“The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder.” – G. K. Chesterton A warm welcome to all visitors to our church email newsletter or web page. If the Pastor or any member of the congregation may be of service to you, please contact the church office at 802-228-4211 or Rev. Harpster at 802-875-8895. His email is [email protected]. Regarding Individuals in the Hospital or Sick at Home: It would be greatly appreciated if you know of individuals or family members in the hospital or sick at home, to kindly inform the pastor, Rev. Harpster. Weekly Offerings Offerings and other cash receipts for the week ending 6-21-20 were $1355 which includes $350 received in memory of Pat Liao. The costs for each week are $1,118 (derived by dividing the annual budget by 52 weeks). As always, please continue with your weekly offering by writing a check to The United Church and sending it in to Anne Oakes at 145 Merrill Rd., Ludlow, VT 05149. Thank you so much. Prayer Concerns Continued prayers for Anne Matulonis, Dottie Humm and George Thomson as they continue to heal Keeping Arden Peplau in our thoughts and prayers as he will be getting a pacemaker. We continue to keep the following in our prayers: James Almond, Terry DeYoung, Kathy Doyle, Pam Dundy, Judy Edwards, Carolyn Gauthier, Susan Kneebone, Ginny Kottkamp, Annie Oakes, Evelyn Tucker, Herb Van Guilder and Evelyn Verro. We know the power of prayer. If you have others to add to our prayer concerns, please email [email protected] Church Reopening At the meeting of the Executive Board, United Church of Ludlow on June 17, 2020, a motion to reopen the church building for worship on Sunday, July 19th was approved. While the exact format of the worship experience in church has not been worked out, we do have some basic plans in place. No matter what plan is enacted, attendance in person will not be necessary to share in the worship service. Services will continue to be offered online through Zoom or some other live streaming option, and we will continue to help those who will need assistance in signing on to these sites. We plan to have our organist/pianist Terry back in church to provide music and will continue to have Rev. Harpster share the message each Sunday via the internet. The plan will include the following procedures. We will ask everyone who might need water or other refreshment to please bring your own, as the kitchen will not be available. Everyone will enter and exit the church through the rear door. The entrance is now complete, along with the new walkway from Elm St. The LULA is operational and we expect to have inspections and operations training completed before our July 19 reopening. Masks will be required when entering the church and at all times when moving inside. Upon entering you will be greeted by a church member, offered a mask if you do not have one and instructed to sanitize your hands with the sanitizer located inside the doorway. You will then be instructed to proceed immediately to your pew in the sanctuary. There will be no congregating inside the church building. Other than the sanctuary and bathrooms, all other areas of the church are off limits except for those participating in the service. Upon entering the sanctuary, please look for cushions in the pews. These cushions indicate where seating may take place in order to maintain proper social distancing. They will be placed in pairs, but if any core family group is attending, please feel free to add space in your area, keeping in mind the location of those around you. While we are encouraging masks to be kept on at all times, at this time masks MAY be removed. Keep in mind that masks should be worn any time you are talking with your neighbor, speaking aloud during the service, and moving throughout the building. During the hymns, if you wish to sing, it must be done with the mask in place, and in a soft speaking voice. Announcements and prayers will be offered without microphones, so please stand and speak clearly wearing your mask. When communion is being celebrated, parishioners can bring their own "bread and wine". When services are over, the Deacon will instruct the congregation to leave in an orderly fashion by pew, and everyone will leave the church building immediately, again using the rear door, and only stopping to use the rest rooms, which are available at all times. For those choosing to mix socially after services, please do so away from the exit so as not to make others leaving feel uncomfortable. Keep in mind, this is the first phase of reopening our church building, and we are sure adjustments to practices will need to be amended as time and circumstances dictate. We encourage anyone with thoughts, fears or suggestions to contact either our President, George Thomson, Rev. Harpster, or Deacon Laura Lienhard. We look forward to worshiping together with all of you, whether in person or through the internet and pray that we soon will be able to return to a more normal worship experience together in God's house. Zoom Church Services Continue United Church of Ludlow We will continue until further notice to have Zoom services complete with music as an alternative. If you are not already in the “Zoom Community” it is not very hard. We would love to have you join us for Sunday worship. Read below to see how you can participate in the service. The invitation is listed below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at a number below. If you have used Zoom before and have it downloaded to your computer you do not need to contact us, but if you have never used Zoom, please contact us before Sunday so we can add you to the invitation we will be sending out Sunday morning. New to Zoom? We can help you navigate the program. Just ask. Linda: 802-558-9055 George: 802-558-9057 or email: [email protected] The Bulletin for the service and the words to the hymns are at the end of the newsletter. PLEASE NOTE: At any one location, you should only have one live microphone. Please make sure to NOT use your phone AND the microphone on your computer. Turn one off. When both are on, this causes rather unpleasant reverberations for everyone. Bulletin for June 28 Church Service June 28, 2020 10:15 A.M. SERVICE OF WORSHIP FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST PRELUDE: On Jorden’s Stormy Banks I Stand Played by John Troutman GREETING In the name of the triune God: the Creator, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. CALL TO WORSHIP O God, our God, how glorious is your name in all the earth! Your glory is sung by all of your creation! When we look to the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, we wonder – Who are we that you care for us and for this world? You are the God of life, crowning us with glory and honor to serve you all our days. O God, our God, how glorious is your name in all the earth! HYMN 152 I Sing the Almighty Power of God Stanzas 1- 3 PRAYER OF INVOCATION Creator God, most distant space shows traces of your touch. Sculptor God, you give galaxies their form, shape granite mountains, and design butterfly wings. You choreograph the paths of stars and the flight of snow geese. Your divine song is sung by sparrows, mountain streams, and the rushing winds. We human beings wonder all that you create and rejoice to be a part of the living world which you love and sustain. Amen. READING OF SCRIPTURE THE EPISTLE LESSON Psalm 77: 1-2, 11-20 THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 4: 35-41 SERMON “Promise Not to Blush” HYMN 509 Jesus, Savior Pilot Me Stanzas 1 & 2 JOYS AND CONCERNS PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE PRAYER RESPONSE Hymnal, No. 473 Lead me, Lord, lead me in thy righteousness; Make thy way plain before my face. For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only, That makest me dwell in safety. OFFERTORY SENTENCE PRAYER OF DEDICATION HYMN 142 If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee Stanzas 1 & 2 BENEDICTION BENEDICTION RESPONSE POSTLUDE: To God Be The Glory Written by William Howard Doane Lyrics by Fanny Crosby “The world will never starve for want of wonders,
but for want of wonder.” – G. K. Chesterton Lyrics of the Hymns for the Church Service on June 28, 2020 I Sing the Almighty Power of God page 152 stanzas 1,2,3 I sing the almighty power of God, that made the mountains rise, That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies. I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day; The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey. I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food, who formed the creatures thru the Word, and then pronounced them good. Lord, how thy wonders are displayed, wher-e’er I turn my eye, If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky. There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes thy glories known, And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from thy throne; While all that borrows life from thee is ever in thy care; And everywhere that we can be, thou, God art present there. Jesus Savior Pilot Me page 509 stanzas 1,2 Jesus, Savior, pilot me over life’s tempestuous sea; Unknown waves before me roll, hiding rock and treacherous shoal. Chart and compass came from thee; Jesus, savior, pilot me. As a mother stills her child, thou canst hush the ocean wild; Boisterous waves obey thy will, when thou sayest to them, ”Be still.” Wondrous sovereign of the sea, Jesus, Savior, pilot me. If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee page 142 stanzas 1,2 If thou but suffer God to guide thee, and hope in God through all thy ways, God will give strength, what’er betide thee, And bear thee through the evil days. Who trusts in God’s unchanging love builds on the rock that naught can move. Only be still and wait God’s leisure in cheerful hope, with heart content to take what’e’er thy Maker’s pleasure and all discerning love hath sent. We know our in most wants are known, for we are called to be God’s own. Comments are closed.
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