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

Trinity Sunday

June 16, 2019 10:30 am

Meditation
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.                   — St. Patrick’s “Breastplate” Prayer

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 To God Be the Glory Doane, arr. Berry
The Call   Thomas Merton
O blessed, silent one, who speaks everywhere!
We do not hear the soft voice, the gentle voice, the merciful and feminine. We do not hear mercy, or yielding love, or nonresistance, or non-reprisal.  In her there are no reasons and no answers. Yet she is the candor of God’s light, the expression of God’s simplicity.
All that is sweet in her tenderness will speak to you on all sides in everything, without ceasing, and you will never be the same again. You will have awakened not to conquest and dark pleasure but to the impeccable pure simplicity of One consciousness in all and through all: one Wisdom, one Child, one Meaning, one Sister.
The stars rejoice in their setting, and in the rising of the Sun. The heavenly lights rejoice in your going forth to make a new world in the morning, because you have come out of the confused primordial dark night into consciousness. You have expressed the clear silence of Sophia in your own heart. You have become eternal.
¨  Hymn #273 Black  Praise with Joy the World’s Creator Lauda Anima
¨  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

Handbell Anthem Bell Jubilee A.L. Page
Children’s Church Summer Handbell Ensemble
Lesson from the Psalms Psalm 8 (p. 651)
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 are welcome to return to their seats. 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 Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31 (p. 760)
The writer rhapsodizes on the eternal presence of wisdom, the first idea among the created order and one calling still for prudence and truth.
Sermon Turning by Threes 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.
Acts of Reflection and Prayer
Some resources for reflection 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.
What difference does it make to speak of wisdom as something of the heart rather than of the head?
How does wisdom call to you?
Proverbs portrays Lady Wisdom as a master worker helping to lay out creation. How do you participate in your own creation and that around you?
What wisdom might be gained in sitting still for twenty minutes and paying attention to our surroundings?
Prayer Corner Come and invite wisdom, in all her manifestations, into your life.  
Bell Corner Table As you approach the table, take hands with two other people. They can be people you know or people you don’t. Hold hands in that trio for a few moments, looking in each other’s eyes and pondering the strength and wisdom of three in one.  
Children’s Corner  Draw a picture of Lady Wisdom. How does God make you wise? Or color the knot and think about the strength of three people working together.
Community Sharing Table Leave gifts and blessings for those who need them. Learn more about ACEky: Arts Connect Eastern Kentucky. Ponder how your arts or other skills can help connect people.
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 good 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!
Please sing when invited:
Let there be Peace on Earth, and let it begin with me; let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God, our creator, children all are we. Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me; let this be the moment now. With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow: to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth and let  it begin with me.
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 #274 Black Womb of Life and Source of Being Ladue Chapel
¨  The Sending and Blessing
Postlude (please be seated) Immortal and Invisible Welsh Hymn, arr. Berry
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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 Malawi and Zambia and our brothers and sisters at the Pilot Knob Missionary Baptist 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: Edith Hansen, Nancy Hindman, Loyal Jones, Mary Miller, Alva Peloquin.
¨ For those who are without homes and safe places, that we may work together for solutions.
¨ Mary Lou Wiese’s brother, Dean Jacobs, having pain and seizures associated with new clinical trials.
¨ Tom Warth, recovering at home.
¨ Judy Rowell, recovering at home.
¨ The Drake family, at the death of Dick Drake last week. Arrangements pending.
¨ Hazel Morris, with health concerns.
¨ Travel mercies for the Sperling family, received online.
¨ For fathers who have been blessings to their children, and for all for whom “father” is a difficult word today.
Announcements
Welcome, Berea College alumni, families and friends! It’s a joy to worship together!
Thank you to Mary Lou Wiese for providing Lemonade on the Porch today!
Memory Keepers June 18, 7:30 pm, Wayside Room. Memory Keepers is a support group for those caring for loved ones with memory loss. They meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 pm in the Wayside Room. For more information or resources call Doug Hindman at 582-5806 or Carla Gilbert at 985-1144.
Concert, potluck supper June 19! The Charles Wesley Singers are performing a concert at 7 pm on June 19. Potluck supper at 5. Can you bring a potluck dish, esp. baked beans, coleslaw or potato salad? Some of our guests have severe nut allergies, so please label anything with nuts. Please bring food between 4:30 and 5. There are 60 choir members. Please call the office & tell us what you are bringing so we can fill in the gaps.
Celebrate Loyal Jones June 21! At this month’s end, Loyal is moving back to the North Carolina mountains where one of his daughters lives. So you’re invited to come for refreshments, tea, cupcakes, and good conversation as we celebrate Loyal and wish him farewell. Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, 4:00 – 5:00.
Learn more about the church next week! Come One, Come All! Each fourth Sunday of the month anyone wanting to know more about Union Church or wanting to explore church membership, are invited to come to the Classroom, past the office at the end of the hall, and join in conversation with the Community Life and Growth Board after worship.

June 30

Come to Worship, meet our Sabbatical Replacement Minister, Rev. Nate Craddock, and then join in a picnic at Rev. Kent and Diana’s after church to welcome Rev. Nate and family.
Arrive around 12:30 p.m., bring a dish to share, along with picnic plates,  utensils, and cups, lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on. Then stay around for Stream Clean-up at 2:30 p.m. or to continue visiting and/or to help with clean-up.
Grilled beef, veggie burgers and hot dogs, buns and condiments provided, along with drinks.
Footwear for Stream Clean-up: old sneakers, crocs, or waders, wear clothes you won’t mind getting wet. Garbage bags, gloves, and instructions will be provided. Bring a “grabber” if you have one.
Rain Location (hopefully not needed)! Community Room at the Church.
Coming Up: Half-day Chinese calligraphy retreat led by Donna Eder on July 6th from 9:00-12:00 in the Union Church classroom. Bring whatever supplies you can—there will be extras of everything we might need. We will spend some time on semi-cursive and cursive scripts as well as formal script. Contact Donna at: donnajeder@gmail.com or 859-868-1142 if you plan to attend. (No fee.)
Summer Music
Summer Choir and Hymns w/ Handbells starts June 23.

• Choir: No Robes – No Stairs – No Commitment! Rehearsal is 9:30 am Sundays in June & July. We’ll learn the anthem for the day and sing it at     the 10:30 service.
• Handbells: Meet at the handbell tables before service for guidance and a preview of the note chart. We’ll ring along with the hymn after the time of Reflection and Prayer.

Community Hymn Sings in Cowan Chapel June 23 and July 21 at  1:00 pm
Share your Music Sunday August 11. Please contact Music Director, Bernardo Scarambone Bernardo.Scarambone@eku.edu if you’d like to participate.
Bernardo is looking into starting a Union Church orchestra! Please see the gold slips in the vestibule & the back hallway to indicate your interest, and use the other side to share your ideas about Union Church’s music program.

Regular Events Happening all Summer—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.
Zen Teaching Mondays at 6:30 pm, Cowan Chapel. David Parks will offer Zen teaching: Meditation, Koans, Conversation, 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Cowan Chapel.
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.
Fridays – Bridge Club, 1:30 pm in the Classroom. Call Doug Hindman, 582-5806 if interested.
First & Third Sundays, 1:30 pm in the Parlor ShapeNote Singers. Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in late 18th century England, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools.
Fourth Sundays – Learn More About the Church. Enquirers’ Class for new members, prospective members, or those just interested in learning what Union Church is about. Meet in the Classroom after the worship service.
First & Third Tuesdays Memory Keepers, 7:30 pm, Wayside Room. Memory Keepers is a support group for those caring for loved ones with memory loss. For more information or resources call Doug Hindman at 582-5806 or Carla Gilbert at 985-1144.
Fourth Tuesdays – Psalm Study, 4:00 pm, in the Classroom.