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

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost August 31, 2014, 10:30 am & 7:00 pm

From there to Here

Greetings and Recognition of Chris & Grace McKenzie
Prelude     Prelude and Fugue in F Major           J.S. Bach
Call to Worship   Skit: Follow the Road John 14:6
Prayer for the Journey
*   Song #418 Black            My Faith, It Is an Oaken Staff The Staff of Faith
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   

Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Proverbs 31:8-9
Middle-aged Moment                              As the elders 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.

Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Deuteronomy 6:5
“Sermontation”
Members of the youth group will present and reflect on their summer experience at Passport camp. In addition to the congregation’s support, youth group participants did many service and fundraising projects to make sure everyone could go. We listen to the word of God in our young leaders.
Meditation Moment

Speak out on behalf of the voiceless,
and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.
 Speak out in order to judge with righteousness
and to defend the needy and the poor.

I was in Skin Deep at Passport. We went shopping and only had $20 to get lunch for 10 people. We had to buy at least one item of food out of each food group. The experience was very nerve-racking and felt like my ideas were getting pushed back. For example I said “maybe we should get some cheese” but I felt ignored and they bought milk instead.
The experience helped me think about people who are often ignored in society and made me want to listen to others more.            —Kayleena Ward
At Passport, I was in Common Threads, a choice group that explored the connections between different cultures and religions. We went to an Ethiopian restaurant for lunch. On the way back to the campus, we were stuck in a really long red light, and next to it, there was a homeless man with a sign asking for money or food. A boy on our bus asked the driver to open the door, and he handed the man a 20 dollar bill. You could hear the gratefulness in the man’s voice when he said “God bless you.”
People will usually not give money to people on the side of the road, because they assume that they will spend it on drugs. Our friend took a chance, knowing that the man could have walked off and used that 20 dollar bill for another high. The man also could’ve walked off and used that to eat his first meal in days. We’ll never know what that man did and we’ll never know other peoples’ journeys. Regardless of what the man did, the boy still decided to try and help him, and maybe that was as important to the boy’s journey as the man’s.                                                —Zoe Wilcher

Sharing the Gifts of Love

Call to 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              Meditation on a Classical Tune           Pardini
*  Iona Doxology                 John Bell
*  Prayer of Thanksgiving

Being and Becoming One

Prayers of the Community
 Our Lord’s Prayer   
One:     our Mother, our Maker, 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

*  Song #490 Black             I Want Jesus to Go with Me    spiritual
Video and Benediction
Postlude    Highland Cathedral   
____________________________
*  Please rise in body or in spirit
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 the Pacific Islands: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Samoa & the French Overseas Territories of New Caledonia (Kanaky) and French Polynesia (Tahiti)  and our brothers and sisters at Berea Primitive Baptist Church in your hearts, and pray for them.
Please also hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week:
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.  Use the pew folder in your row, passing it back when all have signed. Let’s all try to get to know each other better.
* Those in harm’s way in service of our country, and those who wait and worry for them
* Our church family members in nursing homes:  Edith Hansen, Klara Welsh, Bernice Robertson, Nancy Jones, Mary Miller, Virginia Piland, Averill Kilbourne, Ann Thomasson, Alva Peloquin
* The family of Ottie Mays, Melissa Neal’s step father who entered the wider life on Aug 27.
* Hazel Morris’ family, at the death of her aunt, Nina Lakes Smith, who died in Lexington August 28.
* Charlie Smithson, Paul’s brother, battling multiple myeloma.
* Janet Dailey-Hosp, recovering well from a lung transplant
* The Orwig family, at Elizabeth’s death. A service was held here yesterday in her memory
* Averill Kilbourne, who has a new address: 23 Tores Dr., Brevard, NC 28712
* Bob Bates, recovering from open heart bypass and valve replacement surgery.
* Rev. Rachel’s aunt, Annamarie Hogbin, in critical condition in West Virginia
* The  Warden family in Georgia, the aunt and cousins of Dodie Murphy, who are going through serious family concerns.
* Steve and Erin Sherman, and big brother Gabe, at the birth of Luke Theodore Sherman, on August 26
Lemonade on the Porch will continue through September, weather permitting. Thanks to Kevin Burke for setting up and preparing the lemonade each Sunday and to all those who have contributed the snacks to accompany the lemonade. There is a new sign-up sheet at the lemonade table for snacks for the month of September. Thanking you in advance, the CL&G Board.

If you can stay for a few minutes after worship –  the pew pads, hymnals and other items can be returned to the sanctuary this morning!! Even if you can’t stay to do that, peek your head in and take a look — it’s lovely!

Rekindle the Spirit Sept. 7 & Services Resume in the Main Sanctuary! The Faith Development Board invites you both to rekindle the spirit of community we share as a church and learn about opportunities to rekindle the spirit of Christ in you this fall! We will celebrate in worship those who have offered their ministry as teachers and leaders for faith development. You’re invited to a simple lunch together after church. Then children will meet their teachers for the year and adults will hear about opportunities for them. This will also be our first use of the new space. Come and see!

Music Event Today, 3:00 pm, Gray Auditorium The Berea College Music Program invite you to A Faculty and Friends Concert featuring Dr. Suna Avci-Gunther, soprano (new Voice Faculty Member); Mark Calkins, tenor; San Francisco Opera Merola Program Artist; Thomas Gunther, baritone; Metropolitan Opera Star Cynthia Lawrence, soprano; Dr. Barbara Rogers, piano; Adria Sutherland, clarinet. They will perform scenes and arias from Adriana Lecouvreur, Les Misérables, Manon, Il re pastore, Carousel, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Wednesday Night Live (WNL) will begin on September 10 and we need you (to help cook)!  Here’s the format:  A meal is served at 5:45 p.m. sandwiched between rehearsals for the two children’s choirs.  The youth group meets after dinner at 6:30, and the Bell Choir rehearses at 7:00 p.m. And on many Wednesdays, the Mission and Service Board presents brief programs from 6:30 to 7:00, highlighting some of the organizations that Union Church supports through our M&S giving. See your upcoming September Consider for details.
The CL&G Board (Community Life and Growth) has posted a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board near the side/office entrance. They are looking for two volunteers each week to work together on the main dishes for the meal. Detailed information can be found in a folder in the office and in the kitchen, as well as on-line at www.union-church.org.  You may also contact Susie Ritchie or Betty Hibler if you have questions. Thanks in advance!

All God’s Children Got a Place in the Choir…Calling all young singers! Our youngest worship leaders will begin weekly rehearsals with the first Wednesday Night Live of the year on September 10. The Joyful Noise Choir will meet from 5:15 to 5:45. The Jubilee Choir will meet from 6:30 to 7:15. Singers and their families are encouraged to stay/come for dinner in between.

       In addition to learning to use their voices and bodies in a variety of songs and games, singers will participate in worship one Sunday each month. Whether your specialty is singing in the shower, dancing to the radio, hooting like an owl, or buzzing like a bee, the choir is the place for you! Please contact Carrie Jadud (carrie@jadud.com; 440-334-6686) with any questions.

Job opportunity —AmeriCorps College Coaches in the Promise Neighborhood.
Placements  at Jackson County High School and Clay County High School.   Address questions to Rachel Tsvetanov, Associate Director of Grant Services & Compliance, Partners for Education at Berea College. Office: (859) 985-3855 Rachel_Tsvetanov@berea.edu. See info on the back bulletin board.
Free Qigong workshop September 6, 9:00—5:00, Classroom. Qigong (this type is called Zhineng Qigong) involves slow gentle movements along with meditation.  A regular practice of Zhineng Qigong can be very helpful for those with all kinds of health challenges….(both physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).  All levels of physical ability are welcome and encouraged to attend. Joan is a certified nurse practitioner and has been practicing and teaching qigong for several years.  Please check website for more information: www.smilingheartqigongcenter.com  Please bring a water bottle, wear comfortable clothing and something you may lay on if you are able.