St. Mark’s United Church, Port Hawkesbury
DLM-R/MDiv Student: Barb MacNaughton
Phone (902) 302-5832
Pianist: Adam Cooke
Office Administrator: Jane MacKinnon
Ministry: The Whole Congregation
23rd After Pentecost
Sunday October 31, 2021
The Community Gathers
Welcome and Announcements
Lighting of the Christ Candle:
This candle represents for us the light of Christ. It reminds us of the colours of creation that paint our lives, it warms us in the cold, and it brightens our paths when all seems dark. May we take this light wherever we go and share it with others! Amen.
♫Introit: Rise Up, Rise Up MV 130
Rise up, rise up, rise up O my soul.
Rise up and sing this blessing to God’s name
Rise up, rise up, rise up O my soul.
Rise up and sing this blessing to God’s name.
Call to Gather:
If we truly believe that each one of us are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world, just how far are we willing to go?
Could we actually be as strong as Ruth, as loving and open as Jesus, in opening every aspect of our lives so that others may live life abundantly?
We are so very human, so we measure the cost of our commitment to our understanding of God, but we are also children of that same God, that follow faithfully to the places we are called to be and to do the things we are called to do.
Let us come together on this day to worship, pray, and sing our faith, as we reach out to one another in a Spirit of love for the people and the world around us.
Come, People of God!
Prayer of the Day:
God of all knowing, on this day and in this place we pray for the spirit to be poured out upon us as we reach into our thoughts and our understandings of what we are to do in our world. Our lives are often complicated and so very busy that sometimes we fail to see opportunities of Christian outreach. We do remember the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and to love our neighbor as our self. So, may we find guidance in our vision of who our neighbour is, and may we accept and love those neighbours unconditionally. May we have the courage, the insight and the ability to go the extra mile in reaching beyond our selves. Amen.
♫Hymn: Praise the Lord with Sound of trumpet VU 245
Centering Prayer
♫Lord Listen to your Children Praying VU 400
Lord, listen to your children praying, Lord send your spirit in this place
Lord, listen to your children praying, send us love, send us power, send us grace.
♫Hymn: Teach me, God, to Wonder VU 299
The Community Explores
Prayer for Illumination: We pray, O God, for listening ears and open hearts as we hear the words of our ancient scripture this day. Amen.
Scriptures:
OT: Ruth 1: 1-18
RR: Psalm 146 VU 868
Gospel Lesson: Mark 12: 28-34
Message
♫Hymn: Wherever You May Go MV 216
The Community Celebrates
Minute for Mission
Offering Hymn: VU 538
For the Gift of Creation, the gift of your love
And the gift of the Spirit by which we live
We thank you and give you the fruit of our hands
May your grace be proclaimed by the gifts that we give.
Offering Prayer:
Generous God, each and every Sunday, we go through the ritual of bringing forward offerings of time, talent, life skills and the monies we are able to dedicate to the work of this fellowship and to the care of all those in this community and even beyond, through our Mission work. We gratefully accept what is offered and promise to use what we bring forward with wisdom, compassion, and common sense as we do the work of being the Church in this place. Amen
Our Joys and Concerns and Lighting the candle of caring:
As one heart is lifted
May we share its celebration
As one heart is burdened
May we share the pain it knows
And so we take this flame and light our special care candle… in all our joys and in all our concerns, may we be ever mindful of the present-ness of God among us.
Prayers for the people and Lord’s Prayer
♫Hymn: In Christ there is No East or West VU 606
(sung to alternate tune VU 344)
The Community Goes Forth
Commissioning/Benediction
♫Closing: Choral Amen
One License A-401486
Ministering through leadership this morning are:
Minister: Barbara MacNaughton
Pianist: Adam Cook
Lay Reader: Archie Noseworthy
Mission Moment: Barb MacIntyre
Counters: Clark Brander, Eric Dawson
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Good Morning Folks.
We are now able to have coffee after Church again on the first Sunday of the month. However, this means those who stay after church must be double vaccinated. We will be asking for proof of this vaccination in the hall and will have a form there if you choose to sign it that will allow us to keep your name on a list of those who are vaccinated and we won’t have to ask you again. Otherwise we need to see proof every time you come into the church for anything rather than regular worship. Please consider filling out the form and showing us your proof just the one time. Thank You!
OFFICE HOURS: Thursday & Friday 8-12 noon.
Deadline for information for the bulletin is Thursday at noon.
Hanging of the Greens service
COVID has been a dark time for our church, help us to bring back the light
November 28th at 7:00 p.m. Purchase as many lightbulbs as you like for $5 each in honour of someone or an event. Lights will be on sale from November 1-Nov 27th and will be supplied by the church. We will light our candelabras, our choir loft, and our tree. Join us on November 28th for a Hanging of the Greens service where we will turn on all the lights and celebrate together at 7:00 p.m. We will acknowledge the names of those people and events we are honouring during the service. Please joins us as we celebrate the beginning of Advent.
Collection Counters/Recorders Needed – Please sign up. The load gets lighter when many helping hands participate.
Lay Readers:
October 31St – Archie Noseworthy
November 7th – Iaian Langley
November 14th – Clark Brander
November 21st – Vida Hood
November 28th – Joyce Oliver-Snair
December 5th – Dave Chapman
December 12th – Jean Mac Pherson
December. 19Th – Larry Evans
December 24Th – Barb Mac Intyre – Christmas Eve
Minute for Mission Readers:
October 31st – Barb Mac Intyre
November 7Th – Anna Marie Langley
November 14Th – Yvonne Fox
November 21St – Linda Howlett
November 28Th – Larry Evans
December 5th – Barb Mac Intyre
December 12Th – Anna Marie Langley
December 19Th – Yvonne Fox
December 24Th - - Christmas Eve
ADVANCE NOTICES
St. Mark’s Congregational Board: Tuesday, November 9th
Committees: 6:30 p.m.
Full Board Meeting: 7:30 p.m.
Food Bank Sunday: Last Sunday of the month.
