First United Methodist Church of Wilmington

August 3, 2003                                                        10:15 a.m.

 

ORDER OF WORSHIP

 

As you prepare your hearts and your minds for worship, reflect on these words:

“We come to celebrate a God of love. 

We come to celebrate that God is Love.

We come to celebrate that Love revealed:

Jesus, God’s only Son, has come into the world

So that in him we might have life!  Let our celebration begin!

 

ENTRANCE

 

Prelude and Lighting of the Altar Candles                              Acolytes

 

Hymn of Preparation No. 176    “Majesty, Worship His Majesty”

            

Call to Worship:

Leader:  Good morning!

People:  Good morning!

Leader:  The Spirit of God calls to us,      

People:  with sighs too deep for words.                     

Leader:  The Spirit of God calls to us,           

People:  claiming us,

Leader:  summoning us to become more than we are now,

People:  calling us by name:  God’s children.

           

*Hymn No. 64      “Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty”

     

Invocation   (Unison)

Bless us, O God, with a reverent sense of your presence, that we may be at peace and may worship you with all our mind and spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

CONFESSION AND AFFIRMATION

 

Silent Meditation

 

Call to Confession    (Pastor)

“This table is open to all who confess Jesus as the Christ and seek to follow Christ’s way.  Our Lord invites us to come to this sacred table, not because we must, but because we may.  We come not because we are fulfilled, but because in our emptiness we stand in need of God’s mercy.

 

 

Prayer of Confession             (Unison)

God of life, forgive our denial of life, our destruction of its hopes, our denial of its needs, our distortion of its possibilities.  Fill us with your Spirit of life that we might be people of life, servants of life, encouragers of life, signs of Christ, the life of the world.  In his name we pray.  Amen.

 

Assurance of Forgiveness    (Pastor)

Here are words you may trust, words that merit full acceptance:

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  To all who confess their sins and resolve to lead a new life He says: “Your sins are forgiven.”  Thanks be to God.

 

*Gloria Patri                                                                                             No. 70

 

Time With the Children

 

FRIENDSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP

Parish Life

 

Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer           

 

Presentation of Tithes and Offerings

 

Offertory Invitation

“As we prepare to gather around the table of the Lord, let us share in God’s generous hospitality to feed those who are dismissed from the world’s tables, that they may no longer feel alone and be hungry.”

     

Offertory Music by Paul Cadlaon

 

*The Doxology                                                                                                    No. 95

 

*Offertory Prayer

 

PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE

 

Scripture                                                                              Acts 11:1-18 

 

Special Music by Young and Adult Fellowship (MYAF)      

 

Meditation:      “The Table Is Not Finished Yet”    Rev. Neil Platon

   

The community comes together around the lord’s table

 

The Great Thanksgiving

 

Leader:  The Lord be with you.

People:  And also with you.

Leader:  Lift up your hearts.   

People:  We lift them up to the Lord.          

Leader:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People:  It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 

Leader:  It is right that we should always and everywhere give thanks to you, Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who rose victorious from the dead and comforts us with the blessed hope of everlasting life.

And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

 

People:  Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

 

Leader:  Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.  By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

 

When the Lord ascended, he promised to be with us always in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.

 

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, He took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:  “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”

 

When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:  “Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant poured out for you and for many for the forgive- ness of sins.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

 

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith:

 

People:  Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

 

Leader:  Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.   By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.  Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and forever.

 

People:  Amen.

 

Breaking the Bread

 

Leader:  Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 

The bread which we break is a sharing of the body of Christ.

The cup over which we give thanks is the sharing in the blood of Christ.

 

Giving the Bread and the Cup

(Please go to the station nearest to your seat)

 

Closing Communion Prayer of Thanksgiving     (Unison )

 

We have received from your hand, O God, bread from the earth to fortify our hearts and wine to gladden our spirits.  May these signs of Christ’s presence fill our lives with such gratitude that we are impelled to spread the joy wherever we go.  Amen.

 

SENDING FORTH 

 

Hymn No. 381  “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us”  (1^st – 3^rd Stanzas)

 

Prayer of Thanksgiving    (Pastor)

 

*Hymn No. 381   “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us”   (4^th Stanza)          

 

*Benediction      (Pastor)

Grant that what has been said with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and that what we believe in our hearts we may practice in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Benediction Response No. 557  “Blest Be the Tie That Binds”

Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.

 

Carrying the Light Into the World

 

Postlude

* If you are able please stand

 

 

ASSISTING IN THE SERVICE

Liturgist:  Meg Fajardo     Pianist:  Trini Yadao

Acolytes:    Heather Cadlaon & Julie Viray

Or Victoria Hulett & Christine Sta. Ana

Ushers:  Ben Jacusalem (Head Usher), Numeriano Pigao, Romy Funiestas, Efren Ramil and Alvarino Aquino

Ushers Next Week:  Ruben Pascua   (Head Usher), Danny Dela Cruz, Joel Dauz, Rizal Ancheta and Romy Guerrero

Communion Stewards:  Betty and Fred Slover

Communion Servers: Lily Ramos, Beth Fajardo, Mary Rasing and Alice Cabamongan

   

 

                  Financial Report – July 27, 2003

                        Regular Envelope Offering                           $    770.00

                        Loose Offering                                                      53.33

                        Run for Missions                                                    45.00

                        Birthday Offering                                                    20.00

                        All Sunday Schools                                                  8.00

                                                T O T A L                                $    896.33

 

Financial Secretary:  Rolando and Jane Mangaoang

Offering Steward:  Vic & Lita Pasamonte and Roberto Panlaqui

 

Offering Steward Schedule

                        August 3                     Don and Lolita Pascua

                        August 10                   Jake and Herminia Pascua

                        August 17                   Ruben, Irene, Raynald or Randolf Pascua

                        August 24                   Barbara Paulson

 

T O D A Y!

Sunday school for adults – Ilocano and English 9:15 am

Pastor’s Forum – 9:30 to 10 am – Sanctuary – Sermon passage

Sunday school for children – theme “Exploring Faith” 10:15 am

 

HELP is needed to clean communion.  See Betty Slover today.

 

Vacation Bible School – “Lighthouse Kids” will begin on Monday, August 4^th, from 6:30 to 9 pm.  Closing program will be next Sunday, August 10^th.  There will be a VBS organizational meeting following church.  If you have questions please contact Amy Manacop.

 

New Fence – The total cost was $7,025.00  To Date $559.00 of the $3,512.50 needed has been received in the “Fence Fund.”

 

Church Newsletter deadline today!                         

 

Pastor Neil’s church office hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 – noon

 

Thursday Bible Study at 10:00 am at the Tabios home

New text “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson

 

New Bible Study  on the book of Revelation to meet Thursday nights at 7:30 pm at the Vilano home – 3050 Linden Avenue, Long Beach

 

Friday Bible Study - Young Adult 7:30 pm – Youth 8:30 pm

 

Lita Cabrera will coordinate the summer Sunday music.

 

Everybody’s Birthday for August celebrants on August 10^th.  Total To Date - $2,657.00

 

District Camp for 3^rd to 6^th graders from August 10-14 at Camp Wrightwood.  For more information you can contact Rev. Nicole Reilley at 310-323-1012 or email RevNicole@aol.com.

 

Sunday Worship Attendance Report