Sunday, February 8, 2015 11:00 a.m. Welcome to Asbury First United Methodist Church We are a caring, Christ-centered community, a safe haven for all who enter our doors. We invite you to join us in worship, in learning about faith, and in loving our neighbor. We are Asbury First, and we are glad you’re here. AN INVITATION TO WORSHIP Welcome visitors! We invite you to sign the ritual of friendship pad during the service. Please complete a visitor card, found in the pews, and take it to the welcome desk in the Welcoming Hall, where we have a small gift for you. Informational brochures are available in the Welcoming Hall. If you’re interested in becoming a part of our community, please check the appropriate column on the ritual of friendship pad, or contact any pastor. Again, a deep WELCOME! Worship Aids: Large-print bulletins, Bibles, and hymnals are available from the ushers. Braille hymnals and ASL interpreters are available with one week’s advance notice to the church office, 271-1050, ext. 103. A hearing loop in the sanctuary is available for those who have hearing aids with T switches; you may also request earphones from the ushers that will aid you in hearing the service if needed. CDs of our Sunday morning services or just the sermon may be borrowed or purchased; call or stop by the office and speak with the receptionist during the week. Prayer Request Cards are in the pew racks. We invite you to place prayer requests in the offering plates, so that our pastors and the Intercessory Prayer Group may pray for you. Your prayer request is confidential. Coffee Fellowship: You are invited to enjoy coffee, tea, or cocoa and conversation every Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at Heavenly Grounds in the Gathering Center. Treats may also be available. Giving to Asbury First: Donations to Asbury First may be made during the service by placing your gift (cash or check) in the offering plate when it is passed. You may also give online at www.asburyfirst.org. If you are interested in Electronic Fund Transfer, please contact Richard Moncrief at (585) 271-1050 x108 or [email protected]. As a community of faith, we believe that children are sacred gifts and they are welcome in our worship. We recognize that children can become restless during worship. Excellent nursery and childcare is offered. Children’s bulletins are available. Please see an usher for more information. After the service we welcome you to sit in the chancel choir pews to meditate and listen to the organ postlude. We kindly ask that as you enter the Sanctuary you turn off your cell phone. Worship on Radio – Each Sunday morning from 11:00 a.m.-noon you can tune your radio to WYSL 1040 AM or 92.1 FM to hear today’s worship service. You may also go to www.WYSL1040.com and hear audio of the service. LIVE & Archived Worship on your Computer: We offer live video streaming of the 11:00 a.m. service on our website at www.asburyfirst.org. A video archive of past services is also available. We welcome your suggestions on how we may improve these offerings. Reconciliation Statement: Asbury First United Methodist Church prayerfully strives to live in its community with open hearts, open minds and open doors. Affirming that each person is of sacred worth, we seek to be a fully inclusive church, believing that all people are God’s children, created in God’s image, loved and blessed equally by God. It is our purpose to be a Reconciling Congregation. This means extending hospitality and encouraging full participation of all, regardless of age, race, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status or family structure, education or economic background and physical or mental ability. We recognize that we hold a variety of opinions. We do not seek to erase our differences, but to journey together in faith toward greater understanding and mutual respect. We believe that reconciliation to God and to one another is central to our mission and ministry. Prayer Is Our Most Important Asset. People are organizing to pray for our world in these troubled times. If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 p.m., stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for peace in the world. 2 worship service Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany • 11:00 a.m. • February 8, 2015 As the community gathers, we respectfully request that you enter into a time of silent preparation. May the music of the prelude draw your hearts and minds to God. If, during the service, you feel the desire to applaud, please pause and permit the spirit of the musical offerings to fill your soul. The community gathers ... Prelude “Suite Gothique, Opus 25” — L. Boëllmann (Maestoso ~ Trés lent) “Ride the Chariot In the Mornin’” — Hart Morris Choral Introit *Call to Worship L: P: L: P: L: P: Call on the name of God, for God has called us by name. Lift your eyes and see, for Christ is in this place. Know that God is near, for the Spirit lives in each of us gathered here. * PRocessional #529 “How Firm a Foundation” (vss. 1-3, 5) HymN *Greeting #265 “O Christ, the Healer” (vss. 1, 5) *HYMN Prayer of Invocation To hear the Word ... Scripture As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with Mark 1:29-39 James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the 3 * please stand, in body or in spirit morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. Anthem “In the Garden” — Miles/Dobrinski Children’s Time (The children are invited to bring their prayer requests and offerings at this time.) The Lord’s Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will Prayer 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. Amen. *HYMN #375 “There Is a Balm in Gilead” (vss. 1, 2) During the singing of this hymn, children four years old through sixth grade are invited to exit the Sanctuary for Enrichment Time. Sermon “Distractions” Call to Prayer Pastoral Prayer Prayer Response To renew commitment .. Invitation to Discipleship, Membership, and Commitment You are endowed, by your Creator God, with the gifts of time, talent, and treasure. You will find, within the worship folder, invitations to enrich your faith journey and enhance your commitment. We invite you to prayerfully consider these opportunities. You are invited to sign and pass the ritual of friendship tablet from the center aisle down the pew. Prayer request cards are available in the pew racks and may be placed in the offering plate as it is passed, or they may be placed in the wooden boxes located in the Narthex and Welcoming Hall. Offertory “Search Me, O God” — K. Lee Scott Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is evil in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 4 Where shall I go from your Spirit? And where shall I go from your presence? If I ascend up to heav’n, you are there. If I make the grave my bed, you are there. If I rise on wings of the morning and dwell in lands across the sea, even there will your hand uphold me; and there will your right hand sustain me. Search me, O God and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any evil in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. *Doxology #95 “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow” Prayer of Bless these gifts with your creative strength and power, O God, that those who Dedication need to know your love and feel your presence, may be blessed by the gifts we have given this day. Amen. To disperse in mission ... *Recessional #569 “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations” hymN *Benediction *Benediction Response Postlude “Suite Gothique, Opus 25” — L. Boëllmann (Toccata) PERMISSIONS: “Search Me, O God,” K. Lee Scott ©1994, Concordia Pub. House, OneLicense.net #A-721053. 5 Participants in the Service 6 Preacher: Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Cady II Liturgists: Rev. Lawrence Hargrave, Mike Mullin Lay Reader: Dawn Riedy Director, Sanctuary Choir: William Weinert Director, Asbury Ringers: Elizabeth Church Organist: Duane Prill Acolytes: Trey Alaimo, Allison Czora Crucifer: Evan Alaimo Head Usher: Marty Garland Video: Kenny Bailey Audio: Kathie Bryant Announcements CELEBRATIONS AND CONCERNS The flowers on the altars are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of my granddaughter Haley Leigh Bone, February 13, 2003-October 25, 2003, by Robert S. Moore. (If you would like to honor or remember a family member or friend by placing flowers on the altar, please contact Jeanne Ristau at 223-4356 two weeks in advance of the date you are requesting. Following services, you may pick up your bouquet or have it delivered to a shut-in.) We offer our prayers and concern for all those who are ill at home, hospitalized, or in hospice care. Known to be hospitalized as of Wednesday are Joanne Hines at Unity Hospital, Kathy Welch at St. Mary’s Hospital, and Marian Anderson at Highland Hospital. We offer our prayers and sympathy to the family and friends of Toni Frame who died on February 2, 2015. CHILDREN’S MINISTRY We invite the children to take activity bags as they enter the Sanctuary. There are two different bags, the larger one is for children ages 3-6, and the other is for ages 7-12. Each bag contains an age-appropriate children’s worship bulletin, crayons, and a book. Please return them to a basket in the same location after the service. After the children’s sermon at the 11:00 service, children four years old through fifth grade are invited to Enrichment, located on the second floor of the Education Wing. Is Children’s Ministry meeting your child’s special needs? Can we make accommodations to be useful to you and your child? Contact Children’s Ministry at (585) 271-1050 x111 to explore possibilities. Calling all children in kindergarten through fifth grade! Would you love to be in the Asbury First production of The Tale of Three Trees this spring? The rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings: children in grades K-2 rehearse from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m., and children 3rd -5th grades rehearse from 6:15 to 7:00 p.m.. There is a family dinner between the two rehearsals at 5:45 p.m. The performances will be on Sunday May 10 during both the 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. services (the play is about 20 minutes in length). Come and be a part of an Asbury First tradition of excellence in theater! Any questions please contact Bozena Granat at [email protected]. GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS We invite you to pray for members of our church families known to be serving in the military, at home or abroad: United States Air Force: Vernon M. Collier; Staff SGT Charles Key; Airman Patrick “Rick” Smith. United States Army: SPC Andrew J. Thompson; SGT Christopher M. Birdsall; MAJ Thomas Donatelle; CPT Nathan Lubba; MAJ Matthew Ristau; SGT Christian T. Dahl; CPT Scott Moncrief. United States Marine Corps: LT Craig R. Waldman; CPL Kevin Mueller*; PFC John Lyons. United States Navy: LTJG Adam Kreutter; LT Jason Kreutter; Captain Jeffrey A. Ward*; BMC SW/AW Andrew Stukey. United States Army Reserves: SGT Philip Noland Bell; SGT Michael DiPaola; Staff SGT Michael Joyce.* Australian Defense Forces: Jason Duffy* *deployed. If you would like to add the name of a member or friend to our military listing, or if you know someone on this list who is no longer serving in the military, contact Mary Van Keuren at [email protected], or (585) 271-1050. 7 Thank You for Supporting Our Youth! Our Asbury First youth want to express their sincere gratitude for all of your help and support in making this year’s Souper Bowl Sunday fundraiser another success! With your help we raised more than $2,000 to help support our youth missions! COMMUNITY NEEDS Asbury First provides home for RAIHN families Sixty volunteers from Asbury First, Greece Baptist Temple and Baber AME churches worked the week of December 7-14 for more than 300 hours to provide a temporary home and meals for homeless RAIHN families. Volunteers cooked, cleaned, visited with families, and entertained children. This is the tenth year that Asbury has participated in RAIHN (Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network). Come join in the support of homeless families as they make their temporary home in Asbury First’s 1010 East Avenue in 2015 on the following dates: • March 29-April 5 (Palm Sunday-Easter) • July 5-12 (Independence Day Weekend) • October 11-18 (Columbus Day Weekend) There is always a need for volunteers for this vital outreach program. Contact Asbury RAIHN scheduling coordinators Chris and Doug Lee at (585) 451-7692 or [email protected] or contact Melody, x103, at the church office (271-1050). Grocery Bag Ministry “Individual Christianity is a self contradiction! Unless there is a sense of ‘one another’ there is no sense of the living Christ.” – Elton Trueblood, The Future of the Christian. Jesus described how vital “connection” is for spiritual survival. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers.” John 15:5-8. You know what happens when a branch is cut off from the vine. It may look green but eventually it will turn brown and die. Like the branch we need to be connected to each other and others. 8 Our connections must not be just within our church family. The Grocery Bag Ministry will be packing and delivering 75 bags of groceries on February 21 in the Gathering Center. Food items needed include jam, peanut butter, tuna, canned fruit, soups, veggies, pasta, pasta sauce and mac/cheese. I am also looking for a computer for an adult who is taking courses at the Divinity School; if you can help call Bill Lisi at (585) 223-6608. Thank you. Carvers of Hope Carvers of Hope is a new ministry for people 12 or older.No prior skills are needed, and all materials are provided. We will teach you how to carve small birds and crosses for those who are struggling with emotional or physical pain. Extra birds will be sent to hospitals/other churches to help those who are dealing with major difficulties. Participants need to be 12 years old to attend because of the use of a carving knife. We meet upstairs in 1010 East Ave. (the red brick building just west of the church) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Bob Castle at 244-3044 or John Smalt at 924-8624. FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Yoga for Two & Chocolate Tasting Friday, February 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Gathering Center $10/person (Childcare available) Join us for a fun pre-Valentine’s-Day evening of partnering yoga and chocolate tasting at Asbury First. We’ll feature easy moves that anyone can do, regardless of ability. All types of partnerships are welcome – just grab someone and join us! Or, if you prefer, we can match you up with another chocolate- and yoga-loving person for the evening. Following this gentle workout, you and your partner can sample some sweet treats at a chocolate tasting. Bring a yoga mat if you have one, and prepare to connect with your partner in a novel and engaging way. Spaces are limited, so RSVP by February 9 to [email protected]. Diversity Book Club Hello from the Asbury Diversity Book Club! We’ve moved our meeting to February 22 after the 11:00 a.m. service to avoid a scheduling conflict. We’ll meet in the Resource Library in the education building to discuss The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman. Most of the library’s copies are in circulation, so you may need to obtain a copy of the book from the public library or a bookstore. Everyone’s welcome but please RSVP to Diana Carter ([email protected], 473-1187) so we can plan refreshments. TOPS Weight Loss Group New year, new you! Looking for support in reaching your weight goals this year? Join your Asbury TOPS group for a supportive approach to weight loss. We meet in the library at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. Email Jane Beamish at [email protected], or just come to a meeting. EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES Sunday School Classes (9:45-10:45 a.m.) You are welcome to join any class: all are open and welcome visitors! Topics for this week, February 8: Doublers: 1010 Red Room; “John 3:16 – So What?” Karl Nelson. Fifty Plus Fellowship: 1010 Dining Room; “Mission and Space Task Force,” Chuck Hanrahan. Growing Spirits/Living Edge: 1010 Rm. 21; Book Reviews. Partnership: 1010 Meditation Room; on hiatus until March 8. Parables of Parenting: 1040 Rm. 205; please join us. Sunday Bible Study: 1050 Teak Room; on-going study of the Gospel of John. Bring your Bible and join us. In the News: 1050 Dining Room; please join us. Topics for next week, February 15 Doublers: 1010 Red Room; “Government and Public Policy” Jennifer Sanflippo. Fifty Plus Fellowship: 1010 Dining Room; “Poverty in Rochester and its Causes,”Ed Doherty. Growing Spirits/Living Edge: 1010 Rm. 21; “1-800,” Ed Assenheimer. Partnership: 1010 Meditation Room; on hiatus until March 8. Parables of Parenting: 1040 Rm. 205; please join us. Sunday Bible Study: 1050 Teak Room; on-going study of the Gospel of John. Bring your Bible and join us. In the News: 1050 Dining Room; please join us. Panel Discussion: The School to Prison Pipeline Monday, February 23 Gathering Center 7:00 p.m. It’s a dismaying fact: students, particularly African American males, are increasingly being removed from the classroom for minor infractions that might formerly have led to nothing more than a trip to the principal’s office, and are instead being charged and funneled into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. If a student is not reading at grade level by fourth grade, the risk is even higher. How does this impact families? What can be done to stop the flood of young people out of schools and into prisons? Join moderator Rev. Lawrence Hargrave and a team of community leaders in a discussion of these and other questions of vital importance to the Rochester region. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters. United Methodism 101 Wednesdays, February 25, March 4, 11, 18 7:00-8:00 p.m. Gathering Center • Do we believe in free will or predestination? • Why do our ministers move around so much? • What’s up with the name “Methodist?” 9 • What does it mean to be “strangely warmed?” Whether you’ve been a United Methodist all of your life or have just stumbled upon us recently, this class is for you! Join us for a four-week discussion about the history, structure, beliefs, and challenges of the United Methodist Church. If you are interested or have questions please contact Stephen Cady at scady@ asburyfirst.org. Please let us know if you plan to attend by February 18 as we will have to order books for the class. The cost will be $12 for the book (optional). MUSIC MINISTRY Gossamer Edge in Concert Gossamer Edge, a voice-flute-piano trio featuring Allyn Van Dusen, mezzo soprano, Rita George Simmons, flute, and Paula Rodney Bobb, piano, presents a program called “Meditations on Love and Roses” on Sunday, February 15 at 2:00 p.m. in the Asbury First Sanctuary. While it is an apt title for a Valentine’s Day concert, the music actually goes deep into the poetry of relationships. The program includes Hilary Tann’s “A Girl’s Song to Her Mother,” Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” and “Syrinx,” Jennifer Higdon’s song cycle “Bentley Roses” on texts by James Whitcomb Riley, love songs of Ravel and Saint-Saëns, and Jake Heggie’s “The Deepest Desire: Four Meditations on Love” on texts by Sister Helen Prejean (author of Dead Man Walking). As the concert progresses, the writing for all three instruments, voice, flute and piano, is lush, expressive, and soul-penetrating. A donation of $15 is suggested. Men’s Chorus to Rehearse The Asbury First Men’s Chorus will be singing again this winter! Rehearsals will be Sundays March 1, 8, and 15 from 12:15-1:00 p.m. and we will sing at the 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. services on March 22. Dress rehearsal will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19. To confirm your participation, please email Brian Bohrer at [email protected]. 10 Hosts Needed We are looking for hosts who are able to take two or more students from the Lycoming College Concert Choir, who will be performing at Asbury First on Saturday, March 14. The concert is at 7:30 p.m., and the students would need to be picked up after that (about 9:00-9:30 p.m.). You would not need to provide dinner. In the morning, we would ask you to have breakfast for the students and return them to the church at 7:45 a.m. If you’re interested or would like more information, contact Jeanne Ristau at 223-4356. We very much appreciate your willingness to help us with these wonderful young singers! • Ash Wednesday • Wednesday, February 18 6:30 p.m. We begin the holy season of Lent with a service that reminds us of our humanity and our reliance on the gift of God’s love. Holy Communion will be available, and participants may, if they wish, receive ashes in the form of a cross on their forehead. meetings & rehearsals February 8-14 Sun. 7:45 Asbury Singers rehearsal – 1040 9:45 Sunday School hour 3:00 Senior Youth Leader mtg. – 1040 4:00 Senior Youth Laser Tag – off campus Mon. 5:30 Finance Comm. – 1050 7:00 Church Council – 1050 Tues. 9:30 Women’s Fellowship – 1040 6:00 Way of Forgiveness –1010 7:00 Library Comm. – 1040 Wed. 6 am Men’s Devotional Group – 1010 10:00 Adult Study – 1010 12:00 Women on Wed. – 1010 5:00 Labyrinth – 1040 5:15 Hallelujah Kids – 1040 5:45 Children’s Min. Dinner – 1040 6:00 Weight Loss Group – 1040 6:25 Children’s Choir – 1040 6:30 Carvers of Hope – 1010 Thurs. Fri. Sat. 7:00 7:30 6:30 6:00 11:45 leadership stafF Wesley Ringers – 1040 Sanctuary Choir – 1040 Trustees – 1050 Yoga for Two – 1040 Fifty Plus Fellowship – 1010 Rev. Susan S. Shafer, Senior Minister, [email protected] Scott Ross, Property Care Manager, [email protected] Brian Bohrer, Director, Asbury Singers, [email protected] Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Cady II, Minister for Faith Formation – Hospitality & Membership Care, [email protected] Michele Cooley, Director, Dining and Caring Center, [email protected] Bozena Granat, Director, Children’s Music, [email protected] Elizabeth Church, Director, Asbury Ringers, [email protected] Lawrence Dugan, Director, Youth Theater, [email protected] Rev. Lawrence Hargrave, Minister for Outreach and Community Connection, [email protected] Richard Moncrief, Financial Administrator, [email protected] Mary Van Keuren, Communications Director, [email protected] Paula Dugan, Children’s Ministry Director, David Strong, Music Administrator; [email protected] Assistant Organist, dstrong@asburyfirst. org Jessica Burdick-Giordano, Children’s Ministry Assistant, msjburdick@gmail. Dr. William Weinert, Director of Music, com [email protected] Mike Mullin, Director of Youth Ministries, [email protected] Duane Prill, Organist, duaneprill@gmail. com Melody Guadagnino, Administrative Assistant, [email protected] Carol Lamica, Director, Youth Music, [email protected] Rev. Linda Clemow*, Artist-in-Residence, [email protected] Nancy Davidow* & Betsy DiPaola*, Storehouse Directors [email protected] Church Switchboard: (585) 271-1050. *Volunteer leadership 11 upcoming events ion Bible Scho ol i Vacat n i M • Walk the Labyrinth • Wednesday, February 11 5:00-7:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall (lower floor Tues.-Thurs., February 17-19 9:00 a.m.-noon P lease join us for a free “ Take the Plunge” mini Vacation Bible School for children ages four through fifth grade. For more info contact Paula Dugan, (585) 271-1050 x111 or pdugan@asburyfirst. org. Registration forms are at the Welcoming Hall desk, in the February issue of The Visitor and online at www.asburyfirst.org. Gossamer Edge Sunday, February 15 ~ 2:00 p.m. Asbury First Sanctuary of church building) An ancient practice, walking the labyrinth is a time for reflection, hope, and peace. Stewards will be on hand to answer your questions. Yoga for Two and Chocolate Tasting f r ida y, f e br ua r y 13 • 6:00- 8:00 p.m . ga the r ing ce nte r • childca r e pr ovide d • $10/ pe r s on k k k Come to a fun pre-Valentine’s- Allyn Van Dusen (mezzo soprano), Rita George Simmons (flute), and Paula Rodney Bobb (piano) perform the music of Heggie, Higdon, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, and Tann. Suggested free will offering of $15. Day evening of partnering yoga and chocolate tasting. What’s it all about? Find out more on page 9 of this bulletin.k Are you interested in becoming a member of Asbury First? We welcome you to join us for the next New Member Orientation beginning Sunday, March 1. For more information, contact Melody Guadagnino at (585) 271-1050 x103 or [email protected]. Asbury First United Methodist Church 1050 East Avenue, Rochester, New York 14607 585-271-1050 ~ [email protected] ~ www.asburyfirst.org
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