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

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

February 10, 2019           10:30 am

Meditation
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.       —Kahlil Gibran

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 Bluebirds’ Winter Flight M. Prins    Pearl Marshall, Handbells
The Call    For Julia, In the Deep Water
The instructor we hire
because she does not love you
Leads you into the deep water,
The deep end
Where the water is darker—
Her open, encouraging arms
That never get nearer
Are merciless for your sake.
You will dream this water always
Where nothing draws nearer,
Wasting your valuable breath
You will scream for your mother—
Only your mother is drowning
Forever in the thin air
Down at the deep end.
She is doing nothing,
She never did anything harder.
And I am beside her.
I am beside her in this imagination.
We are waiting
Where the water is darker.
You are over your head,
Screaming, you are learning
Your way toward us,
You are learning how
In the helpless water
It is with our skill
We live in what kills us.
—John N. Morris
¨  Hymn #173 Black  You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore Pescador de Hombres
¨  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

Anthem Keep Your Lamps! Andre Thomas
Union Church Choir
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning, the time is drawing nigh. Children, don’t get weary ‘til your work is done. Christian, journey soon be over, the time is drawing nigh.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson Isaiah 6:1-8 (p. 814)
This is the striking account of the call of Isaiah to be a prophet, a call that comes to Isaiah while he is at worship in the temple.
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 Children’s Church in Cowan Chapel. They are also welcome to stay in the service if they prefer. The Children’s Worship Center in the back of the sanctuary has toys, books, and drawing materials for children (or parents) 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  Luke 5:1-11 (p. 1233)
After a night of fishing failure, Jesus bids the disciples to cast their nets on the other side of the boat and there is a miraculous catch of fish.
Sermon On Hooking Fish 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.
Prayer in Action and Reflections
Space is provided  here for you to write notes, to reflect, or draw responses to questions or ideas that occur to you during the sermon, or holy questions of your own. 
Reflect on the feelings that arise when you give Love… When Love is given to you…
Do  you ever feel “unclean” or unworthy, as Isaiah did when he saw the court of God? What has helped you feel loved, worthy, and capable?
What does it mean to you to “launch out into the deep?” Where in your life are you clinging to shallow, perhaps safer, waters?
Offering baskets are placed in the aisle, and can also be brought to your seat.
Restoration Station: You are invited to come to the table in the piano corner to pray, standing or kneeling. You may confess or release that which is burdensome and painful. You may also pray with someone else if you wish
Choose a new “Love Is…” heart for this week. As you hold it, consider how God is putting this word within you. Over the weeks, decide whether to keep each heart, share it, make something out of it, give it away…
In the back corner, our Community Sharing Table still and always needs food, warm hats, etc. Right now, we are asking for old glasses to donate to Lions Club International to help those in need.
Children’s Fire: There are supplies for making Valentines in the children’s corner. Anyone, especially children, can make and decorate one or more Valentines, for giving away or for posting on the line at the back.
Some suggested prayer direction and today’s Call are printed in the bulletin on page 6 and the the prayer direction is also 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.
Our 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.
Many friends give online, and you can use your smart phone or computer and go to www.easytithe.com/union. You don’t have to register to make a contribution, but if you do, it can make future generosity that much easier. You can even give by text! Text to 859-448-3403 (Example: Text “$50.00 Offering)
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
As we draw back to our seats, you are invited to join in singing:
Holy Spirit, Come to Us Taize

From Here to There

Introduction and Invitation to Membership
Union Church is a vital and growing family of faith, a home to those committed to the way of Christ’s sacrificial love and service. All who feel led to join will be received in joy, and are welcome to come forward during the Closing Hymn. Thanks be to God for these ministers among us.
¨  Hymn #61 Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost Anderson
¨  Questions of the Congregation and New Members
¨  Covenant of Welcome
And we, the members of this church, renewing our own covenant to God and to each other, do now heartily welcome you to our fellowship, promising to watch over you in love, and praying that  you, and we, may be true witnesses for Christ, a light in the world, and continue to increase in usefulness and joy in his service.
The Sending and Blessing
Postlude (please be seated) In the Garden arr. Mark Hayes
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 Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and our brothers and sisters at Big Hill Pentecostal Holiness Church in 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.
¨ Children in detention centers, that they may be reunited with their families soon. 15,000 are now detained in the US.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound:  Edith Hansen, Nancy Hindman, Loyal Jones, Mary Miller, Alva Peloquin.
¨ Andrea Wescott, recovering from surgery.
¨ Those who are without homes and safe places.
¨ Gabe Barlow, awaiting tests and results for cancer in Seoul, South Korea.
¨ Barb Smith, recovering from brain surgery.
¨ George Mountjoy, recovering from knee replacement surgery at the VA Hospital.
¨ Teri VanPelt, recovering from knee replacement surgery.
¨ Tonya, Judith Singleton’s daughter-in-law, and Stephanie, her daughter, both suffering serious health challenges.
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.

Union Church

Congregational Family Conversations postponed. Our Strategic Planning Team needs more time to distill input and make plans!
Today: new members welcomed! As a family of faith committed to boldly and creatively embodying the life and ministry of Jesus, we would like to join with YOU. We’d like to be a context and inspiration for your own spiritual path, and work with you to make your heart, your world, your life more peace-filled and joy-full. Every second Sunday of a month Sunday there will be an opportunity to covenant together. No prior action on your part is required, but if you have any questions at all, we’d like to help. Working together, we want to make God’s love visible and real to all.
Union Church’s Annual Meeting will be March 10, after worship and lunch. We will vote upon acceptance of the Annual Report and conduct other business of the church. Board & Officer reports are due in the office February 24.
Do you like snacks? Do you like helping your friends enjoy snacks? If so, you’re in luck. We are looking for two more people to join the Sunday Morning Hospitality Team to set up / clean up the coffee and treats in the parlor. There are openings the first and third Sunday of the month. It would be a great opportunity for a family to serve together — snacks are fun! Contact Laura Nagle for more information. (Call or text: 859-358-0106 or joyfulsunflower@gmail.com)
Worship is work we do together! You Can Help! If you can read, or carry, or welcome you are helping! If you have suggestions for names we might light the Justice Candle for, you are a gift! If you can help straighten the pews and hymnals after service, or share the names of those who need prayer, or sing with joy, you are lifting our work together to a new level. Sharing on facebook or twitter might be a good way to bring someone a little inspiration! To volunteer, or submit names for prayer or justice work, please call the office or email Rev. Kent. You can also submit these on the church website, a great place to stay connected.

Every Week—you’re invited!

Zen Meditation every weekday, 8:00 am. Join us for 20 minutes of unstructured quiet meditation in beautiful Cowan Chapel, on the Scaffold Cane Road side of the church.
Mondays at 6:30 pm, Cowan Chapel. David Parks will offer Zen teaching: Meditation, Koans, Conversation, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Cowan Chapel.
Come to Wednesday Nite Live (WNL)! The Union Church community gathers for a simple supper at 5:45 pm, September through May, in the Community Room (basement level, handicap accessible by ramp near the playground).  After a few announcements, recognition of birthdays and prayer, it’s supper time! No need to call ahead – you, your friends, neighbors, college students, visitors to Berea, are welcome to come for food and fellowship – whether once, once in a while, or every week. After supper:
· Youth Group (grades 6-12), 6:30 pm. Want to know more? Contact Chris McKenzie, Youth Director at mckenziec@berea.edu.
· Handbell Choir rehearsal, 7 pm. Want to know more? Contact Pearl Marshall, Handbell Director at pmarshall@union-church.org.
Occasional presentations & discussions around mission work and hot topics. Watch bulletins and email announcements for info.
Thursday Noon Bible Study. Meet with Rev. Carla in the Classroom at noon to reflect upon the Scripture for the week and issues of the day.
Thursdays — our Music Director, Bernardo Scarambone, will teach a very basic music reading class right before choir (5:45 pm). Everyone is welcome to join them — no pressure to stay for choir – but you’d be welcome!
Union Church is participating in Room in the Inn! Union Church will participate as one of the “Inns” every Sunday night until the end of the season (likely March 10) and we are looking for volunteers who can help. Whether it’s just once, once a month or once a week, we can use your help.  Call Joan Moore 859-302-5582 if you can help with laundry and other tasks or Mary Lou Wiese 260-571-4959 for food and meals.

Around Town and Notes & Notices

Feb. 23 – Stepping Out for Art, fundraiser for the Berea Arts Council. Come to an elegant evening when local artists, Arts Council members, and guests will gather to raise funds to support Berea Arts Council operations and programs. This year the theme will honor spring in Japan with “Cherry Blossom Time.”  Food, music, and cash bar, at Churchill’s. Rev. Kent will be the auctioneer.
For dinner tickets, contact the Arts Council at 859-985-9317.
How to Choose & Use the Right Assistance Equipment. Feb. 26, 6 pm at First Christian Church. Berea Home Village invites you to learn how to choose the right device for your situation (wheelchairs, walkers, braces, etc.)  Presented by Ernestine Brashear, Physical Therapist. Open to all, no charge.
The Census Bureau is hiring now and up to the 2020 Census. You must be 18 years old or older, a US citizen, have transportation, an email address, internet access to apply (you can use a computer here). Pay is $14 an hour + 58 cents a mile driven for the job. Part time, flexible hours. Paid training for 3-5 days.  2020census.gov/job
Kentucky Council of Churches Prayer in Action Days
9:30 a.m. in the Capital Annex. The Kentucky Council of Churches will host a 9:30 a.m. gathering at the Capitol Annex in Room 171 on the following Tuesdays during the General Assembly to pray for legislators and hear about an issue of concern. Afterwards, participants may attend committee meetings and visit legislators. Topics are:
Feb. 12: Criminal Justice Reform. We will be praying for and discussing Criminal Justice. Please join us for a wonderful hour of prayer, hope and love!
You can watch live prayers in action events at the Kentucky Council of Churches Facebook page, and find out more on the KCC website www.Kycouncil ofchurches.org. To express your concerns to elected representatives, committees or officials call 800-372-7181.
Upcoming topics:
· Feb. 19: Voting Rights
· Feb. 26: Gun Violence
· March 5: Death Penalty
· March 12: Environment

Music Events at Union Church!

Feb. 15 – Everyone is invited to the SongFarmer Gathering in the Community Room and Cowan Chapel.  A community supper will begin at 5:30 in in the Community Room.  Sign up to perform by 6:00 pm, music in Cowan Chapel.  A “SongFarmer” is any musician, songwriter and fan who use their music to make their families, hometown and lives better. Everyone is welcome—no charge.
Feb. 23 – The African American Traditional Music Workshop and Symposium (hosted by the Berea College Black Music Ensemble) will be held at Union Church beginning at 12 pm. The half day events will include a community choral (spirituals and gospel song) music workshop—inviting all to sing and to learn African American traditional sacred music. We will engage with the song history, and the role of African American traditional music our world today.  The day will conclude with a 7:00 pm symposium talk (also free and open to the public) by our guest clinician, Dr. Raynetta Wiggins, ’08 alum of Berea College, and a gospel choir performance. Complete schedule coming soon. All welcome – no charge.
March 3 – This & That: A Concert of Anything but “Church Music” The ringers of Union Church Handbell Ensemble will present a mini-concert comprised of pieces that would not likely find a place in a typical worship service.  Please join us Sunday, March 3 at 2 pm in the sanctuary for a variety of fun and funny handbell music.