Sunday Morning Worship Service
September 30, 2007
TO OUR GUESTS, we extend a warm welcome. We invite you to participate in signing our Friendship Folder, adding your address and phone number if you'd like to receive our church newsletter or a pastoral call. When we pray the Lord's Prayer at Bethel, we say "sins...sin against us" rather than "debts..." or "trespasses..."; during "a time for sharing" we welcome prayer requests from the congregation. On first Sundays each month, all who put their trust in Christ and who have received baptism in any Christian church are invited to share his sacred meal. We are glad you are with us. Please come again.
Bethel Presbyterian Church
Healing and Wholenes Service
September 30, 2007
11:00 A.M.
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Bethel Presbyterian Church
Healing and Wholeness Service
We welcome you to this special worship time, a service of prayer for healing and wholeness. This service is for healing of every kind, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional. As Christians, we believe God is the source of wholeness in our lives. Therefore, it is appropriate for us to conduct prayers for wholeness and healing. Some of us need healing from broken relationships; some of us need healing from psychological distress; some of us need the gift of physical healing. None of us is exempt from needing God’s healing presence in our lives.
A service of prayer for healing and wholeness is not a new activity for the church. Healing services are an ancient and accepted practice. Numerous prayers for healing are as old as the Bible itself. The disciples, following Jesus’ example, anointed the sick and prayed for healing, Mark 6:7, 12-13. Scripture invites us to pray for healing. The book of James, for one, states that “If anyone is sick, call the elders and pray for that person and anoint that person with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14 In Biblical times, oil was a symbol of God’s healing properties. As Christians, we believe Jesus is the physician of our souls. We look to his healing strength that reaches to every level of our being.
Every Sunday morning in our worship we pray for healing. We pray for those who are ill and hospitalized. We pray for God’s care and comfort, but we also pray for God’s healing. Today we gather in a special service in which we shall participate in the early church’s practice of the Laying On of Hands and Anointing with Oil, participating in a powerful way with the healing, wholeness-bestowing Spirit of God at work in our lives.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord God has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. Isaiah 61:1
Healing Prayer
Elders will be available to pray with you after today’s Worship Service. Be reminded that the Staff and Pastors of Bethel are available to pray with you every Sunday morning, following the 11:00 a.m. Worship.
In addition: The 5th Sundays are set aside for a special Worship Service of Prayer for Healing and Wholeness, which provides meditation, music, prayer, laying on of hands and anointing with oil.
Worship is under the direction of our Pastors and the Worship Committee. The Meditations for our Healing and Wholeness Services are often given by the Parish Nurse of Bethel Church.
Are there any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord…pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The power of the righteous is powerful and effective.
James 5: 14, 16
(Care Notes have been made available to you in the narthex – please take one and be blessed to be a blessing!)
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WE INVITE YOU TO PRAY QUIETLY WHILE WAITING FOR THE SERVICE TO BEGIN
GREETINGS, WORDS OF WELCOME, RITUAL OF FRIENDSHIP AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP
This is Holy ground.
We’re standing on Holy ground
For God is present.
And where God is, is Holy.
*HYMN # 473 For the Beauty of the Earth Dix
OLD TESTAMENT READING Psalm 147: 1-6
CALL TO CONFESSION
Friends in Christ, God knows our needs before we ask and in our asking, prepares us to receive the gift of grace. Let us open our arms to receive God’s healing embrace, forsaking all that separates us from God and neighbor. Let us be mindful not only of personal evil but also of our communal sins of family, class, and nation. Let us confess to God that we may receive mercy and become for each other, ministers of God’s grace.
UNISON CONFESSION OF SIN
Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image; through Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS
The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. I declare to you, in the name of Jesus
Christ, you are forgiven. May the God of mercy, who forgives you all your sins, strengthen
you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
*HYMN # 380 O Christ the Healer Erhalt Uns,Herr
(Marilyn will play this through once, and then we will join her)
NEW TESTAMENT READING James 5: 13-16
TIME WITH CHILDREN Rev. Pat Harvey
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Liturgist: We offer these prayers for body and soul, in our own voices, making the prayer our own.
This prayer calls us to appreciate the wondrousness of our body, even when it does not function entirely, as we would like it to. As we offer our prayers together, may we be strengthened by the voices of those around us.
All: Blessed are You, our God, who has formed us in wisdom and created within us the spark of life, each cell does the work of its Creator; each organ’s existence is a tribute to God.
Let us cherish this gift of flesh and blood, honoring it as God’s creation. Blessed are You, our God, who performs the miracle of creation and healing.
Parish Nurse: Our God, our soul’s compassion, our heart’s precious Friend, we turn to You.
We need to close out the noise, to rise above the noise, the noise that interrupts-the noise that
separates-the noise that isolates. We need to hear You again. In the silence of our innermost
being. In the fragments of our yearned for wholeness, we hear whispers of Your presence-
Echoes of the past when You were with us, when we felt Your nearness, when together we
walked- When you held us close, embraced us in Your love, laughed with us in our joy. We
yearn to hear You again. In Your oneness, we find healing. In the promise of Your love, we are
soothed. In Your wholeness, we too can become whole again. Please listen to our call- help us
find the words, help us find the strength within, help us shape our mouths, our voices, our
hearts, so that we can direct our spirits and find You in prayer. In words only our hearts can
speak, in songs only our souls can sing, lifting our eyes and hearts to You. Father God-open
my lips, precious God, So that we can speak with You again. Amen.
(Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman)
MEDITATION Healing Deb Hyder, Parish Nurse
OFFERING
*DOXOLOGY Hymn #592 vs.1
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
SHARING OF PRAYER CONCERNS AND PRAYER
INTERCESSION FOR HEALING
By your power, great God, Our Lord Jesus healed the sick and gave new hope to the hopeless. Though we cannot command or posses your power, we pray for those who want to be healed. Mend their wounds, soothe fevered brows, and make broken people whole again. Help us to welcome every healing as a sign that, though death is against us, You are for us, and have promised renewed and risen life in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord, the Prince of Peace, Hear our prayer.
For all who need Christ’s healing touch, (silent or spoken prayers are welcome.)
Lord, in Your mercy.
Hear our prayer
For all who are experiencing uncertainty in transition, (silent or spoken prayers are welcome.)
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer
For all who are disabled by injury, illness, or pain, (Silent or spoken prayers are welcome.)
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer
For all who are paralyzed by fear or doubt, (Silent or spoken prayers are welcome.)
Lord, in Your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Gracious God, source of all healing, in Jesus Christ you heal the sick and mend the broken. We bless you for this oil made from the fruits of the earth, given to us as a sign of healing and forgiveness, and to the fullness of life you give. By your Spirit, come upon all who are anointed with this oil that they may receive your healing touch and be made whole, to the glory of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. And now with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray as He taught us to pray: Our father . . .
LAYING ON OF HANDS AND ANOINTING WITH OIL
Those desiring the laying on of hands and anointing with oil come forward. You may make your request known to Debbie Hyder, Parish Nurse or Reverend Pat Harvey.
(Music from Renewal of Spirit by Debbie Friedman)
*HYMN # 404 Precious Lord, Take My Hand Precious Lord
PRAYER
*CHARGE AND BLESSING – Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE Blest Be the Tie That Binds Dennis
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love: the fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
*POSTLUDE
(Anyone who would like prayer with an Elder, please remain seated after Worship.)
*All who are able may stand.
Bethel offers Sunday school for children and four educational opportunities for adults at 9:45 A.M.
Childcare for babies and preschool age children is offered at 11:00 A.M.
Restrooms are located in our Educational Building on the first floor and the lower level.
Ushers can provide activity sheets for children and large print hymnals if needed.
The Liturgist today is Jill McMaster
The organ is being played by Marilyn Gaffin
The Ushers are Mary B and Jim Hines
Flowers this morning are given by Joe, Amy, Julie, Charlie and Henry Coen
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Everyone has been simply wonderful to support the Sherrods in Pastor Marc’s battle with cancer. This Run/Walk provides all of us a tangible opportunity to display solidarity in the battle against this disease. Registration forms available on the table in narthex or in the church office.
The key dates:
October 16th (Tue) -- Team registration deadline; application forms given to Marc, Melanie, or Eden.
November 3rd (Sat) -- Team T-shirt-making at Sherrods house, 10am – 2pm; lunch is on us; bring a T-Shirt to paint and decorate!
November 11th (Sun) Buddy’s 5K Run/Walk to fight cancer at World’s Fair Park, Knoxville; Meet at Kingston Church of Christ family Life Center parking lot at 12:30 to carpool; race at 3:00; many pre-race activities and a team meal after the race courtesy of Buddy’s Barbeque.
All who register as a team will have a chance to have a team photo made on November 11. This year, our team name will be “Hope for Halie.” Halie Hickman from Middle Tennessee is a 10 year old being treated for Ovarian cancer, the niece of Penelope Uselton of Kingston. While we will register under this team name, the T-shirts we make will have various other expressions of solidarity with those fighting cancer such as ‘Miles for Marc” or “Miracles for Marci” or “Action for Anneke” as well as others you may wish to add. The fee to register is $26 for adults and $15 for youth and children 18 years old and under, which is due by October 16th. Checks payable to: Buddy’s Race Against Cancer.
Additional information is available at www.buddysrace.org. Registration forms will be available on the table in the narthex and in the church office. Donations are welcome and can be received by anyone who plans to walk/run in this event. Over 3000 people participated last year! Call us at 717-4881 or 394-0563 if you have questions or need directions to our house.
The promotional literature states: “Buddy’s Race Against Cancer is a 5K Run/Walk that supports the Thompson Cancer Survival Center’s Outreach Program. To date the race has raised more than $2.3 million to support cancer care in surrounding communities. Thanks to the Buddy’s Race Against Cancer, thousands of our region’s medically under-served citizens receive potentially life-saving cancer screenings and education each year.”
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Mark your calendar! Ten Thousand Villages is scheduled to visit Bethel on World Communion Sunday, October 7th, following the church service. Tentative plans are for a light meal to be served that will emphasize our international heritage…and then, shopping for beautiful, handmade crafts. Shop early for Christmas and support this enterprise that features crafts made by natives of several countries, including the Sivalees of Brazil and Wambugas of Grace School in Kenya both with whom Bethel has a mission relationship. Questions? Please ask members of the Mission Outreach Committee.
Peacemaking Offering
October 7, 2007
“And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2)
This year’s Peacemaking Offering theme is the “tree of life” discussed in the book of Revelations. John describes the tree of life, as having twelve kinds of fruit and leaves that are to be used for the healing of all the nations of the world. It is an image of a world at peace, with enough for everyone to eat and the “medicine” to heal all the wounds and illnesses of humankind.
Humanity lives in the hope of that vision of peace and well-being expressed so vividly in the tree of life. The Peacemaking Offering is a tool of our efforts as Presbyterians to live and work within that hope. You are invited to be a part of the work for peace in our world through your participation in the Peacemaking Offering on World Communion Sunday, October 7.
The Peacemaking Offering is designated by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is shared as follows:
- 25 percent of the Peace Offering received will be retained by Bethel.
- 25 percent be used by synods and presbyteries, and
- 50 percent be used by the General Assembly ministries through the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
Peacemaking is the calling of the Christian church, for Christ is our peace that has made us one through his body on the cross. You ask, “How will peace be achieved?” Basically the heart of peacemaking is a matter of the way we see the world through the eyes of Christ. It is a matter of praying and yearning. It is an inner response to God, who loves the whole world and whose Spirit calls and empowers the peacemaking process.
Bethel is an active part of that tree of life. Remember that peace begins at home, within our church, within our community, and with each other. Through Jesus Christ, peacemaking begins deep within the human heart.
| Al & Dot Davis |
Roberta Cash |
Christine Woods |
| Marnie Shields |
Phyllis Baker |
Marci Smith |
| Justin Trivette |
Marc Sherrod |
Pat Hale |
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Margaret True |
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We have had many people visit Bethel Presbyterian Church in the recent months. The Session wants to take the four weeks in October to get to know one another and help orient folks about the Presbyterian Church and Bethel Presbyterian Church particularly. We hope this casual class will be informative, discussion oriented and fun! These classes are open to anyone who would like to come! Participation in this class is a great introduction to the ministry here in Kingston, and if participants desire to join after the series – that would be an opportunity as well! COME JOIN US! Fill in this RSVP or call the church office.
OUR JOURNEY OF FAITH FORUM
SUNDAY MORNINGS at 9:45 October 7th through October 28th
(Room 4 of the Christian Education Building)
October 7 THE JOURNEY…
Meet Pastors, Staff, Introductions, Review Agenda for the class - and share in the Fellowship time at 10:30 AM.
October 14th WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?
Being a Christian and What Presbyterians Believe
October 21 WHERE HAVE WE COME FROM AND WHERE ARE WE GOING?
History of Bethel Presbyterian Church, structure & ministries
October 28th JOY FOR THE JOURNEY
Discipleship, Stewardship, Your Spiritual Gifts and how to use them!
RSVP FOR ADULT INQUIRER’S FORUM
(click HERE for a printble form)
NAME: __________________________________________
ADDRESS: _______________________________________
PHONE NUMBER: __________________________EMAIL:________________
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of Christine Woods, who passed away Friday morning.
She is the mother of Bina Kirby.
There will not be a Yoga class on October 2nd or October 9th.
Dianne Griffith, who sings with the Knoxville Choral Society, reminds us of the following concert:
The Knoxville Choral Society
presents a Stage Show Review (selections from the musicals of
Rodgers& Hammerstein; musicals of Stephen Sondheim; My Fair Lady; West Side Story; other well known and well-loved Broadway shows)
October19, 20077:30 PM, Central Time
Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville, TN
Ticket information: Call 931-484-5000 for reservations.
THIS WEEK'S EVENTS
| Sunday |
Sep 30 |
Sunday School (all ages)
Worship
Youth Group
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9:45 A.M.
11:00 A.M.
2.00 P.M.
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| Monday |
Oct 1 |
Seniorcize
Boy Scouts
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9:00 A.M.
7:00 P.M.
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| Tuesday |
Oct 2 |
Circle II
NO Yoga
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1:00 P.M.
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| Wednesday |
Oct 3 |
Seniorcize
Hand Bell Practice
Choir Practice
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9:00 A.M.
6:00 P.M.
7:00 P.M.
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| Thursday |
Oct 4 |
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| Friday |
Oct 5 |
Seniorcize
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9:00 A.M. |
| Saturrday |
Oct 6 |
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| Sunday |
Oct 7 |
Sunday School (all ages)
Adult Inquirer’s Forum – Room 4
Worship
Church Lunch and Ten Thousand Villages
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9:45 A.M.
9:45 A.M.
11:00 A.M.
After Service
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