Sunday Evening Bulletin

THE GATHERING

Musical Prelude

Greetings and Announcements

Introit  “Sweet Hour Of Prayer”

Call to Worship (Responsive)

Reader 1: From deep soil comes bold and daring growth.
From the seeds of our past will come fresh new growth.

Reader 2: We come today to marvel at what has been harvested
and prepare for what will come.

Reader 3: We come to celebrate where we are and where we have been.  We come rejoicing with our ancestors in faith across generations:

Reader 1: The Methodists, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians,

Reader 2: the Evangelical United Brethren, and Local Union Churches, and our full communion partners across this world:

Reader 3: The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea,

Reader 1: The United Church of Christ,

Reader 2: The United Church of Christ in the Philippines,

Reader 3: and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

All: We give thanks to God for the blessings of past, present, and future, and dare to plant these seeds of faith anew!

Opening Hymn “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”

Opening Prayer

Leader: Let us pray:

All: Again and again, God, we come to this time and place with a song! Each day you give us a chance to begin anew: to drink deeply of your Spirit, to boldly follow in the Way of Jesus, and to dare to seek justice as we seek relationship with our neighbours and you. Again and again, God, you call us out of our old lives and into your new day.

And so, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of this United Church of yours, help us to reflect back with clarity upon all that deserves to be celebrated, all that deserves to be lamented, and all that deserves to be let go. We are not perfect, God, but we are yours, and we trust that you are with us every day. This day, and always, help us to be good grain that is planted and tended by your love, so that in the year to come we may flourish in this time and place. Amen.

Time for All Ages

In 1925 something kind of amazing happened. People who believed in God but had different ways of showing it decided that they were going to work together. There was excitement and passion about what would come, grief over what had been lost, and even worry and fear because a United Church like ours had never existed before. We were growing something new, hoping to seed God’s love into the world.

For 100 years the church has been planting. On anniversaries, we like to celebrate the harvest of our actions. Here are some things we are celebrating on this the 100th anniversary of the United Church of Canada:

· Love Is Louder: 2SLGBTQIA+ Advocacy

· Ministry with Children and Youth

· Arts, Architecture, and the Church

· The Indigenous Church

· Food Security, Justice, and Sustainability

· Justice and Advocacy

· Ecumenical and Interfaith Partnerships

· Emergency Relief and Disaster Response

· Becoming an Anti-Racist Church

· Celebrating the Ministry of Women

· Climate Justice

· Making a Difference through Public Engagement

· The United Church of Canada: A Faith for Today

· Our love of singing about the gospel

Gospel Selections

WE GO INTO THE WORLD

Hymn “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah”     VU # 651

Commissioning/Benediction

Celebration Moment

Postlude Music