ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

W ORLD U N I TC E DOMMUNION C H U R C H O F C H RSI SUNDAY T TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST N E I G H B OEstablished R S I N N E1727 ED OFFERING O c t obe r 6 , 2 0 13 – 10 :00 a . m.

ROCKY HILL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Established 1727 UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST The Friendly Church at the Center An Open and Affirming Community

~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. *Please rise in body or in spirit. *Bold type denotes collective response. ________________________________________________________

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Rev. 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 “Welcoming Hymn” The Choir Here am I to welcome you, to welcome you this day Here to worship God. Every one is welcomed here to give praise. Alleluia!

from Thailand

Alleluias sing always, through ages yet to come, And have been before. Join the praises echoing on and on. Alleluia! CALL TO WORSHIP Voice One: This is the day that the Lord has made. Voice Two: Estes es el dia en que el Senor ha hecho. (Spanish) All: We will rejoice and be glad in it! Voice One: Blessed are all the people of God, the children of every land.

Meghan D. Young

Voice Two: All: Voice One: Voice Two: All:

Bendicho estan toda la gente de Dios, los hijos de todas las tierras. Blessed is all that God has made. May the voice of God call us, may the heart of God awaken us, La voz de Dios nos llama el Corazon de Dios despertando en nosotros, Until we are one…until we are one.

* HYMN

“They’ll Know We Are Christians”

*GATHERING PRAYER Creator God, we give you thanks for all you have made – for a world alive with sound and sight, taste and touch. We thank you for your people everywhere – for young and old, for near and far, in tiny towns and sprawling cities, of every voice and color. As we break bread today with sisters and brothers of the world, we pray for the spirit of peace; because we divide what is whole, because we betray what is one, we need your spirit of loving peace. God of our one world, heal us and transform us, in our inner hearts and in our common heart. *WORDS OF ASSURANCE Hear the promise of the Gospel, that all who are in Christ are made new, forgiven and freed in redeeming love, for abundant life, today and tomorrow. Thanks be to God. *SUNG RESPONSE:: (repeat refrain from opening hymn) And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, And they’ll know we are Christians by our love. MESSAGE FOR ALL AGES

(insert)

READING FROM THE SCRIPTURES SERMON

Galatians 3:23-29 The Rev. 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 "Let us Talents and Tongues Employ" from Jamaica The Choir with Dave Hall, Percussion arranged by Austin Lovelace Let us talents and tongues employ, Reaching out with a shout of joy: Bread is broken, the wine is poured, Christ is spoken and seen and heard. Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again, Pass the Word around: loaves abound! Christ is able to make us one, At His table He sets the tone, Teaching people to live to bless, Love in word and in deed express. Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again, Pass the Word around: loaves abound! Jesus calls us in, sends us out, Bearing fruit in a world of doubt, Gives us love to tell, bread to share: God, Immanuel, every where! Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again, Pass the Word around: loaves abound!

*Doxology

*Prayer of Dedication PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Joys & Concerns Pastoral and Silent Prayer Prayer Response

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION *Hymn “One Bread, One Body” Invitation On this day when Christians all over the world will come to a table and break bread in Christ’s name, so do we come to this table, where Christ is the host and we are the guests. We are called to the banquet table of God, no matter who we are, no matter where we have come from, no matter whether we have been here many times before, or never before. As the many grains of wheat become the one loaf, and the many grapes become the one cup, so do we in our manyness become the Body of Christ. With sisters and brothers the world over, we share the meal that Christ gives us to share, calling us to be his body in the world… renewing our hope for a common life of justice and mercy.

(insert)

Prayer of Preparation The Lord’s Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Vår fader som är i Himmelen. Helgat varde Ditt namn. (Swedish) Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Tillkomme Ditt Rike, Ske Din vilja, såsom i Himmelen så ock på Jorden. Give us this day our daily bread, Vårt dagliga bröd giv oss idag And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Och förlåt oss våra skulder såsom ock vi förlåta dem oss skyldiga äro. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Och inled oss icke i frestelse utan fräls oss ifrån ondo. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Ty Riket är Ditt och Makten och Härligheten i Evighet. Amen. Amen. The Words of Institution: Recalling the Story Sharing the Bread and the Cup This church practices open Communion – all who wish to know the presence of Christ and to participate in the community of God’s people are welcome to receive Communion, including children, and regardless of church membership or denominational affiliation. This morning we will receive Communion by intinction (dipping the bread into the cup, which holds unfermented grape juice). Gluten-free bread and juice are also offered. Please follow the lead of the ushers who will guide the coming forward row by row (beginning with the side sections from the front, continuing with the center sections from the back). Any wishing to receive Communion who are unable to come forward may raise their hands to identify themselves to a deacon and will be served in their seats.

Communion Music “Pater Noster” by Arthur Foote “Moderato Cantabile” by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Prayer of Thanksgiving We give thanks to you, O God, for the gifts of your table, for love that heals and forgives, that calls and sends. In that love, send us out; in that love, make us new – that we might be bread for each other and light for the world. Amen.

The Practice of Peace Now let us share among us a sign of God’s peace. 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

“Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ”

New Century 347

*BENEDICTION Voice One: Now let the people of God go in peace, to love and to serve in the world. Thanks be to God. Voice Two: Gracias a Dios Voice Three: Gud vare tack Voice One: Let all the people say, All: Amen! POSTLUDE

“Antiphon”

by Gordon Young

Special thanks to Tia Sheathelm, Lisa Eleck, and Dave Hall for participation in this morning’s service. GREETERS Don and Polly Pagnucco HOSPITALITY Denise and Bob Carberry USHERS Al and Joan Diaz, Cheryl Hummel, Cindy Hunt, Jim Stevens DEACONS Judy Graham, Stephanie Heneghan, Nancy Parsons, Rob Grandell, Eleanor Mahar

The flowers this week are given by Elaine Somes in loving memory of Daniel R. Somes.

Next Week Sunday, October 13 The Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza is preaching

TODAY - RHCCUCC INTERIM PROCESS CONGREGATIONAL CONVERSATION #2, October 6, 11:30 – 12:15 Child care provided. Topic: Core Purpose What are churches for? What does this church exist for? In what ways are we serving/not serving our core purpose? What kind of new pastoral leadership do we imagine, in light of our core purpose? Upcoming Conversations: Part 3: Oct. 13 Part 4: Nov.3 A summary from Conversation #1 (Sept. 22) is on the bulletin board in Chapin Hall, and is also available through the church office.

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. A very BIG thank you to everyone who bought scrip in September. Thirty-three members and families "thought scrip" during the month, producing a church profit exceeding $1700 for the month - our second highest monthly profit ever (which was $1900+, last November). Just think of how much fundraising we could accomplish if fifty members participated each month! We could probably close that budget deficit! If you placed an order last week, please pick up your cards at the scrip table today in Chapin Hall. And as usual, have a variety of cards in inventory available for immediate purchase this morning, including (but not limited to) Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chico's, Denny's, Kohl's, Panera, Sunoco, Target, and Walmart. In addition, we always carry cards for Big Y, CVS, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, West Side Marketplace, and Whole Foods. See Gail Hall at the scrip table for a full listing of available cards, or to have all of your questions answered. Think SCRIP!

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

Children are invited to remain in worship today, following along with the children and youth bulletins. Join us again on October 13, for week 3 of Rainbow of Promise.

Here’s what we’re learning about this unit… COME JOIN THE CIRCLE: Unit 1 – Rainbow of Promise (Genesis 6-8; 9:1-17) What’s Noah’s Story? The Bible is filled with stories of God’s love. Genesis 1 begins at the beginning with the creation that God calls “good” and moves quickly to Genesis 6 with a brand new creation. But is God’s love what you think of when you recall Noah and the ark? Or do you think of cute pairs of animals and boat trip in the rain? You might remember the rainbow, but what about the altar Noah built on dry land? And most importantly, what about the covenant – God’s rainbow promise? A Prayer For The Unit. God of all, thank you for the covenant you made with Noah and the rainbow promises you made to us. May we see the colors of your love all around us. Amen. NURSERY VOLUNTEERS: Nursery Volunteers are needed for the fall. 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 [email protected] for more information. You can also sign-up outside the Nursery.

GROW YOUR FAITH & GET INVOLVED WITH S.P.I.R.I.T. The RHCC S.P.I.R.I.T. Church School is a place that values intergenerational relationships, growing in faith, and learning throughout our lives to be the disciples Christ calls us to be. You are invited to come join the circle and get involved. We are currently in need of a Show & Tell Learning Center Guide for unit 1. There are also other opportunities throughout the year for learning center guides in all our classrooms. Learning Center guides prepare engaging activities to teach the bible story through community service, drama, games, crafts, and food. Training and lesson plans are always provided. If you are interested in being a learning center guide, or participating in a one-time class, please contact Meghan Young at [email protected].

LUNCH BUNCH BEGINS TODAY! All 6th – 12th Graders are invited to join us each Sunday from 11:30 AM – 1 PM for Lunch Bunch. RSVP with Diana Hellyar if you plan to attend.

Calling all Bowlers The new bowling season will start on 10/7 and we are looking for anyone interested to join us. The bowling league meets on Monday nights at 7:00 at Bowl-o-Rama in Newington. Interested persons should add their name to the sign-up sheet in Chapin Hall or contact Michele Jokl at [email protected]. No experience necessary.

COUNTRY FAIR Rocky Hill Congregational Church 805 Old Main St., Rocky Hill Sat, October 19th - 9:00 a.m.-2 p.m. • Buy-it-Now Silent Auction • Chapin Hall of Foods -Bake Shop -Candy Shop -Snack Bar -Farmer's Market • Toy Shop • Holiday House

• • • • • • •

Sew Country Jewelry Boutique Kitchen Shop Kitchen Outlet Missions Booth Quilt Raffle Tea Room (opens @ 11:00)

• Roast Beef Dinner • Saturday, October 19th @ 5:30 p.m. •

Gluten-free items available

• Tickets $12/adults $5/children • Children under 4 yrs old free • Reservations Required • Call Church Office at (860) 529-4167

DONATIONS NEEDED FOR CHURCH FAIR Quilt Raffle Tickets ($1 each) and Roast Beef Dinner tickets ($12 adults/$5 children) will be sold in Chapin Hall following Service. Donations are needed for the Fair: • Kitchen items (pans/appliances/dishes/glasses linens) • Women's/Men's/Children's jewelry, fashion scarves, purses • Gently used toys, puzzles and games • Baskets, gift certificates for the Silent Auction • Sewing projects, working sewing machines, fabric, craft needles • Baked goods/fudge, nut brittles Donations may be dropped off on Sunday 10/13 or Monday 10/14 Baked goods/candy may be dropped off on Friday 10/18

Calling All Bakers And Non-Bakers

Calling all bakers and non-bakers to help with pies for the Church Fair and Roast Beef Dinner, Wednesday, October 16, 2012 from 4-7:30 pm and Thursday, October 17, 2011 from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Bring your peelers, rolling pins, energy and appetites (you will get to sample pie.) The more volunteers the easier the project. Wednesday night we will work with preparing dough as needed and Thursday will peel apples, put together and bake pies and anything else we can do with apples. If you are interested or have any questions please call Marsha Hoffman at 860 563-1367.

ADULT FAITH FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES

Weekly Bible Study: Wednesdays, 12 noon – 1 p.m. (Fiorilli Room) Led by the preaching pastor for the week, the study is based on the Scripture text(s) coming up for the following Sunday in worship. All are welcome. No experience necessary. Bring your favorite translation or pick one up from the shelf. Brown bag lunch is optional.

Fall Book Study: Two Thursday evenings, Nov. 14 and 21, 7 p.m. Led by Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza Falling Upward: Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, by Richard Rohr In this small and readable book, Franciscan and well-known spiritual author/teacher Richard Rohr explores the sequence of spiritual tasks through life and how they shift. It is not a book on aging. It is about spiritual journey, as it unfolds in human life. Rohr writes: There are at least two major tasks to human life. The first is to build a strong ‘container’ or identity; the second is to find the contents that the container was meant to hold… It is when we begin to pay attention and seek integrity precisely in the ‘the task within the task (what we’re really doing when we’re doing what we’re doing) that we begin to move from the first half to the second half of our own lives….It is hard work. Most often we don’t pay attention to that inner task until we’ve had some kind of fall or failure in our outer tasks. CALL TO SPECIAL MEETING A Special meeting of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church United Church of Christ is called for Sunday, October 13, 2013 immediately following worship in the sanctuary to affirm the members of the Senior Pastor Search Committee. There will be no other business conducted at this meeting. Respectfully submitted Marsha Hoffman, Clerk

This Week at RHCC October 7 9:00am Yoga with Lynn 10:30am Apple Rehab Service 5:30pm Yoga with Lynn 7:00pm Women’s AA 7:00pm Bowling 7:30pm Bell Choir

Monday Chapin Hall

October 8 8:30am Breakfast Club 7:00pm Council

Tuesday Bob’s Coffee Shop Fiorilli Room

October 9 9:00am Quilters 12:00pm Bible Study 7:30pm Adult Choir

Wednesday Room 6 Fiorilli Room Choir Room

October 10 5:30 pm Tops 7:00pm Fair Committee 7:00pm Music Committee 8:00pm Men’s AA

Thursday Chapin Hall Fiorilli Room

October 12 8:30am Yoga with Lynn 1:00pm Shower 6:00pm Dinner/Movie

Saturday Chapin Hall Parlor Chapin Hall

Chapin Hall Chapin Hall Loft

Chapin Hall

Oct 7 Irene Moore Devon Gagnon Emily Doten 8 Whitney Pirre 9 Elaine Vicino Anne Louise Griswold

Judy Charamut Matthew Behlman Rebecca-Lee Molina 10 Susan Lexa Lindsey Wainwright Diana Hellyar Joseph Malespini 11 Matthew Gagnon Karen Jensen 12 Katie Hoffman-Fulda William Knight Phillip Coleman

Rocky Hill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ 805 Old Main Street Rocky Hill, CT 06067 Church Office: [email protected] / 860 529-4167 Church Website: rhccucc.org Visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/rhccucc Office Hours 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 [email protected] Acting Associate Pastor for Faith Formation: Meghan D. Young [email protected] Minister of Music: Mary DeLibero [email protected] Webmaster: Dave Hall [email protected]