The Installation of The Rev. Rachel Small Stokes as Associate Pastor of Church of Christ, Union

August 18, 2013           3:30pm

 
Gathering to Worship
Prelude     Fanfare and Chorale on Abbott’s Leigh      Robert Hobby

          Lord, you give the great commission: “Heal the sick and preach the word…”

With the Spirit’s gifts empower us for the work of ministry.

Welcome               Rev. Kent Gilbert
* Processional         Uyai Mose   Traditional

Please rise and sing as the Procession reaches your pew

* Prayer of Invocation                  Rev. Dr. Ed McCurley
*  Opening Hymn #306 Black        The Church of Christ in Every Age    Wareham
Keith Viveiros, trumpet
* Passing the Peace of Christ            

 Service of Covenant and Installation

An Installation is a three-way covenant among a denominational body, a church, and a pastor.  Representing the United Church of Christ are Rev. Dr. Stephanie Weiner, Sharon Crosby and Rev. Jim Harper, III.  Representing The Church of Christ, Union, are our moderator Merlin Kindel, chair of the Search Committee Mary Nash, and Rev. Kent Gilbert.
Introduction                                                                   
Presentation and Witness                      
Words of Covenant  
One:    Seeing that you are called to ordained ministry by the grace of God and that Union Church has been led to call you as pastor, are you willing to enter this covenant with its members who are one in Christ with us?
Pastor:    I am willing, with the help of God, and I promise to serve this church faithfully, administering the sacraments and fulfilling the pastoral office. I promise to labor with the members, friends, and community of  Union Church in the ministry of the Gospel, and to give this congregation due honor and support.
One:  Members of the Kentuckiana Association and other clergy present, will you rise and affirm your covenant with Rachel and your willingness to support her in her calling?
Clergy:         We, fellow clergy and laborers in Christ’s vineyard, affirm Rachel’s  ministry at the Church of Christ, Union, and covenant to support her in  our mutual ministry in Christ’s name.
One:   Members of Union Church, would you rise in body and in spirit to affirm your covenant with your pastor?
Members:     We, the members of the Church of Christ, Union, receive Rachel Small  Stokes as our pastor, promising to work with her in the ministry of theGospel and to give her due honor and support, with the help of God.
One:  All present are invited to rise in body and spirit to affirm our kinship in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
All:  We gather with the Church Universal as a sign of our mutual ministry in  Christ’s name.  In our common service, may God stir up the gifts of grace   and joy in all hearts, and sustain us each in our labors of love.
Prayer of Installation and Acclamation             Rev. Wyndee Holbrook
During this prayer, all will be invited to bless the covenant by the laying on of hands.  Representatives of Union Church and the pastors will form an inner ring.  Guests and participants are then invited to come forward and place a hand on someone whose hand is on someone in the circle, forming a great circle of love and support. You may also reach forward symbolically from your pew.
A Reading From the Epistles      Ephesians 4:4-6, 11-16           Leslie Small Stokes
Charge to the Pastor                  Chris and Grace McKenzie
Charge to the Congregation                   Rev. Wayne Shannon
Exchange of Gifts and Symbols             
Special Greetings                        President of Berea College, Dr. Lyle Roelofs, Berea College Campus Christian Center, Berea Ministerial Association

Offering Our Gifts

The offering to day will be divided among three groups: The Union Church College Fellowship, the Berea Faith Community Outreach (providing food and financial assistance to the Berea Community), and the Divine Merchant Ship Women Alliance Cooperative Society (a training and micro-loan organization for women in Nigeria that is supported by the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the UCC).  May our joy increase!
Offertory                                   How Can I Keep From Singing (Endless Song)    Robert Lowry
Al & Alice White, Ruth Smith
*  Doxology             Avery/Marsh

Responding to God’s Love in Communion

* Invitation to Communion                       Rev. Rachel Small Stokes
One:     The Lord is with You!
All:    And also with you!
One:     Rejoice! Be at peace! Raise your spirits!
All:    Heart and Soul we lift to God!
One:     We celebrate the presence of the living God.
All:    With thanks and praise we welcome the God of life.
(The Congregation may be seated)
Communion Prayer (continues until…)
One:     …we commit ourselves to work and fellowship that makes the radical and inclusive love of God, the beloved community proclaimed by Jesus, and the continuing inspiration of the Holy Spirit visible and real to all.
Communion Sanctus                     Please Join in Singing
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.
Words of Institution     
One:     Let us together remember the vision of God’s reign shown to us in Jesus at table:
All:    He shared food with followers and friends, he shared with saints and sinners.   He ate with crowds of thousands on the hillside,  and sat to drink with solitary women at wells.    Both puffed up intellectuals and downtrodden prostitutes   were his companions at dinner.  To the old and to the children he came;    to the sick and to the suffering he offered his embrace.
One:     In these acts, the unbounded hospitality and passionate worship of a loving God are offered to us.  Risks taken for the sake of greater love provoke our deepening faith, challenging and changing how   we care for one another and setting before us extravagant generosity as our guide and goal.
One:     We remember that on a night of desertion and betrayal, he gathered with friends in an upper room,   and taking a loaf of bread, he blessed it, and broke it, giving it to them saying:
All:    “Take. Eat. This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
One:     After this he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he passed it among them, saying:
All:    “Drink this, all of you, for this is my life’s blood poured out in a new covenant for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
One:     Through this bread and this cup, Jesus lives within us.
All:    In word and in deed, the life and ministry of Jesus is embodied in us all.
One:     Come Holy Spirit, great God of love: send your spirit upon us and what we do here, that we and these gifts touched by your spirit may be signs of life and love to each other and to all the world. Amen.
Serving of the Bread and Cup    Peace Medley arr. Frank Voltz
Marni Stokes, harp
All who seek the love of God are welcome at this table and are invited to freely receive from it.  The bread has been baked and offered by Leslie Small Stokes, Rachel’s wife, and is gluten free. All cups contain grape juice.  We will share the elements today by intinction, dipping the bread in the cup. 
On the Main Floor:    When invited, please come to either of the two stations near your section by exiting    your pew to the left and returning by the right.
In the Balcony:      After the choir has been served, please meet the servers at either station on each side of the balcony.
If it is not convenient to come forward for you or someone you are with, simply signal the servers and the         elements can be brought to your seat.
Prayer of Thanksgiving   
One:     …God of all Covenants and Calls, we give you thanks for Rachel, our pastor called by you, and for our Moderator, Council, Search Committee and all who share in the ministry of this place of faith. Woven together in a feast throughout time, you are calling and empowering us to proclaim “Good News!” by our promises. For ourselves and for all those who are seeking and serving the love of God, thank you for bringing us together in holy service.
All:    Deepen and quicken us, Lord! Lead us from life to life, blessing to blessing, now and ever more, Amen!

Walking Forward in Faith

* Closing Hymn #391 Black          In the Midst of New Dimensions        New Dimensions
*  Benediction                     Rev. Rachel Small Stokes
Recessional and Postlude            Paean John Marsh
Please allow the participants and visiting clergy to recess past your pew, then feel free to tour the building. You will find hors d’oeuvres in rooms throughout our newly renovated facility. A bell will sound to regather us in the Community Room for brief presentions and home-made desserts. Our thanks to Main Street Café for superb  catering, and to our Union Church bakers for their generous contributions!

Participants in Today’s Service

Al, Alice, and Ruth are Al and Alice White and Ruth McClain Smith, Grammy-winning musicians who are also Union Church members and Rev. Rachel’s neighbors.  They bring music that touches souls everywhere they go.
Larry Brandenburg has been Union Church’s Director of Music Ministries since 2011.  Directing choral, bell, and instrumental musical offerings, Larry’s talent and skill enliven our church services weekly.
Sharon Crosby is a retired teacher, peace and justice advocate, and Chair of the Committee on Ministry of the Kentuckiana Association of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ.
The Rev. Kent Gilbert has been the Lead Pastor of The Church of Christ, Union (Union Church) since 1997.  His great vision for the church, generosity of spirit, and sharp wit have quickly made him a beloved colleague and friend to Rev. Rachel.
The Rev. Jim Harper, III is the Senior Pastor of St. Stephen United Church of Christ in Louisville, KY, and is the Moderator of the Kentuckiana Association of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the UCC.
The Rev. Wyndee Holbrook is the Lead Catalyst and Director of Programs at the Academy of Preachers.  She was previously the Director of Faith Development at Union Church, and continues to inspire and advise Rev. Rachel on matters ranging from curricula to fashion.
The Rev. Dr. Ed McCurley is the pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Berea, which was also founded by Rev. John G. Fee, the founder of Union Church.  He is also a member of the Berea Ministerial Association and a fun and inspiring contributor to the weekly pastors’ lectionary study.
Christopher and Grace McKenzie are the Youth Directors at Union Church, world-changers, and dear friends of Rev. Rachel.
Anna Kate McWhorter is the Director of Children’s Church at Union Church, and is a Berea College student, fabulous inspiration, and future (and current) minister to the world.
The Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen is pastor of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ in Jeffersonville, IN and recent recipient of a Red Cross Humanitarian Award for her work after tornadoes hit her area last year.  She is a dear friend and colleague to Rev. Rachel, and all-around rabble-rouser for justice and love.
Mary Nash was the chair of the Search Committee that brought Rev. Rachel to us; she is a longtime member of the church and an amazing artist in the community.
Dr. Lyle Roelofs is the Ninth President of Berea College, an avid runner and a wonderful sport.
The Rev. Wayne Shannon is Interim Pastor of St. John United Church of Christ in Louisville, KY.  He is also the source of great entertainment and fellowship at pastoral gatherings.
Leslie Small Stokes is a candidate for Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education in Berea and a great cook.  She is also Rev. Rachel’s smart, beautiful, and very fun wife.
Marni Stokes is Rev. Rachel’s interesting and creative niece, and a national competitor in harp music.
Keith Viveiros is one of Union Church’s newest members and a fantastic trumpeter.
The Rev. Dr. Stephanie Weiner is the Associate Conference Minister of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ, and is an advocate of community organizing, grace, and peace.