Celebrating diversity, independent thought, & faithful action - OCTOBER 25, 2020 - Little River United Church of Christ
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~celebrating diversity, independent thought, & faithful action~
OCTOBER 25, 2020
8410 Little River Turnpike Annandale, VA 22003-3710
(703) 978-3060 ~ office@lrucc.org
www.lrucc.orgWELCOME!
We are glad you are worshiping with us today! Since our founding in the 1950s, we at Little River United
Church of Christ (UCC) have been called by God to celebrate diversity, independent thought, and faithful
action. This call led us to become racially integrated in the segregated Virginia of the 1950s. That same call
led us in 2001 to become open to and affirming of LGBT folks, including full access to the rites of ordination
and marriage. Today, we build on our heritage of proclaiming God’s radically inclusive love to our
congregation, neighborhood, and world by nurturing individual and congregational spirituality, serving our
community, and advocating for all God’s creatures and creation. We’d love to have you join with us in these
sacred tasks! You may make your presence known by emailing us at office@lrucc.org. Welcome!
WORSHIP AND MEETING CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS
Little River is currently evaluating plans to reopen, but will continue to worship and hold meetings online
until further notice. Since these will be different experiences than what we usually do, expect to see some
changes. We’ll try to keep as much continuity as possible, recognizing that online worship and meetings
require adjustments from in-person worship.
This is hard on all of us, but please do offer and receive as much patience, grace, and forgiveness as possible
right now. God is with us, even when we cannot all be together!
SERVICE CREDITS
The liturgy for today was adapted from a liturgy written by the Rev. Kaji S. Douša, Senior Minister of Park
Avenue Christian Church (DOC) New York City. Today’s hymns are used with permission, reprinted
under Onelicense.net A-715105.
COMMUNICATIONS AT LITTLE RIVER UCC
Little River UCC produces a weekly e-newsletter, Current Tidings, and periodically sends out Alerts (emails
with significant, time-sensitive information). All submissions for the weekly Bulletin, Current Tidings, and
online Currents should be submitted to the office by Wednesdays at noon. We also send out a monthly print
newsletter, Current Reflections. To receive any of these communications, please send an email to
currents@lrucc.org or call the church office to give us your contact information.
STAFF AND PARTNERS
Rev. Alexis Kassim, Pastor (571) 217-8326 | alexis@lrucc.org
Craig Stapert, Director of Music craig@lrucc.org
Ashton Streavig, Children and Youth Choir Director ashton@lrucc.org
Kathy Heyman, Office Administrator kathy@lrucc.org
Roberta Croll, Communications Coordinator roberta@lrucc.org
John Davis, Sexton/First Friday Coordinator john@lrucc.org
Yris Saenz, Liana Berbichasvili, Child Care Providers office@lrucc.org
Rev. Dr. Verne Arens, Pastor Emeritus
Rev. Hubert S. Beckwith, Founding PastorSERVICE OF CELEBRATION AND WORSHIP
OCTOBER 25, 2020
NINETEENTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST
PRELUDE Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott J. Pachelbel
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP Rich Dodenhoff
One: You, O God, know our hearts.
All: Guide our hearts, O God!
One: You, O God, see our ways.
All: Shape our ways, O God!
One: You, O God, call our spirits.
All: Call us now, O God, as we call on you! Amen.
HYMN A Mighty Fortress Is Our God EIN’ FESTE BURG
(SEE BACK OF BULLETIN FOR MUSIC INSERT)
INVOCATION: Rich Dodenhoff
One: Happy are we, O God, when our hearts are full,
our ways are yours, our spirits enlivened by your call.
Happy are we, O God, when our lives are guided by delight.
We gather here today for just that, holy God.
We gather to draw on all you would give us
to be more fully yours.
All: In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
PASSING OF THE PEACE
We will unmute everyone for a moment of greeting and peace-passing. You may also type your words of peace in the chat box.
Feel free to wave at others as a sign of greeting and peace. After the “cacophony of peace,” we will put everyone back on mute.
ANTHEM
SCRIPTURE
SERMON
MOMENT FOR STEWARDSHIP
CALL TO OFFERING
You can give your offering to Little River UCC by mailing a check to church, or by visiting the Donate Online page on
our website. To give to the Congregation Action Network’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund, visit the “Action and
Outreach” page of our website or click here. Thank you.GRATITUDE FOR OUR GIFTS
DOXOLOGY OLD HUNDREDTH
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God above, ye heavenly host.
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
THANKSGIVINGS AND CONCERNS
Please feel free to share your Thanksgivings and Concerns at this time. You can raise your hand to share or use the chat
function. You can also use the online submission form by clicking here or emailing Pastor Alexis at alexis@lrucc.org.
Thank you.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
We invite everyone to join our new midweek prayer calls to check-in with each other and to pray on Wednesdays at
12:00pm. We will use Zoom for these calls. To join please email office@lrucc.org for the Zoom link.
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.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
HYMN The Church’s One Foundation AURELIA
(SEE BACK OF BULLETIN FOR MUSIC INSERT)
BENEDICTION
One: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Go forth into this aching, hurting world with God’s love,
offering healing, hope, and peace to all.
Go in peace and may God’s peace surround you always.
All: Amen.
POSTLUDE Build on the Rock R. Hobby
TODAY
Virtual Coffee Hour Sundays at 11:00 am
Join us for coffee hour after the service, where we will go into breakout rooms for smaller conversations.
Feel free to discuss the sermon or whatever else is on your mind! After 25 minutes in the breakout rooms
we will re-gather as a large group and share. You can join coffee hour by using the same Zoom link as you did for
worship.THIS WEEK AND BEYOND Remembering Loved Ones Recently Deceased October 28 On November 1, we will offer prayers of thanksgiving for loved ones who have died during the past 12 months. We invite you to contribute the names of family members and close friends whose loss you mourn. Please call or email the church office, (703) 978-3060 or office@lrucc.org, with the name of the individual and your relationship to that person. Information will be collected through noon on Wednesday, October 28. Volunteers Needed To Help with Worship Service Sundays The Board of Deacons invites members and friends of the congregation to assist in leading worship by volunteering to be a greeter, liturgist, prayer person, or Ts and Cs notetaker on Sunday mornings. Duties include: Greeter: Log in to the Zoom worship service early at 9:40 am and greet folks as they enter with a "Welcome to Little River UCC! We are glad to have you worshiping with us this morning!" Liturgist: Reads the Call to Worship and the Invocation/Prayer of Confession from the slides during worship. Liturgists should plan on logging into Zoom by 9:50 am to test their audio before service begins at 10:00. All ages welcome! Prayer Person: Offers a brief prayer following the Thanksgivings and Concerns time. This prayer can be an original creation or from another source. It can be a moment of silence or other brief meditation-- whatever is on your heart! The Prayer Person will then lead us all in the Lord's Prayer, which appears on the slide. Ts and Cs Notetaker: Takes notes of the items mentioned during the Thanksgivings and Concerns time and then sends them to office@lrucc.org before Monday at noon. Don't worry about getting them perfect -- notes will be checked and edited before being used in the weekly email. All volunteers will be emailed the bulletin on Friday prior to the service, and are encouraged to contact Pastor Alexis with any questions. Sign up to volunteer here! Wednesday Prayer Call Wednesdays at Noon Every Wednesday at 12:00 pm, Pastor Alexis will lead a midweek call via Zoom for LRUCC members and friends to check-in and pray together for about half an hour. Feel free to grab your lunch, or anything you’d like to share. To join please email office@lrucc.org for the Zoom link. Meditation Group Meeting Sundays at 9:00 am The Little River Meditation Group will meet every Sunday via Zoom Video Conferencing during this time of social distancing. All are welcome to join in at 9:00 am as the group explores meditation as a contemplative practice that helps to quiet the mind. Meetings will end at 9:50 am, just in time for participants to make it to the online worship services. Below is the information to join the meeting. Questions? Contact Sallyanne Harper at Saharper1@verizon.net To join please email office@lrucc.org for the Zoom link.
MORE CHURCH NEWS
Board of Outreach and Social Justice Meeting Update
From the October 18th meeting, BOSJ:
-- Authorized up to $300 for hypothermia dinner and lunch in December
-- Approved a new name, “The Giving Tree”, for the “White Gift” program
-- Giving Tree dates
1. Tags will be available by mid-November.
2. Tags to be picked by December 9
3. Gift drop-off in church parking lot on Saturday, December 12 - rain or shine
Need many volunteers to assist!
Little River UCC Response to the Coronavirus
Due to the situation with COVID-19, Little River UCC will be closed to ALL in-person meetings and
gatherings until further notice. This includes LRUCC-sponsored groups and community-use groups, worship
services, and special events. The church office will also remain closed to the public until further notice, but
mail is being received and opened remotely. We will continue to monitor the recommendations of public
health and county officials, and will be updating our plans accordingly. Please continue to check our website
and Facebook page for updates. If you need to communicate with a staff member, please contact us at
office@lrucc.org.
Fair Trade Sales
Fair Trade Sales are happening on an ongoing basis, so plan to stock up on your supplies of coffee, chocolate,
and Palestinian olive oil while providing fair compensation to farmers in less-developed countries. A portion
of the olive oil sales supports Tent of Nations and its peace-building programs in the West Bank. Arrange
for a Wednesday pick-up of your fair trade products with John Davis at john@lrucc.org. Also, if you
anticipate needing specific Palestinian olive oil products through December, please let Jan Curtis know at
janetscurtis@gmail.com so she can include your items in an upcoming order.Food Pantry Drop-offs
Little River is still collecting donations of non-perishable food items, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, baby
wipes, and feminine hygiene products for neighbors in need across Northern Virginia. Please consider
purchasing a few extra items for our Food Pantry when you do your grocery shopping and online orders!
Grocery gift cards are also welcome.
In addition, individual pre-packed bags of food are prepared for use by FISH and church staff to respond to
immediate needs. A bag of food includes: two boxes of cereal, one can of fruit, two cans of vegetables, one
canned meat product, two boxes of pasta, one jar/can of pasta sauce, dry milk, and a jar of peanut butter.
These items and paper or reusable grocery bags to pack them in are always appreciated.
Donations can be dropped by the front door of the church on Wednesdays before 5:00pm. If you would
like to arrange a different drop-off time, please contact the church office at office@lrucc.org so that a staff
person can be onsite to receive the items. Thank you for your continued support and faithful giving during
these challenging times!
EVENTS OF THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 25, 2020
Sunday, October 25 9:00 Meditation Group Meeting - via Zoom
10:00 Sunday Worship - via Zoom
11:00 Virtual Coffee Hour - via Zoom
Monday, October 26 No LRUCC-sponsored Events
Tuesday, October 27 1:30 Office Staff Meeting – via Zoom
7:00 Board of Deacons Meeting - via Zoom
Wednesday, October 28 12:00 Midweek Prayer Call - via Zoom
7:00 Music Committee Meeting - via Zoom
Thursday, October 29 7:30 Sanctuary Choir Check-in - via Zoom
Friday, October 30 No LRUCC-sponsored Events
Saturday, October 31 No LRUCC-sponsored Events
Sunday, November 1 9:00 Meditation Group Meeting - via Zoom
10:00 Sunday Worship - via Zoom
11:00 Virtual Coffee Hour - via ZoomYou can also read
