Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICE May 8, 2016 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

Confirmation Sunday Mother’s Day

PRELUDE O Hail This Brightest Day of Days J.S. Bach Air Vaughn Williams

WORDS OF WELCOME INTROIT

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader: Let us worship God!

All: This is day the Lord has made.

Leader: A day for praising God together.

All: A day for new beginnings,

Leader: A day for remembering promises.

All: We come to the church family to be affirmed in our faith

Leader: We come to worship God in our midst and welcome God’s

people,

All: Come, let us grow together, serve together and find home

together!

*HYMN No. 4 Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God, Almighty!

*The congregation is invited to stand*OPENING PRAYER (co-written by Rev. Dan Haugh and confirmand,

Andrew Breckenridge)God of all people, guide us in your path through hardships and emotionsguide us as we are your disciples,give us confidence and strength to do what is rightand give hope to the people who need it mostthrough 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.

ANTHEM For the Beauty of the Earth Rutter

SCRIPTURE LESSON Acts 11: 19-26Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”

SERMON Only the Beginning The Rev. Dan Haugh

*HYMN No. 494 They’ll Know We Are Christians

CONFIRMATION Andrew Breckenridge, Miller Davol, Elena Debnar and Laysha Lucero

RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERSKarla Carpenter, Rector Davol, Leticia and Andreus Lucero

*WORDS OF WELCOME FROM THE CONGREGATION Friends, we joyfully accept you into the fellowship and mission of Round Hill Community Church, and pledge to support you with our prayers and encouragement. May you continue to grow in the

knowledge and love of God, in service to this community and the wider world of which we are a part.

*HYMN No. 433 Blest be the Tie that Binds (verse 1)Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love: the fellowship of

kindred minds is like to that above.OFFERING

InvitationAnthem Praise the Lord Handel*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 O Beautiful for Spacious Skies O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber

waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed full grace on thee, and crown thy good with servanthood from sea to shining sea.

PASTORAL PRAYER

*HYMN No. 357 We Call Ourselves Disciples (verses 1, 4 and 5)

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 Finale on Hyfrydol Coleman

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.

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSON 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.

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Caroline Adkins and Sharon Logan for ushering this morning.

Thank you to Valerie Stauffer and Jill Stauffer Cobbs for hosting coffee hour today. Please join them in the Parlor following the service.

Faith Formation

We extend our sincere congratulations to Andrew Breckenridge, Miller Davol, Elena Debnar and Laysha Lucero on this extraordinary and memorable day in which they are confirmed in their Christian faith and welcomed into the full and flourishing life of the Church!

The Greenwich Men's Club will meeting on Thursday, May 12th at Tengda Asian Bistro from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for a presentation and discussion on 'The Power of Volunteering". To sign up for this free event, please email:  greenwichmensclub@gmail.com.

Please join us for the next installment of People of the Book bible study series next Sunday, May 15th. Our focus will be on the character of Peter. In Greek his name is Petros and it means ‘rock.’ On one occasion, while walking on water to imitate Jesus, he sank like a stone. Bold, impulsive, emotional and visionary: that’s Peter, and he became one of the great leaders of the early Christian movement. Join Rev. Ed Horstmann as we read his story again as if for the first time, and see what life lessons he has for us.

Pentecost falls on May 15th…here are some modest Pentecost wishes to honor the festival:

Consider wearing something red: a reminder of the tongues of flame that inspired the speech of the faithful at the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, and a suggestion of the vitality that is intended to be a hallmark of the church

Come to worship on May 14 eager to hear music from the tradition of the spirituals that will be offered by our choir under the direction of Chris Kabala

Come with a longing to sing songs and hymns that will celebrate the life of the Spirit on our world today

And every day between now and then, pray this simple Pentecostal prayer for the good of all: Come Holy Spirit: renew the whole creation. Until as it is in heaven, so may it be on earth!

On Sunday, May 22nd, we look forward to welcoming The Rev. Dr Heather P. Wright, Executive Director of the Greenwich Center for Hope & Renewal, to Round Hill as our guest preacher that day. A little about Heather…in her role as Executive Director for the Greenwich Center for Hope & Renewal, a counseling and resource center in backcountry Greenwich, Heather oversees programs and personnel, as well as strategic partnerships with community leaders and professionals. Her work includes counseling and speaking on behalf of the Center. Previously, for six years, Heather directed a non-profit ministry, Greenwich Chaplaincy Services, and continues on today as a member of their Executive Committee. A Greenwich native, Heather is an accomplished author of three books, writes a clergy column monthly for the Greenwich Sentinel, and has spoken at numerous professional conferences and seminars. We are excited to welcome her to RHCC – please plan to attend!

Music

On May 22nd during the 10am service, new church member Matthew Dylewsky will present several of his original compositions. Matthew began composing and seriously studying the piano while still at Greenwich High School. After graduating, he completed his studies at the Moscow State Conservatory, where he studied composition and piano. Outreach

Neighbor to Neighbor has identified their May special collection and are asking, specifically, for donations of dry pasta and all variety of jarred pasta sauces. A food wagon and giving envelopes are located in the Narthex.

Fellowship

Les Beaux Arts Gallery opens its’ new exhibit today, Chinese Brush Painting by child psychiatrist and artist, Bob Seaver. Chinese Brush work is fascinating and spontaneous: the hand of the artist has to be sure and confident as there is no possibility of error. We invite you to come and meet the artist this Sunday following the service, pass through the gallery and enjoy the show. Exhibit runs through June 9th.

The next meditation meeting will take place on Thursday, May 12th at 6:30 pm.

The next meeting of the Single Women’s Group will take place on May 14th in the church parlor from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Guest speaker will be Michele Thomas of the Osborn Home Care program, which recently opened an office on Mason Street. Please RSVP to the church office at 203-869-1091.

Come cheer on the Round Hill Saints this week - Wednesday at 5:45pm vs. Stratford and Friday at 5:45pm vs. Firehouse Deli. Both games will be played at Western Middle School. Go Saints!

REFLECTIONS

“I wish not merely to be called Christian, but also to be Christian.” St. Ignatius of Antioch

“Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.” St. Catherine of Siena

Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plumYou came along and everything started to humStill it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come

The best is yet to come, and won' that be fineYou think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine Frank Sinatra

Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Edward G. HorstmannAssociate Pastor: The Rev. Dan Haugh

Minister Emeritus: The Rev. Dr. Ralph AhlbergMinister of Music: Christopher Kabala

Church School Coordinator: Connie BlundenRound Hill Community Church

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