March 11, 2007             CHAPEL    COMMUNION                      8:00AM

INFANT  &  TODDLER   CARE  BY  ADULTS  DURING  ALL  SERVICES  IN  CHURCH  NURSERY

PREPARING   TO   WORSHIP   GOD

Gathering Music

The Welcome/Welcoming One Another

Church Family Announcements

PRAISING   GOD

The Call to Worship

PASTOR:  This is the day that our God has made!  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

            PEOPLE: Come, let us worship and bow down!  Let us kneel before God, our Maker!

PASTOR:  God summons us here from classroom and carpool, office and kitchen, to hear God’s

      vision, to be renewed in faith, and to find courage and strength to be faithful disciples.

PEOPLE: We have come to watch and listen, that we might hear God’s Word to us.

Hymn of Praise: #

*Prayer of General Confession (unison)

Eternal God, You call us to love You fully and completely, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

We confess, however, that we are selfish, willful people.  We claim You as our God, yet we avoid

relating to You and listening for Your voice.  We claim to care about our neighbors, yet we ignore

the needs of others, and even cause much human suffering.  We claim to be disciples of Jesus, yet

we spend very little of our time and energy promoting and accomplishing His mission.  Forgive us,

O God, and grant that we may live committed, compassionate and courageous lives, following the

manner of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Now in the silence, hear our personal prayers of confession.

*Prayer of Personal Confession (in silence)

*Assurance of Forgiveness       

HEARING   GOD'S   WORD                          

Scripture Lessons                                                                                ISAIAH  55:1-9  &  LUKE 13:10-17                                        

Sermon                                     LISTEN,  SO  THAT  YOU  MAY  LIVE            Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree

RESPONDING   TO   GOD'S   WORD

Prayers of the Church & Lord’s Prayer (using sins….)

THE   SACRAMENT   OF   THE   LORD’S   SUPPER

The Invitation

The Sharing of the Bread and Cup

            (Please come forward, pew by pew, starting with the entire left side, front pew first.  The right

                side can then follow, beginning in the rear.  Break off a piece of bread & dip it into the cup.

                Inside gold container are gluten-free, wheat-free, corn-free, soy-free wafers for those with allergies.)

Prayer of Thanksgiving  (join hands)

Benediction

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Flowers: Given in honor of Rose Dunlap for her 70^th birthday by her grandson, Justyn Bowen.

Our Flower Chart to provide flowers in honor/memory of loved ones is now available in Memorial Hall.

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Joys & Concerns for Prayer: We pray for Rev. Linda Fernandes-Bailey & the 16 women on our Spirited Women’s Retreat this weekend.  We pray for the Robison family, grieving the death of John, & the Tetreault family, grieving the death of Ed’s mother.  Harry Theis will have surgery this Tuesday.  Hospitalized this week: Joe Mercuri & Betsy Mauri.  We continue to pray for Sue Parsons; Alan Beaudoin; Pat Diego; John Zigmont; Mary Carter; Janet Crocker; Betsy Roberts; Maureen Curtis; Pat Livingstone; & our Stephen Ministers & care-receivers.

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WE  WELCOME  REV.  DR.  DAVIDA  FOY  CRABTREE, our Conference Minister in our CT Conference of the United Church of Christ, as our guest preacher today.

THE  EXONERATED: Our adaption of The Exonerated, directed by John Baker (who recently toured with The Sound of Music) comes to Peace Café on March 30 & 31, 7:30pm, & April 1, 2:30pm.  It chronicles the stories of 4 wrongly-accused death row inmates.  Infused with poignant music, it’s a thought-provoking start to Holy Week, as we remember another death row inmate, Jesus!  Space is limited; get free tickets at Coffee & Conversation or from Shelley Nyren (860-628-2523 or shelnyren@sbcglobal.net).  Free-will offering at event.  Due to adult themes & language, play is not recommended for children under age 16.

MOVIES  THAT  MATTER will be offered on the big screen with surround sound on Friday, 3/23, at 7:00pm, in Peace Café.  The movie, Jesus Camp, will be shown, followed by a discussion led by Sue Meissner & Clare Lindsey.  Child care ($3/child for the evening) will be offered & refreshments will be available.  All are welcome!  Suggested donation: $2/person.  Our April movie will be Brokeback Mountain on Friday, April 20, 7:00pm, with discussion leader, Rich Szulczewski.

LENTEN  NOONDAY  SERVICES: Join us for a special 30-minute Lenten service at 12:00N each Wednesday through April 4 in our Chapel.  This week’s worship leader is our own Carol Ann Celella, who serves as Chaplain for the Central Association, CT Conference, United Church of Christ.  Lenten luncheons in Memorial Hall follow each Lenten Noonday Service for just $3.  ALL welcome!

HOLY  WEEK  VIGIL: Sign-up today for our Holy Week Vigil, when people will be in our chapel ‘round the clock’ (Maundy Thursday, 4/5, 9PM, through Easter Sunrise, 4/8, 6AM) for 1 hour each, worshipping, praying, meditating on behalf of all of us.  Sign-up next to Gordon’s office today!

SUMMER  CAMP: Our United Church of Christ runs a wonderful summer camp experience for children & teens at Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT.  Brochure & registration is now available on-line at www.ctucc.org (click on "Silver Lake").  We also have some scholarship assistance available.  See Karlene Archambeault or Carole Lantz.

NEW  MEMBER  SEMINARS: Those wishing to officially join our church are invited to attend one New Member Seminar, 7:00-9:30PM, rooms #201/202, either Tuesday, April 10  OR  Wednesday, April 11.  Once you have attended one, you may join at any of our 4 services Sunday, May 6.  Register for your choice by signing-up next to Gordon’s office or calling our Church Office (860/628-6958).

EASTER  BASKETS: We provide Easter baskets for D.C.F. kids through Covenant to Care.  TAKE basket(s) following all services TODAY (OR use your own).  FILL basket(s) with Easter goodies.  Return full basket(s) to Memorial Hall by Palm Sunday (4/1).  Questions?  Call Cathy Andrini (860/620-9782).

BUY  A  BUTTERFLY: Our children will sell paper butterflies ($1) following our 9:30, 11:15 & 6:00 services thru 4/1.  Butterflies will be hung in church on Easter in memory/honor of loved ones & money will support next year’s Youth Mission Trip to Mexico.

DARFUR  INTERVENTION: Chris Doucet, our recent speaker on The Crisis in Darfur, urged us to write to former President Clinton asking him to travel to Darfur to witness & publicize the genocide there.  Letters for your signature are in Memorial Hall & next to our Church Office.  You may sign & send one yourself, sign one & leave it for us to send, or compose your own, but please help the suffering people of Darfur!  Your Missions Committee

A  MARCH  TO  CHANGE  PRIORITIES: This Saturday, 3/17, a march will be held at Hartford’s Old State House, 3:00-4:30pm, for new priorities (health, education & jobs for all; safe cities; & benefits for returning troops) & against the war (which so far has cost $400 billion, 3000 U.S. lives, & hundreds of thousands Iraqi lives, not to mention ALL the wounded & ALL the destruction).  Carpooling will be offered from our church at 2:00pm, coordinated by Sam Hendrickson.  ALL are welcome to join us!  Sponsored by Seeds of Hope!