LEFC Guide to Worship

Sunday, October 18, 2020
Lanse Evangelical Free Church

• From the Pastor
• Home Worship Guide
• Church Family News
• Prayer Items

From the Pastor

Dear Church Family,

Thank you for sending Heather and me away on a retreat this weekend. We are looking forward to reading, hiking, and watching the river roll by. I’ve packed enough books for three weeks! We are grateful for such a generous church family and thank the Lord for our partnership in the gospel now for more than two decades. It is a joy to be your pastor.

I’m really glad that you get to hear from my pastor this weekend. I actually call him, “Pestor Kerry” because he never leaves me alone (in a good way!). He has done a wonderful job of walking alongside our district churches and pastors all through the pandemic, and I look forward to watching the Lord use him even more in the days to come. During this Pastor Appreciation Month, I truly appreciate Kerry Doyal.

May the Great Shepherd get the ultimate glory! 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. In preparing for worship this weekend, I ran into a verse of “Be Thou My Vision” that I’ve never heard before:

“Be thou my battle shield, sword for my fight;
be thou my dignity, thou my delight,
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tow’r:
raise thou me heav’n-ward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.”

What glorious truth presented so sonorously! Let’s never stop singing of this glorious God.

Home Worship Guide

1. Welcome to Worship

Read Psalm 100 with great joy as your family gathers to worship.

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

2.Worship in Singing

As a household sing the ancient Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision” (8^th century, Anonymous).

YouTube Video

**Option. Those worshiping on campus are also singing, “Amazing Grace,” “More Than Conquerors,” “Jesus Christ Is the Same,” and “Praise the Saviour.” You could add or substitute those songs for your household, too.

3. Worship in Unity

Recite together Article #8 of the EFCA Statement of Faith on Christian Living:

“We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.”

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 Kerry Doyal’s message, “Gifts To Help Us Grow Up.”

Facebook Video

YouTube Video

Read on Pastor Matt’s Blog

[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 “Take My Life and Let It Be” by Frances Ridley Havergal (1874).

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 October 11th.

Many of us are meeting through video-conference online this Sunday at 6:30pm:

• See one another’s faces and hear each other’s voices.
• Listen to announcements of church family news.
• Interact with Tim & Debbie McIntosh, our long-term ministry partners in Latin America. Catch up on what they Lord is doing in their family and ministry. They have lots of good news to share!
• Note: WE do not have something special planned for our LEFC Zoom Kids this week. Pastor Matt plans to be back with a new object lesson on October 25^th.
• Pray for one another live and online.

If you have any questions about how to do this, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Church Family News

Today’s Guest Preacher

Pastor Kerry Doyal serves as our Allegheny District Superintendent. He and his wife, Robin live in Lower Burrell, PA with their dog, Scout. Kerry received his B.A. in Bible and Missions from Columbia International University and his Master of Divinity from Trinity. Having ministered in rural, suburban, urban, and international contexts helps Kerry as he ministers to our 35 churches and church plants. Be sure to stop by the tent outside after each service and say hi to Pastor Kerry.

Church Family Budget Meeting

The annual budget meeting will be held Tuesday, November 10^th at 6:00pm. Leaders of ministry and committees who use church funds are asked to send aloing their ministry’s needs and any budget recommendations to the elder overseeing their area of ministry. Contact Bob Gisewhite if you have any questions.

Operation Christmas Child

Our church will once again participate in Operation Christmas Child, sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. If you feel led to pack a shoebox for a child, take one of the boxes in the foyer and fill it up. The shoeboxes need to be returned to the church by Wednesday, November 11th or Sunday, November 15th. Please bring any extra items that don’t fit in your shoeboxes as often we need an item or two to fill out other boxes. Each box will cost $9 to ship. If you are interested in sponsoring one or more of the shoeboxes we hope to send, mark your donation “Shoeboxes.”  Not joining us on campus yet? Visit OCC’s website and build a shoebox online.

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.

West Branch Ministerium Thanksgiving Service

What are you thankful for? We are looking for a few people willing to share their answers to this question on video to be used in the West Branch Ministerium’s Thanksgiving service. Some ideas for expressing this are to write a poem, prayer, or short praises or thanks to God that can be used in the opening segment of the service, record a message of thanks on video (1 minute max), draw or paint a picture, record a song with your family, or be creative and come up with your own ideas. Marilynn will submit all items by the end of the month. These will be combined with others from the ministerium and be used to create a virtual worship service to premiere on Sunday, November 22^nd at 7:00pm.

Sunday Morning Greeter Sign-Up

Do you like to say hi to people? Can you smile behind your mask? The next three months for greeter sign-up are now available in the foyer. Be sure to stop on your way out today and sign up to greet for a service (or more!) in November, December, and January.

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!

Pastor Appreciation Month

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Remember to thank Pastor Matt & Heather for their hard work, sacrificial dedication, and multiple blessings they have provided to us by serving our Lord here at LEFC. As our gift of appreciation to Pastor Matt & Heather, the Elder Board sent Pastor Matt and Heather away for the weekend.

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.

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.

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 – P2P (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.

Prayer Items

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