Worship Bulletins
Hampstead Congregational Church
October 24, 2021
Stewardship Sunday
No Matter Who You Are or Where You Are on Life’s Journey,
You are Welcome Here!
Order of Worship
Prelude Herb Tardiff
Greetings and Announcements
Passing of the Peace of Christ
Opening Prayer
Let us pray, Ever-calling God,
We give thanks that you have gathered us into your church
and graced us with your faithful presence.
We ponder our history, ancient and still developing,
and marvel at the many expressions of your church.
Grant us the vision to be a part of this new moment in your Church
that will bring ever more joy and justice to the world.
Continue to gather us, the diverse lot of us, into Jesus’ vision and dream
that your faithful people may be one in you. Amen.
Children's Moment
Scripture Reading: Job 42: 1-6, 10, 13-17 The Message Dave Chin
Job answered GOD:
“I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”
After Job had interceded for his friends, GOD restored his fortune—and then doubled it! He had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first daughter Dove, the second, Cinnamon, and the third, Darkeyes. There was not a woman in that country as beautiful as Job’s daughters. Their father treated them as equals with their brothers, providing the same inheritance.
Job lived on another 140 years, living to see his children and grandchildren—four generations of them! Then he died—an old man, a full life.
Sermon Rev. Kathy Youzwak
Special Music
Call for Concerns & Celebrations
Pastoral 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 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.
Call to Offering
Dedication of Pledges
After the reader says, “How do we respond?” please join in saying:
We say thank you.
We give what we can.
We let it feel like a joy, not an obligation.
We let it feel like a gift, not a burden.
We show up in this space.
We believe these gifts can somehow make a difference,
and we refuse to give up on this world.
Thank goodness for a God that forever outgives.
Thank goodness for the opportunity to say thank you for it all. Amen!
Benediction
Go now into the world, inspired by the radiant love of God.
Live generously, with open hands,
loving one another as if your lives depended on it.
Be good stewards of the gifts you have received,
so that God may be glorified in all that you say and do.
And may the abundant love of God surround you,
may the extravagant grace of Jesus Christ sustain
you, and may the constant presence of the Holy Spirit
inspire and encourage you in every good deed and word. Amen!
Music Usage permitted through OneLicense HCC License # A-730412
Worship materials Copyright 2021 Faith INFO Ministry Team, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved. Call to Offering: Elinor Brown https://cpcmc.org/stewardship-sunday/, Benediction: https://voxveniae.com/2016/06/liturgy-reflection-benediction-06-05-2016/
All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Announcements...
Furniture Available--Do you know anyone in immediate need of: Beds? Dressers? A kitchen table? A china cabinet? If so, please contact the church office and we will connect you to the donor. Items need to be picked up by Tuesday.
Thanksgiving Food Drive for Upper Room --Now through November 15, we will be collecting the items listed below for Thanksgiving Baskets for the Upper Room. This holiday season, the Upper Room will be supplying between 100 and 150 Thanksgiving baskets to those in need. You can leave your donations in the foyer of the church up through November 15. We truly appreciate all your support!
Items needed:
• Cranberry Sauce
• Quick Bread Mixes (Pumpkin, Apple, Cranberry, Corn)
• Canned Corn
• Boxed Potatoes
Worship Next Week--A Service of Lament and Remembrance
On Sunday, October 31st we will have a special Sunday service to remember all those loved ones we've lost and to grieve for all that we have lost over the pandemic--special events postponed, the grief of separation from our friends and loved ones, not being able to hug or be with one another, losing our "normal" lives and living in transition for so long. Please plan to join us for this reflective service.
A Future With Hope - A note from Your Stewardship Team--Our journey to promote good stewardship practices this year began when we reached out to you to ask you to consider being Intentional, having a plan, in deciding how much to pledge for the upcoming year. Last week we asked you to include Generous and Proportional in determining how much to give. This week we introduce Cheerful as another characteristic of good stewardship.
The state of being happy makes it easier to overcome everyday challenges, pressure and anxiety. Studies have shown happy people tend to have greater overall health. When we become Intentional in our giving, use of a plan may reduce stress and anxiety if we are not sure of when and how much is appropriate to put in the collection plate. In addition, if we choose to add Generous and Proportional characteristics to our giving, the results may further reduce stress and anxiety. A Cheerful giver can be summed up in the following:
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 in part “…. give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly, or under compulsion…God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”
As we said last week, faithful Stewardship is intended to help us grow our relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship is aided by all of the traits and characteristics we have highlighted. Furthermore, our giving transcends beyond our own spiritual growth. We have the ability to transform the lives of others locally and far. What more can help us be that Cheerful giver, than contributing to the greater good. God loves a cheerful giver.
We thank you for your support as we dedicate our 2022 pledges today.
Why Aren’t We Singing?—You may have noticed that our worship services have been shortened in recent weeks. Due to the continuing high positivity rates of Covid in Rockingham County (currently 7%), we are doing the best we can to continue worship in person in our sanctuary while trying to keep everyone as safe as possible. We cannot ensure that everyone will follow safety protocols, and rather than issuing requirements to do so, we have adapted the worship service. Singing and congregational responses are high-risk activities for indoor worship, so we have temporarily suspended them. We plan to resume them once the positivity rate stays below 3% (which is the NH UCC Conference threshold for holding indoor worship). This is a challenge for all of us. As a community, we seek to remain connected even when we have conflicting ideas and opinions. We eagerly await the day when we can all gather together in our sanctuary for a full worship service.
Clothing Drive-- The Fundraising and Missions Teams have joined together to host a Clothing Drive Fundraiser to support Epilepsy Foundation New England (EFNE) and also raise funds for our church.
Simply clean out your closet and ask your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same. You will be decluttering, recycling, and doing good all at the same time!
Clothing drives account for more than 50% of the EFNE budget so they can really use our help. We in turn get paid for every pound of clothes we collect!
What are we looking for? First and foremost, all items must be clean and in good condition. They include the following:
• Clothing
• Backpacks and handbags
• Outerwear
• Footwear (shoes, boots, heels, etc)
• Costumes & dress-up clothes
• Accessories (belts, socks, ties, scarves, hats, etc)
• Household fabrics (bedding, sofa covers, tablecloths, towels, etc.)
Please place items in trash bags and leave them in the foyer of Hadley Hall at your convenience now thru the 24th of November. If you have a large quantity of bags, contact Barbara Wallack at 603-548-8326, and she will do her best to pick them up.
Cheer Each Other On--an offering from the HCC Staff Relations Team
So many of us are tired, tired of Covid, of suffering, of the anger that abounds. We want to share a poem by the Rev. Steve Garnaas-Holmes that inspired us. May it inspire you too.
Our niece ran the Boston Marathon yesterday,
her ninth marathon; her fourth in Boston.
The marathon is like unto the Realm of God.
Everybody cheers for everybody.
No teams, no sides, no winners and losers.
(One person wins; the other 30,000 just run.)
Andrea wasn't trying to win; she was just running—
though she ran an alarmingly steady eight-and-a-half-minute mile.
One year she nearly collapsed from dehydration,
staggered into the medical tent at mile 22,
and eventually was able to walk the rest of the course.
Yesterday I tracked her, passing the tent, running on.
At the finish line some people raise their arms
as if they've won. Some kiss the ground
as if returning from Mars. They have indeed won.
Every day people around you are bearing unseen burdens,
overcoming invisible challenges,
completing a story you don't know.
You can't judge their pace, or how far along they are.
Your job is to cheer them on.
Heaven, you know, is actually empty.
They're all down here, unseen, crowded around,
yelling like crazy, cheering you on.
- 61 Main Street
- Hampstead
- New Hampshire
- 03841
(603) 329-6985
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