Bulletin for Sunday, December 8, 2019

 

“Zechariah” 

Making a Difference in Jesus Name! 

Otisville – Mt. Hope Presbyterian Church 

December 8, 2019 

8:30am, 9:30am, & 11:00am 

Our 11 AM Service is on Facebook Live each Sunday 

Church Office 386-3851, Email: OtisvillePres@hvc.rr.com 

Text-To-Give message “give” to (347) 830-7281! 

Page Break 

Advent Candle lighting 

L: "In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people'" (Luke 2:8-10). 

L: Today we remember the shepherds, workers for the common good, steadfast watchmen isolated and alone, far from the warmth of home, doing the job no one wants. And yet God saw them, God valued them, and God declared the greatest news of all to them alone. 

P: Today we give thanks for the shepherds among us, back-breaking laborers on whom our economy stands, those we overlook or rarely see, yet rely on for our very survival, the ones who have much to teach us about watching for God in the darkness. 

L: On this second Sunday in Advent, we light the second candle as a symbol of the shepherds, agents of the gospel and redeemers of the world. 

Hymn 244 Come Thou long Expected Jesus 

Silent Prayer of Confession   

Sung Response  & Assurance of Pardon 

“Lord have mercy upon us. 

Christ have mercy upon us. 

Lord have mercy upon us.”  

Glory to the Father 

“Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”  

An Affirmation of Faith (unison)  

This is the good news which we received, in which we stand and by which we are saved; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day; and that he appeared to Mary, then to the twelve, and to many faithful witnesses. We believe he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, he is our Lord and our God. Amen.   

Sharing of Joys and Concerns, Prayers of the People 

The Lord’s Prayer "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; 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, and the glory, forever. Amen.”  

The Sacrament of Baptism 

Anthem                  Danielle Giordano 

ScriptureLuke 1:5-25 

L: The Word of the Lord.  

P: Thanks be to God. 

Sermon“Zechariah” 

Hymn 259 Angels, from the Realms of Glory 

Congregational News 

The Offering & Offertory Prayer  

Offertory - Danielle Giordano 

Sung Response 

“We give Thee but Thine own, whate’er the gift may be. All that we have is Thine alone, a trust O Lord from Thee.”  

The Peace  

L:God sent the world his only Son. Since God loved us so much, we too should love one another.  

P:Let us love one another, since love comes from God.  

L:The Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  

P:(to each other) The Peace of Christ be with you.  

Hymn  249 O Come All Ye Faithful 

Benediction  

Sung Response 

May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever; Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor. Lift your eyes and see his face, and his love forever. May the Lord, risen Lord, bless and keep you forever.  

Postlude  

Announcements and Information 

Today's Worship Details 

• Leading Worship and Preaching: Jeffrey Farley 
• Baptized: Sage Elijah Redmond 

Office Hours this week: 

• Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday 10 AM-2 PM 
• Food Pantry is open 12-2PM Thursday 

Food Pantry 

• The food pantry is in need of powdered milk or evaporated milk and jelly. 
• Volunteers needed to help with the food pantry. Please contact Kathy Card (914-443-7548) for details. 
• Many thanks to all those who donated reusable shopping bags! 

Help Wanted – Church Secretary 

• We are looking for a new church secretary to start in January 2020.  Some of the responsibilities include: production of weekly bulletins, distribution of newsletter and other congregational correspondence, answering phones, maintaining church database, some financial management, liaison for Food Pantry families, and other duties.  If interested, please apply in the church office. 
• Our sincere thanks to Jen D’Esposito for filling this position.  She will continue focusing on and expanding the EMPOWERkids program. 

New Opportunity – Nursing Home Worship Leader 

After 10+ years of serving the residents at Park Manor and other nursing homes, Elizabeth has decided to refocus on her talents and time in other areas of ministry.  If you are interested in leading this ministry in the new year, please speak with Elizabeth or Jeff.  

Photo Release 

All church activities may be taped or photographed for church use. Entry into our facilities and participation in our activities constitutes permission. Thank you for your support. 

THANK YOU!! 

The Board of Deacons would like to Say THANK YOU! The success of our Thanks giving Day Basket Project would not be possible without the many, many donations from our local organizations and our Very Generous Congregation. This year we distributed approximately 62 Baskets to Families in need, and 49 of them were filled & donated by Families/Individuals in our Congregation and Local Organizations. Overall The Board of Deacons with the help 

of Congregational members, Girl Scouts/Brownies, 4-H and Cub Scouts, assembled 75 full Baskets. We were able to donate 5 additional baskets to Minisink Cares and the remainder to last minute needy Families. The remaining Baskets were recycled back into the food pantry stock. So a great big “THANKS” to All of You. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: 

Annual Meeting of the Congregation – Today! 

• Our Annual Meeting will be held at 9:30 AM. We will be voting on new Officers and the Terms of Call of the Pastor. 
• There will be no Contemporary Worship service. 
• EMPOWERkids is meeting in the upstairs sanctuary. 

Women’s Health and Wellness Dinner – December 9 

• We will be meeting at The Americana Diner at 6:30 PM to share dinner! 

Christmas Pageant and Live Nativity – December 15 

• EMPOWERkids will be singing at the 9:30 service on December 15 accompanied by a drama performance AND the Live Nativity which will run from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  

Hot Sandwich Sunday – December 15 

• Join us for hot sandwiches prepared by our Kafe Krew! 

Warming Station – December 20 

• We are cooking for the Port Jervis warming station on Friday, December 20. We will meet at church at 5:00 PM to cook and eat dinner then deliver to the warming station at 8:00 PM. 

Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt – December 21 

• Our scavenger hunt will be held Saturday, December 21st at 7:00pm! Get your teams of 4 Ready! Meet in Fellowship Hall. 

Christmas Eve Services – December 24 

• Join us on the 24th at any of our four worship services at: 5:00, 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 PM  
• If you would like to help at any of these services, please see Candy, Elizabeth or any of our directors.  We will need greeters, readers, candle lighters, and more. 

Stephen Ministry Leader National Training 

We have had a wonderful experience with our Stephen Ministry over the years, but have been struggling recently without a Ministry Leader. To be the Ministry Leader a person needs to have been trained as a Stephen Leader at one of the National Training weeks. Dates are as follows: 

• January 12-18, Orlando, Florida 
• February 16-22 Anaheim, California 
• April 19-25, St. Louis, Missouri 

• June 7-13, Orlando, Florida 
• July 12-18, Dallas Texas 
• August 16-22, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

Thank you for joining us for the