Avon Congregational Church
West Avon Congregational Church
Avon, Connecticut
United Church of Christ
SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2008
Greetings
and Announcements
Prelude – Sonata VI: Hymn tune and Variation #3..................
Felix Mendelssohn
Call to Worship
|
L: |
O give thanks to God, call on God's name, |
|
P: |
Make known God's deeds among the peoples. |
|
L: |
Sing to God, sing praises to God; |
|
P: |
Tell of all God's wonderful works. |
|
L: |
Glory in God's holy name; |
|
P: |
Let the hearts of those who seek God rejoice. |
*+ Hymn – Stars
and Planets Flung in Orbit Hymn Tune: Lauda Anima
Stars and planets flung in orbit, galaxies that swirl
through space,
Powers hid within the atom, cells that form an infant’s
face:
These, O God, in silence praise you; by your wisdom
they are made.
Skies adorned with sunset splendor, silent peaks in
calm repose,
Golden fields awaiting harvest, foaming surf and
fragrant rose:
Earth, its bounty clothed with beauty, echoes all creation’s
praise.
Life in wondrous, wild profusion, seed and fruit, each
flower and tree,
Beast and fish and swarming insect, soaring bird,
rejoicing, free:
These, your creatures, join in chorus, praising you in
wordless song.
Humankind, earth’s deepest mystery, born of dust but
touched by grace,
Torn apart by tongue and color, yet a single, striving
race:
We, in whom you trace you image, add our words to
nature’s song.
* Prayer of Invocation and Lord’s Prayer
Oh God, whose handiwork is often grand and clear to see,
and God who works in small and secret
places in the earth
where yet our gaze cannot distinguish one thing
from another, bend your holy eye to us.
Our hearts are often strangers to us, lands of mystery.
The paths of wisdom hide themselves, it seems,
and we go wandering through folly to
disaster.
In this hour, gracious God, renew our vision,
give us guidance, lift our spirits
and,
in your most tender grace,
accept the praise we lift to you
in our small mustard seeds of faith.
We ask this in the name of Jesus,
who gave to us these words for when 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 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, for ever. 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.
Amen.
Reading from the Old Testament
– Genesis 29:15-28............................ OT 26
* Passing of the Peace – Children leave for church school.
Prayers of the Church
Joys and
Concerns
Pastoral
and Silent Prayer
* Hymn – We are
Climbing Jacob's Ladder.................... Hymn Tune: Jacob’s
Ladder
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder; we are climbing Jacob’s
ladder,
we are climbing Jacob’s ladder; soldiers of the cross.
Every round goes higher, higher; every round goes
higher, higher,
every round goes higher, higher; soldiers of the cross.
Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Sinner, do you love
my Jesus?
Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Soldiers of the
cross.
If you love him, why not serve him? If you love
him, why not serve him?
If you love him, why not serve him? Soldiers of the
cross.
Reading from the Gospel –
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.............................. NT 14
Sermon
Recognition
Offering of Gifts
Offertory – Sonata VI: Andante Tranquillo..........................
Felix Mendelssohn
*Doxology
Tune: LASST UNS ERFREUEN
Praise God,
from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise God, the source of all our gifts!
Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts!
Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
*Prayer of Dedication
Accept these gifts, we pray, our God,
as
symbols both of our response to your great generosity to us, and of our pledges
to serve you and all your people
as we can throughout our days.
Bless these gifts, and bless
your people,
that
both may build to your design in this your world. Amen.
* Hymn............................
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah..................... No. 622
*
Benediction
* Postlude.......................................
Allegro Molto......................
Felix Mendelssohn
* All who are able may stand
+ Latecomer seating
We Welcome to the Pulpit this morning The Rev. Eric S. Anderson. Rev. Anderson
is Minister of Communications and Technology for the Connecticut Conference of
the United Church of Christ, where his duties range from maintaining computers
to editing news items for the web site and ConnTact.
As often as he can manage it, he may be found at Silver Lake Conference Center
as a challenge course facilitator. He lives in Portland, CT, with his two
children.
WELCOME TO
ALL - Old Friends and New Friends, neighbors and visitors. We hope that
you feel a sense of loving hospitality in our worship. Guests, please
make yourselves known by signing the guest book or
filling out a welcome card from the pew rack.
We welcome
children in worship. Special activity bulletins are available for ages
3-6 and 7-12; please ask an usher for assistance.
When
people are prompted to stand, those for whom standing is difficult may feel
free to remain seated. Personal sound monitors for the hearing impaired
are available; please speak with an usher if you would like to use one.
A rocking
chair is available in the narthex for those with back problems or with a very
young child. Nursery care is available in the parish house.
The yellow cards
in the pew racks are for prayer requests. If you would like to have a
concern or person included in the pastoral prayer, please put the information
on a yellow card and place it in the offering plate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flowers |
The flowers are given by
Dick and Jeannie Parker in loving memory of their parents, Betty and Oliver
Thompson and Valma and Edgar Parker. |
|
|
Greeter |
Jeannie Parker |
|
|
Ushers |
Mike and Becky Vortherms, Robert and Bryan |
|
|
Service Deacon |
Anne Puzzo
(puzzoa@sbcglobal.net) |
|
|
Lay Reader |
Wally Eells |
|
|
Hospitality |
Diana Stickle |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Today |
9:30 |
Worship Service – WACC
Meeting House |
|
Tuesday |
7:00 |
ACC Pastoral Search
Committee |
|
Wednesday |
5:00 |
WACC Golf League |
|
Friday |
10:00 |
AA at WACC |
|
Saturday |
9:00 |
ACC Connections |
|
Next Sunday |
9:30 |
Worship Service – ACC
Meeting House |
Prayer List: Healing: Jeannie Parker’s cousin, Nancy
Holcomb; John Carlson; Alan Appleton, brother of Jean Frahm;
Richard, a friend of the Frahm's; Fran MacKie; Sally Dow; Daryl Ballantyne;
Linda Krebs; Suzanne Strecker; Frank Zygmunt; Bud Couch; Bill Davis; Eileen
Winter’s daughter, Dottie Magda; Marie Ruth Wall’s
sister, Bertha Harder; Rebecca Taber-Conover’s great aunt, Betty; Ken Quesnel’s uncle, Richard Freeman; Anne Lavoie's Aunt Judy; Alon Lloyd’s friend, Donald Bauer; Patty Hsiao; Princetta MacLaren, friend of the
Couches; Prayers of Support: Tamara McKinnon; Irene Theriault,
mother of Bob Theriault and Linda Blase;
Margaret Patricelli’s parents, Dick and Carolyn;
Tom and Joan Woodin, sister and brother-in-law of
Gene & Marion Flynn; Daryl Ballantyne’s
mother, Alberta Preffer; David Delahanty;
Serving in the Military: Dr. Devin Donnelly; Alex Mando.
Prayer
List: Family and friends of Annie Schryver;
Ella Tall – sister of Alice Noyes; Marie McCabe – Mother of Liz Moore; Lauren;
Ernie Rettig; Philip; Deb Mella;
Joe Woodford; Jim Lapides; Carolyn Barrett; Kay Altschwager; Pat Parker; Anne Jones; Gladys August; Christopher Renner; Clare Passaur;
Lois Crilly; Stanley Fuller; Dick Brown; Bob August;
Sherry Ave Lallemant; Lynn Adams; Jeanne MacGill; John Joyce; Jacob Coleman; Julia Davis; Jerra Barit; all military
personnel.
Birthdays
this Week: Lorraine Becker,
Suzanne Strecker, Cynthia Yee, Barry Chubb, Liz
Whitney, Sue Budde, Carl Carpino,
Jessica Budde, Riggs Brackett, Brendan Telfer, Christopher Dumais, Colby
Demaida.
Birthdays
this Week: Emily Nagel, Bill
Richards, Morgan Catania, Elinor Salvetti,
Abigail Inglis, Hill Colbert, Lauren
Elliott.
Announcements
August Worship Services: During the month of August worship will
take place at Avon Congregational Church at 9:30 a.m. with The Rev. Dr. Brian
Hardee leading worship. Rev. Hardee will take care of pastoral needs in August.
He may be reached at the office (673-3996) or by cell phone (707-4340).
This Is a Family Sunday. From now through Labor Day children
will start in worship with their parents. Children up through grade 3
will be dismissed for a church school program; older children will remain in
worship with their families. Nursery care is available for children under
the age of three.
WACC Summer Office Hours: June 30 through August 4 the office
will be staffed Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For
the remainder of August the office will be open five days a week for the same
hours. Please feel free to leave a message on our voice mail or send an
email to the addresses listed below; we will respond as soon as possible:
Cynthia Yee will be on leave of
absence until August 4.
ACC Summer Office Hours (July & August) are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:00 a.m. –
12:00 noon; closed on Wednesday. If you plan on stopping by the church office,
please call ahead and make the office staff aware. When the office is closed,
please leave a message on the answering machine or email us at:
(Rev. Brenda)
(Jennifer deSimas)
administrator@avon-church.org
(Martha Bernier)
(Denise Beeney)
We will respond as soon as possible.
Rev. Pelc-Faszcza began her vacation on Friday, July 25th.
For urgent pastoral care matters through July 31st, please contact
Rev. Brian Hardee at the office (673-3996) or by cell phone (707-4340).
ACC Lunch Bunch: Join us for lunch & fellowship on Wednesday,
August 6th at 11:30 a.m. at the Hot Heaven Pizzeria located in Old
Avon Village across from the UPS store. Beside pizza, they offer soups,
salads, sandwiches and paninis.
If you need a ride, please call Beth Ferrari at 675-8246. No advance
sign-up required.
Would You Like to Provide flowers for ACC worship in August? Openings are
available August 10th, 24th, and 31st. Please
sign up on the flower chart (hall bulletin board) or call Nancy Comeau @ 693-2433. Thank you.
Music Note from Bon Smith: This is my last Sunday as interim organist
for Avon Congregational Church and I have enjoyed playing for a year. As a
“swan song” this morning, I will play three movements from my very favorite
organ composition, Sonata #6 by Felix Mendelssohn. Of Mendelssohn’s six sonatas
for organ, this is the only one based on a German hymn tune, “Vater Unser Im Himmelreich” (Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above). The sonata
begins with the hymn tune, followed by three short variations (I will play the
hymn tune and variation #3), then a brilliant allegro molto (my postlude), a
fugue, and finally a quiet, beautiful adagio (my offertory). A few weeks
ago, I played other parts of the Sonata during a service at Avon Congregational
Church. Perhaps the West Avon folks will enjoy Mendelssohn’s music, too.
Healing Ministry: First Congregational Church of Granby
holds a Gathering for Prayer and Support at 7:00 p.m. on the fourth
Tuesday of each month; upcoming dates are 7/22, 8/26 and 9/23. The format
includes the sharing of joys and concerns, a time of silence, prayer and
reflection on relevant passages from scripture. Their hope is that those
who participate will experience a greater sense of God's presence and support
amid the storms of life; all are welcome.
