Author: lakewooducc

Bulletin 02.19.23

A Just Peace Church
An Open and Affirming Church
A Creation Justice Church
February 19, 2023    
10:30 am

TRANSFIGURATION  SUNDAY

WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS

 LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE                                    Sally Purvis, Liturgist

Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you.
Deep peace, pure black of the night to you.
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you.
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you.
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you.
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you.
Deep peace, of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace, of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace, of the Son of Peace to you.

Fiona Macleod, 1855-1905, adapted

PRELUDE                                        Fairest Lord Jesus                       arr. by Wilda Jackson Auld

*OPENING SENTENCES                                                                                                                     A Carthusian

Mysteries are not dark shadows, before which we must shut our eyes and be silent.  On the contrary, they are dazzling splendours, with which we ought to sate our gaze.                           

* HYMN                                                Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise                                         1                          

SCRIPTURE LESSONS

Let us prepare ourselves for the word of God as it comes to us in the reading of Holy Scripture.  Our hearts and minds are open.

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
Matthew 5: 38-48

“You’ve heard the commandment, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I tell you, don’t resist an evil person. 

When someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn and offer the other.  

If anyone wants to sue you for your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 

Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go two miles.  

Give to those who beg from you. 

And don’t turn your back on those who want to borrow from you.

“You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor — but hate your enemy.’ 

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.  This will prove that you are children of God. 

For God makes the sun rise on bad and good alike; God’s rain falls on the just and the unjust. 

If you love those who love you, what merit is there in that?  Don’t tax collectors do as much? 

And if you greet only your sisters and brothers, what is so praiseworthy about that?  Don’t Gentiles do as much? 

Therefore, just as Abba God is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.

Matthew 17:1-9

For the word of God in scripture, for the word of God among us, for the word of God within us.  Thanks be to God!

*HYMN                                            Hark! the Herald Angels Sing                                      160                  

SERMON                                                                   Glory!                                          Rev. Kim P. Wells

UNISON READING                                                                                               Martin Luther 1483-1546             Who then can comprehend the riches and the glory of the Christian life?  It can do all things and has all things and lacks nothing. . . Surely we are named after Christ, not because he is absent from us, but because he dwells in us, that is, because we believe in him and are Christs to one another and do to our neighbors as Christ does to us.                        

RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBER 

Introduction

* Affirmation of Faith   United Church of Christ Statement of Faith  885

Vows for New Member and Sponsor

Signing the Church Registry

Prayer

Extending the Right Hand of Fellowship

* Congregational Response

We welcome you with joy as a partner in the common life of this church.  We promise  you our continuing friendship and prayers as we share the hopes and labors of the church of Jesus Christ.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, together may we continue to grow in the knowledge of God and of God’s love, and be witnesses of Jesus Christ.

*  Hymn      Blessed Be the Tie That Binds  (vs. 1 & 3)                                               393 

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Lakewood United Church of Christ, as part of the Church Universal is to:

  • Celebrate the presence and power of God in our lives & in our world.
  • Offer the hospitality and inclusive love of Christ to all people.
  • Work for God’s peace and justice throughout creation.

MORNING OFFERING

Morning offerings may be brought forward and placed in the plates on the altar. You are invited to write your prayer requests on the sheets provided in the bulletin and bring them forward and place them in the basket on the altar. If you would like assistance, please turn to someone seated near you.      

Offertory           The Beautiful Garden of Prayer         arr. by Wilda Jackson Auld                                                                                                             

* Time of Dedication                                                                            Ruth Burrows

If I let God take hold of me more and more; possess me, as fire possesses the burning log, then I give off light and heat to the whole world even though the influence be completely hidden.

* PREPARATION FOR PRAYER                   O Savior, Let Me Walk with You                 503

MORNING PRAYERS – SAVIOR’S PRAYER

Our Father-Mother, who is in the heavens, may your name be made holy.  May your dominion come, may your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us today, the bread we need; and forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors; and do not put us to the test, but rescue us from evil.  For yours is the dominion, and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen.

*  HYMN                                                 This Little Light of Mine                                                       524

* BENEDICTION                                                                                                                           

*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE   (please form a circle)

                                                                                          Lead Us From Death to Life           581

             Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth,

            from despair to hope, from fear to trust.

            Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace;

            let peace fill our hearts, let peace fill our world, let peace fill our universe.

*POSTLUDE                           The Heavens Declare His Glory                        L. van Beethoven

Lakewood United Church of Christ 2601 54th Ave. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712
727-867-7961     lakewooducc@gmail.com     lakewooducc.org
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
LAKEWOOD UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

ANNOUNCEMENTS – 2.19.23

Congregational Meeting TODAY

With many challenges facing the church post covid, there are important decisions that need to be made by the congregation relating to the ministry of LUCC going forward. All are needed to be part of the decision-making process, family-style!

The church advisors and the finance team have been working very hard to prepare for this meeting. Your presence is needed for responsible decisions to be made.

Those who are not official members of the church are welcome to participate.

Annual Giving Reports

Finance Secretary Lucille Ruga has prepared annual giving statements for 2022.

If you would like your statement for your records, please contact Lucille.

New Member to be Received

The congregation of Lakewood United Church of Christ joyfully welcomes Barbara Walburn into full membership of the church.  Blessings abound!

Earthquake Response

In response to the horrific devastation and loss of life in Turkey, Syria, and beyond, the United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries in on the scene offering assistance. To make a financial donation through the UCC, please visit ucc.org

Ash Wednesday Ahead

The Lenten season begins in just a few weeks. Lent is the 40 day season of preparation for the festival of Easter. In the New Testament we are told of Jesus spending 40 days in the wilderness to prepare for his ministry. We will spend 40 days, not including Sundays, focusing on tapping into the image-of-God within us. We will find that Love is Wild!

The Ash Wednesday service will be held Wednesday Feb. 22 at 7:00 p.m. around a fire at the lakefront home of Chip and Dana Cosper. If you would like a ride, please contact the Church: lakewooducc@gmail.com or 727-867-7961.

Gratitude!

Many thanks to Joyce Lee for providing the ministry of music this morning while Hilton Homes continues to recover from covid. 

Potluck Next Sunday after Church

After church Sunday Feb. 26.   Bring a dish to share and your own table setting if you can! 

Inkjet Recycling

The church is continuing to collect used inkjet cartridges. They are sent to a recycler and the church receives payment for the cartridges provided.

Operation Attack

OA needs donations of cereal/oatmeal, mac and cheese, pasta sauce, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, soup, and vegetables. Donations may be placed on the shelf in the hallway at church.

Demonstration Against Upcoming Execution 2/23

Join Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and other opponents of the death penalty for a vigil during the execution of Donald Dillbeck. The vigil will be from 5:00-6:00 PM on Thursday, February 23 at the northwest corner of 49th Street North and Ulmerton Road in mid-Pinellas County. Park in the vacant lot behind the Checkers. Feel free to bring signs, or organizers will provide them. Call (727) 492-1590 for more information. If the execution is commuted or postponed, the vigil will not be held.

Vigil to Mark the Anniversary of the John Evans Lynching Memorial

Thursday Feb. 23 from 6:30-6:50 at the memorial on Dr. MLKing St. S and 2nd Ave near Tropicana Field.  This will be a free-form event with speakers of 2 minutes each lasting 20 minutes total.  Bring a candle or a candle display on your phone.  All are welcome!

Family Promise Needs

Women’s underwear sizes S/M/L  –  Women’s socks  –  Wash cloths  –  Bath towels  –  Pull Ups sizes 2T-3T, 3T-4T, 4T-5T  –  Hair conditioner (no shampoo)  –  Women’s deodorant  –  Cereal  –  Cups, forks, plates  –  Snacks to go

Circle of Concern

The Family and Loved Ones of Beulah Coughenour  –  Tony and Jim Larson
George and Jane Diven and Family  –  Katherine Conover
Sherry Santana  –  Ann Quinn is under Hospice care  –  Maggie Brizendine
Janet Hall
Schools: Students, families, teachers, and staff

UCC appeal for Turkey and Syria

UCC offers prayers, launches appeal to aid Turkey and Syria after earthquake

Kayla Berkey

Photo from the Middle East Council of Churches. Aleppo, Syria.

| published on Feb 14, 2023

The United Church of Christ is offering prayers for the region encompassing Turkey and Syria as the death toll continues to climb following one of the strongest earthquakes in 100 years. As of Feb. 13, the number of people killed has passed 36,000. Responders who have worked hard in the cold weather continue to rescue victims from the ruins as the odds of survival begin to wane over a week since the Feb. 6 quake. Many survivors are struggling to find enough food, water and basic amenities.

UCC Global H.O.P.E. has launched the Turkey and Syria Emergency Appeal to direct financial support to partners responding in the areas of greatest need for relief and long-term recovery.

Assessing needs

“We continue to be in regular contact with partners in Turkey and Syria, who are active in the response,” said Peter Makari, Global Ministries team leader for Middle East and Europe. This includes in Gaziantep, Turkey, where the UCC had a hand in establishing and offering a missionary presence at the Gaziantep Hospital. The Health and Education Foundation (SEV), the Turkish partner that runs the hospital, said that while the building has experienced only minor damage, Gaziantep is one of the ten cities that has been badly affected, and many in the area are experiencing shock and fear. The hospital will likely serve as a hub for medical treatment, said Makari.

Earthquake survivors gather in the lower level of a church in Aleppo, Syria. Photo from the Middle East Council of Churches. Used with permission.

Another partner, the Middle East Council of Churches, has been involved in emergency response in Syria and called on the international ecumenical community to provide emergency aid in the region. In a Feb. 12 update, MECC reported that at this point, approximately 5.3 million people are estimated to need assistance that ranges from house repair to life-saving medical care for survivors.

On Friday, Feb. 10, the U.S. eased sanctions on Syria temporarily to allow access to the north-west areas of the country where very little aid has been able to reach. This follows calls from Global Ministries and MECC urging the Biden Administration to lift these sanctions. As this part of Syria is already vulnerable due to the 12-year-long war, the international sanctions were making it extremely difficult to offer humanitarian assistance following the quakes, the action alert said.

Statement of support

Global Ministries, the common overseas ministry of the UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), released a statement offering prayers and support for partners in response to the tragedy. An excerpt reads:

We petition our loving and compassionate God for strength for those who are already responding to search for those who may be lost, to deliver medical care to those in need, and to console and encourage the many who are now wondering what is next.  And we offer encouragement to our partners throughout the region – in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, and beyond – who are working tirelessly to be present in most appropriate ways.

The region is already scarred by war, economic crises, and the impact of external policies.  Our partners in the region are calling on the global community to lift sanctions on Syria, a country torn by 12 years of strife, so that humanitarian assistance can be provided without any hindrance.  We support that call.

These partners, who are well-practiced in emergency response, are already in motion to respond to the immediate needs of communities that were destroyed in an instant.  We will support their efforts.

And partners who are in and of the region will accompany those same communities for the longer term when the initial devastation is no longer in the news.  We will accompany them as we have before.

The full statement with additional links and resources is available on the Global Ministries website.

Transnational solidarity

Join The Movement Toward Racial Justice is encouraging transnational solidarity which “implores us to delve more deeply into our interconnectedness” with those directly impacted by this tragedy.

“It is difficult to hold the enormity of the tragedy that is unfolding in Turkey and Syria in the recent earthquake’s aftermath. Each day brings news of more recorded deaths, less hope for finding survivors, and deepening need for food, housing and medical assistance,” writes JTM Curator Sharon Fennema. “Our hearts ache for the loss of life, the shattered communities, the tremendous devastation.

“Moments like these offer us an invitation to deepen our practices of transnational solidarity … The movement toward racial justice is global in scope. The justice we imagine must be for all of us, across borders and national identities.”

Photo of damage in Syria provided by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch – Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (GOPA-DERD). Used with permission.

JTM resources offer ways to process the overwhelm that accompanies such a tragedy with biblical connections to the story of Ruth and Naomi and contemplative practices that can be used to pray and ground in solidarity.

More information on the Turkey and Syria Earthquake Appeal and information on how to donate can be found here.

Demonstration Against Upcoming Execution 2/23

Join Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and other opponents of the death penalty for a vigil during the execution of Donald Dillbeck. The vigil will be from 5:00-6:00 PM on Thursday, February 23 at the northwest corner of 49th Street North and Ulmerton Road in mid-Pinellas County. This site is close to the jail and court complex and is at an intersection with heavy traffic. It is where death penalty opponents have gathered during executions for decades. Park in the vacant lot behind the Checkers. Feel free to bring signs, or organizers will provide them. Call (727) 492-1590 for more information. If the execution is commuted or postponed, the vigil will not be held.