The Link…Making Connections for Ministry

Weekly Counter:
NOTES:
Pastor:
Choir Director:
Organist:
Youth Director:
Liturgist:
Reverend Dr. Bruce Taylor
Amy Muegge
Burton Tidwell
Annette Newcomb
John Kline
Galen Miller
The Link…Making Connections for Ministry
FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING SUNDAY, February 22nd, 2015
The Welcome mat is out for you!
We are glad to have you here today as a partner in prayer, in song
and in the hearing of God’s Word.
We hope that you will stay for refreshments and fellowship after
worship, so that we may become friends, strangers no longer!
The Congregation of First Presbyterian Church
WEEKLY CALENDAR
Sunday
February 22
9:00 a.m. Worship Service
10:30 a.m. Church School - all ages
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Monday
Tuesday
February 23
February 24
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Wednesday February 25
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Thursday
SERVING YOU TODAY IN WORSHIP
1:00 p.m. Small Comforts
5:00 p.m. Congregational Life Committee
6:30 p.m. Christian Education
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February 27
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5:30 p.m. Midweek Meal
6:00 p.m. Youth & GOLD
6:30 p.m. Lenten Studies:
Engage: Gospel
Get Acquainted with your Bible
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February 26 12:00 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
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Friday
Pastor Bruce -Vacation - returns March 3rd
5:00 p.m. TOPS
6:00 p.m. Cub Scouts
7:00 p.m. Bible Study
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Christy Leaves for appt. out of town
No Pastor's Adult Study today
Jubilation Ringers
Nominating Committee
Chancel Choir
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4:00 p.m. Cub Scouts Blue & Gold Banquet
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Sunday, February
22
Monday, February
23
Tuesday,
February 24
Wednesday,
February 25
Thursday,
February 26
Friday, February
27
Saturday,
February 28
Sunday, March 1
Marcia Hickman; Don & Shirley Hile; Mary
Ann Holt
Katie Rogers; Jack & Bonita James; Mary
Sunshine Jarman
Jane Johnson; Dick & Joan Jones; Stan &
Sey Jones
The Kline Family: John, Sheryl, Ben, Eric,
& Stephanie
Pat Keast; Nancy & Hank Kruckeberg; Joe
Lessert
Mark & Margie Lawson - Rachel; Lisa
Lessert; Betty Lowrey
M.G. & Virginia Lessert; Bill & Rosalie
Majors; Karen Mannino
Candace Mathews; Lance & Connie Matthews Autumn & Levi
September through May the elementary children are invited to GOLD (Giving Our Lives to God Daily) directly
following our midweek meal. This is a structured time of interactive activities that are tied to the week’s Bible
study lesson. Wednesday 5:30-7:00 pm
The youth group also meets at this time for fellowship, activities, and Bible study under the direction of
fulltime youth director, Annette Newcomb. They are a growing youth group with a focus on building healthy
and happy relationships and growing closer to God. Wednesday 5:30-8:00 pm
Family Night
Please join us this Wednesday for Church Family Night
for a deliciously yummy meal prepared by Mr. John Cool.
Lenten studies begin at 6:30
Cost is $5/person or $10/family. Guest always eat free.
Please invite family, friends, and neighbors!
DAILY PRAYER FAMILIES-PLEASE PRAY THIS WEEK FOR:
22nd
25th
26th
28th
Sunday
March 1
Carter Wyatt
Earl Sutton
Levi Wofford
Jacque
Salmons
9:00 a.m. Worship Service - Guest - Deborah Green
10:30 a.m. Church School - all ages
Children and Youth Sunday School and Activities at First Presbyterian Church
Children and youth are encouraged to join us each Sunday morning at 10:30 am. We offer classes for
nursery/preschool, elementary aged children, and middle school and high school youth. The preschool, elementary
children, youth and one adult class use the Faithweaver Bible study curriculum. Each class studies the same
scripture in an age appropriate way, and the adults are encouraged to engage the children and youth in conversation
about their Bible lesson each week
Prayer List
Please help us keep this list updated.
Let us know of additions and/or deletions.
We pray for those in mourning: Let us remember in prayer those who are mourning the
death of loved ones.
We pray for those who are homebound: Stella Aggers; Betty Throop; Jack Bowker;
Carolyn Bourne; Saundra Gee; Joan Fuller; Delma Jackson; Eva Roberts; Virginia Brown;
Ann Harlin; Don McKay
We pray for those who are undergoing tests, treatments, rehabilitation and recovering
from surgery: Barbara Ware; Don McKay; Ann Salmons; Telle Miner; Agnes Hatlelid;
Sharon Uhlig; Pat Keast; Floyd Griggs; Frances & Jimmie Elenburg; Scott Dewey
We pray for those in need of prayer: Danny Melber ( brother of Sandy Flegler); Sharon
Stuemky (friend of the Nanni's); Bill Coddington; Suzan Walsh (daughter of Pat Tebrinke);
Bill Majors; Kyrsten (step-daughter of Lou Ann Bush); Mavis Robison; Fred & Peggy
Lyon; Andrea Lambert; Ray and Annette (neighbors of Lou Ann Bush); Wendy (neighbor
of Lou Ann Bush); Cathie Huddleston (daughter of Donna Miller)
We pray for those in military service to our country: A1C Blake Aday, SF Tech School,
Lackland AFB, TX (son of Christy Aday); WO2 Nathan Smith and family, USA (nephew
of Mary Ann Holt); Major Keith O'Halloran and family, USAF, (nephew of Mary Ann
Holt); Capt. Jacob Lynes, USAF, (White Sands Military Reservation, New Mexico)
(grandson of Chip & Jody Whipple); Specialist Jason Paynter; Cadet Carol Southard (Air
Force Academy) (daughter of Mark and Laura); Capt. David James (son of Jack and
Bonita); Capt. Maren Lowrey (granddaughter of Betty); all the women and men serving
our country in the military.
We pray for the victims of natural disasters: the people who continue to recover from the
numerous natural disasters, all those affected by the drought, and everyone still affected by
various hurricanes and tornados.
We pray for our community, state, country and world: people all over the U.S. suffering
from one disaster or another; our world leaders; for the US congress, unity and cooperation
among the churches in our city, our state, and our country.
PRINTED SONGS ARE UNDER LICENSE CCLI#321348
but have aspired to be our own gods.
Forgive us, we pray,
and refrain from the penalty we deserve.
Remember the rainbow,
and help us to be truly thankful for your forgiveness,
so that we obey your will.
We ask this in the name of Christ Jesus who died for us.
(Silent confession)
Amen.
ORDER OF WORSHIP
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
FEBRUARY 22, 2015 – 9:00 A.M.
WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
PRELUDE
“Adagio”
Louis Verne
KYRIE ELEISON
“Lord, Have Mercy Upon Us” (Hymn No. 551)
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy upon us.
GREETING AND CONCERNS OF THE CHURCH (Please sign the friendship register and pass
it on to those seated beside you. Then, as it is returned, note the names of fellow worshipers
in order to offer them a personal greeting at the close of worship.)
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON (concludes with…)
Friends, believe the good news of the gospel.
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
*CONGREGATIONAL INTROIT
The Doxology (Hymn No. 606)
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.
*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE
Gloria Patri (Hymn No. 580)
Glory 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, Amen.
OLD HUNDREDTH
*THE PEACE
Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us forgive one another. The peace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
*CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 46:1-3)
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
God’s love endures forever.
We are gathered to worship God.
*HYMN No. 425
“Son of God, Whose Heart is Peace”
PROCLAIMING GOD’S WORD
SHARING THE GOOD NEWS WITH YOUNG DISCIPLES
THE COLLECT
TAMA NGAKAU MARIE
CONFESSION OF SIN AND PRAYER FOR PARDON (Unison)
God of mercy,
our disobedience must grieve your heart greatly.
You created the world in hope
and you created us in love,
providing everything that we need to be content,
providing boundaries so that we might know what is right and good.
We confess that we have transgressed our limits.
We have not been satisfied to be creatures,
*indicates assembly may stand
GLORIA PATRI
FIRST READING: Genesis 9:8-17 After the flood subsides, God makes a covenant with Noah,
his sons and all their descendants and every living creature, that God will never again
destroy the earth, and puts a bow in the clouds as a sign and reminder of the promise.
SECOND READING: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Christ suffered in order to bring us to God; as the waters
of the flood, though destructive, were Noah’s means to safety, so the waters of baptism hold
the promise of salvation for us.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ANTHEM:
“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”
R. Kevin Boesiger
*GOSPEL READING: Mark 1:9-15 When Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven announced
approval of him, then the Spirit drove him into the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan
and lived among wild creatures and was ministered to by angels; afterward, he proclaimed
the nearness of God’s kingdom and called people to repent and believe.
This is the gospel of our Lord.
All praise to our Christ.
SERMON:
“God’s Heart-Struggle”
Dr. Taylor
RESPONDING TO THE WORD
*HYMN No. 833
“O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go”
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
ST. MARGARET
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Unison, from A Declaration of Faith)
Though they were made to be like God,
man and woman broke community with God,
refusing to trust and obey him.
Their community with each other was broken
by shame and murder, lust and pride.
We confess that in all generations
men and women have rejected God again and again.
At times we seek in pride to become gods,
denying the good limits that define us as creatures.
At other times we draw back in apathy,
refusing to fulfill our human responsibilities.
The antagonisms between races, nations, and neighbors,
between women and men, children and parents,
between human beings and the natural order,
are manifestations of our sin against God.
We confess that in the execution of Jesus
the sin of the human race reached its depths.
We believe that in the death of Jesus on the cross
God achieved and demonstrated once for all
the costly forgiveness of our sins.
He was acting on behalf of God,
manifesting the Father’s love that takes on itself
the loneliness, pain, and death
that result from our waywardness.
In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself,
not holding our sins against us.
Each of us beholds on the cross
the Savior who died in our place,
so that we may no longer live for ourselves,
but for him.
THE CHURCH IN ACTION:
“A Moment for Evangelism”
THE OFFERING
Prayer of Dedication
Offertory
“Song of Peace”
Jean Langlais
*Congregational Response
“We Give Thee But Thine Own”
WINDERMERE
We give Thee but Thine own, Whate’er the gift may be:
All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER (Unison)
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.
GOING IN GOD’S NAME
*HYMN No. 166
“Lord, Who throughout These Forty Days”
ST. FLAVIAN
*CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
*CHORAL RESPONSE
POSTLUDE
“Sortie”
Jean Langlais
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Dr. Bruce L. Taylor, Pastor
1505 East Grand Avenue, Ponca City, Oklahoma 74604
www.fpcponca.org
Office Telephone: (580) 762-2431 Pastor’s Residence: (580) 762-1377
Annette Newcomb
YOU ARE WELCOME to First Presbyterian Church, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.). We hope that you find our worship service inspiring and our time together cordial.
Please join us for a time of fellowship over refreshments in the Fellowship Hall.
If you are a visitor, we would appreciate having your name, address, and telephone number
on our fellowship register so that we can be in touch to thank you personally for being with us
today.
There are many ways of serving God through this community of faith—everything from
ushering to teaching, singing in the choir to playing a musical instrument, serving on a committee
or task group, or volunteering in evangelism and mission outreach.
If you have any questions about your faith, our church or the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
or wish to explore membership with this congregation, please see me following worship today or
contact me at the church number or my residence telephone listed above.
Thank you for honoring us with your presence this morning.
Blessings,
Bruce L. Taylor, Pastor
Holy Women, Holy Men: Commemorations This Week
February 22 – Eric Liddell (d. 1945) was an Olympic gold medalist in track and field, born to
missionary parents in China. Favored to win gold in the 100-meter race at the 1924 Paris
Olympic games, he decided not to participate because the heat was to be held on Sunday;
he chose not to break his personal commitment to keeping the sabbath. The story is told in
the film, Chariots of Fire. After graduating from university in Scotland, Liddell returned to
North China. When, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Liddell and British citizens were
advised to leave China, his wife took their children to Canada but he and his brother stayed
on and continued their work. In 1943, Liddell was interned in a Japanese concentration
camp, where he ministered compassionately to his fellow captives. He died shortly before
the camp’s liberation.
February 23 – Polycarp of Smyrna (d. c. 155) was a disciple of the apostle John and became
bishop of Smyrna, in Asia Minor, defending the apostolic faith against the Gnostic heresies.
His letter to the church in Philippi reveals a firm adherence to the faith and deep pastoral
concern for fellow Christians in trouble. We also have an authentic account of Polycarp’s
martyrdom. The elderly bishop was ordered burned at the stake for refusing to offer pagan
sacrifices, but, when the flames failed to consume him, he was speared to death.
February 27 – Anna J. Cooper (d. 1964) was born to an enslaved woman and a white man,
probably her mother’s master, in Raleigh, North Carolina. After attending Collegiate Institute,
founded to educate African American teachers and clergy, she married one of her instructors,
who was the second black man ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in North Carolina. She
was soon widowed. Anna then received degrees from Oberlin College and was made
principal of the African American high school in Washington, D.C., but was denied
reappointment in 1906 for refusing to lower her educational standards Emphasizing the
importance of equal education for African Americans and an advocate for black women, she
assisted in organizing the Colored Women’s League and the first Colored Settlement House
in Washington. She died at age 105.
February 28 – Martin Bucer (d. 1551) was a German Protestant reformer and liturgical scholar
who sought reconciliation among conflicting reform bodies. Leading the Reformed church in
Strasbourg, he greatly influenced John Calvin when Calvin took refuge in that city after being
banished from Geneva. Bucer’s thinking can be detected in Calvin’s theological writings and
liturgies.
(February 29) – John Cassian (d. 433), facing the problems of living the Christian life at a time
when the old Roman order seemed to be crumbling, laid the foundations for what would be
the spirituality of the Western Church. As a young man, he traveled to a monastery in
Bethlehem and later traveled to Egypt to learn about the ascetic life from desert monastics
like Antony and Macarius. Forced to leave Egypt because of political pressures, he moved to
southern Gaul, where he founded a house for monks. Like his desert mentors, he sought the
perfection of the individual soul, but insisted that no one should embark on a monastic
vocation alone, but rather become part of a community with other monks pursuing the same
goal. His work influenced Benedict, whose own monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy, became
the model of basic spirituality of the Western church.
The scripture readings for next Sunday, the Second Sunday in Lent, are
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:23-31; Romans 4:13-25; and Mark 8:31-38.
ADULT EDUCATION Today (10:30 AM):
FAITHWEAVER STUDY FOR ADULTS – The Bible study, related to the lectionary
readings and paralleling the scriptural basis of the children’s classes for the same day, meets on
the lower level in the Multi-Purpose Room. Steve Ernst leads the study.
CURRENT EVENTS – Jolene Ebbert leads the discussion of current events and the way in
which our always-changing world affects us as Christians, in the Parlor.
SERMON CHAT – Dr. Taylor invites you to an after-worship conversation about the
sermon and scripture passages used in worship this morning. The gathering will be in Room
B-9 (lower level). You are encouraged to bring along a Bible and the order of worship from
the morning service.
ADULT EDUCATION This Monday (7:00 PM):
1 KINGS – Mark Southard continues a reading and discussion of the First Book of Kings.
The class meets on the lower level in Room B-9 (lower level).
LENTEN PATHWAYS WEDNESDAY NIGHT (7:00 PM):
ENGAGE: GOSPEL – We continue our Lenten discipline of preparing to be evangelists.
Every disciple is responsible for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. What is the good
news, and how do we go about sharing it? We gather in Room B-5 on the lower level.
GET ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR BIBLE – “God Delivers the People”. The Book of
Exodus and its stories of liberation from slavery and the faithfulness of God (and the
frequent unfaithfulness of God’s people) are fundamental to rest of the Bible and are referred
to throughout the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. We continue an introduction to
what the Bible is and what the Bible is about, both for newcomers to the scriptures and
people who are well experienced. How about joining us in this exercise as your Lenten
discipline this year? Dr. Taylor leads the experience in Room B-9 on the Lower Level.
ADULT STUDY THURSDAY AFTERNOON – “Listening to Scripture: Strategies for
Interpreting the Bible” will not meet this week, but will resume Thursday, March 5, at
2:30 PM.
NOTES: