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If possible, please print this bulletin, (or see page 6 to show it on a split screen) so that you can more fully participate in

Sunday worship.

The Zoom site will open to worshipers at 9:50 am, to give you opportunity to prepare for 10 am worship.

To dial in by phone, call: 1-646-558-8656. When prompted, enter this meeting ID: 892501398.

To link by computer or smart phone, click on the link in the email invitation or at fccriveredge.org. If necessary,

download Zoom App. and enter the meeting ID listed above.

All worshipers will be muted, whether you have entered worship by computer or call.

Prayer requests can be texted to Pastor Dennis at 201.390.5548

throughout Sunday morning, preferably prior to worship.

Where possible, they will be incorporated into the Prayers of the People.

THE APPROACH TO GOD

PRELUDE Prelude, Pastoral Song, and Prelude Modal Jean Langlais

WELCOME (10:00 AM)

CALL TO WORSHIP

This is a Sabbath dedicated to our God.

Let this gathering place be a home for all people.

May God be gracious to us and bless us.

May God’s face shine over all the earth’s people.

Let all the people praise the God of all nations.

Let us give thanks and enjoy the blessings God gives.

May God grant us understanding and courage.

May faith grow beyond our doubts.

The earth has yielded its blessing.

Let all the ends of the earth revere our Creator.

God brings us together in unity of purpose.

May our circle grow as we welcome newcomers. Psalm 133

HYMN 43 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling HYFRYDOL

Text by Charles Wesley

THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

RIVER EDGE, NEW JERSEY

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2020 – 10:00 AM

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We seek to be a dynamic community of faith committed to spiritual

growth, following Christ’s example and God’s Word . . . with diverse

worship, education, mission and compassionate care for all.

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Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven on earth be found,

Fix in us a humble dwelling, all your faithful mercies crown!

Jesus, you are all compassion, pure unbounded love impart,

Visit us with your salvation, enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe your loving Spirit into every troubled breast;

Let us all in you inherit, let us find your promised rest.

Take away our love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be;

End of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.

Finish, then, your new creation; pure and spotless may we prove;

Let us see your great salvation perfectly restored in you;

Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,

Crowned as saints, we ever shall be lost in wonder, love, and praise.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

God of joy, God of life,

we come to you as a people hungry for good news.

We have been dead to miracles.

We have preoccupied ourselves with pleasures

and have overlooked the joy you offer us.

We have been so concerned with making a living

that we have missed the life you set among us.

Forgive us, gracious God.

Open our eyes and our hearts to receive your gift;

open our lips and hands to share it with all humanity

in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen. Silence for confession

CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE Kyrie Eleison (Lord, Have Mercy) Dinah Reindorf, Ghana

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

PEACE

The peace of Christ be with you.

And also with you.

We’ll / Get through this / Together.

SOLO I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked Geoffrey O’Hara

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THE WORD OF GOD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

THE SCRIPTURE LESSON Matthew 15:10-28

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON On the Outs? The Rev. Dennis L. TeBeest

THE RESPONSE TO GOD

SHARING OUR TITHES, OUR GIFTS AND OUR OFFERINGS

FCC members and friends are urged to continue giving and fulfilling pledges to FCC during this time,

so that we do not fall further behind in our church budget:

Mail your checks to the church, 109 Continental Ave., River Edge, NJ 07661, or

click on EITHER “Donate” button on the fccriveredge.org homepage in order to contribute by credit

card or PayPal account.

Offering - We are deeply grateful to those who have stepped forward to support our church in recent days.

We need and appreciate every donation. Please consider joining our group of ‘prime movers,’ and giving the church

an extra boost during this time of unusual challenges. We need our church more than ever just now.

OFFERTORY

DOXOLOGY

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

As you have blessed us, O God, we are eager to share. May we offer more than crumbs from

your table. May none be sent away from the blessings you intend for all. We want our offerings

to preserve and extend life to your children, here in this place and wherever our influence can

reach. What is in the offering plates is only a part of what we dedicate ourselves to do and be,

that your reign of unity and peace may come. Amen.

CALL TO PRAYER Come and Fill Our Hearts Jacques Berthier

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

ending with THE LORD’S PRAYER (using “debts…debtors”)

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HYMN 23 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy IN BABILONE

Text by Frederick William Faber

BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE Pasticcio Jean Langlais

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Assisting God’s people in worship this morning are Pastor Dennis L. TeBeest, worship leader;

Audrey Cho, lay reader; Bert Schmitt, soloist; Gene Hammerle, technician; and Gloria Norton, Minister of Music.

Kyrie eleison by Dinah Reindorf. Music © 1987. Arrangement © 2001 Faith Alive Christian Resources. Used by permission of OneLicense Publications

#A-700435. Come and Fill Our Hearts text and music by Jacques Berthier, 1982, copyright 1991 Les Presses de Taize (GIA Publications, Inc. ) OneLicense A-700435

The Worship Team is working to ready the Sanctuary

to reopen August 23 for Sunday in-person worship. Our Zoom broadcasts will continue concurrently.

Make your choice of which is best for you!

In-Person Worship at FCC Beginning August 23, 2020!

We are so eager to come back into our FCC Sanctuary for prayer and worship! Yet we also want safety and

comfort to be assured for all who choose to gather in-person. As we begin to worship concurrently by Zoom and

In-Person, here is guidance for our worship in the church building.

1. You must register, if you wish to attend Sunday Worship in-person. At fccriveredge.org, or in the weekly

E-mail Call to Worship, click on the Reopen.Church link. It will send you to a page where you simply

need to enter your name, your email address, and the number who will be attending in your family unit.

Initially, attendance will be capped at 34 persons. You must register by Friday noon. Should you not have

internet access, call the church office (201.261.1712) by 4 pm, Thursday, and we will register you.

2. Please arrive on Sunday morning between 9:40 and 9:50 am. The prelude begins by 9:55 and we wish all

to be seated by that time.

3. After parking, maintain social distancing on the entry sidewalk.

4. You will be met at the Entryway door by a Greeter, who will welcome you, assure your good health, that

you are wearing a mask and that you use the hand sanitizer stations.

5. You will proceed through the Entryway into the Sanctuary Narthex, where an Usher will guide you to your

seat in the sanctuary. Seating will occur in 20 marked stations. Please follow the ushers’ guidance;

worshipers will not be able to choose their own seats.

6. Only family units (maximum 4 persons) will be allowed to share a seating station.

7. Masks must be worn the entire time of being inside the FCC facilities.

8. Bulletins (2) will be waiting for you at your seat.

9. Singing will not be allowed. Only the assigned song leader in the choir loft will sing. You may enjoy the

soloist and follow the hymn lyrics in your bulletin. 😊

10. At the conclusion of the service, please remain seated until an usher releases you. Please take your

bulletin(s) home with you. Proceed directly outdoors, through the Narthex and Entryway. If you wish, you

may, at social distance, engage in conversation on the church lawn, before returning to your car.

11. There will be an Offertory in the worship service, but tithes, gifts and offerings will not be gathered at that

time. There will be a collection basket at the Narthex, into which you may drop your offering as you

depart the sanctuary.

Please use restrooms only in instances of strong need. Wipe down all touched surfaces (wipes will be available)

upon leaving the restroom.

On Communion Sundays, there will be pre-packaged communion elements at your seating station (inform an

usher as you enter, if you wish a gluten-free option).

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How to show the bulletin and church service on the same screen.. 1. Download the bulletin using the link in the email.

2. Open the downloaded file.

3. In the window displaying the bulletin, use your mouse to move the window to one side of the screen and resize the width so that

it takes up only one-half the screen. Also maximize the height of the window by dragging the top and bottom of the widow with

your mouse up or down. Minimize any tool bars to maximize the document display in the window.

4. Return to the email and click on the Zoom link to open Zoom.

5. Use your mouse to click on the Zoom window and drag it to the opposite side of the screen from the bulletin. Center the Zoom

window between the edge of the screen and the edge of the bulletin and also the top and bottom of the screen.

6. When the FCCRE service starts use your mouse to adjust the Zoom window size and position, if necessary, to display the service

and the bulletin side-by-side.

7. During the service use your mouse to scroll the bulletin.

Note: Details of the individual steps may vary depending on whether you are using a PC or MAC computer, the browser used, and the

email system used.

FCC Summer Outdoor Bible Study and Prayer Group FCC is hosting an informal outdoor study/prayer group bi-weekly on Wednesday evenings, 7:00 pm. Our next

gathering will be on August 19 in the church parking lot. The study deals with various topics of our Christian faith,

led by Education Team leader Beth Shuler, supported by Pastor Dennis.

The current study is “Praying the Psalms.” Psalms may be the most contemporary and relevant book in the

whole Bible, because we can identify intimately with the expressions of trust, hope, lament, and praise we find there.

To keep us all safe, we practice social distancing and wear face coverings. We gather in the parking lot, near

Borough Hall; in the event of rain, we will meet in Pilgrim Hall. Please bring your own chair.

Interested? If you are coming, please RSVP to Beth Shuler at bethshuler7@gmail.com, so she can send you

the participant handout prior to our meeting. If you don’t have e-mail you can call her at 201-247-2177. There is no

cost for this study.

We look forward to seeing you in person, as we come together to support one another and learn more about

living our Christian faith.

Beth & Pastor Dennis

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FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF RIVER EDGE Prayer Concerns – August 16, 2020

We extend our sympathy to Don Huggett and family at the death of Dorothy Huggett

on Wednesday, August 12. A private graveside service is planned. Please hold Don and family in your prayers and concerns.

Prayers for Those with Health Needs

Alice Rushforth, Tom Rushforth, Nancy Chiang, Claudia Drummond, Chet Price, Kurt Shuler, Joanne

Hernandez, Hilma Albrecht, Joan Hammerle, Arlene Rudd, Bob Drummond, Adamarie Kendall, Robert

Metz, June Morris, Victor Babington Sr., Richard Smith, Joanne Hernandez, Chris Egner, Diane Pra,

Doris Price, Karnig Thomasian, Marie Herrick, June Seilheimer, Barbara Christiansen, Joan Sullivan,

William Brewer, Rev. Muriel (Mimi) Hachfeld, Edwina Arena, Barbara Carr, Frank Mills, Karen Coffey,

Michael Cirillo.

Those Homebound, in Assisted Living Residences or Nursing Homes

Barbara Schmidli, Phyllis Malley, Joan Jones, William Spencer, Mildred Alderdice, Joan Sullivan.

Serving in the Military

Michael Shuler, Michael Riabov and Bob Bailey

CHURCH OFFICE INFORMATION

109 Continental Avenue, River Edge, NJ 07661

Church Office: (201) 261-1712 / office@fccriveredge.org Website – www.fccriveredge.org

ALTHOUGH THE CHURCH BUILDING HAS LIMITED ACCESS, FCC IS ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN MINISTRY! IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE, PLEASE

CONTACT THE CHURCH OFFICE (201-261-1712) OR PASTOR DENNIS (201-390-5548)

The Church Staff is working remotely, as well as in the office on a limited basis. Staff may be reached by phone and email as listed below.