Announcements - Kenilworth Union Church

The Kenilworth Union Church
211 Kenilworth Avenue
Rev. Jo Forrest
Associate Minister
Kenilworth, Illinois 60043
www.kuc.org
Rev. Dr. Donald Dempsey
Interim Senior Minister
Anne S. Faurot
Director of Children’s Ministries
(847) 251-4272
Lisa R. Bond
Director of Music
Rev. Dr. Gilbert W. Bowen
Minister Emeritus
The Service of Worship
Sunday, October 20, 2013
8:00 am
9:00 & 10:30 am
Communion Service
Worship Service & Sunday School
† Please Stand As You Are Able. †
Prelude “Amazing Grace” .................................. George Shearing
“Song of the Spirit” ...................................... Derek Hakes
Adult Bell Choir
Call To Worship and Meditation
† Doxology
............................................................No. 592
† Responsive Reading
One: Welcome, my friends, to this sacred place.
All: Let us gather ourselves for worship and recount the
gracious deeds of the Lord.
One: Let us remember all the Lord has done for us.
All: He has shown us mercy according to the abundance of his
steadfast love.
One: Let us remember what is past and look forward with faith to the
possibilities of the future.
All: The Lord has lifted us up and carried us in the days of old.
He is our savior in times of our distress. To the redeeming
and ever-present love of God, let us lift our voices in praise!
† Hymn “Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above” ............. No. 483
Anthem “Blessed Be God” ............................................... B. Jacobson
Chancel Choir
Prayer of Affirmation
Author of life, we humbly confess that too often we fall short of
your intentions for us and of our expectations of ourselves. We
would touch the world with goodness, but often we withdraw in
anxiety and self-concern. We would live with integrity and stand
for truth, but we are torn with uncertainties. We would go about
our daily tasks with confidence and joy, but find ourselves struggling with self-doubt. We need your presence, O God, if we are
to be what we could be and want to be. Let our worship heal us,
renew us, strengthen us, that we may go out in joy and be led forth
in peace. Amen.
Psalm 41
First Scripture
Minute for Stewardship
† Hymn “O Master Let Me Walk with Thee” ................. No. 357
Pastoral Prayer And 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 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. Amen
Offertory “Promised Land” ................ Traditional Folk Melody,
Arr. A. L. Page
Adult Bell Choir
† Hymn of Dedication
We praise thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before thee, we kneel and adore thee,
We bless thy holy name, glad praises we sing.
Solo “There is a Balm in Gilead” ............ Spiritual, Arr. W. Dawson
Jeremy Fisher, Soloist
Second Scripture
Mark 2: 1-12
Sermon “It’s Hard to Ask for Help”
Dr. Dempsey
† Closing Hymn “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” ...
No. 288
Benediction
Postlude “The Heavens Declare the Glory of God” ....................
B. Marcello
Tamaron Conseur, M. M.
John Bryant
Kelli Harrington, M. M.
Asst. Dir. of Choirs
Organist
Asst. Dir. of Rejoice and
Bell Choirs
USHERS
8:00 am
Bob Paddock
Marcie Paddock
Front Desk Greeter
Sally Veeder
USHERS
9:00 am
Carol Berry
Rick Cooper
Diana DeMeuse
John Dienner, III
Margaret Ann
Fowler
Dene Hilinger
Stephen Murrill
Bob Underwood
Bob Zabel
USHERS
10:30 am
Dirk Degenaars
Doug Hanslip
John Fortson
Adam LeFebvre
Steve Livaditis
Rob Mathias
Richard Patterson
Scott Patterson
Todd Stephens
ALTAR GUILD
Bob Cannon
A Stephen Ministry Congregation
Greeters
Jeff Gooden
Gina Gooden
Sallie Smith
Ralph Smith
Announcements
Altar Flowers: The altar flowers are given in loving memory of Jack
and Betsy Fyfe and their parents by
their family.
The lavabo arrangement is given in
celebration of the life and memory of
Jennifer Hill Stavros.
Blessing of the Animals Today: Bring your pets to the Robinson
Garden at 1:00 pm to be blessed. ALL
are welcome. Please make sure all of
our furry friends are on leashes or in
crates.
2013-14 Stewardship Campaign: The Campaign is underway.
Please stop by to see Bruce and Laura
Linger at the Stewardship table in the
Culbertson room after services.
at KUC. Contact Jo Forrest for information at [email protected].
Adult Education
The Making of Christian Beliefs:
Four part series on the development
and evolution of Christian beliefs and
doctrines over the centuries against
backdrop of reason, science and cultural change. Wednesday, Oct. 23rd.
Christian Faith in the Age of Science: A Three part series to explore
our understanding of the universe,
humankind, and 20th century science
alongside Christian faith. Wednesdays
Nov. 6, 13, and 20th.
See website for further information
on all classes. All are welcome; classes
begin at 7pm in Centennial Room.
Drop-in for one or all sessions.
Youth Groups
Public Affairs: Please join us for
IMPACT High School Youth Group
an
evening with John Borling, Major
will prepare care packages tonight at 7
General,
USAF, Ret, author of TAPS
pm in the manse.
ON THE WALLS: Poems from the Hanoi Hilton. Hear a story of remarkable
P*Wee Club Night
Calling all 3 – 5 year olds! Tue., resilience on the 40th anniversary of
Oct. 29th from 5:00 to 6:15, please join his release from a POW camp during
us in your Halloween costume (no the Viet Nam war. Wed., Oct. 30th at
props) for a sleep under to include 7:30pm in the Culbertson Room.
fun activities, music, Bible stories and
a pizza dinner. Cost is $10 per child.
KUC Information Class:
RSVP Laurel at [email protected].
Visitors and prospective members are
invited to attend one of the following
Attention Parents of 5th classes on Sun., Nov. 3 from 2-4pm or
and 6th graders: The Christmas Mon., Nov. 4 from 7-9pm to learn more
Pageants will take place on Sun. Dec. about KUC. We will welcome new
8th at 3:00 and 5:00. Any 5th/6th members on Sun., Nov. 10th. Please
grader interested in singing a “King” contact Kathy at [email protected].
solo or with the “Silent Night” ensemble, meet Kelli Harrington on Sun.,
Potluck Dinner: Sun., Nov. 10
Nov. 3rd at 11:30 in the Malott Chapel.
from
5:30-7:30pm. All KUC friends
Music is available in the Children’s
and
family
are invited to join us for a
Ministries office.
potluck dinner. RSVP Sallie Smith at
Cinema Club: Please join us to [email protected]. If your last name
view of the film The Ides of March on begins with A-G bring a salad, H-R
Tue., Oct. 29 at 5 pm or 7 pm in the Ma- bring an entree and S-Z bring a dessert.
lott Chapel. RSVP Sallie Smith,slsy2k@
Tables for Eight: These popuyahoo.com.
lar and casual dinners in KUC member’s homes will take place on Fri.,
Bible Studies
Nov. 15th & Sat., Nov. 16th. This is
Evening Bible Study: All are wel- the perfect way to enjoy an evening
come to drop-in for the Bible Study of together with 8-10 KUC friends. All
the Gospel of Luke led by Jo Forrest singles and couples are invited to aton Mondays at 7pm through Oct. 28th. tend. If you would like to host or attend
a potluck dinner please contact Sallie
Exploring Grief: KUC is of- Smith at [email protected].
fering a grief support group led by a
trained clinician. Open to all members
Mah Jongg: Do you have a set
and community residents. We will that you’d be willing to donate? Please
meet on Oct. 21st and Nov. 4th at 7pm, contact Jan at [email protected].
Care Guild Leader for, October is Gina Gooden.
To let us know where help is needed, call the Care Guild hotline (847) 853-3534 or
email [email protected].
From the Pulpit: September 15, 2013
“The Called-Out Ones”
Mark 1:1-3, 14-20
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
Dr. Dempsey
“Here is the church; here is the
Lately a “shorthand” has developed
steeple; open the doors, and see all to describe two different ways of lookthe people!”
ing at church: the “missional” church
or the vendor church:
When I heard the word “church”
as a child, the image that came to my
1. “Missional” churches are those
mind was a building, a specific build- that tend to think of themselves priing, First Presbyterian Church of Glen marily as the “called out ones.”
Ellyn, IL. Within that 1950’s New
England style chapel rested a small
2. Vendor driven churches are charquaint and cozy sanctuary, peaked acterized by the large array of activities
at the ceiling with pews all lined up and programs that take place in the
neatly on the floor; it was a holy room, church building.
where the minister’s voice, my dad,
Rev. Richard Dempsey, boomed in
Let me state the obvious: no single
deep and familiar tones. This is what church is ever completely “missionchurch meant to me as a child.
ally” driven or “vendor” driven. Every
congregation has elements of both.
What does the word “church” mean
to you? When you think of church,
What do you think most drives this
maybe you think of this building, this church?
beautiful sanctuary, the place where
you get your spiritual lift each week.
In order to answer that question,
Maybe, when you say church you let’s take a closer look at what these
think of the place where you serve on alternatives look like.
a committee or volunteer for a mission
project? Maybe church evokes for you
Let’s start with the vendor-driven
the place where you got married, or church:
where you had your babies baptized,
or where a family member or close
First, the purpose of the vendorfriend’s memorial service was held.
church is to meet people’s spiritual,
social, and cultural needs. Leaders
When most of us think of “church” produce products like sermons, music,
we think of a particular building, the and a Sunday school; in addition, like
place where particular events take physicians or lawyers, clergy are the
place, on particular days, especially professionals to whom members look
on Sunday.
to for advice. Members are consumers
who shop around to meet their needs.
Today I want to press the point that If the church ceases to produce the
how we think of church, what we mean products and the quality programs that
by church makes all the difference in members want, they go to a competing
the world.
brand – they go church shopping.
When the earliest followers of Christ
called themselves “church” they didn’t
mean a building where they gathered;
in fact, until the fourth century, most of
them didn’t have particular buildings
set apart for worship, prayer and study
– they met in each other’s homes. Nor
did “church” mean the activities they
did together: by calling themselves
“the church” they didn’t mean the
“ones who study Scripture,” or “the
ones who pray together.” The Greek
word for church is ecclesia.
The earliest followers of Jesus chose
to name themselves as ecclesia, literally, the “called out ones.” I wonder
what it would mean for us to claim
that meaning today.
Second, success in vendor churches
is primarily measured by numbers: the
number of people attending worship,
the number of people on the membership rolls, and in the Sunday school;
if those numbers are increasing, it is a
successful church; if they are decreasing, it is not.
Evangelism becomes member recruitment; stewardship becomes
fundraising.
Third, the vendor church’s institutional viability is the point; members,
like members of a co-op or a club, are
expected to support the institution
with money and as volunteers.
Participation is motivated by a sense of
Third, members of missional
obligation, peer pressure, social expec- churches spend the minimum amount
tation, or, if those fail, good old guilt. of time and energy supporting the
institution and the maximum amount
As pastor and scholar Eugene Pe- of time and energy being Christians
terson puts it:
out in the world and then coming back
together to praise and glorify God in
“The pastors of America have worship, and to encourage and love
transformed into a company of shop another through service , study, and
keepers, and the shops they keep are fellowship.
churches. We are preoccupied with
shop keeper’s concerns – how to keep
The purpose of membership isn’t to
the customers happy, how to lure serve on a committee, or to be elected
customers away from competitors a church officer; it is to help, support,
down the street, how to package the and encourage each other for ministry
goods so that the customers will lay out in the world.
out more money … Religious shop
keeping, to be sure, but shop keeping
As Rick Barger writes in his book,
all the same.”
A New and Right Spirit, Creating an
Authentic Church in a Consumer Society,
This is the essence of the problem. the meaning of membership in a “misPastors have adopted the identity as sional” church is not about insuring
shop keepers; congregations have been that “my” needs are met, but insuring
turning into little corporations, and that God’s needs are met! “Missional”
members have been morphing into churches are not consumer driven, but
consumers. American churches of all God driven!
theological stripes have increasingly
become “vendor” churches.
And finally, the pastors of missional
churches are not CEO’s or shopkeepWhat’s the alternative?
ers. The pastor’s function isn’t to run
the organization; it is to coach, chalThe alternative is to become more lenge, encourage, to counsel and lead
of a “missional” church.
church members in their daily Christian walk out in the world.
What does that kind of church look
like?
This transitional time is a time to
look at yourselves; what are the things
First, the purpose of the missional you are doing now, and which of
church is to be people “called out” those things promote the tenets of this
by Christ to be his body, every day, church? What needs to be added or rein the world. The church isn’t a place emphasized? What could be trimmed
or even an activity. The church is US. down or even eliminated in order to
Our identity is sealed in our baptism, create more time and resources for
when we are marked by Christ as his the things that matter and have the
very own.
potential to make KUC more of a missional church?
As Rick Warren so boldly stated
in The Purpose Driven Life, “It’s not
These questions revolve around
about you.” It’s about Christ, and his who we are called to be in our daily
incredible vision for our lives – not as Christian life as the ecclesia. If we keep
consumers or money-makers or even our essential purpose and reasons for
students of spirituality, but as his am- being ever before us, that is, KUC’s
bassadors, as his name-bearers, as his tenets of faith that state:
disciples.
• God is active in the world and in
each one of our lives.
Second, success in missional church• That by God’s grace, we are loved,
es is measured by how faithful we are forgiven and strengthened to respond
to Christ’s values. Sometimes that to God’s call to live by the great comwill draw great numbers; sometimes mandment. (“You shall love the Lord
that may rub people the wrong way; your God with all your heart and with
sometimes Christ’s message may even all your soul and with all your mind
offend.
and you shall love your neighbor as
yourself.”)
A “missional” church knows what
• That in the person of Jesus Christ
it’s about and doesn’t overly worry we know what God is like and who we
about numbers. The first question the are to be like.
next morning is not, “how many were
• That the Holy Spirit is present
in attendance?”
among us encouraging us to work for
peace, justice and reconciliation in our
broken world.
• And that in response to the gift
We are the ecclesia, the “called out
of God’s loving kindness, we have ones,” the sent out ones.
a responsibility to live out what we
say we believe… in our homes, in our
“Here is the church. Here is the
workplaces, in how we treat others, in steeple. Open the doors and send out,
sharing what we have…
send out, send out all the people.”
How will we know if we’re on the
right track? We will know it:
• to the extent that we identify ourselves as the “called out ones;”
• to the extent that we measure our
success by our daily faithfulness;
•
to the extent that we are ambassadors of Christ in our everyday
lives;
• to the extent that worship becomes the center of our life together;
Let me end by going back to our
gospel lesson – where we read about
Jesus calling out his first disciples.
Church scholar, Craig Dykstra says
it well; he writes:
“It is an interesting thing about
those people who became apostles;
they were in business for themselves:
fishing, collecting taxes, and holding
households together, doing the things
ordinary folk do to keep their heads
above water and their hands out of
trouble. Then something happened.
They were called by someone and
sent somewhere. And when that happened, everything changed. They saw
themselves differently, went places
they never thought of going before,
thought thoughts that never in a hundred years would have come into their
heads, and did things they never in
their wildest imaginations would have
seen themselves doing.
Their world was turned upside
down. They saw evil in what once had
been business as usual, beauty and
goodness in people and things they
had scoffed at, scorned, or just plain
ignored. Strangers became friends and
enemies became neighbors. Called and
sent, and everything was rearranged.
A sense of mission is precisely a sense
of having been sent. This is the key to
understanding the church, ourselves as
individual Christians, and understanding Jesus Christ.
If we want to know who the church
is, we must see it … as the ‘sent people’
of God – the people sent by God
through Christ. And if we want to
know who we are as individuals, we
must … see where it is Christ sends
us. Then we come to know who it is
we are.”
Amen!