Gathering in Worship Offered by the People of the Church of Christ, Union
Pentecost Sunday
May 15, 2016 10:30 am
Meditation
Sometimes I have had the feeling that God throws out the occasional wild card, almost a dare— “Try this if you will; I will bless it; it is rich with possibility; it will not be easy.” —Krista Tippet
From there to Here
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 Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song J. Carter
* Call to Worship
One: Come from every corner of the earth,
All: From every time and place,
One: From south and north,
All: From east and west,
One: Come forth…
One: Come forth…
One: Come forth…
All: Come forth!
One; For the spirit of God is being poured out upon us
All: Even now,
One: in this place,
All: Upon the young and the old,
One: The women and the men,
One: Slaves and free,
One: Upon each of us here.
All: Come Forth, and let us worship God!
* Opening Hymn #289 Come Forth, O Love Divine Down Ampney
* Prayer of Approach
One: Come Spirit, veni Spiritus!
All: Flame and fire of love, breach this space with light.
One: Come Spirit, veni Spiritus, song and voice of justice,
All: Trespass in this community with truth.
One: Come Spirit, veni Spiritus, inspirer and creation’s artist,
All: Overrun this world with vision and fill our lives with your daring! Fill us with your Holy Spirit now and always.
* 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 Send Down the Fire Marty Haugen
Union Church Choir
Refrain: Send down the fire of your justice, send down the rains of your love; come, send down the Spirit, breathe life in your people, and make us the people of God.
- Call us to be your compassion, teach us the song of your love;
Give us hearts that sing, give us deeds that ring,
Make us ring with the song of your love. (Refrain) - Call us to learn of your mercy, teach us the way of your peace;
Give us hearts that feel, give us hands that heal,
Make us walk in the way of your peace. (Refrain) - Call us to answer oppression, teach us the fire of your truth;
Give us righteous souls, ’til your justice rolls,
make us burn with the fire of your truth. (Refrain) - Call us to witness your Kingdom, give us the presence of Christ;
May your holy light keep us shining bright,
Ever shine with the presence of Christ. (Refrain)
Hebrew Scripture Lesson Genesis 11:1-9
Children’s Moment
As the children return to their seats or move to children’s church, 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-5 are invited to Children’s Church, which takes place in Cowan Chapel. Otherwise, children are welcome to visit the Children’s Worship Center, where there are toys, books, and drawing materials for children (or parents) who would like help staying present in the service. For children preschool & under, care is available in the Nursery, downstairs off the Community Room. Please pick up your children in the Chapel or Nursery after the service.
Lesson from Acts Acts of the Apostles 2:1-21
Sermon What Dreams May Come Rev. Kent Gilbert
Gifts Given For Love to Flow
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.)
Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you!
Offertory Verset de Procession sur l’Adoro Te L. Boellmann
* Doxology Avery/Marsh
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 for 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 #267 Come, O Spirit, Dwell among Us Ebenezer
* Benediction & Sending Forth
* Postlude (please be seated) Toccata D. Wagner
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 Eritrea and Ethiopia 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:
¨ Refugee families and individuals seeking shelter and safety, and all who are working to provide it: May God magnify our efforts.
¨ Our church family members in nursing homes, or who are homebound: Edith Hansen, Mary Miller, Alva Peloquin
¨ Sheila Johnson, facing breast cancer
¨ Kelly Ambrose and family
¨ Terry Allen Watts, NoraRuth Jenkins’ cousin
¨ Cindy Saylor’s friend Genny Bryant, who has colon cancer.
¨ Toby Wilcher, recovering from broken bones at Brookdale Richmond Place, and for Shane Wilcher, holding down the house in her absence with the help of many Union Church family members
¨ The family of Les Pross, in his death
¨ Loyal Jones and all the family of Nancy Jones, as we grieve her passing
¨ Myrna Davis
¨ Steven Bailey, Rhonda Edward’s son, recovering from a stroke
¨ Michelle Hayden’s mother, very ill in Indiana
¨ Anne Weatherford, now in hospice care in North Carolina
¨ Judy Rowell, recovering from surgery for gum cancer
¨ Marlene Payne’s family, at her passing. A service will be held today at 2 pm to celebrate her life
¨ For all discerning the way forward in difficult circumstances, may God’s light lead and guide
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.
Today is Pentecost! Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit 40 days after Easter. Pentecost is the birthday of the Christian church. Before Jesus was crucified, he told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come after him:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:16–18
And 40 days after Jesus was resurrected (10 days after he ascended into heaven), that promise was fulfilled when Peter and the early Church were in Jerusalem for Pentecost: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1–4
The Good News of Generosity Today we celebrate the conclusion of our “Spring Forward” giving campaign. We are hoping to raise $20,000 in this time of pledges and gifts, so that we can continue doing the excellent work of justice and joy in our community and the world. If you are able to make a contribution in any amount, or a pledge for future generosity, please fill out a Spring Forward card to be dropped in the offering basket!
Next week Fourth Sunday New Membership Info: Come One Come All! Each fourth Sunday of the Month 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 after lunch for conversation with the Pastors and the Community Life and Growth Board.
New members will be received each Second Sunday of the month at the close of worship.
Today is the last Sunday of Children’s Church before a summer break. We’ll resume in the fall!
Where There’s a Will There’s a Way! Please come to lunch and a brief presentation on planned giving on Thursday, May 26, 2016 from Noon until 2:00 p.m. in the Classroom next to the Conference Room. Berea attorney Charlie Hoffman will be discussing ways to benefit others in your Last Will and Testament and estate plan.
Electronic Directories available—just email office@unon-church.org.
Food for kids needed: Berea Community Elementary School’s Family Resource Center has put out the call for tuna fish in foil packets, and pudding snacks and fruit snacks — both in plastic containers (usually sold by the 6- or 12-pack). The United States Department of Agriculture requires any food sent home to be packaged in non-breakable material and that the food does not require any preparation involving the use of a can opener, microwave, oven or stove.
For information call Dodie at 859-200-7277 or email her at dodiemurf @yahoo.com.
John G. Fee for young people! Debbonnaire Kovacs has learned that there is no children’s book about John G. Fee, and thinks there should be! She is running a 30-day Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to enable her to spend a year researching, writing, and illustrating a middle grade biography that will help educate young people about the anti-racist, anti-sexist, inclusive society Fee and his colleagues envisioned, and for which we still work today.
If she does not reach her funding goal, she won’t get anything, so please check out the website, support her if you can, and let all your friends and networks know! You can either type in the following link, or simply go to kickstarter.com and type John Fee into the search box. Check out the cool rewards at various giving levels!
Volunteer Opportunity: Help support fair trade by volunteering at PeaceCraft, Berea’s fair trade store located on College Square. Volunteers are needed to help staff the store during 4-hour shifts. Stop by PeaceCraft to speak with Amy, the store manager, while you browse through the lovely merchandise made by craftspeople throughout the developing world or contact Amy at 859-986-7441 for more information.
Lexpecto Patronum has partnered with GreenHouse 17 to create starter libraries for survivors of intimate partner violence. Survivors will be able to pick out books for themselves (and their families) and will also be given a gift card to a local grocery store as they move from the shelter to their new living spaces. Food for the body & food for the soul! Visit Lexpecto Patronum on Facebook or see Sarabeth Brownrobie to help.We will also be using a ::small:: portion of the funds raised to build shelving for our Room of Requirement Free Library at the Plantory! Thank you so much for helping us with the 2016 book drive – we are so excited!!!!
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