Welcome to worship with Peace Mennonite Church. We are glad you are with us in worship and invite you to join us for our Zoom discussion and prayer time at 11:00 each Sunday morning. Simply click this link.
You can find worship playlists for previous weeks on the “At-Home Worship” web page.
You are also welcome to join us for our Peace Pursuits Bible study and topic discussions on Wednesday nights. More church announcements are here.
Prelude: “Say I Do” by Dan Newton; performed by Coreopsis: Lauralyn Bodle, Noah Musser, and Whitney Baker
Welcome from Dave and Cheryl
Opening Scripture: Psalm 57:1-3, 10-11 (read by Piet)
Call to Worship:
As we begin worship today, it is our joy and privilege to welcome Carola Ratzlaff into membership at Peace Mennonite Church. The Wise Women welcomed her in person at their gathering on August 27. You are invited to watch the video and join in the congregational response, which is printed below the video.
“Reception of new members” #794 in Hymnal, a Worship Book
Congregational Response: We freely receive you, even as Christ has received us. We open ourselves to fellowship with you in worship, study, service, and discipline. We pledge our willingness to give and receive counsel, to offer and accept forgiveness in the redeemed community. We joyfully accept you as a partner, both in the care of our spiritual family, and in our mission to the world.
Gathering Hymn: “Spirit of the living God” (Hymnal #349)
Congregational Prayer:
You are invited to offer your prayers to God. For what are you thankful this morning? What would you ask of God for yourself? Who do you know who needs God’s loving presence right now? What are your prayers for our community, our country, and our world?
Feel free to share your prayers with people around you, in the comments below, or on our Zoom call at 11 Sunday morning.
This week we offer prayers of thanksgiving for Melissa Atchison, who served as our sabbatical coverage pastor for part of the summer. She graduated from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary!
The Lord’s Prayer: from Dominican Sisters Retreat, March 1993, Great Bend, Kansas; read by Piper and Perry. You welcome to chose a part and read along.
Our Father / Our Mother
Who art in heaven / Who are in all the earth
Hallowed be thy name / Holy is your truth
Thy kingdom come / May your wisdom come
Thy will be done, on earth /Your circle be one uniting
as it is in heaven / as it is on earth
Give us this day our daily bread / Give us today a nurturing spirit
And forgive us our trespasses / Heal through us
as we forgive those who trespass against us / as we ourselves are healed
Lead us not into temptation / Lead us into Fullness of life
But deliver us from evil / And liberate all that is good
For thine is the Kingdom, For the Wisdom,
the power and the glory / the Presence and the Goodness are Yours
Now and forever Amen.
Experiencing the Story: (Time for children and grown-ups)
This video can help you imagine what it was like for Paul in the storm. His boat didn’t look like this, but the waves probably did!
The two videos below give good historical and geographical information about Paul’s journey to Rome. The first video covers Acts 27:1-12, which leads up to today’s reading. The second video covers the reading for today.
Hymn: “Great is Thy faithfulness” (Hymnal #327)
Scripture Reading: Acts 27:13-15, 21-25, 27, 33-35, 39-44 (read by Piet)
Sermon: Weathering the Storm
Reflection and Response:
One way we at Peace Mennonite seek to make the “storms” people in our community face less severe is by participating in the work of Justice Matters. Please sign up to attend one of four scheduled house meetings. And stay tuned for a video invitation next week.
Offering our Money:
You are invited to mail your financial contributions to the church (615 Lincoln St., Lawrence, KS, 66044) or to the home of our treasurer, Roberta Renz (address in the church directory).
See the “How and Where to Give” section of our announcements page for information on giving to other organizations who need funding at this time.
Offering our Efforts: Service Story from Rosie and Rob Claassen
Rosie and Rob are long time volunteers who put in many hours of service in different places. One of those volunteer jobs has taken them to Shipshewanna, Indiana to host guests at Menno-Hof Amish Mennonite Visitors Center. They managed the cash register and took people on tours. While the center is closed during the Covid 10 emergency, when open it provides the history and information for guests from many places especially Canada.They have reported over a million guests and volunteers in the past. Shipshewanna (editor note: I love that name) is the home of the third largest Amish community in the world. Volunteers will be needed for 2021 when they reopen.
From Rosie: I hope this doesn’t sound like we are “tooting our horn” about all the volunteer work Rob and I have been involved in through the church here as well as when we were in Nebraska:
~Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS): clean up after tornados in NE;
~Working with Men’s Brotherhood at Beatrice.Mennonite Central Comm. (MCC)
~”Coins That Count” collection for MCC
~Making food items for the annual MCC sales.
~10,000 Villages (when there was a store here in Lawrence)
~Social Comm. at church:
~Prepare meals for the infirmed from church, making casseroles for LINK, making mashed potatoes for LINK’s Thanksgiving dinner!
~My years in Beatrice included: Sunday School teacher & Superintendent, VBS teaching & Supt., Deacon for 11 years; pastor search committee, church chair and secretary., Shepherd Group leaders (small groups)
~Mennonite Mission Network (MMN)
~Menno-Hof in Shipshewana, IN
~Trustee: Rob served many years in this capacity.
~We both enjoy singing in the choir here as well as in Beatrice.
We give credit for our “service minds” to our parents. They had great influence on us to do what we can by volunteering where needed.
See this web page for more service stories. If you would like to share about a way you are seeking to serve others, please email Karen Brown.
Closing Hymn: “Alleluia, the Great Storm is over” (Sing the Journey #71)
Sung by Melissa and Bob Atchison
Benediction:
Peace Mennonite Church 