Fairfax Presbyterian Church

April 27, 2008

Mission-Minded, Small-Group Centered

Prelude Prelude on St. James’ Air S Wright
Donna Whited, Organist

Welcome and Concerns of the Church Henry Brinton
You are encouraged to greet people you don’t know during our welcome. Please print your name in the friendship pad and return it to the end of the pew. If you are visiting, please include your name, address, and phone number.

The Lighting of the Christ Candle
Look! Here is the light that reminds us that Christ shines among us;
For Christ is the light that lightens the whole world,
And Christ is the light that brightens our worship.

Call to Worship (responsive) Jessica Tate
Leader: We Believe in God the Father Almighty –
People: Lead me Lord so that Your will is done on earth as it is done in heaven.
Leader: We Believe in God the Son –
People: Precious Lord take my hand, lead me on, help me stand.
Leader: We Believe in God the Holy Spirit –
People: Holy Spirit, the One who calls together the church in every time and place, dwell within us in this place as we worship You.

* Easter Hymn 107 Celebrate With Joy and Singing Evelyn Chapel

* Call to Confession
L: Trusting in the mercy of God, let us together this morning confess our profound need for God’s abundant grace.

* Prayer of Confession (unison)
O God, we know that you have called us to be a new creation. All too often we prefer the old. We look at others with human blinders and refuse to see your image in one another. We do not accept the grace you freely offer us because we don’t want the responsibility that comes with it. Rather than going out to all nations, teaching them what you have commanded, we stay within our comfort zones with people “like us.” Rather than being ambassadors of Christ, we focus on our own desires and ignore the real needs of others. Forgive us, O God. Help us to trust in the reconciliation you offer. Give us the courage to reconcile with others and to live as the new creation. In Your holy name we pray. Amen. (Time for silent confession.)

* Assurance of Forgiveness (responsive)
L: Hear the good news again this morning. Our God is merciful and just, slow to anger. Friends, believe the good news.
P: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

* Response to Our Assurance Gloria Patri #579, The Hymnal
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, amen.

The Sacrament of Baptism
Calling Forth
Meaning of Baptism
Question to the Parents
Question to the Congregation
Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed (p. 14, The Presbyterian Hymnal)
Thanksgiving over the Water
Act of Baptizing
Welcome
Hymn 492 Baptized in Water (verse 1 only)

Conversation with Children
Storytime is available in room 252 for children age 3 to 5.
The nursery (in room 245 for children under 3) is available during all services.

Anthem Reconciliation L Pfautsch
Sanctuary Choir, Kenneth Martin, Director; Beau Nygaard, trumpet

Prayer for Illumination Rob Updegrove

Scripture Lessons

Matthew 28:16-20
16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
L: This is the Word of the Lord.
P: Thanks be to God.

Sermon A Place to Begin Henry Baumann

* Hymn 343 Called as Partners in Christ’s Service Beecher
(Pass Prayer Cards to the center aisles.)

Morning Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer

Offering of Christ’s People
Call to Respond
Offertory Fanfare Lemmens

* Doxology 592 Old Hundredth
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. Amen.

* Prayer of Dedication (unison)
O God, you have called us to share the message of reconciliation in the world. Use these tokens and use our lives to show the goodness of your new creation. Amen.

* Hymn 440 In Christ There is No East or West McKee

* Benediction

* Postlude Prelude in G Major JS Bach
*CCLI License #824089

NOTES ON WORSHIP
LLOYD PFAUTSCH’S Reconciliation directly quotes one of today’s scripture passages. It is unusual not only in featuring accompaniment by a solo trumpet, but also in using a speech choir in a “spoken fugue” that interweaves the phrases of the text.

TODAY AT FPC

JOIN MICHELLE FINCHER in a celebration of her ordination as a minister of the
Presbyterian Church (USA) at FPC at 3 p.m. today. A reception will follow the service.

FIFTH GRADE students and their parents will meet in room 124 this morning for a special Sunday School class. Parents meet from 10 to 10:30 a.m.; students from 10:30 to 11 a.m.

NEWS OF FPC
WE WELCOME the Rev. Henry Baumann, our Pastor Emeritus, to the pulpit this morning. Henry served as pastor of FPC from 1955 to 1988.

BAPTIZED this morning is Jack Mercer Dwyer, son of Terry Michael Dwyer and Marjorie Mercer Dwyer and brother of Jason & Jacob. Also present are Jack’s grandparents, Terry & Josephine Dwyer and Malcolm & Serena Mercer, and great grandparents Rose & Alfonso Pettenato. The flowers in the sanctuary this morning are given by Jack’s parents in celebration of his baptism and of Michelle Fincher’s ordination this afternoon.

THE SANCTUARY CHOIR thanks members of the congregation and friends for their support of last Sunday’s Abendmusik concert. We deeply appreciate your attendance, your generosity in the special offering, your applause, your words of encouragement and your reception after the program. We hope that hearing about our Messiah through our singing portions of Handel’s oratorio was as uplifting to you as it was thrilling for us!

IMPROVING OUR ORDER FOR WORSHIP. Pentecost is the birthday of the church, when we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit to the apostles (Acts 2:1-21). This Pentecost Sunday, May 11, certain elements of the service will be reordered to enhance our worship. The FPC staff and Worship Ministry want you to know this is not meant to change the feel of our service, but to alter the order of particular elements for the following reasons: We want our children to hear the reading of the scripture.. Scripture is the story of our faith; we want the children to hear these stories and a Conversation rooted in them. To accomplish this, the Conversation with Children will be moved to a point after the Scripture Lesson. We want our service to begin with a call to worship. Currently, the service starts with announcements that pertain to the life of the church rather than the worship of God. We want to begin with a focus on God and later, as a response to the Word heard in the service, focus on our life together. Moving announcements also gives late-comers a chance to hear this news. We want to include an Affirmation of Faith in each service to unite us as one body. Except for baptismal Sundays, when we say the Apostles’ Creed, we rarely stand as one community and affirm what we believe. The inclusion of an Affirmation of Faith will enable us to do this, in words ranging from the ancient Nicene Creed to the modern Brief Statement of Faith. The staff and Worship Ministry will be open to hearing about your experience with this new order for worship.

SERVICE and STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
IF YOU MISSED the opportunity to help with the recent Glebe clean-up, please schedule some time to help on the morning of Sat, May 10, when we will plant annual flowers. If you can dig just a few small holes, you can help make a big impression on our Glebe all summer! Our volunteer forces have been seriously depleted of late, so newcomers are most welcome.

YOUTH NEWS
PLEASE CONSIDER signing up as a prayer partner to FPC youth mission trip participants. There is a sign up sheet on the table in the narthex. If you have any question, please contact Nancy Stevens.

THEOLOGY CLUB. This new youth small group is dedicated to studying the roots of
Christianity. What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to believe in God? Any 9th to 12th grade youth is welcome to join us for open discussions on Sun, May 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the parlor. Contact Abbey Giordano or Jessica Tate for more information.

ON THE CALENDAR
MEN’S BREAKFAST will meet at Sat, May 3 at 8 a.m. in the multipurpose room; the guest speaker will be Walter Lawrence from the Great Falls Studios Society, who will tell us what the Society is all about and how he fell in love with photography.

UPCOMING GOLDEN AGE Ministry events include lunch and a tour of the new Fairfax City Regional Library on May 18, a review of the Ministry’s activities to date on June 1, and a workshop on Balance and Aging on June 12. For complete details regarding these programs please see the FPC website or the May Octagon. Tickets for the 5-hour Balance and Aging program will go on sale May 4.

TOOLS & BLANKETS Sunday is May 4. Sponsored by Presbyterian Women, this project of the Church World Service is a cooperative, humanitarian ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican denominations that provides sustainable assistance to indigent people around the world by providing wells, livestock, tools, etc. Thus, the dollars you give on Tools & Blankets Sunday go on giving. Please join PW in supporting this program.

CATHERINE LARSEN will host a talk on Sun, May 4 to share stories and images of her recent medical mission trip to Ghana in West Africa, which was made possible by generous financial and spiritual support from the FPC congregation. Please join her at 12:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room to share refreshments and hear about her trip with Joni and Friends.

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES! Runners and walkers of all ages are invited to join “Team FPC” for the 2nd Annual Run to End Domestic Violence at Fort Washington National Park in Maryland on Sat, May 17 at 8 a.m. The $20 entry fee benefits a worthy cause – forms are available on the kiosk. Contact Mike Watson.

A BAPTISM CONFERENCE for persons desiring baptism for themselves or their children will be held Tue, May 20 at 6:45 p.m. in the multipurpose room. Please call the church office at 703 273-5300 if you plan to attend.

COMMUNITY EVENTS
LUNCH ‘N LIFE for individuals 50 years old or better will be held at St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax Station at noon on Thur, May 15. The program will include a tour of this historic church. Please call Faye Quesenberry at 703 620-0161 by May 8 for reservations; the cost is $8. For more information or if transportation is needed, please call the office of the Shepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke at 703 323-4788 or visit www.fairfax-burkesc.org.

This Week at FPC

Sunday, April 27
8:45 a.m. Encounter Worship, sanctuary
10:00 a.m. Church School, various
11:15 a.m. Worship, sanctuary
3:00 p.m. Fincher ordination, sanctuary
4:30 p.m. Youth Fellowship, various
4:30 p.m. Chapel Choir, 234
4:30 p.m. Carol Choir, 233

Monday, April 28
7:00 p.m. Cub Scouts, various
7:15 p.m. Radiant Ringers, 232, sanctuary
7:30 p.m. Girl Scouts, 135

Tuesday, April 29
10:00 a.m. Staff Meeting, 110
6:30 p.m. Confirmation Dinner
7:15 p.m. Joyful Ringers, 235, sanctuary
7:30 p.m. Session, MPR

Wednesday, April 30
12:30 p.m. FPP Soccer, Quad, FH
7:00 p.m. Companions in Christ, parlor
7:30 p.m. Homeless Concerns, library
7:30 p.m. Quilters, 110

Thursday, May 1
7:15 p.m. Sarah Circle, parlor
7:30 p.m. Sanctuary Choir, 235, sanctuary

Friday, May 2
11:00 a.m. Basic Bible, parlor
12:00 p.m. Midday Prayer, sanctuary

Saturday, May 3
8:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast, MPR

Sunday, May 4
8:45 a.m. Worship, sanctuary
10:00 a.m. Church School, various
10:00 a.m. Session, parlor
11:15 a.m. Worship, sanctuary
12:30 p.m. MLM, 110
12:30 p.m. Teen Choir, 235
12:30 p.m. Larsen Talk, MPR
4:00 p.m. God & Country
4:30 p.m. Chapel Choir, 234
4:30 p.m. Carol Choir, 233
5:00 p.m. Carol Choir party, 233
7:00 p.m. Encounter Rehearsal, sanctuary

Christian Education/Children’s Activities
The Nursery is open Sunday mornings in room 245 for infants from 6 weeks to 3 years of age. Storytime is held for children ages 3 through 5 during the 8:45 a.m. service and for children ages 3 through 1st grade during the 11:15 a.m. After the Conversation with Children, please take your child up to room 252. During the 10 a.m. Sunday School hour, Fairfax Kids normally meets as follows:
Ages 3-4 in room 255 * Ages 5-K in room 257 * Grade 1-2 in room 244
Grade 3-4 in room 234 * Grade 5-6 in room 233
Youth Classes

Guiding FPC Mission: Is there a connection between righteousness and justice? Between justice and charity? What is the role of the church in each? Does it involve “getting in the face” of government with respect to justice issues? What should FPC’s role be in addressing issues of hunger and poverty? FPC youth will try to answer these questions to help guide the mission work of FPC in room 129 during the Sunday School this morning. The discussion will be led by Charles Uphaus and Ken Bingham, representatives of Virginian’s Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) and FPC’s Mission Outreach Ministry.

10 a.m. Adult Christian Education, Spring 2008
Basic Bible. This in-depth look at the week’s lectionary reading is led by Pastor Henry Brinton in the multipurpose room. No previous Bible study experience required!
Jessica Tate & Cate Rodman’s class on individual and corporate Christian practices will continue through spring, using the book Christianity for the Rest of Us.
Parenting Your Teenager. Celebrate with fellow adventurers on the path to raising adolescents. This class will meet in room 134.
Morning Mingle. This casual, drop-in class uses videos and short studies to explore faith and life connections. They’re found in room 135.

Upcoming Messages
May 4 8:45 and 11:15 a.m. A How-To for the Christian Woo, Acts 1:6-14
May 11 Pentecost & Mothers Day, 8:45 & 11:15 a.m., Catching the Wind, Acts 2:1-21
May 18 8:45 & 11:15 a.m. Sermon by Jessica Tate, Genesis 1:1-2:4a
May 25 9:30 a.m. Encounter! worship
June 1 9:30 a.m., Glebe Service, Picnic for 5,000, Matthew 14:13-21
June 8 9:30 a.m., Sermon by Jessica Tate
June 15 9:30 a.m., Ultramarathon Faith, Genesis 12:1-9

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Fairfax Presbyterian Church - Fairfax, Virginia, 22030-6985
(703) 273-5300 - FAX (703) 591-4246
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