Weekly Bulletin

Oct. 21

Galatians 2:15-21
Download this week's bulletin (.pdf)

Jesus Christ loves us and gave himself for us.

Pastor to People

Hey, what’s up with that?

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and praise (Revelation 4:11).

Do you every wonder why?

· Why is the sky blue?

· Why is there a pyramid with an eye on a one-dollar bill?

· Why does frozen water (aka ice) float on top of liquid water?

These are all good questions that would stump many of us, especially parents who undoubtedly have fielded if not these particular questions, ones like them. And as you know, when children ask good questions, they need good answers!

Here’s another why question that is more relevant to life at Stone Hill. Why do we begin our Sunday services with a “Call to Worship,” that little line or two after the welcome that says something like, “Come, let us worship the Lord?” Here are some good answers to that good question.  

Sunday mornings are busy. You wake up, get dressed, grab breakfast - and if you have children, there are clothes to put on and mouths to feed! So it’s easy to come crashing into worship and forget why we are here. That’s where the Call to Worship comes in. It orients us. It invites us to be aware of where we are, what we are about to do, and whom we are to worship. 

The first audience in worship is always God, not ourselves. We need a moment at the start of worship to move from:

· being consumers to being God’s servants,

· being recipients to being participants,

· being spectators to being priests.

The Call to Worship launches that process. It invites us to move out of the busy distracted mindset into the worship mindset.

Here is one practical consequence: the opening minutes of worship are really strategic. They prepare us to meet God. But these days, across the country and here at Stone Hill, people are often ten, fifteen, twenty minutes late to services. Sometimes that can’t be avoided, and that’s OK: I don’t want us to be legalists. But other times we can do better, especially since the Call to Worship has an important purpose. It is both your invitation and a biblical summons to prepare for a full experience of the Living God in our midst.

Church notes

Announcements

MENA Prayer Luncheon: Come learn about a dynamic ministry to women in the 10/40 window (the Middle East/North Africa region). Kim Kerr, founder of Women in the Window International, will be our guest speaker at the MENA luncheon on Sunday. Join us in Harris Hall at 12:30 p.m.

Car Needed to Borrow: Our new Director of Children's Ministry, Lindsei Lansky, is arriving in Princeton on November 1. She will need a car to borrow for a few weeks until she gets one of her own. If you have one to loan, please contact Doug Megill at dougm@stonehillprinceton.org. She's planning to be at church on Sunday, November 4 - be sure to say hello!

Stone Hill Student Connections - 2018-2019 School Year: University Students (grad and undergrad) and Stone Hill families -- Would you like to more intentionally connect for fellowship? Sign up and we will pair students with a Stone Hill Church family. Once paired you can get together in ways that work for you: have a meal in a home or a restaurant on Nassau Street, take time to get to know each other in the atrium and perhaps sit together in church some Sundays. Are you interested? Please contact the church at info@stonehillprinceton.org.

Traffic Information – Princeton Half Marathon: The Princeton Half Marathon takes place Sunday, November 4. Traffic patterns around our church will be affected between 8 a.m. and 9:20 a.m.   If coming from the east or south, use Bunn Drive instead.  If coming from the west or north, use Mt. Lucas to Poor Farm Rd or use River Road to Herrontown Road.  The Princeton Police Department will be directing traffic via a single lane on Herrontown Road in front of our church. Let the police know you are going into the church and they will let you through.  Maps of the race route are available at the Welcome Desk.

Book Reviewers Needed: Do you love books? Have you read one recently with a compelling message that you think others, including Stone Hill church members, should know about? If so, Readers' Reviews would like to hear from you. You can choose a book from our selected library, or suggest one yourself. Books cover a wide range of Christian and mainstream books across all genres of fiction and nonfiction. For more information, contact Dori Perrucci at bookreviews@stonehillprinceton.org.

Stay Informed: Did you know we have a weekly e-bulletin, classifieds ads, and prayer chain? If you aren’t already receiving these emails and would like to, please contact the church office at info@stonehillprinceton.org. If you have signed up, but are still not seeing the updates, please check your spam folder. 

Stone Hill 101 (membership class): Stone Hill 101 will be held on Sunday, October 28 after the 2nd service in Harris Hall. Lunch is provided. Childcare will also be provided for those who have young children. The class will last about 2.5 hours. Whether you are interested in church membership or just want to learn more about the church, Stone Hill 101 is designed for you to survey the history, doctrine, vision, government, and the membership process of Stone Hill Church. This class is designed for everyone and serves as a membership prerequisite.  For more info please contact Pastor Jin Lee at jinl@stonehillprinceton.org. 

Fall Baptism: Baptism Sunday is November 18. We are offering a baptism Class that will help you understand the what, why, and how of baptism. It is a good way to assess if you are ready for baptism. Pastor Tracy will be teaching the two-session class this Sunday, October 21 and 28 at 11:10 a.m. Attendance at the class does not demand that you be baptized. We encourage you to take the class if you are considering baptism. Sign up for the class online: https://tinyurl.com/FallBaptism2018. If you have any questions please contact Pastor Tracy at tracyt@stonehillprinceton.org.

Recent weeks

Galatians 2:11-14 10/14/2018
Galatians 2:1-10 10/07/2018
Galatians 1:11-24 09/30/2018
Galatians 1:1-10 09/23/2018
Galatians 6:14, 1:1-5 09/16/2018
Galatians 6:14 09/09/2018
Matthew 6:25-34 09/02/2018
Psalm 87 08/26/2018
_ 08/19/2018
1 Peter 5:1-11 08/12/2018
1 Peter 4:12-19 08/05/2018
1 Peter 4:1-11 07/29/2018

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