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TRANSCRIPT
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina
www.gcpcusa.org
October 25, 2015 – 10:30 am
Our human compassion binds us, the one to the other -‐ not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learned how to turn our
common suffering into hope for the future. -‐ Nelson Mandela
Prelude Nun danket alle Gott Georg Friedrich Kaufmann * Call to Worship
We come to worship as we are; Bringing our joys, our fears, our fullness, our emptiness.
We come seeking Jesus, the Light of the world, our guide and our salvation. Continue to shine in our hearts and illuminate our way.
We praise you, oh God, for your boundless love. May we be beacons of your unending compassion. May we praise you with our whole selves.
* Hymn 37 Let All Things Now Living ASH GROVE * Call to Reconciliation * Prayer of Confession
Precious Creator, we confess that we have too often forgotten that we are yours. Sometimes we carry on with our lives tempted by other things. We do not always trust in you with our full hearts, or care for our neighbors as ourselves. For all this and more we ask your forgiveness. We pray for your strength and guidance, so that we might live as you want us to be in the world. Continue reaching out to us, calling us to be in relationship with you and all living creatures.
* Assurance of Forgiveness Hear the good news! Loved by God, we lack for nothing. God forgives us, and we have everything we need. God surrounds us with sisters and brothers, so we do not journey alone. Committing everything to God, trusting in the One who saves us, we decide to live as God's faithful and forgiven people. Amen.
* Response Hymn 48 Rain Down (Sung Twice) RAIN DOWN
* Passing of the Peace The Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
Faith Sharing with Children Prayer for Illumination Old Testament Psalm 86 The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God!
Gospel John 8:1-‐11 The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God!
Sermon “Close Call” Samantha Gonzalez-‐Block Silent Meditation * Hymn 720 Jesus Calls Us GALILEE
* Affirmation of Faith (“The Brief Statement of Faith,” PCUSA) In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.
We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God’s image.
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Our Life Together (Please sign the Friendship Pad located in your pew)
Offering (Please place prayer cards in the offering plate for the Prayers of the People) Prayer of Dedication Offertory Anthem Christ is Made the Sure Foundation Dale Wood
* Doxology
Prayers of the People Each section of the prayer will conclude: “God, in your grace” Please respond: “Hear our prayer”
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 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 * Hymn 23 God, You Spin the Whirling Planets PLEADING SAVIOR * Charge and Benediction Postlude Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott Johann Gottfried Walther
(For some, the Postlude serves as festive music to accompany their going back out into the world. Others prefer to remain seated and listen. Please be mindful of these different needs as you depart. Thank you!)
* Please Stand in Body or Spirit.
We gather to worship God who is larger than all our imagination! We encourage all persons to sing the gender nouns and pronouns
they prefer in referring to God.
Our Life Together…
Thank You! Head Usher: Geneva Neeriemer| Liturgist: Tim Hamel
The flowers that decorate our sanctuary are given today by Buddy, Emily and Steve Gill, in loving memory of Rachel Gill.
Congregational Life Organ Spooktacular | THIS Friday, October 30 | GCPC | 6 – 8 PM Join us for a pizza party, costume parade and scary music! Children, youth and adults are welcome. RSVP with Nancy ([email protected]). Sponsored by the GCPC Cherub and Treble Choirs. Suggested dinner donation, $5 ($20 family max).
Youth News No Youth Group Today | October 25 There will be NO youth group today due to the fall school holiday. We will be meeting next on Sun, Nov 1 (5-‐7pm), and if youth would like to help paint the youth
rooms, they should arrive at 4 PM. Bring your extra Halloween candy because we will be making College/Away Care packages together. It's going to be a fun time!
Middle School Retreat | Camp Grier (Old Fort, NC) | RSVP by Wed, Oct 28 Friday evening, November 6 – Sunday early afternoon, November 8 Last call to sign up! There are still a few spots available for camp. If you would like to come and have not signed up, please RSVP to Nancy ([email protected]) by this Wednesday, October 28. The cost is $70 a person, but please know that scholarships are available as needed. Checks should be written out to Grace Covenant (with Camp Grier in the memo line, and left in an envelope in Nancy’s mailbox). We hope to see you for this exciting weekend adventure!
Youth Winter Mission Trip (Nashville, Tennessee) Friday, January 15 – Monday, January 18 (MLK Jr. Weekend) Save the date and express your interest! We are planning to go to Nashville through a program called Center for Student Missions. We will learn about poverty in the city, and how are faith calls us to make a difference. In order to go, we need to know if you are interested and able to come. The cost will be $195 dollars and scholarships are available as needed. Please contact Samantha ASAP to express your interest, availability, and to ask any questions. More info TBA. Save the date! :)
Serve Painting Youth Rooms | Sunday, November 1 | 4 PM We need your help to beautify the youth rooms! We are looking for youth and adult painters to come paint some of the walls before youth group and children's choir begins. If interested, please contact Sandra Dykes, [email protected] .
Pop-‐Up Dinners | Green Opportunities | 133 Livingston Street Thursday, October 29 | 5:30 PM and 7 PM If you missed the experience at Southside Kitchen last week, there is one more opportunity. A GCPC group is meeting at the Edington Center on Livingston Street. Meals are first-‐come, first-‐served, and everyone is welcome. GO sponsors a number of job training and job placement programs to help youth and adults living in poverty get jobs to support their families and improve community and environmental health.
Eblen Charities Toy Store Volunteering | West Gate Shopping Center Monday, December 14 | 9:45 AM – 8:15 PM | Multiple Shifts Available Calling for volunteers of all ages! The annual St. Nicholas Project Toy Store is in full swing and GCPC has adopted a day to volunteer. Don't miss out on your chance to bring the Christmas spirit to Buncombe County by helping children living in poverty receive special holiday gifts. There are flexible shifts available throughout the day: 9:45am -‐ 1:15pm, 1:15pm -‐ 4:45pm and 4:45pm -‐ 8:15pm, and 10 people are needed for each shift. Please sign up in the Narthex with Geneva Neeriemer after Sunday worship or contact her at [email protected]. We hope to see you there!
Meet our Hands-‐and-‐Feet Asheville Volunteers Want to get to know the six Hands-‐and-‐Feet of Asheville volunteers in our first year as a PCUSA Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) site? Invite them to dinner! They are eager to meet the friendly people from their founding congregation (GCPC), and they appreciate meals! Contact Executive Director of HFA/YAVL, Selena Hilemon ([email protected], 828-‐773-‐8880) or Board Chair, Kathy Meacham ([email protected], 828-‐273-‐2983).
GCPC Recycles with Terracycle | Please Note, Collection List Has Changed Please help us care for creation by collecting hard to recycle items and depositing them in the labeled bin located at the Information Station. More information can be found at the GCPC website (Calendar – Serve). A bookmark listing the items is also available. Terracycle “points” get turned into donations for CharityWater.org. Email Jade Baker with questions, [email protected]. Thank you!
Caring for Creation (C4C) | Sunday, November 8 Jerusalem Room | After Church The meeting is for all to catch up on what is happening in WNC. The Pope’s Encyclical, Creation Care Alliance, Paris Talks, Divestment, Audubon’s focus on climate change, etc. We will think about what C4C wants to accomplish in the next year. Cam Murchison, who is the Creation Care guru for Montreat, will join us. All are welcome. Questions? Contact Susan Presson at 450-‐4145.
Care Prayer List [We are happy to pray for anyone who is in need. Concerns will stay on this list for a month unless we hear otherwise. Please keep us updated.] Jerusalem Church congregation and Pastor Search Committee; Linda Albin (Les & Susan Stradley's friend); JoDell Hawthorne (Donna Robertson's cousin); Frances Buchanan (Brian Buchanan's mother); Dorothy LaRue Sloane (Donna Robertson's cousin); Natalie DeVito (Karen Rohls' daughter); Tricia & Steve Minnick (Mary Lou Nash's friends); Susie Moore (Ray Kisiah’s sister); Lindsae Becker (Tyler Ander’s friend); Brenda Taylor (Florence Riedesel’s cousin); Bob McMillan (Ashley Park’s father); Ian Craig (Mary Craig’s son); George Dowdle (Karen Rohls’ friend); Sophia Anderson (Ginnie Stevens’ granddaughter); Joyce Fox (Ginnie Stevens’ sister); Debbie Strong (Robin Gaiser’s cousin); Heath & Peggy Rada (Moderator of the PCUSA General Assembly); Barrett & Ali Payne (Commissioned to Columbia Seminary); Mark & Heather Merritt (Commissioned to Columbia Seminary); Richard Simons; Janet Bondurant; Jack & Betty Smith; Mimi Aldridge; Mary Ellen Horne; Susan Stradley; Robin Gaiser; Virginia Bradley; Lois and Donald Dossey; Hettie Lou Garland; Sarah Harwell; Lisette de Groot
Sandy Schaefer died on Tuesday, October 20. A Service of Witness to the Resurrection will be here on Sunday, November 1 at 2 PM, with a reception afterwards. Please continue to keep Bob Schaefer and his family in your prayers.
Next Sunday’s Education for All Ages | 9:15 AM
ADULT EDUCATION [Contact Rebecca with questions, [email protected]] Adult Education Offering | November 1 -‐ 22 | 9:15 AM | Fellowship Hall Ask the Animals, Cam Murchison and Carolyn Crowder Taking its cue from Job 12:7-‐10, the class is entitled “Ask the Animals.” We will explore various passages of scripture to better understand what other species have to teach us. We will revisit the Genesis 1 creation story and the Genesis 9 “re-‐creation” story, as well Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom, to consider both how animals are related to one another and how our human species is related to them. Scripture will provide our focus as we examine how, in our time, we may most faithfully relate to these “creatures of the same God.” Pressure Points | Library This class explores thorny issues that challenge us in the 21st century church. Currently, Pressure Points is using a video series from ‘Living the Questions’ entitled, The Jesus Fatwah: Love Your Muslim Neighbor as Yourself.
Bible Study | Sunroom Over the course of this year, we will be diving into scripture as we study a book of the Bible together. We read a passage, have a lively discussion about it, and then move on as time allows. No preparation needed, just show up. For Fall 2015, we are studying the gospel of Mark.
Journeys | Jerusalem Room The Journeys class discusses and analyzes everything from scriptural texts, to historical expressions of faith, to current writings, with the goal of better understanding our own contemporary faith and the actions to which it calls us. Each class is conceived as a stand-‐alone unit, so come when you can. CHILDREN & YOUTH EDUCATION [Contact Heather or Samantha] Preschool: The Exodus Elementary: The Great Family
Middle School An exciting morning is coming up next week with Leah and Ryan. We will be exploring the question: "Why should I pray the Lord's prayer when it feels like I'm just going through the motions?" Lets enjoy breakfast treats together. See you then!
Senior Highs Get ready to get current with Amy and Sheryl. This year, we are using the Wired Word curriculum and diving into the week's most compelling current event topics together. Enjoy breakfast snacks and great conversation!
Next Sunday, November 1, 2015 Worship Service at 8:30 & 10:30 AM
Education Hour at 9:15 AM
Sermon: “Conferred, Never Earned” by Kristy Farber Scriptures: Revelations 21:1-‐6, John 11:32-‐44
CALENDAR Sunday 25 8:30 AM Worship 9:15 AM Education hour 10:30 AM Worship 11:30 AM Courtyard Fellowship Tuesday 27 9:00 AM Prayer Group Wednesday 28 11:00 AM Wed. Bible study 6:00 PM Handbell choir 7:00 PM Chancel choir Friday 30 6:00 PM Organ Spooktacular November Sunday 1 8:30 AM Worship 9:15 AM Education hour 9:15 AM Special Adult Ed class 10:30 AM Worship 11:30 AM Courtyard Fellowship 4:00 PM Youth room painting 5:00 PM Children’s choir 5:00 PM Youth Group