Covenant Presbyterian Church
Butler, Pennsylvania
June 14, 2015
“Jesus tells parables not for explanation, but
for exploration. Not for answers, but so as
to engage the imagination. Not for certainties
about faith, but for discoveries about how
faith works. In this regard, Jesus asks us to
talk in parables, too.”
--Karoline Lewis
(Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.)
The Rev. Dr. James E. Swanson, Pastor
Pastor’s Phone: 724-752-8383 / 724-712-1407
Church Office Phone: 724-287-7731
Fax Number: 866-309-2674
Website: http://covenantbutler.org
Order of Worship for the Lord’s Day
June 14, 2015
Ten O’clock, A.M.
Rev. Dr. James E. Swanson, Pastor
Choir Director /Organist: Miss Beverly Antis
Liturgist: David Loebell
THIS IS GOD’S HOUSE ~ ALL ARE WELCOME HERE !
To all who are spiritually weary and seek rest; to all who mourn
and long for comfort; to all who struggle and desire victory; to all
who sin and need a Savior; to all who are strangers and want
fellowship; to all who hunger and thirst after righteousness; and to
all who will come – this church opens wide her doors and offers
warmest welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince
of Peace and the Light of the world.
PRELUDE
God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending
Wilbur Held
*RESPONSIVE CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: No longer strangers, we are called God's friends.
People:
No longer separated, we are brothers and sisters
in Christ.
Leader: No walls between us, but windows and doors.
People:
We are a part of the family of God.
We belong to the household of faith.
Leader: Let us then worship our God of grace and love.
Let us offer our sacrifice of adoration and praise!
*OPENING HYMN 341 Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine! ASSURANCE
PSALM OF THE DAY
Psalm 20
(Pew Bible OT p. 482 )
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
CORPORATE PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Holy and righteous God, we confess that we are a people of
unclean lips, unclean hands and unclean hearts. We have
broken your law times without number, and are guilty of
pride, unbelief, self-centeredness and idolatry.
Faced with the severity of our sin and the glory of your
righteousness, we acknowledge our transgressions, and
plead for your forgiveness.
Remold and remake us, O God, into servants who desire
more earnestly to do your will. Help us not to be conformed
to the evils of our day, but to be transformed by your grace
for ministry and mission in the name of Jesus Christ, our
Savior.
A TIME FOR PERSONAL CONFESSION (in silence)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Pastor: I ask you, my friends: Who is in a position to condemn?
People: Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose
for us, Christ reigns in power for us, and Christ
prays for us.
Pastor: If a person, then, is in Christ, that person becomes a new
being altogether. The past is finished and gone;
everything has become fresh and new.
Therefore, believing what we have heard with our ears
and trusting what we know in our hearts, let us declare
the good news:
All:
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
*THE GLORIA PATRI 579
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
GLORIA PATRI
PC(USA) Study Catechism, Questions 63-65
Leader: [Question 63.] What is the mission of the church?
People: The mission of the church is to bear witness to God's
love for the world in Jesus Christ.
Leader: [Question 64.] What forms does this mission take?
People: The forms are as various as the forms of God's love,
yet the center is always Jesus Christ. The church is
faithful to its mission when it extends mercy and
forgiveness to the needy in ways that point finally to
him; for in the end it is always by Christ's mercy that
the needs of the needy are met.
Leader: [Question 65.] Who are the needy?
People: The hungry need bread, the homeless need a roof,
the oppressed need justice, and the lonely need
fellowship. At the same time — on another and
deeper level — the hopeless need hope, sinners need
forgiveness, and the world needs the gospel.
On this level no one is excluded, and all the needy
are one. Our mission as the church is to bring hope
to a desperate world by declaring God's undying love
— as one beggar tells another where to find bread.
*THE GREETINGS OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP
A FEW MOMENTS FOR MISSION ~ Betty Anderson
--Dr. Martha Sommers: Congo, Africa
SHARING OF JOYS, CONCERNS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13
FIRST READING
Liturgist:
People:
(Pew Bible NT p. 253)
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SECOND READING
2 Corinthians 5: 6-10, 14-17 (Pew Bible NT p. 171)
Liturgist: Here ends the second reading.
People: Praise be to you, O Lord.
*GOSPEL READING
Mark 4: 26-34
(Pew Bible NT p. 36)
Pastor: This is the gospel of our Lord.
People: Glory to you, O Christ.
CONGREGATIONAL CANTICLE: Hymn 321, vs. 1
SONG 13
Holy Spirit, truth divine,
Dawn upon this soul of mine;
Word of God, and inward light,
Wake my spirit, clear my sight. —Samuel Longfellow, 1864
SERMON
“ SIMPLE LITTLE STORIES …. NOT ! ”
Pastor Jim
PASTORAL PRAYER & THE LORD’S PRAYER (using debts and debtors)
PULPIT HYMN 422
God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending
BEACH SPRING
PRESENTATION OF TITHES, OFFERINGS & GIFTS
OFFERTORY MUSIC
I Love to Tell the Story
*THE DOXOLOGY
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.
Robert Lau
*UNISON PRAYER OF DEDICATION
O God, through all the generations of this church, in all
the seasons of our lives, you have loved us, sought us,
and claimed us as your own.
Now accept these, our gifts, and grant us grace, that in
everything we may yield our wills and our works unto
you – Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen.
*THE CLOSING HYMN 276
Great Is Thy Faithfulness FAITHFULNESS
*THE BENEDICTION
*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE
Hymn 540, vs. 1, God Be with You Till We Meet Again
RANDOLPH
God be with you till we meet again;
Loving counsels guide, uphold you,
With a Shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again. —Jeremiah Eames Rankin
*A TIME OF SILENCE
*THE CHARGE & DISMISSAL
Pastor: When one of the Pharisees inquired of Jesus: "Teacher, which is
the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor
as yourself.”
Let us go in peace, and love one another!
People: Thanks be to God!
*THE POSTLUDE
’Tis the Gift to Be Simple
Robert Lau
* THOSE WHO ARE ABLE, PLEASE STAND
YOU WERE GREETED TODAY by Pam Patterson.
JOIN US FOR
FELLOWSHIP TIME !
Immediately following worship each
Sunday we gather for a time of
fellowship. If you are a visitor, please
join us for conversation (and food!)
Hosting today: Ione & Bob Mathias
Monday, June 15th To
Tuesday, June 23rd
During the Pastor’s vacation, you may leave a message with Elsie in
the church office @ 724-287-7731 who will forward any of your
concerns . . . or in case of an immediate need or emergency, please
contact the Clerk of Session (Nancy Blewett, 724-287-0169). Rev.
Merry Meloy and Rev. J. (Bill Jamieson) are “on call.”
The Rev. Dr. William A. Jamieson (aka our good friend
Rev. J) will be preaching during the 10 am worship service
on June 21st while Pastor Jim and his family are away.
Rev. Swanson will be back from vacation to preach for the
10 am worship service on Sunday, June 28th.
Attention Elders, Save This Date! ~ Wednesday, June 24th~ Picnic & Session Meeting @ 6:00 PM
At the home of Ione & Bob Mathias
Elders will be receiving a letter (or email) soon with information
and directions to the Mathias home.
____________________________________________
For
Marian (Knepper) Duecker Curran
A Memorial Service will be held for family and friends
on Saturday, June 27th @ 11 am (Sanctuary)
Lunch (in the Assembly Room) follows the service
_________________________________________________________
In The Life of Our Church
_________________________________________________________
Prayer Concerns, Birthdays and Anniversaries:
available in the printed bulletin
but removed from the online version
to ensure confidentiality
__________________________________________
Covenant Cupboard Food Bank
HOURS FOR DISTRIBUTION
9 AM to 11 AM
(DOWNSTAIRS in FELLOWSHIP HALL)
JUNE 2015 Schedule
Monday, June 15
Thursday, June 18
Monday, June 22
Thursday, June 25
Beginning this month, patrons will now enter and exit
Covenant Cupboard using the Franklin St. doors. This
entrance with the handicap ramp and fewer steps provides
easier access to Fellowship Hall for those who use
wheelchairs, carts or who have other serious health issues
affecting their mobility.
Butler Montessori PreSchool
Open House
TODAY Sunday, June 14th
from 2-4pm
(in the Sarver Hall Wing)
For Children Age 3 through Kindergarten
Accepting Applications now for the 2015-2016 School Year
For more information about Butler Montessori School-Contact the School Office @ 724-283-1846
GARDEN TOUR
Joe Nemmer’s Garden
Friday, June 26th
The Congregation is Invited!
Meet at the Church by 1:00 PM
for carpooling to Joe’s home in Mercer.
RSVP by Tuesday, June 23rd –
Contact Nancy Rice @ 724-256-5366 (home)
or 724-712-3905 (cell)
(Optional):
Following the tour, we will stop for dinner at Red Rock
Falls Café in Slippery Rock (formerly Red Schoolhouse)
Beef Pot Roast & Biscuit Dinner
Benefits: The Butler Meals on Wheels Program
This Tuesday, June 16th
St. Peter’s Anglican Social Hall
218 E. Jefferson St., Butler
Carry-outs Available.
Call 724-285-3815 for tickets
About Dr. Martha Sommers…
 She served as a Presbyterian Mission Partner in Malawi for
14+ years, then took the last 2 years off to return to the U.S.
in preparation for a new mission appointment in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (which began just two
weeks ago).
 In the Congo there is a 50+ year partnership between the
Christian Medical Institute of the Kasai (IMCK) and the
PC(USA). Much of Martha’s work will be assisting in the
expansion of a family medicine residency program, and in
facilitating a new Masters in Public Health program that is
jointly developed between IMCK and Saint Louis University.
As an accomplished physician and educator, her position
will be “ education consultant” to the IMCK.
 As a person of deep faith, Martha writes: “I believe I am
called to sit with sorrow. To grab joy in the midst of
sorrow. To accept my limitations and the limitations of
others. To live in community. To forgive and be forgiven. To
keep learning and relearning.
I am a Roman Catholic, not Presbyterian, yet through my
work in the Presbyterian community of northern Malawi
I have come to embrace the beauty of the phrase ‘reformed
and always reforming.’ It is a joy to be joined together in
service of our common Lord.”
____________________________________________
MORE INFO ABOUT DR. MARTHA SOMMERS
--from an email sent on Friday, June 12 by Paula Tibbs,
in Louisville at the office of Global Missions, PC (USA)
________________________________________
Martha Sommers, formerly a Presbyterian Church medical
mission partner in Malawi, is currently working at IMCK
(Institut Médical Chrétien du Kasai, or Christian Medical
Institute of Kasai) in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). This hospital was founded in 1954 as a nursing school
at the rural Presbyterian mission station of Lubondai (when it
was still the Belgian Congo). It has moved to the suburban
area of Tshikaji (pronounced chee-kah-jee), ten miles south of
the city of Kananga (1.4 million people).
The Medical Institute has added a lab tech school and a
college-level nursing program, a 140-bed reference hospital,
programs for nutrition, public health, research and medical
internships, outpatient clinics (in town as well as in village
areas), a dental program and specialized services in surgery,
ophthalmology, maternity and pediatrics.
Martha’s work at IMCK is two-fold:
 as Medical Education Consultant, she works with IMCK
programs by serving as an instructor and resource to
physicians, medical students, interns and residents.
 She also has a clinical practice and collaborates to
assure overall quality of care at IMCK.
In another part of her assignment, working under the direction
of the Saint Louis University (USA), Martha Sommers is the
Global Health Field Coordinator, with oversight of the
activities of global health students working on their Masters of
Public Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
About the area: Even though Kananga is a large city, the
area has been without municipal electric power for many
years. A modern dam is being built now. The hospital has its
own dam to provide the electricity it needs.
West Kasai (the province where Kananga is located) was the
site of Presbyterian mission work starting as early as 1891.
Rev. William Sheppard, an African-American, traveled with
Rev. Samuel Lapsley to the Belgian Congo. Lapsley died after
about 2 years, but Sheppard continued to serve for many years
and was instrumental in calling the world’s attention to the
atrocities being committed in that country by Belgian King
Leopold’s people.
The Congo Presbyterian Community
(headquartered in Kananga) has about 2 million members
today.
Paula Tibbs, our contact in Louisville at the office of Global
Missions writes in her email:
I spent 2 months in Kananga in 2007; despite the difficulties—
no electricity, bad roads, not enough work, a lot of poverty—I
found the people there to be industrious, eager to learn, and
still even joyful.
From the PC(USA) website about the DR Congo :
http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/missionconn
ections/find-mission-worker-congo/
The Democratic Republic of Congo, a country roughly one
quarter the size of the United States, has been ravaged by
conflict. The havoc wreaked by the rebellion that ousted the
dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997 and the following war to
topple President Joseph Kabila have been aggravated by
internal and regional inter-ethnic sentiments. After two civil
wars the country is left with a devastated infrastructure and
economy.People throughout the country struggle daily for
survival. Despite these circumstances, the church in the DRC
continues to faithfully bear witness to Christ’s good news
through their multifold ministries.