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No one can take your memories from you – each day is a new beginning, making good memories every day.” - Catherine Pulsifer Zoom Service United Church of Ludlow Although we will not be together in person for our Service, we will be having a Zoom service, complete with music, on May 24, 2020 at 10:00 am. If you would like to participate in the service, please do not hesitate to call us at one of the numbers below before Sunday: Linda: 802-558-9055 George: 802-558-9057 Home phone: 802-228-6275 The Bulletin for the service and the words to the hymns are at the end of the newsletter. They are also available as .pdf documents which you can download when you receive an email invitation to the Zoom service. Hopefully we will see you in church! George and Linda ____________________________________________________________________ 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 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 Phyllis Bont has been moved to the rehab facility at Mt Ascutney Pam Dundy is back at home recovering from pneumonia In our own community let us keep the following in our prayers: James Almond, Terry DeYoung, Kathy Doyle, 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] ______________________________________________________________________ May 24, 2020 10:15 A.M. SERVICE OF WORSHIP SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER MEMORIAL DAY SUNDAY PRELUDE Duo On Hyfrydol Paul S Jones, Composer/arranger GREETING In the name of the triune God: the Creator, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. CALL TO WORSHIP In this land of freedom and beauty, let us give thanks to God. Let us praise the Holy One who created the blue lakes and grassy prairies, the vast desert lands, and the breathtaking mountains of our homeland. Let us unite in worship of the Creator who formed all lands and all people. And who declared without hesitation, “It is good.” HYMN 696 America the Beautiful Stanzas 1 & 2 PRAYER OF INVOCATION O God, who is, and was, and is to come, before whose face the generations rise and pass away: Be to us a cloud by day and a fire by night. O the Source of peace and righteousness take now the veil from every heart and join us in one fellowship with Your prophets and saints who have trusted in You; and in this hour of devotion accept our humble worship of Your great Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. READING OF SCRIPTURE THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Psalm 46 THE GOSPEL LESSON John 17: 1-11 SERMON “The Creative Process” HYMN 710 Faith of Our Fathers 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 431 Let There Be Peace on Earth BENEDICTION BENEDICTION RESPONSE POSTLUDE: Stars and Stripes Forever Composer, John Phillip Sousa United States Marine Band _______________________________________________________________ Hymns for May 24 Service America the Beautiful Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea. Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern, impassioned stress A thoroughfare of freedom beat, Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law. Faith of our Fathers Faith of our fathers, living still, In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword, Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy, Whene’er we hear that glorious word. [Chorus] Faith of our fathers, holy faith, We will be true to thee till death! Faith of our fathers, we will strive To win all nations unto thee, And thru the truth that comes from God, Mankind shall then be truly free. [Chorus] Faith of our fathers, holy faith, We will be true to thee till death! Let there be peace on earth Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me Let There Be Peace on Earth The peace that was meant to be With God as our Father Brothers all are we Let me walk with my brother In perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me Let this be the moment now. With ev'ry step I take Let this be my solemn vow To take each moment and live Each moment in peace eternally Let there be peace on earth And let it begin with me ______________________________________________________________ Attached is an interesting article from the VTCUCC (Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ) which hopefully you will find helpful and reassuring. Finding Our New Normal April 20, 2020 by Susan Beaumont Crisis moments call for strong, decisive action—people want to know that someone is in charge and things are being managed. But once the initial crisis calms, a period of disorientation sets in as we find our way to a new normal. The resolute leadership style that worked well during the initial crisis won’t work well in this ongoing unsettled space. We are in a liminal season, stuck between an ending and a new beginning. The pathway forward is not knowable. The way we “did church” even two months ago is done. We have literally been thrown out of our buildings by a pandemic. We can reassure people (and ourselves) by pretending the disruption is temporary. “We will resume all normal activity soon.” That reassurance is not helpful or truthful. No one knows what normal looks like after sheltering in place. Likely, we will resume many familiar things, but congregational life will not be the same. We are disoriented and confused. There is grief and loss. This season requires a different leadership stance. Our actions must originate from a new center—a less busy and more yielding, soulful place. The following five practices can help you lead more effectively as you discover the next, new normal with your congregation. 1. Surrender To surrender is to yield. We accept this moment as “just the place we need to be” to learn what is most important now. To surrender does not mean giving up or giving in. It does not mean we languish or grow lazy—quite the opposite. It means we lean into the disorientation and trust the leading of the Holy Spirit. Striving, rather than surrender, was the mood of the first season of this crisis. Striving is the act of working harder and longer to prove mastery, merit and worth. We hoped that our industriousness could protect people from the difficult, adaptive work ahead. Through our own hard work and determination, we figured out how to put church online. We toiled to demonstrate our care for people when we could not be physically present with them. We learned new ways to connect those in need. We’ve done good industrious work. But now we find ourselves beyond the limits of our own resourcefulness and knowing. This next season requires adaptive learning—for leaders and followers alike. Learning begins with surrender. I acknowledge that I don’t have answers. I yield my spirit to God’s leading and invite my congregation to do the same. We attend to all that arises in response to our surrender. 2. Use the Disorientation All innovation begins with disorientation. People must let the old status quo fail before we can embrace innovation. We should acknowledge that the status quo failed us some time ago. We’ve been falsely clinging to the old normal because there was too much pain in letting go. The pandemic has thrown us into deep disorientation. Now, we have no choice but to let go of the old normal. We occupy space on both sides of a threshold. One foot is rooted in something trying to end; another is planted in a thing not yet defined, something waiting to begin. We cling to structures, identities and relationships formed by our old experiences, although we know that those processes and practices will not serve us adequately moving forward. It would be a mistake to shore up the old structures and practices as things get “back to normal.” We need to take advantage of this moment to let old things die, to experiment, to take risks and learn. 3. Invite Meaning-Making Humans cannot live without meaning. The greater our sense of uncertainty, the more desperately we grasp for a handhold, a shred of something that reminds us of who we are and where we have been. People need help interpreting the present moment given their shared past. Part of this work is theological in nature. People grapple with the deep questions of our faith. Where is God when people are suffering? Why are we here? Is God punishing the world? Listen. Sharpen your theological edge and shape the conversations happening around you. Beyond that, locate this moment in the history of your specific context. When have your people endured a moment reminiscent of this one? What higher values did they bring to that moment? How might those same values guide them now? 4. Define One Good Next Step People need to know that they are pursuing something that matters now; worthy work, a shared common cause, or a sense of rootedness to something enduring. This is especially important when we can’t plan our next steps in one, three, and five-year increments. Who even knows what tomorrow will bring in this environment? Systematic planning won’t serve you well in liminality, but you don’t have to wander aimlessly. Help people remember their passions and connect those passions to their gifts and resources. Develop a shared sense of what you are trying to learn together. Then, claim one good next step in the general direction of your shared aspirations. 5. Attend to the Yearning Rational decision making assumes that human knowledge is enough to address the challenges we face. Rational decisions can’t guide us through the deep disorientation we face now. Instead, we need to pay attention to yearning. Yearning is the language of the human soul. When we listen to others at soul level, we sense a collective longing that will guide us to the other side of chaos. Letting go of what once was, we let ourselves be led by God who is drawing us forward and into our future. Discernment is the tool we use to attend the yearning. It’s a wisdom way of knowing. We drop beneath rational decision making, directly into the knowing planted in our souls. Make space in your congregation for this expression of collective yearning. What is God calling us to do or become next? Our new normal is already with us and it is also just beyond our reach. This is an exciting time to be the church if we are willing to stay in the disorientation for the time it takes to discover our next chapter. Comments are closed.
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