|
"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” ~ Peter Marshall Chaplain of the United States Senate (1946-1949) A warm welcome to 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 6/30/20 were $1,800. The costs for each week are $1,118 (derived by dividing the annual budget by 52 weeks.) As always, please continue 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 Prayers for Doris Reavis who lost her husband, John this past week. Prayers for the Damus family who lost Linda. 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] Celebrations Laura and Jeff Lienhard celebrated their wedding anniversary on July 3rd. 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 restrooms, 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. Wear Red! We will be celebrating Independence Day on Sunday so you are encouraged to wear red for the occasion. Zoom Church Services Continue United Church of Ludlow We will continue until July 19, 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. Communion Sunday - Today Don will be providing a service of Communion during our Zoom service Sunday, July 5. The Communion portion of the service will be condensed. Everyone in the Zoom service will serve themselves and be responsible for their own bread or crackers and beverage. At the appointed time we will partake together. Bulletin for July 5 Church Service July 5, 2020 10:15 A.M. SERVICE OF WORSHIP FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST INDEPENDENCE DAY SUNDAY PRELUDE: Prelude on Rhosymedre Composer: Vaughan Williams GREETING The grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13: 13) CALL TO WORSHIP Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom God has chosen for God’s own inheritance. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If the Son of God therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. For freedom Christ has set us free: stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Let us worship God. HYMN 697 America Stanzas 1 & 2 PRAYER OF CONFESSION Christ is with us! He is with us indeed! In joy and contrition, we come before God. Let us confess our sins. God our Creator: you led men and women to this land, and, out of conflict, created in us a love of peace and liberty. We have failed you by neglecting rights and restricting freedoms. Forgive pride that overlooks national wrong or justifies injustice. Forgive divisions caused by prejudice or greed. Have mercy, God, on the heart of this land. Make us compassionate, fair, and helpful to each other. Raise in us a right patriotism that sees and seeks this nation's good, through Jesus Christ the Lord. . .. SILENCE (Silence may be observed for reflection and prayer.) ASSURANCE OF GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3: 16) READING OF SCRIPTURE THE FIRST READING Leviticus 25: 8-12 THE SECOND READING Isaiah 58: 6-11 SERMON “Unfinished Business” 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 640 “Take Our Bread” Stanzas 1 & 2 THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION INVITATION BLESSING OF THE ELEMENTS THE LORD’S PRAYER BREAKING THE BREAD AND LIFTING THE CUP THE COMMUNION PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Let us give thanks. Bountiful God, we give you thanks that you have refreshed us at your table by granting us the presence of Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. HYMN 698 God of the Ages Stanzas 1 & 2 BENEDICTION BENEDICTION RESPONSE POSTLUDE: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba Composer G.F Handel "May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” ~ Peter Marshall Chaplain of the United States Senate (1946-1949) Lyrics for the Hymns for the Church Service on July 5, 2020 America Page 697 stanzas 1 & 2 My Country, tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountain side let freedom ring! My native country, thee, land of the noble free, thy name I love; I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills; my heart with rapture thrills, like that above. Take Our Bread Page 640 Stanzas 1 & 2 Refrain: Take our bread, we ask you; take our hearts, we love you. Take our lives, O Father, we are yours, we are yours. Yours as we stand at the table you set; yours as we eat the bread our hearts can’t forget. We are the sign of your life with us yet. We are yours, we are yours. Refrain Your holy people standing washed in your blood, Spirit filled yet hungry we await your food. We are poor, but we’ve brought ourselves the best we could; we are yours, we are yours. Refrain God of the Ages page 698 Stanzas 1 & 2 God of the ages, whose almighty hand leads for the in beauty all the starry band Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies, our grateful songs before thy throne arise. Thy love divine hath led us in the past; in this free land with thee out lot is cast; Be thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay, thy Word our law, thy paths our chosen way. Comments are closed.
|
