Disruptive Information

Today’s guest speaker is Rev. Dave Mason.
 
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. Birthdays, anniversaries, and announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.

Gathering  Around  the  Word

Prelude            Music Director               Robert Senay 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
CHORAL INTROIT    
                                                                           
CALL TO WORSHIP                              
Leader:  Faded Photographs,
People: Distant memories of special times.  Of painful news.
Leader:  Family and friends,
People: Saddened by death.
Leader:  Anguished by loss,
People:  Conflicted over wars.
Leader:  Yet we are not alone,
People: We are surrounded by the saints.
Leader:  And forever remembered by God,
People: Forever held by God, forever given reason to sing
Leader : For God’s love is stronger than death. 
People:  And the Spirit gives wings to new hope.

INVOCATION                           Rev. Mason
HYMN:              “God of our Fathers”                                      687        
CALL TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION            (UNISON)
Merciful Savior, out of your great love you willingly laid down your life so that we might be reconciled to you. We are awe-struck by the extravagance of your gift and humbled by the magnitude of your love.  We confess that we have failed to “go and do likewise.”  We have failed to love our neighbor.  We have failed to be salt and light, instead of what you would have us do and be.  We have failed to trust you.  Forgive us,Lord.
Forgive our forgetfulness, and redeem us, as we graciously 
Accept your forgiveness, AMEN
 
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The good news is this:  Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem sinners.  Hear it and believe – in Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen
*Time of silent prayer             
* Response – Gloria Patri
*Passing of the Peace
L: The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 
P: And also, with you.
   
CHILDREN’S  MOMENT
                             CHOIR ANTHEM         

Prayer for Illumination
Scripture reading      Acts 16: 16-34

Paul and Silas in Prison
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
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31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

                                 L: The Word of the Lord             
                                 P: Thanks be to God!

SERMON:    “DISRUPTIVE INFORMATION”

HYMN;        “America the Beautiful”                                  690    
*Apostles Creed  (found in back cover of the hymnal)

Presentation of our tithes and offering
Offertory                                                      Bob Senay
Doxology (Hymnal page 382)
Prayer of dedication

Concerns and Celebrations    
Prayer of the people                                          Rev. Mason
The Lord’s Prayer

HYMN:           “The Battle Hymn pf the Republic”            692       
Benediction                                                                        
CHOIR POSTLUDE      

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BIRTHDAYS            Blake Lindley, Adam Gill, Sarah Moore

ANNIVERSARIES      Bob & Betty Fisher, William & Beverly Calhoun

JOYS AND CONCERNS

Debbie Mary’s Dad is added to our prayer chain as he was in the hospital but now is home doing much better.  Mary says thank you all for the prayers.

Prayers for our soldiers and those that have been deployed to help overseas and pray for the Ukraine people.

Prayers for the Pulpit Nominating Committee (PNC) as they search for the appropriate person to serve our church.

Prayers for James O’Hara as he recovers from his surgery on Thursday.

Prayers that Marty and Cheryl have a fun and safe trip going and coming back from up north. 

 We are adding Evelyn Wood to our prayer list this week. She is experiencing trouble going up and down stairs.

SYMPATHY   To the Family of John Rugg
                       To the Family of John Lesneski

ANNOUNCMENTS
Remember our Food Collection.  And Jesus said “you give them something to eat.”  Mark 6: 37.  Please let Betty Fisher know if you are aware of anyone within the community that may be in need at this time.

Due to the increase of continuing prayer list, it is now on a separate sheet of paper.  New prayer concerns will be added to the joys and concerns sheet and then moved to the continuing prayer list. 

Remember the congregational meeting was moved to June 19th.  As many members as possible should plan to attend this meeting, which is to discuss North Buffalo’s governing system and to discuss moving from bicameral to unicameral.

“CONGREGATIONAL MEETING June 19”
After worship on June 19, North Buffalo Church will hold a Congregational meeting to examine our form of government and to bring our church into compliance with state law.  The most pressing issue is to present our new corporate bylaws.

However, another issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible is whether our church should move from a bicameral system to a unicameral system.  In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for the nominating committee to fill all of the 18 positions on the session and trustees, especially as many of our members have gotten older.

Anecdotal evidence suggest that most congregations of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have adopted a unicameral system instead of a bicameral system.  This is necessary for smaller congregations that have a much more limited number of eligible officers, but many larger churches have preferred it as well.

At our 2021 congregational meeting, Rev. Mason made a presentation on the advantages of a unicameral system.

He said that unicameral boards have been in existence since the 1960’s and constitute the majority of successful congregations.  The presentation was given without   discussion, but session was to consider it later.  We believe that time has arrived.  Some of the benefits he pointed out were as follows.

1.  It improves the quality of representation and makes it easier for the average member to understand.
   
2. It simplifies the legislative process because the session and the trustees are effectively combines with one set of minutes needing to be kept and reducing work for the clerk of session and the treasurer.
3. It allows for greater transparency and diffuses conflict             
4.  It distributes responsibility among the entire session and not just to a few individuals.

Under a unicameral system, elders serve as chair and co-chair of the building and grounds committee, which would handle all matters that are currently the responsibility of the trustees.  The building and grounds committee, like all other committees of session, would include members of the congregation that are not on session.  Instead of meeting at the same time as session, the building and grounds committee would meet on another day of the month and the chair of that committee would make his or her report at the monthly session meeting.