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

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Sharing of the Lord’s Supper

August 5, 2018         10:30 am 

Meditation
Simply by starting to cook again, you declare your independence from the culture of fast food. As soon as you cook, you start thinking about ingredients. You start thinking about plants and animals and not the microwave. And you will find that your diet, just by that one simple act, that is greatly improved. — Michael Pollan

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 Amazing Grace Joel Raney
The Call  from “Bread,” by WS Merwin
¨   Hymn #177 God of Change and Glory Katherine
 Prayer for Approach, Confession & Release
¨   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 How Great Thou Art Mark Hayes
Epistle Lesson Ephesians 4:1-16 (p.1424)
Paul tells the Ephesians to forbear one another in love in order that the body of Christ, the Church, might be edified.
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 6:24-35 (p. 1288)
The crowds seek bread from Jesus. Jesus tells them that the true bread they ought to seek is the bread that brings eternal life.
Sermon Not By Bread Alone: Getting all You Need from Just what You Have Rev. Kent Gilbert
Sharing God’s Love in Communion
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.
¨  Invitation to Communion
One: God be with you.
All:    And also with you.
One: Take courage from God’s mercy and power.
All:     We trust in God’s healing grace.    
One: Let us give thanks for all that God is doing.
All: We would love what God loves and sing the praise of Jesus!
One:  As we come to this table, we are reminded that this is not the table of this congregation, nor is it the table of any particular denomination.  It is the table of Jesus Christ, the family feast of the whole people of God, a place where we seek the bread that never perishes but gives life over and over.
One: All who seek to be nourished and sustained in the journey of faith, and long to live justly and in peace with their neighbor, are welcome here and will be fed. It is for the equipping of the saints so we can bear the light and speak the Word. So come weak and strong, churched and not sure.  Come not because you must, but come because you are wanted, welcomed.  Let us eat and drink together for our strengthening in the faith, and for the sake of the world.
Communion Prayer and Words of Institution                           adapted from United  Church of Canada liturgy
One:      Thanks and praise be to you, O God, for you create life out of the dust and create community even from calamity. We thank you that you are present to direct and guide, to renew and revive. We praise you for sending us Jesus, your Suffering Servant, to walk before us the way of the cross, to turn us to you and to one another. Therefore, we join your long procession of pilgrims praising you along the way:
Communion Sanctus please join in singing, opposite page:
Words of Institution
One:     Mighty and tender God, in Jesus of Nazareth we recognize the fullness of your grace: light, life and love, revealed, the bread of life that never perishes:
All:     In words that confront and comfort us, in teachings that challenge and change us, in compassion that heals and frees us.
One:   And now we gather at this table to remember and to be filled with such longing for your realm,  that we may rise together to turn our worship into witness and to follow in your way.
One:    We remember that when Jesus ate with his friends, he took a loaf of bread and, after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them, saying,
All:    “Take, eat.  This is my body, given for you.  Each time you do this, remember me.”
One:   Then he took a cup and, after giving thanks, passed it to his friends, saying:
All:    “Drink.  This cup that is poured out for you is the promise of God, made in my blood.  Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
One:     Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us that this meal may be our communion in the body of Christ. Unite us in faith, encourage us with hope, inspire us to love, that we may serve you with the testimony of our lives.
Serving One Another
All who seek the love of God are welcome at this meal and are invited to freely receive. We will share the elements today by intinction, dipping the bread in the cup. When invited please come to one of the stations by exiting your pew to the left and returning by the right. If it is not convenient to come forward, the elements can be brought to your seat by signaling to the usher. All the bread is gluten-free, and the chalices are filled with non-alcoholic grape juice.
Our Offering 
Generosity is an essential ingredient for the well-lived life. Even selfish individuals, bent on hoarding rather than releasing gifts, depend on the generosity of those whom they exploit for their accumulation. Better is the generosity that is like salt in bread: it helps create the bonds between us and God, us and everyone near us, in a way that empties us of our worst impulses and fills us with a bread better than any baked or buttered for our tables. Generosity helps us trade the bread of anxiety and scarcity for the feast of abundance and gratitude. Living aware of abundance and gratitude feeds the soul. When we feed others, we are fed.
We do that as church and community in a very real way through 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. Members of our church serve on the board and solve problems and source the staples others need. Your generosity today, here and everywhere you give of yourself, is essential to baking the beloved community God calls us to become. Gratitude, like salt, enhances the taste for loving service. Thank you for your generosity and care.
Prayers in Action and Reflections
Before, during or after coming forward to share communion bread and cup, you are invited to reflect and pray at the 4 stations also in the room. Here you will find meditations based on the ingredients in bread. Questions for each are listed on the enclosed sheet. You may also choose to source the essential ingredient of solitude and private prayer, remaining with your own thoughts in your pew. The reflection page opposite is provided for your thoughts, notes, drawings or other meditations at any time during the service.
When invited, please join in singing the familiar chorus: Alleluia!
Blessing for Those Who Will Receive at Home
Members who have been designated to carry communion to those who could not be with us this morning are invited forward at this time. The elements from our meal will go with our blessing and prayers for our continued unity in the Spirit. If you would like serve by taking communion to others, you are very welcome to do so and are invited to volunteer with the Nurture and Care Board members or by contacting the pastor.
 Prayer of Thanksgiving 
From Here to There
¨  Hymn #306 Black  The Church of Christ, In Every Age Wareham
¨  The Blessing and Sending
Postlude (please be seated) Love Divine, All Loves Excelling Joel Raney
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 Cameroon, Central African Republic and Gabon and our brothers and sisters at the Silver Creek 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.
¨ 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, receiving treatment for glioblastoma.
¨ Cheyenne Olson and family, at the death of her sister
¨ David Duffee, recovering from surgery for a torn rotator cuff
¨ In celebration of Tom Hubbard’s 88th birthday on August 1!
Announcements
Special Coffee Hour today. Rev. Kent & Diana’s first wedding anniversary is today and will be celebrated at an after-worship Coffee Hour Community Room. 
Joan English away August 6-8, possibly 9: Joan English, Office Admin, will be away  picking up her parents, George & Elsie Hardman, in Florida, and bringing them back here to live permanently. We may ask for help unloading the POD when it gets here, too, around Aug. 15. Prayers welcome as the family settles into a new routine.
New Church Directory Coming and we NEED YOU! We’re trying for a print date of earliest September. If you will send us your photo and info (names, addresses, birthdates, anniversaries, email addresses and phone numbers), you can save us a phone call! Kiddo gone off to school? Gotten hitched? Maybe you’d like to opt out of the Directory? Send to 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

The Children’s Church Team is looking for teachers for the upcoming year! No teaching experience necessary —  just a good sense of humor, a bit of patience, and the willingness to sit on the floor with small humans and explore the values of our faith while making cool stuff. The commitment is from September to May; you will be paired with another teacher, and will likely be with the children every third Sunday. (The scheduling is flexible according to your needs, and we are good about stepping in for each other when life interferes.) We are a close-knit team who work together to plan out lessons and problem-solve along the way. Interested? Have questions? Please contact Laura at joyfulsunflower@ gmail.com or 859-358-0106 (text or call).  
Hymn Favorites on Handbells Sunday, August 12, 2:00 pm.
The 9th Berea Celtic Festival, August 17-19, includes a fantastic traditional and grassroots concert at Union Church Sat. 8/18 (admission $20, students/kids $5, under 6 free, special seating $50), and Irish harp music at the Sunday service. Volunteers are needed all weekend! If you can help, call Sune Frederiksen at  248-0690, or email sune.ky@icloud.com.
God on the Quad, August 19, is Berea College’s event for incoming students to get acquainted with area churches. Can you make some cookies for this event? They can be brought to the church office.
Bridge Classes. The Bridge Club will hold “Bridge for Beginners” classes every Friday from 1:00-2:00 pm in the class-room. Join and learn to play! Also good for existing players who need to brush up on their skills (no charge). We play at 1:30!
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 sensitivity and an appreciation for simplicity. Advanced registration requested online at union-church.org or by calling the Union Church office, by September 8. Please bring a suggested $20 materials fee to the retreat (can be waived).  Adults only.  Limit 12.
Paul Jacobs is available for moving and hauling jobs:  Call him at 859-358-5499.
Babysitter needed: Lois Morgan’s neighbor, Allison, needs a sitter for three girls 3, 5 and 7 beginning August 9 (when school starts) from 2:30 – 5 pm four days a week. Call Allison at 595-3680.
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.