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First Parish Church, Congregational On the Village Green
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt, Interim Pastor
Donald R. Dunn, Director of Music-Organist
Jessica Skidmore, Christian Ministry Coordinator
Tori Potter, Sexton
Nancy Klebart, Office Manager
978-526-7661
office.fpchurch@verizon.net
www.firstparishchurch.org
MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, September 10, 2017, 10:00 a.m.
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among
them.” (Matthew 18:20)
ORGAN PRELUDE: “Hymn to Joy”
Tune by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Setting by Donald Busarow (1934-2011)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
*[Please stand for the lighting of the candles]
CALL TO WORSHIP (from Touch Holiness)
What does this worship service need?
Quiet where faith can grow, song that blossoms hope, Scripture
that remembers love, honest words to untangle a small length
of knotty existence.
Who shall come to this worship service?
All who are longing for the touch of God.
*HYMN: “Enter, Rejoice, and Come in” NCH #73 black (A new hymn; the choir will sing first verse. Congregation is invited to join in
singing whenever they are comfortable.)
PRAYER OF APPROACH AND CONFESSION
(from Touch Holiness)
Gracious God, we ask for your blessing presence among us. We
gather today after we have been scattered to many places, and we
begin a new church year with excitement, even if wistful for summer
relaxation. O God, we confess there are some things we can’t wait
to jump into, and others where we would prefer to drag our feet.
Forgive our inconsistency, and empower us for ministry. Bless this
church family—bless singers and pray-ers and workers and
teachers and servers of so many kinds that all worship and ministry
might be to your greater glory and that our gifts of the Spirit might
build up the body of Christ, in whose name we pray…
*THE LORD'S PRAYER 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 trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.
*GLORIA PATRI Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is
now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
SCRIPTURE READING: Romans 13:8-10
ANTHEM: “Welcome to the House of the Lord”
from “A Sacred Place”Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947)
Welcome to the House of the Lord.
Welcome light, welcome beauty, welcome wonder.
Here there is glory. Here is wisdom.
Here there is mystery, here is splendor.
Welcome to the House of the Lord.
Here there is comfort. Here there is healing.
Here there is kindness, here is mercy and forgiveness.
Here is Life Eternal!
Come to the House of the Lord!
Welcome God!
MORNING PRAYER
Congregation’s Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer Silent Prayer Choral Response
SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 18:15-20
SERMON: “Being a Christian Community”
MOMENT OF MEDITATION
OFFERTORY SENTENCE
OFFERTORY ANTHEM: “Teach me, O Lord”
Thomas Attwood (1765-1838)
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes;
And I shall keep it unto the end.
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below,
Praise God above ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
(Children will come in during doxology and join us on the chancel steps for the
last part of worship)
CHILDREN’S SERMON
CLOSING SONG “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”
Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Duet by Lizzy Klebart and Tori Potter (Lizzy and Tori will sing two verses of the song; Congregation is invited to join
them in singing the refrain at the end. See insert.
BENEDICTION
CHORAL RESPONSE
ORGAN POSTLUDE: “Paean” Gordon Young (1919-1998)
* * * * *
After the service all are invited to join us outside for refreshments.
The greeter and lay reader is Jane Pearson.
The Deacon is Lynda Griffiths. Readers and Greeters are always needed,
to volunteer speak to the Deacons.
Listening devices are available; they are at the back of the Sanctuary.
Feel free to address a Deacon should you need help using them.
Welcome to all who are new to our worship. To join our mailing list fill
out a “Welcome Card” to place in the collection plate or contact
office.fpchurch@verizon.net , 978-526-7661 ext 1.
THE CARE TEAM MINISTRY, Have you shared the experience?
We support FPC families with meals, rides, & visits through times of
illness and loss. If you would like to become involved with this
wonderful team contact;
Sheila Kafer 978-525-3253, smkafer@comcast.net
Janet Groth at 978-526-8408, janbythesea244@gmail.com
FLOWERS FOR THE ALTAR Please call Penny Lapham at 978-526-
7128, by Monday to be included in the following Sunday’s bulletin.
We will meet tomorrow, Monday, September 11 at 9
Hickory Hill Road, Manchester, at 7 PM to discuss “Last
Hope Island” by Lynne Olson. Join us!
First Parish Church Congregational uses candid photos of church
activities on its website and in its publicity from time to time. Any photos
of children used will not contain personally identifiable information.
Members of the community not wanting their photos depicted (or those
of their children) should inform the church office.
“For where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them”. Matthew 18:20
Would you like to request prayers? Email
prayer.fpchurch@verizon.net We will resume Prayer Team meetings on Thursday 9/21 from 6-7 and
then meet the first and third Thursdays of each month. All are welcome
to gather in the parlor of First Parish. We will start promptly at 6:00 PM
and end at 7:00 PM. We will be praying in one accord, a form of
conversational prayer. Bring your concerns to the Lord whether they are
for Yourself, Family, Friends, our Country, and the World! You may
pray along silently or pray aloud.
Looking for Sunday School Teachers! Please keep in mind
due to school vacations and special holidays usually one
month = 2 weeks of actual Sunday school. So the first
section of time will be Sept.-November, the second will be
Dec.-February, and the third March-May. The hope is to
get more of the congregation involved in the Sunday
school but also give people a break where they can spend their Sundays
in church or just relaxing. With two people in each classroom you will
switch off teaching and helping. The second adult is responsible for
helping with crowd control, walking children to the bathroom, serving
snack, and lending help to the person teaching when needed.
You do not have to be a member of the church to teach or trained in
Godly play. We are going to host a training night so you can see how the
lessons are taught. I always give out the lessons a week in advance and
am always for help. Contact Jessica 978-526-7661 ext. 3
CONFIRMATION 2017/2018 Parents, please contact Jessica 978-526-
7661 ext. 3 to sign up for or with questions about the Confirmation
Retreat to NYC this Fall.
October 1 - Is Membership for Me? An informational
gathering for those who wish to explore what it means to be
a member of First Parish Church Congregational. We will
talk a little bit about the church and have the opportunity to
share with each other our own life and faith experiences.
This gathering will be held in front of the church after the service----
about 11:15ish.
Ongoing - My Story Vitality would like to bring back the “My Story
segment” during our church service. If you have a short 3-5 minute story
about your faith journey, please see Mary Ellen or call at 978-526-7178
and we will talk. This is a really great event when added to our Sunday
worship. Thank you in advance for considering doing this. If you have
already shared a story and have another, this would be a great time.
We will hold a Church Cleanup Day on Saturday,
September 16 beginning at 9 AM. Volunteers are
welcome to join whenever they can spare an hour or
more to make our church shine. Volunteers will be received with coffee,
donuts and grateful smiles.
Be aware of all that we do to make a difference and -
when you can - help make a difference yourself!
Weekly Food Donations When you go to church Sunday
mornings remember to take one item that can be donated
to Open Door through the food basket placed in the Narthex. It is easy to
forget, but you can think ahead and bring one food item that will be
much appreciated by folks who really need our help.
Open Door Dinner
First Parish serves dinner at The Open Door Wednesday, September
20th. Prep & Servers needed: please contact Jim Brennan
after worship or at 978-879-4595 HARVEY RELIEF FUND
We all feel the catastrophe of the floods in Texas. How can we respond?
Through our connections with sister churches in the area we can begin to
make a difference and express our faithful compassion.
Checks can be made out to First Parish Church with the
designation: For Harvey Relief. We will arrange for that money to be
sent on to the UCC specifically designated for Harvey relief.
Or, if you prefer to give on line through the UCC, go to ucc.org and
follow the prompts. You can even let them know that you belong to
First Parish Church in Manchester-By-The-Sea, so that your on-line
donation will be counted as part of the overall donation that comes from
our church.
UPDATE ON TRANSITION TEAM (TT) At the Aug 29th meeting,
our Church Council appointed a Transition Team, whose “job” will be to
work with the Interim Pastor to carry out the Vision Process. The Team
represents what Council feels is a “good mix/balance” of the
congregation in terms of current/recent church involvement, as well as
gender and age and outlook. The group includes people who
volunteered to serve—who put their names in to be considered by
Council, as well as people whom we approached and asked if they were
willing to be considered. The Team has begun meeting, and they have
set the dates for the 4 “Whole Church” Congregational meetings
(October 22, December 10, January 21, and March 4) where people will
be asked for their input. The input given—combined with prayerful
reflection on Scripture and demographic material--will lead to: a Vision
for Ministry, Goals for carrying out that Vision, and a Profile to help the
church search for a Settled Pastor, whose gifts and skills match the
Vision.
The Team members are as follows:
1. Paul Driscoll 2. Lauren Gudonis 3. Mary Lumsden
4. Jeff Parker 5. Jason Smith 6. Lelly Smith
Please feel free to talk with any TT members if you have questions.
Upcoming events can be found on our website or Facebook page
Monday
7:00 PM BOT
7:30 PM Manchester Singers
7:00 PM Book Group
Wednesday
10:00 AM COA Yoga
6:30 PM Missions Committee
7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal
Thursday
4:00 PM Bible Study
Sunday
10:00 AM Worship, Nursery, Sunday School, Youth Group
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