EBENEZER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

4901 Woodbine Road

Sykesville, Maryland 21784

(410)795-6136

www.ebenezerumchurch.org

Rev. Judith A. Emerson, Pastor

February 19, 2012

8:30 AM and 11:00 AM

Order of Worship

PRELUDE

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please sign the Attendance Roster located at the end of the pew.

INTROIT (11:00 AM) “Holy is the Lord of Host” Chancel Choir

*CALL TO WORSHIP

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Know that the Lord is God.

Enter with thanksgiving and praise!

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth!

*HYMN “Christ, For the World We Sing” UMH No. 568

PRAYER

We come before you, O God, in awe of your power and might. Meet us once again in this time of worship. Invite us and inspire us to act on your behalf, to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and cover the naked. You call us to use worship, not as a time of escape, but as a time of preparation to go out and light up the world. May we find our own healing as we devote ourselves to your service. May the well-being of our sisters and brothers around the world be at the forefront of our prayers, gifts and service. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

ANTHEM (8:30 AM) “Peace Like a River” Cherub Choir

Joyful Noise Choir

(11:00 AM) “Lift Your Voice” Chancel Choir

CHILDREN’S SERMON (8:30 AM) Carolene Will

OLD TESTAMENT Psalm 146 OT pg. 549

GOSPEL Luke 8:1-4 NT pgs. 62-63

HYMN     “This Little Light of Mine”  UMH No. 585
 

SERMON “Tell Me There is Hope in this Life” Nan McCurdy

United Methodist Global Ministries Missionary

HYMN “Here I Am, Lord” UMH No. 593

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Joys and Concerns

Pastoral Prayer

Silent Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

THE GIFTS OF THE PEOPLE

Offertory

*Presentation of Gifts and Doxology UMH No. 94

*Prayer of Dedication

Loving God, we are reminded that you sent Jesus to show your love and care to all people.  May these gifts be used to open people’s hearts to Jesus’ healing in the world.  No matter how impossible a circumstance may seem to us, O God, You respond in unexpected ways and offer us hope and love.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

*HYMN “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” TFWS No. 2129

*BENEDICTION Miguel Mairena

United Methodist Global Ministries Missionary

*POSTLUDE

To Our Visitors

Welcome to Ebenezer United Methodist Church! We are so happy you are visiting today. It is our prayer that you will feel the warmth of our church family spirit, and that you will experience God’s presence in a mighty way as you worship with us this morning.

We offer a nursery during worship for infants through kindergarten. The nursery is located down the hall in our education wing. Our staff will certainly come and get you if your child needs you. Please feel free to utilize this ministry of our church.

It would be helpful if you would sign the attendance roster on the end of the pew and complete a Welcome Card and place it in the offering plate. We would like to keep in touch and help you learn more about Ebenezer UMC. We are blessed by your presence with us this morning.

SHEPHERD STAFF We are collecting toiletries, paper goods and

baby care items for Shepherd Staff in Westminster from mid February to mid March.

Please place your donations in the bin in the Narthex. These items will be given to those in need in Carroll County. Thank you for helping our neighbors!

Shove Tuesday Pancake Supper

February 21, 2012

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall

Adults $5.00

Children (4-12) $3.00

Age 3 and under Free

Ash Wednesday Worship

February 22, 2012

7:30 PM Sanctuary

Lenten Bible Study 2012

Tuesday Evenings

March 6^th, 13^th, 20^th, 27^th

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Wednesday Mornings

March 7^th, 14^th, 21^st, 28^th

10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon

Lenten Study: Our four week Lenten Study will explore biblical passages with a new perspective as they contain many practical lessons for followers of Jesus today. Topics for discussion will include Baptism and Temptation, The Teachings of Jesus, The Miracles of Jesus and The Cross of Christ. Our final session will take a unique look at the death and resurrection of Jesus and what that means for his followers today.

Roller Skating! The Youth are going Roller Skating on Sunday, Feb 26^th leaving at

Noon. All are welcome to join in for an afternoon of fun and fellowship. See the sign-up sheet on the Youth Bulletin Board for more details.

This Week

Day	Event	Time
Today	UMYF Meeting at Church Help at Cold Weather Shelter	6:30-8:00 PM 6:00 PM
Monday	Finance & Endowment meet	7:00 PM
Tuesday	Visit to Brinton Woods Pancake supper Evangelism meeting	10:30 AM 5:00-7:00 PM 7:00 PM
Wednesday	Ash Wednesday worship service	7:30 PM

NEXT SUNDAY is The First Sunday in Lent

February 26, 2012

Church Family Worship, Fellowship & Luncheon

NO Early Worship Service

9:45 AM Sunday school

11:00 AM Worship

During worship we will offer

Children’s Church ( 1^st Through 5^th Grade)

Nursery (Infants through Kindergarten)

12:00 Noon Lunch and Fellowship

NEXT SUNDAY we will have only ONE WORSHIP SERVICE at

11:00 AM. Following worship we will have an All-You-Can-Eat Soup and Salad Luncheon. The cost for Adults is $8.00; Ages 4 to 12 are $4.00 and ages 3 and under are Free.!

21^st Annual Women’s Retreat - March 9^th & 10^th 2012! Brochures are in the Narthex. Please pick one up for yourself and a friend. There is a sign-up sheet on the board.

ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL PLANNING MEETING FOLLOW UP: If you did not get a copy of the summary from the Administrative Council planning meeting, there are copies on the table in the back of the sanctuary.

Meet Our Missionary, Nan McCurdy
Nan McCurdy is a United Methodist Global Ministries missionary who has served the people of Nicaragua since 1985. She and her husband, Miguel Mairena, also a GBGM missionary, work with the Women and Community Association in Nicaragua.

The Women and Community Association facilitates community-based health and development with women, youth and children in this impoverished region of Nicaragua. W&C offers integral health and education programs focusing on prevention of violence and promotion of human rights; education, reproductive health, and economic development. Their legal aid office assists abused women and youth. W&C also provides study scholarships for impoverished village youth and loans for women for economic development projects. Youth in The Youth Network against violence educate their peers throughout Nicaragua through workshops, videos and youth interchanges. The organization employs local women in leadership and educational roles and has grown to be a very important part of the community. "We are called to follow Christ's example: To accompany and promote the inclusion of the poor, the women, the outcasts, the old, the sick, the challenged, the children - all those not included fully in society," Nan says of her call to mission. "As God's children we are called to be about the making of a just society here on earth, one that fulfills the Jubilee (the libera-tion of slaves, restitution of the earth, forgiveness of debt and the redistribution of riches)." "'Sell all your things, give to the poor and follow me'--this is Christ's most difficult message for us as U.S. Christians," Nan observes. "Our worth and well-being are so wrapped up in what we have, in contrast to people in countries like Nicaragua who have nothing but their faith."

During Nicaragua's civil war in the 1980s, Nan and her late husband, Philip Mitchell, worked in a pastoral mission of accompaniment with people in the war zone. After the war, she assisted in the creation of the Foundation for Nicaraguan War Victims.

Nan is a very grateful 7 + years survivor of breast cancer. Nan holds degrees in biology, ecology and pharmacy and has done extensive non-degree studies in Gender in Development and Community Development. Nan and her husband Miguel have a blended family that includes three daughters and three sons. Two daughters are in college and the others are grown.

Nan and Miguel promote Christ’s example in their work. They plan and develop projects, programs and training workshops. They help find funding. They spend a lot of their time net-working and supporting people in different organizations who are working in favor of the poor, in favor of the life of the community and providing a good example of service to their neighbors.

Nan and Miguel are members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Nan McCurdy is available for Covenant Relationship support in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference. Missionary code:  10801Z, ADVANCE project is Women and Community #13285A

E-Mail:  nanmigl@yahoo.com

Meet our Missionary, Miguel Mairena
Miguel Mairena is a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church who has served in Nicaragua since 1997. Along with his wife Nan McCurdy, also a GBGM missionary, Miguel works with the Women and Community Association in Nicaragua, an ecumenical organization of women in the countryside.

The Women and Community Association facilitates community-based health and development with women, youth and children in this impoverished region of Nicaragua. W&C offers integral health and education programs focusing on prevention of violence and promotion of human rights; education, reproductive health, and economic development. Their legal aid office assists abused women and youth. W&C also provides study scholarships for impoverished village youth and loans for women for economic development projects. Youth in The Youth Network against violence educate their peers throughout Nicaragua through workshops, videos and youth interchanges. The organization employs local women in leadership and educational roles and has grown to be a very important part of the community.

Miguel graduated from law school in December 2008 and finished a masters degree in criminal law in 2011. He provides legal counsel to women, youth and children who are dealing with situations of violence (physical, psychological and economic).He also counsels local men about reproductive responsibility and the prevention of violence against women. A popular theologian, Miguel weaves religious reflections into his personal encounters while going about his daily development work.

Coming from a large, impoverished Nicaraguan farming family, Miguel had few opportunities to study until he was 20 years old when he began first grade. Growing up on an island in Lake Nicaragua he learned farming, fishing, and boat skills, and worked during his teens as a mechanic and boat driver. Most of his studies were accomplished during the years of the Sandinista revolution. He then worked in community and agricultural development projects serving farmers and war veterans through the Nazarene church, World Vision and two different ecumenical centers. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to continue studying as an adult and constantly encourages other adults to keep studying.

Miguel and Nan have a blended family that includes three daughters and three sons. The two daughters are in college and the others are grown.

Miguel Mairena is available for Covenant Relationship support in Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference. Missionary code:  12877Z ADVANCE project is Women and Community #13285A

E-Mail:  nanmig@live.com