UNION CONGREGATIONAL

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

We welcome all people to experience God’s love, grow spiritually and engage in meaningful service.

SERVICE OF THE WORD FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

*Those who wish may stand.

ENTER TO WORSHIP

GATHERING BELLS Chimes When you hear the bells, please gather. Be seated and prepare for worship.

Lighting the Candle we remember God’s presence with us.

PRELUDE

THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH Words of Welcome & Announcements INTROIT "You Are Welcome Here"

Refrain: You are welcome here, no matter who you are, no matter where you are on life's journey..You are welcome here, no matter who you are, come and join with us, we're united in the church of Christ.

Come now all people join in the song, come be a part of the family of God. We are God's people and you belong, share in the joy of Christ. Refrain

We pray for justice; we pray for peace; we hear the word of the Savior of all. We find God's mercy; we find release, sharing the joy of Christ. Refrain

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. * Chorus:

We are one in the bond of love; we are one in the bond of love, we have joined our spirits with the Spirit of God, we are one in the bond of love.

*CALL TO WORSHIP

One: Through healing waters, through troubled waters, through still waters, through dangerous waters, through welcoming waters

All: God is with us.

One: Come, let us worship.

INVOCATION Christ is with us!

Christ is in our midst!

We are grateful, Creator, for sacred water that flows in our bodies and through the earth. Water is a powerful force that both creates and destroys, sustains and erodes, deposits and washes away. Yet, water is wasted, polluted, and ignored…

*HYMN OF PRAISE "There Is a Name I Love to Hear" PASTORAL PRAYER Sharing Joys and Concerns

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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. PRAYER RESPONSE "Over My Head"

Over my head, I hear music in the air. Over my head, I hear music in the air. Over my head, I hear music in the air, there must be a God somewhere.

OFFERTORY "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian"

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart; Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.

In my heart, in my heart, Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.

*DOXOLOGY Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God all creatures here below; Praise God for all that Love has done: Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT

READING OF SCRIPTURES

Genesis 9:8-17 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is

seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” Psalm 25:1-10 To you, O God, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O God; teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O God, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O God! Good and upright is God; therefore God instructs sinners in the way. God leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble God's way. All the paths of God are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep God's covenant and God's decrees. 1 Peter 3:18-22 If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God. He went and proclaimed God’s salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn’t listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact—saved from the water by the water. The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your

skin but by presenting you through Jesus’ resurrection before God with a clear conscience. Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing right alongside God, and what he says goes. Thanks be to God!

SONG OF PREPARATION "Let Me Hide Myself in Thee" Craig Courtney Soloist: Catherine Briggs SERMON "God's Loving Paths" Rev. Dr. Sheila Harvey Guillaume *CLOSING "We'll Understand It By and By"

*COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION

THE POSTLUDE

DEPART TO SERVE

We WELCOME each of you to this celebration of worship. If you are visiting, we invite you to sign our Guest register in the Narthex. Offering

envelopes are found in the pocket on the back of the chairs in the sanctuary for your convenience.

LARGE PRINT BULLETINS ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE USHERS. If you are hearing impaired, you are welcome to use the sound amplifying devices on the soundboard.

Participating in Today’s Service: Readers George Gerson, Sabita Shah

Joys: Our Church Family! Live Streaming!

Concerns: Ada Harvey's niece, Danielle; Jody Kistenmacher's family & friends; Betty Gaidry's brothers: Tim Robinson and Joel Robinson; Charlotte Snowden's family & friends; Pastor Sheila's Aunt Debbie & Uncle Arthur who recently died from COVID-19; Rosemarie Lightfoot's sister, Cheryl's family & friends; Rod Jennings, Sylvian Notman's family & friends;Dottie Boswell; LeeAnne Gesche; Jane Grandusky's niece Emily's family; Gaidry Family; Carol Whitlock, Sam & Cynthia Clark's family;

Marjorie Hanson; Keith & Barbara Bullock; Ruth Cassidy's husband, Bill; Sis Murphy's family & friends; George Gerson's brother, Jerome; Shirley Thomas; Estelle Fanucci, family & friends; Nancy Reser's sister; Gail Fei's friend, Helga's daughter, Katia; Rev. Misti

Johnson Arce; Ray Lyons, Fran Whitney; Melanie's friend, Grace; Debbie Bott's friend, Barbara; Schall Family & Friends; Dottie and Norma's friend, Sharon's family & Friends; Debbie Chea's brother, Joseph Peter Chea; Linda Chapman; Jan Mark's daughter, Laura; Bob Modini's son, David; Linda's sister, Yvette, and friend Deborah; Billie Wilson and daughter Tonja; George Gerson's family friend, Lilly; Ruth Dietel, John Webster's daughter, Sheila; Joanna Hollis' friend, Drew; Amy McMath's father, Tom McDeavit; Richard Lightfoot's brother, Joseph; Susan DiAmicis' niece, Stephanie; Isabelle Chapman, Holly Dozier; Immigration concerns; Justice & Peace efforts; COVID -19 victims & families; depression and anxiety

CHURCH REOPENING PHASE II Phase II - The Church reopens on the first Sundays of the month.

We reopen today, Sunday, March 7th with a limited capacity of 25 congregants. Please contact the church office to let us know if your able to join us!!

We are accepting call-ins or emails to the office on a first-come basis. The Facebook Livestreaming and conference call-in will continue to be an option

for you to participate in worship.

Email: office@unionucc.net Phone: 561-686-0330 (leave a message)

GLEANING - FEBRUARY 27TH Please contact Judith Mooers or the

office if you are interested in gleaning on Saturday, February 27,

2021. We will be helping hungry people by picking vegetables in

Boynton Beach. We will meet at the church at 8:00 AM.

FOOD PANTRY THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.

The Food Pantry continues to serve our community. On February 6th we served 74 families for a total of 262 people! We are blessed to have a church family that

supports this ministry financially, by contributing food items and by shopping. . This list of items are below for those shoppers that catch the bogo sales. We thank you for all you do

to provide food to many in our community that need a hand. God bless you

Our next food pantry date is March 6, 2021.

Corn (2) Soup Mac & Cheese Ramon (each) (2) Peanut Butter Jelly

Peas Green Pasta Cereal Sauce Pasta/Spaghetti Chicken Tuna

Beans Green Rice Crackers (pack) (2) Beans Can Milk Evaporated

STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE

You should have received a letter and pledge card from our Stewardship Team. We ask you return them via mail. An extra Stewardship card was included in December's Newsletter for your convenience. We are delighted to

journey together in the Stewardship Campaign titled, "Beloved, Love!" We prayerfully hope you will consider responding to God's call for us to be the beloved people of God.

2020 OFFERING ENVELOPES ARE AVAILABLE. They can be picked up at the church or if you would like to receive

them at home please contact the office 561-386-0330. We will make sure you receive them.

NEWSLETTER

It's that time again, just a reminder to submit your ministry's articles/updates for the March newsletter by Tuesday, March 2nd. Send them to irma@unionucc.net. Thank you.

A MESSAGE FROM THE TRUSTEES

Each year our church pays dues of $15.00 per member to the Florida Conference United Church of Christ. Our dues go to assist the state organization’s endeavors in working for and with our state churches and missions. At Union, we ask our members to help defray some of this expense to our general fund by donating an additional $15.00. If you are able to contribute to this cause, please make your check out to Union Congregation Church and note that it is for “Per Capita Dues”. Thank you.

LENT - FEBRUARY 17- MARCH 28, 2021

The late Representive John Lewis of Georgia talked about stirring up "good trouble" that leads to justice. Jesus stirs up a lot of good trouble in the

Lenten Gospels this year; we are called to prepare ourselves and follow.

UNION CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 5088 SUMMIT BLVD, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33415

Ministers of the Church All of Us Pastor Rev. Dr. Sheila Guillaume Musician Kimia Rafieian Email Address: Pastor Sheila sheila@unionucc.net Office - Irma Carreras irma@unionucc.net / office@unionucc.net Union Congregational Church, UCC: unionucc.net Florida Conference, UCC www.uccfla.org National UCC: www.ucc.org

Office Hours: Monday through Friday by appointment due to COVID-19. Please call to confirm someone will be in the office.

Office Phone: 561-686-0330 - please leave a message. Go to www.unionucc.net to see more of our news.

THIS WEEK AT UNION UCC

Sunday, February 21, 2021 10:00 AM Worship - Facebook Live Streaming

For those that do not have internet, we will have a Conference Call. This will allow you to all call in before 10 AM and join us so you may listen to Sunday Worship Service. The number is 712-775-7031. It will ask you for a code: 885-893. You will then be able to join us and listen to service at 10AM.

11:15 AM Children's Moment - Kids Zoom Join Zoom Meeting ID: 682 587 5950 Password: 5YS1sc Wednesday 7 PM Bible Study - Please join us for our next Bible Study Series. We will

explore how the message of God speaks to the ways we are called to love each other as the beloved community.

Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 682 587 5950 Passcode: 5YS1sc

Next Sunday, February 28, 2021 10:00 AM Worship - Live Streaming on Facebook

For those that do not have internet, we will have a Conference Call. This will allow you to all call in before 10 AM and join us so you may listen to Sunday Worship Service. The number is 712-775-7031. It will ask you for a code: 885-893. You will then be able to join us and listen to service at 10AM.

11:15 AM Children's Moment - Kids Zoom Join Zoom Meeting ID: 682 587 5950 Password: 5YS1sc