A Christ-centered community of faith for all people,
in the heart of this great city.
A GRATEFUL HEART
January 15, 2017
Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, Senior Minister
Scott Stroman, Director of Worship and Music
Preparing to Hear God’s Word
Introit
Welcome
Serve the Lord with Gladness
Stroman
We Worship in Song
Now Thank We All Our God
Pilgrim Hymnal 29
Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done, in whom his world rejoices,
who, from our mothers’ arms, hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us,
and keep us in his grace, and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills in this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,
the Son, and him who reigns with them in highest heaven,
the one eternal God, whom heaven and earth adore,
for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
O Praise Ye the Lord!
C. Hubert H. Parry
O praise ye the Lord! Praise him in the height;
rejoice in his word, ye angels of light;
ye heavens, adore him by whom ye were made,
and worship before him, in brightness arrayed.
O praise ye the Lord! Praise him upon earth,
in tuneful accord, all you of new birth;
praise him who hath brought you his grace from above,
praise him who hath taught you to sing of his love.
O praise ye the Lord! All things that give sound;
each jubilant chord re-echo around;
loud organs, his glory forth tell in deep tone,
and sweet harp, the story of what he hath done.
O praise ye the Lord! Thanksgiving and song
to him be outpoured all ages along:
For love in creation, for heaven restored,
for grace of salvation, O praise ye the Lord!
Call to Worship
Leader: In deep gratitude we come to worship God.
People: We recognize God as the source of all goodness.
Leader: All good gifts come from the Spirit of God:
People: love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness
are all of God.
Leader: We come with grateful hearts, not for things,
but for who God is.
People: We gather to show our gratitude in song and prayer.
Presbyterian Church in Canada
Prayer of Invocation
God, you who have created and who sustains us: we come with
thanksgiving for these moments when we can ease the pace of our lives
and listen for your voice. Create a spirit within us that truly draws us
toward you and toward our brothers and sisters: a spirit deep, perceptive,
gentle, bold and grateful. Clear our minds, open our hearts, and touch us
with your presence and your power. We offer this prayer in the name of
Jesus Christ our friend and our Savior. Amen.
Charlotte H. Still, United States
Passing the Peace of Christ
News of the Church
Hearing God’s Word
Scripture Reading
Sally Calimoso
Luke 17:11-19
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between
Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had
leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice,
“Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show
yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of
them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud
voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a
Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other
nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this
foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you
well.”
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
11
Children’s Message
Jonathan Miller
The Word in Music
Jean Ritchie
Now is the Cool of the Day
Message
Stuart Brown
A Grateful Heart
Responding to God’s Word
Song of Response
There is a Redeemer
There is a redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son,
precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One.
Keith Green
Chorus: Thank You, O my Father, for giving us your Son,
and leaving your Spirit 'til the work on earth is done.
Jesus my redeemer, name above all names,
precious Lamb of God, Messiah O, for sinners slain. (Chorus)
When I stand in glory I will see His face,
and there I'll serve my king forever in that holy place. (Chorus)
Pastoral Prayer
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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Offertory
Song of Commitment
Be Still, My Soul
Pilgrim Hymnal 77
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
The Blessing
Leading in today’s service are Liam Dunachie, Scott Stroman, Jonathan Miller
and Stuart Brown.
Thanks to Will Jungman for hosting Fellowship Hour today.
The flowers today are provided by Scott and Sue Stroman
in memory of their daughter Mary.
SECURITY NOTICE
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE BELONGINGS UNATTENDED
Mission Prayer Focus
Cold Weather Shelter—Beginning this Wednesday, AIC will welcome
up to 16 individuals to sleep in our church every week for the next 11
weeks. Please pray for the well-being of these men and women, that
their time in the shelter would help them find stable, permanent
housing, and that they would find at AIC warmth and Christian
hospitality.
News of the Church
The Crèche is available for families with young children (0-3 years).
Sunday School—Adults gather at 9:45am, youth at 10am and children
begin in worship before leaving to attend their own classes.
AIC 20s & 30s Group—Are you under 40ish? Are you looking to meet new
people, go deeper in faith and get connected to AIC? Join the newly forming
AIC 20s & 30s group at one of their upcoming gatherings! E-mail
[email protected] to be added to the group e-mail list. Our next
event is:
Beer & Bible Study, Monday 23 January, 7:30 p.m.
The Carpenters Arms, 68-70 Whitfield Street, London, W1T 4EY
Come enjoy a beer, food, and fellowship in what we hope becomes a
monthly pub + Jesus bible study. No need to read anything
beforehand. We'll read a passage from the Bible together, along
with some historical context and discussion questions from The
Hardest Question.
Concert for International Justice Mission
Saturday, 28 January, 6:00 p.m. at AIC
Anne Beitel Thomas and Keith Ford will be giving a chamber music
concert at AIC in aid of IJM. The program is violin and piano chamber
music—duos —specifically Brahms Sonata in No. 1 G, Op. 78 and
Prokofiev Sonata No. 2 in D, Op. 94b. Afterwards there will be tea, coffee
and juice, plus some cakes and snacks. There will be a retiring collection
for International Justice Mission, one of the church’s designated
charities. IJM is a human rights organisation that rescues victims of
violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and human trafficking, and brings
the perpetrators to justice. Please join us for some beautiful music in aid
of a good cause.
Cold Weather Shelter at AIC—This Wednesday, we will begin
welcoming guests every Wednesday night for our ninth year with the
Community of Camden Churches Cold Weather Shelter (C4WS). To
accomplish this, we are in need of five volunteers to help out in the
kitchen and have a meal with our guests during the dinner shift and two
for the breakfast shift over the course of the eleven weeks that we will
host the shelter. If you are interested in helping out, please contact
Jonathan at [email protected]. If you are already trained up, you
can sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0849abad23a3fa72017
We also need donations of toiletries to offer to the guests when they stay
with us. Shampoo, soap, lotion, deodorant, and similar items are much
appreciated! There is a box available in the upper vestibule.
Annual General Meeting
Sunday 22 January
immediately after worship
The membership of AIC will gather on 22 January to discuss
business of the church. There are several important items on
agenda, including the budget for 2017 and a restructuring of
church's charitable status. Please plan to attend to participate in
decision-making!
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Tithes and Offerings If you prefer to give your tithes and offerings
via bank transfer, you may do so with the following information:
Beneficiary:
The American Church in London
Sort Code:
40-05-16
Account Number:
81651498
Please also note to email [email protected] so that we are able to
track your donation. Thank you.
AIC Council Members
Stuart Brown President
Rob Thomas Treasurer
Richard Abbott Personnel and Facilities
Elizabeth Johnson Secretary and Fellowship
Migdalia van der Hoven Communications
Judith Chilcote Worship
R. Nelson At-Large
We are a Christian community, open to all people seeking Christ’s touch
and blessing. A healthy church is built on Jesus Christ and expressed
through fellowship, worship, discipleship and mission. And so as God’s
church we live to fellowship sincerely, worship actively, grow in our
knowledge and understanding of Jesus, and to offer ourselves in service to
this community and the world.
In worship we...
Praise the Lord in song,
Hear the Word of God proclaimed in preaching,
Profess our faith in God as Father, Son and Spirit,
Offer prayers of petition and thanks,
Confess our sins and receive words of pardon,
Share in the sacraments, communion and baptism,
Give freely in support of the church’s work.
American International Church
79a Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4TD
0207 580 2791
www.amchurch.co.uk
[email protected]
A Congregation of the United Reformed Church