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

Trinity Sunday May 31, 2015, 10:30 am

Meditation

Who is the Trinity? You are music. You are life. Source of everything, creator of everything, angelic hosts sing your praise.Wonderfully radiant, deep, mysterious. You are alive in everything, and yet you are unknown to us.

                              —Hildegard of  Bingen (12th c.)

From there to here

Prelude     Procession of Praise   A. Sherman
Union Handbell Ensemble
*  Call to Worship 
One:     Unsure, unwise, maybe even unclean we gather. We come from all corners. We come for all reasons.
All:      We come ordinary, we come longing. We gather seeking Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit.
One:     All lips are made clean in the presence of God! All hearts are redeemed by Jesus’ touch! All are sent by the Spirit’s breath!
All:      Let us enter worship with singing and rejoicing!  
*  Opening Hymn #277 Black        Holy, Holy, Holy         Nicaea
Prayer of Approach & Confession                    Watts, Maxim
                             Heavenly Dove 
                      Carrie Jadud, Debbonnaire Kovacs, Sharona Nelson,  Robert Rorrer
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, with all Thy quickening powers; kindle a flame of sacred love in these cold hearts of ours.
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, with all Thy quickening powers; come, shed abroad a Savior’s love, and that shall kindle ours.
Words of Assurance
*  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    Soon and Very Soon    Crouch,  Schrader

Union Church Choir

Soon and very soon we are going to see the King; Hallelujah! We’re going to see the King.
No more dying there, we’re going to see the King!
Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Isaiah 6:1-8
Hymn #22 Black  Sing Praise to God      Lobe den Herren
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 are welcome to return to their seats or follow volunteers to their worship spaces. For children preschool  age & under, care is available in the Nursery, downstairs off the Community Room.
Hymn #276 Black            Holy God, We Praise Your Name       Grosser Got, Wir Loben Dich
Epistle Lesson                  Romans 8:12-17
Sermon     Turning by Threes 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!
Hymn #453 Black            When the Morning Stars Together      Offering
Offertory              A Joyous Song J.W. Kerr
Union Handbell Ensemble
*  Doxology              Avery/Marsh

Praying it Forward

Call to Prayer      To Talk with God        M. West

Union Church Choir

To wait on God, no time is lost, wait on! To walk with God, no strength is lost, walk on!  To talk with God, no breath is lost, talk on!
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          The Lord’s Prayer
                                                                                Merry Kay Winter
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 debts as we forgive our debtors 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     When In Our Music     Fred Pratt Green

Union Handbell  Ensemble and Carrie Jadud

 
*  Choral Benediction         Go Forth into the World in Peace       J. Rutter
Union Church Choir
Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage, hold fast to that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the faint-hearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honor all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be upon you and remain with you forever. Amen.
Postlude (please be seated)         Trumpet Tune  N. Bowden
_____________________________
*   Please rise in body or in spirit as you wish.
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 Pilgrim Ministries in your hearts, and pray for them.
Please also hold these concerns in your prayers, today and throughout the week:
* The victims of the earthquake and aftershocks in Nepal, and those who seek to assist them
* Those in harm’s way in service of our country, and those who wait and worry for them.
* 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—we celebrate that his cancer is in remission!
* Please join the Orwig family and friends as we honor the life of Jim Orwig, a 60-year member of Union Church, on June 11, at 11 am.
* The family and many friends and of Michelle Tooley, who entered the wider life on May 26. Her life will be celebrated at a service on June 16, at 11 am.
* Susie Ritchie, Patty Tartar and their family, at the loss of their 20-year-old cousin, Reed Haga
* Debra Catron and family, at the death of her mother, Katherine Taylor
* Randy Osborne and wife, Melissa. Randy has been diagnosed with tonsil cancer
* Annie Sims’ sister,  suffering from breast cancer
* The victims of recent flooding in Texas and Oklahoma
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.
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 June 14.
Celebration of the beatification of Oscar Romero June 3! At St. Clare’s Friendship Hall at 5:30 for potluck and a 7:00 pm service. We’ll follow the hour long service with a community Fiesta!  You’re asked to bring a Salvadoran dish—recipes are in the vestibule, can be emailed to you or found on the website. Update: desserts will be provided by St. Clare. Singers are invited to join in a rehearsal on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm.  We expect about 300 people. Recipes at union-church.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Salvadoran-recipes.pdf
Summer Music Opportunities start SOON! Grab a brochure and check it out!

Summer Choir – No Robes ~ No Stairs ~                             No Commitment! Sundays:  June 7 & 21, 28, July 5, 12 & 26,  9:15 am , Sanctuary

     Adults and youth are welcome to participate in Summer Choir for any or all of the Sundays we sing.  No commitment is expected.  Just show up for rehearsal at 9:15 on the days you wish to participate.
We will rehearse a new anthem each of these six Sundays which will then be shared at the 10:30 am worship service that morning,  from the sanctuary floor so that this opportunity may be accessible to all.
Vacation Bible School June 14-17, 5:30-8:00 pm Nightly & Pool Party/Burger Bash June 20^th!
Snack supper provided. Register online at https://union-church.org/home/vbs2015/
Children: Under Construction: Community Building!  Grab a hammer and a nail and get ready to build up the kin-dom of God! We’ll learn together what it takes to build a house, and also use that as a way to understand what it means to build relationships with people of all kinds.  For kids ages 3-11.
Youth and Adults: Images of Home: A Writing Project!  Debbonnaire Kovacs will lead youth and adults 12 & up in four different exercises to explore the idea of what “home” means.  Bring your ideas and wonder; no talent required!

Want to Help Make it Happen?

1. Volunteer!          

2. Sponsor a child for $10-15!       

3. Invite someone and give them a ride

Free Lunch at the Public Library from June 1—August 11!! Monday—Saturday 12—1 for those 18 years old & under. Super Snack Sundays from 1-2 pm, all ages. No sign up required, just come and eat!
Donate ONLINE or by TEXT, Now or Anytime! For online giving, Union Church uses EasyTithe, a completely secure contribution system. You can use Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express Credit and Debit Cards, or an E-Check from your checking account. Scan the code here to go right to the website on your smartphone, or visit www.union-church.org and click on the Donate button for instructions.
You do not need to register to make a donation (just choose “Quick Give” ). If you do register, your information will be securely stored making future visits faster and giving you full control of  your giving reports.  Credit card processing does cost the church about 3.1% of your transaction. ACH (E-Checks) only incur a 1% fee. Please use whichever is best for you, but if you can, consider adding a little additional to help cover the bank fee!
Give By Texting 859-448-3403: Yes! You can give using your web-enabled phone. Text any amount to 859-448-3403. The first time you do–and just the first time–you’ll get a link to associate your phone and enter your securely stored credit or debit card. It doesn’t go on your phone bill, but only to a card you specify. After that, all you need to do is text the number with an amount and any designation. It’s fast and easy! Of course, like every credit card transaction the church pays a 3.1% fee. If you can include that little extra bit, it will make a big difference!
Examples: Text “$50.00” to contribute to today’s offering or substitute the designation of your choice (youth, missions, BFCO, etc. Amounts texted without a designation will automatically go to the Annual Ministry Budget and all giving will be included in your annual giving records.
Kroger Rewards and Amazon Smile—two easy ways to give.
     Kroger has been committed to supporting the communities it serves by assisting local charitable organizations through its Rewards Program.  Union Church will earn rewards on all eligible purchases you make using your Kroger Plus Card.  The Kroger rewards will accumulate and be donated quarterly to Union Church.  This is an easy way for all to fund-raise for Union Church.  Check bulletins for info or visit kroger.com/communityrewards
     Amazon Smile will donate .5% of eligible sales to Union Church if you register at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/61-0444677. This is a great way to support Union Church.

 It’s wedding season! The Union Church family is invited to attend two joyous celebrations in June!

Christine Ward

&

Teri Van Pelt

June 20, 2:00 pm

Cowan Chapel

Reception to follow in the Community Room

RSVP to Christine at 859-358-6857

 

Elizabeth Grace Spencer

&

Luke Gabriel Erlandson

June 26, 6:30 pm

Sanctuary

Reception to follow in the Community Room

RSVP to Lizzy at 859-868-7135

Luke 859-779-9838