Pentecost Communion Celebration
June 4, 2006
Sunday School Recognition, Volunteer Appreciation &
Food Bank Sunday
This Pentecost day, celebrate the power of God’s Spirit in creation, with humankind, and in the church. The Spirit transforms, empowers, guides, sustains, and gives hope. What have you seen and experienced of God’s Spirit active in our world today? How are you living as a Pentecost person today and every day?
Prelude “Festival” by B. Price
A time of silent preparation—Lighting the Christ Candle
Call to Worship (Unison as found on the back of the bulletin)
God, on this Pentecost day we pray that we who are Jesus’ followers in this time and place may experience the fresh winds and energizing fires of your Spirit, and that all of the Spirit’s gifts might move us to serve you and one another all our days. Amen.
Hymn “Like a Rock” (Choir: More Voices: #14)
Like a rock, like a rock, God is under our feet.
Like the starry night sky God is over our head.
Like the sun on the horizon God is ever before.
Like the river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.
Sunday School Recognition
The Sunday School leave for their classes.
Prayer of Transformation & Assurance of Pardon
Spirit of God, you are the breath of creation, the wind of change that blows through our lives, opening us up to new dreams and new hopes, new life in Jesus Christ. Forgive us if we close our minds to new ideas. Help us to open our eyes to see the needs of your world. Open our hands to help others. Open our hearts to show our affections to ourselves and our own. Spirit of new life, open us to continue in your love…(Silent Confession)
Assurance of Pardon (One)
Biblical Notes
Acts 2:1-21 From the Epistle Pg. 151
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
One: This is a Word to the church.
Hymn #382 “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”
We Respond In Giving And Gratitude
Offertory “Holy Spirit, Truth Divine” by D. Hegarty
Your work, O God, needs many hands to help you everywhere,
and some there are who cannot serve unless our gifts we share. Because we love you and your work, our offering now we make:
be pleased to use it as your own, we ask for Jesus sake.
The Service of the Table
Invitation to the Service of the Table
Parthian, Mede, Elamite, and Judean; those from Capadocia, Pontus, Phrygia, and Pamphylia; peoples of Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North America, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian and Arctic oceans; First Nations, Immigrant, residents of Medicine Hat, friends of Westminster: the Spirit calls you to gather, to come by this place and meet.
Thanksgiving
This bread and wine lie silently on the table, harmless, still, gentle in the quiet of this place. Yet voices of every language have cried aloud because of it. Throats have been cleared in protests, inspired by its content. Proclamations roared in response to its message. Cries of anguish have been raised because of its consequences. Pain and distress result from its politics. We join the voices rising from the saints in every time and place; saying:
Holy, holy, holy,
God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of our God,
Hosanna in the highest.
The quietest of places now becomes the loudest message to the world. As we remember you breaking bread, spilling with destiny and light, by Spirit, surrounded by promise, as you ask us to eat and join together in the journey through death to life.
We recall you, lifting the wine, alive with covenant, invested with eternity, as you invite us to experience and share. We do this, alive to your Spirit, full of mischief and intrigue, mystery and intent. As we gather, the story breaks open again for all the world.
Send your Spirit to transform these ordinary elements of bread and the fruit of the vine into agents of your presence in our lives, that they may nourish us, and challenge us to be the body of Christ in our world. The same Jesus who imaged you as Father and taught us to pray by saying…
(Distribution of the Elements.)
Prayer After Communion (Unison)
Spirit God, from this meal, awaken the promise gathered. Envelop this holy space, endowed in love, and allow this sacred moment to unnerve the world through our involvement with heaven. Amen.
Hymn #380 “She Comes Sailing on the Wind”
Commissioning (One)
God of power, may the boldness of your Spirit transform us, may the gentleness of your Spirit lead us, may the gifts of your Spirit equip us to serve you now and always.
Choral Amen
#884 “You Shall Go Out With Joy” (x2)
You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace;
the mountains and the hills will break forth before you;
there'll be shouts of joy, and all the trees of the field
will clap, will clap their hands!
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands, (clap, clap)
the trees of the field will clap their hands, (clap, clap)
the trees of the field will clap their hands (clap, clap)
while you go out with joy.
Postlude “Andantino” by J. Blied
The Life And Work Of The Congregation
Congregational Picnic
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This Week at Westminster (June 4 - 10)
Sun. Music & Worship 9:00 a.m. Lounge
Pentecost 10:25 a.m. Sanctuary
Sunday School Recognition/Volunteer Appreciation
Communion/Food Bank Sunday
Congregational Picnic following worship
Mon. Property 7:00 p.m. Nursery
Thurs. Electra Unit UCW noon Memorial Hall
Senior Choir Practise 7:00 p.m. Sanctuary
Next Week at Westminster (June 11 - 17)
Sun. Worship 10:25 a.m. Sanctuary
Tues. Board of Elders 7:00 p.m. Lounge
Jane is away until June 14th at the Lay Pastoral Minister in Training (LPMiT) course in Montreal.
Friendship Rosters: Please sign the Friendship Roster this morning. It is a helpful record of your worship presence and a way to share special concerns (ie. prayer requests, name tag requests, etc.).
Any who are seeking membership within the congregation of Westminster, either through transfer or reaffirmation of faith, please speak to James.
Square Circle Unit UCW Supper meeting – this Wed. June 7th @ 6:00 p.m. at the Hat’s Restaurant (1701 Dunmore Rd SE).
Edythe Hewitt Unit UCW will meet for lunch at Connaught Golf Club on June 7th @ 12:30 p.m. Short meeting to follow.
Westminster United Church – Church Secretary Position Available: The Professional Church Secretary performs the daily reception and clerical duties for the church. Proven experience with Microsoft Office computer applications and multi-tasking in a busy office environment is required. This very vital position is part-time, comprising 24 hours per week Tuesday through Friday. Your sealed résumé may be mailed or delivered to Westminster United Church office with a copy emailed to mcroissant@shaw.ca by June 10th, 2006.
Attention Canyon Camp Resource staff – positions available are: Camp mom or dad, camp medic, nature leader, chaplain, craft leader and lifeguard. Campers – applications are on the bulletin board for camps dated:
Jun 9-11: Women’s retreat
Jun 16-18: Family Camp Aug 25-27: Adult retreat
Jul 2-4: 6-12 yr old (intro I) Jul 5-7: 6-12 yr old (intro II)
Jul 9-14: 7-9 yr old (junior I) Jul 16-21: 9-11 yr old (junior II)
Jul 23-28: 10-13 yr old (junior III) Aug 6-11: 13-15 yr old (intermed I)
Aug 13-18: 14-16 yr old (inter II) Aug 20-25: 14-18 yr old (inter III)
Missing since the Blossom Time Tea – one Royal Albert Lavender Rose tea cup and saucer with the initial “MR” on the bottom.
Western Women’s Conference 2006 – @ Naramata Centre, B.C. Sept 29 – Oct 1. Conference cost: $315. For further information contact Naramata staff @ info@naramatacentre.net , 1-877-996-5751, ext 210 or by email at or visit their website: www.naramatacentre.net.
The ministry of Westminster United Church will be extended into the community as James conducts a funeral service for Kai "Hon" Wong tomorrow @ Pattison’s Funeral Home at 2:00 p.m. Our condolences and prayers go out to his family.
We have a ministry opportunity for a Sunday School Coordinator(s) for September (a job description is available). Opportunities also exist for teachers for the Fall. If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact Jane or Lesley Berg.
Commune-I-Care has completed their spring “call-out”, calling 279 families. 206 families spoken to, 22 referrals, 43 messages left on machines, 30 families that we couldn’t contact. Thank you to everyone who was involved in this call-out. The Fall call-out will be held from September 9-16.
Celebrations This Week
Birthdays: Emma Carleton, Amber Henderson, Carol Henderson, Albert Hoffarth, Tara Johnson, Bob Marsh, Kim Sherring
Anniversaries: Gordon & Anne Bruins
Missed Anniversary: Dave & Anne Harris (40th)
South Alberta Presbytery
Your prayers this week are requested for Terry Shillington and Cathy Coates and McKillop Pastoral Charge.
Sunday School Co-ordinator.............................. Carol Henderson
Greeters.............. Al & Marg Mattson, Melanie & Corianne Rattai
Ushers....................... John & Betty Sidlick, Bob & Arleigh Marsh
Nursery Coordinator............................................. Tanya Hoffarth
Elder-in-Charge................................................. Doug Henderson
Next Week’s Readings from: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17
Stewardship Thought For Today
Stewardship begins with recognizing (identifying), and giving thanks for God’s gifts by using them for God’s world.
By Rev. James Farrell
It's Pentecost… Pentecost
Sunday symbolically relates to the Jewish festival of Shavuot. For Christians it
is a feast on our liturgical calendar that commemorates the descent of the Holy
Spirit upon the Apostles and women followers of Jesus that took place fifty days
after Easter. For the Israelites Shavuot is
the feast of weeks (Exodus 34:22) because it was kept seven weeks after the
Passover. It was a time to offer the first-fruits of all their harvests and
secondly, to commemorate, and to render thanks to God for the law given from
Mount Sinai on the fiftieth day after Israel's Exodus from Egypt. (Matthew
18:24,23). For Hebrew significance you
can catch the stories in Deuteronomy (16:9, 10) and Leviticus (23:16, 17). From our Christian
perspective it is all about spirit…the holy spirit—that unseen force that
empowers us to be more than we can dream about being on our own…that spirit that
keeps us striving in the face of obstacles, pulls us together as community when
we might otherwise feel more like retreating into a shell…it is a celebration of
the spirit of God that Jesus promised his followers—that sorry band of those
folks who gathered to try to figure out their next move …they were the
recipients of that blessing and we, through them, continue to be the recipients
of the blessing today. Funny thing about the
spirit…it is revealed more in an exchange than as a surprise guest…the first
followers had gathered in anticipation…it often takes a step toward God for the
response from God to be encountered in our lives. Today we are celebrating our
volunteers at Westminster. Volunteers instinctively seem to know that you are
blessed when you step out to encounter something beyond yourself. A Rabbi said that Passover
helped the Jewish people remember their physical liberation—that is, their
escape from Egyptian slavery. However, he said, physical liberation isn't
enough. People also need spiritual foundations in order to be whole. Spiritual foundations don't
just dump on you…you encounter them as you seek to be intentional about sharing
what you have and being open to receiving what might be given back to you in the
mix. That's what happened with the first disciples…and before you read into the
story that it was all about the gift of tongues…note that it was really about
the miracle of hearing. Verse 6 says: "how is it that we hear, each of us, in
our own native language?" People got it…they understood…in my experience,
understanding is often more about the heart than the head. Then they took that
understanding back to their homes and families, their friends and church
communities and the power of their stories offered gifts to countless others. When we engage, share,
contribute to the whole, we become whole. The youngest people I know (in spite
of their years) are the people who give themselves as volunteers. It is volunteers that make
this church tick. Today I thank you for your vision and commitment and energy.
The evidence of your selfless work is all around us. I celebrate the Spirit that
gives us strength…the spirit that our volunteers offer and I would like also to
share my appreciation and the appreciation of the staff for every effort made by
all who offer this life and strength to the church within and beyond this
community of Westminster. In celebration of the spirit
among us I uphold the ministry of the volunteers of this church... all of the
people who have caught something of the vision of what it means to be ministers
not messiahs, the guides on the side never seeking to be the sage on the stage…
you are all gift-givers in the presence of our God. So, today, I would like to
name some of those by virtue of the contribution that is shared in the life of
this church. I will not share names because to do so runs the risk of
inadvertently missing someone's name whose gift is very much appreciated and a
crucial part of the life and work of Westminster. So, thank you to the
choir... who gather twice a week for most of the year and whose gift on Sunday
is to God's glory and to our edification, I also offer thanks to the voices of
the Jr. choir, and the musicians who assist our choir director with varied
music.
Thank you to our Sunday
school superintendent, and teachers who put the importance of Christian
education before us as a legacy to be shared with the children of Westminster
and beyond. The UCW (United Church
Women or Women of The United Church of Canada) who, for years have worked
tirelessly to support the work and mission of the church. This work is very
appreciated and your leadership is an integral part of the life and work of
Westminster United Church. Thanks to those who sit as
trustees, on committees and on the board. You folks give many evenings of your
lives to make life a little better for folks in our community—across the globe
and right here at Westminster … your decision making is always reflective and
your need to ask, "what would Jesus do?" is evidenced in the conversations and
deliberations you share… thank you To those who head up special
projects like suppers, brunches, educational events, theatre events, and
fund-raising endeavors for local initiatives and for mission and outreach beyond our
neighborhoods: like the recent M & O garage sale hosted here last week…and the
spring brunch and the tea a couple of weeks before that, your contribution is
crucial to the ongoing life of the church and is very much appreciated by
everyone here, and through our outreach, by many people we will never have the
opportunity to meet. To those who co-ordinate
activities on an ongoing basis like organizing our program of greeters, ushers
and coffee hosts, scripture readers and Minute for Mission readers for Sunday
morning's worship experience, and all of those who willingly participate in
these important parts of our worship life and those who decorate and undecorate
the church or set up for communion or serve communion or coordinate the effort
of finding folks to work in the nursery or help with youth events or yard work
here at the church or any other work projects within the reach of the church… to
all of you, many thanks and may the ongoing blessing of the Spirit of God
continue to be your strength and motivation. To those who share their
talents of decorating and painting corners of Westminster that become part of
the celebrated life of the church… Thank you for your creativity. To those who share their gift
of hospitality on behalf of Westminster when we host folks from other churches
or from the community for special and shared functions. And to everyone who
makes a first-time visitor feel welcome or long-time attendees feel appreciated,
your ministry, a ministry we all need to share, is invaluable and to the
spiritual wellbeing of all who gather here. Thank you, too, to those who
help with the sound-system, or share in worship leadership from our students,
our youth, our mission and outreach committee, in fact, all who lead worship on
occasion throughout the church year… and all the other commitments that people
make so willingly like helping with the office duties of counting and sorting
the offering or giving your time to answer the phone or to fold the worship and
announcement bulletins that we all rely upon, and to the person who delivers our
donations to the Food Bank. Thank you!
To those of you who visit on
behalf of the church and make contact with the Westminster church family
through the ministry of Commune-I-Care or co-ordinate the information gathering
that is shared through that now five year-old ministry of reaching out to many
people …and to those who visit at the hospital every week, to those who visit
our shut-ins as a presence from the church, thank you. And those who share in the
common ministry by hosting events here at the church and finding ways to bring
the larger community into our building to share our common vision of life and
wholeness for all people, to each and every one of you, I give you thanks on
behalf of this community. To those who work and partner
with refugee families and take the witness of Westminster into the greater
community through that effort, thank you. Most everyone whose task I
celebrated just now is also named in our annual report each year but I wanted, at
this time of the year when many folks slowly begin the process of rejuvenation
that provides re-creation for body mind and spirit, to affirm your work and the
gift of the spirit of God lived through you. You make our church tick and it is
good news indeed to celebrate the importance of your collective gifts. Of course, I also celebrate
the contribution of all who attend Sunday by Sunday and support the mission and
outreach of Westminster United Church with your gifts and your physical presence
and your willingness to be a part of this community, thank you and please know
that you are, of course, the backbone of the work that we do as a community of
faith and as a church family. For your kind words or
thoughtful suggestions that serve to remind me that we are all part of sharing
this gift and that together we really can make a difference as our ideas and
passions help to impassion each other and enliven our church and the ongoing
outreach of Jesus Christ. Thank you!
And to anyone who may not
feel that I have mentioned your contribution by category I offer my apology. I
ask your forgiveness and your understanding as I say "thank you" for the
unreferenced contribution you make to the life and work of Westminster. As you celebrate today, your
own appreciation for the gift of life through the spirit of God that empowers
and encourages us all, I hope you will find renewed energy for appreciating the
life you share with others through Jesus Christ even as through Jesus Christ you
are appreciated! Amen.