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