May 1, 2016

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 bulle-

tin represents the multifaceted life of our energized congregation. The cross on the left

symbolizes our Living Lord – the foundation 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 opportunities

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 congrega-

tion 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.

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May 1, 2016 Sixth Sunday of Easter

ORDER OF MORNING WORSHIP AT 10:00 AM

GATHERING AS GOD’S FAMILY

Prelude: My Jesus, I Love Thee Arr. Fettke/Padgett Jesse Padgett, Guest Music Director

Welcome and Announcements

Introit: You Are the Light Tom Fettke

You are the Light we see. You are the Truth we know. You are the Life we live. You are the

Hope, You are the Joy, You are the Song we sing.

†*Call to Worship From Psalm 67 Leader: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us.

People: That your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

Leader: Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

People: Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.

Leader: The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.

People: May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.

†*Hymn 442: The Church’s One Foundation AURELIA

CONFESSING OUR SINS TO GOD

Prayer of Confession: Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If you, O LORD should mark

___________________ *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 an other with cheerfulness.

Please be sure that your cell phone is turned off during worship.

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iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. Amen.

Silent Meditation Assurance of Pardon †*Choral Response:

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,

Forgive our foolish ways;

Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,

In purer lives Thy service find,

In deeper reverence, praise.

†* 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 different

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 reconcilia-

tion such as, “The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.”)

Children in grades five and younger may now leave for their classes.

PROCLAIMING GOD’S WORD

Prayer for Illumination Serafim Santos, Reader

The First Lesson Revelation 21:10, 22-27; 22:1-5 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the

holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. I saw no temple in the

city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no

need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is

the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their

glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean

will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who

are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the

water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the

Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the

tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the

leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found

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there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants

will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And

there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will

be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Leader: God’s Word is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. People: Thanks be to God! Gospel Choir: In the Beauty of Holiness

Come let us worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Give Him the honor, give Him the praise. Come let us worship the Lord, let’s give Him the praise. Worship Him, worship Him. Give my God the glory, give my God the praise. Worship Him, worship Him. Come let us worship the Lord, let’s give Him the praise.

The Second Lesson John 14:23-29 Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will

love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does

not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is

from the Father who sent me. I have said these things to you while I am still with

you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will

teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave

with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let

your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I

am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I

am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told

you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”

Leader: God we thank you for your Word. People: The Story of your grace. Hymn 315: Every Time I Feel the Spirit PENTECOST

Sermon: HEALING THE NATIONS The Reverend Randal L. Bremer

RESPONDING TO GOD’S WORD

*Affirmation of Faith: Apostles Creed I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in

Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead,

and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the

dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Fa-

ther Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I

believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of

saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life ever-

lasting. Amen.

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Prayers of the People Rev. Kevin L. Porter

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: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Arr. William L. Dawson

Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home. I looked over Jordan and what did I see? A band of angels coming after me. If you get there before I do, tell all my friends I’m coming too.

*Congregational Response Doxology OLD HUNDREDTH

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*Prayer of Dedication

GOING FORTH IN GOD’S NAME

Hymn 404: Precious Lord, Take My Hand PRECIOUS LORD

*Charge and Benediction Jesus says to us "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

*Choral Response 585: Threefold Amen McNeil Robinson II Postlude: His Eye Is On the Sparrow Arr. Fettke

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IN MEMORIAM

The flowers are given to the glory of God

in loving memory of

Michael R. Parks

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 Audi-

torium following the worship service.

COFFEE HOUR: This week’s Coffee Hour host: Diane Filter. Next week’s hosts: Car-

olyn Ballard-Freeman & Ernie Freeman. The Congregational Development & Fellowship

Committee thanks Peggy Groschopp & Lois VanEerden for a job well done during Coffee

Hour last week. They did an excellent job setting up and cleaning up the kitchen. Thanks

again!!! For those who have not signed up for Coffee Hour, please take a chance and sign

up!

BREAD AND CUP is back! Please join us today, May 1, 2016 at 5 PM as we celebrate

the life and legacy of Alfonso F. Porter, Jr., Reverend Kevin Porter's father. Performing

will be pianist, Ed Jacobs, and pianist and singer, Khalil Overton. And, of course, there

will be an open microphone. This is a potluck event, so bring your favorite dish to share.

We will also be collecting canned goods for the Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry. For

more information, please contact Rev. Kevin at (215) 518-1675.

WINNIE FAHS’ NEEDLEWORK will be on display today, May 1st, in Longstreth Au-

ditorium during Coffee Hour. Winnie generously bequeathed her lifetime of needlework

pieces to our church, and you are invited to take a piece of your choosing home with you

today as a memento of Winnie and her many decades of involvement with First Church. If

you have any questions, please call Marney Hague at (215) 843-0886.

MOUNT AIRY DAY: Join First Church on Saturday, May 7 from 11 AM to 5 PM for

“Food, Fun, & Fellowship in the Heart of Mt. Airy!” Spend an hour or two at the First

Church booth, handing out balloons & flyers and talking to people about all of our won-

derful programs, and enjoy live entertainment, vendors of all kinds and games for children.

This annual community party is held on the grounds of Cliveden of the National Trust,

6400 Germantown Avenue and will include tours of the first floor of the Cliveden Main

House. See Denise Cowie or Dave Wolford for more information or to sign up for the

First Church booth.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE SEEKING NEW MEMBERS: Do you like

meeting new people? Writing? Photography? Coming up with new ideas on how to reach

out to others? We are looking for people just like you to join our reconfigured Communi-

cations Committee. Come try us out for size! Meetings are held on the third Wednesday

of each month at 7pm. See Denise Cowie for more information.

RACHEL CIRCLE’S MISSION SEWING PROJECT: Over the years people have

donated towels, sheets, fabric, sewing supplies, thread, etc. that are used to make such help-

ful items as walker bags, bibs, wheelchair covers, etc. These items are then given to those

who can use them. Anyone interested in helping with this sewing project is asked to call

Ann Reisse at 215-233-0720. Thanks!

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MISSION STUDY REPORT: The 2016 Mission Study Report is now available and can be downloaded by using this (case sensitive) link: http://bit.ly/1VANN3R. Hard copies of the report are available in the church office.

SPACE PLANNING UPDATE: In an effort to think about our building strategically and reimagine how we use the space (including where programs are located), the Session hired Mark Thompson & Associates to help us develop a comprehensive space plan. The goal of this plan is to steward the gift of our building in ways that reflect the mission of First Church and help us best love and serve our neighbors in Germantown. We have been working diligently with Mark through multiple rounds of meetings to deter-mine space requirements and think creatively about the future of the church and the neigh-borhood. The process of looking at our building (from the basement gym to the third floor "apartment" and everything in between) was inspiring. As a result of these working ses-sions, Mark prepared a comprehensive document outlining recommendations of how we can use the building more efficiently. Copies of this report are available for First Church members to review. While the Ad Hoc Committee was amazed at the possibilities that our-building holds, we do recognize the challenges that come with change. We invite you to continue to pray with us for God's vision at First Church. We are excited to receive the Mission Study Plan next week as its recommendations will help us to further guide the con-versations and future decisions of First Church, including how we use our building.

TREE PLANTING IN GERMANTOWN: The Philadelphia Chapter of Pennsylvania

Power & Light would like to do a tree planting project in Germantown using the Pennsyl-

vania Horticulture Society’s “Plant One Million Trees” program. This program encourages

tree planting and maintenance to increase the tree canopy which will lower greenhouse gas-

es and produce oxygen which will make the air we breathe and our planet healthier and ulti-

mately help slow climate change. They are looking for locations to plant trees (can either

be a street or yard tree), volunteers to take the Tree Tenders Course required by PHS for

organizations to participate; groups to volunteer to plant and care for trees, and for addi-

tional churches in Germantown to participate. The deadline to apply for a tree planting site

is May 3, 2016 for trees that would be planted in November, 2016. The Tree Tenders

Course is being given Monday evenings, May 9, 16 and 23, 2016 at the PHS Offices at 100

N. 20th Street, 5th Floor and costs $25.00. For more information please contact Rosy

Walkenhorst at 267-808-2865 or at rosywalkenhorst@yahoo.com.

YOUR OPINION CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE for northwest Philadelphia. The

Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is funding a survey that will provide information that

will be used in decisions about allocation of resources. If you want to participate go to:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H66YV7F.

THE BULLETIN DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED to Thursday morning at

10 AM. Information must be received by then in order to ensure its inclusion in the up-

coming Sunday Bulletin. Many thanks!

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CONGREGATIONAL MEETING There will be a congregational meeting

after worship on

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016

for the purposes of presenting a financial report

for 2015 and the election of elders and deacons.

Please plan to attend this meeting.

Keystone State Boychoir Spring Concerts

Sunday, May 8, 2016

3:00 PM and 6:00 PM at

The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown

Spend Mother’s Day afternoon with the choir!

Tickets $15 to $40 available at:

www:KeystoneStateBoychoir.org

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THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

IN GERMANTOWN

Presents

CROSSROADS CONERT SERIES

GOSPEL CHOIR

SING-OFF

Sunday, May 22, 2016 3:00 PM

Free Admission - Donations Greatly Appreciated to Support the Crossroads Concert Series

For additional information, contact:

Marja Kaisla (215) 859-9431 mjkaisla@yahoo.com

Sunday, May 1

8:45 AM 10:00 AM 11:10 AM 11:30 AM 11:30 AM 11:30 AM

5:00 PM

Monday, May 2 6:00 PM

Tuesday, May 3

9:30 AM 1:00 PM

Wednesday, May 4

3:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM

Thursday, May 5

6:00 PM 6:30 PM

Friday, May 6

9:00 AM 3:30 PM 5:00 PM 6:30 PM

Saturday, May 7

8:00 AM 9:00 AM 9:00 AM

Sunday, May 8

8:45 AM 10:00 AM 11:10 AM 11:30 AM 11:30 AM 11:30 AM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM

IHN Departs Chancel Choir Worship—Reverend Randal L. Bremer preaching Coffee Hour Adult Education—Reverend Bremer—Finney Room Sunday School Chancel Choir Bread & Cup Coffeehouse—Longstreth Auditorium Adult Education—Reverend Bremer—Finney Room Classic Town CY Choirs Staff Meeting—Finney Room Staff Meeting—Finney Room Keystone State Boychoir Spring Concert Rehearsal Session—Finney Room Keystone State Boychoir Gospel Choir—Sanctuary GACM Staff Meeting—Finney Room Drop-in Center Keystone State Boychoir Elementary School Youth Group Keystone State Boychoir Open Gym Congregational Development & Fellowship—Finney Room Mother’s Day Chancel Choir Worship—The Reverend Randal L. Bremer preaching Coffee Hour Sunday School Adult Education—Reverend Bremer—Finney Room Chancel Choir Keystone State Boychoir Spring Concert Keystone State Boychoir Spring Concert

WINDOW ON THE WEEK

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Church Officers

Elders 2016 Denise Cowie Contina Lundy Lois Nafziger-Bethea Faith Wolford Madeline Valentine Clerk of Session

2017 Andrew Hood Christopher Scott

2018 Sherry Archer Carolyn Ballard-Freeman Robert Seed

Deacons 2016 Diane Filter Delores Solomon David Wolford

2017 Randy Clever Linda Farlow Susan Mills Farrington

2018 Don Carlin Vera Harrison Dani Howard

First Church Staff

Randal L. Bremer Kevin L. Porter Eileen Jones Presently not filled Sara Carter-Blanford Christian Heyer-Rivera Heidi Mercado-Littles Presently not filled Joan Harris Cindy Osborne Terry Boyer, Tanieya Matthews, Robert Patterson, Harold Whaley

Interim Pastor Director of Adult Education and Community Life

Director of Urban Ministry Director of Music

Director of the Gospel Choir Director of Christian Education

Parish Visitor Facilities Superintendent Administrative Assistant

Bookkeeper Sextons

The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown 35 West Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144

Phone 215-843-8811 FAX 888-333-5032 www.fpcgermantown.org