Veradale United Church of Christ
An Open & Affirming Congregation
Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – Working for Justice & Peace
“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”
June 25, 2023
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10:20 Gathering and Prelude
Wayne Shull, Music Director
Charlie Salt, Acolyte and AV
Joe McSwain, AV and Usher
Jerry Brines, Usher
Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor
Diane Smith, Scripture Reader
Rev. Gen Heywood, Pastor
10:30am Worship begins:
God is our peace ...all the time! All the time...God is our peace!
Welcoming the Light of Christ
*Hymn: Seek Ye First
Seek ye first the kingdom of GodAnd God’s righteousness;And all these things shall be added unto you.Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Ask, and it shall be given unto you;Seek, and you shall find.Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.Hallelu, Hallelujah!
We shall not live by bread alone,But by every wordThat proceeds out from the mouth of God.Hallelu, Hallelujah!
Community Prayer
(“In Our Prayers” Sing #125)
In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.
Prayers of Gratitude
In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.
Prayers of Concern
In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.
Silent prayer
In our prayers, in our hearts, in our prayers, in our hearts, God in your grace, hear our prayers. God in your grace, O God, hear our prayers.
Lord’s Prayer
Response: Sing Amen
(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God
(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God
(Sing Amen) Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,
we praise your name, O, God
A Time of Offering
An Invitation to Share
Dedication Hymn: They will Know We Are Christians by our Love” verse 4
All praise to Creator from whom all things come and all praise to Christ Jesus the only Son; and all praise to the Spirit who makes us one. And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.
Dedication Prayer
Holy One, through this month of June we have shared our time, talent, and treasure. We have offered treasure to other UCC churches through the Strengthen the Church offering. Today, we also bless the Birthday kits we have offered that they may bring dignity and joy. Bless and multiply our giving. Amen
Message With Young Hearts
Look around. Name something that you have chosen.
Rite of Membership
About Veradale UCC
*You don’t have to be a member to participate in the life of the church
*Membership - belonging. It is a covenantal relationship where we stand with the community gathered in this time and place.
*Our members determine the direction of our church, care for the ministries we do together, the rules we live by are ones we choose through the determination of our congregation.
*As an autonomous church, we are free to determine what God calls us to be in this time and place. Our covenantal relationships with the Conference and National Church gives us guidance and offers us possibilities.
Invitation I invite Laila Buse, Kelly Cuilla, Tom Cuilla, Sue Ferrozzo, and Stephany Wallis to come forward, affirm their baptism, and unite with us in this household of faith.
Sentences: Friends in Christ, we were all received into the global church through the sacrament of baptism. Today, the journey of these, our siblings in Christ, has brought to claim us as their community where they will grow in their relationship with God and all God’s creation. Also, we claim them as our companions in this practice of the way of Jesus.
Having prayerfully considered the commitment they are about to make, they will affirm their baptismal pledges. May we listen with love and support and may we be reminded of our promises made in baptism and membership.
(to the Candidate/s): You are no longer strangers or sojourners. You are equal citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus being the cornerstone. You are part of that holy temple, the body of Christ. You are built as a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Questions of the Candidate:
Pastor: Do you desire to affirm your baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?
Response: I do.
Pastor: Do you profess Jesus Christ as the one who governs your life, and the one who sets you free?
Response: I do.
Pastor: Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of Jesus, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?
Response: I promise, with the help of God.
Pastor: Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow in the Christian faith and to be a faithful participant in the community of Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ’s presence and furthering Christ’s vision of compassion and justice in all the world?
Response: I promise, with the help of God.
Address:
Pastor: By your baptism, you were made one with us in the body of Christ, the church. Today, we rejoice that your journey of faith has brought you to be with us in this time and place. We give thanks for every community of faith that has been your spiritual home and we celebrate your presence in this household of faith.
Question about Participation:
Pastor: Do you promise to participate in the life and mission of this family of God’s people, sharing regularly in the worship of God and enlisting in the work of this local church as it serves this community and the world.
Candidate/s: I promise, with the help of God.
Welcome and Reception:
Moderator: Let us, the members of the Veradale United Church of Christ, express our welcome and affirm our mutual ministry in Christ.
All: We welcome you with joy in the common life of this church. We promise you our friendship and prayers as we share the hopes and labors of this church of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit may we continue to grow together in God’s knowledge and love and be witnesses of our risen Savior.
Greeting of Christian Love:
Moderator: In the name of Jesus Christ, and on behalf of the Veradale United Church of Christ, we extend our hearts in Christian love, welcoming you into the company of this local church.
Prayer:
All: O God, we praise you for calling us to faith and for gathering us into this church, the body of Christ. We thank you for your people gathered in this Veradale United Church of Christ and rejoice that you have increased our community of faith. Together may we live in the Spirit, building one another up in love, sharing in the life and worship of the church, and serving the world for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Listening for God
Joshua 24: 14-15, 14 “Now, therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Proverbs 3:13-18
13 Happy are those who find wisdom and those who get understanding, 14 for her income is better than silver and her revenue better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 42 but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Message: When Free Will Exists
Silence
Announcements
The Light Goes Out to the World
Hymn: “Bless Be the Tie that Binds” 393 (NCH)
Bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The sharing of a common life is like to that above.
Before our God we come and pour our ardent prayers. Our Fears our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.
We share each other’s woes, each other’s burdens bear, and often for each other flows a sympathizing tear.
When we are called to part it gives us inward pain, but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.
Benediction and Silent Meditation with Postlude
Be Yourself.
Grow in Christ.
Live with Compassion.
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