A Reconciling Congregation
224 Forest Home Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850
+ (607) 257-4329
Virtual Sunday Worship
THE CHAPEL'S MISSION STATEMENT
Embracing God’s will for our community through education, compassion, and justice.
What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
~ Micah 6:8 ~
May 2, 2021 10 a.m.
(meeting begins at 9:45)
https://zoom.us/j/92527132284
Meeting ID: 925 2713 2284
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aVaWlMG9
ORDER OF WORSHIP
GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Rebecca Dolch, Pastor
TIME WITH YOUNG CHRISTIANS
PRELUDE
Maria Rabbia, Music Director
CALL TO WORSHIP
Based on The Phoenix Affirmations, a description of the nature of progressive Christianity.
(Please note that Progressive Christianity is not the same as progressive politics.)
We gather as the Church:
1. Walking fully in the Path of Jesus
while honoring other paths that God provides for humanity.
2. for God's Word,
which comes through daily prayer and meditation,
studying the ancient testimonies which we call Scripture,
and attending to God's present activity in the world.
3. Engaging people authentically, as Jesus did,
treating all as creations made in God's very image,
regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age,
physical or mental ability, nationality, or economic class.
4. Claiming the sacredness of both our minds and our hearts,
and recognizing that faith and science, doubt and belief serve the pursuit of truth.
5. Standing, as Jesus does,
with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted,
seeking peace and justice, with or without the support of others.
6. Celebrating the God whose Spirit pervades
whose mysteries envelop us, and
whose glory is reflected in all of God's Creation, for which we are caretakers.
7. Preserving religious freedom
and the church's ability to speak prophetically to government
by resisting the commingling of church and state.
8. Humbly with God,
acknowledging our own shortcomings while honestly seeking to understand and call forth the best in others,
including those who consider us their enemies.
9. Basing our lives on the faith that in Christ all things are made new
and that we, and all people, are loved beyond our wildest imaginations — for eternity.
10. Acting on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose,
a vocation and ministry that serve to strengthen and extend God's realm of love.
HYMN ~ Together We Serve (from Faith We Sing #2175)
Together we serve, united by love,
inviting God's world to the glorious feast.
We work and we pray through sorrow and joy,
extending your love to the last and the least.
We seek to become a beacon of hope,
a lamp for the heart and a light for the feet.
We learn, year by year, to let love shine through
until we see Christ in each person we meet.
We welcome the scarred, the wealthy, the poor,
the busy, the lonely, and all who need care.
We offer a home to those who will come,
our hands quick to help, our hearts ready to dare.
Together, by grace, we witness and work
remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong.
Together we serve in Spirit and truth,
remembering love is the strength of our song.
SCRIPTURE READING ~ John 14:1-14
Bud Dolch
SHARING JOYS AND CONCERNS
THE LORD'S PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC
Kristy Shuck
SERMON ~ Understanding "Progressive Christianity"
Rebecca Dolch
HYMN ~ Holy Spirit, Come, Confirm Us
Holy Spirit, come, confirm us in the truth that Christ makes known;
we have faith and understanding through your helping gifts alone.
Holy Spirit, come console us, come as advocate to plead;
loving spirit from the Father, grant in Christ the help we need.
Holy Spirit, come, renew us, come yourself to make us live;
holy through your loving presence, holy through the gifts you give.
BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
BREAKOUT GROUPS
Announcements
BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE MONTH OF MAY
https://zoom.us/j/99783127748
Meeting ID: 997 8312 7748
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aeePB7VvV6
A COLLECTIVE THANK-YOU!
Thank you, Chapel Friends and Members for your constancy of support for the Chapel!
We are making significant improvements in the downstairs restroom, the Sanctuary, and are in the process of finalizing plans for the new front steps, ramp, and ADA-accessible parking space.
Thanks also to Sally Grubb, Jackie Nock and the Finance Team for receiving and depositing offerings,
tracking expenditures and projecting for future needs.
Thanks to Alphonse Pieper for a great job on the window restoration.
Thank you to Elizabeth Mount and her Gardening Crew for keeping the Chapel Garden so beautifully.
When we return to the Chapel in the late summer or early fall, we will get to enjoy the fruits of the behind-the-scenes labor that keeps our historic building shining!
