Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
October 28, 2012
Worship 10:00 am          Sunday School 11:10am
 

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)                "God is here among us"                16
  Announcements
  Prelude                        "Prelude and Fugue in F major"                         Bach

*Call to Worship

*Song                                    "Shine, Jesus, Shine"                               (insert)

*Opening Prayer

  The Prophet’s Promise             Jeremiah 31:7-9

  Hymn                       (vs. 3) "Just as I am, without one plea"                       516

  The Gospel Witness                 Mark 10:46-52

  Hymn                       (vs. 4) "Just as I am, without one plea"                       516

  Message                                  "Bart’s Story" (includes mp3)
                                               (as told by the Bible character himself)

  Hymn              (vs. 1-2) "I know not why God’s wondrous grace"              338

  The Psalmist Song                        Psalm 126

  Responding with our joys & concerns, testimonies or praise

  Hymn                       (vs. 5) "Just as I am, without one plea"                       516

  Pastoral Prayer

  The Apostle’s Testimony         Hebrews 7:23-29            (Contemporary English Version)

  A Challenge for Children

  Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory                                      "Andante"                                         Gluck
                                        (Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

*Hymn                                   "God, whose giving"                                     383

*Benediction

*Postlude                           "God of the Fertile Fields"                           Thiman

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

One:     Look ... Jesus is here among us.

All:      How can we know that Jesus is here. for we are blind and cannot see?

One:     Listen ... Jesus of Nazareth is truly among us.

All:      O Jesus, have mercy on us and hear our cries for sight and understanding.

One:     Take heart; Jesus is calling you into his presence.

All:      Let us leave behind that which binds us to our blindness: let us faithfully follow him.

by Marlene M. Neher, retired pastor
Ivester Church of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin (from Oct. 29, 2000)
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"
  

Opening Prayer

Ever present God, accept our heartfelt thanks for being with us in this hour of worship and in all of life. Take from us those things that make us blind to your holy presence. Tune our ears to hear your call. Enable us to trust you enough to ask for what we need. Give us faith to believe in your power and love. Fill us with courage to follow wherever you call us to go. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

by Marlene M. Neher, retired pastor
Ivester Church of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin (from Oct. 29, 2000)
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"
  

Pastoral Prayer

written closer to the time (if not at the moment)

A Challenge for Children

Do you know what is happening this afternoon? Yes, there will be football games on television. And, you’re right, there will be a meal in our fellowship hall, followed by a play for our dinner theater. You can smell the food cooking, can’t you? What else? Yes, that’s what I was thinking about, the CROP Walk. Every year, people from churches all around our community head over the NCR trail and walk several miles together.

Why do they do this? Yes, they are raising money. Each person is supposed to get a bunch of other folks to sponsor them walking, but why? What are we raising money for? You got it! The money we raise by walking goes to help poor children around the world not go to bed hungry.

Sixty five years ago, people were going hungry in Europe. There had been a big war, in which many people were killed. Cities and towns, and the land around them had been destroyed. There were Christians here in the United States, mostly farmers, who heard about this and wanted to help. So they started an organization called, “Christian Rural Oversees Program” (or CROP), to send food to Europe to feed starving children, and money to help the people there rebuild.

This organization didn’t stop once Europe was rebuilt and children there were no longer hungry. They heard of other children in other places around the world who were going to bed hungry, so they kept on sending food, and blankets, and money to help these other children. Christians who lived in the city wanted to join in helping, so after a while the letters CROP no longer meant “Christian Rural Oversees Program.”

Fifty years ago, someone had the bright idea of raising money by walking, and so community CROP Walks were started. Now lots of organizations raise money by walking, but CROP was the first. The “walking” was and is important, because in some places in this world, children walk many miles just to fetch drinkable water, or get food to eat. We walk because they walk. We think of these children and pray for them as we walk. And we raise money to help feed them.

Speaking of money, are any of you walking? Good. I’d like to sponsor you. Here, put this money in your registration envelope, and put my name down as a sponsor. The rest of you, I want you to experience the joy of sponsoring someone else. I’m going to trust you with some money. After worship, I want you to see how many people who are walking in the CROP Walk today that you can give this money to as a sponsor. I don’t want you to keep any of it. I want you to give it all away. You already know someone who is walking, one of you. Let’s see who else is walking in the CROP Walk today. (to congregation:) If you are walking, please stand so the children can see who you are… Okay, kids, wait until after worship is over, and then go find these persons and give them your offering. See how many of them you can sponsor.

When you have given all your money away (remember, don’t keep any of it), go and find Mr. Floyd. He has something of a “trick or treat” nature to give once you have responded to this challenge. Again, don’t start until after worship is over. Okay?

(continues in "Responding with our Tithes and Offerings" below)
 

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings
(a continuation of children’s time above)

Well, now is the time we collect our offerings during worship. These won’t be going toward the CROP Walk, but rather to the other ministries of this church. When we give, we are responding to “God, whose giving (to everyone) knows no ending.” Please help me just now to pray over these offerings. Let’s join hands.

Lord, thank you for feeding us today. We woke up and enjoyed breakfast, and didn’t have to walk many miles to eat or drink, like some children in this world do. You brought us here this morning, and we heard the story of Bartimaeus. We’re glad Jesus helped him to see. You help us to see, too. We think of your words to us, the stories of Jesus, as well as your other instructions to us in the Bible, as “bread.” You have fed us our daily bread. Bless now, our response to your feeding of us. May this money the ushers will collect bless as many people as possible. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Thank you. You may return to your seats as the ushers pass the plates and receive what we all have to give.

Benediction

Go out with your eyes opened to the presence of God
and follow Jesus on the way.
Drink in the richness of God
and enjoy the strength of the Lord. 

And may God give you a long and full life;
May Christ Jesus open your eyes to the wonder of life;
and may the Holy Spirit fill you with the faith that makes you whole.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton www.laughingbird.net