May 25, 2008, 11:00 AM
WE ENTER INTO GOD’S PRESENCE
Preparation for Worship
*Call to Worship – Luke 3:15-18
*Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, you are the fire of holiness that surrounds the throne of God. Burn away our sin and blindness; fill us with the beauty and purity of Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.*God Greets Us
*We Greet Each Other
*Continuing Praise –
“Days of Elijah”
“Shine, Jesus, Shine”
Reaffirmation of Faith – Heather De Haan
*Song of Welcome – 540:1-3 “In Christ There Is No East or West”
Call to Confession
The Spirit of the Lord fills the world and knows our every word and deed. Let us then open ourselves to the Lord and confess our sins in penitence and faith
Prayer of Confession
Holy Spirit, you are so full of energy you are like fire. And like fire you came upon the disciples at Pentecost. But our lives this past week have not blazed with your Spirit. Burn in us this morning, Holy Spirit. We give you the places of our hearts that have been choked by the cares of this world. We give you our tiredness, our sin, our struggles with apathy. We await your fiery cleansing. Forgive us, we pray, and fill us with your Spirit. Come down, O Spirit, fill us and set us on fire. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon –
God has poured out the Spirit on all flesh, and our daughters and sons shall prophesy. Our old ones shall dream dreams, and our young ones shall see visions; and all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered. In Christ, by the power of the Spirit, we are redeemed. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!
*Song of Assurance – 637 “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
Children’s Time
Prayer of Preparation
Scripture Reading – Acts 2:1-4; Exodus 3:1-6
Message – “Wonders of the Spirit: Fire”
Prayer
WE RESPOND WITH THANKSGIVING
*Song – 421 “Spirit Divine, Inspire Our Prayer”
The Offering – General Fund
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Intercessory Prayer
WE ARE DISMISSED TO LOVE AND SERVEOpportunities for Ministry and Fellowship
*Closing Song – “America, the Beautiful” (vs. 1,3,4)
*God Blesses Us
Postlude
ANNOUNCEMENTSThis morning we will receive Heather De Haan into the membership of Valley Church as she reaffirms the faith she earlier professed in another Christian church. Please take some time after the service to welcome her into the Valley Church family.
Reserve Wednesday, June 4, 7:30 PM for the annual spring congregational meeting. Each member family is urged to be represented at the meeting. We will be selecting new elders and deacons from the following nominations: two elders from these nominees – Tim Brown, Florence Doller, Harry Myers; two deacons from these nominees – Janet Crawford, David Derzanovich, John Moomey; Paul Peterson has agreed to extend his term as deacon for one year if approved.
Please take note of the sheet on the exit door where you can list all the members of Valley Church who are graduating from high school or college this year. We will be honoring them on June 29 and want to make sure all who should be noted will be recognized.
The deacons thank all who wrote letters to members of Congress as part of this year’s Offering of Letters. There have been at least 44 letters written (as of Monday evening). If you are still writing more letters or if you wrote some this week, please tell Judy Crawford or another deacon so we can give Bread for the World an accurate count of what Valley Church people did.
Wednesday, 11:30 AM Women’s Luncheon at Country Roads.
Greg Huck is recovering well from his surgery last Monday. Pray that his recovery will be complete and speedy.
Council notes: 1. The meeting was opened with prayer after sharing prayer needs and joys. 2. The date for the spring congregational meeting was set for Wednesday, June 4, 7:30 PM. Nominations were finalized and the agenda for the meeting set. 3. We received an update on the Sea to Sea Bike Tour and on plans for Valley’s part in hosting the tour on Wednesday, August 27. 4. We authorized installing a suspended cross above the prow of the church. Total cost will be $750 – $1,000. 5. The facilities team will get more information on striping the parking lot to maximize parking capacity. 6. We endorsed the youth team initiative of “The Download”, where youth take time at the close of the worship service to “download” their response to the sermon and to share in their own time of intercessory prayer. 7. We asked two members of the finance team to do the regular audit of the financial books for 2007.
Youth Announcements:
There will be a practice on June 1 for the youth service that will take place on June 8.
Junior high youth will meet June 1 at 3:00 PM.
The Valley Church Fear Factor experience will be on Friday, June 6 from 6-9 PM. Plan now to attend IF YOU DARE!!
NEXT SUNDAY, June 1, 2008
SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:45 AM This is the last week of regular classes for all ages. Plan ahead to attend the closing breakfast the following Sunday morning, June 8. There will be waffles and egg dishes for all who attend, and we will celebrate what we have learned during the course of another year of classes.
MORNING WORSHIP: 11:00 AM Pastor Gelder will be with us to bring a message “Wonders of the Spirit: Voice” based on Acts 2:4 and I Kings 19:12. This is the last in a three-part series of messages about the signs and wonders demonstrated when the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost.
