GRACE COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

May 27, 2012

Loving God & Our Neighbors in the Heart of the City

WELCOME TO GRACE COVENANT!

We are an historic Presbyterian congregation offering traditional worship and multiple ministries for persons of all ages. Please join us after worship for fellowship in the Social Room.
Thank you for turning off your cell phones, pagers, cameras, and other electronic devices during worship, and for leaving food and beverages outside the sanctuary. Interim Pastor: Director of Music: Administrative Assistant: Bookkeeper: Temporary Sexton: Child Development Center Director: Student Assistant for Christian Ed: Brint Keyes Christopher Martin Vanessa Strait Martha Rubin James Greene Nicole Williams Christopher Tweel

1627 Monument Avenue Richmond, VA 23220 Phone: 804.359.2463 Fax: 804.278.6298 www.grace-covenant.org info@grace-covenant.org

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Radio: WLES 590 AM www.wlesradio.com

Hearing Aids, Large Print Hymnals, and Bulletins are available each week from the ushers.

PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP

And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live. - Ezekiel 37:14 (RSV) When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. - Acts 2:1-4 (RSV) The essential contrast which Paul paints is between the weakness of the law and the power of the Spirit. For over against indwelling sin, which is the reason the law is unable to help us in our moral struggle (Rom. 7:17, 20), Paul now sets the indwelling Spirit, who is both our liberator now from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2) and the guarantee of resurrection and eternal glory in the end (Rom. 8:11, 17, 23). Thus the Christian life is essentially life in the Spirit, that is to say, a life which is animated, sustained, directed and enriched by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit true Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, indeed impossible. - John R. W. Stott, Romans: Encountering the Gospel's Power (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1998)

A SERVICE OF WORSHIP
May 27, 2012 Pentecost 10:55 a.m.

WE GATHER TO GLORIFY GOD

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Please fill out the communication card and place it in the offering plate during the offertory. PRELUDE Komm, Heiliger Geist (Come, Holy Ghost) Dietrich Buxtehude
Please stand for these parts of the service.

(1637-1707)

CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: People: Leader: People: Leader: People: All:

from Psalm 104

O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. They all look to You to give them their food in due season; When You give to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are filled with good things. When You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; You renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the LORD endure forever. Praise the LORD!

HYMN 466 (Blue Hymnal)

O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Azmon

PRAYER OF CONFESSION Almighty and heavenly Father, by Your power all things are made, and by Your grace the earth is blessed. But we confess that we have sought power in idols, and preferred our comfort to the welfare of Your people. We promise to help others as soon as our own priorities are met; We would place our security in accomplishments and things, and avoid the sovereign power of Your Holy Spirit; We pray that You would bless our lives, but shun the divine grace that would use us to bless others. Lord, have mercy upon us, and forgive us our sins, we pray. Visit us with Your untamed Spirit; burn away every remnant of self-concern, and kindle in us Your holy flame of love for all creation; That we may serve Your perfect will, and be messengers to the world of Your purifying Spirit of life; Through the grace of Your Son, our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON PENTECOST ALLELUIA

Alleluia, music by William Monk, 1823-1889, 1986 by G.I.A. Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-715262.

WE GIVE THANKS TO GOD

PRESENTATION OF TITHES, OFFERINGS, AND GIFTS ANTHEM Gracious Spirit, Dwell with me K. Lee Scott
(b. 1950)

Gracious Spirit, dwell with me, I would gracious be; Help me now thy grace to see, I would be like thee; And, with words that help and heal, thy life would mine reveal; And, with actions bold and meek, For Christ, my Savior, speak. Truthful Spirit, dwell with me, I would truthful be; Help me now thy truth to see, I would be like thee; And, with wisdom kind and clear, thy life in mine appear; And, with actions brotherly, Speak Christ's sincerity. Holy Spirit, dwell with me, I would holy be; Show thy mercy tenderly, make me more like thee; Separate from sin, I would and cherish all things good, And whatever I can be Give him who gave me thee. Mighty Spirit, dwell with me, I would mighty be; Help me now thy powr to see, I would be like thee; 'Gainst all weapons hell can wield, be thou my strength and shield; Let thy word my weapon be, Lord, Thine the victory. Gracious Spirit, dwell with me, I would be like thee!

DOXOLOGY 592 (Blue Hymnal) Old Hundredth Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Pete Sizemore

WE HEAR THE WORD OF GOD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Pete Sizemore

OLD TESTAMENT READING CHILDRENS SERMON NEW TESTAMENT READING

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Holy Bible, p. 763 OT Christof Meyer

Acts 2:1-21

Holy Bible, p. 113 NT

Leader: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. SERMON Spirit of Power, Spirit of Life B. Brinton P. Keyes St. Agnes

HYMN 239 (Red Hymnal) Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

GLORIA PATRI 579 (Blue Hymnal) Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen. PASTORAL PRAYER AND THE LORDS 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Greatorex

WE GO FORTH IN GODS NAME

HYMN 128 (Blue Hymnal) BENEDICTION CHORAL RESPONSE POSTLUDE Threefold Amen Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux Danish Franois Couperin (1668-1733) On Pentecost They Gathered Munich

Please join us in the Social Room following worship for refreshments and fellowship. The flowers are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of our son, James Christian Adams, by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Adams.

Give thanks for: Those who are graduating and receiving diplomas and degrees. Continue to pray for: Evelyn Turner, in hospital with pneumonia; Willie Alford, at home undergoing chemo; Ben Gordon, for health, and his mother, Alice, undergoing chemo; Cheryl Jacobs and her father, Rolland, recovering from surgery; Ann Pais daughter-in-law Jane, with cancer, and nephew Paul, with ALS; Juliette Harriman White; Susan Farrells grandmother Mary Lou (Uh Oh) and father, Jim; Svetlana Chicus mother, Estera, with lymphoma; Peter Albertis; Rosie and George Turner; Nela Bostian Our Christianity Explored outreach that began April 18, and this summers Vacation Bible School, that God would use both to plant and nurture seeds of faith Erika Tabor and Carlos Juara, facing vocational challenges; and Leslie Hartmans community garden ministry Our Session, that they may faithfully lead us by humbly following Gods Word; and our Pastor Nominating Committee, that they might seek faithfully and listen patiently to discern the pastor whom God is calling to GCPC Beth Lloyd Daniel Reas, Stuart Chapman, William Bridenstine, David Russell, Chris Pais, and Mike Child, serving in our nations Armed Forces The people of Haiti and the Midwest US, as they continue to recover from natural disasters Missionaries we support: Elizabeth Gee, for protection and blessing while on travel to SE Asia May 5 June 9; Beth Baleke in Uganda; Valentin and Svetlana Chicu in Moldova; The Zobule family in the Solomon Islands, facing employment uncertainty For the Churches and religious institutions of Metropolitan Richmond: For a spirit of unity, mutuality, cooperation, reconciliation, reform, and common ministry among the Christian community.

This week we welcome Sharon Freude as our guest organist. Sharon has been a regular substitute organist at Grace Covenant since 2006. Before retirement her last full-time position was as Director of Music and Organist at St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Richmond. Todays choral anthem is by K. Lee Scott (b. 1950), an American composer who has written many anthems for choirs. His setting of the Gregorian chant tune Adoro te devote is coupled with a Pentecost text written by Thomas Lynch (1818-1871) and a final verse written by Mr. Scott.

The Chancel Choirs last Sunday for the season is June 10. Our summer music ministry series begins June 17 and continues through September 2.

August Musicales Returns!

August Musicales, our annual series of three separate concerts, returns this year as a patron series. More information about the artists will be available in the next issue of Grace Notes. Save the dates: August 8, 15, and 22. All concerts will be held in the sanctuary and are at 7:00 p.m.

The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) has now met three times and is working diligently on completing the Church Information Form (CIF). The committee welcomes input from our congregation regarding the qualities they wish to see in a new pastor. Please feel free to contact any member of the PNC to offer your input. Members of the GCPC PNC are: Brian Baird (Clerk) Everett Reveley (Moderator) Kent Cardwell (Computer Clerk) Leslie Hartman Will Madden Pat Ball Marcia Manning (Congregational Communications Clerk)

Vacation Bible School, June 24-28

Everyone, please mark your calendars for VBS at Grace Covenant. This years VBS will have a focus on Missions past, present, and future; local and international. Look for sign-up sheets and more information on classes and programs for all ages. The theme we will be addressing and the question we will be attempting to answer is evident in the VBS slogan for this year: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Church Work Day We are going to have a church work day on Saturday, June 16, from

8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon in order to spruce the place up a bit in advance for VBS. Anyone willing to participate should contact or speak to Dick Cardwell or Bob Brooks regarding their availability. Dick Cardwell can be reached at 804-282-3606 or Bob Brooks at 804-338-5129.

Stewardship of Our Buildings

Wayne Casey is temporarily coordinating our janitorial work with church volunteers and cleaning duties at the church. If you have any questions, concerns, or requests, contact Wayne at 804-222-3468 or by email at caseywt1@verizon.net.

Flower Donations We need someone to donate flowers for Sunday, July 1, 2012.
Please contact Lisa Gray at 804-673-0587 or by email at c.lgray@comcast.net if you are interested.

The Property Committee asks you to offer a BIG THANK YOU!!! to Charlie Appich for his generosity and hard work in hauling away four loads of metal appliances and furniture for recycling. We really appreciate it.

Sunday Mornings
CLASS
(all begin at 9:30 a.m.)

TOPIC

TEACHER

Forum (Room B-7) Vanguard (Room B-4) Connections (Room 303)

Did Jesus Really Have to Die? Bible Study (no information)

Tom Miller Matt Johnson

The last Sunday for individual Adult Sunday School classes will be June 17. On June 24 we will begin Combined Sunday School on Heroes of the Christian Faith.

Sunday Afternoons
DISCIPLE BIBLE STUDY is a 34-week in-depth Bible
study for small groups. Led by a trained facilitator, the study includes 30 minutes of daily reading and a weekly 2-1/2 hour seminar. If the curriculum looks appealing, then youre invited to consider signing up for the next class. Here are the topics for the coming week:

Week 18: Disciple- Radical Discipleship

Monday Tuesday Matthew 1-2 (birth narrative); 3-7 (Section 1: radical discipleship) Matthew 8-10 (Section 2: the mission)

Wednesday Matthew 11:1-13:52 (Section 3: secrets of the Kingdom) Thursday Friday Saturday Matthew 13:53-18:35 (Section 4: life and leadership in the church) Mathew 19-25 (Section 5: being ready for the Judgment) Read and respond to The Bible Teaching and Marks of Discipleship.

Wednesday Evenings
Join us this Wednesday, May 30, at 6:00 p.m. Menu: No peek-beef, noodles, mixed vegetables, salad, rolls, Jello and cookies This weeks program is the sixth session of our seven-week series on the curriculum Christianity Explored. More information can be found at www.christianityexplored.org.

Summertime Sunday Childcare Please Volunteer for One Sunday This Summer! Our Childrens Ministry is now scheduling summertime volunteers for the preschool room. Volunteers need to be here by 9:30 to lead Sunday School, and remain with the children through the worship hour (until 12:15). This is a longer time commitment than during the school year; however, our prayer is that enough people step up to allow each volunteer to commit to only one Sunday for the entire summer. The summer schedule begins May 27th and continues through September 2nd. Please contact Carson Price (804)928-4875, chefcarson@alacarson.com) to get on the schedule and fathers are encouraged to sign up, too! The Christian Education committee set Sunday, June 17, 2012 as the last adult Sunday School class meeting. The CE committee and all members appreciate the outstanding teachers who have faithfully led the classes and shared their faith and love of studying the Word of God from September 2011 through June 17, 2012. The Sunday adult class will begin June 24 in the Fellowship Hall. The theme will be Favorite Heroes of the Christian Faith and the importance of the Bible in their lives. We invite all to attend and participate in these opportunities to study and grow in your personal Christian faith. More details will follow. Grace Covenant Child Development Center Needs Your Help The CDC is requesting donations of AA, C, and D batteries and thermometers to take underarm temperatures. There is a special designated box in the Glass Office in which you may place your items. Thank you very much for being so generous. -The CDC Board

Honduras Mission Yard Sale BenefitJune 9

A collaborative yard sale with Immanuel Episcopal Church, Grace Covenants partner, will be held in Old Church to benefit the Honduras Mission. We are looking for "STUFF!" In anticipation of the yard sale on SATURDAY MORNING, JUNE 9, please set aside items for donation. We will be collecting yard sale items in the parking lot on Wednesday evening, June 6, from 5:30-6:30. For larger items that may need pickup, please have folks contact us. Ron David and Susan Pillsbury David can be reached at 804-328-2207 or by email at clwturtle@aol.com. MUCHAS GRACIAS!

THIS WEEK AT GRACE COVENANT

Sunday, May 27 PENTECOST SUNDAY Prayer Sunday School Worship Service Fellowship Hour Farewell to Kelsey Snyder Disciple & Community Group Lunch Disciple Bible Study Community Group Discussion

9:15 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 10:55 a.m. 12:00 noon 12:30 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m.

Social Room Various Rooms Sanctuary Social Room Fellowship Hall Room 303 Fellowship Hall

Monday, May 28

MEMORIAL DAY Church Office and CDC Closed

Tuesday, May 29 11:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 6:00 p.m. 7:15 p.m.

Staff Meeting Room 213 Care Team Meeting Pastors Office Pastor Nominating Committee Meeting

Wednesday Night Live Chancel Choir Rehearsal

Fellowship Hall Choir Room

Sunday, June 3

9:15 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 10:55 a.m. 12:00 noon 12:30 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m.

Prayer Sunday School Worship Service Fellowship Hour Disciple & Community Group Lunch Disciple Bible Study Community Group Discussion

Social Room Various Rooms Sanctuary Social Room Fellowship Hall Room 303 Fellowship Hall

2012 Officers
Our Elders serve the church as leaders. Our Deacons lead the church in service. Please feel free to approach them with any questions or feedback about Grace Covenants ministries. CLERK OF SESSION: Everett Reveley

PEOPLE GROUP
On Saturday, June 16, Sid Yates will graciously open his River House to host the People Group Event. Flyers and maps are available around the church, and also will be in Junes edition of Grace Notes. All are welcome. Feel free to invite a friend. Please bring with you a lawn chair, bathing suit, towel and a dish to share. Suggestions are: Finger foods, appetizers, side dishes, salads, breads or desserts.

ELDERS: Jordan Ball (14) - Nominating (M); Finance Kent Cardwell (12) - Fellowship (M) Wayne Casey (13) Jack Corley (13) Matt Hartman (13) - Mission (M) Virginia Hudson (14) - Evangelism (M) Cheryl Jacobs (12) - Worship (M); Fellowship Katie McCullough (13) - Administration (M) Dana McKnight (14) - Finance, Worship Christof Meyer (12) - Christian Ed (M), CDC (M) Tom Miller (12) - Christian Education Joy Nevin (14) - Administration Everett Reveley (12) - Finance (M) Robert Rosebro (13) - Property (M) Rob Turner (14) - Worship, Nominating DEACONS: Pat Ball (12) - Flowers Cherry Corley (12) - Communication Cards Susan Farrell (12) - Transportation, Care Team Nikki Hazlegrove (13) - Vice-Moderator - Meals Jan Kessel (14) - Care Team Jim McCullough (13) - Deacons Fund, Nominating Ann Pais (14) - Care Team Erika Tabor (14) - Secretary - Communication Cards Judy Waldron (14) - Moderator - Cards Dawson Watkins (13) - Care Team Carol Wood (13) - Prayer, Communication Cards Sid Yates (12) - Ushering

*Burgers, hot dogs and drinks will be provided.

SERMON NOTES
Spirit of Power, Spirit of Life B. BRINTON P. KEYES