Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICEOctober 23, 2016

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

PRELUDE WORDS OF WELCOME

INTROIT

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: We have come to worship God. Let us come with humility.

All: We offer all that we are, knowing that we need God’s Spirit

to be what we are called to be.

Leader: We have come to worship God. Let us come with expectation.

All: In the Divine Presence there is light for our darkness and

purpose in our striving. Praise be to God!

*The congregation is invited to stand

*HYMN Praise with Joy the World’s Creator

*OPENING PRAYER Spirit of energy and change,in whose power Jesus was anointedto be the hope of the nations:be poured out also upon uswithout reserve or distinction,that we may have confidence and strengthto plant your justice on the earth,through Jesus Christ. Amen.

*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,and the power, and the glory,forever and ever. Amen.

*GLORIA PATRIGlory 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.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Pat MiloChildren may now leave for Church School.

CHILDREN’S SENDING SONGHe's got a-you and me, brother, in His hands,He's got a-you and me, brother, in His hands,He's got a-you and me, brother, in His hands,He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got a-you and me, sister, in His hands,He's got a-you and me, sister, in His hands,He's got a-you and me, sister, in His hands,He's got the whole world in His hands.

ANTHEM Deep River Shaw

SCRIPTURE LESSON 2 Corinthians 8: 1-7We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

SERMON Generosity: It’s Good for Your Heart The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann*HYMN No. 658 Restless Weaver

OFFERING

InvitationAnthem Set Me as a Seal Upon Thine Heart Walton  *Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him,

all creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*Hymn No. 720 O Beautiful for Spacious Skies (verse 1)O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber

waves of grain, for purple mountainmajesties above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed full graceon thee, and crown thy good with servanthood

from sea to shining sea.

PASTORAL PRAYER

*HYMN No. 439 God, Dismiss Us With Your Blessing

CHURCH PRAYEROur Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good. Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill-will ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and prudent, giving no just cause for offense and may thy holy peace rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week, sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BENEDICTION and CHORAL RESPONSE

POSTLUDE

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSION STATEMENTWe, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a self-governing, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth; where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a community where individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship, and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREEDI believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide, comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God; and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Bill and Grada Herrick for ushering today.

Thanks to Pat and Ray Milo for hosting coffee hour today; please join them in the Parlor following the service.

Outreach

The Outreach Committee continues to collect men’s, women’s and children’s clothing for St. Ann’s. If you have any questions please contact Caroline Lazzara (ccclazzara@gmail.com) or Alice Fisher (sundial32@gmail.com).

Please join us this year in the Inspirica Youth Center! Volunteers are needed every Tuesday from 4 pm - 6 pm. Children arrive off the bus, are fed a snack and then begin homework. Please talk with Jenny Rye (203-861-6757) or Caroline Lazzara (203-353-0003.)

Needed - Meal providers for Inspirica’s Early Childhood and Parenting Program [ECPP]. The program runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights with the meal being served at 7p.m. You can either cook on site or drop off a prepared meal. Please look for available dates that you would be able to fill at www.inspiricact.org/meal-calendar/

Neighbor to Neighbor …..With the onset of cooler, crisper fall weather we are asking for "Cold-Weather Warm-Ups" in our special collection for the month of October. Items such as canned and dry soups/chili, canned beans, Ramen noodles, easy mac & cheese, etc. would be appreciated and can be left in the food wagon located near the front entrance.

Faith Formation

Les Beaux Arts Gallery

Hazel Jarvis, the darling artist of Greenwich, will be showing her latest collection of paintings at Les Beaux Arts Gallery starting today and running through Wednesday, November 30, 2016. The “Terra Nova” exhibit features maps and landscapes of local scenes, New Orleans and the South West. A keen observer of nature's line and geometry with a twist of subtle, bright colors, she creates a visionary delight of a surreal psychedelic world. The viewer is happily caught between figuration, storytelling and an illustration of utopia. Jarvis’ paintings are to be experienced with joy.

Save the Date!! On Saturday, November 5th all men of the Round Hill Community Church are invited to attend the Men’s Bible Study Breakfast from 9-10:30 a.m. in the parlor. This month we will focus on a biblical text relating to the theme of Hospitality as part of our year-long exploration of A Life Worth Living. Please RSVP to the main office via email - church@roundhillcommunitychurch.org. A light breakfast will be served.

Youth & Children’s Ministries

Thanks to all who supported the “Coffee Hour with a Purpose” Bake Sale last weekend! The older students of our Church School were so excited to see so many of you and to find themselves just a little closer to their goal of a future teen room at RHCC!

Some important information for families: As our children's ministry grows, we encourage you to start Sundays

in service as a family.  After the Children's Message all children that would like to participate in Children's Worship will be dismissed into classrooms following the special sending song.  

For parents with little ones birth up to age 3, our childcare room is available 9:45am-11:15am.  It opens 15 minutes before service and childcare workers stay until 15 minutes past service.

Please know all members of our church family, even the youngest, are always welcome at coffee hour and the congregation truly loves to see our little ones!

The next RHCC Children’s Playdate will take place on Friday, November 4th from 9-2pm in the Community House. Watch you inbox for information!

Middle and high school students should note our monthly RHCC Youth schedule. All are always welcome to participate and bring a friend!

1st Sundays - “First Sundays at Round Hill” casual, interactive Worship Service 4:00pm

2nd Sundays – “Youth Sunday” (youth serve as ushers, acolytes, liturgists)

3rd Fridays – “Friday Night Live” 6-8pm in the Community House 3rd Sundays – “Youth Fellowship” - food, faith and fellowship 4th Sundays - Youth “Service Sunday,” in partnership with local

organizations to help neighbors in need.

Come one, come all but come FIRST because first come, first-served! Last year, this popular community event was SOLD OUT within days! Please make your reservations early by contacting the Main Office at 203-869-1091 or via email at

church@roundhillcommunitychurch.org.

There is a sign-up sheet in the Parlor for pies, help with set-up and clean-up, and also looking for three small task teams to

make batches of mashed potatoes. 

CHILDREN’S CORNER

In today’s scripture reading we hear about the blessing of giving to others. We learned about a group of people called the Macedonians, who gave happily and generously from their hearts despite difficult times. God wants us to be “cheerful” givers and be willing to give of our resources when we see others in need. In fact, God has blessed us with everything we have, so doesn’t it make sense that we should pass those blessing on to others? Here's what we can learn from the Macedonians:

1) God blesses those who give according to and beyond their ability. The Macedonians, in their giving despite extreme poverty, found that they were made rich spiritually. They realized that to have God's grace was sufficient and though they had little, they possessed everything that really matters. As children, we may not have a lot of material things, or have a lot of money, but can God still use us? Certainly! God has a way of multiplying the little that we have into what is needed. 

2) We need to always be ready to give what we have and then see how God is going to use it for His glory. In today's reading, Paul says that the Macedonian church gave not only what they could afford but also far more, and they did it because they wanted to, not because Paul told them to. One of the most important things that we can learn in our lives about giving is that we need to have the right attitude about it. We can give money, time or anything else and have bad attitude about it. When that happens we are robbed of a blessing. When we have the right attitude, we bless the Lord and receive His blessings in return.

Let’s think of ways that we can be giving towards others. God wants us to be giving, even when it may mean that we have to give up or sacrifice something in order to do it. Jesus gave us His life so that we may have eternal life. We could never give more to the Lord than He has already given to us! As you give of your time, energy or money you will find that God will always bless you back.

This week, share these coupons with someone who might appreciate your help or time. Write in things you could do that would be giving, like walking someone’s dog, washing someone’s car, mowing someone’s lawn, or washing the dishes. Remember, giving does not always have to do with money. We can give of our time, our things, or even our very lives in service to others.

REFLECTION

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;    His righteousness endures forever.”

2 Corinthians 9: 6-9

Cover Art: Jan Richardson, Epiphany

Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Edward G. Horstmann

Associate Pastor: The Rev. Dan Haugh Guest Organist: Jon Hunt

Director of Music: Leslie SmithDirector of Children’s Ministries: Jenny Byxbee

Minister Emeritus: The Rev. Dr. Ralph AhlbergRound Hill Community Church

395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831203.869.1091 roundhillcommunitychurch.org