March 2, 2014 Transfiguration Sunday

Jazz Sunday with Communion

Ringing of the Church Bell Please prepare your hearts and minds to worship God

Prelude “Come Sunday” Duke Ellington

Welcome and Announcements

Invocation

Call to Worship

Leader: Let the radiance of Christ be evident among us:

in our songs and our words we hear God’s holy message.

People: In our deepest thoughts and desires; we seek God’s transforming presence. Leader: We are here together.

All: We join our voices and our hearts in praise.

*Hymn “This Little Light of Mine” Spiritual

Pastoral Prayer

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 trespasses, as we

forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

making

God’s Vision real

About today’s special music: Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass was premiered at the

Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans in 2004. The composer combines the

traditional texts of the Latin mass with the harmonies, rhythms and textures of jazz.

Special Music A Little Jazz Mass Bob Chilcott

Kyrie

Lord, have mercy on us

Christ, have mercy on us

Lord, have mercy on us.

Gloria

Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you, we bless you,

We adore you, we glorify you,

We give you thanks for your great glory.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;

Who takes away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.

Who is seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,

You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,

With the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Children’s Sermon

At this time the children may leave for Discovery Hour.

*Hymn No. 404 “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” PRECIOUS LORD

Scripture Readings 2 Peter 1:16-21 p. 987

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of

our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory

from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my

Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven,

while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully

confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day

dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no

prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by

human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Matthew 17:1-9 p. 798 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high

mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and

his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with

him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three

dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking,

suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the

Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the

ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be

afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming

down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has

been raised from the dead.”

Song “If I’d Open My Eyes” David H. Connell

Refrain: If I’d open my eyes, I could see with God’s Vision (3x)

If I’d open my eyes!

Sermon “Hearing Jazz & Seeing with God’s Vision” Rev. Dr. Bernard R. Wilson

Invitation to Giving

Offertory Music A Little Jazz Mass Bob Chilcott

Sanctus

Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of Hosts

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Benedictus

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Grant us peace.

Prayer of Dedication

The service of Holy Communion follows...

Welcome to the Lord’s Table

Sharing the Bread and Cup (Symbolizing your personal relationship with Christ, you are invited to eat the bread when you

are served. Symbolizing our unity in Christ, please hold the cup until all are served and we will

drink together, at the bidding of the Pastor. Symbolizing our service to each other, please allow

the person or usher next to you to hold the communion tray and serve you, if they are able.

After communion is taken, the minister will invite the congregation to “pass the peace.”)

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Passing of the Peace

*Hymn “When the Saints Go Marching In” Spiritual

1. Oh, when the saints go marching in,

Oh, when the saints go marching in:

Oh, Lord, I want to be in that number,

When the saints go marching in.

2. Oh, when they gather round the throne...

3. And when they crown him King of Kings...

4. And on that Hallelujah day...

5. Oh, when the saints go marching in...

Benediction

Postlude “What a Wonderful World” Bob Thiele and George David Weiss

*Asterisk indicates standing for those who desire

Today we welcome and thank

our guest musicians:

Robert Cowie, piano

Michael Bates, bass

Jeff Davis, drums

Welcome Visitors! We are delighted to have you joining us here at Norfield today!

Please let us know if you have additional questions, or require further assistance.

Do not hesitate to ask one of our greeters or ushers, a deacon (identified by name badges),

or one of our ministers.

Please also take a moment to fill out a nametag for yourself so we can greet you by name.

Infant and toddler care is available in the lower level of the Christian Education

Building. An usher can direct you.

A Children’s sermon is shared most Sundays and all children are invited to come to

the front of the altar and join us.

Norfield’s Church School, called Discovery Hour, meets during the service.

Children leave after the Children’s Sermon, accompanied by their teachers. All

children are welcome and encouraged to attend. Pre-registration is not necessary.

Children can then be picked up following the service in the Christian Education

Building. Please ask us for directions.

Hearing Assistance System amplifiers are available. Please speak with an usher if

you would like to use one.

Prayer Cards are located at the entrance. If you have a prayer request, please fill one

out and place it in the offering plate or give it to a minister. We pray over these

concerns each week.

Please fill in your address and any questions you might have on the back of one of

the blue visitor cards in the pews, and then put the card in the offering plate or give it

to a minister.

Please join us, following the service, coffee hour in the Parish Hall so we can

welcome you personally and introduce ourselves.

Please visit our website at www.norfield.org for more information, and for updates on church

activities and service schedules.

P a ri sh N o te s March 2, 2014

Norfield Congregational Church Office Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Senior Minister Office Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Welcome! Thank you for joining us today! We hope that the hour spent in this sacred space

will draw you closer to God, and an awareness of God’s love.

Name Tags! In an effort to maintain and nurture our Norfield family we ask that everyone please put on a

name tag. They can be found in the pew box in front of you!

Leaders of Worship Senior Minister – Rev. Dr. Bernard R. Wilson

Associate Minister of Children, Youth and Families – Rev. Kelly Hough Rogers

Pastoral Associate for Wholeness Ministries – Rev. Diane Stevenson

Director of Music – Ellen Dickinson

Artist-in-Residence – Dr. David H. Connell

Confirmand Reader – Ian Sanders

Ushers – Charlene Blount and Roger Bos

Deacon of the Day – Lorenzo Wyatt

Communion Servers – Charlene Blount, Roger Bos, Pierre Ratte

Our Prayer List (March) I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

Concerns: For Sanders Family on the loss of Rob’s mother, Connie Sanders

and the Okoro Family on the loss of Toyin’s father, Anthony Osifeso.

Joys: Answered Prayers

(If you would like to put a name, concern, or joy on the prayer list, please call the church office

at 227-7886. Your prayer concern will remain on the list for the month;

if you would like to extend that time please call the church office.)

The altar flowers today are given by Jennifer Harris and Family in Honor of John’s 41st

Birthday on March 3, 2014. The Harris’s hope everyone enjoys a happy and healthy 2014!

Discovery Hour Penny Anderson, Christian Education Director

K – Bryn Bradshaw-Mack

1st & 2nd – Margaret Bunger

3rd & 4th – Amy Young

5th & 6th – Penny Anderson

7th & 8th – Shivanthi Edwards

The Discovery Hour children will enjoy learning in their new Christian Education Building!

Ash Wednesday Service 7 o ’ clo ck pm th is We dn e sda y , Ma r ch 5

The meditative Ash Wednesday worship service will be held in the Sanctuary this

Wednesday at 7pm, officially opening the Lenten season of preparation for Easter joy.

The service will include distribution of ashes and anointing with prayers for healing.

This blending of Christian traditions incorporates the dual symbols:

ashes to signify mortality and humility, and

anointing oil to signify healing and blessing.

Dr. David Connell will present the evening’s reflection on the scriptures. We hope you

will join us!

Announcements

M i d ni gh t R un Cl o thi n g & C oi n D r ive

We will continue to receive donations in March to benefit Midnight Run. The clothing will be

distributed to the homeless population of New York City. We particularly need donations of Men’s

shoes, packs of tube socks and warm winter jackets. Larger sizes appreciated. Your coins will go

to benefit our summer work projects. Bring your coins to worship (the tub is in the Sanctuary); bring

clothing to the Banks Room in the Office Building. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Yo u th G ro u p New s

Confirmation Class will be held tonight from 5:15-6:30pm.

The 30-Hour Famine was a huge success! Thank you to the students, parents and volunteers who

helped to make this possible.

R ea d y fo r S t . Pad d y ’ s?

Give Us a Dance, Then! is the title of the upcoming concert of handbell music performed by the

Jubilate Ringers, right here in the Norfield Parish Hall on Sunday afternoon, March 16 at 3:00pm.

The title is also the name of a new composition by David Connell written specially for the occasion,

an entire suite of Irish dance music (jigs, reels and waltzes), in imitation of a traditional Saturday-

night dance party (Ceili). The program will also include arrangements of “Danny Boy,” “The

Prayer,” and more. Jubilate Ringers was founded by Ellen Dickinson and Jo Shute to be a town-wide

handbell ensemble and now includes ringers from far and wide (including several Norfielders),

working at a high level of musicianship. David Connell will direct this Music-on-the Hill concert.

Admission is $20.

Norfield Traditional Fair Update!

We’ve had an idea and we want your input. We’d like to host a traditional fair but in a modified

format. What say you to a Church-wide Weekend Fair to coincide with the PTO Memorial Day Fair?

We are looking to have Walton’s Corner, Grandma’s Attic, Books and Clothing (and other

appropriate Fair stations) as a community fundraising event on the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial

Day weekend! We will have critical mass because of the people who attend the PTO Fair and we

won’t need to provide food and games as those will be available down the hill.

This is a great opportunity to carry on a wonderful tradition and to help the congregation and wider

community as well!

Please send along an email to kellyhrogers@gmail.com and mjosselin@norfield.org with your

feedback about this idea, or if you are interested in chairing a station. Thanks!

Outreach News

iiCONN needs our help!!

This week there are several new families arriving in our area. They have many needs, but right now

we would like to focus on the children. There is a family of four with twin 8-year olds and a 6-year

old, and a single father with his 17-year daughter. We also received a sweet 7-year old deaf child two

weeks ago who will need to start some kind of special needs program. Each of these children will

need to start school within the next 2 weeks, and so will need a backpack, lunchbox, some pencils,

pens, crayons, markers, folders and notebooks.

Can you help? Drop offs can be made at the church, marked iiCONN (please let Sue Ingall know if

you are dropping something off).

Stay Tuned... iiCONN is starting an exciting new “Mentor” program for one-on-one pairing of refugees with

individuals who assist for a definitive amount of time on a specific need, such as employment,

understanding benefits and reporting, Cooking and food shopping in the US and just getting

comfortable in the community, on a friendship model. Stay tuned for more information.

Any questions? Contact Sue Ingall at sueingall@icloud.com

iiCONN is the International Institute of Connecticut. Visit their webpages at iiconn.org

“Be Still and Know”

7:30 o’clock pm, five Wednesdays beginning March 12

“Could you not watch with me one hour?” Jesus asked his disciples this simple question. Could

you not sit quietly together, watching and waiting, in prayer, in meditation, in peace and quiet?

Some may fall asleep – perhaps sleep is what is needed. Some may gain new insight – that is

another gift. All are welcome to join us in the stillness of our Sanctuary, Wednesdays at 7:30pm.

Sunday Morning Soul Food Series for Spring 2014

Give It Up:

A Lenten Vision of Wholeness

for Ourselves, Our Community and Our World

Take a deeper, perhaps even life-altering Lenten journey as we contemplate social justice issues in

the light of scripture. Each session will offer new insight, new information, and a way to reflect on

how God calls us to care for the vulnerable and excluded, to care for creation, to care about our health

and the health of others, and to open our lives to peace and compassion. We will explore the ways

that we are called to a more Christ-like life. The series, a dialogue between scripture and prominent

thinkers of our day via short videos (TED talks), will be led by Rev. Diane Stevenson, our Associate

for Wholeness Ministries.

March 16: Giving Up Our Addictions

We all have them; some are just more obvious than others. This session will offer a short course in

the biology of addiction, common pathways to addictive behaviors, and an overview of how 12-Step

Spirituality can lead to health and wholeness for everyone.

March 23: Giving Up Our Idolatry of Money

Affluenza creeps into our lives in insidious ways. Learn how gratitude, generosity, good stewardship

and a healthy regard for our relative wealth can be a source of joy rather than guilt. Paul Bloom of

Yale will “offer” some surprising insights into altruism and greed.

March 30: Give it Up and Sustain the World

Learn about the four pillars of sustainability: environment, social responsibility, economics and good

governance. In “dialogue” with Jeffrey Sachs, environmentalist and Columbia professor, we will

gain a clear understanding of how acting locally has global impact. We will see how reducing our

carbon imprint will literally save the world and we will learn how to do it.

Each Soul Food morning begins with a delicious fellowship breakfast at 8:30 am followed by the

educational program from 9 to 9:45am, in the Parish Hall. Children are welcome to join us at

breakfast and then do a learning activity together. No need to R.S.V.P.! Please bring a friend along!

C h u rc h Cal e ndar

Day Date Time Event Place

Sunday 3/2 8:45am Sanctuary Choir Sanctuary

10:00am Worship Sanctuary

Monday 3/3 11:00am Senior Zumba Parish Hall

Tuesday 3/4 9:30am Mom’s Bible Study Banks Room

11:00am Senior Center Cooking Class Parish Hall

7:00pm Festival Chorus Rehearsal Parish Hall

Wednesday 3/5 9:30am Open Door Bible Study Banks Room

11:00am Weston Senior Center Luncheon Parish Hall

4:00pm Children’s and Youth Choirs CE Bldg

5:30pm Community Supper Parish Hall

7:00pm Ash Wednesday Service Sanctuary

7:00pm Good News Gospel Choir rehearsal Parish Hall

Thursday 3/6 11:00am Stretch & Strength for Seniors Parish Hall

Friday 3/7 10:00am Yoga for Seniors Parish Hall

Saturday 3/8 8:45am Kiwanis Parish Hall

10:00am Jubilate Ringers Rehearsal Greene Room

Sunday 3/9 8:45am Sanctuary Choir Sanctuary

10:00am Worship Sanctuary

5:15pm Confirmation Class Parish Hall

BOARD AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS:

Moderator – Don Gary Vice Moderator – Rob Sanders

Altar Committee – Bobbie Sassano Board of Trustees – Kurt Schreder

Board of Deacons – Carol Hamilton Human Resources – Jean-Davis French

Board of Music – Andrew Bunger Senior Shepherds – Arlene Pitts

Board of Fellowship – Kim Gautier Parish Nurse – Joan Henderson

Board of Christian Education – Laura Smits Church Clerk – Kerri Meredith

Nominating Committee – Gaitrie Bos Treasurer – Dana Troxell

Shepherds – Lois Bechtel & Missy Dorsey Prayer Requests – Jackie Troxell

Assistant Treasurer – Pam LaFontaine

Board of Christian Outreach – David MacWilliams & Pam Kersey