Plymouth C ongregational C hurch
A Congregation of the United Church of Christ
S ervice of the Word
F ebruary 19, 2017
S eventh S unday after E piphany
10:00 am
TH E G ATH E RIN G
RIN G IN G O F TH E BE L L
PRE L U D E
Fantasy on “Westminster C himes”
*H Y M N
J oyful, J oyful, We Adore Y ou
N o. 4
*C AL L TO WO RS H IP
O ne:
M any:
Welcome to this ancient place:
H ouse of prayer for many peoples and nations;
H ome to all who come.
O ne:
M any:
Welcome to this gathering place,
F riend and stranger, saint and sinner
In all who gather here.
O ne:
C ome with hope or hesitation; come with joy or yearning;
All who hunger, all who thirst for life in all its fullness.
G enerous G od and generous S avior,
Touch us through your S pirit.
M any:
O ne:
M any:
Audrey K ane
That the kingdom might come, that the world might believe,
that the powerful might stumble, that the hidden might be seen,
G enerous G od and generous S avior, make us your people. Amen.
*M U S IC AL C AL L TO C O M M U N ITY
Sung once in unison, then as a round; watch your section leader!
*Please rise if you are able
WE L C O M E
Q uinn G . C aldwell
TH E RE F RE S H M E N T O F F O RG IVE N E S S
PRAY E R O F C O N FE S S IO N
*WO RD S O F AS S U RAN C E and PAS S IN G O F TH E PE AC E
Please share a sign of peace with those around you.
*PRAIS E S O N G
G ood C hristian friends, rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
N ow you know of endless bliss. J esus C hrist was born for this.
G od has opened H eaven’s door and you are blessed forevermore!
C hrist was born for this, C hrist was born for this!
TH E G IF T O F TH E WO RD
S TO RY FO R AL L AG E S
L iz Pruchnicki
After the Story, kids can head upstairs with Liz for Chapel Time.
AN TH E M
Beloved, If G od So L oved U s
S C RIPTU RE
J ames Rogers
M atthew 5:38-48
*H Y M N
Y our Ways Are N ot O ur O wn
N o. 170
S E RM O N
TH E M IN IS TRY O F PRAY E R
TH E PAS TO RAL PRAY E R
TH E PRAY E R O F O U R S AVIO R
O ur F ather, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. G ive 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. F or thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
*M U S IC AL RE S PO N S E
N o. 759
G lory to the C reator, the C hrist, the H oly S pirit, Three-in-O ne
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.
O F F E RIN G O U RS E L VE S AN D O U R G IF TS
C AL L TO TH E O FFE RIN G
O FFE RTO RY AN TH E M
S carlet Ribbons
*D O X O L O G Y
Arr. J ames Vedder
Lasst uns Erfreuen
Praise G od, from whom all blessings flow!
Praise G od, all creatures here below! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise G od above, ye heavenly host!
C reator, C hrist, and H oly G host.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
*PRAY E R O F D E D IC ATIO N
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C O M M IS S IO N IN G O F M IS S IO N ARIE S
From the 21st through the 27th, a team from the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ will be in
Nicaragua working with our partners in La Iglesia Mision Cristiana.
We send these Plymouth missionaries on their way with our love and blessing!
G eri H all
C hris H opkins
M ilanne M orange
K elly Tooley
*C L O S IN G H Y M N
G o Forth, O People of G od
N o. 614
*BE N E D IC TIO N
PO S TL U D E
Basse de C romorne
 
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L ouis-N icolas C lerambault
 Plymouth Runs O n Y O U 
G RE E TE RS : M ary and Rich C appelli L ITU RG IS T: Audrey K ane
U S H E RS : G ert D anzy and Barb Forsstrom AC O L Y TE : Abigail M annion
F L O WE RS : L uis M orales & Bob Watrous celebrate 39 wonderful years together; our life journey
continues - together with deep love and affection for each other.
C O M M U N ITY TIM E : C harlottee V allejo and L aura M asuicca
O F F E RIN G C O U N TE RS : G eorge Bain and Keith J akway
H ospitality M inistry – Please consider serving as a host for C ommunity Time. A
sign-up sheet is found in the bell tower entry. It’s easy and we’ll help you!
F lowers – M ake our worship space even more beautiful for the glory of G od and in honor of
whatever you choose. A sign-up sheet is found in the bell tower entry. The cost is $25, but plans
for larger or multiple arrangements can always be made.
Accessibility: Individual listening headsets are available on the table at the back of the sanctuary.
Please contact one of the ushers for help. An elevator and ramp are available. L ARG E PRIN T
BU L L E TIN S ARE IN TH E BAC K O F TH E SAN C TU AR Y .
Welcoming C hildren in Worship: C hildren of all ages have a place in worship and in the life of
the church. N ursery care is offered at 10:00 am for infants. Sound is piped into M emorial H all
next door to the S anctuary for those who would welcome a space apart.
Worship C lipboards: Worship clipboards with age-appropriate bulletins and coloring paper are
available in the back of the S anctuary for our elementary aged children as a support to their
attendance in worship. We hope you will find these clipboards a welcoming and supportive means
of engaging your children during the worship service.
There is ample free street parking on the blocks around our church on Sundays, as well as in the
lots behind the C atholic diocese building. For those able to walk a short distance, parking here will
allow those with mobility impairments or small children to use the spots directly in front of the
church.
 M usic N otes for February 19, 2017 
We are pleased to have the Plymouth Bells playing for us today.
There is a centuries-old tradition of “change bell ringing” in E ngland. This consists of playing a set of
bells in every possible order: if there are two bells, one is limited to 1-2 or 2-1. With three bells, you
can play 1-2-3, 1-3-2, 2-1-3, 2-3-1, 3-1-2, 3-2-1. With four bells, there are 24 possibilities. The 10
variations that comprise the familiar Westminster C himes were first played on the bells at St. M ary the
G reat in C ambridge E ngland in 1793. From there, this sequence was adopted for use at the Palace at
Westminster (which is where the famous Big Ben bell hangs.) It is interesting to note that both the Big
Ben bell and our own set of handbells were cast by Whitechapel Foundries. Whitechapel is the oldest
business in L ondon (450 years old), and has been housed in the same building for the past 250 years.
Sadly, they recently announced that they will be closing in M ay 2017 unless a new buyer can be found
who could continue the business at a new location. O ur prelude is based on the famous “Westminster
C himes.”
O ur anthem, by J ames R ogers (1857-1940), uses a text from I J ohn 4: 11-12 which relates closely to
our scripture reading today:
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.
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O ur offertory anthem was arranged by our own J ames Vedder, who plays with the Plymouth Bells,
and also sings in the choir. This arrangement of “Scarlet R ibbons” was done for the Plymouth Bells, and
soprano M aria Whitcomb:
I peeped in to say good night, and I heard my child in prayer,
"Ooh for me some scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for my hair."
All the stores were closed and shuttered; all the streets were dark and bare.
In my town no scarlet ribbons - not one ribbon for her hair.
Through the night my heart was aching, just before the dawn was breaking
I peeped in and on her bed, in gay profusion lying there
Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair
If I live to be a hundred, I shall never know from where
Came those lovely scarlet ribbons, scarlet ribbons for her hair.
L ouis-N icolas C lerambault (1676-1749) was a Parisian organist and composer who wrote a large
number of religious works, secular cantatas (based mostly on G reek mythology) and works for organ,
harpsichord and violin. O ur postlude is from his second suite for organ. O ne critic notes that in these
suites, “melodic charm wins out over religious spirit.”
 About Plymouth 
Plymouth was founded in 1853 by a group of S yracusans who wanted to create a C hristian
abolitionist bulwark in the city. S ince then, we have fought against slavery, poverty, and war; for
immigrants’, natives’, workers’, L G BT, and women’s rights; and sought to be agents of mercy in a
hurting world. We believe in beauty, laughter, the struggle for peace with justice, taking risks for
G od, and the Way of J esus C hrist.
O ur faith is over 2,000 years old; our thinking is not!
We are O pen and Affirming We believe G od calls us to welcome all people and their gifts regardless of
gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or
religious background.
We are J ust Peace We covenant to live actively within the holy longing that weds justice with the quest for
peace – within us, between us, in community, and across the globe. We covenant to affirm the sacredness of
all life and to honor and preserve creation.
We are S anctuary We provide a space of physical, emotional, and spiritual safety for immigrants without
documents, and specifically pledge to the principles of the national N ew Sanctuary M ovement.
We are Progressive C hristians We try to walk in the way of J esus C hrist, our brother and savior. We
believe G od speaks new meanings for new days, and that S he does so not only in the church and the ancient
words of the Bible, but through the insights of science, the arts, the revelations of other religions, and the
best strivings of the human spirit. We believe G od has granted us a purpose, and that life is too short for
long-faced religion. J oin us!
Rev. Q uinn G . C aldwell, Pastor
D r. J oseph D owning, D irector of M usic
L iz Pruchnicki, D irector of C hildren, Y outh, and Family M inistries
K athy Ferro, C hurch Administrator
M ark J ohnson, S exton
232 E ast O nondaga Street  S yracuse, N ew Y ork 13202
(315) 474-4836
plymouthsyr.org  [email protected]
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