First Presbyterian Church of Plainwell



First Presbyterian Church

September 20, 2020

Welcome to First Presbyterian Church of Plainwell!

We are a diverse faith family who value traditional worship, including Biblical teaching, prayer, confession, music, and a fellowship of caring and sharing.

We believe in the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We practice the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion which define who we are and encourage and sustain us in our daily life.  

By the Grace of God and to the Glory of God, as servants of  God, we strive to demonstrate the Love of God through Jesus Christ and in the Peace of the Holy Spirit by offering a welcoming and nurturing community and by reaching out in compassion beyond our fellowship to people in need.

First Presbyterian Church

September 20, 2020 10:30 a.m. Worship

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Please phone 269-215-0384 to join together!



We Gather in God’s Name

Lighting the Christ Candle

We invite you to light a candle in your home and remember that Jesus Christ IS the Light of the World!

Call to Worship and Salutation Rev. Ruth Lowry

L: O give thanks to the Lord! The Lord hears the

cries of the people. Ps. 105:1–6

P: Give thanks to the Lord.

L: The works of the Lord are great. Remember

what God has done.

P: Give thanks to the Lord.

L: God has done miracles, and the Lord always

remembers God’s covenant.

ALL: Give thanks to the Lord. Glory and praise

is due to the Lord!

Opening Hymn (p. 7) “Come, Ye Thankful People Come”

Welcome/Announcements Kate Johnson, Liturgist

Psalm of Praise (From Psalm 105 :1-6, 37-45) (Responsive)

Liturgist: O give thanks to the LORD, call on God’s name, make known deeds of the Lord among the peoples.

People: Sing to the Lord, sing praises to God; tell of all of God’s wonderful works.

Liturgist: Glory in God’s holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

People: Seek the LORD and the strength of the Lord; seek God’s presence continually.

Liturgist: Remember the wonderful works the Lord has done, God’s miracles, and the judgments the Lord uttered,

People: O offspring of God’s servant Abraham, children of Jacob and Rachel and Leah, God’s chosen ones.

Liturgist: Then the Lord brought Israel out with silver and gold, and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.

People: Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.

Liturgist: God spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.

People: They asked, and the Lord brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance.

Liturgist: The Lord opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.

People: For the Lord remembered the holy promise of God, and Abraham, God’s servant.

Liturgist: So the Lord brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.

ALL: That they might keep God’s statutes and observe God’s laws. Praise the LORD!

We Center Ourselves As We Worship Christy Connell

“AGNUS DEI”

Call to Confession Pastor Ruth Lowry

Trusting in God’s mercy,

let us confess our sins against God and our neighbors.

Prayer of Confession (Unison)

Gracious God, we have sought after things, Matt. 20:15b,

but we have not sought after You. Ps. 105:42

We have expected generosity, but we have not shown generosity. We have not been gracious or grateful.

We have failed to remember all that You have done.

Forgive us and fill our hearts with gratitude.

Help us to share our gifts and strengthen us so that we can follow after you, O God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

People of God, our sins are forgiven; Matt. 20:15–16

we are reconciled to God.

Let us therefore love one another

with gratitude in our hearts and praise on our lips.

Gloria Patri # 579

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.

We Listen for God’s Word

Prayer for Illumination

Let the wisdom of your Word Exod. 16:4

rain down on us like manna and feed us, that we may be strengthened to do the work to which we are called,

for the glory and honor of your name. Amen.

Scripture Exodus 16:2–15, Philippians 1:21–30, Matt. 20:1–16

Sermon “Do We Know What We Are Looking For?”

We Respond to God’s Word

Hymn (Insert) “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken”

Affirmation of Faith (Apostles’ Creed)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the 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 arose 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.

Invitation to the Offering

Great is God’s mercy toward us. Let us offer a portion of what God has given with humble and grateful hearts.

(We invite you, at this time, to write a check and mail it to the church, if you are able.)

Offertory “El Shaddai” Christy Connell

The Doxology #592

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Offering Prayer

Prayers of The People

[A time of silence follows each petition.]

Let us pray for the needs of the world, saying,

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Holy God, who hears our cries and pities our groans, Exod. 16:11

you are ever faithful.

We come to you with our petitions for ourselves

and our community. . . .

For our church and its leaders—

that they be of open mind and open heart . . .

that they might be the Christian leaders you

have called them to be . . .

and that the church be an instrument of love,

justice, and peace.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For our country and global community—

that all may be peaceful, fair, and respectful of all peoples

no matter the religion, color, gender, or kind of government.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

For our local community— for our schools and public safety and shopkeepers and retirees and teachers and all who live in our neighborhoods.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

For those who are overlooked in our society—

the poor, the young, the old, the bereaved, and the oppressed—

help us to see them and to be with them.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

For the special intentions that we hold in our hearts.

[A time of silence is kept.]

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Gracious and loving God,

we know that you hear us and are always with us,

and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,

and to Jesus Christ the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit.

Accept and heed all these prayers,

through Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray together:

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.

Closing Hymn (Insert) "God Will Take Care of You"

Benediction Rev. Ruth Lowry

Postlude Christy Connell

“Praise To The Lord, The Almighty”

Greetings to Each Other

Enjoy a time of greeting each other before ending the phone call.

(Portions of Liturgy are from “Feasting on the Word”)

From Your Session

In the Presbyterian Church, the Church is led by the Elders (“presbyterios” means “elder” in Greek). The Elders will continue to keep you informed here in the bulletin.

• Your Session has prayerfully discussed how best to faithfully care for all the people of our church during this pandemic. We are well aware that many people are vulnerable in our congregation. We will be worshipping together, as we have been, via phone/online to protect each other and those we love.

• The Presbytery’s Leadership Team spent some time in discernment and discussion and decided the Church is called to protect those most vulnerable. Therefore, their recommendation is that congregations of the Presbytery of Lake Michigan not conduct in-person worship services within church buildings until at least December 31, 2020.

• If you are interested in learning more about our church and potentially joining, please contact Pastor Ruth this week.

• We ask you to remember to support your church in ways that you are able during this unexpected season in our world. Please mail your checks to the church address. Thank you!

Church Calendar

Sunday Worship @ 10:30 am on the phone/online

September 20 (16th Sunday after Pentecost)

September 27 (17th Sunday after Pentecost)

Tuesday Dawn is away and will return October 6.

September 22, 10am Book Club (meets in parking lot)

“The Book of Longings” by Sue Monk Kidd

New Members Class, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Wednesday In coming weeks we are inviting you to pray together on lawns, porches and outdoors, with masks. When the weather gets colder, we look forward to returning to mid-week Prayer.

Community

▪ The Directory Updates/Reminder: We are completing a new directory. If you have corrections from the previous directory (or additions), please contact the church office.

▪ The church sustained hail damage recently and will be having some work done in the upcoming weeks.

▪ If you are coming to the church for any reason at this time, we kindly request that you please wear a mask.

▪ Many thanks to Lois DeWolf who has made some beautiful masks. Thank you again Lois…We so appreciate your efforts to help keep us safe!

▪ The Sept./Oct. issue of the Upper Room has arrived. If you would like one, please call the office to let Dawn know your approximate arrival and she will bring it out to your vehicle.

Partners in Mission

▪ Good Hands Plainwell is requesting:  Fruit cups, oatmeal packets (brown sugar or plain), peanut butter (regular or crunchy), peanut butter snack crackers, macaroni & cheese.

▪ Christian Neighbors requests that our church donate any nom-perishable and canned goods to the food pantry. Food donations may be placed in the C.N. donation box..

| | |

|SEPTEMBER |OCTOBER |

|3 Judy Herrick |3 Danielle Klein |

|16 Richard & Lois DeWolf |6 Bruce & Sandy Corwin |

|21 Karli Boer |8 Jay Miller |

|22 Kate Johnson |8 Dan & Nicki Klein |

| |15 Kevin Spiegelberg |

▪ Christian Neighbors News: Due to the seriousness of the Covid, there will be NO Soup Suppers until further notice. Please remember that Christian Neighbors is here and ready to help if you find yourself in need. For food we are serving by curb-side pick up during our client hours.  For financial help with utilities, rent or prescriptions, please call Kim at 269-685-4166, ext. 102. Hours: Mon., 10am-12pm and 4-6pm; Tues., 10am-12pm; Closed Wed.; Thurs., 3-5pm; Closed Friday.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Prayer Concerns

If you would like to have someone added or removed from our Weekly Prayer Requests, please let Pastor Ruth know. Requests will remain on the special prayer needs section for 30 days at which time they will be removed unless we receive a request otherwise.

For those dealing with long-term health challenges…

MaryLyn Moon

Matt Shea

For those in Active Duty in the US Military…

Ben Huyck - U.S.A.F. (DeWolf's grandson)

Lace Johnson - US Navy (Koster's granddaughter-in-law)

Alex Zikafoose (Bob Dines’ grandson)

For those who are rejoicing:

• We thank God for the many new grandbabies and great-grandbabies.

• We thank God for creativity and ingenuity during the pandemic.

• We thank God for a church that offers tender care to each other and others during a pandemic.

For those who are requesting prayer and intercession:

• We pray for the Meert family. Their 21 year old daughter, Konnor Meert, died on her 21st birthday when she was hit by a car. Additionally, their grandmother, a dear friend of Christian Madden, died weeks ago.

• We pray for Christy Connell whose femur broke after a fall on her bike. She had surgery on Monday, 8/24 and continues to heal.

• We pray for Lisa Boer who has reconstructive surgery scheduled for September 10 after the effects of breast cancer. We pray for complete healing and look forward to restored health.

• We pray for Jay Miller who recently had three stents put in his heart, a valve replacement, and a pacemaker. We pray for Jay in his healing and Paula as she cares for him in this recovery process. As Jay said, "I got a second chance and I'm gonna make the most of it." We pray for him in his healing.

• We pray for Jill and Kevin Spiegelberg’s daughter, Jessica and Cory Lambright, as they go through the IVF procedure/ process.

• We pray for Mary Hinds and her family during this time, particularly her son Timothy as he looks at the potential of heart surgery.

• We continue to pray for Christina Madden’s sister Jenny’s daughter Tonette.

• We pray for Art Teitgen’s brother-in-law William who is dealing with bladder cancer.

• We pray for Lisa Boer’s sister Lynn who is healing after surgery for squamous cell carcinoma.

• The family and friends of Dave Davies, Larry Hiemstra, Linwood Jennings (the father of Dawn Edwards), Lisa Boer, Pat Switzer, those in places where peace is not known.

For those who are dealing with the effects of COVID-19:

• For Art Teitgen’s grandnieces Gracie and Jenna and their mom Anna who have COVID-19.

• Barry Martin’s nephew Brian who is an EMS.

• Bob and Marilyn Koster’s family who work in the medical field, including granddaughter Kristin (who is an EMT), niece Audra (who is a nurse), Samantha in Peoria, IL and Heather who works in a hospital in the Chicago area.

• Jill & Kevin Spiegelberg’s daughter Ronna who is a Physician Assistant in Battle Creek and cares for COVID-19 patients.

• Mark & Christy Connell’s sons Logan and Taylor who are paramedics in Kalamazoo.

• Sandy Hogg’s daughter-in-law Kelli who works with dental surgery and for her son’s wife, who works in a hospital where there is COVID-19.

• Lehna Clothier has several family members who work in places of risk (immunology, critical care MD, Meijer’s).

• Marylyn Moon’s daughter-in-law Courtney works health care.

• Lisa Boer’s sister Lynn who works in a hospital in the Detroit area.

Questions for Reflection

In Matthew 20:1–16, what is the landowner’s motivation for paying the workers the same wages? When has God provided for you? How do you show gratitude?

Household Prayer: Morning

Dear God, thank you for this day.

Help me hear others as I know that you always hear me.

Open my heart and help me give myself with grateful praise

to things you have set for me today.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Household Prayer: Evening

Dear God, thank you for always being with me.

Rest now in me, God, so that I will wake in the morning

with praise and thanksgiving on my lips.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

September 15, 2020 Deposit Date:

General Offering $1,980.00

First Presbyterian Church

303 East Bridge Street

Plainwell, MI 49080

Church Office: 269-685-5990

E-mail: fpcplainwell@

Pastor Ruth Lowry

616-915-8221

Pastor.Ruth.PCUSA@

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SESSION MEMBERS

Lisa Boer………………..…....685-2325

Michelle Boer……..……....….623-4431

Sharon Chambers..…….…..…343-4489

Barry Martin………….............623-2650

Jay Miller………….…..…..…694-4259

Pat Switzer, Clerk of Session..685-5750

DEACON

Pat Harriger…….………...…..685-5049

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