Round Hill Community Church
ORDER OF SERVICE
December 11, 2016
Third Sunday in Advent Christmas Pageant
PRELUDE Pastorale on Wachet Auf W. L. Wold
WORDS OF WELCOME
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader:God of hope, who brought love into this world,
All:be the love that dwells between us.
Leader:God of hope, who brought peace into this world,
All:be the peace that dwells between us.
Leader:God of hope, who brought joy into this world,
All:be the joy that dwells between us.
Leader:God of hope, the rock we stand upon,
All:be the center, the focus of our lives always, and particularly this Advent time.
*HYMN No. 129Lift Up Your Heads, O Mighty Gates
*OPENING PRAYER
God of generations, your promises come to birth in surprising ways. Fill our hearts with courage and hope and fill our dreams with visions of new life. Help us live according to your word and love with the fullness of your grace; in the holy name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.
*The congregation is invited to stand
*THE LORDS 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 and ever. Amen.
*GLORIA PATRI
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.
LIGHTING THE CANDLE OF LOVE The Debnar Family and Rhona Johnson
Leader: We are a people of hope, a people of peace, a people of joy.
All: Today we light the candle of love. No other word so adequately expresses the spirit and goal of our faith. No other word so completely describes what we know of our God.
Leader: For God so loved the world
All: That the compassion of God was revealed through the faith, hope and love of Jesus Christ.
Leader: We gather in the transforming power of Christian love.
All: We give thanks for a love that passes all understanding, and we wait for the dawning of Gods pervasive and enduring love once more this Christmas season.
HYMN* One Candle is Lit, verse 3
Come festively sing while awaiting the birth,
join angels in dancing from heaven to earth.
Wave banners of good news, lift high thankful praise.
One candle is lit for the joy of these days.
WORDS OF INTRODUCTION
*HYMN No. 165 Once in Royal Davids City
It is our hope that this performance of the Best Christmas Pageant Ever will warm your heart and prepare it for the coming birth of Jesus Christ. Our children have worked very hard to make this a beautiful experience for you.kindly show them the courtesy of waiting until the very end to take photographs, at which time we will announce a general photo opportunity. Thank you.
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CAROL No. 144 O Little Town of Bethlehem (verses 1 and 2)
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CAROL No. 147 Away in a Manger (verses 1 and 2)
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CAROL No. 155 Angels We Have Heard on High (verses 1 and 3)
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CAROL No. 172 We Three Kings (verses 1, 2 and 3)
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*CAROL No. 143 Joy to the World
OFFERING
Invitation
Anthem Creator of the Stars of Night arr. J. Scott
*Doxology 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.
*Hymn My Country, Tis of Thee (verse 4)
Our fathers God, to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright with freedoms holy light;
protect us by thy might, Great God, our King.
PASTORAL PRAYER
*HYMN No. 140Hail to the Lords Anointed
CHURCH PRAYER
Our Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good. Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill-will ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and prudent, giving no just cause for offense and may thy holy peace rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week, sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
BENEDICTION
CHORAL RESPONSE Once He Came in Blessing J. F. Wolle
POSTLUDE Choral Song S. S. Wesley
ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT
We, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a self-governing, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth; where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a community where individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship, and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.
ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREED
I believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide, comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God; and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.
2016 CHRISTMAS PAGEANT CAST
(in alphabetical order)
Madeleine Amell
Katie Byxbee
Libby Byxbee
Jake Cabral
Karla Carplenter
Ashley Collins
Nate Collins
Elena Debnar
Daniella Delgado
Keira Fredriksen
Shelley Kane
Thomas Leininger
Laysha Lucero
Naomi Lucero
Alex Piper
Jenna Quas
Michal Schroeder
Isabella Valenti
Jacob Solomon
Mattea Solomon
CHURCH NEWS
A special note of thanks to Linda Seaver for organizing and directing this years Pageant!
Thank you to all of the youth of our Church for their participation in this weeks service and for enhancing our worship with their presence and energy. Thank you to Nabil Ghawi and Bill Herrick as well as, all the parents from our Church School who provided treats for coffee hour today. Please join them in the parlor following the service, and help celebrate our wonderful Pageant cast!
Music - Leslies Notes: John Scott (1956-2015) was one of the pillars of the Anglican choral tradition. He served as Director of Music and Organist of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, from 1990 to 2004. While at St. Paul's, he directed and played for a number of special occasions for the British Royal Family, including the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the 100th birthday of The Queen Mother, and the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2004, Scott moved to New York City to succeed Gerry Hancock as Organist and Director of Music at Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, where I had the great pleasure of meeting John and becoming his friend. John Scott died on the 12th of August, 2015 at the age of 59. Our profession lost not only a great advocate and talent, but so much potential creative energy and inspiration. This morning we sing his setting of Creator of the Stars of Night, which is a beautiful and mysterious chant tune, and dedicate our singing of it to John's memory.
The Mitten Tree is now in the parlor and in need of new gloves, scarves, hats and mittens to keep little ones warm this winter! All donations should be hung on the Mitten Tree and will then be distributed to our friends at Neighbor to Neighbor.
Round Hill Youth will gather for Friday Night Live on December 16 from 6-8 p.m. in the Community House for an evening of fun and festive Christmas games and discussion about Peace in the Midst of Stress. Contact Rev. Dan Haugh with questions or to RSVP [email protected].
Bible Study Series: People of the Book will take place next Sunday, December 18 after worship. We will discuss John the Baptist, why he was so important to Jesus, and how the Baptizer can be a source of inspiration for us, too. Advance reading: Luke 3:1-22. All are encouraged to participate!
Volunteer with the AARP Foundation to help local, low income and elderly taxpayers prepare their 2016 returns. No previous experience necessary; training, IRS certification and continued support is provided. For information or to volunteer, email [email protected].
Neighbor to Neighbor - Please help our neighbors in Greenwich with a food donation. December Foods of the Month: Baby and toddler foods, i.e. jarred baby food, infant formula, non-perishable baby yogurts (found in baby food aisle), muesli and pastina, toddler snacks. Donations may be left in the food wagon in the Church entrance.
Poptops (pull tabs)for Sr. Rosemary and the Young Women o
