Round Hill Community
Church
ORDER OF SERVICE
February 21, 2016
2nd Sunday in Lent
Prière à Notre Dame
PRELUDE
Léon Boëllmann
WORDS OF WELCOME
INTROIT
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader:
As we gather for worship we give thanks for the enduring realities
of life.
All:
We have come to affirm that life is a gift, that the gift is good,
and that it comes from God.
Leader:
We are gathered to renew our hope in Jesus Christ, as we travel
life’s long journey.
All:
We find God in the paths of our present and past, but we also
trust in God’s love in our future.
Leader:
The same God guides us all the way, every day of our lives, and
beyond life.
*HYMN No. 21
Let the Whole Creation Cry
*OPENING PRAYER
Spirit of energy and change,
in whose power Jesus was anointed
to be the hope of the nations;
be poured out also upon us
without reserve or distinction,
that we may have confidence and strength
to plant your justice on the earth, through Jesus Christ, Amen.
*The congregation is invited to stand
*THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
Children may now leave for Church School.
ANTHEM
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Be Thou My Vision
Luke 11: 1-10
Linda Seaver
Parker
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his
disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He
said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your
kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the
time of trial.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at
midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend
of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers
from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my
children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you,
even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend,
at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he
needs. “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will
find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks
receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the
door will be opened.
SERMON
*HYMN No. 575
OFFERING
Invitation
Anthem
The School of Prayer
The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann
Come and Find the Quiet Center
Stabat Mater
Rossini
(The grieving Mother stood beside the cross weeping where her son was hanging)
*Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all
creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*Hymn
O Beautiful for Spacious Skies
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber
waves of grain, for purple mountain
majesties above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed full grace
on thee, and crown thy good with servanthood
from sea to shining sea.
PASTORAL PRAYER
*HYMN No. 5
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
CHURCH PRAYER
Our Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our
lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good.
Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with
Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill will
ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and
prudent, giving no just cause for offense; and may thy holy peace
rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week,
sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us
faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
BENEDICTION AND CHORAL RESPONSE
POSTLUDE
Agincourt Hymn
Dunstable
ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT
We, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a selfgoverning, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of
faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth;
where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends
are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a community where
individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship,
and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the
broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are
valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.
ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREED
I believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed
supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide,
comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God;
and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all
the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the
progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of
peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian
love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of
righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.
CHURCH NEWS
Thank you to Deanna and Steve Mulligan for ushering during this morning’s
service.
Thank you to the Ines Kingsley and Alice Melly for hosting today’s Coffee
Hour. Please join them in the parlor following the service.
Faith Formation
Join us this morning for the next installment of the People of the Book series,
when we’ll consider Moses as the leader who didn’t want to lead, the organizer
who didn’t know how to organize and the man for the future who himself
suffered a troubled past.
This Wednesday, February 24th at 7pm, Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, former
Newtown teacher, critically-acclaimed author of Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life’s Darkest Hours and Founder of Classes 4 Classes, will talk
about “Choosing Hope: The Power of Choice.” Reception and book signing
will follow, with copies available for purchase, thanks to Diane’s Books.
Childcare only with advance reservation. Tickets $5, proceeds to benefit
Classes 4 Classes. For info/reservations - 203-869-1091.
Outreach
On March 6th, guest Barbara McLaughlin, Director of Early Childhood
and Parenting Programs at Inspirica, will provide an update on the program
which launched January 19th, share volunteer opportunities and the various
ways that you can support this organization.
A huge thank you to all who regularly support our friends at Neighbor to
Neighbor with donations for their community pantry! During February, we are
collecting peanut butter and jelly! Please place donations into the food wagon
located in the Narthex.
Fellowship
Join us at the RHCC Women’s Gathering on Friday, March 4th at 6pm when
we will present a discussion on “Women in China.” Our storytellers will be
Sharon Sun, Sally MacSwan, Helen Dixon, Sandy Motland and Helen
O’Malley. The presentation will be followed by a Chinese dinner at David
Chen Restaurant in Armonk, NY. Reservations required by February 29th. Cost
$15.
The Meditation/Stress Reduction Group meets every other Thursday in the
Church Meeting Room, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. All are welcome!
Youth Ministry
Round Hill Community House – this Friday, February 26th @ 5:00 pm
Cozy up by our fireplace and enjoy your favorite movie snacks at the
RHCC FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT!
See flyer below for the upcoming Snow Tubing excursion on February 27th
and sign up today to reserve your spot!!
Easter is Sunday, March 27! Remember a loved one with commemorative
flowers on Easter. To have a dedication included in the Order of Service that
morning, please complete the form below and return to the office with your
donation by Sunday, March 20. Please make checks payable to RHCC.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2016 Easter Flower Dedication Form
Donor’s Name _________________________________________________
Phone ________________________________________________________
Email ________________________________________________________
Donation $__________
Dedication to be listed in Easter Order of Service: (please note: this will be
printed verbatim in the bulletin)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
REFLECTION
Silence is the language of faith. Action – be it church or charity, politics or
poetry – is the translation. As with any translation, action is a mere echo of its
original, inevitably faded and distorted, especially as it moves farther from its
source. There the comparison ends, though, for while it is true that action
degrades that original silence, and your moments of meditative communion
with God can seem a world away from the chaotic human encounters to which
those moments compel you, it is also true that without these constant
translations into action, that original, sustaining silence begins to be less
powerful, and then less accessible, and then finally impossible.
Christian Wiman, My Bright Abyss
Cover Art: “Praying Hands” by Albrecht Dürer, executed c. 1508
Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Edward G. Horstmann
Associate Pastor: The Rev. Dan Haugh
Minister Emeritus: The Rev. Dr. Ralph Ahlberg
Minister of Music: Christopher Kabala
Church School Coordinator: Connie Blunden
Round Hill Community Church
395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831
203.869.1091
roundhillcommunitychurch.org