Tree of Hope – Julie Leuthold (2013)

First Congregational Church of

Evanston
United Church of Christ
An Open and Affirming Church
Founded 1869

Sunday, September 10th 2023 | 10 o’clock in the morning

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
 ORDER OF WORSHIP
Responses in italics may be spoken out loud.
Please stand, in body or in spirit, at places marked by an asterisk (*).

Prelude Festivity on “Christians, We Have Met to Worship”

William Moore / George Atkins

Words of Welcome Mary Kay Devine

*Call to Worship
Let our praise today be made new.
May we sing a new song, pray a new prayer, dance a new dance, and speak and
hear a new word.
Let the faithful delight in the Holy One’s marvelous acts in this-497.mus, Page 1
401-here
From the seats in the sanctuary to the couches in our homes.
Let us glorify God with our voices, the work of our lives, and the joy of our souls.
GATHERING
Glory to God! Praise the Holy One! Amen!
Here in This Place 401
*Opening Hymn Gather
Here In This Place Us In Us In) #401
(Gather
## j
œ nœ œ œ œ j
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ
D A C Gm Dm G

& J
1 Here in this place the new light is stream - ing; now is the dark - ness
2 We are the young, our lives are a mys - tery. We are the old who
3 Here we will take the wine and the wa - ter; here we will take the

## j
4 Not in the dark of build - ings con - fin - ing, not in some heav - en,

œ nœ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
C G D A C G

& œ œ nœ œ. J œ
van - ished a - way; see in this space our fears and our dream - ings
yearn for your face. We have been sung through - out all of his - tory,
bread of new birth. Here you shall call your sons and your daugh - ters,

## Gm
light years a - way: here in this place the new light is shin - ing;

& œ œ œ nœ œ
Dm C D C Gm D

œ nœ œ œ ˙. ˙.
brought here to you in the light of this day.
called to be light to the whole hu - man race.
call us a - new to be salt for the earth.

##
now is the king - dom, and now is the day.

j j
& œ œ œ œ œj
A C D G A C

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
Gath - er us in, the lost and for - sak - en; gath - er us in, the
Gath - er us in, the rich and the haugh - ty; gath - er us in, the
Give us to drink the wine of com - pas - sion; give us to eat the

## j
Gath - er us in and hold us for - ev - er; gath - er us in and

œ n œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
D G A D A C G

& œ œ œ œ. J œ
 Gath - er us in, the rich and the haugh - ty; gath - er us in, the
Give us to drink the wine of com - pas - sion; give us to eat the

## œ n œ œ œ œj
Gath - er us in and hold us for - ev - er; gath - er us in and

œ œ œ œ
D G A D A C G

& œ œ œ œ. J œ
blind and the lame; call to us now, and we shall a - wak - en;
proud and the strong; give us a heart, so meek and so low - ly;
bread that is you; nour - ish us well, and teach us to fash - ion

## Gm
make us your own; gath - er us in, all peo - ples to - geth - er,

& œ œ œ nœ œ œ nœ
Dm C D C Gm D

œ œ ˙. ˙.
we shall a - rise at the sound of our name.
give us the cour - age to en - ter the song.
lives that are ho - ly and hearts that are true.
fire of love in our flesh and our bone.
The “you/your” mentioned in every stanza is never identified, but this 1979 hymn is clearly a corporate
prayer to God on behalf of the diverse congregation who have assembled for worship, longing to be
*Call to Confession -- Prayer of Confession
transformed and used as God’s witnesses and for God’s purposes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Holy One, TEXT we confess
and MUSIC: Marty Haugen,that
1979 accountability can be discomforting,
Text and Music © 1982 GIA Publications, Inc.
GATHERand
US IN we avoid
10.9.10.10.D
discomfort. We seek the good enough, convenient, and easy over the good,
possible, and hard. Hold us accountable to the gospel. Hold us accountable to
our claim and commitment to follow you. Hold us accountable to your will.
Help us 4/10/13
to receive your grace and liberate us from shame in order to embrace
accountability as a loving act of community. In the name of your beloved,
Jesus, who calls us to follow him. Amen.

*Words of Grace and Mercy

From generation to generation, God’s love overcomes human sinfulness. God is
committed to fresh starts and new creations. This is good news!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!

*Prayer Response
(Hymn 327, stanza 3)
Eternal are thy mercies, Lord; eternal truth attends thy word:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
till suns shall rise and set no more.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

First Scripture Psalm 149 Mary Kay Devine

Introducing the First Congregational Dream Team!

Children’s Message Rev. Liz Jones

*Greeting of Peace

Announcements
Anthem With a Voice of Singing Martin Shaw

With a voice of singing declare ye this, and let it be heard, "Alleluia."

Utter it even unto the ends of the earth. The Lord hath delivered his
people, Alleluia. O be joyful in God, all ye lands, o sing praises to the
honor of his name, make his praise to be glorious. With a voice of
singing declare ye this, and let it be heard, "Alleluia."

Sermon Scripture Ephesians 2: 1-10

738-o master let.mus, Page 1

Sermon “Give and Get” Rev. Jason W. Coulter

DISCIPLESHIP AND MISSION

*Hymn
738
O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee #738
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
#
& # 43 œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ ..
1 O Mas - ter, let me walk with thee
2 Help me the slow of heart to move
3 Teach me thy pa - tience, still with thee

? # # 3 œœ œœ œœ ˙ œœ ˙ œ ˙.
4 In hope that sends a shin - ing ray

4 ˙ ˙.
˙ #œ
## œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œœ ˙˙ œ œ œ ˙.
œ œ œ ˙.
in low - ly paths of ser - vice free;
by some clear, win - ning word of love;
in clos - er, dear - er com - pa - ny,

? ## œ œ œ ˙˙ œ # ˙˙ œœ ˙.
far down the fu - ture’s broad - ening way;

œ œ œ œ ˙.
## œœ ˙ œ œ œ
& œœ œœ œ ˙œ œœ
˙ œ ˙ œ œ
tell me thy se - cret; help me bear the
teach me the way - ward feet to stay, and
in work that keeps faith sweet and strong, in

? # # œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœ ˙ œœ ˙˙ œ
in peace that on - ly thou canst give, with

œ
##
& ˙˙ œ ˙˙ œœ œ œ ˙.
 œ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœ œœ ˙˙ œ
? ## œ ˙ œ
##
& ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ œ˙ œœ ˙˙ ..
œ
strain of toil, the fret of care.
guide them in the home - ward way.
trust that tri - umphs o - ver wrong.

? ## ˙ ˙ œœ ˙˙ ..
thee, O Mas - ter, let me live.

œ ˙ œœ
˙ œ œ̇ œ
Invitation to In honestly admitting the limits of human ability, this prayerful hymn does not seek a sense of God’s
Offering
presence for self-comfort but forNow
strengthWe Offer in pursuing the tasks that
and companionship Jeffrey Honoré
God sets before us.
The author specifically chose this tune to accompany his words.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Doxology TEXT: Washington Gladden, 1879
MUSIC: Henry Percy Smith, 1874
MARYTON
LM
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ, all people here below;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
6/6/13
One God, Triune whom we adore. Amen.

*Prayer of Dedication
Gracious God, thank you for the gifts you give and allowing us to be gift
givers as well. May our generous offerings bear fruit to nurture our
community, our neighbors, and all creation. Amen.

Prayers of the People - Pastoral Prayer - Silent Prayer

Prayer of Our Savior

Our Creator, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give usallthis
733-we day our Page
are-312.mus, daily1bread.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
DISCIPLESHIP AND MISSION
and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
733 We All Are One in Mission
#4 j
*Closing Hymn We Are All One in Mission
#733

& 4 œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ˙ . œ œœ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ ˙˙ ..
œ
1 We all are one in mis - sion; we all are one in call,
2 We all are called for ser - vice to wit - ness in God’s name.

œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ ˙.
3 Now let us be u - nit - ed and let our song be heard.

œ œ œœ œœ œœ
? # 44 œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙.
# j
& œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ˙ . œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ ..
 ? # 4 œ œ œœ œ œ œ˙ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ
4 œ œ ˙.
# j
& œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ˙ . œ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ ..
our var - ied gifts u - nit - ed by Christ, the Lord of all.
Our min - is - tries are dif - ferent; our pur - pose is the same:

? # œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙ .
Now let us be a ves - sel for God’s re - deem - ing word.

œ œ
œ ˙ œ œ œ ˙.
# œ
& œ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ ˙
˙ œœ N œœ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ ˙˙ .
.
A sin - gle, great com - mis - sion com - pels us from a - bove
to touch the lives of oth - ers by God’s sur - pris - ing grace,

œœ œ˙ # œ œ œ
We all are one in mis - sion; we all are one in call,

?# œ œ
œ œ
œ œ œ
œ œ œ œœ œ œœ ˙˙ ..
œ Nœ œ
# œ œ œ jœ
& œ œ œ œ œœ œ˙ . œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ ˙˙ ..
œ œ œ œ œ
to plan and work to - geth - er that all may know Christ’s love.
so ev - ery folk and na - tion may feel God’s warm em - brace.

œ
our var - ied gifts u - nit - ed by Christ, the Lord of all.

? # œœ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ˙ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ
œ
œ
œ
˙.
œ œ ˙.
A Lutheran pastor wrote this text in response to a bishop’s letter that said, “Our mission is to touch the lives
of others with Christ’s love.” This theme is made stronger by recognizing that shared purposes do not require
*Benediction and Blessing
the denial of diversity but are enriched by it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEXT: Rusty Edwards, 1985, alt. ES FLOG EIN KLEINS WALDVÖGELEIN
MUSIC: Memmingen ms., 17th cent.; harm. George Ratcliffe Woodward, 1904 7.6.7.6.D
Choral Response The Grace
Text © 1986 Hope Publishing Company Richard Shephard

Postlude Prelude in Classic Style Gordon

Young
6/6/13

Worship Credits and Sources:

Call to Worship and Prayers written by The Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology, United Church of Christ.

Music Permissions can be found in large print bulletin

Sunday Morning Service Roles:
Deacons: Lay Reader
- Bob Krause - Mary Kay Devine
- Candy Heaphy
- Doug Irwin
Livestream/Tech Support: Sunday School
- Gary Hardesty - Thekla Metz
- Julie Captain - Ashley King
Want to volunteer and get more involved in Sunday services? See the sign-up sheet in
the back of the sanctuary or contact Mahdia at mahdia@firstchurchevanston.org

The church historians have been organizing our archives and have uncovered
extra communion plates, church cookbooks, historical paintings and many old
and unique items that can be yours as a keepsake. All funds raised go to
support the church and its mission.
 Over the past Sunday School year, the children of FCCE worked collaboratively to make
scenes from air dry clay representing concepts and stories form the Bible. After keeping
these works safe for the entire school year, we are delighted to present them to the
congregation in an art show, "Shaping the Story." In addition, the show will feature work by
the children of the church in a variety of media, celebrating the creativity and contributions of
the youngest members of our community.

"Shaping the Story" opens September 17 in the Narthex gallery. The show ends October 1.
Welcome to First Congregational Church of
Evanston, UCC
We are glad you chose to be with us on this Sunday
morning! And we want you to know that no matter who you
are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome
here!

Childcare is provided in the downstairs nursery for infants

and children to age 4. The space at the back of the
Sanctuary available for our families. Children K-6 are invited to Sunday School in the
First Congregational Community Center after the Children’s Message.

Visitors: We are delighted that you are joining us for worship. Please sign the
Welcome Book at the back of the sanctuary. We invite our visitors to include your
name, address and email so that we might acknowledge your visit with a card. All are
welcome to join us after services in the fellowship space for refreshments and
conversation.

Babies and Toddlers: Little ones enrich our community and add vibrancy to our
congregation. Please don’t fret about coos or cries during the service. All ages are
welcome here. Visit our rocking chair area to find books & coloring pages for use
during the service, or you are welcome to drop off infants to 4 year-olds with our
Nursery
Supervisor.

Children: Young people are invited to come forward for the Children’s Message during
worship. Afterwards, children in grades K-6th are welcome to walk with our teacher
team to our Sunday School classroom at the Community Center, 1/2 block down
Hinman Ave. At the end of the service, leaders bring children back to the sanctuary to
join their families for fellowship time. Adult visitors are welcome to accompany their
children to Sunday School. Connect with Rev. Liz Jones if you have any questions.

Use this QR Code to check out events and ongoing programming at

FCCE.
 WELCOME to First Congregational Church of
Evanston
Mission Statement
We express God’s love in action, compassion, and justice.

Open and Affirming Statement

As an inclusive congregation, we welcome all faith experiences and family types; we
are an open and affirming community of faith who welcome and celebrate differences
of age, ability, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and national
origin.

Immigrant Welcoming Statement

We commit to take actions consistent with the values and resources of our community
to oppose xenophobia and to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation and
the hardships such deportation will cause them and their families.

First Congregational Church of Evanston, UCC

Sanctuary: 1445 Hinman Avenue (at Grove Street)
Mailing address: 1417 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 847-864-8332 | Email: info@firstchurchevanston.org
Website: www.firstchurchevanston.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/firstcongregationalchurchofevanston/

Church Staff
Rev. Jason W. Coulter, Senior Minister jason@firstchurchevanston.org | ext.21
Matthew Hogan, Music Director matthew@firstchurchevanston.org | ext. 23
Mahdia Lynn, Church Administrator mahdia@firstchurchevanston.org | ext. 22
Liz Jones, Minister of Communications & Community Life | liz@firstchurchevanston.org
Dave Canfield, Student Pastor | dave@firstchurchevanston.org
Jordan Griffin, Justice Fellow | jordan@firstchurchevanston.org
Kelly Tran, Nursery Supervisor
Julie Captain and Sarah Pressly, Co-Moderators

Chancel Choir Quartet

Cara Collins, soprano | Christina Adams, alto
Michael Brauer, tenor | Joseph Roberts, bass

To make a donation to First Congregational Church you may do so during

the offering, or you may make an electronic donation through the church
website by using this QR Code. Thank you for your generosity!