LEFC Guide to Worship

Sunday, December 6, 2020
Lanse Evangelical Free Church

• From the Pastor
• Home Worship Guide
• Church Family News
• Special Plans for Advent & Christmas 2020
• Prayer Items

From the Pastor

Dear Church Family,

Waiting can be really hard. Sometimes waiting can be fun–when you know exactly how long the wait will be (hopefully short!) and what good thing is coming at the end. Anticipation makes waiting sweet. But other kinds of waiting can be much harder to endure. Think of the waiting room at the doctor’s office.

Advent is a season of waiting for Christmas to come which reminds us of the season of waiting for Christ to come (both the first and the second times). I try, personally, to use this season each year to build my anticipation of Jesus’ return and His glorious kingdom. I can hardly wait (and that’s why I do)! I’m hoping that this Sunday’s worship time helps us all to wait with more faith, hope, and love.

Speaking of the doctor’s office, I am thankful for all of the medical professionals in our church family. We have many nurses, aides, doctors, and others who all work in healthcare-related fields, and they need our prayer support during these difficult days. On Sunday evenings during the month of December, we are going to focus our Family Fellowship Meetings on interviewing and praying for our own health care workers. Please consider joining us on Zoom at 6:30pm to find out how to best pray for them.

One thing we don’t have to wait for is a chance to worship the Lord. We can do that all day every day, and especially on Sundays. Whether at home or on campus, let’s make sure that every single one of us in this church family worships the Lord Jesus Christ!

In His Grip,

– Pastor Matt

P.S. What is your favorite Advent song and are you singing it? The Gospel Coalition is hosting a special Songs of Hope Advent Concert online Sunday at 8pm with some inspiring excellent and musical artists. Sing along!

Home Worship Guide

1. Welcome to Worship

Read Psalm 130 with hopefulness as your family gathers to worship.

Have someone pray and ask God to bless your time of worship at home.

**Option. Families with children at home could prepare them by asking, “What is Psalm 130 about?” “What do you think Pastor Matt will say about Psalm 130 today?” “What did Psalm 130 make you think or feel when we read it?” “What does Psalm 130 teach us about God?” “What does Psalm 130 teach us about ourselves?” “What does Psalm 130 teach us about Jesus?”

2.Worship in Singing

As a household sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” which comes from a 8^th century poem in Latin which was translated into English by J.M. Neale in 1851.

YouTube Video

**Option. Those worshiping on campus are also singing, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne,” “You Are Holy,” “Jesus Christ Is the Same,” and “Behold Our God.” You could add or substitute those songs for your household, as well.

3. Worship in Unity

Recite together Article 4 of the EFCA Statement of Faith on Jesus Christ:

“We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.”

**Option. This would be an appropriate time to light Advent Candle #2 and read “Repeat the Sounding Joy” in the 2020 LEFC Advent Readings. Some families will want to watch Rob and Bev O’Connor light Advent Candle #2.

[Video will be available online on Sunday morning.]

4. Worship in Lament and Thanksgiving

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15).

Share with your family those things you are thankful for and those things you are lamenting this week.

5. Worship in Bible Memory

Recite our current “Hide the Word” memory verses, Philippians 4:4-8.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

6. Worship in Prayer

Take prayer requests and pray for each other.

Read the prayer guide together and pray for the rest of the church family and the requests listed.

7. Worship in the Word

Watch or read Pastor Matt’s message, “My Soul Waits for the Lord.”

Facebook Video

YouTube Video

Read Message Manuscript

[The message will be available online by Sunday morning.]

Some families may want to watch/read the message on their own and then have a Bible study and discussion together during this time.

8. Worship in Singing

Sing “There Is a Redeemer” by Melody Green (1982)

YouTube Video

9. Worship All Week

Have someone pray a prayer of commissioning for your family as you end this time of gathered worship and face a week of new opportunities and new challenges to serve the Lord, the church, and the world in His Name.

10. Participate in LEFC Family Fellowship Meeting on Zoom – 6:30pm on Sunday.

Church Family News

Preparing for the 2020 Annual Business Meeting

The 2020 Annual Meeting is next Sunday (December 13th at 2:00pm on Zoom). Active members: stop by your mailboxes after service today and pick up your packets for the meeting. Any packets not picked up by Tuesday will be mailed home. After the meeting fill out your written ballot with your votes for the officers, budget, and constitutional amendment. You can bring it back to church or drop it in the mail after the meeting on Sunday.

Sunday School At Home

The Explore the Bible winter personal study guides start this week and are available on the resource table. We have five copies in large print available too. Pick up your copy of Luke 1-9 and study at home for Sunday School this quarter. Our Daily Bread for this quarter is also available for pick up on the resource tables.

Christmas Carols by Request

As we plan our services leading up to Christmas, we want to be sure to include your favorite carols! Please take a moment to submit yours online  or jot it down on a piece of paper and drop it in the offering plate before you leave. Thank you!

Mitchell Christmas Gift

Every year we open a fund for our Pastor’s Christmas Gift. If you would like to give a gift of appreciation for the Pastor’s Christmas Gift, please mark your check or envelope “Pastor Christmas.” Offerings will be collected now through December 20^th.

Treasures for Children

Thank you for helping the deaconess team as they partnered with the Salvation Army’s Treasures for Children program. Did you forget to bring your unwrapped gift today? Drop it off at the church by Wednesday.

Pavilion Fund

A designated giving fund for a picnic pavilion here at church remains open. You can donate to this by marking your gift “pavilion” and placing it in the offering.

Adopt A Student – Heart for Haiti

We would like to help the kids from our 2019 Family Bible Week project find yearly sponsors for College Susan Schuenke this year. $375 will keep one of our six remaining kids in school for the current academic year. You can choose to support a student with a one-time gift here at church, or monthly payments directly to VOHM.

Family Fellowship on Zoom

Join us this evening at 6:30pm for our Church Family Fellowship on Zoom. We will visit together, share Church Family News items, and spend some time interacting with medical professionals from our church family who work in various roles in health care. LEFC Kids, can you draw a picture of Psalm 130? Have your parents read this Psalm to you and then share your art with us on Zoom.

Amazon Smile

Do you shop with Amazon? Amazon Smile offers you a way to have a percentage of your sales be donated to a participating nonprofit organization. Simply go to smile/amazon.com and select your charity. Here is a list of participating organizations our church partners with: Evangelical Free Church of America, Evangelical Free Church of Lanse PA, Pregnancy Resource Clinic, Miracle Mountain Ranch Missions, Cru/Campus Crusade for Christ, and Vision of Hope Ministries Inc.

On-Campus Prayer Meeting

Join us Wednesdays at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall for a brief Bible study, praising God through song, and praying with other believers. Reminder: Because we are inside, masks or shields are required of all who attend. We will continue to send the Prayer Meeting at Home guide to anyone who requests it. Contact the church office to get this weekly email.

New Here?

Thanks for joining us today! Newcomer cards are on the Welcome Tables in the foyer. If you have not received one yet, please ask one of our greeters where they are. We appreciate you joining us and would like to know more about you. Please take some time to fill it out then drop it in the offering plate when you leave. Thanks!

Children’s Church

All children (ages 3 – 3^rd grade) are invited to join us for Children’s Church at our 9:30 worship service. Parents: When indicated in the service, please bring your kids back to the foyer. Drop them off at the end of the hall with a volunteer. We will bring them back out the hallway to the foyer to meet you at the conclusion of our program time. All ministry workers have their clearances.

Sunday Morning Greeter Sign-Up

Do you like to say hi to people? Can you smile behind your mask? Be sure to stop on your way out today and sign up to greet for a few services in December and January.

Pardon Our Dust – Ladies’ Restroom Project

Our Facilities Team will continue working on gutting the ladies’ restroom and preparing it for a much-needed update. Thanks to these dedicated guys who work so diligently to make improvements and keep our building updated and functional. We hope to have this project completed some time in January. Ladies: the family restroom is open for you to use throughout this project.

Need Prayer?

Our church and our pastor love to pray for you. If you have a need for prayer, you can email us at prayer@lansefree.org. All emails being sent to this address will be seen by Pastor Matt. Please indicate if this is a private request (for Pastor Matt and the Elder Board) or public request for the prayer chain.

Continuing to Give

Thank you for continuing to support our ministries and missionaries. Ways to give:

• Mail your offering check to us at PO BOX 114, Lanse, PA 16849.
• Cash or Check in person. Drop off your offering at the church during office hours (9:30-2:30 Tuesday – Friday) in the offering plate right inside the door.
• Online Payments – Zelle® (CNB), PayPal, and Venmo are all e-giving options. Our account address is our email: churchoffice@lansefree.org. Contact Marilynn if you need any help navigating this way of giving.

Special Plans for Advent & Christmas 2020

Candles and Carols Outdoors on Christmas Eve

Our candlelighting service is moving outdoors! Join us at 6:00pm in the west parking lot for a special time of worship and fellowship on December 24th. More details will be available soon.

Offer Your Talent on Sundays During Advent

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we are looking for people to provide special music, reading, or drama presentation that reflect the true Reason for the Season. Because of our new worship schedule, there are 3 morning services planned each Sunday for the Advent season (8:00, 9:30, and 11:00). Talk with Pastor Matt today about scheduling a time to share your talent with the church family.

Advent Readings

The theme this year of our Advent Readings is “Let Earth Receive Her King!” centering on Psalm 98. We are posting videos of families in the congregation doing the Advent Readings online and encourage each family in the church to do a wreath at home as well!

Deck the Halls

This year we asked family units to volunteer to ready the church for the Christmas. Thank you to those who helped so far! We are still looking a family to help create an outside display for our Christmas Eve celebration. Contact Marilynn Kristofits with any questions or ideas. Note: Due to the Christmas Eve service being held outside, we will forgo poinsettias this year.

Prayer Items

Contact the church office for this week’s prayer requests from the bulletin.