Over the past two years you may have attended one of our small connection dinner, but this fall you won’t want to miss the biggest connection dinner ever. Join us November 13th, 5:30pm, Fellowship Hall. Everyone is welcome! Our main dishes will be made by Ed and Pam Knight, and desserts prepared by Sue Miner. As part of our church family gathering we are asking you to bring a dish with a story…one that was a family favorite growing up or a dish that represents your heritage. Please bring either a vegetable, fruit, bread, or other side dish to share.
We are having a huge block party, and you are invited!
Enjoy dinner with your friends, church family, and neighbors. We’ll have burgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks and an awesome bake sale.
This year, credit cards will be accepted!
Live Music – check out our rockin’ play list:
4:30 The Face of Change 4:50 The Garrity Decision 5:10 Weippert Light Orchestra 5:30 Mollie Bowman & Colleen Berry: Force of Nature 5:50 Hannah Smith Revival 6:10 The Jill Wiebe-King Blues Explosion
Fun for the kiddos
And of course, join us for FREE games & prizes, moonbounce, giant slide & obstacle course, face-painting, crafts and tons of fun for the whole family.
Outdoor Movie
Starts at 7pm! We’re bringing back the 2001 Classic – Monsters, Inc.!
image :: Villa on the Attersee, Gustav Klimt (1914, Austrian)
Preparation for Worship :: His Grace
“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him.” (C.S. Lewis)
“The more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild.” (G.K. Chesterton)
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday September 4 include ::
:: Doxology(Thomas Ken, 1709)CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Give Me Jesus (African-American Spiritual)CHART [bandcamp track=893825801 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: 10,000 Reasons(Redman & Myrin, 2011)CHART[bandcamp track=2659759028 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Come, All Ye Pining (Anne Steele, b.1717) CHART [bandcamp track=2538870965 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Psalm 147, Praise the Lord, O Zion (Wendell Kimbrough, 2015)CHART [bandcamp track=2951980805 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (Stuart Townend, 1995) CHART [bandcamp track=1116635246 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]
Call to Worship :: Ephesians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
Confession of Sin
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
Almighty God, our Creator and Redeemer. You love Your Church and You have saved us by Your grace. You have clothed us in the righteousness of Your Son. You are the eternal and faithful God. Yet we confess that we daily attempt to hide from You. We have willfully sinned against You and our neighbor. Failing to see and trust You, we have forgotten You. Forgive and deliver us, good Lord. Renew Your people by Your grace, that our lives and lips might sing Your praise. To the glory of Your Name. Amen
Words of Encouragement :: Psalm 103:11-12
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him;as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
Sermon :: Psalm 147
1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.
image :: Fire at Full Moon, Paul Klee (1933, Swiss)
Preparation for Worship :: Hallelujah
“A body by its weight tends to move towards its proper place…fire tends to move upwards, a stone downwards…Oil poured under water is drawn up to the surface on top of the water. Water poured on top of oil sinks below the oil. They are acted on by their respective densities, they seek their own place. Things which are not in their intended position are restless. Once they are in their ordered position, they are at rest…My weight is my love. Wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me. By Your gift we are set on fire and carried upwards …Lit by Your fire, Your good fire, we grow red hot and ascend, as we move upwards to the peace of Jerusalem.” (Augustine, Confessions)
“The only potential bond between the extremes of mankind: joyful preoccupation with God.” (Derek Kidner)
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday August 28 include ::
:: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing(Charles Wesley, 1739) [bandcamp track=369330321 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Psalm 146 / Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah (The Psalter, 1912)[bandcamp track=1454428131 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Amazing Grace (John Newton, 1779) [bandcamp track=2203479634 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: May The Mind of Christ My Savior (Kate Wilkinson, 1925) [bandcamp track=383595627 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: ‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus (Louisa Stead, 1882) [bandcamp track=3021677932 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Doxology(Thomas Ken, 1709) [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Your Great Name (Natalie Grant, 2008)
Call to Worship :: Luke 4:16-21
Jesus stood up in the synagogue to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Confession of Sin
Our Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us for failing to honor You as our King. We have panted after human messiahs and a salvation of our own design. We have placed our trust in created things and the solutions the world offers. We acknowledge our need for a King to deliver us, but we have insisted on a rescue that leaves our pride intact, a salvation that does not interfere with our choices, and a deliverance that frees us from either worshipping or loving You. Forgive our hard, proud, and fearful hearts. Forgive our failure to worship You alone as only King and Savior.
Words of Encouragement :: Titus 3:4-5
When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy.
Sermon :: Psalm 146
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
image :: Questioning Children, Karel Appel (1949, Swiss)
Preparation for Worship :: My Soul Thirsts
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
“You should tell the devil: ‘Just by telling me that I am a miserable, great sinner you are placing a sword and a weapon into my hand with which I can decisively overcome you; yea, with your own weapon I can kill and floor you. For if you tell me that I am a poor sinner, I, on the other hand, can tell you that Christ dies for sinners and is their Intercessor…You remind me of the boundless, great faithfulness and benefaction of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The burden of my sins and all the trouble and misery that were to oppress me eternally He very gladly took upon His shoulders and suffered the bitter death on the cross for them. To Him I direct you. You may accuse and condemn Him. Let me rest in peace, for on His shoulders, not on mine, lie all my sins and the sins of all the world.” (Martin Luther)
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday August 21 include ::
:: Doxology(Thomas Ken, 1709)CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Magnificat (Luke 1:46-49)CHART[bandcamp track=3475501751 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: A Mighty Fortress(Martin Luther, 1529)CHART[bandcamp track=1521952589 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken(Henry Lyte, 1825)CHART [bandcamp track=1380076138 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Greater Than Our Hearts(Charles Wesley, d.1788)CHART [bandcamp track=3178942179 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=0687f5 size=short]:: Love’s Redeeming Work Is Done(Charles Wesley, 1739) CHART [bandcamp track=135949962 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: O Lord, Hear Our Prayer(Jaques Berthier, 1982)CHART >>> AUDIO
Call to Worship :: Revelation 15:3-4; 1:5-7
Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed. To Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom of priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.
Confession of Sin :: based on Isaiah 30:15,18
Sovereign Lord, You said that in repentance and rest is our salvation, in quietness and trust is our strength, but we would have none of it. Yet You long to be gracious to us; You rise to show us compassion.
Words of Encouragement :: Hebrews 2:14-15
Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Sermon :: Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
image :: Modern City No 1, Hilly van Eerten (2010, Dutch)
Preparation for Worship :: Except the Lord Build the House
“This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build Me a house to dwell in?” (II Samuel 7:5)
“One of the most telling features of [Psalm 127] is that it singles out three of our most universal preoccupations—building, security, raising a family—and makes us ask what they all amount to and to whom we owe them.” (Derek Kidner)
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday August 14 include ::
:: Doxology(Thomas Ken, 1709)CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Be Thou My Vision(8th Century Irish Hymn)CHART [bandcamp track=1801427840 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds CHART(John Newton, 1774) [bandcamp track=3647467981 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: I Need Thee Every Hour(Annie Hawks, 1872)CHART[bandcamp track=110765075 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: It Is Well (Horatio Spafford, 1873) CHART [bandcamp track=1579571203 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Better Is One Day In Your Courts (Matt Redman,2005)CHART// AUDIO
Call to Worship :: Psalm 118:19-24
Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank You that You have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Confession of Sin
Almighty Father, we are gathered before You, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, whose chosen dwelling place is with the broken and contrite. We confess that we have sinned against You in thought and word and deed; we have not loved You with all our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. You call us to worship You in spirit and in truth, but we often worship only what we wish You to be. We are quick to ask You to bless what we do, rather than seeking to do what You bless. We have sought concessions, when we required guidance. We have used Your gifts for private ambition, instead of for Your mission and glory. We use worship to shape You, rather than seeking to be formed into the likeness of the One we worship. Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us; Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us; Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world, grant us Your peace.
Words of Encouragement :: Colossians 1:12-14
Give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Sermon :: Psalm 127
1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Churchwide Connection Dinner
image :: Villa on the Attersee, Gustav Klimt (1914, Austrian)
image :: Modern City No 1, Hilly van Eerten (2010, Dutch)