We Gather Together to Worship Our God
Prelude: Just a Closer Walk / Traditional Spiritual
Gathering Hymn: Hymnal #302 Come, Christians, Join to Sing
Announcements:
Today:
- 9:00 Sunday School for all ages. Pre-k – 7th meet downstairs; the High School and Adult Class meets in the Sanctuary.
- 10:30 Worship in the sanctuary.
- Following worship, Congregational Meeting with the purpose of electing deacons who have been previously nominated by the congregation, have completed training, and were examined by the session. The following men have been put forward for election: Daniel B., Thomas C., Clay K., Oriah L., and Aaron S.
This Week:
- 6:00 pm, Monday, Session Meeting.
- 6:30 pm, Tuesday, Loving Him Well (Women’s Study) at the church.
- 4:30 pm, Wednesday, Music Practice.
- 5:00 pm, Wednesday, Son Light Puppeteer practice.
- 5:30 pm, Wednesday, Kids’ Quest for grades pre-k-4th and the Middle School Youth for grades 5th-7th begin. Meal provided.
- 6:15 pm, Wednesday, High School Youth Group at the Community Center for grades 8th-12th. Meal provided.
- 6:30-7:30 pm, Wednesday, “The Study of Eschatology”
- 6 am, Thursday, Men’s Prayer-time and Bible Study.
- 6:30 pm, Thursday, Mercy Ministry Team meeting.
- 8 am, Saturday, Men’s Prayer-time and Bible Study.
General:
- October 29th, there will be no Children’s Church. We have clipboards and kids’ bulletins to assist your child in learning how to take sermon notes.
- 6:00 pm, October 29th, Reformation Service with our sister churches. A time of refreshments and fellowship will follow.
- 5:00 pm, October 31st, Reformation Day Party. Join us for dinner and bring a fall dessert to share. All are welcome; there will be fun outside activities, and learning about key reformers. Medieval-themed costumes are welcome! Please sign the clipboard in the Foyer today so we know how many to plan on for the meal.
- 8:45 am, November 3rd, MOPS meets at the church.
- 5:30 pm, November 12th, Young Adult Bible Study at Jay and Kayla’s. (Address in bulletin) Meal provided.
- 5:30 pm, November 12th, “Who Is the Holy Spirit?” community groups at the church. We will enjoy a fellowship potluck together and sing as a large group. Then we will break into smaller groups for study and prayer.
- 6:00 pm, November 12th, Piedmont Area “Who Is the Holy Spirit?” community group (address in bulletin).
- 5:00 pm, November 19th, we will give thanks together in a worship service and share a traditional thanksgiving meal. We’ll be asking you to both RSVP and sign up to bring food to share with your church family. It will be most helpful for all supplies to be at the church by Wed, November 15th.
- During the month of October, our Ministry Focus is the Elementary School’s Coat Drive. If you are contributing any new or gently used coats, please bring to the basket in the Foyer by October 29th.
- This November we will be blessing some families in need with Thanksgiving meals. We will be sending out a list of needed items soon.
- We are in need of a Children’s Church teacher for the date of November 26th. If you are willing to teach this day, please let Emily or Kristen know.
The Sermon Engagement Project
Responsive Call to Worship: 1 Chronicles 16: 8 – 23
Leader: Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
All: Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Leader: Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done. He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
All: Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.
Prayer of Adoration
Hymn of Praise: Hymnal #467 Wonderful Grace of Jesus
We Confess Our Sin
Call to Confession: 2 Peter 3: 8 – 9
Leader: Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about this promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
Silent Confession of Sin
Corporate Confession of Sin:
All: Lord God, You have loved us when we did not deserve your love. You show us great compassion and patience daily. Yet we fail to have compassion and patience with others. We often fail to recognize our shared need for grace in every day, every hour, and every minute. It is an easy thing for us to forget to love others as we have been loved by you. Forgive us for our pride, self-centeredness, and inability to see things as they really are. Renew and restore us as followers of Jesus Christ who are saved by grace and live each day by grace. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Responsive Assurance of Pardon: Isaiah 53: 1 – 5
Leader: Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
All: He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
Leader: He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
All: Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
Leader: Yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
All: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Hymn of Assurance: Hymnal #616 Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
We Give Thanks To The Lord
Tithes and Offerings
Offertory: Good News! The Chariot’s a Comin’/ Traditional Spiritual
Doxology
We Hear God Speak
Small Talk
(Following this time, a nursery is available, Toddlers’ Church for ages 2-4, and Children’s Church for ages 5-8.)
Prayer of God’s People
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 debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
From the L-Tier to the W-Tier Romans 14: 1 – 4
A copy of the sermon notes is available: 10-22-23 Sermon notes
Audio Only:
Hymn of Response: Songs of Faith #7 O Church Arise
We Are Dismissed with God’s Blessing
Benediction
Hymn: Psalm 150 Sing Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! (verse 1)
Postlude: Tell Me The Old, Old Story/ Wm. Doane