Welcome to this service. 

Today’s service is the first of four “unpastorized” services we will hold while Pastor Tom Kinder is on break. In Tom’s absence, we are simplifying the online service format to place the focus on meaningful sermons that you might have missed the first time around. We’ll be digging into our video archives of sermons, readings, messages for children, and music, as well as offering some new elements. 

During today’s worship, we especially hold in our prayers the family of Bill Burden, as we share their sorrow at his passing, and our Music Director, Annemieke McLane, as she and her family cope with the loss of their home in a fire earlier this week. (Information about how to support the Burdens and McLanes is under Announcements.)

You can respond with thoughts about the service or with anything you would like to say by using the comment feature at the end of the post or by emailing us.  You can also bring others into this experience by sharing the link to this service by email or social media.

Please note that we are gathering as a congregation by Zoom at 10:30 AM on Sunday mornings to say hello to one another and share our Joys and Concerns and Prayer requests and offer our compassion and support and company for this journey.

With love,
Becky Bailey, for the UCS Deacons

Today’s Order of Worship
Prelude
Call to Worship
Announcements
Time with Children
Sermon
Hymn
Offering
Postlude

Prelude  “Water” Toccata in E minor, Fugue, J. S. Bach, piano and photography by Annemieke McLane

Today’s prelude video was created for the June 28 worship service and celebrates Annemieke’s life-giving music and photography.

Call to Worship This haiku by Mel Goertz is dedicated to Annemieke and family:

Trudging through clouds
And mist
Searching for glimmers of lights.

Announcements

Condolence notes for Dot Burden can be sent to her at Genesis Health Care, Lebanon, 24 Old Etna Rd, Lebanon, NH 03766. Donations are being collected for Annemieke and her family on the United Church online offering link as well as by checks made out to “McLane Recovery Fund” and sent to the United Church of Strafford Deacons, P O Box 124, Strafford VT 05072.

Our Heartfulness Contemplative Training Circle is also meeting by Zoom on Thursdays at 6:00 PM.  This is for anyone who is interested in practicing mindfulness or meditation, or heartfulness and centering prayer.  It is a time for talking about those practices and also more generally about our spiritual life. You can find links to instructions on how to be part of those Zoom gatherings on the Welcome Page of our website.

If you are not on our weekly email list and would like to be, please email us at unitedchurchofstrafford@gmail.com and we will make sure you receive all our church news.

It is extremely important that we stay connected now.  Please reach out by phone or email to neighbors and other members of the congregation, especially those who live by themselves or are struggling or vulnerable.  Our Deacons, Becky Bailey, Kim Welsh and Maggie Hooker, are coordinating our Deacons Fund and our outreach to people in need of support, and Danette Harris, Chair of our Mission Committee, is leading our work with the Food Shelf.  Becky, Danette and Joey Hawkins are on the town committee that is coordinating outreach as well.  If you would like to donate or help please email us or use the comment feature on this page.

 Time with Children (and Adults—For Everyone, Really!) 

Created for the May 24 service, this session with Pastor Tom considers what we can learn from high places – like the top of this nearby hill.

Sermon The Why and How of Jesus’ Revolution of Values by Rev. Thomas Cary Kinder, created for the June 21 service. Pastor Tom looks at when we are called to risk our comfort and security and in some cases even our lives to serve, and what strengthens our resolve. You can find the text of the Sermon by clicking here.

Anthem  “My Heart is Ready,” by the Amidons, sung by the United Church of Strafford Virtual Choir.

Offering

This congregation is a small but meaningful part of the movement to establish God’s realm of peace, justice and care for God’s creation on earth, actively engaged in serving our community and supporting the wider worldwide movement.  One of the ways we work together and increase our strength beyond our individual abilities is by pooling our resources.  This is hard to do when we are forced apart by the pandemic, so we hope you will take just a minute to use our online donation service.

To make your offering on line, please click here.  (This is a service we are providing through an extremely well established on-line donation company specializing in churches that is recommended by the national United Church of Christ and used by thousands of churches like ours.  To read more about our decision to allow on line donations, click here.)

Postlude “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People, Jeremiah McLane, accordion.