Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICE December 20, 2015

Fourth Sunday in Advent – Christmas Pageant

PRELUDE Pastorale Valentini The Shepherd at the Manger Liszt

WORDS OF WELCOME

INTROIT

CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: God of hope, who brought love into this world,All: be the love that dwells between us.Leader: God of hope, who brought peace into this world,All: be the peace that dwells between us.Leader: God of hope, who brought joy into this world,All: be the joy that dwells between us.Leader: God of hope, the rock we stand upon,All: be the center, the focus of our lives always, and particularly

this Advent time.*PRAYER

God of generations, your promises come to birth in surprising ways. Fill our hearts with courage

and hope and fill our dreams with visions of new life. Help us live according to your word and love with the fullness of your grace; in the holy name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.

*The congregation is invited to stand

*THE LORD’S PRAYER Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come.Thy will be doneon 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.

LIGHTING THE CANDLE OF LOVE Pat Milo, Ashely, Lisa and Victoria Tremblay

Leader: We are a people of hope, a people of peace, a people of joy. All: Today we light the candle of love. No other word so

adequately expresses the spirit and goal of our faith. No other word so completely describes what we know of our God.

Leader: For God so loved the world…All: That the compassion of God was revealed

through the faith hope and love of Jesus Christ.

Leader: We gather in the transforming power of Christian love. All: We give thanks for a love that passes all

understanding, and we wait for the dawning of God’s pervasive and enduring love once more this Christmas

season.

HYMN* O Come, O Come Emmanuel (verse 4)O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,unto your own and rescue them!

From depths of hell your people save,and give them victory o'er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

ANTHEM Noel We Sing Dacquin

*HYMN No. 165 Once in Royal David’s City

It is our hope that this performance of the Best Christmas Pageant Ever will warm your heart and prepare it for the coming birth of Jesus Christ. Our children have worked very

hard to make this a beautiful experience for you….kindly show them the courtesy of waiting until the very end to take photographs, at which time we will announce a general

photo opportunity. Thank you.

PAGEANT

CAROL No. 144 O Little Town of Bethlehem (verses 1 and 2)

PAGEANTCAROL No. 147 Away in a Manger (verses 1 and 2)

PAGEANT

CAROL No. 155 Angels We Have Heard on High (verses 1 and 2)

PAGEANT

CAROL No. 172 We Three Kings (verses 1, 2 and 3)

PAGEANT

*CAROL No. 143 Joy to the World

OFFERINGInvitationAnthem Deck the Halls Rutter*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 My Country, ‘Tis of Thee (verse 4)Our fathers’ God, to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing;

long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light; protect us by thy might, Great God, our King.

PASTORAL PRAYER

*HYMN No. 150 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

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

CHORAL RESPONSE Amen M. Dylewsky

POSTLUDE The First Noel Held

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.

2015 CHRISTMAS PAGEANT CAST (in alphabetical order)

Andrew BreckenridgeCaroline BreckenridgeNicholas BreckenridgeKarla CarpenterElizabeth CidMiller DavolElena DebnarDaniela DelgadoBlake HaughJack HaughJozsef Kozma

Julia KozmaAva KotzYannick KudrnacIzabela NovakDiamond Raye OutlawAlex PiperLisa TremblayVictoria TremblayCatherine UtzingerEmily UtzingerMadison Utzinger       

   

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Chris Berry and Jill Cassill for ushering during today’s morning service.

Thank you to Becky Jasperson and Jan Ziemba for hosting today’s Coffee Hour. Please join them in the parlor following the service.

This year’s Christmas Eve offerings will be dedicated to Syrian Refugee Relief through Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), a

program of the Episcopal Church of Connecticut. IRIS resettles approximately 200 legally-admitted refugees each year. IRIS also provides some services to asylum-seekers and other immigrants. Currently, IRIS’s refugee clients come from Afghanistan, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria and other countries.

If you didn’t receive a Pledge Card, or are a newcomer and would like to make a gift for the coming year, Pledge Cards are available in the Narthex and Parlor.

Give the gift of warmth…please donate to our Mitten Tree! There is a Christmas tree located in the Parlor that we hope to adorn with new gloves, hats and mittens to keep little hands and heads warm this winter! All donations should be hung on the Mitten Tree and will then be distributed to our friends

Our next installment in the Bible Study Series: People of the Book will take place in the Parlor after worship today. We will discuss the presence and importance of angels in the Bible. Texts to be considered include: Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1: 26-38, Luke 2: 8-20 and Acts 12: 6-11. All are encouraged to participate!

The Meditation/Stress Reduction Group will not meet again until January 7th and thereafter, will resume normal bi-weekly meetings. All are welcome!

All men of Round Hill are invited to attend the new year gathering of the Greenwich Men's Club on Thursday, January 7 from 6-8 pm at Tengda Asian Bistro in Greenwich. A suggested donation of $10 will be gratefully accepted to help defray costs. The presentation and moderated discussion will be about Happiness. Please reserve your space by registering at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/greenwich-mens-club-

january-gathering-tickets-20035206843 or you may email church@roundhillcommmunitychurch.org

Save the date! On Sunday, January 10th, RHCC together with the YWCA of Greenwich, will hold a Domestic Abuse Forum to learn how domestic violence affects our community. Please join Adrianne Singer, President and CEO of YWCA Greenwich and Meredith Gold, Director of YWCA Domestic Abuse Services, for a discussion of the basics of domestic abuse, how to help a friend or family member, what services are available and how to get involved. Please join us!

REFLECTIONS

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” 

Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

"The earth has grown old with its burden of careBut at Christmas it always is young,

The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fairAnd its soul full of music breaks the air,

When the song of angels is sung." Phillips Brooks

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 Blunden

Round Hill Community Church395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831

203.869.1091 roundhillcommunitychurch.org