Evangelism:
Transforming Congregations – Engaging Communities
Opening Worship
Wednesday, November 2nd – 7 PM
Silent Meditation
God, You have brought us from around the
country to gather to listen, learn and be
empowered, encouraged and excited about
doing ministry in new ways. We have come to
focus on spreading Your word and growing
closer to you. We are eager to hear
Your Still Speaking voice.
Gathering Music
• Rev. Yvette Flunder and Gideon Lawson
What a Fellowship!
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
•
What a Fellowship!
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
•
What a Fellowship!
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
I have peace complete with my Savior near,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
•
Call to Worship
• Leader: We have come from labors of home,
business and different modes of travel.
• Congregation: We have used our hands to
create and assemble, focusing our minds on
projects and plans.
• Leader: Now we clasp our hands in prayer, and
attune our minds to God.
•
All: We seek to serve in the Savior’s name,
while awaiting the Spirit’s direction.
Invocation
Lord’s Prayer – Kimberly Boyd
Words of Welcome
Geoffrey Black
Moses -Todd Farley
Mime
Place your Life Before God
Responsive Reading
• One: So here is what I want you to do, God
helping you, take your everyday ordinary life- your
sleeping eating, going to work and walking around
life—and place it before God as an offering.
• All: Embracing what God does for you is the best
thing you can do for God. Don’t become so well
adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without
even thinking. Instead fix your attention on God.
You’ll be changed from the inside out.
•
Place your Life Before God
Responsive Reading
• One: Readily recognize what God wants from
you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture
around you, always dragging you down to its level
of immaturity, God brings the best out of you,
develops well-formed maturity in you.
• All: Do not imitate what is evil but imitate
what is good. Whoever does good is from God;
whoever does evil has not seen God.
Place your Life Before God
Responsive Reading
• One: For everything created by God is good
and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is
received with thanksgiving.
• All: It is God who is at work in you enabling
you both to will and to work for God’s good
pleasure.
Gospel Scripture
• Matthew 4: 18 -22
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother,
casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And
he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for
people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed
him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers,
James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat
with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he
called them. Immediately they left the boat
and their father, and followed him.
Gospel Scripture
• Matthew 9: 35 – 38
• Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the
good news of the kingdom, and curing every
disease and every sickness. When he saw the
crowds, he had compassion for them, because
they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples,
‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are
few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into his harvest.’
Music
Gideon Lawson
Sermon
JESUS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
Rev. Marian Plant
Associate Professor of Ministry Studies &
Schauffler Chair of Christian Education
Coordinator, Design for Leadership
Defiance College
You Have Come Down to the
Lakeshore
You have come down to the lakeshore
Seeking neither the wise nor the wealthy,
But only asking for me to follow.
O Jesus, you have looked into my eyes,
Kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I've abandoned my small boat;
Now with you, I will seak other seas.
You Have Come Down to the
Lakeshore
You know full well my possessions,
Neither treasure nor weapons for conquest,
Just these my fishnets and will for working.
O Jesus, you have looked into my eyes,
Kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I've abandoned my small boat;
Now with you, I will seak other seas.
You Have Come Down to the
Lakeshore
You need my hands, my exhaustion,
Working love for the rest of the weary,
A love that's willing to go on loving.
O Jesus, you have looked into my eyes,
Kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I've abandoned my small boat;
Now with you, I will seek other seas.
You Have Come Down to the
Lakeshore
You who have fished other waters;
You, the longing of souls that are yearning;
O loving Friend, you have come to call me.
Sweet Lord, you have looked into my eyes,
Kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I've abandoned my small boat;
Now with you, I will seak other seas.
Tonight’s MISSION:1 Offering
Ben Guess
Tonight’s Offering is going to
Gleaners Headquarters & Distribution Center
Detroit, MI
UCOM (United Church Outreach Ministry)
Grand Rapids
and
Neighbors in Need Special Mission Offering
Hunger Programs.
In the Midst of New Dimensions
In the midst of new dimensions,
in the face of changing ways.
Who will lead the pilgrim peoples
wandering in their separate ways.
God of rainbow, fiery pillar,
leading where the eagles soar.
We your people, ours the journey
now and ever,
now and ever, now and ever more
In the Midst of New Dimensions
Through the flood of starving people,
warring factions and despair,
Who will lift the olive branches,
who will light the flame of care?
God of rainbow, fiery pillar,
leading where the eagles soar.
We your people, ours the journey
now and ever, now and ever,
now and ever more.
In the Midst of New Dimensions
As we stand a world divided
by our own self seeking schemes,
Grant that we, your global village
might envision wider dreams
God of rainbow, fiery pillar,
leading where the eagles soar.
We your people, ours the journey
now and ever, now and ever,
now and ever more.
In the Midst of New Dimensions
We are man and we are woman,
all persuasions, old and young,
Each a gift in your creation,
each a love song to be sung.
God of rainbow, fiery pillar,
leading where the eagles soar.
We your people, ours the journey
now and ever, now and ever,
now and ever more.
In the Midst of New Dimensions
Should the threats of dire predictions
cause us to withdraw in pain,
May your blazing phoenix spirit,
resurrect the church again.
God of rainbow, fiery pillar,
leading where the eagles soar.
We your people, ours the journey
now and ever, now and ever,
now and ever more!
Benediction
Thursday Morning
Schedule
• 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Transportation provided from the Hilton to
Fellowship Chapel (You will be responsible for
your own transportation if you are not on
board the bus before 8:30 AM.)
• 8:45 AM – 9:15 Am Prayer and Praise
Sanctuary
Rev. Yvette Flunder & Mr. Gideon Lawson