Sunday Bulletin, May 31, 2020

May 30, 2020

ORIENT CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, U.C.C. May 31, 2020 – Posted on YouTube Pentecost Sunday
As you prepare for this morning’s service, you are invited to click below and listen to Lauren Daigle singing, “How Great Thou Art” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BL06fxHPVo

 

Welcome
No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

 

Call to Worship
It had been a long day.
The heat.
The crowds.
The life as it is expected.
He sensed something new with this man.
A breath,
a wind swirled and blew.
They met as the noise of the day faded.
A patient breath taught a perceiving heart.
“So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Open our hearts
to the wind sweeping through this room.
Open our whole selves to your abundant love. Amen.

 

~ written by Tim Graves, and posted on LiturgyBits. Hymn Breathe on Me, Breath of God (NBA)

 

Prayer of the Day
God of all nations, who sent Jesus among us a messenger of peace, grant living water to quench our thirst. Speak your word to nurture our faith. Send your Spirit to empower our service. Awaken in us the gifts you have granted us, that your vision for the world may become our vision. Amen.
Sharing with the Young at Heart
(Have your heart stone and candle ready for use.)
Hymn: Leaning In – A Prayer of Intention
!2
Time of Silence
Pastoral Prayer and 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, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Congregational Response Hear Our Prayer, O Lord (SCM) Hear our prayer, O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord.
Incline Thine ear to us, and grant us Thy peace. Amen.
Offering Sentences
Breaking Open the Word with Scripture
John 7:37-39
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted,
“All who are thirsty should come to me!
All who believe in me should drink!
As the scriptures said concerning me,
Rivers of living water will flow out from within him.”
Jesus said this concerning the Spirit. Those who believed in him would soon receive the Spirit, but they hadn’t experienced the Spirit yet, since Jesus hadn’t yet been glorified.
Acts 2:1-21
When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

 

There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” Others jeered at them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!”
by Christopher Grundy- (CMP)

 

Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! These people aren’t drunk, as you suspect; after all, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions.
Your elders will dream dreams.
Even upon my servants, men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
I will cause wonders to occur in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
The sun will be changed into darkness,
and the moon will be changed into blood,
before the great and spectacular day of the Lord comes. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Reflection
Hymn
Benediction Congregational Response:
“Heart Of The Matter”
Spirit of God Descend Upon my Heart
God Be With You
Rev. Mary Larson (NBA UK)
(SCM)
(SCM)
God be with you till we meet again. Loving counsels guide, uphold you, With a shepherd’s care enfold you. God be with you till we meet again.
Postlude Search Me, O God (Maori) *****###########################*****
With Thanks:
!4

 

This series is adapted from www.worshipdesignstudio.com/series by Marcia McFee

 

(NBA UK) Thanks to Northern Baptist Association UK for their permission to use their music and videos:
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
Spirit of God, Descend Upon my Heart

 

(SCM) Thanks to Small Church Music for their permission to use their music:
Hear Our Prayer, O Lord God Be With You
Search Me, O God (Maori)
(CMP) Thanks to Convergence Music Project for their permission to use their music:

 tLeaning In – A Prayer of Intention by Christopher Grundy

 

Prayer Concerns: Bob & Leslie Black, Pete Cavallo, Dr. Caroline Gatewood, Liam Goldstein- Cross, Carole Katz, Georgianna Lanza, Diana Latham, Paula Long, Thelma Loper, Carole Miller, Ma% Rolle, Sally Tomlinson, Susan Utz, and Carrie Winter; our country and its leaders; our Church; Wading River Congrega[onal Church; the members of our Armed Forces, firefighters, EMTs, those engaged in law enforcement, and people affected by war, hurricanes, and other disasters; those who persevere to provide essen[al services for us all, the healthcare workers and medical staff on the front lines in this fight against Covid-19, the people of the world who have contracted this new disease, those who have lost the fight, their families and friends, and all who are emo[onally isolated through our social distancing efforts to reduce the poten[al tragedy.

 

MISSION STATEMENT
Our Church seeks to be faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ by representing Him to our Church family, the Orient community, and the world. We will accomplish this by welcoming all to our membership, by offering worship and learning opportunities for all ages, and by proclaiming and demonstrating God’s love through our interactions with people everywhere. We will support these intentions by providing thought-provoking and challenging worship, celebration of the Sacraments, outreach opportunities, inspiring music, a comprehensive Christian education experience, and responsible and committed stewardship, all within a framework of local Church governance that is responsive to the entire membership.
OPEN AND AFFIRMING STATEMENT

 

We are an open Church, affirming the dignity and worth of every person as created in the image of God. We welcome into our fellowship and membership persons of every race, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, economic circumstance, marital status, and faith background, and we invite all people to share and participate fully in the life and ministry of Orient Congregational Church. Adopted April 10, 2005

 

Announcements
Birthday Blessings
Happy Birthday to Olivia Abramchik-Cavallo and to Anne Hopkins who celebrate on June 5,
and to Georgianna Lanza, who celebrates on June 7. May God bless you abundantly on your birthday, Olivia, Anne, and Georgianna!
A li%le birdie has chirped that this is a special year for two of our members. Anne Hopkins (next Friday) and Don Van Cleef (earlier this week) are celebra[ng one of those BIG 0s! Changing decades carries that something extra – let them know you care.

 

All-Church Outdoors Work Day — BYO
On Saturday, June 6, at 10 A.M., everyone is invited to par[cipate in the All-Church
Outdoors Work Day. We only ask that you Bring Your Own tools, gloves, masks, and any other accoutrements you desire. This gives you the comfort of using your own favorite tools, and the sa[sfac[on of safety from cross-contamina[on.
This is for one and all! Join this socially-distanced fellowship of busy hands raking, pulling weeds, trimming plants, and making our churchyard more beau[ful. Come join the fun.

 

Father’s Day, June 21
On Sunday, June 21, we will be thanking God for one of the greatest gins of all: our Dads.
Please send a photo of your father (grandfather, uncle, or someone who was like a father to you) to Cheryl so that she can prepare a celebra[on / remembrance as she did for our mothers last month.

 

Church World Service Tools Campaign
On Father’s Day, we will receive offerings for the Church World Service Tools Campaign. The
funds we receive will be forwarded to Church World Service to help needy farmers around the world.
Do You Need Garden Space?

 

The Community Garden Team has no plans to use the church’s garden this summer. But that does not mean that the land should lie fallow. If you would like to have a space in the garden for your own personal use, please contact Cheryl Kaiser at cak2705@optonline.net.

 

Social Media Updates
OCC website: The church’s website is at www.OrientCongrega[onal.org. Please go to it; check it out; explore the many pages; and let us know what you think. Do you have any suggestions to improve it? Contact Cheryl at cak2705@optonline.net. Facebook: Claire Smith posts several [mes a week to our Facebook page. The links for Sunday services, UCC informa[on, and announcements can be found there. If you have photos of church events and can share them with us that would be most helpful.

 

Don’t Forget Your Pledges and Your Mission Support
Your church con[nues to need your support. We may not be worshipping in the sanctuary or holding mee[ngs in the Van Tuyl Memorial Hall, but the building and property need care and maintenance; the u[lity bills con[nue to come in; the staff con[nues to work, although either at home or alone in the office.
Mission ministry con[nues. With the cutbacks, unemployment, and simple uncertainty of global economies, organiza[ons that count on dona[ons find themselves in greater need than ever. Contribu[ons are dwindling while the needs of the people they serve increase. Support our Wider Missions Committee’ s work.
Your dona[ons may be dropped off in the mailbox outside Memorial Hall, mailed to PO Box 425, Orient, NY 11957, or sent via PayPal. Check out the new website for dona[ng via PayPal.
Another reminder, you can give to Orient Congrega[onal Church while shopping online. Remember to use Goodsearch.com and Goodshop.com; simply choose OCC as the recipient, and look for your vendor in their list.
Amazon no longer gives dona[ons to worthy organiza[ons through Goodshop. You now need to log on through Amazon Smile which is at smile.amazon.com. Once you choose OCC as the recipient, logging on this way will send your church a small percentage of your purchase. Every li%le bit helps.

 

Social Distancing — Staying at Home

 

As you practice social distancing, please be mindful of others. Reach out to those who live alone; keep in touch with your neighbors. Pray for the health care workers and the emergency response teams who risk their lives by not remaining at a safe distance. Thank the people whose role in life is considered essen[al and who therefore are s[ll on the front lines doing their duty and performing their jobs. Pray for God’s children of all lands and races.
Fellowship Goes On
Fellowship is good for the soul and is just plain FUN! Join the weekly Virtual Coffee Hours at
noon on Sundays; come and go as you are able. Watch for Diane’s email invita[on with the link and the telephone numbers (your choice of which to use). If you are not receiving these invita[ons, please contact Diane Johnson at DIJohnson970@gmail.com and give her your email.
Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help
If there is anything you need, please don’t hesitate to contact Cheryl
[cak2705@optonline.net] or Diane [dijohnson970@gmail.com]. There are volunteers available to assist you. Cheryl and Diane are also in contact with Drianne Benner of The Orient Associa[on and are staying informed about the Corona virus situa[on and available services. They promise to maintain confiden[ality when requested.