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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
[email protected]
www.firstparishchurch.org
mailto:[email protected]://www.firstparishchurch.org/
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MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, October 22, 2017, 10:00 a.m.
Communion, New Members
“He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count
the
stars, if you are able to count them.’ (Genesis 15:5)
ORGAN PRELUDE: “Aria” (in Baroque style) Robert Lau (b.1943)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP (adapted from Touch Holiness)
For the living of these days
Let us heed promptings of possibility, Let us evoke creativities
of compassion,
Let us be poised for flight on soaring wings of faith and love.
O come, let us worship God! *HYMN: “God of Grace and God of Glory”
(vs 1-3) NCH #436 black
OPENING PRAYER (adapted from Touch Holiness)
Loving God, as we worship you today let not our hearts be as
hard as
stone, but make us soft and pliable as clay. Let not our minds
be
armored as a fortress but make us as open as an archway. Let us
not
cling to preconceived assumptions, but relax our hands to let go
of all to
which we grasp. Set us free to hold whatever you might send us.
May
we not be like rocks, unaffected amid the current, unconnected
to its
source. Instead, may we flow with your Spirit as a fallen leaf
floats
lightly on the surface of a stream, praying as Jesus taught
us…
*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
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TIME OF RECOGNITION Expressions of Gratitude by Christiane Alsop
& Susan Parker
*HYMN: “Here I Am, Lord” Insert
MORNING PRAYER
Pastoral Prayer and Silent Prayer There will be a time, during
the silent prayer, where the pastor will invite the congregation
to
speak out loud their joys and concerns.
ANTHEM: “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”
Text by Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908)
Tune: St. Denio
Arranged by Hal H. Hopson (b. 1933)
Rebecca Shrimpton, soprano Alice Marie “Alrie” Terrill Memorial
Music
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, not wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice, like mountains high soaring above;
thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all, life thou givest, to both great and small.
In all life thou livest, the true life of all.
We blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
Then wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.
Thou reignest in glory; thou dwellest in light.
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight.
All praise we would render; O help us to see
‘tis only the splendor of light hideth thee!
SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 15:1-6
SERMON: “Glimpsing God’s Vision”
MOMENT OF MEDITATION
OFFERTORY SENTENCE
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OFFERTORY ANTHEM: “Eternal Gifts”
Words attr. St. Ambrose of Milan, ca. 340-397
Tune: “Deo Gracias,” English ballad, 15th century
Arranged by John W. Becker (b. 1927)
The eternal gifts of Christ the King,
The apostles glorious deeds, we sing;
And all, with hearts of gladness,
Raise due hymns of thankful love and praise.
Their faith in Christ the Lord prevailed;
Their hope, a light that never failed;
Their love a blaze over pathways trod
To lead them to the eternal Godl.
In them the Father's glory shone,
In them the sill of God the Son,
In them exults the Holy Ghost,
Through them rejoice, with them rejoice the Heavenly host.
*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.
RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS
Introduction
Questions to the New Members
Question to the Congregation
Covenant (in unison):
Acknowledging Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord, and
accepting the Holy Scripture as as our rule of faith and
practice, and
recognizing the privilege and duty of uniting ourselves for
Christian
fellowship, the enjoyment of Christian ordinances, the public
worship of
God, and the advancement of His kingdom in the world, we do now,
in
the sight of God and invoking His blessing, solemnly covenant
and
agree with each other to associate ourselves to be a church of
Jesus
Christ, as warranted by the Word of God.
We agree to maintain the institutions of the gospel, to
submit
ourselves to the orderly administration of the affairs of the
Church, and
to walk together in neighborly love.
And this we do depending upon our God who so loved the world
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that Jesus Christ, the only begotten son, was given for our
salvation, and
who redeemed us with His blood, and of the Holy Spirit, our
Comforter
and Guide.
The Right Hand of Fellowship
Members Received: Elizabeth McKinley Loomis
Betsy Joyce – by reaffirmation
Associate Members Received: Charles Hardwick and Sheilagh
Mylott
*HYMN: “Be Now My Vision” PH #391 blue
*[The “Removal of the Flame”, which symbolizes the Spirit of God
accompanying
us out into the world]
BENEDICTION
CHORAL RESPONSE
ORGAN POSTLUDE: “Agincourt Hymn”
John Dunstable (ca. 1370-1453)
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After the service all are invited to join us for
refreshments.
Greeters this week are our Vitality Committee and new
members.
The Lay Reader is Allison Moir-Smith, Vitality.
The flowers on the altar are donated by the Vitality Committee
in
celebration of our new members. Please give a warm welcome to
our
new members and introduce yourself.
The Deacons are Sarah Campbell and Mary Ellen Cook. Readers
and
Greeters are always needed, to volunteer speak to the Deacons or
sign
up online.
Listening devices are available for those in need; they are at
the back of
the Sanctuary. Feel free to address a Deacon should you need
help using
them.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0444aca629a5f94-diaconatehttp://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0444aca629a5f94-diaconate
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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
[email protected] , 978-526-7661 ext 1.
FLOWERS FOR THE ALTAR Please call Penny Lapham at 978-526-
7128, by Monday to be included in the following Sunday’s
bulletin.
COA BASKETS AND
FRESHMAN CARE
PACKAGES! Upcoming in November the
Sunday School will be putting
together the Council On
Aging baskets for around 25 of our friends there. Women’s
Fellowship
will be assembling Care Packages for freshman, associated with
our
Church, to receive before mid-term exams.
We are in need of:
-Travel size shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, mouth
wash, etc.
-Fuzzy socks
-Cough drops
-Notepads
-Highlighters
-Hard Candy
-Hot Chocolate Packets
-Chapstick
-Snack sized pretzels, chips, nuts, etc.
-Sudoku Puzzles
-Crossword Puzzles
-Adult Coloring Books and Colored Pencils
-Gum
-Mints
Think of things you would like to receive! Bring to Church or
Chapel.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
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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, [email protected]
Janet Groth at 978-526-8408, [email protected]
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.
SEASIDE PARISH KNITTERS has begun again! We
would love to have you join us on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays
of
the month in the Conference Room of the Chapel, 3-5 PM.
Read more about us here.
BIBLE STUDY (for adults) Thursdays 4-5:30 PM at 37 Beach St
(home of Vin Terrill). Join us for a weekly study of our
scriptures led by
Rev. Marlayna. Scripture for October 26, Ephesians 4:7-16
SUNDAY SCHOOL Would you like to be more involved
with our Sunday school program? Check out all the
opportunities to help online. Contact Jessica 978-526-7661
ext. 3
Sunday, October 29, all are welcome to join us for a
conversation on Reformation with Rev. Dr. Llewellyn
Smith. Join us at the Chapel following worship.
Soups needed! Contact Jessica at 978-526-7661 ext. 3 or
[email protected]. Click here to donate
soup or salad.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.firstparishchurch.org/seaside-parish-knitters/http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4caba822a1f49-sundaymailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c4caba822a1f49-soup3
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PRAYER TEAM
“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 [email protected]. We meet. All are welcome to
gather in the parlor of First Parish, on the
1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month. 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.
BOOK GROUP “The Storied Life of AJ Fikry” by
Gabrielle Zevin. Next gathering, October 30th at 7 PM, at
Bonnie Benincasa’s home 25 Hickory Hill Road,
Manchester.
FAIR SILENT AUCTION The Church Fair on
November 11 will take place almost before you know
it! Most baskets tend to value between $30-$100. But
of course, there is no limit
For the silent auction, we need large empty baskets and, of
course, items
to fill them. These items should have a theme. For example:
Get Well Basket Christmas Basket Patriots Party Basket
Wine (or Beer) Basket Arts & Crafts Basket
All items need to be delivered to the Chapel or to Lauren
Gudonis, by
Sunday, October 29. Questions or to brainstorm ideas contact
Lauren
617-633-5333 or [email protected]
Thank you for your continued generosity!
NEW ITEMS TABLE VOLUNTEER Looking for one member of our
church to take charge of the New Items Table. It involves
pricing items
and setting up the table on Thursday or Friday afternoon and
selling the
items on Saturday from 9 am - 2 pm. By all accounts, it is the
easiest job
at the Fair! Contact Pam Scarafoni [email protected] or
Sarah
Campbell [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
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HARVEST FOOD DRIVE, October 2017. In 2016
we gathered 96 pounds for Beverly Bootstraps and 99
pounds for The Open Door. The annual First Parish
Church Harvest Food Drive helps our neighbors who
are struggling to feed their families. Every year our
congregation responds generously to the call for food
donations to stock the pantries at Beverly Bootstraps and The
Open
Door. The canned goods and non-perishables that are collected
during
our Harvest Food Drive assist families and individuals in
Beverly,
Manchester, Essex, Gloucester, Essex, Ipswich, and Rockport.
The
Missions Committee, FPC Youth Groups, and the Sunday School are
all
cooperating in this important effort. All through the month of
October
we will be collecting non-perishable food items. Items can be
dropped
off at the Chapel or Church.
RESCHEDULED SILENT
PRAYER/AWARENESS WALK Nov. 5
Your Interim Pastor, Transition Team, [and Prayer
Team], invite you to join them in a brief walk around
the neighborhood, November 5th, 11:30 to 12:15. In
case you’ve never been on a walk like this, here’s what it
entails: A
small group of us silently walking around Manchester for half an
hour or
so, simply being aware of what we see. For example: Are
there
tricycles in the driveways? Trampolines in the yards? Moms/dads
with
strollers on the sidewalks? Elderly people sitting on porches?
Houses
with peeling paint? Handicap ramps? Halloween decorations?
Shops
with creative signs/displays in their windows? etc, etc. At the
end of
the walk, we gather in the sanctuary and “report back” what
we
noticed. Then, we pray for the well-being of the people
we’ve
seen. Note: Prayer walks are not a means of evangelizing our
neighbors; prayer walks are a means for God to open our eyes
and
hearts to the people around us. (Also note: We won’t be
conspicuously praying while we are walking, so anyone taking
notice of
us won’t view us as religious zealots; to the average person, we
will
simply look like a small group of people out for a Sunday stroll
:).
http://www.firstparishchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/HarvestFoodDrive.jpg
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Upcoming events can be found on our website
(www.firstparishchurch.org ) under “News” and “Calendar” and on
our
Facebook page (First Parish Manchester-by-the-Sea) under
“Events”
Monday
7:30 PM Manchester Singers
7:00 PM Christian Ed
Tuesday
10:00 AM COA Zumba
11:30 AM COA Lunch of the Month
4:30 PM Friends of COA
Wednesday
10:00 AM COA Yoga
7:30 PM Choir Rehearsal
Thursday
4:00 PM Bible Study
6:30 PM Diaconate
Friday
8:00 AM Yoga
10:00 AM Brown Bag Lunches
Sunday
10:00 AM Worship, Nursery, Sunday School, Youth Group
11:30 AM Soup & Conversation
Youth
Group
Corn
Maze
Fun was
had by all!
http://www.firstparishchurch.org/http://www.facebook.com/FirstParishChurchManchesterMa
