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

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

February 9, 2020          10:30 am

 
Meditation
“We will not be free until we’ve all been redeemed from unredemptive anger.”  —Ruby Sales

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 Wayfaring Stranger arr. Calvin Taylor
The Call “We Will Walk Down Singing”    Steven Charleston
The Greeks had a myth about a man condemned to roll a great stone up a hill, only to see it roll back down again every time. Sound familiar? Many of us have the feeling that we are starting all over again when it comes to building a just community.
As a survivor of the turbulent ‘60s I can verify that. We thought we were close then, but the stone has rolled a long way back since.
So in many ways it is true: we are always reinventing the justice movement. Seen in the light of myth, that makes our efforts seem futile. Seen in a sacred light, however, it means we will walk back down the hill to start over, but we will walk down singing.
 ¨  Hymn #181 Black  You Are Salt of the Earth, O People Bring Forth
¨  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 Praise the Lord Mozart, arr. Hal Hopson
Union Church Choir
Praise the Lord, sing a new song. Tell God’s salvation, tell it day to day, shout the glory, shout it to all. Let the heavens be joyful, earth be glad; let the roaring sea give forth its praise; field and mountain join the song. All together sound the joyful praise.
Gospel Lesson Matthew 5:13-20 (p. 1143)
Jesus continues his sermon on the mount by urging his followers to be salt and light for the world by obeying all of his commandments.
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.
Hebrew Scripture Lesson Isaiah 58:1-12 (p. 874)
Sermon   The Fast I Choose is the Salt I Bring  Rev. Kent Gilbert
Isaiah becomes an instrument of God’s truth-telling as he announces to rebellious Israel the depth of their sin in this stirring call for national repentance. The call to repentance ends with the announcement of divine mercy for the penitent.

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.
A Chance for Generosity: Offering Baskets in the Aisles
Offering baskets are placed in the aisle, and can also be brought to your seat. 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 portion of our contributions flows out to aid 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!
Acts of Reflection and Prayer
Some resources for reflection and prayer are provided.  You are free to use  – or ignore –  these prompts as you find helpful. In whatever prayer manner you adopt, please hold the concerns of those listed, and those you know about, in God’s peace-giving light.
Salt and Light: Jesus both affirms us and challenges us by saying that God has made us Salt and Light.
As you pray, breathe deeply and think about the ways you are giving off light: to whom, for what, when?  Without judgment, think now of the ways your light is hindered. What does this suggest for your prayers? What do you need and where does it hurt?
  “The Fast That I Choose”God is pretty clear in Isaiah: fasting for form’s sake is not  helping. Which causes us to ask, “ what I am doing that isn’t helping?” What  do you actually need to give up (fast from). What is pricking your soul that you need to take up?
Justice & Service Corner: (Rear, Bell Side) Here you are invited to offer gifts to those in need, particularly food for our food bank. Here, too, are ways you can put your faith into action. Use your voice to advocate for those in need, to create a more just and joyful community, and to use resources of body and soul to heal God’s world.
Bell Table (Front Right):  Scripture reminds us that each and everyone of us contributes to the making of the “kin-dom” and that it must be made, remade, and made again: there is no static “one and done.” We all have to lay the stones for peace to come. Here, add your stone to the cairn. Lift the stones that roll down and as you do, extrapolate how you might extend this figurative act to a way of living.
Prayer Corner (Front Left): God challenges the people about their religious practice. Are you fasting from the right things for the right reason? What is God calling for? What help do you need to get there? Offer your prayer of salt and light here and be held in the palm of God’s hand.
Children’s Corner (Rear Corner, Piano Side): Children and their families are salt and light to us! We love that you are here! Find some paper and draw a picture of what tastes good to you. Draw a picture of something that makes you think of light, too. You are as delightful to God as your favorite food is to you. You are as bright a light to God as the source of it you drew. Keep your picture so you don’t forget!
As We Draw Back to Our Seats, Please sing when invited: 
We shall overcome, we shall overcome, We shall overcome some day
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome some day.
Pastoral Prayer and 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 For Everyone Born (opposite) Shirley Erena Murray
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 when invited. Thanks be to God for these ministers among us.
¨  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.
Postlude (please be seated) Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel? arr. D. Edwards & S. Barton Pearl Marshall, handbells
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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.
¨ Families and Friends in Crises…may God be present to every need and heal every rift and wound.
¨ For 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: Alva Peloquin, Edith Hansen, Joyce Henderson, Nancy Hindman, Loyal Jones, Jennie Kiteck, Mary Miller, Lois Morgan, Tom Warth.
¨ For Room in the Inn, Berea’s cooperative housing effort. Union Church will host tonight.
¨ George Mountjoy.
¨ Barb Smith, recovering from surgery at Berea Health Care Center.
¨ Dennis Jacobs, recovering from successful kidney surgery.
¨ Bob Boyce, recovering from shoulder replacement surgery.
The Justice Candle: Today we light the justice candle for Ruby Sales (b.1948) who is a grassroots activist and eloquent public theologian whose current work focuses on the fight against racist state-sanctioned violence and for the protection and defense of African American youth. She is a veteran of the southern freedom movement where she organized with SNCC in her native Alabama.
In the course of her work, Sales witnessed the brutal shotgun murder of her friend and fellow movement worker, the Rev. Jonathan Daniels, a white Episcopalian seminary student. Sales graduated from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is founder and director of Spirit House, a center for community transformation in Atlanta, GA.
Announcements

At Union Church:

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. Next Sunday, and every second Sunday of the month, 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.
Tuesday, February 11 – Union Church Day at the Legislature.  Join Rev. Kent, and the Mission and Service Board, for a chance to Learn, Pray, and Act with our faith. We’ll join with the Kentucky Council of Churches “Prayer in Action” day opposing gun violence, then have a chance to meet with Madison County lawmakers. Our youth group will also be joining us. We will return to Berea mid-afternoon. Come learn about and participate in the conversations that affect millions!
Let’s carpool, meet at church at 8:00 am  for a leave time of 8:15. The church’s parking spots are the strip along the building & past the playground all the way to the dumpster. The middle of the lot needs to remain empty for construction vehicles & equipment. Pop into the office to fill your coffee mug, and hit the restroom if you like.
Movie night February 15!  5:00 Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and 6:45 My Fair Lady
Children’s Church seeks teachers for the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers commit to leading activities one Sunday per month during the school year.  Interested folks should contact Laura Nagle.
Union Church’s Annual Meeting will be March 15, 2020. Board chairs Annual Reports are due in the office February 26 and we plan to have them available at worship on March 8. Thank you! If you need copies of previous years’ reports for reference, I can them send to you. Joan English, Office Admin. PLUS if you have any photos of church life in 2019, send ‘em along. We’d love to include them.

Around Town:

Alzheimer’s Support Groups in February: all at the Madison County Extension Office, 230 Duncannon Lane , Richmond. Call to register: 1-800-272-3900, all from 10-1.
· Early Stages Feb. 14
· Middle Stages Feb. 21
· Late Stages Feb. 28
“New Visions” exhibit at Hutchins Library. Dr. Valeria Watkins will present her solo exhibit during the month of February. The exhibit of abstract art, in celebration of Black History Month, can be viewed in the main floor of Hutchins Library.
Second Work Day in Pineville, KY, Feb. 20, project of ACEky. Sponsored by our Mission & Service Board. We have been invited back to help with the on-going renovation of the new Pineville Youth and Outreach Center (previously a Presbyterian Church), a teen-and-community meeting place with after-school homework help available, as well as evening and week-end events. Tasks may include wall paper stripping, painting, carpet removal, etc.  Depart: 8:00 a.m. from Union Church parking lot; back in Berea by 5:00 p.m. Bring lunch and water or, as the location is right downtown, you can buy lunch close by.  Please call/text Betty Hibler: 859-940-8735 with questions or to confirm. Thanks from the M&S Bd.
Free tickets available for Woodsongs live radio show at the Lyric Theater in Lexington. The show is taped live on Monday nights, and you have to be seated no later than 6:45 pm. The show runs till approx. 8:15 pm. Dates available through the spring and summer. Contact Sune Frederiksen for availability, 859-248-0690.
Host families needed  for Danish students March 22-26. 23 boarding school students from Skals Efterskole in Mid-Jutland will visit Berea, including Berea College & Community School. They are 16-17 years old and speak English.  The tour leader is Peter Sloth, who worked with the Danish American Exchange Program at Berea College and the Folk Circle Ass’n around 2005-06. Contact Sune Frederiksen, 248-0690.
Victory Garden Blitz, April 3-4, 2020 Order your raised garden beds at:  sustainableberea.org/garden-blitz And contact Sustainable Berea to volunteer!Cell/Text – 859-893-4590
Office – 859-985-1689
Construction Update: It has begun… Traffic and parking will be affected for the span of demolishing and rebuilding Kettering dorm (a year +). Use extra caution, especially when pulling in and out of the parking lot. Please ONLY use the spots facing in to the building, along the fence row. The spots in the center of the lot will need to be left empty for moving large equipment (except Sundays).

Bills to Watch and Take Action On

Tell Your Legislators: House Bill 1 is Sweeping, Punitive and Expensive
HB 1 makes broad changes to the way we provide medical, food, and income assistance to our fellow Kentuckians with very low incomes. It aims to reduce the “benefits cliff” many low-income families experience when they begin earning too much to qualify for benefits, but not enough to cover the cost of basic necessities. Unfortunately, it misses the mark by adding in harsh penalties and lifetime bans to target a very small number of people suspected of committing fraud. It also attempts to promote financial independence by adding in more unnecessary red tape and reporting requirements for many adults, the majority of whom are already working in low-wage jobs, students, caregivers, retired, or living with a disability.
Bottom line: This bill creates numerous barriers to benefits that will hurt the vast majority of Kentucky families who are doing all the right things. Fewer Kentuckians would get the benefits they need to make ends meet, care for their families, and gain financial security. Many could even be banned from benefits for life.
 
Kentucky’s Benefit Programs are Already Designed to Ensure Eligibility and Combat Fraud.  Enrolling in benefits requires documentation to prove eligibility. Applicants must prove:

• Identification
• Citizenship
• Residence in Kentucky
• Household composition
• Current income and income changes
• Employment status
• Loss of employment and loss of income
• Certain benefits also require proof of bank account balances, home ownership, and vehicle ownership (or lack thereof)
• Recipients must re-verify some or all of this information at least annually

Kentuckians are already losing benefits due to penalties and red tape:

• Since May 2018, SNAP enrollment has decreased by over 105,000, largely due to the reinstatement of a work reporting requirement and other penalties for some adults.
• Since December 2017, Medicaid enrollment has decreased by more than 92,000, including nearly 23,000 kids. The most common reason for disenrollment is not lack of eligibility, but paperwork issues.
• Excessive call center wait times and shutdowns make it nearly impossible for people to resolve enrollment issues.
• Staff shortages mean caseworkers cannot sufficiently assist people and process documents in a timely manner, leading to unnecessary disenrollments and reapplications.

Kentucky already detects fraud in a number of ways, including:

• Alerts from state, federal, and other external data sources that detect discrepancies
• Individual participant data from the USDA used to investigate/shut down retailers
• Reports (including SNAP trafficking) to the Office of Inspector General’s Division of Audits and Investigations. Reports can be sent by a toll-free call at 800-372-2970, by email at chfs.fraud@ky.gov, or by mail. Reports can be made anonymously 24/7.
• Law enforcement officers who identify potential SNAP fraud during the course of other investigations.

Please take just a few minutes to leave a message for your State Representative. Let him/her know that you want them to oppose House Bill 1  by voting NO for it whenever it comes before them.
Tell Your Legislators: Please Support House Bill 237 
Rep. Chad McCoy, a Republican from Bardstown, has introduced House Bill 237. This legislation, when passed, will keep seriously mentally ill defendants from execution.
Sixteen state representatives from both major parties have already co-sponsored the bill and we hope to get as many as 40 signed on to the bill. We want to show that the legislation has strong bi-partisan support. That will only happen with your help.
Please take just a few minutes to leave a message for your State Representative. Let him/her know that you want them to support House Bill 237 by co-sponsoring the bill and by voting YES for it whenever it comes before them.
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The importance of your involvement and action cannot be emphasized enough. Legislators tell us all the time they don’t hear from constituents. Please call 1-800-372-7181 and let your State Representative know of your
Þ Opposition to HB1
Þ Support for House Bill 237.
This phone number is answered from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, except Friday when it stops earlier. It will make a difference — thank you!!