St. John’s United Church An Affirming, Fully Inclusive Ministry

St. John’s United Church
An Affirming, Fully Inclusive Ministry
St. John's United Church, an Affirming Ministry of the United Church,
is an inclusive community of faith. In celebrating God's presence
by following Jesus' example of unconditional love, we strive to
accept and nurture each other as we are. We welcome the
ministry and participation of all persons of all ethnic and
cultural backgrounds, differing abilities, sexual
orientation, gender identity, race, age,
and economic circumstance.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Reign of Christ Sunday
The Church School teacher asked her students about the parable of the sheep
and the goats. “If all the bad people in the world were painted green and all
the good people painted red, what colour would you be?
A small hand went up. “Striped,” came the response.
THE COMMUNITY GATHERS
Welcome/Celebrations/Announcements
Candle Lighting:
We light this candle to remind us that Jesus’ light is within us.
We give thanks for the light of Christ.
Introit: #2 MV “Come All You People”
Call to Worship:
Come, everyone! Let’s make a joyful noise to
God!
We are God’s people--Hallelujah!
Let’s sing, worship and serve God with glad
hearts.
-2We are God’s people--Hallelujah!
Let’s give thanks for God’s faithful and steadfast love to all generations.
We are God’s people--Hallelujah!
*Hymn #244 VU “Sing Your Praise to God Eternal”
Opening Prayer
Theme Conversation
*Hymn #605 VU “Jesus, Teacher, Brave and Bold”
We light this candle to remind us that wherever we go,
the light of Jesus is within us.
The light of Christ shines on.
(The children and youth may leave for Sunday School)
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 31-45
These are the words of life which in faith
become the living word.
Thanks be to God.
Anthem
Reflection
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD
Presentation of our Gifts and Offerings
Offering Hymn #592 VU “Come, Now, You Blessed”
(We will stay seated and sing as the offering is received.)
Prayer of Dedication:
God of the hungry,
Make us hunger and thirst for the right,
till our thirst for justice has been satisfied,
and hunger has gone from the earth. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Sung Lord’s Prayer #959 VU
-3-
*Hymn #558 VU “We Gather Here to Bid Farewell”
WE DEPART TO SERVE
Sending Forth:
Let us go now in the power of God’s love to serve our
neighbours near and far.
Let us go with the vision of Christ’s reign of justice
and compassion before us.
And then all that has divided us will merge.
And then compassion will be wedded to power
And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind
And then both men and women will be gentle
And then both women and men will be strong
And then all will be free and no person will be subject to another’s will
And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many
And then all will share equally in the Earth’s abundance
And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old
And then all will nourish the young
And then all will cherish life’s creatures
And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth
And then everywhere will be called Eden
once again. Amen.
*Song of Dismissal #212 MV “Sent Out in Jesus’ Name”
Please note that portions of the worship
service are recorded and can be found
on our website http://www.stjohns-united.org
-4WORSHIP & CHURCH PARTICIPANTS TODAY
Worship Leader: Janice Young
Lector Reader: Jim Chisholm
Attendant: Jim Breadner
Greeter: Cheryl Palm & Sue Spurgeon
Coffee Person: Joan Stanton
Church School Coordinator: Shirley Jackson
Pianist: Ken Dalgleish
Choir Director: Janice Brunson
Office Administrator: Nancy Smith
Please Note…
The chairs need to be placed in rows
following the service today in preparation
for a concert happening here this afternoon.
Thank you to the people whose last names
start with the letters A, H, M and W for
cleaning up after coffee today!
Monday, November 24th, 2014:
Qigong from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. For more information,
contact Cathy Poole.
Wednesday, November 26th, 2014:
Membership Group - 7:00 p.m. - 6181 Baillie Road
Thursday, November 27th, 2014:
Centering Prayer in the sanctuary from 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Choir practice - 7:00 p.m. If you like to sing, come out and
join us.
Saturday, November 29th, 2014:
Men’s Breakfast Gathering from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
in the hall. Please contact Don Currie for more
information.
-5Sunday, December 30, 2014
First Sunday of Advent – Worship at 10:00 am. Lectionary Readings
Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80: 1-7, 17-19, 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9 and Mark 13: 24-37.
Come join us for a festive reading of Charles Dickens' Christmas
classic at 2:00 pm at St. Hilda's. This is a joint project of St. Hilda's
and St.Bartholomew's Anglican Churches to kick off the season
celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus. Admission will be by
donation and the net proceeds will support the St. Bart's Food
Bank and St. Hilda's Community Kitchen. Please see the poster in
the narthex for details.
Saturday December 13th, 2014
The sale starts at 9:00 a.m. Sharp. Last year's cookies were fantastic and the
desire from the community is very clear. We sold out again last year! Please
think about what you would like to bake....... There is a sign-up sheet in the
Narthex or you can contact Laura by email.
Plan to bring your cookies to the church
on Friday, December 12th between 3:00
and 6:00 p.m. or give us a
call and we will pick them up.
So that's the production side of the
event. The other is letting friends,
neighbours and others know about these
wonderful home baked treats. We will have a
table for gluten free cookies and one for the
rum balls and any other 'spirited' delights.
The sale starts at 9:00 a.m. sharp on Saturday
and ends at 12:00 p.m.
News from First United:
We are so grateful for the support of local congregations with our AVIVA
campaign, but we really need more help! Voting starts again December 1st,
and we will need about 3x the number of daily votes as we have been getting
so far. Your efforts to help with this special request are deeply appreciated.
Please visit: https://www.avivacommunity-fund.org/ideas/acf19800 to vote or
to sign up to receive a daily reminder to vote, please email First United.
-6-
We encourage you to hold the
following people in the light & love
of God for healing of mind, body
and spirit:
Pam Baird; Kathy Bolton (living with cancer); Richard Buller (Eric Tiessen’s cousin);
Jill Conway and family (grieving the loss of Jill’s dad);
Family & friends of Jessie Curwen (grieving her death);
Family & friends of Bob Darney (grieving his death);
Leo Davidson (living with cancer); Jill English (Donna Currie’s daughter);
Family & friends of John Ford (grieving his death);
Ryann Ford (Fern and Jim Breadner’s granddaughter);
Leslie French (Jean Beadle’s niece dealing with cancer);
Sandra Johnson (receiving cancer treatment);
Denise Johnston (Joyce Rathwell’s daughter with health issues);
George Henderson (Jessie Oliver’s son-in-law, undergoing medical tests);
Jacquie Kernick (Ann’s friend with health issues);
Dayna Kingston (Lymphoma); Doug Martens (Sherryl Latimer’s brother with cancer);
Frances Morrison (Sheila Pope’s mom);
Kathleen O’Hara (battling cancer) and her kids, Nico, Hanna & Gabriel;
Bonnie Parker (Colleen’s friend fighting breast cancer);
Susan Pogson; Cheryl Porayko (Donna’s sister); Donna Porayko (prayers for calmness);
Christina (Donna Porayko’s daughter recovering from a car accident);
Gerry Porayko (Donna’s brother); Marion Proulx;
Rev. Ed Searcy (chemotherapy for multiple myeloma); Eileen Shatford (undergoing
cancer treatment);
Andree Steele (Val Marus’ sister-in-law dealing with cancer);
Rolf Stucky (recovering from a second stroke).
For those who are no longer able to attend and are still a part of our church family:
Marjorie Bazen; Marla Chatham; Carol Betts; Margaret Gemmell; Celia Muncaster;
Hazel Seeton; Betty-Mae Smith.
We pray for our ecumenical sisters and brothers in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali,
Mauritania and Niger.
St. John's United Church
5085 Davis Bay Road
Sechelt, BC V0N 3A2
604-885-9822
office@stjohns-united.org
Website; http://stjohns-united.org