North Presbyterian Church 300 N. Forest Rd.

Williamsville, NY 14221

January 7, 2018 – 10:00 a.m.

WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD

Gathering Time Hymn 159 (vs. 1 &2) O Sing a Song of Bethlehem Hymn 158 Born in the Night, Mary’s Child Greeting, Welcome, and Opportunities for Discipleship

Welcome to our guests and visitors! We invite you, if you feel comfortable, to introduce yourself at this time. We are glad you are here. We hope you will fill out the welcome pad (found in the pew holder) to help us get acquainted. We also invite you to join us for coffee hour following worship. Everyone—please silence your cell phones.

Prelude How Brightly Shines the Morning Star Pachelbel

Call to Worship May the light of God’s love push back the darkness. We come to the light from the four corners of the earth, from the north, from the south, from the east, and from the west. But we are all one in Jesus Christ. We come from many nations and many cultures. But we are all one in Jesus Christ. We come seeking the light that guides us to life. But we are all one in Jesus Christ. Let us lift up our many voices and praise the God of all people.

Invocation

*Hymn 152 What Star Is This, with Beams So Bright (During the singing of the hymn, please pass Joys & Concerns to center aisle.)

*Call to Confession

*Prayer of Confession God our Savior, we confess that we fail to live in your light. You have searched for us, and yet we hide from you. You have lavished us with blessing, and yet we treasure earthly things. Forgive us, God of grace. Let the mystery of your saving love be revealed, even in our lives, according to your eternal purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Silent Confession (A time for personal confession of sin) *Assurance of Forgiveness

Hear the good news! God loves us. God forgives us.

*Response (Hymn 113, refrain) Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Gloria in excelsis Deo!

*Passing of the Peace Having received Christ’s peace, let us share it by turning to our neighbors and greeting them, saying “May the peace of Christ be with you!”

Anthem Walk in the Light arr. Thomas

WE HEAR THE WORD OF GOD

Prayer for Illumination

Scripture Readings Isaiah 60:1-6 p. 690 Matthew 2:1-12 p.2

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Thanks be to God.

Sermon “Light Rising” Pastor William Hennessy

WE RESPOND AND GIVE THANKS TO GOD

*Hymn 142 ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime

Offering Offertory: Puer nobis nascitur LeBegue

*Doxology (next page)

Text and music ©1979 Les Presses de Taizé (admin. GIA Publications, Inc.)

Celebration of the Lord’s Supper The Invitation to the Lord’s Table

Prayers of Thanksgiving and the Lord’s Prayer The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is a right and joyful thing…the everlasting hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy © 1986 by GIA Publications, Inc

You fill our world with glory and light,. . . Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ Has Died © 1986 by GIA Publications, Inc

Remembering the life and work of Christ … who teaches us to pray saying:

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.

Communion of the People Our Lord invites all who trust in him, and all who long to trust in him, to share in this meal, which he has prepared. Communion will be received by intinction. Please come up the center aisle and return down side aisles. (If your diet requires gluten-free bread, please go to the station at the foot of the steps in the center.)

Prayer after Communion We give you thanks, eternal God, that you have fed us in this sacrament. Fill us with a vision of your new creation, where all may have life, and have it abundantly; through Jesus Christ, the bread of life. Amen.

WE DISPERSE TO SERVE GOD IN THE WORLD

*Hymn 150 As with Gladness Men of Old

*Charge

*Benediction

*Congregational Amen (Hymn 568)

*Postlude Brightest and Best arr. Cassler

*Those who are able, please stand.

Calendar of Events/300 North Forest Road Sunday, January 7 Communion

8:30am Worship/Chapel

9:15 Bible study/RC

10:00am Worship/Sanctuary

Sunday school/north

basement

11:15 Adult ed/Lib.

6:30pm Boy Scouts/DR

Monday, January 8

10:15-11:00am Chair yoga/WH

1:00PM All-staff mtg./Lib.

7:00pm Session/WH

Tuesday, January 9

1:00pm Adult Ed. mtg./RC

Wednesday, January 10

10am-8pm EGA/WH

10am-1pm Musicale/Chapel, DR

10:15AM NO CHAIR YOGA/WH

7:00pm Sarah Circle/Soom home

7-9 Mindfulness/Chapel

Thursday, January 11

7:30 Adult choir/Choir room

Friday, January 12

5:30-9:00 Mindfulness yoga/Chapel

Saturday, January 13

8am Adult Fellowship:

“Cybersecurity Simplified”/WH

Sunday, January 14

8:30am Worship/Chapel

9:15 Bible study/RC

10:00am Worship/Sanctuary

Monday, January 15

Martin Luther King Jr. birthday

Office closed

10:15 Chair yoga/WH

Wednesday, January 17

10am Book group/Lib.

10:15 Chair yoga/WH

7-9pm Mindfulness/Chapel

Thursday, January 18

7-8:30 Girl Scouts/south basement

7:30 Adult choir/Choir room

Friday, January 19

5:30-9:00 Mindfulness yoga/Chapel

Sunday, January 21

8:30am Worship/Chapel

9:15 Bible study/RC

10:00am Worship/Sanctuary

Sunday school/north

basement

Want to see more calendar events? Go to

https://northchurchwilliamsville.org/weekly-bulletin-

and-north-star/. If you see an error or want to add

an event, please e-mail n.church@verizon.net.

EGA—Embroidery Guild

DR—Dickinson Room

FJC—Family Justice Center

FONP—Friends of Night People

Kit—Kitchen

LE3—Before and After School Program

Lib—Library

Ofc—Office

RC—Resource Center

WH—Westminster Hall

ADULT ED. TODAY

11:15 a.m., Library

“The devil made me do it” and other popular misconceptions about Satan….

We begin with a Thoughtful Christian one-session Bible study on Satan today. We will also

circulate a list of future single-session topics for class members to rank. Come along to cast

your vote. Heaven? Hell? Angels? Brueggeman on class warfare? The Apocrypha? Something

else? All that you wanted to know, and then some, in the cold dark days of January.

BIBLE STUDY IN THE RESOURCE CENTER

This study happens weekly at 9:15 a.m. We will study the Sunday lectionary. The study leaders

are volunteers.

LESS THAN A WEEK: UB EXPERTS ON “CYBERSECURITY SIMPLIFIED”

Join two UB experts who are coming to North on Saturday, January 13, from 8-10 a.m., for a

talk on cybersecurity issues that affect us all. Cost for this light breakfast is only $5 each.

Hosted with our friends from Clarence and Amherst Presbyterian churches. Please RSVP to

Cynthia in the church office at 632.1330 or n.church@verizon.net. Or you may sign-up on the

sheet in the Dickinson Room.

COMMUNION AT HOME

If you or someone you know wishes to receive communion at home, please call the church

office at 716.632.1330.

BOOK GROUPS

Meets third and fourth Wednesday of each month in the church library

January 24, at 1:00 p.m. The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

February 21, at 10:00 a.m.: The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

CHAIR YOGA WITH OLIVIA

There is no better time than the New Year to come join us for chair yoga! We now have two

sessions a week. No experience necessary. We provide the chairs! Classes will be offered from

10:15-11:00 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays (except the second Wednesday of the month).

Donations are welcome. Everyone is invited! Questions? E-mail oliviaebsary@gmail.com.

Schedule:

Monday, January 8

Monday, January 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. birthday)

Wednesday, January 17

Monday, January 22

Wednesday, January 24

Monday, January 29

(No class on January 10 and 31.)

WOMEN’S CIRCLES

Martha Circle will not meet in January.

Sarah Circle will meet on Wednesday, January 10, at 7:00 p.m. for movie night at the home of

Mary Soom.

Mission Statement

Brought together by our shared faith in

Jesus Christ,

Called by God to live as faithful disciples,

Blessed by our diverse gifts and experiences,

We commit ourselves to:

Worship together,

Teach and learn from one another,

Nurture each other with care and love, and

Reach out in ministry and mission to

the world.

Minister: The Rev. William Hennessy Coordinator: Tim Ayler

Organist: Marlene Harrington Counters: Linda Gowans, Scott Marshall

Lock-up: Randy Bigler Greeters: Diana Shultz, Michelle Davis

Liturgist: Kaitlyn Khayat Ushers (8:30): Joanne Hickey; Duncan Hemink

Ushers (10:00): Scott & Peggy Marshall; Linda Gowans

Visitors—You are important to us. Please fill out a visitor card and put it in the offering plate

if you wish to be contacted. You may also approach an usher—likely wearing a yellow ribbon

today—to find out more about North Church.

Ministers: The Congregation

Pastor/Head of Staff: The Rev. William T. Hennessy Coordinator of Sacred Arts: Olivia Ebsary

Administrative Assistant: Cynthia Machamer Bookkeeper: Karen Thomas

Facilities Coordinator: Mike Callaghan Childcare Supervisor: Regina Koteras

Director of Music, Organist: Marlene Harrington Webmaster: Tara Martin

Director of Music, Children & Youth: Alanna Carlins Sunday School Administrator: Kimberly Will

Youth Director, Northtowns: Mack Barker Musical Assistant: Kurt Ebsary

Elders (Session)

Clerk of Session: Sylvia Bigler

Class of 2018

Joe Alber

Ralph Doerzbacher

Bill Ervin

Class of 2019

Bill Clark

Sue D’Angelo

Shevaun Donelli O’Connell

Scott Marshall

Marsha Villano

Class of 2020

Anselm George

Warren Marcus

Rob Powell

Deacons

Moderator: Glenn Hopkins

Class of 2018

Glenn Hopkins

Shirley Mazourek

Garry Ostermeier

Pam Ostermeier

Class of 2019

Karen Hopkins

Connie Littlewood

Sheridan Skura

Carol Suckow

Class of 2020

Cam Cowan

Olivia Ebsary

Irene Harbison

Heather Randall

Sunday School Schedule

Sunday, January 7th: Sunday school

Sunday, January 14th: No Sunday school

Sunday, January 21st: Sunday school

Sunday, January 28th: Sunday school

Sunday, February 4th: Sunday school

Sunday, February 11th: Sunday school

Sunday, February 18th: No Sunday school

Sunday, February 25th: Sunday school