Synod Worship Sat 18 June

For those who have been asking about songs and other sources used for Worship at the recent Presbytery & Synod meeting, here is Saturday's Order of Service

The Otherness of God

Pre-service music

God of Wonders
CCLI song 3118747  ©  2000 New Spring (Admin. by Universal Music Publishing MGB Australia Pty Limited)  Storm Boy Music (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty. Ltd.)  Meaux Mercy (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty. Ltd.)

Here I am to Worship
CCLI song 3266032  ©  2000 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty. Ltd.)

Welcome

Call to Worship (from Psalm 8)
Includes lighting of a candle

Otherness

“Worship thrives on wonder. We can admire, appreciate and perhaps even adore someone without our having a sense of wonder. But we cannot worship without wonder. For worship to be worship, it must contain something of the otherness of God…..I've come to love that word—"otherness." It's such a great worship word. Otherness gives us a sense that God is so pure, matchless and unique that no one else and nothing else even comes close. He is altogether glorious—unequalled in splendor and unrivalled in power. He is beyond the grasp of human reason—far above the reach of even the loftiest scientific mind. He is inexhaustible, immeasurable and unfathomable—eternal, immortal and invisible. The highest mountain peaks and the deepest canyon depths are just tiny echoes of His proclaimed greatness. And the blazing stars above, the faintest emblems of the full measure of His glory.”[1]

Song

How Great is our God 
CCLI song  4348399  © worshiptogether.com songs  sixsteps Music  Alletrop Music
Chris Tomlin   Ed Cash  Jesse Reeves

Prayer of Thanksgiving: Psalm 8 Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Song

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.. 
TiS 111  V1,2,3,5 with added hallelujahs. CCLI song #4345378
© 2004 Word Music, LLC  Rocketwon Music, LLC  Sweater Weather Music (Admin by CopyCare Pacific Pty Ltd)  Catherine Winkworth  Christy Nockels  Joachim Neander  Nathan Nockels

Bible Reading:  Matthew 25,  31 - 40 TNIV

Reflection “The Other and Other-ness” Lyn Leane

Prayers of Intercession Christa Megaw
Including prayer for  our partner church in the Philippines

Song

Mighty to Save
CCLI song 4591782  © 2006 Hillsong Publishing (Admin. by Hillsong Publishing (Australia))  Ben Fielding | Reuben Morgan

Blessing

“Embrace the hope to which God has called us.
Recognise Christ in friend and stranger,
and as Christ has been gracious to you,
so be gracious to those in need.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
........In the name of Christ. Amen.[2]

---

[1] Excerpt from Facedown, © 2004 by Matt Redman. Published by Regal Books, www.regalbooks.com

[2] ©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net          

 

Synod Worship Fri 17 June

For those who have been asking about songs and other sources used for Worship at the recent Presbytery & Synod meeting, here is Friday's Order of Service 

Our generous God

Pre-service music

Hallelujah (your love makes me sing) 
CCLI Song No. 3091812 © 2000 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music UK)   Brenton Brown, Brian Doerksen

Indescribable  CCLI song 4403076
CCLI Song No. 4403076  © 2004 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty Ltd.) sixsteps Music (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty Ltd  Gleaning Publishing (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty Ltd

Opening, including Acknowledgement of Country (Moderator)

Call to Worship

Invocation[1]   
a candle is lit part way through

Songs

Hallelujah (your love makes me sing) 
CCLI Song No. 3091812 © 2000 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music UK)   Brenton Brown, Brian Doerksen

Blessed be your name
CCLI song 3798438   © 2002 Thankyou Music/Adm By worshiptogether.com songs   Matt and Beth Redman

Prayer of confession and assurance
from Uniting in Worship 2

The Peace

Psalm 145:1-9– “Bubbling Joy”[2]
a paraphrase, with bubbles

Prayers of Intercession

The Lord’s Prayer

Intro song The Great Southland (Denise Champion)

Song

The Great Southland – ver 2 with new verse by Denise Champion and co
CCLI song #917642   © 1993 Word Music, LLC Maranatha! Music   © 2004 Geoff Bullock.   Version 2 lyrics used with permission: www.geoffbullock.com   Optional first verse: Denise Champion, Jodie Whillas and Lynley Heath circa 1990

Statement of Faith
We are a pilgrim people.  Uniting In Worship 2. Adapted from the Basis of Union of the Uniting Church in Australia

Song

Praise God from whom all blessings flow (doxology)
CCLI song 56204  TiS 768 (i) Public domain. Words and music Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois

Blessing[3]

 

End of PoD #5

My time of exile
After resigning from the position of Events Manager in the Presbytery and Synod Office, I gained employment working as an Event Coordinator for Novita Children’s Services. I remained in that role for 11 months, from September 2008 to August 2009. During this time I gained really helpful experience working in the charity sector, learning about sponsorship, marketing, event management professional practice and working in a secular workplace.

‘Exile’ may seem a strong word, but while I was at Novita, I was very keenly aware of my separation from the Uniting Church. Even though I was still involved in worship ministry at my local congregation, I experienced a profound sense of loss and grief, particularly from the gatherings of the wider church (Presbytery and Synod meetings, KCO and SAYCO).
I realised that I had come to love God’s people so much that I didn’t want to be separated from them. A number of factors caused me to consider leaving my employment at Novita, one of them being a lack of passion, meaning that I wasn’t willing to work in the stressful environment I was in at the time. I started looking back at the Uniting Church to see what opportunities might be available and applied for the Administration Assistant role at Uniting College. I was so willing to return to the Uniting Church community, and for a season, to find a role with reduced stress, that I applied, even though it would mean a significant drop in salary and therefore financial sacrifice for my family. Later, when looking back at this time, I journalled how much I love the people of the Uniting Church and how much I had missed them, and that I felt a strong sense of call to serve the wider church.

Last month, the Moderator Elect invited me to be his worship coordinator for the October Presbytery and Synod meetings during his term as Moderator. When he asked me, I felt again an overwhelming sense that this is what I am called to do.

Understanding of Ministry and Mission in the Uniting Church in Australia.
Having worked in the Presbytery and Synod office for over 7 years I felt that I already had a good understanding of the mission and ministry of the Uniting Church. My goal then was to develop a deeper understanding of this area. I did this through the course Ministries in the Uniting Church in Australia, which I did in Semester One this year and through participation in Professional Ethics in Ministry Settings. Ministries in the Uniting Church in particular was a helpful way to understand the different ministries, lay and ordained, and I had lots of opportunity to reflect on which areas I felt called to.


Coming soon... the last installment: Part #6 (Calling – the result of my discernment)