June 16, 2024
We Become What We Behold
Happy Fathers Day!
First Mennonite Church
Sugarcreek, Ohio
June 16, 2024
Worship: 9:30 – 10:30
Fellowship Time: 10:30-12:00
We believe in Jesus and take his life, teachings, death and resurrection
as the model for how we live and the message we proclaim.
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We seek to be a caring and discerning community, the gathered body
of Christ, that welcomes all to join in worship, study, and service.
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We embody God’s transforming and redeeming Spirit in the world
through our prophetic witness and action.
THE CHURCH WORSHIPS TOGETHER
Beholding God’s Example For
Fathers and Family
Prelude "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" - arr. Larry Shackley
Welcome & Announcements
Focus Statement:
As we behold those who are fathers around us, we notice
especially those who parent with great love, great patience, great wisdom and we take those qualities to emulate in our lives as parents, as children, as siblings. Our example for whom we become is the One who loves us unconditionally and to whose family we belong as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Litany for Fathers’ Day:
Leader: Our relationships with our fathers are complicated.
People: For some of us, our father’s love is like God’s love—
too deep, too long, too wide, too strong to measure.
Leader: Some of our dads are here; some were never here.
People: For some of us, God’s love fills in the empty spaces
our fathers left behind.
Leader: All of us are shaped by the relationship or lack of
relationship with our fathers.
ALL: On this day when we remember what it means to have
a father or be a father, we recognize the importance of
fathers in our communities. We pledge as a
congregation to love and nurture the fathers among us
so that they will manifest the love of God in all that
they do. Amen.
*Time of Meditation: “And the Father Will Dance” –arr.
Mark Hayes (adapted from Zephaniah 3:14,17, Psalm 34:2,4)
And the Father will dance over you in joy!
He will take delight in whom He loves,
Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God?
No, the Lord God Himself is exulting o’er you in song!
And He will joy over you in song; And he will joy over you in song!
My soul will make its boast in God,
For He has answered all my cries,
His faithfulness to me is as sure as the dawn of a new day.
Awake, my soul! Awake, my soul!
Awake, my soul, and sing!
Let my spirit rejoice, Let my spirit rejoice,
Let my spirit rejoice in God!
Sing, O daughter of Zion, with all of your heart!
Cast away fear for you have been restored!
Put on the garment of praise as on a festival day.
Join with the Father in glorious, jubilant song.
And He will joy over you in song,
And He will joy over you in song!
And the Father will dance over you in joy!
And the Father will dance over you in joy!
He will take delight in whom He loves!
He will take delight in whom He loves!
Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God?
No, the Lord God Himself is exulting o’er you in song!
God rejoices over you. God rejoices over you.
God rejoices over you in song!
Call To Worship:
Leader: Come, bless the Lord with me! For the Lord is like a
father to his children, compassionate and merciful,
filled with endless love.
People: He forgives our sins, and heals the sickness inside us,
he surrounds us with love and mercy and fills our
lives with good things!
ALL: Let’s worship God together!
Invocation: (to be read together)
God, our Creator, we give you thanks for those who have been mothers/fathers/parents for us. Help us inherit from them
that which will make us more fully your people. Where they have offered us blessings of love, may we incorporate those gifts into our lives. Where they have hurt us or fallen short of our expectations, may we learn from them, that we might not repeat their mistakes. May the honor we convey toward our mothers/fathers/parents reflect the honor that we feel toward you. Amen.
Hymn of Gathering: VT 1 Summoned By the God Who Made Us
Scriptures:
Psalm 133:1 – Jaden Murphy Psalm 103:13 – Kristy Keim
Proverbs 23:22-26 – Bob Gerber Matthew 7:7-11 – Jean Flinner
Romans 8:15-16 – Dylan Link
Ephesians 2:19-22 – Nancy Yoder
Prayers of the People
Hymn of Praise: VT 697 Loving Spirit
Becoming: The Mission Field Is At Your Kitchen Table
Scripture: I Peter 4:8-11
Message: “Following Our Father’s Example”
Hymn of Response: VT 778 Will You Let Me Be Your Servant
(the offering will be brought forward)
Offering Prayer
Sending Hymn: VT 524 When Love Is Found
Benediction:
Leader: Go forth, as God’s beloved children.
People: God’s love surrounds us like a father’s love.
Leader: Go in the knowledge of God’s comfort and protection.
People: God’s strength empowers us to be the best we can be.
Leader: Go in God’s grace.
People: We go to share the love of God with all we meet!
Postlude “The Water Is Wide” – arr. Howard Helvey
(tune: “When Love Is Found,” an Appalachian folk melody)
Sending Words:
“O God, Father that you are, be with us now and always.”
An Afterword "Go Down, Moses" - arr. Mark Hayes
*anthem sung in the past by our adult choir at FMC
WORSHIP 9:30-10:30
Minister: Mike Gehman
Worship Leader: Bruce Stauffer
Song Leader: April Shupe
Organist: Margaret Cheslock
Pianist: Suzanne Stauffer
Head Usher: Mike Keim
This Week:
o Make a grateful list for each family member
o Call your Mom and Dad
o Adopt someone who is far from family
o Go home and love your family
FMC LIVES IN DISCIPLESHIP TOGETHER
Mission Project for June:. My Coins Count
Each year, spare change collected by children, families and churches adds up to more than $600,000 toward MCC’s work around the world. Your coins (and dollars) count! Our donations will be added to the total which will be collected at the annual Relief Sale in Mt. Hope in July.
Harbor of Hope for June: Cereal
THE CHURH GIVES THANKS
Jean Flinner: Bill had a good report, he must go back in 3 months and hopefully there will be no cancer.
Sue Stauffer: Amy took Greta to Camp Friedenswald this week.
CHURCH PRAYS FOR
Kristy Keim: Michelle Stein has a staph infection.
Sue Stauffer: Prayers for Jim Cahill, he has cancer and must go to
Cleveland clinic.
THIS WEEK
June 20-22nd CDC Conference at Goshen, IN
UPCOMING EVENTS
July 12-13th 59th Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale & Auction
July 18-28th Mennonite Action Walk for a ceasefire
NEXT WEEK
Text: Psalm 139:1-18; II Corinthians 3:12-18
Guest Minister: Darcy Miller
Worship Leader: April Shupe
Head Usher: Mike Keim
LAST WEEK
ATTENDANCE: 26
OFFERING: $690
Change for a dollar: $10
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Pastor: Mike Gehman
Email: pastor@firstmennonitesugarcreek.com
Pastor’s Hours: Wednesday 9:30 am-2:30 pm
Church Secretary: Tabatha Murphy
Church Phone: 1-330-852-2822
Email: office@firstmennonitesugarcreek.com
Website: http//fmcsugarcreekoh.org
Address: 113 W. Main St. P.O. Box 250 Sugarcreek, Ohio 44681
CONGREGATIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM:
Chairperson: Mike Keim
Office Contact: Linda Yoder
Mission Contact: Reno Stevanus
Trustees Contact: Dan Hostetler
Secretary Contact: Amy Stauffer-McNutt
Summer Series: Beholding and Becoming
We are entering the longest season of the Christian Year, the Sundays after Pentecost, or what is also called Ordinary Time. For many, it feels rather ordinary, week after week of the long spring and summer and even into the early fall season. Yet, it could be argued that this season is where our faith gets put to the test, where the church takes the stage and seeks to live out all that has been learned as we show to the world what living in the kingdom looks like. We will begin with the theme, Beholding and Becoming. English poet William Blake may have been the first to say, ‘We become what we behold,’ but in 2 Corinthians, Paul describes true beholding and becoming for us who long to become like Christ:
We all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from one degree
of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the
Spirit. ---2 Corinthians 3:18
Here, in the season after Pentecost, we ascribe to God all the glory, all the wonder, all the joy that is within us. By gazing at the nature of God with unveiled minds, we can be more like Him. This is our invitation to you to be transformed this summer, one everyday moment at a time.
Note: What are you beholding this summer? Please share pictures of what you are thinking on, meditating on, and/or enjoying seeing the glory of the Lord in. Please send pictures to the church email at
office@firstmennonitesugarcreek.com, and look for them to be a part of the bulletin board display outside of the office. Please see April or Tabby if you have any questions.
