FFFFOURTHOURTHOURTHOURTH SSSSUNDAYUNDAYUNDAYUNDAY OF OF OF OF AAAADVENTDVENTDVENTDVENT December 22 , 20 1 3 – 10 :00 AM

ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Es tab l i shed 1 7 27

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

The F r i end ly Church a t the Cente r An Open and Af f i rming Communi ty

~ORDER OF WORSHIP~

We welcome all and extend a special greeting to our guests; our service is enriched by your presence! Please join us in Chapin Hall for fellowship time after worship.

The Welcome Table in Chapin Hall offers information about the church and members who can answer your questions. Hearing devices and large-print bulletins are available for worship—ask an usher. Nursery care is always available downstairs in Room 4.

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WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Meghan D. Young Please include your full address and phone number as you sign our friendship registration pads, and please wear your nametags. All announcements should be written down and given to the ushers or pastors prior to worship.

If you have a prayer request you would like read aloud for today’s prayers, please fill out one of the prayer cards found in the pew racks (your name is optional) and be prepared to pass it to the center aisle at the time of the offering, when the cards will be collected.

PRELUDE "O Sanctissima" arr. Beethoven The Children's Choir Sicilian Carol

Come, O joyful day. Come, O blessed day. Holy peaceful Christmastide.

Earth’s hopes awaken; Christ life hath taken Holy, Holy peaceful Christmastide.

CALL TO WORSHIP The Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza We have been looking for a sign.

Emmanuel – God with us. We have been waiting for a savior.

O come, O come, Emmanuel – God with us. All those who wait for his appearance pray. The Spirit and the church cry out. The whole creation pleads:

Come, Lord Jesus. Come let us worship the God of sign, wonder, and promise.

*HYMN “Toda la Tierra (All Earth Is Waiting)” New Century 121

* P l e a s e r i s e i n b o d y o r i n s p i r i t . * B o l d t y p e d e n o t e s c o l l e c t i v e r e s p o n s e .

*GATHERING PRAYER AND THE LORD’S PRAYER Come, Imaginative Creator, open our eyes to see that you are making all things new. Come, O Divine Non-Conformist, shape us into a community of disciples, bound not by social expectation and convention, but trust and love of You. Come, Holy Ground-Shaker, loose us from our self-created structures, that separate us from your life giving peace. Come, Wilderness Guide, lead us on new paths, that we might courageously wander in wonder, love, and praise. Come, Heart Breaker, to break open our hearts, and ready them for the shocking fullness of your Love. Come, God in Community, Holy in One, come, even as we pray as we have been taught, saying:

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.

LIGHTING OF THE FOURTH ADVENT CANDLE: LOVE The Triblets Family Reader 1: God’s promise to us remains sure and true.

The light increases: hope, peace, and joy add love.

Long ago the people were given a sign of God’s presence.

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us”

Reader 2: God’s promise to us remains sure and true. God’s Anointed One will soon walk among us, to restore the joy of our salvation, to save us from our sins. Four lights now shine. Jesus is coming soon!

God of mystery, help us to accept your gifts of grace that we cannot begin to understand. Plant a stubborn hope deep in our hearts so we will be able to embrace the Christ-child when Jesus is birthed anew in our lives. Teach us your ways of love.

The fourth candle is lit.

Sung Response:::: Gloria

RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS Greeting

UCC Statement of Faith New Century 885

Commitment of the Candidates

Congregational Welcome We welcome you with joy into the common life of this church.

We promise our friendship and prayers, as we share the hopes and labors of the church of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may continue to grow together in the knowledge and love of God and in our common discipleship, witnesses to our risen Savior. In Christ’s name and spirit, welcome.

Prayer The Hand of Fellowship

MESSAGE FOR ALL AGES ANTHEM "Night of Silence" by Daniel Kantor

The Youth Choir

Spirit among us, shine like the star,

Your light that guides shepherds and kings from afar,

Shimmer in the sky so empty, lonely,

Rising in the warmth of your Son’s love,

Star unknowing of night and day,

Spirit we wait for your loving Son.

READING FROM THE GOSPELS Matthew 1:18-26 SERMON “Picket Fences” Meghan D. Young *HYMN “Gentle Joseph, Joseph Dear” New Century 105 OFFERING OF GIFTS

Following the receiving of offerings by the ushers, the pastor(s) will come to the center aisle to receive prayer request cards. Invitation to the Offering

For those who have already given their offering, Giving Cards are available in your pew so that all may participate in the act of the offering.

Cold are the people, Winter of life Voice in the distance, call in the night, We tremble in shadows this cold endless night On wind you enfold us, you speak of the light, Frozen in the snow lie roses sleeping Gentle on the ear you whisper softly, Flowers that will echo the sunrise Rumors of a dawn so embracing, Fire of hope is our only warmth Breathless love awaits darkened souls, Weary, its flame will be dying soon. Soon will we know of the morning.

Offertory Anthem "All Bells in Paradise" by John Rutter The Choir

*Doxology

*Prayer of Dedication

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Joys & Concerns

Deep in the cold of winter, All bells in paradise I heard them ring, Darkness and silence were ev’rywhere; Sounding in majesty the news that they bring; Softly and clearly, there came through the stillness All bells in paradise I heard them ring,

a wonderful sound, a wonderful sound to hear: Welcoming our Savior, born on earth a heavenly King.

All bells in paradise I heard them ring:

‘Glory to God on high’ the angel voices sing.

Lost in awe and wonder All bells in paradise I heard them ring, Doubting, I asked what this sign might be: Sounding in majesty the news that they bring;

Christ our Messiah revealed in a stable All bells in paradise I heard them ring, A marvelous sight, a marvelous sight to see. Welcoming our Savior, born on earth a heavenly King.

He comes down in peace, a child in humility, All bells in paradise I heard them ring,

The keys to his kingdom belong to the poor; Sounding in majesty the news that they bring;

Before him shall kneel the kings with their treasures,

All bells in paradise I heard them ring,

Gold incense and myrrh, incense and myrrh. Welcoming our Savior, born on earth a heavenly King.

All bells in paradise I heard them ring;

‘Glory to God on high’ the angel voices sing,

The angel voices sweetly sing.

Praise God from whom al l blessings f low; Praise God, al l creatures here below;

Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen

Pastoral and Silent Prayer Prayer Response

*HYMN “Jesus, Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child” New Century 136

*BENEDICTION

*POSTLUDE

HOSPITALITY Michael and Eileen McKenna USHERS Cheryl Hummel, Rich Pawlich-Pagliccio, Deb Copes, Steve Smith, Tom Rolfe Ben & Will Rolfe

We welcome Ed and Holli Bacon, John McNeil and Vivianne Riverón

into membership this morning. CHR I S TMAS E V E

TU E SDAY 5 : 0 0 pm I n t e r g e n e r a t i o n a l S e r v i c e

w i t h c a n d l e l i g h t

1 1 : 0 0 pm C a n d l e l i g h t a n d C omm un i o n

NEXT WE EK December 29 First Sunday after Christmas

The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza is preaching.

S.P.I.R.I.T. Corner

Serve, Pray, Invite, Receive, Ignite, Tell

Children are invited to remain in worship today, following along with the children & youth bulletins for Communion Sunday. S.P.I.R.I.T. Faith Formation will resume on January 12th, with week 1 of

Praying With Jesus.

A Prayer For This Season. God, help us to explore the journey to Bethlehem, the journey of the magi, the journey to Egypt, and the journey to Nazareth. Open our eyes and our hearts to the journeys you made, and help us to know you are always with us. Amen.

NURSERY VOLUNTEERS: Nursery Volunteers are needed. If you are interested in volunteering in the Nursery during Sunday morning worship, please contact a member of the Childcare Committee or email them at RHCCchildcare@gmail.com for more information. You can also sign-up outside the Nursery.

NOAH’S ARK The RHCC Youth Group (6th-12th Grade) has started. We meet every Sunday after church for lunch, fellowship, and faith formation from 11:30 AM – 1 PM. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP with Diana Hellyar.

Epiphany Pageant Each year we worship in wonder and mystery, bringing the story of Christmas and Epiphany to light, as worship leaders of ALL ages put on costumes and remember through word and action, the birth story of our faith. The Epiphany pageant is on January 5th. The Pageant Rehearsal will be on Saturday, January 4th, 10 AM – 12 PM. See Meghan Young for more information.

GROW YOUR FAITH & GET INVOLVED WITH S.P.I.R.I.T. The RHCC S.P.I.R.I.T. Church School is a place that values intergenerational relationships, growing in faith, and learning throughout our lives to be the disciples Christ calls us to be. You are invited to come join the circle and get involved. We are currently in need of a Show & Tell and a Food & People Learning Center Guide for unit 3 (begins on January 12). Learning Center guides prepare engaging activities to teach the bible story through community service, drama, games, crafts, and food. Training and lesson plans are always provided. If you are interested in getting involved in this ministry please contact Meghan Young at meghan@rhccucc.org.

Please save this date!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Comfort Food Dinner with Magician entertainment

LITTLE SCHOLARS PRESCHOOL at the ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Preschool Registration Church members’ priority registration period for Little Scholars Preschool at the Rocky Hill Congregational Church (formerly Rocky Hill Congregational Cooperative Nursery School) is from January 5 until January 18. Church members receive a 10% tuition discount. Brochures in the church office describe days and times and other information for the three and four-year-old programs. If you have questions you may call Julie Dostie at 860-563-5663.

SCRIP-SURE What is it? Scrip-sure is a fundraising program for our church, which allows the regular shopping we do at a variety of retailers to generate income for the church. How? Participating retailers sell gift certificates or gift cards to our church at a discount. Church members buy the certificates for full face value and redeem them for full face value, and our church keeps the difference as revenue. Everybody wins! The retailers get our business, and our church gets a regular source of revenue that involves nothing other than what we would all be doing anyway – shopping/spending at grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants, gas stations, and many other businesses, including online retailers.

We've earned more than $1,600 in just the three weeks of December on scrip purchases of more than $22,000. That already ranks this month among the top five months since the inception of the program. And more than $12,000 has been raised thus far in the current fiscal year. Thank you!

Need some stocking stuffers, or teacher gifts? We have some low denomination cards ($10 or $15) available for immediate purchase this morning for places like Boston Market, Chipotle, Denny's, Dunkin Donuts, iTunes, Panera, Starbucks, and Subway. We have a variety of other cards in inventory as well, including (but not limited to) Barnes & Noble, Exxon/Mobil, Kohl's, McDonalds, On the Border, Sunoco, Target, and Walmart. In addition, we always carry cards for Big Y, CVS, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, West Side Marketplace, and Whole Foods. See Deb Copes at the scrip table this morning for a full listing of available cards, or to have all of your questions answered.

Think SCRIP!

Please note: Scrip will not be sold on Sunday, December 29, and the usual end-of-month ordering deadline will be deferred to January 5, 2014. If you'll need grocery cards in the next two weeks, get them today.

THIS WEEK AT RHCC

D e c e m b e r 2 2 S u n d a y 10:00am Worship Sanctuary 11:15am Cookie Walk Nursery School

D e c e m b e r 2 3 M o n d a y 4:00pm Yoga with Lynn Chapin Hall 5:30pm Yoga with Lynn Chapin Hall 7:00pm Women’s AA Chapin Hall 7:00pm Bowling 7:30pm Bell Choir Loft

D e c e m b e r 2 4 T u e s d a y 5:00pm Christmas Eve Service 11:00pm Christmas Eve Service

D e c e m b e r 2 5 W e d n e s d a y Office Closed

D e c e m b e r 2 6 T h u r s d a y 5:30pm Tops Chapin Hall 8:00pm Men’s AA Chapin Hall

D e c e m b e r 2 8 S a t u r d a y 8:30am Yoga with Lynn Chapin Hall 9:45am Yoga with Lynn Chapin Hall

RESUMING JANUARY 8th

WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY Wednesdays, 12 noon – 1 p.m. (Fiorilli Room)

Led by the preaching pastor for the week, the study is based on the Scripture text(s) coming up for the following Sunday in worship. All are welcome. No experience necessary. Bring your favorite translation or pick one up from the shelf. Brown bag lunch is optional.

Dec 24 Nancy Edwards 25 Jonathan Rutigliano 26 Janet Kunzelman

Aaron Moore 27 Donald Stedman

Nicholas Lizotte 28 Nathan Vann

Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ

805 Old Main Street Rocky Hill, CT 06067

Church Office: office@rhccucc.org / 860 529-4167

Church Website: rhccucc.org Visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/rhccucc

O f f i c e H o u r s

Monday – Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Friday 8:30 to 12:00

Open and Affirming Statement Because we believe that all people are created in God’s image and thus are blessed and loved equally by God, and because love is a unifying and strengthening force within our Christian Faith,

We, the members of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, hereby declare ourselves an Open and Affirming Christian community, actively expressing Jesus’ inclusive embrace of all people.

We welcome all who seek to follow Jesus, including persons of every age, gender, race, national origin, faith background, marital status and family structure, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, economic and social status, and educational background, to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, blessings and joys of our church family.

Jesus teaches us to welcome all God’s children into God’s covenantal community. As we grow together in faith and love, we will strive to celebrate the diversity in which God has created us. Approved by congregational vote June 2009

Ministry Team Ministers: All the members of the church

Interim Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza brenda@rhccucc.org Acting Associate Pastor for Faith Formation: Meghan D. Young meghan@rhccucc.org

Minister of Music: Mary DeLibero mary@rhccucc.org Office Manager: Mitsey Baker office@rhccucc.org Webmaster: Dave Hall webmaster@rhccucc.org

Thank you all for your purchase of poinsettias, both for our shut-ins and for the decoration of our lovely sanctuary. As always, special thanks to those who decorate and who deliver poinsettias. We are also grateful for our church school children and teachers who made cards to bring along with the flowers.

May you know the joy of this Christmas season. The Flower Committee and the Diaconate

IN LOVING MEMORY OR *IN HONOR OF: GIVEN BY:

Ed Bacon, Jr. Ed and Frances Bacon & Bill and Helen Jensen Ethel Bacon, Janet Kelly and Hal Kelley

Charlotte Bacon and family

Our parents Bill and Dorothy Bartley

Family and friends Louise Butts

My parents, Armand and Bette Benoit My friend, Mary-Grace Montana

Denise Carberry

Barbara Vaux Peter Curtin Hazel and Clarence Vaux

Gael Curtin

Joan’s family, Louise and Harold & Bob and Dan Goetter Al’s parents, Helen and Alfredo Diaz

Joan and Al Diaz

Belinda Fiorilli Julie Dostie

Kenneth L. and Myrtle E. Furman Louis and Laura Button

Robert and Carol Furman

Anahid and Diron Mosesian Doreen and Rob Grandell

Hayden and Maude Griswold Loydon and Nellie Clark

Jim and Lois Griswold

Howard W. Griswold Elinor Godart

Leona Griswold

Our Parents Susan Statkiewicz

David and Bobbie Hawkins

IN LOVING MEMORY OR *IN HONOR OF: GIVEN BY:

John and Hilda Heneghan Bob and Ann Lowry Marianne Lowry

Mike and Steph Heneghan

Donald Thompson Jr, (Daddy and Grampa) Uncle Bill Maley and all the joy and kindness he gave freely

Cindy, Maley and Thom Hunt

Bob Hunter Dot Hunter

*In honor of our Church family The Inderbitzen and Bower family

My parents, Dorothy and Ronald Young David Winton Ozzie LaCava

Jan LaCava & Family

Margaret Libera Lisa Libera

Gene Little Chester Cole

Grace Cole and Jackie Little

In loving memory and honor of my family Helen Griswold

Eleanor Mahar

William H McKenna Jr. Thomas P. Kelley

The Lynn McKenna family

Mary and Charlie Woods and Mildred Martin Paul Mosure and Grandpa Hartz

The Mosure family

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pawlich, Sr. Rich, Mary and Rick Pawlich-Pagliccio

My father Ronald Buscaglia Joan Ross

Adrienne and William Cain Candy and Louis Smith

Our son Daniel R. Somes Our son-in-law Christopher T. Sheehan

Dick and Thelma Somes

Bill and Janet Ware Wendy and Steve Ware

Nancy’s Dad, Jack, and his sister Aunt Alice *All our family and friends

Barry and Nancy Wilcock