Worship Services

9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Worship Services

April 18, 2010 3rd Sunday of Easter

Westminster Presbyterian Church extends an enthusiastic welcome, in Christ’s name, to all who would worship here or join us in fellowship. We affirm that there can be no exclusion within the body of Christ. We invite all children of God to join us as disciples of Christ and participate fully in the life of our congregation.

Worship Resources – Large print hymnals and hearing devices may be obtained from any usher. Kids’ Notes and worship bags for children are also available from the ushers. Kids’ Notes emphasize listening and seeing during worship.

PASTORAL STAFF: Gregory K. Jones, Head of Staff Anne R. Ledbetter, Associate Pastor CHURCH EDUCATOR: Susan Moseley

MUSIC STAFF: Paul Fleckenstein, Organist/Director of Music 1502 West 13th Street ♦ Wilmington, DE 19806 ♦ 302-654-5214 ♦ www.wpc.org Mary Beth Davis, Director of Music for Children, Youth and Handbells Section Leaders/Soloists: Diana Milburn, Ruth Bailis, Justin Gonzalez, Brian Carter

This Morning at Westminster 8:45 – Noon Child Care for Cribbery (birth – toddler)

9:00 a.m. Traditional Worship Service with Westminster Choir and organ

After TIME WITH OUR CHILDREN, if you wish, your children may leave the Sanctuary and go to:

 Godly Care — A unique opportunity for children ages 2 – 4 to get to know God through music, crafts, prayers and stories. Classes are in the Under Six Classrooms A & B.  Godly Play — Children in kindergarten through second grade gather in the Ruth Christie Room to learn the language of God’s people through sacred space, stories, parables and liturgical actions. You may pick up your children in Under Six Classroom C.  Godly Kids — Worship education for children in grades 3 and 4. You may pick up your children in Under Six Classroom C.

10:10 a.m. Prime Time Sunday School Classes for All Ages  Under Six Sunday School – Under Six Classrooms  Workshop Rotation for Grades 1 thru 5 – Grace Hall & Classrooms 1-4  Prime Time for Grades 6 thru 8 – Classroom 7  Confirmation Class – Classroom 8  Senior High Gathering – Library  Exploring Membership – Classroom 6  Adult Education Classes – Page 6

11:15 a.m. Worship with old hymns, new songs and creative liturgy. Children are always welcome in worship, however, childcare is available in Under Six for ages 2 – Grade 2.

Hospitality and Fellowship The Holy Toast Café, located in Community Hall, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Coffee, tea and fellowship are free. Breakfast foods are available for one dollar per item. Deacon Team of the Month: Bill Kaye, Steve Stallone, Carol Mosher, Marcia Carle, Ralph Lewis Later Today

4:30 p.m. Living with Loss – Grief Support Ruth Christie Room 4:30 p.m. Youth Choir Youth Music Room 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 180° Dinner and Fellowship Community Hall, Cl. 6 & Kitchen Community Meetings 6:00 p.m. Clean But Not Straight – NA Club Room 8:00 p.m. AA Club Room

1502 West 13th Street ♦ Wilmington, DE 19806 ♦ 302-654-5214 ♦ www.wpc.org ORDER OF WORSHIP AT 9:00 A.M.

PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP Eternal God, maker of heaven and earth, we praise you for the world you have created to be our home. Show us how to love not only animals, birds and all green and growing things, but also the soil, the air and the water by which we live so that we may not exploit or pollute them for our own profit or convenience. May we demonstrate our gratitude for your good creation by our efforts to conserve and recycle the precious resources of the earth, and by our concern for a fair distribution of the riches of earth. Amen.

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PASSING OF THE PEACE

CALL TO WORSHIP We gather in awe before the Source of all things. We come to praise the Maker of heaven and earth. Powerful Presence above us, below us, within us and around us, touch us with a sense of wonder and a reverence for your good creation.

INTROIT A Time to Rejoice Louise Frier

Reverberations Handbell Choir

*HYMN NO. 455 “All Creatures of Our God and King” LASST UNS ERFREUEN

Verses 1–4

CALL TO CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION Loving God, you proclaimed your love for all the world and called us to be stewards of your good creation. We confess that we wander from your ways when we overpopulate the earth and deplete its natural resources. We work against your desires when we pollute the environment and drive species of animals to extinction. Forgive us for our carelessness and our lack of concern for your creation. By your resurrection power, renew us to care for your gifts, lest we lose them forever. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS

TIME WITH OUR CHILDREN Susan Moseley

ANTHEM Prayer to Jesus George Oldroyd Westminster Choir

Jhesu, since Thou me made and bought, Jhesu, since Thou must do thy will, Be thou my love and all my thought, And naething is that Thee may let, And help that I may to Thee be brought, With Thy grace my heart fulfil, 1502 West 13th Street ♦ Wilmington, DE 19806 ♦ 302-654-5214 ♦ www.wpc.org Withouten Thee I may do nought. My love and my liking in Thee is set.

Jhesu at Thy will That I have done ill I pray that I might be, Jhesu forgive Thou me, All my heart fulfil, And suffer me never to spill with perfect love to Thee. Jhesu for pity. Text: Richard Rolle (1300-1349)

At the asterisk (*), please stand as you are able.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Dede Johnston, Lay Liturgist

SCRIPTURE LESSON Genesis 1:20-27 Old Testament, page 1

SERMON “Save the Planet, Save Your Life” Greg Jones

*HYMN “The Earth Is the Lord’s” ST. DENIO

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Creation reminds us, O God, of your love. By grace we are learning, as year leads to year, we’re called to be stewards, your caretakers here. Your rain forests nurture the world that we share. Your wetlands give animals shelter and care. Your coral reefs cradle the life of the sea. You’ve shown us, in love, what your good world can be. May we be good stewards of all that you give, protecting creation wherever we live. May we be a church that renews and restores, and lovingly cares for this earth that is yours. Words by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, 2001

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

God made human beings together with all the other creatures and charged us to care for the earth and all that lives on it. We acknowledge we share in the interdependence that binds together all God’s creation. Yet God gives us power to rule and tame, to order and reshape the world. We hold the earth in trust for future generations of living things. The Lord forbids us to plunder, foul, and destroy the earth. The Lord expects us to produce, to consume, and to reproduce in ways that make earth’s goodness available to all people and reflect God’s love for all creatures. The Lord wants us to use our technical skills for beauty, justice, health and peace. A Declaration of Faith

OFFERING During the offering, please sign your name and pass the red folders down each row. As folders are returned to the center aisle, note the names of fellow worshippers on your pew.

4 OFFERTORY Beach Spring Arr. John Matheny Reverberations Handbell Choir

*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE (Hymn No. 591) Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Christ, all people here below; Praise Holy Spirit evermore; Praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Canticle of the Creatures by Saint Francis of Assisi

(R): Right Side Congregation Recites (L): Left Side Congregation Recites (R): Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing, To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name. (L): Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day and through whom You give us light. (R): And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One. (L): Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures. (L): Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong. (L): Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. (L): Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, From whom no one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. (L): Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm. ALL: Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility. Amen.

*HYMN NO. 473 “For the Beauty of the Earth” DIX Verses 1-4

BENEDICTION

CHORAL POSTLUDE “Jesu, Meine Freude” J. S. Bach Westminster Choir

Jesu, meine Freude, Jesus, my joy, meines Herzens Weide, my heart's pasture, Jesu, meine Zier! my heart's pasture, Ach wie lang, ach lange, Ah, how long, ah long ist dem Herzen bange has my heart suffered und verlangt nach dir! and longed for you! Gottes Lamm, mein Bräutigam, God's lamb, my bridegroom, 5 außer dir soll mir auf Erden besides You on earth nichts sonst Liebers werden. nothing shall be dearer to me.

GOING FORTH

If you are visiting with us for the first time, we invite you to meet today’s ambassadors, Fred and Julie Schmitt, at the back of the sanctuary. They will have a gift for you, and can share information regarding our many ministries for children, youth and adults.

6 Adult Education Classes This Morning, 10:10 – 11:00 a.m.

New Classes: The Stages of Faith; the Psychology of Human Development – Rodney Chapel – through May 2 Session 2 - The Evolution of Faith from Adolescence towards Mature Spirituality This week’s session will discuss how one’s faith evolves from adolescence to adulthood and the start of the foundation for a mature and encompassing spirituality. Fowler's model contains three stages for this evolution. Some individuals continue to change while others do not. His ideas on how this happens will be discussed.

Writing Your Spiritual Memoirs – Rowell Conference Room – through May 16 Led by Elizabeth Poole and Cynthia Kuespert, this special six-week workshop will focus on writing and sharing our stories of faith, sometimes called spiritual memoirs.

Concluding Class: Wrestling with Angels: An Intimate Look at the Tough Questions of Life – Daughtry House Conference Room Today – Love, with author J. Keith Miller

Ongoing Classes: Parenting – Ruth Christie Room Participant led, with Yvonne Nass, Parenting Consultant, leading the first Sunday of each month

Westminster By Heart – Meeting Room Led by Biblical Storytellers Mary-beth Howard and Shelley Gnade

Thursday Evening Class

Exploring Isaiah I, II, and III – Rowell Conference Room, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m., April 22 Engaging the Old and New Testaments as we explore the depths of ancient prophecy

7 ORDER OF WORSHIP AT 11:15 A.M.

PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP Eternal God, maker of heaven and earth, we praise you for the world you have created to be our home. Show us how to love not only animals, birds and all green and growing things, but also the soil, the air and the water by which we live so that we may not exploit or pollute them for our own profit or convenience. May we demonstrate our gratitude for your good creation by our efforts to conserve and recycle the precious resources of the earth, and by our concern for a fair distribution of the riches of earth. Amen.

INTROIT A Time to Rejoice Louise Frier

Reverberations Handbell Choir

Reverberations Handbell Choir WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRELUDE Beach Spring Arr. John Matheny

CALL TO WORSHIP We gather in awe before the Source of all things. We come to praise the Maker of heaven and earth. Powerful Presence above us, below us, within us and around us, touch us with a sense of wonder and a reverence for your good creation.

*SONG & PROCESSION OF GOD’S LIGHT “Creator of Mountains” Acolyte: Magnus Murray

Verses 1-4

8 Used with permission: Onelicense.net # A-715702

CALL TO CONFESSION Too often we are driven by impulses rather than our faith in Christ. We seek God’s mercy and yearn to be transformed. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Loving God, you proclaimed your love for all the world and called us to be stewards of your good creation. We confess that we wander from your ways when we overpopulate the earth and deplete its natural resources. We work against your desires when we pollute the environment and drive species of animals to extinction. Forgive us for our carelessness and our lack of concern for your creation. By your resurrection power, renew us to care for your gifts, lest we lose them forever. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS

RESPONSE “Nothing Can Trouble”

TIME WITH OUR CHILDREN Susan Moseley

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Barbara Stratton, Lay Liturgist

SCRIPTURE LESSON Genesis 1:20-27 Old Testament, page 1

SERMON “” Greg Jones

HYMN NO. 267 “All Things Bright and Beautiful” ROYAL OAK (Refrain is sung at the beginning and the end.)

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH God made human beings together with all the other creatures and charged us to care for the earth and all that lives on it. We acknowledge we share in the interdependence that binds together all God’s creation. Yet God gives us power to rule and tame, to order and reshape the world. We hold the earth in trust for future generations of living things. The Lord forbids us to plunder, foul, and destroy the earth. The Lord expects us to produce, to consume, and to reproduce in ways that make earth’s goodness available to all people and reflect God’s love for all creatures. The Lord wants us to use our technical skills 9 for beauty, justice, health and peace. A Declaration of Faith

OFFERTORY “Give Me Jesus” Arr. Mark Patterson Youth Choir Soloist: Lauren Carroll, Saxophone: Lauren Buzdygon PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (R): Right Side Congregation Recites (L): Left Side Congregation Recites (R): Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing, To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name. (L): Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day and through whom You give us light. (R): And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One. (L): Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful. Response of Mother Earth (soloist): I am your mother: do not neglect me! Children, protect me-I need your trust; My breath is your breath, my death is your death, Ashes to ashes, dust into dust. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures. (L): Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong. (L): Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs. Response of Mother Earth (soloist): I am your nurture: Do not destroy me! Love and enjoy me, savor my fruit; My good is your good, my food is your food, Water and flower, branches and root. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. (L): Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned. (R): Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, From whom no one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. (L): Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm. Response of Mother Earth (soloist): I am lodging: Do not abuse me! Tenderly use me, soothing my scars; My health is your health, my wealth is your wealth, Shining with promise, set among stars. (ALL): Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility. Amen.

Response of Mother Earth (All):

10 BENEDICTION

*CLOSING SONG “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”

2. He’s got the wind and the rain… 3. He’s got the little bitty babies… 4. He’s got ev’rybody here…

This morning’s Prayers of the People combines the Canticle of the Creatures by Saint Francis of Assisi and the song “I Am Your Mother,” by Shirley Erena Murray and Per Harling. Used with permission.

11 WORSHIP NOTES The flowers in the Sanctuary today are given by Tom and Eleanor Charles to the glory of God and in loving memory of their parents.

Sanctuary Flowers - Consider giving the flowers for Sunday worship to remember or honor loved ones, or to celebrate an event, while expressing praise and thanksgiving to God. Please contact Linda Watson during business hours at 302-571-6719 or [email protected]. Available dates for flowers are May 30 and June 27.

Are you wearing a nametag? Whether you are a longtime member or new to the church, wearing a nametag provides others the opportunity to meet you, greet you by name, and for you to become more familiar with others at church. Nametags and markers are in baskets at all major entrances.

“Westminster to Go” Audio tapes and DVD’s of recent Westminster worship services are available at the front desk. Printed sermons are available on the literature tables and at www.wpc.org.

CONGREGATIONAL CARE AND PRAYER Please remember in your prayers:  Those recently hospitalized: Rod Higgins; Shyla, Aliya, and Reena Shah.  Westminster’s homebound family who can no longer attend worship with us. Send a card, say a prayer, visit! This week we ask you to remember Rocchina Leoncavallo, 1724 Shadybrook Road, Wilmington, DE 19803 and Frieda Tice, 1170 W. Main Street, Apt. 29, Stroudsburg, PA 18360.  Our brothers and sisters in worldwide ministry, especially members of our sister church in Congo who have suffered a number of deaths recently due to illness. Pastor Katujudi and his wife lost brothers and many members are seriously ill.

Westminster’s Covenant Prayer Group prays weekly for specific needs of the faith community. Anyone may submit a prayer requests by leaving a confidential message on 302-654-5848, ext. 335, or filling out a prayer request card (in the pew pocket) and placing it in the offering plate.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan often seem far away, and we may neglect to realize that Americans, as well as Iraqis, Afghans and members of coalition forces, continue to die each day. As Christians, we are called to pray for the spreading of peace and justice and an end to violence. If someone in your family is serving in these wars, please let us know, so that we may include that person on our prayer list. Contact Colleen Falasco: 302-654-5214 ext. 131, or [email protected]. This week we pray for  Those known to the WPC Community presently serving in the Middle East: Afghanistan: Edward Maloney, Chris Martin, Neal Moody and Daniel Reinsenberger Iraq: Brian Crawford

 The families of those from the U.S. who have died most recently: Private 1st Class Raymond Pacleb, age 31 Staff Sergeant Scott Brunkhorst, age 25 Lieutenant Miroslav Zilberman, age 31 Sergeant Frank World, age 25 Lance Corporal Tyler Griffin, age 19 Lance Corporal Curtis Swenson, age 20 Sergeant Kurt Kruize, age 35 1st Lieutenant Robert Collins, age 24 Private 1st Class Anthony Blount, age 21  Those who have returned from service, possibly suffering from wounds or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, whose scars may by deep and long-lasting.