ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Established 1727 ~ An Open and Affirming Community

June 1, 2014 ~ 10:00 a.m. Seventh Sunday of Easter

~ORDER OF WORSHIP~

We welcome all and extend a special greeting to our guests; our service is enriched by your presence! Please join us in Chapin Hall for fellowship time after worship.

The Welcome Table in Chapin Hall offers information about the church and members who can answer your questions. Hearing devices and large-print bulletins are available for worship—ask an usher. Nursery care is always available downstairs in Room 4.

________________________________________________________

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza

Please include your full address and phone number as you sign our friendship registration pads, and please wear your nametags. All announcements should be written down and given to the ushers or pastors prior to worship.

If you have a prayer request you would like read aloud for today’s prayers, please fill out one of the prayer cards found in the pew racks (your name is optional) and be prepared to pass it to the center aisle at the time of the offering, when the cards will be collected.

PRELUDE “This is a Day of New Beginnings” Carlton Young

The Choir words by Brian Wren

This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, Time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that's gone.

For by the life and death of Jesus, God's mighty Spirit, now as then, Can make for us a world of difference, as faith and hope are born again.

Then let us, with the Spirit's daring, step from the past and leave behind Our disappointment, guilt and grieving, seeking new paths, and sure to find.

In faith we'll gather 'round the table to taste and share what love can do. This is a day, of new beginnings our God is making all things new

* P l e a s e r i s e i n b o d y o r i n s p i r i t . * B o l d t y p e d e n o t e s c o l l e c t i v e r e s p o n s e .

CALL TO WORSHIP Meghan D. Young Morning breaks, a new day begins, a new time of creation is at hand.

We gather as part of this day’s new creation, for a fresh hearing of God’s word and a new seeing of God’s grace.

The Holy One is in the midst of us, guiding and shepherding, inviting and calling.

We gather to awaken and to remember our belonging, to each other and to God.

May the One whose voice we know speak to us here and now, in this place, on this day,

that we may become, again, one community -- the body of Christ, the people of God.

*HYMN “Morning Has Broken” Pilgrim (red) 38

*GATHERING PRAYER Life-giving God, Shepherd of all creation, in your presence we sing praise again for the goodness of all you have made. May our words and our hopes rise to you, for you are the one who receives them. May our whole lives be offered to you, for you are the one who blesses them. Life-giving God, Shepherd of all creation, help us to bear your spirit in this world, in our everyday lives and everyday places, that through us, your will might be done, on earth as in heaven. Amen.

*SUNG RESPONSE:::: Bless God, O my soul

MESSAGE FOR ALL AGES

READING FROM THE GOSPEL John 10:11-18

SERMON “Quotidian Mysteries” The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza

OFFERING OF GIFTS Following the receiving of offerings by the ushers, the pastor(s) will come to the center aisle to receive prayer request cards.

Invitation to the Offering For those who have already given their offering, Giving Cards are available in your pew so that all may participate in the act of the offering.

Offertory Anthem “One Love Released” Bob Frenzel and Kevin Keil The Choir with Jennifer Martin and John Hoffman, soloists; Gail Hall, Clarinet, Dave Hall, Cello

Refrain: One bread, one body, one cup, one call One faith, one Spirit present in us all. One prayer, on blessing, one hope, one peace, One church, one people, one love released.

Is not this bread we share, the body of our Lord? Is not this wine we drink, the blood of Christ out-poured?

I am the bread of life, eat and you shall live. To those who share this meal, my strength I'll always give.

I am the living bread, as mana from the sky. This bread I give to you, that you may never die.

No one will come to me, unless out God has led. And I shall raise them up, raise them from the dead!

*Doxology

Praise God from whom al l blessings f low; Praise God, al l creatures here below;

Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Joys & Concerns

Pastoral and Silent Prayer

Prayer Response

*HYMN “Such Perfect Love My Shepherd Shows” New Century (black) 248 Verses 1,2,5, and 6

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION This church practices open Communion. All are welcome to participate, including children, and regardless of denominational affiliation or church membership.

This morning, the congregation will be seated for Communion; the elements (bread and non-alcoholic grape juice) will be brought to each pew. Please wait until all have been served so that we may take the elements together. As you pass the trays to your neighbor, you may use the words “The bread of life” and “The cup of blessing.” If you would like to receive gluten-free bread, please raise your hand so that a Deacon may serve you.

Invitation When Jesus was among the people, from the fullness of his grace he fed them all.

When Jesus was among the people in body, he invited them to one table, welcoming those who had never been welcomed before.

When Jesus was no longer among the people in body, he continued to live among them in spirit, and they remembered what he had said:

That forever after, he would be among them in the fellowship of meal, and they would be his body now in the world – a new community of love.

With all the faithful through time and beyond time, we share this meal together as the one Body of Christ,

sign of God’s grace, and promise of the world that is yet to be.

Prayer of Preparation and the Lord’s Prayer

…In Christ’s name and spirit we pray, as we also say together: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Given 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. Recalling the Story: The Words of Institution Sharing the Bread and the Cup Prayer of Thanksgiving

God of grace and goodness, we give thanks to you for the bread of life and the cup of blessing, signs of your love that heals, forgives and renews the world. By the spirit of Christ within us, by the power of his love among us, may we grow strong in faith and in hope, in love and compassion, becoming bread for each other and light for the world, as we follow Jesus into your kingdom. Amen.

Sharing the Peace of Christ

You are invited to share a sign of the reconciling peace of Christ with those around you (a handshake, an embrace, or a non-contact gesture).

*HYMN “My Shepherd Is the Living God” New Century (black) 247 *BENEDICTION

COMMUNION SERVERS Rich Pawlich-Pagliccio, Barry Wilcock, Paul Burnham Katie Hoffman-Fulda, Bob Inderbitzen USHERS Jan LaCava, Stephanie Henneghan, Elaine Somes, Marge Murk

The flowers are given by Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza in thanksgiving, on the anniversary of her ordination.

CALL TO THE ANNUAL MEETING - TODAY

The Annual Meeting of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church United Church of Christ is called for Sunday, June 1, 2014 immediately following worship in the sanctuary for the following items of business:

1. To receive and act upon the 2014 reports of Boards and Committees. 2. To vote on any revisions to the 2014-15 budget as presented at Budget

and Elections meeting. 3. To vote on any changes to the report of the Nominating Committee. 4. To remember and reflect on those members and friends of the church

who have entered the Church Eternal from May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014.

UPDATE WITH THE SEARCH COMMITTEE

Sunday, June 8, Second Hour (11:30-12:15, Chapin Hall)

An opportunity for the Pastoral Search Committee to update the congregation, share perspectives on what they've heard and learned through congregational listening sessions and surveys, and to have all-church conversation about future directions.

S.P.I.R.I.T. Corner Serve, Pray, Invite, Receive, Ignite, Tell

S.P.I.R.I.T. Faith Nurture Ideas Children are invited to remain in worship today, following along with the children & youth bulletins

for Communion Sunday.

Take time to Pray. Risen Christ, like Paul, sometimes we meet you when we least expect it and you lead us into unexpected places. May we too be open to the leading of your Spirit. Open our eyes to your presence in these children and in our lives. Make us wise and loving as we explore what it means to follow in your way. Amen. NOAH’S TABLE – June Dates Noah’s Table is back on its regular schedule. We will meet Sundays, June 8 & 22, from 5 PM – 6:30 PM, for dinner, fellowship, and faith formation. If you are planning to attend in June, please RSVP by the Friday before, with Diana Hellyar. NURSERY VOLUNTEERS: If you are interested in volunteering in the Nursery during Sunday morning worship, please contact a member of the Childcare Committee or email them at RHCCchildcare@gmail.com for more information. S.P.I.R.I.T. Summer Volunteers – If you are interested in helping with any of our summer programming, whether it be teaching, baking, sharing a craft, telling a story, sharing music, assisting with the nursery, being a safe church volunteer, coordinating, or setting up, please email Meghan at meghan@rhccucc.org.

Children’s Worship Sunday June 8, 2014 at 10 AM

Pentecost

Come worship with us as the children and youth of the RHCC, UCC, S.P.I.R.I.T. Church School, lead us in worship on Pentecost, inviting us to prayerfully and faithfully ask what it means to journey with God.

Rehearsal is Saturday, June 7th from 3 PM – 4:30 PM. All children leading worship will meet at 9 AM on Sunday June 8th.

Please email Meghan@rhccucc.org if your child is planning on participating.

Small Group Ministry at RHCC Join a small group to explore and enrich your faith in new ways!

Easter Small Groups are meeting today, Sunday June 1st Come Join Us!

Pilgrim People. 12 PM – 1:30 PM in the Church Parlor Pilgrims are willing to explore and adventure in their faith. “Pilgrim People” is a discussion group rooted in scripture. We will explore prayer, presence, service, generosity, and spiritual growth. Easter Stories. 7 PM – 8:30 PM in Chapin Hall Through beautiful, deeply spiritual, short films made by the SALT project, we will explore Resurrection, Blessing, and Strange Fruit. SALT is a not-for-profit project dedicated to reclaiming and sharing the beauty of Christian life through film, photography, music, poetry, and ideas. SALT aims to build a community of conversation and resource-sharing that, like salt itself, preserves and seasons the best and most beautiful of the Christian tradition. Open On-Going Groups: Art + Faith. It has been said that creativity requires faith, and that art itself is an incarnational activity. The Art + Faith Group will meet twice a month to explore scripture and faith through the arts. The group will look at the work of various artists as well as engage in individual and group art projects. Additionally the Art + Faith Group will work with the pastors to design Altar Scapes and incorporate visual elements into worship. No artistic skill or experience needed. Please contact Stephanie Heneghan (860-529-4672) or Nancy Rolfe (860-257-3489) for more information.

Members and friends of RHCC are invited to join with

The Hartford Association of the Connecticut Conference, United Church of Christ

For the Ordination of Meghan D. Young Saturday, June 14, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.

Reception following

CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES COUNCIL AND BOARD OF MISSIONS FOOD DRIVE ~ JUNE 22

We’ll have a Christian Activities Council focus in our service on June 22. Retiring Executive Director the Rev. Edwin Ayala will be our guest preacher, and Pat Johnson, CAC’s Community Leadership Development Coordinator, will be with us that day as well to tell us about the CAC food drive for those in need in North Hartford.

OUR CONGREGATION IS ASKED TO SUPPORT THE FOOD DRIVE BY BRINGING FOOD ITEMS TO CHURCH THAT DAY.

The list below highlights especially needed items. Please be as generous as possible! We all thank you very much for your help. God bless,

Pat Johnson, CAC Rich Pawlich-Pagiccio, RHCC rep to CAC Meghan Montana, RHCC Bd of Missions

Any imperishable food items such as: Dry cereals Soup Crackers/graham crackers Dried fruits Healthy snacks: Granola bars, Cereal bars, Trail mix Canned Meats/vegetablesBeans Peanut butter Rice/pasta

Ready-To-Eat foods Simple preparation items (only require water) Cups of soup Seasoned Noodles Tuna/chicken salads

Personal Care Items Soap Diapers Baby lotion Deodorant Feminine hygiene products Zip lock bags Garbage bags Toilet paper Band-aids Antibacterial Ointment Toothbrushes and toothpaste Bibles and bookmarks

SCRIP-SURE What is it? Scrip-sure is a fundraising program for our church, which allows the regular shopping we do at a variety of retailers to generate income for the church. How? Participating retailers sell gift certificates or gift cards to our church at a discount. Church members buy the certificates for full face value and redeem them for full face value, and our church keeps the difference as revenue. Everybody wins! The retailers get our business, and our church gets a regular source of revenue that involves nothing other than what we would all be doing anyway – shopping/spending at grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants, gas stations, and many other businesses, including online retailers.

Today is the deadline for placing orders for cards that are not kept in inventory. Stop by the scrip table in Chapin Hall to pick up and/or turn in an order form. If you prefer, orders can be emailed to treasurer@rhccucc.org anytime today. Cards ordered today will be available for pickup next Sunday, June 8.

After today, the next ordering deadline will be delayed until July 13, with delivery on July 20. So please consider your scrip needs for the next month-and-a-half when placing today's order. (i.e., there will not be an order placed at the end of June.)

Today we have a variety of cards in inventory from more than 35 different restaurants and retailers, available for immediate purchase this morning, including (but not limited to):

Coffee: Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks Fast food: Burger King, Chipotle, McDonalds, Subway Gas: Exxon/Mobil, Shell, Sunoco Grocery: Big Y, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, Westside Marketplace, Whole Foods Pharmacy: CVS, Walgreens Restaurants: Bertucci's, Bonefish Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, On the Border Shopping: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Home Depot,

Kohl's, iTunes, Lowes, Marshall's, Staples, Target, Walmart

See Gail Hall at the scrip table this morning for a complete listing of available cards, or to have all of your questions answered.

THINK SCRIP!

SUNDAY FLOWERS Please sign up to contribute flowers for Sunday’s worship. June 29, July and August Sundays are open. It is a lovely way to honor the memory or special events of family and friends. Sign up on the flower calendar in Chapin Hall, email office@rhccucc.org or call the church office (860-529-4167.

THIS WEEK AT RHCC

J u n e 1 S u n d a y 10:00am Worship Sanctuary 11:00am Annual Meeting J u n e 2 M o n d a y 10:30am Apple Rehab Svc 6:00pm Bell Choir Parlor 7:00pm Women’s AA Chapel J u n e 3 T u e s d a y 7:00pm Boards and Committees J u n e 4 W e d n e s d a y 9:30am Quilters Rm. 6 7:30pm Adult Choir

J u n e 5 T h u r s d a y 8:00pm Men’s AA Chapin Hall

WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY Will not meet until September.

June 1 Harry Schmidt Zachary Rupaka

2 Eric Jokl 4 Gordon Tiotcomb Sr. 6 John Van Epps Sandra Fritzer

7 Linda Marchand

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ 805 Old Main Street Rocky Hill, CT 06067

Church Office: office@rhccucc.org / 860 529-4167

Church Website: rhccucc.org Visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/rhccucc

O f f i c e H o u r s

Monday – Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Friday 8:30 to 12:00

Open and Affirming Statement Because we believe that all people are created in God’s image and thus are blessed and loved equally by God, and because love is a unifying and strengthening force within our Christian Faith,

We, the members of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, hereby declare ourselves an Open and Affirming Christian community, actively expressing Jesus’ inclusive embrace of all people.

We welcome all who seek to follow Jesus, including persons of every age, gender, race, national origin, faith background, marital status and family structure, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, economic and social status, and educational background, to share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, blessings and joys of our church family.

Jesus teaches us to welcome all God’s children into God’s covenantal community. As we grow together in faith and love, we will strive to celebrate the diversity in which God has created us. Approved by congregational vote June 2009

Ministry Team Ministers: All the members of the church

Interim Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza brenda@rhccucc.org Acting Associate Pastor for Faith Formation: Meghan D. Young meghan@rhccucc.org

Minister of Music: Mary DeLibero mary@rhccucc.org Office Manager: Mitsey Baker office@rhccucc.org Webmaster: Dave Hall webmaster@rhccucc.org