Service for the Lord’s Day First Presbyterian Church, Starkville

First Sunday of Advent December 2, 2018

11:00 a.m.

PRELUDE What Child is this? / Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring arr. McDonald Jennifer Blackbourn, piano

WELCOME, SHARING OF FRIENDSHIP REGISTER, AND MINISTRY INVITATION Ben Jackson

CALL TO WORSHIP LIGHTING THE CANDLE FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT The Jason and Sarah Ryder Family

* ADVENT HYMN 175: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel VENI EMMANUEL

PRAYER WITH YOUNG DISCIPLES Martin Lifer

*AFFIRMING OUR FAITH from The (Westminster) Larger Catechism (in Modern English) Q. 1 Ben Jackson

Minister: What is the primary and highest purpose of human beings? ALL: The primary and highest purpose of human beings is to glorify God and to enjoy Him completely forever.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING, CONFESSION, PETITION, AND INTERCESSION Martin Lifer THE LORD’S PRAYER (Unison) 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.

*DOXOLOGY - Hymn 592

*BRINGING GOD’S TITHE, BLESSED TO BLESS 2019 PLEDGES, and Christmas Mission Blessings Special Offering+

OFFERTORY Angel Songs arr. Raney Marquita Beaty and Jennifer Blackbourn

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*The congregation is invited to stand.

Visiting with Us? We warmly welcome you to our worship of God this Lord’s Day. We hope you can be back in worship with us on upcoming Sundays and also connect with other study and fellowship opportunities at FPC. To learn more about faith in Jesus Christ, as well as about church membership, and ways to learn, serve & grow at FPC – please speak to Pastor Lifer following the service, or call him this week at the church office. You may also send a message to him via email (mwlifer3@gmail.com).

FIRSTConnect Cards! Visitors, … including MSU and other university students …and

Members – to update your contact information, prayer requests or ministry questions:

Please complete a FIRSTConnect Card and place it in the Offering … or in a FIRSTConnect Box in the entranceways.

+The Christmas Mission Blessings Special Offering+ This year’s Christmas Missions Blessings Offering will be directed to provide additional FPC year-end support (co-equally) to the following missions and missionaries: Starkville Habitat for Humanity; The Father’s Child Ministries; French Camp Academy and the Rising Son Camp; the Palmer Home for Children Mission; as well as two “Children of the Church” working overseas – Aretta Zitta (Director of Young Life/Club Beyond Ministry to children living on US military bases and housing in Europe and parts of the Middle East) and Chip Bobbitt.

Today and throughout December, feel free to give – above and separately from your regular tithe and offerings – to this special offering. Checks should be made to FPC Starkville, but please designate in the check’s Memo line “Christmas Blessings Mission Offering” or simply “Christmas Blessings.”

Christmas Mission Blessings Sunday Musical Offering to God

The First Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir Presents

LOVE CAME DOWN AT CHRISTMAS

By Joel Raney

INTRODUCTION Dr. Craig Aarhus, FPC Music Director

Love Came Down

Come, Emmanuel, Come

Grant Us Peace Jack Aarhus and Elizabeth Ryder, soloists

Listen to the Joyful Song

Love Be Yours, Love Be Mine

Love Divine

FPC Chancel Choir Music Director: Craig Aarhus

Accompanist/Organist: Jennifer Blackbourn

Guest Musicians: Brooke Balla, Flute; Michaela Dubose-Schmitt, Oboe; Amanda Clark, Clarinet; Brian Harris, Bassoon; John Ferguson, Percussion

Soprano: Glenda Clark; Brenda Koenig; Christy Lawrence; Vivien Miller; Michele Rackley; Patsy Randle; Jane Vemer

Alto: Amy Aarhus; Marquita Beaty; Vivian Cade; Paula Ivey; Nancy Lifer; Peggy Moore

Tenor: Richard Blackbourn; Matt McAfee; Perry Rackley

Bass: Jim Beaty; Charlie Guest; Phil Hubbard; Martin Lifer

INVITATION TO FAITH AND DISCIPLESHIP

*BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE Christmas Joy! arr. McDonald Jennifer Blackbourn, piano ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*The congregation is invited to stand.

Deacon of the Week: Jeremy Murdock Today’s Ushers: Will Martin, Loren Zimmerman Today’s Greeters: Scotty Crawford, Amy Crawford

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NEXT SUNDAY, December 9

(2d Sunday of Advent), join us for our

ONE, UNIFIED 10 a.m. Worship Service & 11:15 a.m. Breakfast/Brunch Fellowship

Featuring FPC Children’s Choir Members in a Presentation of Scriptures and Carols, and FPC Youth & SOS Students assisting Pastor Lifer with worship. Following worship, our FPC Youth will then host at 11:15 a.m. a Fellowship Breakfast/Brunch Fundraiser, as our Youth are seeking to raise funds for FPC benevolence missions.

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We give special thanks to God today for Craig Aarhus, Jennifer Blackbourn, our guest musicians, and, most certainly, all of the members of our Chancel Choir for their ministry to the Lord and for the Lord here at FPC. We specifically give thanks for these faithful members’ many hours of musical practices and spiritual preparation for this musical offering to Christ our Lord on this Christmas Mission Blessing Sunday.

If you are interested in ordering Poinsettias, please find an order form in the pew racks. These purchases benefit the Palmer Home for Children. Final deadline for ordering – Wednesday, Dec. 12.

Prayer List Charles Atkinson Janet, Gary, and Jay Bardwell Ashleigh Murdock and Hawkins Murdock Paula Elliott Morris Taylor Allison Jackson Robert McDavid Ross Collins Gerlene Lifer Tom King (co-worker of Janice Kinard) Cindy Stewart (friend of Jane Vemer) Thomas Guest (grandson of Charlie & Rubye Guest). Frances Knoll Waltman and Cissy Knoll Thomas (Libby Gill’s sister and mother)

Cynthia Ware, together with her parents, Donna and Herman Ware Marjorie Malone Michael Tubb – Anna Ray Gassaway’s nephew Dan Ryder (Jason Ryder’s father) David Skinner (Kyle Skinner’s father) Billy and Brenda Harrington Jane Zitta Frances Ellis and Brett Horton (Ellen Mauldin’s sister and her brother Leslie’s grandson)

Diane Daniels, her sister, Delores Irvin, and Sarah Helen McCloskey and Craig D. Campbell (family friends of Bob & Diane Daniels) Marie Tubb and John Gassaway (Anna Ray Gassaway’s sister-in-law & brother-in-law)

Brenda Pratt, Cheryl Kay Linder (Beth Ann Dunlap’s stepmother & sister)

Carl Ivey, Sr. (Dukedom, Kentucky); Anderson Ivey (Carl and Paula Ivey’s grandson in

Birmingham); and Traci Hardin (wife of a manager of the Iveys’ Village Center Cycle)

Danny Carlisle (Loren Zimmerman’s friend)

Health Care / Assisted Living Prayer List Bessie Montgomery – Montgomery Gardens

Louise Haddigan – The Claiborne

Cattie Taylor – Beehive, Starkville

Thelma Gentry – Vicker’s Personal Care Home

Jane Lusk – The Claiborne

Jetta Kuykendall – The Grove, Columbia

Frances Oakley – Sunnybrook Estates, Madison

Marie Tramel – Beau Ridge, Ridgeland

Maxine Eastland – Franklin, TN

Elizabeth Duffey – Presbyterian Village, GA

Jewel Jacobs (Cindy Walker’s mother) – Montgomery Garden

Lu Graham (Jane Zitta’s sister) – The Hermitage, Richmond, Virginia

FURTHER MISSION NOTES

BE AN ANGEL THIS CHRISTMAS! Buy gifts for our

FPC Child Care Center workers’ dependent children. Tags with suggested gifts and sizes are on the Angel Christmas Tree in the Fellowship Hall. Please take one or more of these tags from the tree, buy and wrap the gifts, and then bring the wrapped gifts (tags attached) to the church office by Wednesday, December 19.

TEJERAS MEAL SPONSORS (Mission meal for

children in Tejeras, Honduras) December 5, 7 – By members of the congregation for the Glory of God and in thanksgiving for the newly-elected Deacons and Elders. CASSEROLE KITCHEN MISSION MEAL HOSTS AT FPC THIS WEEK

Dec 4 – Loren Zimmerman Dec 6 – Billy Harrington

FPC/EPC Women’s Ministry

Janice Kinard, Moderator Coordinating Team: Tuesday, December 4th at noon , Church Office, Major Johnson Room

Circle Meetings & Leaders 12/09/18, Sunday morning @ 8 am, Leader: Lynda Forbus, place: FPC Parlor 12/10/18, Monday afternoon @ 1:30 pm: Members check with Leader: Sara Wilson 12/11/18, Tuesday evening: Members check with Leader: Vivian Cade 12/17/2018, Monday evening: Members check with Leader: Amy Weiskopf Mission : * no financial offering given at circle. Women of the church will join the congregation to support local charities – FPC Angel Tree, Adopt a Child, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Christmas Cantata etc. Lesson: Each circle will enjoy their time together and the Advent season. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please join us as we extend our condolences to – and our prayers for God’s comfort to – the Jackson family, following the death on Tuesday, November 27, of Janet’s brother-in-law, Artis Lee Davis.

CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS AT FPC! Next Sunday, December 9 (2nd Sunday of Advent) One Worship service (10:00 a.m.) <= Note special time. *10:00 a.m. Worship Service - Featuring Children’s Choir Scriptures and Carols And Youth assisting Pastor Lifer with worship 11:15 a.m. Fellowship Breakfast/Brunch - FPC Youth will be preparing brunch and

raising funds for Youth Benevolence efforts.

Star(k)filled Christmas 2018 – A Night of New Traditions Next Sunday, December 9, 4:30 pm, City Hall Plaza - Multi-church Choir and instrumental presentation, Live Nativity Celebrate Christmas with your friends from all over Starkville! Hosted by participating Starkville churches, including FPC! 4:30 pm Refreshments; Children’s Choirs 4:45 pm; Program begins at 5:00 pm Includes: Welcome from the Mayor, Scripture reading.

Church Family Advent Night - Wednesday, December 12, 5 pm, Fellowship Hall Family fun and Christmas crafts for Children

Christmas Mission Blessings Service for the Lord’s Day

First Sunday of Advent December 2, 2018

11:00 a.m. Unified Worship Service