Church of the Redeemer UMC March 15, 2020 2420 S. Taylor Rd., Cleveland Hts., OH 44118 | www.cleredeemer.org (216) 932-2065 | www.facebook.com/ChurchOfTheRedeemerUmc
March 15, 2020 | 3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A Color: Purple | Service of Word and Table **indicates to stand as able. Due to the sacredness of this time, please silence electronic devices. Please greet those with whom you are sitting! Morning Meditation All creation calls God, in all its many languages. Lovers and poets as well as monks in prayer also cry to God… Human eyes are like wells, like the well of the Samaritan woman. Every woman is a woman at the well. The well is deep. And Jesus is sitting on the rim of the well… This thirst felt by all beings is the love of God. Prelude Choral Introit Oh How God Loves You and Me Come We That Love the Lord **Call to Worship Let all who yearn for connection, all who hunger for justice and thirst for bodily renewal come and be replenished. With hope and expectation, we bring all that our soul’s desire. Let everyone weary from isolation or overwhelmed by life’s troubles come and find rest in God’s care. All those who come seeking community are received in Holy Embrace. May the presence and provision of God be manifest among us that all may have what they need. We come to give, we come to receive, we come to grow in love. **Opening Prayer God Who Knows, all that we experience is held in your care. Nothing is hidden from you - not the burdens we bear in public or the quiet pain felt only in secret. Your love for us welcomes everything that aches. With hearts open to your Spirit, we bring all our hopes and fears to you. Amen. **Hymn Hebrew Bible Children’s Moment Psalm Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise Exodus 17:1-7, Common English Bible Psalm 95, Response 1 Confession & Assurance Sharing Christ’s Peace Anthem Calvary’s Love UMH 103 Ernest Cardenal arr. Mark Hayes Wendell P. Whalum UMH 814 UMH 890 arr. Mark Hayes
Epistle Gospel Romans 5:1-11, Common English Bible John 4:5-42, Common English Bible Message Collection of Tithes and Offerings God is always reaching out to the people, places, and parts of us that are weary from isolation or cast out by exclusion. God comes to lift up the lowly and make prophets of the dejected. With thanks for the subversive ways of love, let us bring what we have together. Offertory Chaconne in G Minor **Doxology Prayer of Dedication Holy One, your loyalty is not to social etiquette. Your love is not tethered to decency nor decorum. Wherever there is suffering in body or in spirit, you come alongside with companionship. No exceptions. For all the ways you show us such care when others don’t, we give you thanks. For the times you extend that care to those whom we deny, we bring our offerings with humble gratitude. Amen. Announcements & Prayer Requests Morning Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer The Great Thanksgiving Hymns O Food to Pilgrims Given All Who Hunger Prayer of Thanksgiving **Hymn Choral Benediction When Our Confidence My Tribute Benediction God meets us in the hard places. The territories of struggle. The sites of desperation. The places of deepest need. In our fears and our pain, God comes beside us. With a commitment to extending this care to one another and all our neighbors, so that none may be left alone, the Spirit sends us with peace. Postlude Holy Is the Lord arr. Fred Bock Today’s Liturgy is from Enfleshed, Liturgy That Matters, March 15, 2020, except where otherwise noted. Louis Couperin UMH 95 UMH 13-15 UMH 631 TFWS 2126 UMH 505 Andrea Crouch
Announcements Prayer Requests will be collected in writing for sharing from the pulpit. Please fill out a card (available next to the worship bulletins) and drop it in the offering plate. TODAY 8:30 am 9:00 am All-Church Breakfast, Fellowship Hall Adult Sunday School, Room 4 10:30 am Worship Service, Sanctuary 12:00 pm Fellowship in Coffee Lounge Leadership Board, Room 4 3:00 pm Paul Chilcote at Lakewood UMC DATES TO REMEMBER Mar 18 Mar 29 White Fragility Discussion, 7:00 pm, Fellowship Hall Dr. Martha Banks @ Fifth Sunday Lunch, Fellowship Hall OA Wednesdays Thursdays Friday Night Chats Support Groups Meeting at COR 7pm 9am Augustine Fellowship Thursdays Saturdays 10am 11am 8pm Room 4 Room 5 Room 4 Room 4 Room 4 Heights Cooperative Preschool Regular Class Hours: 8:00am-2:30pm | Monday – Friday Visitors to the lower level must be accompanied by the Pastor or a church staff member during school hours. After school hours, you are invited to take a closer look at all the work the preschool is doing for children in our community! Spiritual Growth Lenten Practice: Brown Bags Brown bags are still available if you’d like to begin this spiritual practice! Bible Study // Sundays, 9 am | Room 4 All are welcome to join the Sunday morning Bible study where the group journeys into the week’s worship texts!
Bible Study: Fierce // Tuesday, March 17 10:00 am | Room 4 Fierce: Women of the Bible Who Changed the World by Jennifer Cowart examines lesserknown women of the Bible who changed the world by living into God’s calling. Participant books are $16 with tax on Amazon ($11 for Kindle). This study will run until April 14. #ResistHarm – UMC 2020 March Theme: Lament Fifth Sunday Luncheon and Speaker: Dr. Martha Banks Sunday, March 29, 12:30 pm | Fellowship Hall Dr. Banks is a retired clinical and research neuropsychologist and professor, and a powerful presence in the East Ohio Conference. For our Fifth Sunday series, Dr. Banks will offer her perspective as a returning lay delegate to the 2020 UMC General Conference in a talk titled “Trying Again to Include Everyone: A Preview of the 2020 UMC General Conference”. Lunch will be provided—please plan to stay for an engaging and informative presentation! More information is available in the Coffee Lounge. TODAY! East Ohio Next: “God’s Beloved and Inclusive Community” Presented by Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote 3:00 pm | Lakewood UMC, 15700 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland Join us for a time of learning and engaging on what it means to be an inclusive community as well as hear stories of transformation and faith. There will be an Open Table worship service following the presentation. Caring for Our Community For more information about community events and ministries, please check out Bulletin Board D in the coffee lounge! COR Giving Corner: Please check the Coffee Lounge weekly and add to our special and ongoing collections! Luke 3:11: Winter Layering Clothing New or gently worn and clean women’s and men’s sweaters, sweatshirts, long underwear, gloves – all adult sizes. Contact Charlie Stehlik for details. Joanne’s Pantry (Heights Emergency Food Center Collection) Our collection will help the Heights Emergency Food Center stock up on some of their yearround needs: bar soap, ground or instant coffee, tea bags, and jelly. Donated items should be new, unopened containers within their best by period (not expired). Luke 3:11 Meal Distribution – April 2020 Saturday, April 4, 1:00 pm: Please join us to make lunches for Luke 3:11!
Sunday, April 5, immediately after worship: We need you join us Sunday to deliver lunches and supplies to people without homes. A great opportunity to show the love of Christ to our vulnerable neighbors! If you haven't gone out yet, what's holding you back? Church Home and Family COVID-19 Protocol Like other churches and organizations nationwide, we continue to monitor the changing situation related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. The following practices will be in effect during worship: • Pass the peace of Christ using limited or no-contact moves such as elbow bumps, peace signs, or Spock salutes. Please sanitize your hands before and after contact. • We will continue using intinction and the common cup during Communion. Servers will offer the bread to parishioners to minimize the amount of contact with the bread. Dip the bread in such a way that your fingers do not touch the surface of the juice. If you are ill or have a suppressed immune system, you may choose to receive only the bread. • Practice "social distancing" wherever appropriate. You may spread out further in the pews to avoid clustering. Every pew has at least one tissue box; use what you need should you feel a sniffle, cough, or sneeze coming on. It cannot be overstated: please use your best judgment when deciding whether to attend worship in person, especially if you are ill or have a suppressed immune system. We plan to stream worship for the next several weeks on the church Facebook page so you can join us from home. White Fragility Discussion: Ch. 7&8 // Wednesday, March 18 7:00-8:30 pm | Fellowship Hall All are invited to join us for the continuing conversation about White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. Understanding the ways that white supremacy is baked into our systems will help us all to work against its forces. Worship Servants Needed! Your gifts, graces, and time are needed and appreciated in a variety of worship roles. No experience is necessary—we’ll provide everything you need! Please sign up for available worship servant roles at https://bit.ly/34cWzeg or see Pastor Shannon.
Joys & Concerns Stephanie Barnes: Prayers that Giovanni will embrace forgiveness and learn to trust again. Prayers for daughters Ashley, Katie, Kelli, Dakota, Zoë Carolyn Cacho Bowman: Prayer for Megan, all others who believe God has abandoned them. Mary Bronson: Prayers for assistance with financial mixups; first anniversary of Lew’s death approaching Bridget Emerson: Continued prayers for her situation and for Ty Connie Gillen: Mom Betty’s recovery from a broken knee; prayers that brother finds relief from acute pain. Prayers for guidance dealing with mental illness Melanie Tyler: Prayers for Jackie and her family, Jackie is in rehab for MS and has custody of her four grandsons, Jackie’s daughter (47) died unexpectedly. Prayers for Briana’s safety. Please pray for and stay in touch with our homebound and hospitalized members Will Smalls Alice Stills Jane Carter Mary Madison
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