United Church of Acworth

06/13/2026

Bulletin for Sunday, June 14, Worship at 10 AM.

If you enjoy our services, please like our post and consider making a donation to the church by mailing a check to United Church of Acworth, PO Box 2010, Acworth, NH 03601 or giving on the church website, www.unitedchurchofacworth.org

If you open Facebook in two tabs, you can run the video, with sound in one tab, and follow the bulletin in the second tab. Enjoy!
We start in person at 10 AM with Joys and Concerns and then begin the livestream at about 10:10.

If you can join us in person, please come for coffee hour to bid Ken and Mary Lou Reed farewell and thank them for all their service to our church and community.

Third Sunday After Pentecost
June 14, 2026 10 a.m.

Rev. Patrick McLoud, Guest Minister
Lillie LeBlanc, Music Director

Bette Butson Ball, Claudia Istel, Jim Neidert, & Katie Walsh, Deacons
Claudia, Bette, Linda Brenneman, Chris Salmon, Tech Wranglers

Church phone: (603) 835-2974 (messages checked weekly)
Address: P.O. Box 2010, Acworth, NH 03601
Website: www.unitedchurchofacworth.org
Facebook: United Church of Acworth
Email: [email protected] (checked weekly)

*Please stand as you are able. Bold face print is read in unison.

Welcome: (by a deacon): Sharing of Joys, Concerns, and individual names on the Prayer List before turning on Facebook livestream. Turn on Facebook, welcome everyone, continue with the more general portions of the Prayer List, introduce the guest pastor, and indicate that we’ll begin worship with the Introit.

Introit - # 387 The Lord is in His Holy Temple

Call to Worship (Read responsively.) Inspired by Psalm 116.
One: How gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Many: How gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
One: The Lord protects the simple;
Many: I was brought low, and he saved me.
One: Turn back, my soul, to your rest,
Many: For the Lord has been good to you.
One: The Lord has kept my soul from death;
Many: The Lord has kept my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.
One: I will walk in the presence of the Lord,
Many: In the land of the living. Amen.

Prayer of Invocation (Read in unison)
Dearest God, you promise us that where two or three are gathered in your name, you are there in our midst. We welcome you into this worship space today. Open our ears to your voice, our minds to your wisdom, and our hearts to your love. We ask this in Jesus’s name, Amen.

* Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

*Hymn # 341 Jesus Shall Reign

* Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all
creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Scripture Lesson: Matthew 9:35–10:16 pp. 790-791

Sermon: Sheep Without a Shepherd

*Hymn # 595 They’ll Know We Are Christians

Prayer of Confession for Transformation and New Life (Read in unison,)
Lord, you are the one who heals and transforms. Many of us feel both spiritually and physically exhausted. Fill our weary spirits with your strength and peace. Breathe new purpose into our lives. Use your power to change us from the inside out. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

A Moment of Silence

Words of Grace
Gracious ones, you may receive the nourishment and encouragement of God to be fruitful even when the Holy One amazes us beyond expectation and dream. God is with us in season and out of season. Expect an abundant and bountiful harvest to witness to God’s grace at work in and through us.

Pass the Peace (from our seats, we wave, press our hands together, give the peace sign, etc. to everyone here.)

One: With the reassurance of God’s love and forgiveness, let us pass God’s blessings of peace among one another. The peace of God be with you.
Many: And also with you.

Children’s Time

Pastoral Prayer by the minister/worship leader
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the
power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Sung Response
Hear our prayer O Lord; hear our prayer O Lord. Incline
thine ear to us, and grant us thy peace. Amen.

Invitation to Share Tithes and Offerings (Offerings can be placed in the plate on the back table before or after the service, mailed to the church, or given online on our website.)

What shall we return to the Holy One for God’s bounty to us? God calls us to live fruitful and faithful lives that witness to and spread the good news of the kindom in the world. God provides for our needs abundantly so that all may flourish. May we use the bounty that we receive as gifts to share rather than as resources to hoard. Let generosity, trust, and hope guide us to support the ministry of this faith community and the wider church.

*Dedication Song
Bless thou the gifts our hands have brought; Bless thou the work our hearts have planned. Ours is the faith, the will, the thought; the rest, O God, is in thy hands.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication of the Offering (Read in unison.)
Dear Holy One, we thank you for your presence in our lives. We dedicate ourselves completely to you–body, mind, and spirit. Send your light to illuminate our minds and your love to transform our hearts. We commit our time, talents, and treasure to the coming of your Kingdom. May goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. Amen.

*Hymn # 716 God Be with You

*Benediction
May laughter and love fill your heart
And joy and peace flow like a mighty river from you
As you share the glory of God in hope and peace
Boasting in the goodness of God
And delighting in the wonders of God
As you work the harvest of the kindom
Go, and be fruitful in the power of God

*Sung Response
Grant us thy peace upon our homeward way;
With thee began, with thee shall end the day.
Guard thou our lips from sin, our hearts from shame
That in this house have called upon thy name. Amen.

Announcements: (by a deacon) Please be seated.

Postlude

Please join us for coffee hour and fellowship after the service.

If you are in need of pastoral care, please see a deacon.

Resources
Prayers and responsive readings by Rev. Patrick McLoud
Shall I Be Fruitful?: Service Prayers for the Third Sunday after Pentecost Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ.
Cover Art: Schäufelein, Hans, approximately 1480-approximately 1539. Christ Teaching the Disciples, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=59387 [retrieved June 10, 2026]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Teaching_the_Disciples,_2,_from_Das_Plenarium_MET_DP849939.jpg – Adam Petri.

Upcoming Worship Leaders
June 14 & 21 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
June 28 – Claudia Istel - Children’s Sunday
July 5 -
July 12, 19 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
July 26, Aug. 2 –
Aug. 9, 16 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
Aug. 23, 30 -

Church Announcements
Farewell to the Reeds Coffee Hour today. We give thanks and best wishes to Ken and Mary Lou.

Special Offerings: Food Shelf – collected each week

One Great Hour of Sharing – OGHS envelopes; thru June 22

Choir rehearsal every Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m.-ish

Female Charitable Society meets on June 15, 11:30 a.m.

Church Council meets on June 28, 11:30 a.m.

Church Annual Reports – Our fiscal year ends on June 30th. Please email reports to Linda in early July as a Word document using Cambria 11 font. See Claudia for help with word processing & editing.

Judy Bascom Snow’s Graveside service & reception – June 27, 11 a.m., reception at noon.

David Howard’s Memorial Service & reception – July 18

Northeast Men’s Summer Chorus: Friday, August 7 – We host supper for the chorus. Concert in the evening.

Friday Night Suppers – July 10 – Friends of the Acworth Meetinghouse; July 24 – Acworth Historical Society; August 14 & 28 - Church Council and the Females. Potluck suppers with entertainment. Freewill offering.
Wider Church Announcements
South Congregational Church Yard Sale, June 27, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., 20 Church St., Newport. Contact Pat McCabe for table space. 603-863-9130

Washington Congregational Church, Quilt Show and Annual Tag Sale, July 4, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; also Washington Old Home Day

Katie Howe’s Ordination Service, Aug. 30, 3 p.m., on Zoom.

Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice – first Tuesday of the month, 9 a.m., Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut St., Manchester. July 7.

Monadnock Interfaith Project builds relationships across differences by treating others as we wish to be treated. www.mipnh.org; email: [email protected]

Community Events
AA meetings will meet in person, here; Wednesdays, 7 p.m, and on Zoom; continue to meet Fridays, 7 p.m., on Zoom.

Vilas School Grade 8 Promotion – June 16, 6 p.m.

Acworth Celebrates the Country’s 250th Birthday – on the Town Green, July 4th, 11a.m. – 3 p.m., organized by the Acworth Community Project

06/10/2026

You are most welcome to join us for worship at 10 or just for coffee hour at 11.

06/10/2026

Congratulations to two of our guest ministers, Rev. Rob Grabill and Rev. John Torrey, for their work on climate justice. From this week's NH Conference of the UCC Weekly News:

06/07/2026

06/04/2026

Bulletin for Sunday, June 7, Worship at 10 AM.

If you enjoy our services, please like our post and consider making a donation to the church by mailing a check to United Church of Acworth, PO Box 2010, Acworth, NH 03601 or giving on the church website, www.unitedchurchofacworth.org

If you open Facebook in two tabs, you can run the video, with sound in one tab, and follow the bulletin in the second tab. Enjoy!
We start in person at 10 AM with Joys and Concerns and then begin the livestream at about 10:10.

Second Sunday After Pentecost
June 7, 2026 10 a.m.

Katie Walsh, Guest Worship Leader
Lillie LeBlanc, Music Director

Bette Butson Ball, Claudia Istel, Jim Neidert, & Katie Walsh, Deacons
Claudia, Bette, Linda Brenneman, Chris Salmon, Tech Wranglers

Church phone: (603) 835-2974 (messages checked weekly)
Address: P.O. Box 2010, Acworth, NH 03601
Website: www.unitedchurchofacworth.org
Facebook: United Church of Acworth
Email: [email protected] (checked weekly)

*Please stand as you are able. Bold face print is read in unison.

Welcome: (by a deacon): Sharing of Joys, Concerns, and individual names on the Prayer List before turning on Facebook livestream. Turn on Facebook, welcome everyone, continue with the more general portions of the Prayer List, introduce the guest pastor, and indicate that we’ll begin worship with the Introit.

Introit - # 655 Come Away From Rush and Hurry

Call to Worship (Read responsively.) Inspired by Psalm 33.
One: Rejoice in the Holy One! God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of God’s steadfast love.
Many: The Voice created the heavens and the earth. Praise God with loud shouts!
One: Rejoice in the Holy One! God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of God’s steadfast love.
Many: Let our voices ring and sing a new song. Let us turn toward the Creator in awe.
One: Rejoice in the Holy One! God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of God’s steadfast love.
Many: Happy are the people who seek God’s counsel, who seek God’s heart, and who seek God’s kindom. Rejoice in the Holy One!

Prayer of Invocation (Read in unison)
Wonderful God, we delight in your presence. We find shelter in your abiding and enduring love. You humble us, Holy Love, by gathering us as a people. Thank you for being our Companion and Guide on this journey. Receive our songs, prayers, and openness. Nourish us from the fountain of your word and the hospitality of your table. May we find hope and inspiration, courage and direction, community and resolve as we worship you. Amen.

* Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

*Hymn # 587 Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

* Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all
creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Scripture Lesson: Mark 4:26-34 pp. 815-816

Sermon: Similes and Metaphors

*Hymn # 624 When the Poor Ones

Prayer of Confession for Transformation and New Life (Read in unison,)
Holy One, through the Prophet Hosea, you declared, “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” We confess that, at times, we offer the ritual and routine of religious practices rather than a discerning heart that breaks with compassion and beats for justice. Strengthen us to the tenderness of knowing you, O God, more deeply, loving our neighbors more justly, and embracing our lives more fully.

A Moment of Silence

Words of Grace
Community of Faith, rest assured that renewal and revival is possible and available to us. Let us embrace our rituals to sing even old songs as if they are new, pray routine prayers as if they have been written in our hearts, and join in worship as if this were the first or last time. The Holy One makes all things new, and that may be so in us this day and every day.

Pass the Peace (from our seats, we wave, press our hands together, give the peace sign, etc. to everyone here.)

One: With the reassurance of God’s love and forgiveness, let us pass God’s blessings of peace among one another. The peace of God be with you.
Many: And also with you.

Children’s Time

Sacrament of Holy Communion
*Communion Hymn # 457 Lord, I Want to Be a Christian

Invitation to Communion
Luke, the evangelist, wrote of our risen Savior, who at the table with two of the disciples took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread.
In company with all believers in every time and beyond time, we come to this table to know the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread.

Communion Prayer
God be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to God.
Let us give thanks to God Most High.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Holy God, our loving Creator, close to us as breathing and distant as the farthest star, we thank you for your constant love for all you have made.
We thank you for all that sustains life, for all people of faith in every generation who have given themselves to your will, and especially for Jesus Christ, whom you have sent from your own being as our Savior.
We praise you for Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection, and for the calling forth of your church for its mission in the world.
Gifted by the presence of your Holy Spirit, we offer ourselves to you as we unite our voices with the entire family of your faithful people everywhere:
Holy, holy, holy God of love and majesty, the whole universe speaks of your glory, O God Most High.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God! Hosanna in the highest!
Merciful God, as sisters and brothers in faith, we recall anew these words and acts of Jesus Christ. Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat: This is my body.”
Jesus took a cup, and after giving thanks, gave it to the disciples and said: “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” We remember Christ’s promise not to drink of the fruit of the vine again until the heavenly banquet at the close of history, and we say boldly what we believe:
All may say or sing:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Come, Holy Spirit, come. Bless this bread, and bless this fruit of the vine. Bless all of us in our eating and drinking at this table that our eyes may be opened, and we may recognize the risen Christ in our midst, in each other, and in all for whom Christ died. Amen.

Breaking Bread and Pouring Cup
Through the broken bread we participate in the body of Christ.
Through the cup of blessing we participate in the new life Christ gives.

Sharing the Elements
The gifts of God for the people of God. Come, for all things are ready.
Eat this, for it is the body of Christ, broken for you.
Amen!
Drink this, for it is the blood of Christ, shed for you.
Amen!

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Let us pray.
We give thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us at your table by granting us the presence of Jesus Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer by the minister/worship leader
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the
power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Sung Response
Hear our prayer O Lord; hear our prayer O Lord. Incline
thine ear to us, and grant us thy peace. Amen.

Invitation to Share Tithes and Offerings (Offerings can be placed in the plate on the back table before or after the service, mailed to the church, or given online on our website.)

Let us share the gifts of life and love given to sustain us on the journey. Our generosity strengthens communities and witnesses to the love of God in the world. May our time, talent, and treasure testify to the goodness and abundance of God’s creation.

*Dedication Song
Bless thou the gifts our hands have brought; Bless thou the work our hearts have planned. Ours is the faith, the will, the thought; the rest, O God, is in thy hands.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication of the Offering (Read in unison.)
Holy One, as we worship you through our giving, we dedicate these gifts to the work of your kindom come and our hope that your will be done in our community and world. Amen.

*Hymn # 502 Be Thou My Vision

*Benediction
As you go from this gathering, find hope in the journey.
Cultivate joy in the journey. Give love in the journey.
Share peace in the journey, and trust that the God of the journey
will be with you now and always.

*Sung Response
Grant us thy peace upon our homeward way;
With thee began, with thee shall end the day.
Guard thou our lips from sin, our hearts from shame
That in this house have called upon thy name. Amen.

Announcements: (by a deacon) Please be seated.

Postlude

Please join us for coffee hour and fellowship after the service.

If you are in need of pastoral care, please see a deacon.

Resources
Journeyed on by Stages: Service Prayers for the Second Sunday after Pentecost Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ.
Cover Art: Hochhalter, Cara B.. A Parable - The Mustard Seed, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57507 [retrieved June 3, 2026]. Original source: Cara B. Hochhalter.

Upcoming Worship Leaders
June 14 & 21 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
June 28 – Claudia Istel? Children’s Sunday?
July 5 -
July 12, 19 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
July 26 –
Aug. 2 -
Aug. 9, 16 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
Aug. 23 -
Aug. 30 -

Church Announcements
Special Offerings: Food Shelf – collected each week

One Great Hour of Sharing – OGHS envelopes; thru June 22

Choir rehearsal every Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m.-ish

Female Charitable Society meets on June 15, 11:30 a.m.

Church Council meets on June 28, 11:30 a.m.

Church Annual Reports – Our fiscal year ends on June 30th. Please email reports to Linda in early July as a Word document using Cambria 11 font. See Claudia for help with word processing & editing.

Judy Bascom Snow’s Graveside service & reception – June 27, 11 a.m., reception at noon.

David Howard’s Memorial Service & reception – July 18

Northeast Men’s Summer Chorus: Friday, August 7 – We host supper for the chorus. Concert in the evening.

Friday Night Suppers – July 10 – Friends of the Acworth Meetinghouse; July 24 – Acworth Historical Society; August 14 & 28 - Church Council and the Females. Potluck suppers with entertainment. Freewill offering.
Wider Church Announcements
Faith Festival – live music, art, dance, free food from Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, & Jewish faiths. Monadnock Interfaith Project, Sat., June 13, 2-4 p.m., Central Square, Keene. BYO chair

Monadnock Interfaith Project builds relationships across differences by treating others as we wish to be treated. www.mipnh.org; email: [email protected]

Community Events
AA meetings will meet in person, here; Wednesdays, 7 p.m, and on Zoom; continue to meet Fridays, 7 p.m., on Zoom.

Marlow Celebrates the Country’s 250th – June 7: - Revolutionary Afternoon Tea (Lillie plays), Abigail Adams lecture. Organized by the Marlow Historical Society

Kingsbury & Rhoades Family Plant, Craft, & Quilt Sale, June 13, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,

Vilas School Grade 8 Promotion – June 16, 6 p.m.

Acworth Celebrates the Country’s 25oth – on the Town Green, July 4th, 11a.m. – 3 p.m., organized by the Acworth Community Project

Prayer List – June 7, 2026
To Share Publicly, without individual names, to protect their privacy

For the family and friends of beloved members of our immediate and larger community who have passed: Judy Bascom Snow, Jamie Long, Tom Ballou, Lindsey Nelson, David Howard, Carol Kangas, Josiah Dwinell, Mim Ward, Betsy Klein, Ruth Balla, Kim Martin, Rudi Klein, Jayna Rhoades Morales, Steve Morris, Richard Bishop, Debbie Wright, Ross Patterson, Ellie Rhoades.

For those people living in war zones, been displaced, and suffering in the humanitarian crises in Iran, Lebanon, Ukraine, Gaza, South Sudan, Chad, Kenya, Yemen, and the Congo. We pray for an end to the genocide of the Palestinians and a restoration of humanitarian aid; for those persecuted for their religious beliefs, particularly Christians in Arab nations and the Islamic Rohingya in Myanmar. We pray for those effected by the Ebola outbreak. We hold all those who are in the military and their families in our prayers. We hold humanitarian workers and journalists and their families in our prayers. We pray for our world leaders to work for justice, safety, and peace for all.

For those living in conflict and violence in their homes and for victims of violence and mass shootings, too often in schools and places of worship and increasing political violence. We give thanks for those who save lives by shielding others and who care for the victims.

For communities targeted by ICE; for those living in fear because of their skin color, origin, or immigration status; for all those detained in inhumane conditions without enough food, fresh water, being denied medical care and due process; for those who have died in custody and been killed in their communities. We ask forgiveness that our tax dollars support injustice and inhumane treatment. We give thanks for those released and pray for justice for them and give thanks for those who advocate for their neighbors.

For the health and protection of the earth and our environment; for those coping with climate disasters in our country and around the world; for the protection of clean air and water and food safety.

For those struggling with all manner of physical and mental health diseases: anxiety, depression, mental illness, addiction, cancer, Parkinsons, dementia, long Covid, and others. For those waiting for diagnoses and surgeries. For those recovering from illness and surgeries. For their families and caregivers.

For those struggling financially, for those worrying about their jobs and futures; for those who are and will be affected by cuts to federal and state programs on which so many rely.

For those who receive care and hope and for those who give care and hope through Fall Mtn. Food Shelf & Friendly Meals and the Sullivan County Nursing Home and other care facilities.

For communities of the Ukama Partnership (NH United Church of Christ and Zimbabwe United Church of Christ) coping with drought and economic, health, and food insecurity. We also pray for the emotional and spiritual needs of the children and staff of the Daisy Dube Children’s Home destroyed by fire.

For those abroad and in the US who are affected by the end of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

For those who stand up for justice, empathy, and love.

05/31/2026

Bulletin for Sunday, May 31, Worship at 10 AM.

If you enjoy our services, please consider making a donation to the church by mailing a check to United Church of Acworth, PO Box 2010, Acworth, NH 03601 or giving on the church website, www.unitedchurchofacworth.org and please like our post.

If you open Facebook in two tabs, you can run the video, with sound in one tab, and follow the bulletin in the second tab. Enjoy!
We start in person at 10 AM with Joys and Concerns and then begin the livestream at about 10:10.

Trinity Sunday; First Sunday After Pentecost
May 31, 2026 10 a.m.

Chris Salmon, Guest Worship Leader
Lillie LeBlanc, Music Director

Bette Butson Ball, Claudia Istel, Jim Neidert, & Katie Walsh, Deacons
Claudia, Bette, Linda Brenneman, Chris Salmon, Tech Wranglers

Church phone: (603) 835-2974 (messages checked weekly)
Address: P.O. Box 2010, Acworth, NH 03601
Website: www.unitedchurchofacworth.org
Facebook: United Church of Acworth
Email: [email protected] (checked weekly)

*Please stand as you are able. Bold face print is read in unison.

Welcome: (by a deacon): Sharing of Joys, Concerns, and individual names on the Prayer List before turning on Facebook livestream. Turn on Facebook, welcome everyone, continue with the more general portions of the Prayer List, introduce the guest pastor, and indicate that we’ll begin worship with the Introit.

Introit - # 657 He Has Made Me Glad

Call to Worship (Read responsively.) Inspired by Psalm 8.
One: O Holy One, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Many: We admire the work of your hands in awe and thanksgiving!
One: O Holy One, our Redeemer, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Many: Who are we that you come to us, empower us, and give us rest?
One: O Holy One, our Companion, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Many: Let us worship the Triune God with honor and glory! How majestic are your many names in all the earth!

Prayer of Invocation (Read in unison)
Voice, Body, Spirit, we acknowledge your presence gathering us together as your church. Today, we join in worship. May we encounter you anew. We find a good place in you and with one another. You have made us in your image and enabled us to be in community with you, O God, as people called to service, justice, and caretaking. Let your name be praised. Let us receive your word. Let us embrace and live your truth. Amen.

* Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

*Hymn # 543 Come Build a Church

* Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all
creatures here below; Praise God above, ye heavenly host
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Scripture Lesson: Romans 12:9-16b pp. 922-923

Sermon: Child of God

*Hymn # 359 Give Thanks

Prayer of Confession for Transformation and New Life (Read in unison,)
Creator, we give thanks that creation does not end; it rests. In your created order, rest is often the time and space necessary for renewal. Transformation happens in rest. Too often, we adopt the pace of the world that adopts hurry as normative and beneficial. Yet, we know, Holy Love, that when you began the work of creation, it served to bring order out of chaos, and it was good. As we seek your goodness today, we confess that we live in chaotic times. We affirm that you have charged us to care for this creation and have made us like you. Use us then to bring order in a chaotic world and to use rest as a necessary step for transformation and renewal. Help us discern the balance of rest and work that will yield good fruit. Amen.

A Moment of Silence

Words of Grace
Generous God, just as you provided for all our needs in your creative acts, you have made us caretakers of your good creation. Let us accept the call to faithful discipleship, the opportunity to trust in your provision, and the generous nature you have embedded in us.

Pass the Peace (from our seats, we wave, press our hands together, give the peace sign, etc. to everyone here.)

One: With the reassurance of God’s love and forgiveness, let us pass God’s blessings of peace among one another. The peace of God be with you.
Many: And also with you.

Children’s Time -

Pastoral Prayer by the minister/worship leader
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the
power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Sung Response
Hear our prayer O Lord; hear our prayer O Lord. Incline
thine ear to us, and grant us thy peace. Amen.

Invitation to Share Tithes and Offerings (Offerings can be placed in the plate on the back table before or after the service, mailed to the church, or given online on our website.)

Generous God, just as you provided for all our needs in your creative acts, you have made us caretakers of your good creation. Let us accept the call to faithful discipleship, the opportunity to trust in your provision, and the generous nature you have embedded in us.

*Dedication Song
Bless thou the gifts our hands have brought; Bless thou the work our hearts have planned. Ours is the faith, the will, the thought; the rest, O God, is in thy hands.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication of the Offering (Read in unison.)
Generous God, Receive our gifts as acts of participation in your continuing creation. Amen.

*Hymn # 51 How Great Thou Art

*Benediction
Find rest in the love of God
Choose rest by the grace of God
Embrace rest by the power of God
Trust rest because of the provision of God
And know that the God of rest goes with you
To love and serve God’s creation.

*Sung Response
Grant us thy peace upon our homeward way;
With thee began, with thee shall end the day.
Guard thou our lips from sin, our hearts from shame
That in this house have called upon thy name. Amen.

Announcements: (by a deacon) Please be seated.

Postlude

Please join us for coffee hour and fellowship after the service.

If you are in need of pastoral care, please see a deacon.

Resources
Rest Made Holy: Service Prayers for Trinity Sunday Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ..
Cover Art: https://biblhub.comvisuals/15/45_Rom_12_09.jpg

Upcoming Worship Leaders
June 7 – Katie Walsh - communion
June 14 & 21 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
June 28 – Claudia Istel? Children’s Sunday?
July 5 -
July 12, 19 - Rev. Patrick McLoud
July 26 –
Aug. 2 -
Aug. 9, 16 - Rev. Patrick McLoud

Church Announcements
Special Offerings: Food Shelf – collected each week
One Great Hour of Sharing – OGHS envelopes; thru June 22

Choir rehearsal every Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m.-ish

Church Annual Reports – Our fiscal year ends on June 30th. Please send reports to Linda as early in July as possible. Emailed reports as a Word document using Cambria 11 are preferred. See Claudia for help with word processing & editing.

David Howard’s Memorial Service – July 18

Northeast Men’s Summer Chorus: Friday, August 7 – We host supper for the chorus. Concert in the evening.

Friday Night Suppers – July 10 – Friends of the Acworth Meetinghouse; July 24 – Acworth Historical Society;. August 14 & 28 - Church Council and the Females. Potluck suppers with entertainment. Freewill offering.
Wider Church Announcements
Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Immigrant Justice – Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut St., Manchester, NH. First Tuesday of the month, 9 a.m. June 2.

Faith Festival – live music, art, dance, free food from Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, & Jewish faiths. Monadnock Interfaith Project, Sat., June 13, 2-4 p.m., Central Square, Keene. BYO chair

Monadnock Interfaith Project builds relationships across differences. www.mipnh.org; email: [email protected]

Community Events
AA meetings will meet in person, here; Wednesdays, 7 p.m, and on Zoom; continue to meet Fridays, 7 p.m., on Zoom.

Fall Mountain Reg. High School Graduation – June 6, 10 a.m.

Marlow Celebrates the Country’s 250th – June 6: military encampment, parade, children’s games, food, Nelson Town Band, historical presentation by Alan Rumrill, more; June 7: - Revolutionary Afternoon Tea (Lillie plays), Abigail Adams lecture. Organized by the Marlow Historical Society

Kingsbury & Rhoades Family Plant, Craft, & Quilt Sale, June 13, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,

Vilas School Grade 8 Promotion – June 16, 6 p.m.

Acworth Celebrates the Country’s 250th – on the Town Green, July 4th, 11a.m. – 3 p.m., organized by the Acworth Community Project

Prayer List – May 24, 2026
To Share Publicly, without individual names, to protect their privacy

For the family and friends of beloved members of our immediate and larger community who have passed: Tom Ballou, Lindsay Nelson, David Howard, Carol Kangas, Josiah Dwinell, Mim Ward, Betsy Klein, Ruth Balla, Kim Martin, Rudi Klein, Jayna Rhoades Morales, Steve Morris, Richard Bishop, Debbie Wright, Ross Patterson, Ellie Rhoades, Bob Skinner, James Allen.

For those people living in war zones, been displaced, and suffering in the humanitarian crises in Iran, Lebanon, Ukraine, Gaza, South Sudan, Chad, Kenya, Yemen, and the Congo. We pray for an end to the genocide of the Palestinians and a restoration of humanitarian aid; for those persecuted for their religious beliefs, particularly Christians in Arab nations and the Islamic Rohingya in Myanmar. We pray for those effected by the Ebola outbreak. We hold all those who are in the military and their families in our prayers. We hold humanitarian workers and journalists and their families in our prayers. We pray for our world leaders to work for justice, safety, and peace for all.

For those living in conflict and violence in their homes and for victims of violence and mass shootings, too often in schools and places of worship and increasing political violence. We give thanks for those who save lives by shielding others and who care for the victims.

For communities targeted by ICE; for those living in fear because of their skin color, origin, or immigration status; for all those detained in inhumane conditions without enough food, fresh water, being denied medical care and due process; for those who have died in custody and been killed in their communities. We ask forgiveness that our tax dollars support injustice and inhumane treatment. We give thanks for those released and pray for justice for them and give thanks for those who advocate for their neighbors.

For the health and protection of the earth and our environment; for those coping with climate disasters in our country and around the world; for the protection of clean air and water and food safety.

For those struggling with all manner of physical and mental health diseases: anxiety, depression, mental illness, addiction, cancer, Parkinsons, dementia, long Covid, and others. For those waiting for diagnoses and surgeries. For those recovering from illness and surgeries. For their families and caregivers.

For those struggling financially, for those worrying about their jobs and futures; for those who are and will be affected by cuts to federal and state programs on which so many rely.

For those who receive care and hope and for those who give care and hope through Fall Mtn. Food Shelf & Friendly Meals and the Sullivan County Nursing Home and other care facilities.

For communities of the Ukama Partnership (NH United Church of Christ and Zimbabwe United Church of Christ) coping with drought and economic, health, and food insecurity. We also pray for the emotional and spiritual needs of the children and staff of the Daisy Dube Children’s Home destroyed by fire.

For those abroad and in the US who are affected by the end of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

For those who stand up for justice, empathy, and love.

The United Church of Acworth is a small-town church that is intimately connected with the life of our community. In 1965, the Congregational and Baptist churches united to form the church as it is today; our denominational affiliations are with the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Ch...