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North Presbyterian Church Second Sunday of Advent · 12/3/2011 · 300 North Forest Road Sunday,...
Transcript of North Presbyterian Church Second Sunday of Advent · 12/3/2011 · 300 North Forest Road Sunday,...
North Presbyterian Church Second Sunday of Advent
December 6, 2015—10:45 a.m.
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Prelude Sleepers Wake! A Voice Is Sounding J.S. Bach
Greeting, Welcome, and Opportunities for Discipleship Welcome visitors! If you feel comfortable, please introduce yourself at this time. We are glad you are here. We hope you will fill out the friendship pad (in the pew holder) to help us get acquainted. We also invite you to join us in Westminster Hall for coffee.
Everyone—please silence your cell phones.
Advent Candle Lighting We light the second candle of Advent and give thanks for the light of Christ, shining in the lives of all people. May it light our path to Him. With John the Baptist, we cry out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” The Messiah is coming, let us prepare the way.
Invocation
*Hymn 93 Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates (Please pass “Joys and Concerns” to center aisle to be collected during the singing of the hymn.)
*Call to Confession
*Prayer of Confession Refining God, you have sent us prophets and we have not listened. We have not always determined what is best or made way for your reign in our lives, our church, and our society. Forgive us, we pray, and renew your covenant within us, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press from Feasting on the Word® Worship Companion. Copyright 2012.)
*Silent Confession (A time for personal confession of sin.)
*Assurance of Forgiveness Hear the good news! God loves us. God forgives us.
*Response (Hymn 583) Gloria, Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, Gloria, alleluia, alleluia!
*Passing of the Peace Having received Christ’s peace, let us share it by turning to our neighbors and greeting them, saying “May the peace of Christ be with you!”
Children’s Time
Anthem Hark, the Glad Sound arr. Shaw
WE HEAR THE WORD OF GOD
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings Malachi 3:1-4 p. 889 Luke 3:1-6 p. 60 The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon “Refinement” Rev. William Hennessy
WE RESPOND AND GIVE THANKS TO GOD
Anthem Unless the Lord Build the House Fedak
*A Litany of Renewal of Dedication God of the universe, the heavens cannot contain your glory. Yet you have come to be with us in Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit you are present with us now in the risen Christ. We dedicate this house of worship to your honor and glory. We thank you, O God, for all the gifts that have come together in this building in our first 60 years of service, for the craft and art of many hands, for contributions of money and material, for labors of love and commitment. Bless the work of our hands, O God, that this place may continue in offering your welcome to many and diverse people, that all who seek you here may know your
presence in their lives. By your grace may the Gospel of Jesus Christ be lived and proclaimed through the work and worship we share, may the joy of baptism and the healing of communion be celebrated faithfully, and may the body of Christ, of which we are each a member, be nurtured and strengthened for service in the world. We renew our dedication of this building, O God, and we rededicate our lives to the service of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory now and forever. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Offering Offertory: Savior of the Nations, Come Zachau
*Doxology (tune: Truro Hymn 93) Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Christ, all people here below; Praise Holy Spirit evermore; Praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen.
*Prayer of Thanksgiving and The Lord’s Prayer The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.
…and now we pray: 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
WE DISPERSE TO SERVE GOD IN THE WORLD
*Hymn 106 Prepare the Way, O Zion
*Charge
*Benediction
*Congregational Amen (Hymn 568)
*Postlude Rejoice, Rejoice Believers Swedish Folk Tune arr. Manz
*Those who are able, please stand.
300 North Forest Road
Sunday, December 6
8:30am Worship/Chapel
9:30 Bible Study/RC
Children’s & Youth Choir
Rehearsal
10:45 Worship/Sanctuary
11:45 Coffee Hour/WH
4:00pm Taize Service/Chapel
Monday, December 7
7:00pm Session/Chapel
Tuesday, December 8
9:00am Staff mtg./ofc.
11:30am Martha Circle/Pres. Vlg.
12:30pm Bible study/Lib.
4:45pm Worship comm./RC
7:00pm Membership/S251
Deacons/DR
Wednesday, December 9
10am-1pm RC open
6:30pm Sarah Circle/Alderfer home
Thursday, December 10
6:30pm Handbells/Sanc
7:30 Adult Choir
Friday, December 11
10:00am Staff Christmas breakfast
brunch/off-site
7:30-10:00pm ACE rehearsal/WH
Saturday, December 12
10am-12pm Christmas pageant
rehearsal/sanctuary
1:00 & 3:00pm Recitals/sanc
2-9pm LE3/WH
8-11pm WCF/Chapel
Sunday, December 13
8:30am Worship/Chapel
9:30 Adult Ed./Lib.
Bible Study/RC
10:45 Worship/Sanctuary
11:45 Coffee Hour/WH
4:00pm Service of Peace, Hope &
Light
Save the Dates: December
20 Christmas Pageant
(10:45 and 4pm)
24 Christmas Eve Services
(4 and 10pm)
ACE—Amherst Chamber Ensemble EGA—Embroidery Guild
DR—Dickinson Room
FJC—Family Justice Center
FONP—Friends of Night People
Kit—Kitchen
LE3—Tutoring program
Lib—Library
NPC—North Presbyterian Church
Ofc—Office
RC—Resource Center
WH—Westminster Hall
Christmas Offering
The Mission Committee is pleased to announce our choices for the 2015 Christmas Offering.
This year we will again divide the offering between a local and an international organization.
Locally, we have selected Harvest House, which is made up of three separate ministries and
serves 20,000 Western New Yorkers, regardless of race, religion or culture. We have decided
to send aid to MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) for the global refugee crisis.
Both of these agencies will work on our behalf to assist those who need love and care during
the holiday and the rest of the year. Please consider how you will respond to this request. We
ask that you thoughtfully consider responding in gratitude for the lives of your own children
or grandchildren and for the lives of North’s children.
See the full North Star article on page 4. You may respond to the mailing or give online at
http://northchurchwilliamsville.org/. Click on the “Donate” button. On the secure giving form
select “Christmas offering.” Thank you!
Winter North Star
The December-January issue is available at http://northchurchwilliamsville.org/weekly-bulletin-
and-north-star/. Be sure to check it out so you don’t miss a beat!
Adult Education: 9:30 a.m. in the library
November 29-December 20 (Advent)
Feasting on the Word curriculum
(Each week the curriculum can be found in the “Quick Links” section in the Thursday e-mail
communication to the congregation.)
December 6 Luke 1:68-79
December 13 Isaiah 12:2-6
December 20 Micah 5:2-5a
Sunday Morning Bible Study: 9:30 in the resource center
We will be studying themes from Ephesians. Study leaders are volunteers.
Tuesday Bible Study
Feel free to join the Tuesday Bible Study for one or more of the coming weeks: no books or
preparation required. Bring a bag lunch at 12:30 p.m. in the library, followed by Bible study
from 1:00 to 2:00. Here are the passages we are studying, all on the theme of advocates of
justice for all:
Dec 8 Ezekiel 18:1-13, 31-32
Dec 15 Zechariah 7:3-14
Dec 22 Malachi 3:1-10
Giving Trees
There are two Giving trees this year. One is decorated with tags for wish list items for young
mothers and children in the Homespace program. Stop by if you would like to take part in
this project. A member of the Mission Committee will be there to assist you. Gifts should be
returned to the church no later than December 20. Please wrap the item and attach the gift
tag. Enclosing a gift receipt makes it convenient for the recipient. If shopping is not your
thing, we can do some of it for you. If you prefer to give a monetary donation, we will apply
it toward purchase of some of the items.
The second tree is our “mitten tree.” There are no tags or sign ups. If you can bring a pair of
mittens, a hat, scarf or warm socks, please just clip them on the tree. There is always a need
for these items, and they will be distributed to children and adults through local agencies.
Thank you for helping to make Christmas special for families in our community.
Women’s Circles
Martha Circle: Christmas celebration, Tuesday, December 8, at 11:30 a.m. at Presbyterian
Village, Building 3.
Sarah Circle: Christmas celebration at the home of JoAnne Alderfer, 146 Bridle Path,
Williamsville, on Wednesday, December 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Service of Peace, Hope and Light
Sunday, December 13, 4:00pm
For many people the Christmas season is a bittersweet time. For those who know that this
Christmas will be a hard one because they have had a death in the family, a loss of job or
health, a broken relationship, or because of painful memories of Christmases past, the
deacons of the church offer this special service. This is a quiet meditative worship service,
giving participants the chance to meet, worship, and reflect as Christmas approaches. All are
welcome. There will be a time of refreshment and fellowship following the service.
Worship with Us Christmas Eve
We invite you to worship with us on Christmas Eve. We will be having two services: a family-
centered service at 4:00 p.m. and another at 10:00 p.m., which includes celebrating
communion.
One Service Only
Please note that on Sunday, December 27, we will have just one worship service at 10:45 a.m.
Multi-Church Youth Group Event
Tuesday, December 29
Youth Group Day, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Meaningful mission work, recreation, dinner, fun, fellowship,
games for 6th-12th grade youth
Book Groups (library)
Morning (10:00 a.m.):
December 16, 2015: Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence by Karen
Armstrong (2014).
January 20, 2016: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2007, mystery)
February 16: The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance,
and Empower the Mind by Michio Kaku (Feb. 2015)
Stewardship: Gratitude for God’s Gifts
Recently the church mailed a letter from Session reminding us how we as a church bring
blessings to others. If God has blessed you through North Church and you desire to respond
by furthering the mission and ministry of North, please consider making your gift reach the
church by noon on December 31 so that we can plan for the upcoming year. You may mail
your gift, in full, or a portion of your pledge, to North Presbyterian Church, 300 N. Forest Rd.,
Williamsville, NY 14221. Or you can donate online at http://northchurchwilliamsville.org/ and
click on the “Donate” button. Any gift of any size blesses someone. Thank you!
Mission Statement
Brought together by our shared faith in
Jesus Christ,
Called by God to live as faithful disciples,
Blessed by our diverse gifts and experiences,
We commit ourselves to:
Worship together,
Teach and learn from one another,
Nurture each other with care and love, and
Reach out in ministry and mission to
the world.
(Adopted by the Session June 5, 2006)
Preacher: Bill Hennessy Ushers (8:30): Marilyn & Tony Link
Coordinator: Randy Bigler Liturgist: Ann Eisenlord
Lock-up: Randy Bigler Pianist (8:30): Jane Cary
Counters: Bill Clark, Linda Gowans Greeters (10:45): Debbie & Tim Hutton
Acolyte (10:45): Erin Parker Childcare: Regina & Sarah Hennessy
Pianist /Organist (10::45) Marlene Harrington Ushers (10:45): Kerri Bigler, Karen Hopkins,
Amy & Gary Nelson
Visitors—You are important to us. We invite you to come to the chancel area in the front of
the sanctuary after the (10:45) service to learn more about North Church. You may also
approach anyone wearing a yellow ribbon today. Fill out a visitor card and put it in the offering
plate if you wish to be contacted.
Ministers: The Congregation
Pastor/Head of Staff: The Rev. William T. Hennessy Director of Sacred Dance: Olivia Ebsary
Administrative Assistant: Cynthia Machamer Bookkeeper: Judy Blackchief
Facilities Coordinator: Mike Callaghan Childcare Supervisor: Regina Koteras
Director of Music, Organist: Marlene Harrington Webmaster: Tara Martin
Director of Music, Children & Youth: Marty Shafer
Elders & Deacons
Elders (Session)
Clerk of Session: Sylvia Bigler
Class of 2016
Sue D’Angelo
Jeff Ebsary
Linda Gowans
Brad Hahn
Kaitlyn Khayat
Class of 2017
Neil Arnold
Wendy Ayler
Lee Broad
Chad Kahler
Diane Sprague
Class of 2018
Joe Alber
Ralph Doerzbacher
Bill Ervin
Carol Meyers
Board of Deacons
Moderator: Glenn Hopkins
Class of 2016
Kerri Bigler
Karen Hopkins
Jo Yorko
Sheridan Skura
Class of 2017
Mary Atwood
Cynthia Ebsary
Olivia Ebsary
William Schulz
Class of 2018
Glenn Hopkins
Viki Komjathy
Warren Marcus
Shirley Mazourek
Church School
Teachers Today
4 yrs.-grade 3
Kennedy Schultz & Debbie Hutton
Grade 4-8
Lauren Stirling &
Warren Marcus