Our Mission
In common with all churches we seek to:
Worship God
Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the scriptures
Develop community
Offer nurture through the pastoral care giving of our members and staff
We call people to a life of:
Discipleship
Stewardship
Spiritual development
As a faith community we seek to be:
An inviting church
Offering hospitality and
Encouragement to people in search of God.
Our Vision
We will organize our church as a center for:
Spiritual development
Music and the arts
Urban mission
Ecumenical cooperation
Our Objectives
We have some unique opportunities due to our Germantown location and
congregational history. These include:
Providing special programs for children and families in the local community
Building a healthy, diverse congregation
Developing an urban mission
Developing a ministry of music and the arts
Using our building and endowment creatively and responsibly
The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown logo seen on the cover of this bulletin represents the mul-
tifaceted life of our energized congregation. The cross on the left symbolizes our Living Lord – the foun-
dation upon which we build our faith. The harp in the yellow square represents our rich musical heritage,
for we enjoy celebrating the gift of music in worship, workshops, and concerts. It is important for us to
share music with our community. The dove symbolizes serving – offering educational and mission oppor-
tunities through our many outreach activities. People – active and joy-filled – are represented in the red
square on the right. We welcome all people to this church. We are a diverse congregation of many racial,
ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are, indeed, alive, spirit-filled, and caring.
The colors are reflective of the beautiful stained glass windows of the church. In fact, the colors of the
logo were taken directly from The Christmas Window– “Thy light is come” made by Nicola D’Ascenzo
and seen in the southwest corner of the nave.
The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown –
Alive, Celebrating & Serving the Living Lord!
May 26, 2013 Trinity Sunday
Celebration Sunday
ORDER OF MORNING WORSHIP AT 10:00 AM
GATHERING AS GOD’S FAMILY
Prelude: Hymn Sing
Welcome and Announcements
†*Congregational Introit 2166: Christ Beside Me (From Sing the Faith) BUNESSAN
†*Call to Worship
Leader: Let us praise God, creator of all that is.
People: Let us praise Christ, blessed redeemer.
Leader: Let us praise Spirit, sustaining breath of life.
People: Three in one and one in three. Holy Mystery.
†*Hymn 138: Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty NICEA
(Please bring your donations for the Food Cupboard and Cents-Ability forward during this hymn.)
CONFESSING OUR SINS TO GOD
Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession (unison)
Loving God, you created the heavens and the earth, making everything
good—even glorious. Jesus Christ, Light of the world, our Savior: you
have made us your brothers and sisters and commissioned us to bear
your name out into the world. Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Guide:
you enlighten us with wisdom to know what is right and humility to
make this confession: that we have been poor stewards of the earth,
clumsy and spiritless disciples, unjust in our dealings with others, divid-
ed in our witness and devotion to you. Forgive us, triune God. By your
grace and love and fellowship
Silent Meditation
Assurance of Pardon
___________________ *congregation standing
† latecomers may be seated
IN PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP PLEASE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK SILENTLY TO
GOD. AT THE CLOSE OF THE SERVICE LET US GREET ONE ANOTHER WITH CHEERFULNESS.
PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CELL PHONE IS TURNED OFF DURING WORSHIP.
†*Congregational Response 140: Holy, Holy (Verse 3) HOLY, HOLY
Precious Jesus, precious Jesus,
We’re so glad that you’ve redeemed us, precious Jesus;
And we lift our hearts before You as a token of our love,
Precious Jesus, precious Jesus.
†* Sharing the Peace of Christ
Leader: The peace of Christ be with you.
People: And also with you.
(As worshipers, we come from diverse experiences and points of view. We have differ-
ent racial, educational, and economic backgrounds. Yet we are all one in Christ. We
symbolize this as we exchange with one another, by words and gestures, signs of peace
and reconciliation such as, “The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.”)
Children’s Choir: No Mountain High Enough Charles Kirby There is no mountain high enough, No river wide enough, No ocean deep enough to separate
me from God. No desert dry enough, No jungle thick enough, No darkness black enough to
keep me from my Lord. There is no mountain high enough, No river wide enough, No ocean
deep enough to separate me from God. No king is great enough, no army large enough, no
power strong enough to keep me from my Lord. There is no mountain high enough, No river
wide enough, No ocean deep enough to separate me from God.
PROCLAIMING GOD’S WORD
Prayer for Illumination Jason Greene, reader
The First Lesson Psalm 8
Leader: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
aa You have set your glory above the heavens.
People: Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bul-
aa wark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
Leader: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon a
aa and the stars that you have established;
People: what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals
aaa that you care for them?
Leader: Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them
a with glory and honor.
People: You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
aaa you have put all things under their feet,
Leader: all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
People: the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along
the paths of the seas.
All: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the
aaaa earth!
Leader: God’s Word is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path.
People: Thanks be to God!
Choir: Sanctus Charles Gounod
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis. Amen
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Hosanna in highest. Amen
The Second Lesson Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in
which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not
only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Leader: God we thank you for your Word;
People: The story of your grace.
*Hymn 132: Come, Great God of All the Ages ABBOT’S LEIGH
Sermon: THE MYSTERY OF THE TRINITY Reverend Dr. Nancy E. Muth
RESPONDING TO GOD’S WORD
*Affirmation of Faith: The Brief Statement of Faith
In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Je-
sus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust
in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and
serve.
We trust in Jesus Christ, Fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the
reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives,
teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and
binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and
calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blas-
phemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human
pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised Jesus from the
dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, deliv-
ering us from death to life eternal.
We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God
created the world good and makes everyone equally in God’s image male
and female, of every race and people, to live as one community. But we re-
bel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God’s command–
aaa
ments, we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as
truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet en-
trusted to our care. We deserve God’s condemnation. Yet God acts with
justice and mercy to redeem creation. In everlasting love, the God of
Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people to bless all families of the
earth. Hearing their cry, God delivered the children of Israel from the
house of bondage. Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the
covenant. Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a fa-
ther who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of
life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept
ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all be-
lievers in the one body of Christ, the Church. The same Spirit who in-
spired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through
Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the wa-
ters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and
calls women and men to all ministries of the church. In a broken and fear-
ful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness
among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in
Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to
work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. In gratitude to God, em-
powered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to
live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God's new heaven and new
earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or
in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers of the 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 and the
power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering of Our Gifts and Lives
Offertory: Sing Praise to the Lord Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry Setting by Robert A. Hobby
Sing praise to the Lord! Sing praise in the height; rejoice in God’s word you angels of light; O
heavens, adore Him by whom you were made, and worship before Him, in brightness arrayed.
Sing praise to the Lord! Sing praise upon earth, in tuneful accord, all you of new birth; O praise
Him who brought you His grace from above; O praise Him who taught you to sing of His love.
O praise to the lord, all things that give sound; each jubilant chord, reecho around; Loud or-
gans, His glory tell out in deep tone, and trumpets, the story of what God had done. Sing praise
to the Lord! Thanksgiving and song to God be outpoured all ages along; for love in creation,
for heaven restored, for grace and salvation, sing praise to the Lord!
*Congregational Response 592: Doxology OLD HUNDREDTH
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*Prayer of Dedication
GOING FORTH IN GOD’S NAME
*Hymn 2223: They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love ST. BRENDAN’S
(From Sing the Faith)
*Charge and Benediction
*Congregational Response 432: Song of Hope ARGENTINA
May the God of hope go with us every day,
Filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
Bringing light and hope to every land and race.
Praying, let us work for peace, singing, share our joy with all,
Working for a world that’s new, faithful when we hear Christ’s call.
*Postlude: Prelude and Fugue in a-minor Johann Sebastian Bach
WELCOME: If you are visiting with us today, please sign the Fellowship Pad at the
end of your pew. We pray the hour will be meaningful to you and you will come and
worship with us again. Everyone is cordially invited to a time of fellowship in the
Longstreth Auditorium following the worship service.
TODAY’S GREETERS: Veda Gibbs, Denise Cowie, Joan Blake. Next week’s
Greeters will be: Lois Nafziger, Jean Swenson, Pete Smith.
IN MEMORIAM
The flowers are given to the glory of God in loving memory of
Joanne Stroh
PRAYERS FOR FIRST CHURCH: Each Sunday members are invited to meet at
9:40 AM in the Westside Room to offer prayers for the life of our church. We believe
that if an in-depth study of God's Word is coupled with fervent prayer, the Lord will
bring about a great revival in our church. Everyone is welcome.
CHALLENGE OFFERING - CDF FREEDOM SCHOOL: The Children’s
Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom School® is a child-centered program that motivates
children to excel, strengthens their feelings of self worth and lets them know that they
are loved and valued by caring adults. A focus on reading guides the activities along
with the traditional experiences of summer camp. Bible study, swimming, crafts and
trips! We need your help to meet the $75,000 budget to operate the program 7:30AM –
6PM, for seven weeks beginning June 24 through August 9. Parents pay an affordable
$45 per week ($315 for seven weeks;) however, no child is turned away because of in-
ability to pay the fee. Partner with us as we help keep our children safe this summer
while strengthening their cognitive and life skills through this engaging program. The
actual program cost per child is $1500. Transportation cost for one local venue is $300
or $400 with admission to the venue. Daily snack cost, $40. Your financial support will
help in many ways whether you sponsor a child’s weekly fees or pay for transportation
for a trip or give what you can to help us meet our budget. Know that your investment
will have an impact on the life of a child.
OPERATION CLEAN UP GERMANTOWN! Today after worship and coffee hour
volunteers are needed to help pick up trash along Chelten Avenue between German-
town Avenue and Greene Street. Trash bags will be provided. Be a part of this visible
demonstration to the community that First Church cares about Germantown.
BREAD AND CUP: FPCG’s own Gospel Choir will be the headliners of the June 2
Bread and Cup Coffeehouse from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. If you’ve ever wanted to hear
them in concert, here’s your chance! Also, although they may need no introduction to
those of us who’ve been blessed by their contribution to our worship, this is a wonder-
ful opportunity to introduce them to your friends and neighbors who may worship else-
where, or those who don’t have a church home. In addition to the gospel choir, we’ll
have our time of open microphone for others to share their performing arts gifts, and a
hospitality table to receive your culinary arts gifts. This is the last Bread and Cup until
the fall, so bring a friend or make a new one at Bread and Cup!
SUMMER CHOIR: Beginning Sunday, June 9, 2013, Summer Choir will
begin. The music will be quite a bit easier for the Summer months. Come and
join us when you can. Rehearsals begin at 8:45 AM each Sunday to prepare the
music for that day. For more information contact David Daugherty, Director of
Music.
THE PHILADELPHIA PRESBYTERY invites you to a night at the Please Touch
Museum on Thursday, June 20, 6:00 – 9:00PM. Come see what is happening at the
Please Touch Museum at its new location in Fairmount Park. This event is open to all
ages. Take the kids or see for yourself how much fun they have been having without
you! Tickets are an unbelievable $12.50 which includes free parking, a $5.00 food
voucher and unlimited carousel rides. For more information visit the Presbytery’s web
site www.presbyterianPTMnight.eventbrite.com or see Dani Howard at coffee hour.
AN AFTERNOON AT THE THEATER: Join the Congregational Development
and Fellowship Committee for a day in Lancaster, Saturday, October 12 for a perfor-
mance of the musical Noah at the Sight & Sound Theatre. Noah begins at 1:00PM and
will be followed by dinner (Family Style or Buffet) at a location to be announced later.
Tickets are limited! Make your reservation now with a $10.00 per ticket deposit. Tickets
prices: Adults - $85.00, Teens - $55.00, Children - $40.00. Transportation will be pro-
vided. Ticket sales end Sunday, June 22. See Dani Howard at coffee hour or email her at
[email protected] for more information.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Financial aid through the
First Church General Scholarship Fund
is available to qualified undergraduate
and graduate students for the coming school year
2013-2014
Interested students who have been accepted at an
accredited school may obtain an application by calling
David Daugherty 215-843-8811, Extension 21
Completed applications must be returned to the church office
on or before Saturday, June 15, 2013
Attn: Scholarship Committee
Incomplete applications will not be considered
WINDOW ON THE WEEK
Sunday, May 26 Celebration Sunday
8:45 AM Chancel Choir
9:40 AM Power of Prayer—Westside Room
10:00 AM Worship Service
11:00 AM Coffee Hour—Longstreth Auditorium
11:30 AM Operation Clean Up Germantown
11:30 AM Adult Education
11:30 AM Confirmation Class
11:30 AM Sunday School
11:30 AM Gospel Choir—Sanctuary
Monday, May 27 Memorial Day
Church Offices Closed
Tuesday, May 28
Wednesday, May 29
4:00 PM Keystone State Boychoir—Music Room
6:30 PM Line Dancing—Longstreth Auditorium
Thursday, May 30
6:00 PM Gospel Choir—Sanctuary
7:30 PM Voices in Bronze—Westside Room
Friday, May 31
12:00 PM Gaudenzia House Banquet-Set Up
2:30 PM Drop-in-Center-Gym
Saturday, June 1
8:15 AM Keystone State Boychoir
10:00 AM Open Gym
Sunday, June 2
8:45 AM Chancel Choir
9:40 AM Power of Prayer—Westside Room
10:00 AM Worship Service
11:00 AM Coffee Hour—Longstreth Auditorium
11:10 AM Children’s Choir
11:30 AM Adult Education
11:30 AM Confirmation Class
11:30 AM Sunday School
11:30 AM Gospel Choir—Sanctuary
11:30 AM New Members Lunch
4:00 PM Bread and Cup
Church Officers
Elders
2013 2014 2015
Denise Cowie Jack Asher Sherry Archer
Lois Nafziger Daniel Conner Carolyn Ballard-Freeman
Peter Smith Contina Lundy Joanne Elliott
Ted Walkenhorst Jack Roberts Robert Swenson
Faith Wolford Irene Overton Madeline Valentine
William Young, Jr.,
Clerk of Session
Deacons
2013 2014 2015
Joan Blake Robert Archer Sarah Andrews
Jean Swenson Susan Mills-Farrington Donald Carlin
Rosy Walkenhorst Gene Gardenhire Ruth Cato
David Wolford Rossie Gardenhire Veda Gibbs
Delores Solomon Evadney Miller
Pastor
Director of Adult Education and Community Life
Director of Urban Ministry
Director of Music and Communication
Director of Christian Education
Parish Visitor
Church Administrative Assistant
Sextons
Seminarian
The Reverend Dr. Nancy E. Muth
The Reverend Kevin L. Porter
Eileen Jones
David Daugherty
Christian Heyer-Rivera
Heidi Mercado-Littles
Brent Haddix
Illya Pasture, Valient Solomon , Harold Whaley
.