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

Fourth Sunday of Easter April 26, 2015, 10:30 am

Meditation
Now, God be praised, that to believing souls
Gives light in darkness, comfort in despair!…
Poor soul, God’s goodness hath been great to thee:
Let never day nor night unhallow’d pass,…

— William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part II

From there to here

Prelude     Prelude in Classic Style           G. Young
*  Call to Worship 
One:     Come, walk in green pastures.
All:      We follow the Shepherd.
One:     Come, lie down by still waters.
All:      We trust the Shepherd.
One:     Come, dine at the table of abundance.
All:      We are fed by the Shepherd.
One:     Come, dwell in God’s house.
All:      We shall live in the Shepherd’s care.
One:     Come, let us worship in song and jubilation!

adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2012

*  Hymn #252 Black           Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us        Bradbury
*  Affirmation of Faith
One:     So many voices call us in the wilderness, O God. So many hired hands seeking to get anyone they can. It’s all about numbers. They don’t know our names.  They only know our dollar value.
But You, O God, You know our names; You call us in bright daylight and deepest night.  You are our Good Shepherd.
May we be reminded of this today, as we recite the old language of our ancestors, taught to us and ingrained deep in our hearts, that we may remember again of your love:
All:      The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Amen.
*   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.

The Word in our Midst

Anthem    With a Voice of Singing           M. Shaw
Union Church Choir
With a voice of singing declare ye this, and let it be heard, Alleluia. Utter it even unto the ends of the earth. The Lord hath delivered his people. O be joyful in God, all ye lands, O sing praises to the honor of His name, make His praise to be glorious.
Epistle Lesson                     1 John 3:16-24
 
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 Children’s Moment, children grades K-3 are invited to Children’s Church, which takes place in the chapel.  If this is your child’s first time attending Children’s Church, please accompany them to fill out a registration form.  Otherwise, children are welcome to follow volunteers to their worship spaces. For children preschool & under, care is available in the Nursery, downstairs off the Community Room. Please pick up your children in the Chapel after the service.
Gospel Lesson                      John  10:11-18
Sermon     Into the Fold           Rev. Rachel Small Stokes

Gifts given for Love to flow

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.) If you give online, please place an Eastertide offering card from the red pew folder into the offering plate.
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
Offertory              Abide with Me arr. Harold DeCou
*  Doxology  Praise God from whom all blessings flow;    Old Hundredth
                  Praise God all creatures here below;
                  Praise God above, ye heavenly host:
                  Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.  

Praying it Forward

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.
Silent Prayers and Prayers of the Community
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

*  Closing Hymn #388 Black          Help Us Accept Each Other    Aurelia
*  Benediction & Sending Forth
Postlude (please be seated)         Fanfare in D Major     J. Lemmens
_____________________________
*   Those who wish to  may stand
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 Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan and our brothers and sisters at Wallaceton Baptist Church in your hearts, and pray for them.
Please also hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week:
* Those in harm’s way in service of our country, and those who wait and worry for them.
* For the victims of violence everywhere, and especially under the influence of racial prejudice and simmering fear. Peace to those everywhere our madness reigns.
* Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound:  Edith Hansen, Nancy Jones, Mary Miller, Averill Kilbourne, Alva Peloquin, Ruth Butwell
* Kelly Mehler
* Mary K. Kauffman
* Michelle Tooley
* Ed Doty, Patty Boyce’s brother, as he continues treatment for bladder cancer.
* Elicia Holly, mother of Jessica Holly, who fell and broke both legs.
* Leslie Small Stokes’ grandmother, Dorothy Southard, who broke a hip
* Our Confirmation Class members and their mentors
* Dodie Murphy, recovering from knee surgery at Tanbark Rehabilitation in Lexington.
* All of our students in high school, college and seminaries who are preparing for finals: May God sharpen their minds and give them perseverance!
* Naomi Schulz, entering the last month of her seminary degree at Pacific School of Religion. Next week she will meet with a congregation as they together discern if God is calling her to become their new pastor!
 
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.
Rev. Kent is away with the confirmation class on their last retreat at Pine Mountain. Confirmation Sunday will be May 24, on Pentecost.
Learn more about the church today. If you’re thinking about joining, but have some questions, come to a new membership info session! Anyone wanting to know more about Union Church or wanting to explore church membership, as well as new members who have not been able to participate in a previous meeting, are invited to come to the classroom two doors past the church office immediately following worship for conversation with the Pastors and the Community Life and Growth Board. New members are received every second Sunday of a month—next opportunity is May 10.    
Berea Classic Chorale Concert today, 2:30 pm, sanctuary! “In Celebration of the Earth” Honoring the 45th anniversary of Earth Day and featuring contemporary choral music set to the poetry of cummings, Frost, Rossetti and Beston. Also music by Bach, Haydn and Rutter. $5
Phone left at Healing Arts Retreat. If you think it’s yours, come by the office.
 
Broken Angel needs soldering or welding: Can you help? One of our sculptures, an iron and steel angel, has lost its halo. It needs a simple solder or weld job. If you have these skills or would like to adopt this project please contact Rev. Kent at kgilbert@union-church.org. Thanks!
Union Church mugs are in!  At long last, we have a batch of mugs by Turning Wheel Pottery with the Union Church logo on them.  They are in the church office and can be picked up during our normal office hours, 8am-12pm, 1pm-5pm, Monday through Friday, or after church.  If you pre-ordered, please mark off on the clipboard that you have picked up your order, and pay for them if you did not already do so.
Personal Ecology classes continue through May 20. This  week: April 29:  Connecting Dimensions through Meaning:  Learn how to assess blocks in your creative process, and how to create the kind of energy needed to move through them.  6:30-8:30 in the Office Level Classroom. Personal Ecology is a model of wellbeing based on Fritjof Capra’s deep ecology web of life, and is focused on wellbeing across all dimensions of human experience, from physical to spiritual.
Fee:  $10 per session.  Fees will help defray cost, including space and utilities.  Please contact Pat at 859-985-9599 or pgailey@jppgailey.net for registration.
Lectures on Religion coming up: Two Franklin B. Moosnick Lectureship in Judaic Studies are scheduled in Lexington, open to all, no charge. Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, will present ““Scholar-ship and Ethics: How do Jews and Christians Connect?”  on April 28 at 7 p.m. in Carrick Theater at Transylvania University and, on April 29, 7 pm, “The Life and Legacy of Abraham Joshua Heschel: Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity”  at the Ohavay Zion Synagogue.
Fair Housing Training April 29, Madison County Public Library, Berea, 1-3pm. If you are a real estate licensee, landlord, social service provider, housing authority employee, government employee or simply interested in the subject, you are welcome. No charge. Call 502-566-9955 or email juan.pena@ky.gov. See the poster on the back bulletin board for details.
Village to Village: On Thursday, April 30 from 3-5pm in the Community Room of the Berea Public Library interested persons are invited to attend a follow-up meeting to further consider the potential for establishing an organization that will help give residents of the Berea area the practical means and confidence to enjoy life to the fullest while continuing to live in their own homes.
The meeting will be facilitated by Carla Baumann, RN and other persons who have been discussing this concept. Organizations of this type have been established in some 120 communities and supported by the “Village to Village” network. See: http://www.vtvnetwork.org
Electronic Newsletter coming in June  May’s can be your last paper newsletter! If you would like to continue receiving a paper newsletter, please let us know by May 20, either by calling or emailing the office. Thanks.
Otherwise you’ll receive a link in your email inbox on June 1!  If you get the Monday emails from church already, we have your correct email address. If not,  let us know. Making fewer paper copies will, of course, save money on postage, paper and labels—but also wear & tear on the copier and the staff.
Joan English, Office Administrator, will be away Mother’s Day weekend at a family wedding. Can you help staff the office May 7 & 8, 11 & 12?  Mornings, 9-12, afternoons, 1-4, full days—you pick. There will be some phone answering, maybe some bulletin folding, some fellowship with Murphy the Wonder Beagle… let us know. Thanks!
 

Save-the-Dates!

    May 13 Last WNL of the season
    May 17 Family Faith Day: Down on the Farm, 3-5 pm.
May 23 Art Fair
June 14-17 Vacation Bible School, 5:30—8 pm nightly
June 20  Burger Bash
July 31-August 2 Church-wide Intergenerational Camping Trip
August 29 Union Church BAZAAR!