resources with more and more people. Your gift is daily bread! 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 #40 Black You Are the Way Nun Danket All’
The Sending and Blessing
 Postlude (please be seated)     Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah Donald Hustad

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.
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 Cape Verde, The Gambia Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal and our brothers and sisters at Bethel Baptist Church our hearts, and pray for them. Please hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week.
¨ 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.
¨ David Duffee, recovering from surgery for a torn rotator cuff.
¨ Maurice Hibbard, still suffering from pancreatitis.
¨ Critley King’s father, recovering from open heart surgery.
¨ New address: Gabriel Evans & Joseph Smith; 95 Cabrini Blvd; Apt. #3N; New York; NY; 10033.
¨ Grant Mims, Amy Williams’ cousin, who had a successful double lung and liver transplant on Aug. 17 in Houston.  Prayers are for healing for him and for the family that graciously offered the organs as they grieved.
¨ For Jack Marshall, in the work to restore right relationship with self and others.
¨ For those imprisoned at the Madison County Detention Center and around the state.
Prayer requests to be printed may be sent to the office anytime before 10:00 am Fridays.
Announcements
Welcome to students, faculty & staff from all our area schools and colleges as you start a new academic year!
Need an awesome water bottle? Water bottle fundraiser $10.00, $5.00 goes to support Faith Development programs!
Achieving & Building Life Equally (ABLE)  Support Group for those with visible and invisible disabilities and care givers) meets August 27 (tomorrow) at 11:15 am in the Fellowship Hall  of Berea Baptist  Church. Speaker will be James Easter presenting  Advances in Mobility Seating and Devices.  Bring paper and pencil along with snack and drink. 
CoCoDA Visit & Dinner, Wednesday, August 29: At 5:45 pm, our CoCoDA Salvadoran friends, Ivan Villasboa and Yunior Gomez will visit Union Church. Food will be provided!  Bring interested friends as well as yourself for a great evening of catching up, good humor and renewal.
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!
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.
Help needed with our youngest members! The nursery and Children’s Church seek members of the congregation to volunteer as substitutes during the school year.  If you would like to volunteer on an occasional basis with the children of Union Church, please see Jenny Hobson or Laura Nagle. Email jennyhobsonschoice@gmail.com OR call 859-893-1075.
Spoonbread Festival (Sept. 21-23) and Berea Business Fest (Sept. 13) need Union Church Ambassadors! Staffing the Spoonbread Festival table for 2-hour shifts, and the Business Fest event for the entire 11-2 event (plus set-up and take-down). Offer church brochures, postcards, and conversation. Photos of fellowship, mission, worship events needed too!
LifeLine is coming to Union Church October 5. Info in the vestibule. Union Church is pleased to offer a preventive health event.  Life Line Screening , a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, will host their affordable, non-invasive and painless health screenings on 10/5/2018.  Five screenings will be offered that scan for potential health problems related to: blocked arteries which is a leading cause of stroke; abdominal aortic aneurysms which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the arteries in the legs which is a strong predictor of heart disease; atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat which is closely tied to stroke risk; and a bone density screening, for men and women, used to assess the risk of osteoporosis. Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount).  All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete.  There are three ways to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call 1-888-653-6441 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com/communitycircle or text the word circle to 797979
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? Or 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

Programs upcoming at the bell hooks Institute – all at the Institute, 300 Center St. at 4:00 pm:
· 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
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.
Church Council Votes to Partner with Thrivent Financial. At the August Church Council Meeting, board members voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Finance Board to partner with Thrivent Financial and their affiliated agencies to create Union Church endowment funds and strategies for long term generosity.
In the coming weeks, Finance Board will be working closely with Thrivent’s InFaith Foundation to craft the legal language and ongoing mission statement for our endowment funds. Stay tuned to learn how we can live generously together and serve God and our Community in new ways!