A Warm Welcome Awaits You!

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+ORDER OF SERVICE+

March 17th, 2024

Fifth Sunday in Lent

 Prelude: Adagio in g minor - Tomaso Albinoni

 Welcome and Announcements (10:25 am)

Entry of the Word  (please rise)

Greeting and Call to Worship

This is a day for forgiveness and reconciliation.

   We celebrate God’s love and forgiveness for us.  

Glad cries of deliverance surround us.

   Shouts of joy arise from our hearts.

Let all who are faithful offer up their prayers.

   May all who are in Christ give thanks.

 

Hymn  # 374: Oh for a thousand tongues to sing

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

 Assurance of Pardon

 Hymn  # 201: We come to ask your forgiveness

Choir Anthem: Lord, I Pray to Thee - Patrick Liebergen

 

Prayer of Illumination

O God of Compassion,

You are slow to anger, full of mercy, and welcome sinners who return home to You. Receive us in Your loving embrace, and seat us at Your table of grace, that we may feast on all that satisfies the hungry heart, for we ask it through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Old Testament                         Isaiah 55:1-9

Responsive Reading                Psalm 32 (Refrain 1)

Epistle                                     Philippians 3:4b-9

Gospel                              Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Sermon  “The Joy of Being in the Father’s Arms”

Hymn  # 706: Come, let us sing

 Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession 

Offering:  SOLO - All You Got to Do is Pray - Johnny Lange

Sung by Mr. Gary Palmer

 Doxology  # 661: We give thee but thine own (v.1)

Hymn  # 209: O Love that wilt not let me go

Benediction

Parting Hymn: “Go Now In Peace”

Go now in peace, never be afraid;

God will go with you each hour of every day.

Go now in faith, steadfast, strong, and true;

Know He will guide you in all you do.

Go now in love, and show you believe;

Reach out to others so all the world can see.

God will be there, watching from above;

Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

Words by Don Besig and Nancy Price. Copyright 1988 Harold Flammer Music.      

Used by permission

Postlude: Praeludium in c minor, BWV 549 - J.S. Bach

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Grocery Bags

Community Meals is in need of reusable grocery bags to enable our guests to take home items from our meals. Our guests will be asked to bring them to the next meal to help them take home either a hot meal or some of the items we are offering. If you have a reusable grocery bag or two that you could give to community meals we would appreciate it and make sure that they are put to good use. Please bring one or two next Sunday or drop them off in the Gathering Room, next to the Office.

Thank-you from Bill Schreiter and the Community Meals Volunteers.

 

Sunday Morning Fellowship continues both before and after service. Join us downstairs in McCullough Hall around 9:45 and/or immediately following the service. All are warmly invited!  If you are a regular attendee either before or after service, please consider helping by providing a simple treat or helping in the kitchen. A     sign-up sheet is available on the kitchen counter.

Sunday Coffee Time

Sunday Coffee Time has resumed here at St. Andrew’s, both before and after Service. Before Service fellowship begins around 9:45 am and After Service fellowship begins immediately following worship downstairs in McCullough Hall. All are warmly invited!

Free Sunday Bus Service
There is a free bus service to Sunday worship at St. Andrew's for those in the Stratford area. If you wish to use the bus, please call the Office at St. Andrew's at (519) 271-5668 to book a ride. The deadline for booking or cancelling (if you have a weekly scheduled pick up) is 12 noon on the Friday prior to the Sunday you wish to attend

GROUP MEETINGS

Tuesday March 19 – Bible Study 10am

Tuesday March 19 – Session Meeting 7:30pm

Thursday March 14 – Choir 7pm

 

 

 

SUNDAY SERVICE INFORMATION

Sunday Services are held at 10:30 am

In-Person Services:

Located at 25 St. Andrew Street, with limited free parking behind the Church (off of Church Street), as well as adjacent street parking. Fellowship Time takes place before (9:45 am) and after Services with light refreshments served.

Online Services:

Livestreamed on Facebook Live and can be found by clicking on the "Find us on Facebook" tab at the top of this page, and then by clicking "Like".

 

Thank you and God Bless!

OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES:

For those who have so kindly asked how they can financially support the ongoing work of St. Andrew's, there are four simple options:

(1) E-Transfer: If you bank online, a no-fee E-Transfer may be sent to:

[email protected]

(2) Website: Please click on this link to our Church Website (www.standrewsstratford.ca) and in the upper-right hand corner you will notice a button that says, “Donate”. Click on that button and it will take you to a charitable website called Canada Helps. Fill in the required information, click on the “Complete Donation Now” button, and a charitable tax-receipt will be sent to your email address. Both our website and the Canada Helps website are secure.

(3) PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance): Please click on this link (www.presbyterian.ca/p…/pre-authorized-remittance-par-program) which will direct you to the National Church's website and an enrolment form which can be completed and mailed to the church (with a voided cheque) at the address below.

(4) Cheque: If you wish to donate by cheque, please mail your offering to:

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
25 St. Andrew Street
Stratford, ON
N5A 1A2

Charitable tax receipts will be issued for the 2022 year.

Many thanks and may God bless you richly for your generosity of heart and hand!