Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICE November 1, 2015All Saints’ Sunday

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost

PRELUDE Prelude in C Major J.S. Bach Pastorale J.S. Bach

WORDS OF WELCOME

INTROIT

CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: Exuberant Spirit of God, bursting with the brightness of flame

into the coldness of our lives to warm us with a passion for justice and beauty,

All: we praise you.Leader: Exuberant Spirit of God, sweeping us out of the dusty corners of

our apathy to breathe vitality into our struggles for change,All: we praise you.Leader: Exuberant Spirit of God, speaking words that leap over barriers

of mistrust to convey messages of truth and new understanding,All: we praise you.Leader: Exuberant Spirit of God,

flame…wind…speech,burn, breathe, speak in us;

All: fill your world with justice and with joy.

*HYMN No. 637 For All the Saints (verse 3 – choir only)

*The congregation is invited to stand

*OPENING PRAYER Eternal God, you are the light of the minds that know you,the joy of the hearts that love you, andthe strength of the wills that serve you.Grant us so to know you we may truly love you, andso to love you that we may fully serve you,whom to serve is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

*THE LORD’S PRAYER Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come.Thy will be doneon earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us,and lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom,and the power, and the glory,forever and ever. Amen.

*GLORIA PATRIGlory be to the Father, and to the Son,and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning,is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE The Rev. Dan HaughChildren may now leave for Church School.

SCRIPTURE LESSON Genesis 41: 33-49

“Now therefore let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land, and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plenteous years. Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and lay up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone else like this—one in whom is the spirit of God?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” Removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph’s hand; he arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in the chariot of his second-in-command; and they cried out in front of him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-

paneah; and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Thus Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly. He gathered up all the food of the seven years when there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and stored up food in the cities; he stored up in every city the food from the fields around it. So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance—like the sand of the sea—that he stopped measuring it; it was beyond measure.

ANTHEM Lord God of Abraham MendelssohnScott Tomlinson, Bass

SCRIPTURE LESSON Mark 12: 28-34

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

SERMON Blessed Beginnings: Now For the Future The Rev. Dr. Ed

Horstmann *HYMN No. 611 Rise Up, O Saints of God

OFFERING

InvitationAnthem Praise Ye the Lord Distler*Doxology 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.

*Hymn O Beautiful for Spacious Skies O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber

waves of grain, for purple mountainmajesties above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed full graceon thee, and crown thy good with servanthood

from sea to shining sea.

PASTORAL PRAYER

*HYMN You Are Salt for the Earth, O People (see next page)

CHURCH PRAYEROur Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good. Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill-will ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and prudent, giving no just cause for offense and may thy holy peace rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week, sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BENEDICTION AND CHORAL RESPONSE

POSTLUDE Nimrod Elgar(Enigma Variations)

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSION STATEMENTWe, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a self-governing, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth; where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a community where individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship, and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREEDI believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide, comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God; and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Chris Berry and Jill Cassill for ushering during today’s morning service, and to Jenny and Manit Rye for ushering during our second service this afternoon.

Thank you to Jake Kommer and Sharon Sun for hosting today’s Coffee Hour. Please join them in the parlor following the service for fellowship.

“Now for the Future!” The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will hold a short session on the reasons and results of generous giving at RHCC. We will meet in the Sanctuary following the coffee hour and encourage everyone’s attendance, questions and comments at this important forum on stewardship.

“Cheese!” We will be updating the church directory with new photos of our members today! From 11 a.m to noon., Arto Szabo will be in the meeting room with his tripod to take our pictures. If you don’t already have a photo in the directory, please drop in to get yours taken.

Join us at Round Hill Cemetery, at the corner of Round Hill Road and John Street, for our annual All Saints' Day Service. Today at 12:30 p.m.

Join us today at 4pm in the Sanctuary for First Sundays at Round Hill - a contemporary service of worship and music, followed by a casual supper in the parlor. Children are welcome and encouraged to be part of the service and childcare will be available for infants and toddlers. At this afternoon’s service, Nick Page will join us as the song leader. He is a collector of folk tunes from around the world and is a gifted teacher. This is also a wonderful opportunity to ask a friend, family member or neighbor to join you!

Round Table Pulpits will take place on November 4th from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and on Sunday, November 8 from 11:30-12 p.m. Please join Ed Horstmann as he strives to make his sermon preparation process a more social activity. The group will discuss and explore texts and stories from which he will preach on an upcoming Sunday.

The Church School children have begun a collection of Pop Tops (a.k.a soda can pull-tabs) to support the work of Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe in Uganda. Please consider helping them in their effort by bringing in as many pop tops as you have at home! The children will hold their first collection next Sunday, November 8. After that, we hope to collect approximately once a month and reminders will go out. 

All single women of the Round Hill Community Church and their single friends are invited to our November 14 meeting from 12:00-2:00 p.m. in the church parlor. Plan to bring your own lunch. Our discussion topic will be "Gratitude." Please contact the Church Office at 203-869-1091 or church@roundhillcommunitychurch.org if you plan to attend.

Our next installment in the Bible Study Series: People of the Book will take place on Sunday, November 15 following worship. On this day, we will explore the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Sarah. Please register by emailing the Church Office or adding your name to the signup sheet in the Parlor, and sign out a copy of the reference book Talking About Genesis: A Resource Guide by Bill Moyers. 

Join the fun at our annual Advent Workshop on Sunday, November 29 at 4:00 pm. Families and friends gather at the Round Hill Community House to celebrate the beginning of the Advent season. One of the highlights of the event is decorating gingerbread houses; participants also can build their own Advent Wreath from materials we supply. A light supper is served and the evening ends with the singing of carols. The event is free and everyone is welcome. To insure that we have enough gingerbread houses, please contact the Church Office at 203-869-1091 or church@roundhillcommunitychurch.org to make a reservation.

During this month of thanksgiving for the graces and bounty that we’ve enjoyed all year long, let’s not forget those who struggle to provide basic necessities for their families. Our friends at Neighbor to Neighbor have identified a special need this month for dried beans and rice. Please be generous and leave donations in the food wagon located in the Narthex.

The Meditation/Stress Reduction Group meets every Thursday in the Church Meeting Room, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The group will not meet on November 5 but will gather again on November 19th. All are welcome!

Help wanted!! We are seeking a Church School Assistant to work with the Church School Coordinator in teaching children, implementing curriculum, organizing childcare and helping expand the Church School program for our congregation and community. Please contact Rev. Dan Haugh for more info or to submit your resume - dan@roundhillcommunitychurch.org

The Reindeer told me they want YOU to invite your friends and family to participate in the wonderful tradition that is Christmas on Round Hill!  This year's event takes place on Saturday, December 12th with the fabulous preview Cocktail Party on Friday, December 11th!  The invitations for Christmas on Round Hill are on a table in the hallway at church.  Please stop by after today’s service to look through the list and include a handwritten note to your friends! Today is the last day to do this! This is our BIG fundraiser for the year (and a not-to-be-missed annual, holiday FUN-raiser as well!) Proceeds help maintain our treasured Community House and to support our Outreach: Faith in Action campaign.  

REFLECTIONS

I cannot see myself being enriched by your wasting of your powers. For if you are mean to yourself, to whom will you be good? Help me out of your abundance if you have it; if not, then spare yourself the trouble.

Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Song of Songs I

"Sainthood is perhaps the only honor accorded a person without consideration of physical beauty or prowess, wealth, birth, political power, intelligence, fame, or talent; a saint is admired, and considered exemplary, entirely for being good." Margaret Visser

Round Hill Community Church

395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831203.869.1091 roundhillcommunitychurch.org