FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
WELCOME TO OLDTOWN
North Attleborough, MA — March 9, 2025
Ministers: ALL of our Members and Friends
Pastor & Teacher: The Rev. Kelly Thibeault
Welcome to the Oldtown Church!
We are so glad that you have chosen to worship with us today. We invite you to join in on the bold print in the bulletin and to stand as you are able any time you see a ⇑. The restrooms are out the back door of the sanctuary to the right, as is a little space in case your little one needs a walkabout. Here in Oldtown, we are all about being curious, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, and please join us for fellowship after worship!
Finally, as a way of honoring our time together and truly loving our neighbor, we ask that you please silence your phone or, better yet, turn it off, allowing yourself to be truly present in worship.
PRELUDE
GATHERING MUSIC
WELCOME
WORSHIP WAYS
TIME OF CENTERING (C#433)
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Here in this place, we can ask big questions.
Who is my neighbor?
How can I help?
What do I have to learn?
Where is God in all of this?
This is our invitation to lean in.
So may we listen. May we learn.
May we stay curious. And may we look for God.
Let us worship God.
Yes! Let us worship God together.
A CALL TO LET GO
PRAYER OF LETTING GO
Holy God, you have told us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we get tripped up on the little details. We want to know: Who is our neighbor? Do we have to love strangers? Must we have compassion for our enemy? Forgive our human tendency to create exceptions in the face of love. Rewire our hearts so that we might see the face of a neighbor in every stranger we pass. With hope, we pray. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
⇑ HYMN C#486–”Who Is My Mother, Who Is My Brother”?
TIME OF SHARING (C#433)
We share each other’s woes, each other’s burdens bear.
And often, for each other flows a sympathetic tear.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 10:25-37 (NT 87)
TIME OF SHARING
Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him and say that we love Him.
Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen.
Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus.
SERMON: “In-Between Stranger and Neighbor”
PREPARING OURSELVES FOR PRAYER (C#433)
Before our God we come and pour our ardent prayers.
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
CHORAL RESPONSE
OFFERING OUR THANKS
GIFT OF MUSIC
⇑ DOXOLOGY (C#151)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures here below.
Praise God above, Ye heavenly host.
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost! Amen.
⇑ PRAYER OF DEDICATION
LOVE OF CHURCH
⇑ SENDING HYMN–”I Saw a Stranger” (INSERT)
⇑ BENEDICTION
⇑ BENEDICTION RESPONSE (C#433)
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
When we are called to part, it gives us inward pain,
But we shall still be joined in heart and hope to meet again.
POSTLUDE
*** Our worship has ended; let our service begin! ***
| Some liturgy and prayers in our bulletins throughout the Season of Lent are adapted from A prayer by Sarah (Are) Speed / A Sanctified Art LLC |
The Oldtown Message
March 9, 2025
OLDTOWN CALENDAR
Sun March 9: Household Huddle 9:15am
~ Worship 10am
~ Celebration of Life for Marcia Brinson 2pm
Wed March 12: Coffee Connection 10am-noon
Sat March 15: Second Serving Thrift Shop 9am-noon
~ Pet Vaccination Clinic 11am-noon
Sun March 16: Household Huddle 9:15am
~ Worship 10am
Wed March 19: Coffee Connection 10am-noon
~ Food, Faith & Fun 6pm
Check our Online Calendar for even more Oldtown, denominational, and local events, free webinars, and other resources!! Have something you’d like added to the calendar? Email calendar@oldtownucc.org with all the information, and we’ll get it posted.
OLDTOWN PRAYER LIST
Edi & John, Lynn, Tim, Mark, Cyndy, Joan, Justine & Nolan, the Miranda & K family, Jan & Kylie, Steven, Tegan, Dana, Ken, Lynne, Kaye, Karen, Samantha, Robin, Donna, Winnie, Carl, Gabby, Marilyn, Michael, Sue C., Laura, Ann, John, Jim, Paul, Daniel, Nancy, Paul L, Muriel, Stacey, Jake, Jared, Michelle.
To add a name to the list, email Pastor Kelly at PastorKelly@Oldtownucc.org, text 508-695-1713, or drop a note in the offering plate.
OLDTOWN UPDATE EMAIL
Do you get our Friday Email, aka “The Oldtown Update”? Our Oldtown Update is like a weekly newsletter that lets everyone know what is going on in Oldtown. If you do not receive it and would like to, drop a note in the offering with your email address or let Pastor Kelly know. Subscribe to our Friday Email Updates online, or let Pastor Kelly know your email address.
STEWARDSHIP CORNER
Weekly Giving
- Last week, we welcomed 56 people in worship, and our total giving to the church for the week was $1,946.49, which is $523.61 more than expected.
- So far, this year’s congregational giving has been $500 more than expected. We’ve done a good job of catching up from our snow days. Keep up the great work!!
We all tend to gravitate toward people with similar interests, beliefs, backgrounds, economic circumstances, political leanings, races, and nationalities. But when we only surround ourselves with those like us, it is easier to minimize, ignore, or abandon others purposefully or accidentally. Who are the people around you who need to be welcomed and reminded that they matter, that they belong, and that they are loved?
“Let mutual affection continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
~ Hebrews 13:1-2 (NRSVUE)
First Congregational Church, UCC of North Attleborough
(Oldtown Church)
675 Old Post Road, North Attleborough, MA 02760
508-695-1713
Pastor Kelly’s email: PastorKelly@oldtownucc.org
Church Email: church@oldtownucc.org
Website: www.oldtownucc.org
YouTube: www.youtube.com/oldtownucc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/oldtownucc
Subscribe to our Friday Email Updates
Learn more about our denomination: www.ucc.org
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