Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICESeptember 4, 2016

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

PRELUDE Tierce en taille Nicholas de Grigny

WORDS OF WELCOME

INTROIT O Come, Let Us Sing Unto the Lord Moore

CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: Rise, shine, for your light has come!

All: The light of dawn has called us to a new day to live and to love.

Leader: Rise, shine, for your light has come!

All: The true Light that enlightens every person has come into the world, revealing that in God, all creation is one.

Leader: Rise, shine, for your light has come!

All: Jesus has challenged us to be the light of the world, shining holy love into the dark corners of confusion, fear and despair.

Leader: Rise, shine, for your light has come!

All: Here we are, Lord. Illumine us, purify us, and shine through us as we worship, listen and respond to you this holy hour.

*HYMN No. 21 Let the Whole Creation Cry

*The congregation is invited to stand

*OPENING PRAYER O God, the source of our beingand the goal of all our longing,we believe and trust in you.The whole earth is alive with your glory,and all that has life is sustained by you.We commit ourselves to cherish your world, to work with you and renew our world. 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.

SACRAMENT OF HOLY BAPTISM

Yannick Francis KudrnacBorn July 29, 2015

Son of Jan and Dru (Drahuska) Kudrnac

Godson of Mr. Ales Tuma and Mrs. Radka Tumova

HYMN Child of Blessing, Child of Promise

Children may now leave for Church School.

ANTHEM Awake, Awake to Love and Work Mitchell

SCRIPTURE LESSONS

Matthew 11: 28-30Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

SERMON Gratitude: Welcome to a State of Grace! The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann *HYMN No. 259 Spirit of the Living God

OFFERINGInvitationAnthem Praise the Lord G. F.

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 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 bythy might, Great God, our King.

PASTORAL PRAYER

*HYMN No. 715 Now Thank We All Our God

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 Sevenfold Amen Stainer

POSTLUDE Dialogue Nicholas de Grigny

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 Jill Cassill and Nancy Mazzoli for ushering this morning.

Thank you to Helen and Hooker O’Malley for hosting coffee hour this week. Please join them in the parlor following the service.

We extend our warm congratulations to Jan and Dru Kudrnac on the baptism of their son, Yannick. The white rose on the altar today is in celebration of this special day!

We welcome David Johnson to our congregation today as the guest organist and thank him for providing us with the beautiful music to accompany our worship this morning.

The main office has returned to normal operating hours on Fridays.

Faith Formation

Summer fun is coming to a close, and our Rally Day Picnic will kick off the new season on Sunday, September 11. There is a sign-up sheet on the secretary in the Parlor, with plenty of opportunities to bring your favorite salad or dessert to share with friends. Also looking for grill chefs. Any ques-tions, please contact Suzy Simpson at 203-622-6611 or email soozalasimp@gmail.com. BRING FRIENDS!!

Our Meditation Stress Reduction group will resume on Thursday,

September 15. The group seeks to draw men and women closer to God through spiritual studies and the practice of “mindfulness.” They will meet every other Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Meeting Room.

A Life Worth Living

Jesus said: “I have come that you may have life, and have it in abundance.” Beginning today, the Center for Faith Development of Round Hill Community Church has launched a yearlong exploration of the theme, A Life Worth Living. From month to month we will explore different dimensions of this theme. Through worship, classes, speakers, and resources to be made available on our website, we will give you many ways to engage your thinking about A Life Worth Living.

As we embark on this program of learning we will provide you with ongoing announcements and updates through our church website, church Facebook page, and e-blasts, so that you will know how to join in the varied opportunities for study and reflection. The theme for the month of Septem-ber will be Gratitude, and it is in a spirit of gratefulness for our life together that we look forward to joining you on this journey of faith!

Outreach

Please join us this year in the Inspirica Youth Center! Volunteers are needed every Tuesday starting September 6 from 4 pm - 6 pm. Children arrive off the bus, have some free time, are fed a hot snack and then work on homework. Please talk with Jenny Rye or Caroline Lazzara if you are interested.

We are currently looking for meal providers for Inspiricas’s Early Childhood and Parenting Program [ECPP] beginning in September. 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, whatever is easiest for you! Please look for available dates that you would be able to fill at www.inspiricact.org/meal-calendar/

Neighbor to Neighbor …..With school back in full swing, we are initiating a special Lunchbox Collection in September! Please help fill lunch boxes (and hungry tummies!) with healthy and nutritious elements such as granola bars, single serve boxes of dried fruit, 100% real fruit juice boxes/pouches, fruit roll-ups, peanut butter or cheese crackers, beef jerky, pouches of trail mix, fruit or pudding cups, etc.  Also, canned tuna is a welcome addition for sandwich fillers. Please leave donations in the food wagon located in the Narthex.

Cover Image: Jan Richardson, “An Ancient Light”

Today’s Call to Worship, “Rise and Shine,” is provided by the Henrietta UCC in Henrietta, NY.

CHILDREN’S CORNER

Jesus loves children. He loves you. Jesus loves you so much that he has a plan for your life. He wants you to grow to love Him and learn more about God. He sends his angels to protect every person that will one day accept Jesus as their Savior. Think about that for a moment. That means that for every person sitting here in church, their guardian angel is hovering over the pews or sitting on the roof! I know what you may be thinking. If you can’t see them, how do you know they are here? Because the Bible tells us so.

God has a guardian angel to protect you from harm and to guide you along the path of life. So this week, as many of you begin a new school year, take comfort in knowing that you have a good angel that loves and obeys God that is watching over you. So whether its new school year jitters or any type of challenge this coming year, just say a little prayer to your guardian angel and know that all will be well!

A child’s daily prayer to their guardian angel: Angel sent by God to guide me, be my light and walk beside me. Be my guardian and protect me, on the paths of life direct me. Amen.

Kids!! Don’t forget to bring your school backpacks or book bags to Church next Sunday, September 11th for our first-ever Blessing of the Backpacks!

REFLECTIONSGratitude changed me, and I suddenly had an image that gratitude could also transform the whole world. However dismal global events may be, looking for the bright spots allows us to survive and move on. Gratitude spreads quickly to other people. Charles Darwin believed that the societies with the most compassion are the best able to flourish. Acts of kindness are noticed, reciprocated, passed forward. If we put good into the world, maybe, just maybe, it starts to be returned.

Janice Kaplan, The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life

I find that the one thing which I want to put into practice in my own life is the conscious and deliberate habit of finding somebody to thank.

Elton Trueblood

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

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

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