March 23 Worship Bulletin, Prayer COncerns & Announcements

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

Third Sunday of Lent March 23, 2014, 10:30 am

Meditation

There really is a deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug out again.

             — Etty Hillesum

From there to here 

Welcome & Announcements

Prelude     Fugue on the Kyrie     Francois Couperin

*  Call to Worship        

One:    Friends, morning has broken, spring has sprung, and we are seen and known             by a loving God.

All:      Let us worship in Spirit and in Truth!

*  Hymn #326 Black           Crashing Waters at Creation  Stuttgart

*  Prayer of Approach and Confession 

*  Words of Assurance                     

*  Passing the Peace of Jesus Christ

All who come to this sanctuary are welcome companions on this day. Please turn to those nearest you and greet them with words of peace.

the Word In our Midst

Anthem   The God of Second Chances     David Haas

Union Church Choir

1. Come now, O God of second chances; open our lives to heal. Remove our hate, and melt our rage. Save us from ourselves.

2. Come now, O God, release our demons; open our eyes to see the shame within, our guilt and pain. Mend us; make us whole.

3. Come now, O God, and still our anger; open our minds to peace. Embrace our fear, and hold us close. Calm the storm within.

4. Come now, O God, shake our resentment; open our way to choose the way of love over revenge. Show us a new way.

5. Come now, O God, and grant compassion; open our hearts to love. May we let go of all our hurt. Help us to move on.

6. Come now, O God of second chances; may we forgive ourselves, may we become your living sign: Children of God’s love.

Hebrew Scripture Lesson                       Exodus 17:1-7

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, Little Church for children Preschool & under is available in the Nursery, downstairs off the Fellowship Hall, and Children’s Church, for grades K-3, takes place in the chapel.  If this is your child’s first time attending Little Church or Children’s Church, please accompany them to fill out a registration form.  Otherwise, children are welcome to follow volunteers to their worship spaces.

Psalm Reflection 

Gospel Lesson                              John 4:5-42

Sermon                             Watered Down by Faith: Justice and Joy at the Well        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. Your contribution is love made visible. Thank you.

Offertory  Bist du bei Mir J.S. Bach

*  Doxology  Holy Ground   Christopher Beatty

These are holy hands, God’s given us holy hands
God works through these hands
And so these hands are holy
These are holy hands
God’s given us holy hands
God works through these hands
And so these hands are holy.

Connecting the dots and 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 Prayer 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 #202 Black          O God How We Have Wandered        Passion Chorale

*  Benediction         

*  Benediction Response     We Will Walk with God           Sizohamba naye

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 China, Macao and Hong Kong and our brothers and sisters at Harvest Missionary 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 the service of our country and all those who wait and worry for them.

* Judy Royalty,  recovering from surgery

* The family of Harry Piland, at his death. See calendar for service times

* Charles Sisson, at Myrna’s death

* Ashley Cochrane’s mom, Mary Ellen Cochrane, recovering from double knee replacement

* Sandra Bastinelli, friend of Joan English, progressing astonishingly well in rehab

* Peggy Coyne’s daughter’s future mother-in-law, Jan Dailey-Hosp, awaiting a lung transplant

* Teri VanPelt and Christine Ward

* Dick Drake, recovering from a fall at home

* Judy Rowell , undergoing cancer treatment and doing well

* Greg Bolster, Steve’s brother, gravely ill with cancer

* Michelle Tooley, with recurrence of melanoma

* Nancy Jones

* Naomi Brandenburg, Larry’s mother,      recovering at home after hip replacement

* Our church family members in nursing homes: Rose Brandenburg, Edith Hansen, Klara Welsh, Bernice Robertson

* Naomi Schulz, in seminary in Berkeley, CA.

* Joy Frazier, at the death of her brother, in Florida

* Lark and Evan, friends of Willie Dodson, for Evan’s health issues.  He had surgery on Thursday, and it went very well.

* Mark Pettis and Elena Larssen, expecting a baby in July

* Melissa Zook and family, at the sudden death of her cousin, Terry

* Rhonda Owens, in the loss of her mother

* Marlene Payne’s niece, Sarah, her daughter, Reldy, and grand daughter, Lola

* The family of Nadia Olds, an 11-year-old  Berea Community School student, who passed away on Friday

Join Us For Lunches Today and Every Sunday in Lent! — You are invited to the Community Room immediately following worship for Lenten Lunch! Donations go toward our church’s operating budget, but all are welcome with or without the ability to make a contribution. Good food, good fellowship, good cause. Today we thank the Finance and Properties Boards for the meal!

Interested in exploring membership with Union Church? TODAY,  and 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 office immediately following worship for conversation with the Pastors and the Community Life and Growth Board.  Bring your plate from the Lenten Lunch and visit! New members are received on the Second Sundays of the month.

Have you seen the new Mission & Service bulletin board? Check our Jessica Holly’s work, showing some of the projects our Mission & Service Board has undertaken! It’s on the Prospect St. side of the building.

Sing a Resurrection Song!  Lenten challenge from the choir: If you like to sing but do not want to commit full time to the choir, we are in need of extra voices for Holy Week and Easter. We would love to have you come to practices through Lent and swell our voices during that time of special lament and praise. If you cannot  make Thursday night practices, we are now meeting at 9:15 am on Sunday mornings for a full hour then, and there will also be one Sunday afternoon choir workshop during Lent. Call Gina Chamberlain at 985-9526.

Lenten Communion Each Sunday… Communion is an important practice that symbolizes our bind both with God and the healing presence of Christ. During Lent communion will be offered at the altar following the postlude for any who would like to receive that special reminder for their weekly journey. You need not be a member of this church or any church to participate.

Healthy Aging: Living Well and Blue Zones, Wednesday, March 26th, 12-2pm, Fellowship Hall. Explore the lifestyle characteristics that contribute to longevity and abundant living with nurse coach Carla Baumann.  We’ll have a lunch of locally-sourced chicken chili and vegetarian options, and a great presentation with resources on how to live well and live long.  Learn about what the healthiest elders in the world (people in the Blue Zones) are doing right.

Bereans for Fairness will present during this week’s Wednesday Night Live on March 26. Hear a brief update on the proposed anti-discrimination ordinance and put your faith into action by writing letters to city council members. We will provide all necessary materials and information. Contact: Kate Grigg at kate@fairness.org for more information.

God Loves Uganda film March 27. Please join us for the screening of and discussion about the documentary God Loves Uganda which explores the influence of missionaries from the United States on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda which proposes the death penalty for homosexual individuals in Uganda. This screening will take place on Thursday, March 27 at 7 pm in Union Church’s Fellowship Hall.

Healing Through Art Retreat, March 28-29th, Friday 6:30pm-9pm, Saturday 9am-8pm, Chapel and Fellowship Hall.   There are things that art can speak that no words can.  Join Michelle Hayden and Rev. Rachel on a journey of creating a safe vessel in which to place our pain, and finding a safe place in which to begin to heal it. We will meet Friday night and all day Saturday create and to share our creations.  Bring a box or vessel that you want to use (we also have lots of awesome cigar boxes), as well as food for a potluck Friday night. $20 Materials fee suggested, but no one is turned away for lack of payment.

Trade Simulation Game The Faith Development Board & the Mission and Service Board invite you to play a game with Gina Chamberlain on March 30, 2-4 pm.  (place to be announced) Trade Simulation Game – Have you ever wondered how we apply our Christian principles of justice and peace to the ways that trade agreements work? Does the topic seem too big, too far away and too complicated?  The Trade Simulation Game is designed to bring these issues to life through stories from our global partners.  Each participant assumes a character in four trade stories loosely based on real scenarios.  The characters share their realities with others and work together to understand the role of trade agreements and the people impacted by these agreements. Discussion focuses on how Christians can respond on behalf of the poor and the environment. The game is an interactive, fun way to learn about this important issue. Gina Chamberlain developed this game while working on trade issues for the Presbyterian Church/USA’s Hunger program this year. For middle-school to senior adult participants.Register in church office and/or with Michelle Tooley (michelle_tooley@berea.edu)

Learn about Rainwater Gardens!  On April 1, at 1 p.m. at Union Church we will  have a meeting to discuss rain water gardens and the $250 gift that comes to people wanting to install a garden at their house or business.  Anyone interested in rain water gardens is welcome.  Contact Sustainable Berea (985-1689) or Rachael Small-Stokes at Union Church for more information.

Super-cool Guatemalan t-shirts for peace and  for parents/grandparents/friends of cool kids. The MSB has a special speaker on April 9 for Wednesday Night Live. Nadine Umutoni, from Rwanda and Hazel Morris’ host daughter, has been accepted for a special conflict transformation program this summer–the program accepts 20 students worldwide with a priority on students from “hot spots”/conflict zones. MSB has helped with funding Nadine and others in past years (Tibetan student who lived as a refugee in India, Burmese student who worked with International Red Cross, etc.). Nadine will tell some of her story and we will sell some cool Guatemalan t-shirts from Betty Hibler, Dorothy Chao and Michelle Tooley’s trip to Guatemala.

Youth yard work days are back!  For two days only! April 26^th and May 24th  youth will do yard work in exchange for a donation for getting them to Passport camp this summer.  We will only accept between 2 and 4 jobs each day, depending on how many youth and the intensity of the work.  Call or email Grace to schedule 205-451-7444 or mckenzieg@berea.edu

Good news for Veterans: Are you, or do you know, a veteran who is behind on the rent? Kentucky River Foothills may be able to pay it, directly to the landlord (this is NOT a loan—funds never need to be paid back). Call Tony Crachiolo, Veteran Outreach, 624-2046 x 307, to talk about it. Funded by a grant to the Department of Veteran Affairs.