Ayden United Methodist Church

Loving God - Serving Others - Building Christian Community

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An Order for Evening Praise May 24, 2020

 

Welcome and Invocation

         Leader:       Risen with Christ, let us seek the realities of the Spirit.

         All:         Our life is hidden with Christ in God.

         Leader:       He who descended is also ascended that he might fill all things.

         All:         When Christ appears, we shall appear with him in glory!

Opening Prayer

          O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven. Do not leave us comfortless, but send your Holy Spirit to comfort us, strengthen us and lead us to that place where Our Savior has gone on before us. Amen.

 

Hymn: Great is Thy Faithfulness

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11

Sermon:  All A Matter of Time

 Prayers of the People

          (The pastor will offer times for those gathered to lift up prayers. After each group of prayers, a moment of silence will be concluded with the pastor bidding “Lord, in your mercy…” and the congregation responding “hear our prayers.” )

Offerings of Thanksgiving (Doxology)

Affirmation of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed

Dismissal with Blessing

 

 

PROTOCOLS FOR GATHERING

 

We give thanks for the sustaining power of God in these difficult times, and as we begin to gather together for worship once again, we ask that you follow these simple guidelines: 

 

  • If you are attending in your car, please enter on 3rd street or from MLK street and park behind the cones.

 

  • If you are bringing lawn chairs or blankets, please park in the normal parking lot and find one of the marked spots in the field. Each physically distanced spot is denoted by a circle and spaced out from other spots. We ask that you remain in these spots for the duration of the service.

 

  • We know the urge to gather closer, shake hands and give hugs is strong. In order to steward the health of those others gathered we ask that you refrain from any physical contact with one another outside family units. Greet one another with a friendly wave.

 

  • Masks are appropriate and encouraged, particularly when there is congregational singing.

 

  • There will be no collection of tithes and offerings at this service, but we do encourage you to continue to support the ministry of this church by giving online at www.aydenumc.org or by mailing offerings to PO Box 335, Ayden, NC 28513. Your support has been vital and appreciated.  

 

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From the Bishop: An Aldersgate Letter

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Bishop's Crest

Dear United Methodist friends,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

This year, Ascension Day and Aldersgate Day converge meaningfully on our calendars this Sunday, May 24.

To a narrow question of limited hope, Jesus responded, announcing that you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. With Christians near and far, we are humbled, connected and encouraged as we hear the promise of power and the privilege of witness.

On May 24,1738, John Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed as the weight of striving was displaced by the gift of faith. Methodists mark this as the day when a whole new world opened for ministry. Thank you for your creativity and perseverance in the new world in which we now find ourselves.

In the stillness of physical distancing, at this time of Ascension and Aldersgate, let us we center our hearts, our lives, our plans calmly, graciously, confidently. God is with us. And so, as those who share hearts strangely warmed, as recipients of God’s purpose and power, let us. . .

Be confident that Christ’s ministry is urgent in this time of anxiety, danger, uncertainty and grief. We lament with our communities the losses of this season:  losses of safety and stability, of employment, of anticipated celebrations, of funerals, of time with beloved elders and little children. Let us share our grief faithfully, using the scriptural practice of lament, as we mourn with those who mourn. Jesus promises that those who mourn will be comforted. And after we have suffered for a little time, the God of all grace. . .will restore, support, strengthen and establish you – I Peter 5:10.

Be confident that our ministry is not about our buildings, as helpful as they can be to us. While we might gather in our facilities, it does not seem loving, wise or safe to do so. Our buildings have small foyers and classrooms, narrow doorways and hallways. Our facilities were created to draw people together, not to help them be socially distant. Giving thanks for your facilities, carefully evaluate them before welcoming people into them. Let us keep the health and safety of all people in the center of our decisions.

Be confident in God’s vision for humankind and the whole creation. COVID-19 has laid bare the harsh realities of inequity, systemic injustice and racial prejudice in our communities, our state and our world. Let us do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God through reading, study, prayer, conversation, engagement, advocacy and witness. May all who identify as white own the reality of power and the urgency of dismantling white privilege and racism as we lament the disparities that COVID-19 and the recent racial murders of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor make painfully clear.

Be confident in the continued generosity of God’s people. Boldly invite generosity as people continue to be constrained in their homes. While many experience personal economic impact from the pandemic, many others yearn to serve and give and are responding to invitations to share of their abundance. The hope of a higher offering is a misguided reason to resume face-to-face worship. We are learning that the willingness and eagerness to support financially God’s mission is not tied as closely to physically gathering as we have thought it to be. It is tied to the confident and graceful invitation to give in order to share in God’s ongoing mission in the world.

Be confident that God is calling us out into a new future. God is ever-onward, and we are a pilgrim people. There is no going back to pre-COVID-19. There is only going forward. Let us continue reaching out by telephone and internet, connecting virtually to pray and learn and worship, serving and planning in ways that are appropriate and safe for our neighbors. As the time comes to gather safely, we will continue our experiments as we connect virtually with new people in new places in new ways into the future.

We Methodists are Ascension and Aldersgate people, witnesses with warmed hearts. Your creativity, compassion and commitment inspire your churches and your communities. I give thanks for each of you today.

With thanksgiving to God for our partnership in Christ’s ministry,

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward

https://aydenumc.org/2020/05/21/2456/

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Together Again

When we had to cancel the first church service because of COVID-19 I hardly imagined it that ten weeks later we would still be worshiping virtually and trying to stay connected as a community by email, phone calls and text.

It feels strange, and most of us are eager to be physically present with one another again for worship.

We’ve learned some things through all of this. At the very least, we’ve learned not to take those handshakes and welcoming smiles for granted, but we’ve also learned that we are not “alone” even when we are alone. In the Spirit, we are gathered together wherever we are as a community constituted around Jesus Christ. A community that understands suffering is part of redemption and death is prelude to resurrection.

On Sunday night, May 24, at 5pm we will gather together outside, in the field beside the church to worship and give thanks for the ways God has sustained us in this time. In order to do this in a way that cares for others, we will maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet between family units. Some people may choose to stay in their cars. In lieu of bulletins an order of service will be posted here on the website and sent through the email list for individuals to print out or view on their mobile devices.

We will gather, we will give thanks, we will go back out into the world to love and serve our neighbors in this strange time that demands so much of us.

An order of service and protocols for gathering will be available Friday afternoon.  Check back on the website or sign-up for the email list for full instructions.

As Paul wrote in so many of his letters, I look forward to greeting you in person again.

 

Grace and peace,

 

Pastor Jim

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Our Ongoing Response to COVID-19

These are uncertain days, but we are certain that we are not alone in them. We are walking through a valley of shadows, but we trust that in all of this, God is walking beside us. This is the paradox most of us are feeling right now. We sit somewhere right in the middle of faith and despair, and the best we can do is wait.

As we wait for the curve to flatten, for businesses to reopen, and for friends to be able to safely gather once again, our Leadership Team has been planning ways for us to resume public worship safely. We do not have a date for this, but we do have an idea what it will look like.

We plan to:

  • Hold two services to spread out the number of people at each service
  • Rope off every other pew to help maintain social distance
  • Encourage families to sit together, but ask others to sit at least 6 ft apart
  • Strongly encourage individuals to wear masks
  • Designate one door for entry and another for exit
  • Place a box for offering collection in the narthex instead of taking up an offering the normal way
  • Temporarily suspend physical greetings
  • Temporarily suspend children’s sermons
  • Temporarily suspend choir
  • Make hand sanitizer available at the entrance / exit
  • sanitize the sanctuary pews between services

We believe these measure exercise an abundance of caution, but also that they are necessary to help to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to care for the most vulnerable among us.

If you have any questions, please call or email the church office (which will be open on a limited basis beginning next week).

 

Thank you,

 

Pastor Jim

 

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