UNION CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF HANCOCK

Open and Affirming of ALL God’s Children

We respect tradition — and we welcome inclusive language about people and expansive language about God. Please pray using words most meaningful to you.

 HANCOCK POINT CHAPEL

A non-denominational, seasonal chapel that holds services every Sunday in July and August featuring guest ministers and lay people from a variety of faith traditions.           

The members and friends of the Union Congregational Church extend a warm welcome  to our guests from the Hancock Point Chapel.

 July 27, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83936359115?pwd=1aQdppqVbvKTZKBi9DQWXgaNVVbhtZ.1

Meeting ID: 839 3635 9115

Passcode: 776780

The first pew in front of the pulpit has books and quiet activities for people of all ages. 

Please find something that suits you, take it to your pew, and return it after the service. 

Silent Prayer

You know what is within us, O God. / You know the beauty of and the falseness of our hearts. / You know the heights and depths of the human spirit. / Lead us further into the universe of our souls / that we may know the wisdom and strength that you have placed within us. / Lead us further into the mystery of our souls / that we may be strong and wise for the well-being of the world.

~ J. Philip Newell

* Indicates when we stand in body or spirit

Announcements

Prelude                                                                                          Monteux Student Musicians

Welcome                                                                                                             Rev. TJ Mack

*Introit       Come and Find the Quiet Center  (tune: Beach Spring)Come and find the qui-et cen-ter / in the crowd-ed life we lead;

Find the room for hope to en-ter, / Find the frame where we are freed;

Clear the cha-os and the clut-ter, / Clear our eyes, that we can see

All the things that real-ly mat-ter, / Be at peace, and sim-ply be.

*Call to Worship                                                                                                  Bill O’Meara

One: For Beloved Community near and far,

All: For the invitation to love and to be loved,

One: For abundant opportunities to begin again,

All: For spiritual practices that ground us,

One: For play that enlivens us,

All: For Wisdom that invites us to expansive living —

One: we give thanks to the Holy One for these sustaining gifts.

All: Let us worship God, our Provider and Friend.

*Passing of the Peace (ASL) and Lighting of Peace & Justice Candle        

Living Psalm 85 (1-2, 8-13)                                                                                   Peggy Karns

*Hymn       Our God, Our Help in Ages Past                                 Hymns of Truth & Light #80   

Our God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home!

Under the shadow of thy throne thy saints have dwelt secure;sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, or earth received its frame,from everlasting thou art God, to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in thy sight are like an evening gone,short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears mortals all away;they fly, forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day. 

Our God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,be thou our guard while troubles last, and our eternal home.

*Invocation (in unison)                                                                                       Ken Emerson

God of Wisdom, you promise to give your Spirit to those who ask. Overwhelm us with your Word, that we may know you more fully, love you more fervently, and follow you more closely; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Children’s Message                                                                                             Rev. TJ Mack

Special Music                                                                                Monteux Student Musicians

Scripture                                 Luke 11:1-13                                             Doug Denny-Brown

Message                                                                                                               Rev. TJ Mack

*Hymn       God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens                 Hymns of Truth & Light #67

God, who stretched the spangled heavens infinite in time and place,

flung the suns in burning radiance through the silent fields of space;

we, your children, in your likeness, share inventive powers with you.

Great Creator, still creating, show us what we yet may do.

We have ventured worlds undreamed of since the childhood of our race;

known the ecstasy of winging through untraveled realms of space;

probed the secrets of the atom, yielding unimagined power,

facing us with life's destruction or our most triumphant hour.

As each far horizon beckons, may it challenge us anew,

children of creative purpose, serving others, honoring you.

May our dreams prove rich with promise, each endeavor, well begun;

Great Creator, give us guidance till our goals and yours are one.

Prayers of the People – Sharing Joys & Concerns       Rev. TJ & Doug Kimmel & Sally Knapp        

Our Father (Creator, Mother) 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom  and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen

  Lead me Lord, lead me in thy righteousness, make thy way plain before my face.

       For it is thou Lord, thou Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safety.   

Invitation to Offering –                                                                         Andrea Denny-Brown

We are expressions of Divine Love, answering prayers when we care for our communities and when we protect the land who nurtures us. With prayerful spirits, we gather our offerings that God’s kin-dom may come.

Offertory     Choir Anthem - For Where Love Is, There Is God                      Douglas E. Wagner

Hancock Point Chapel and Union Congregational Members and Friends

*The Doxology

     Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below;

     Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen .

*Prayer of Dedication (spoken in unison)                                               Andrea Denny-Brown

God, you are the giver of every good gift. Accept these offerings we pray, that through them we may do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Amen

*Hymn       This is My Song                                                     The New Century Hymnal #591

This is my song, O God of all the nations,a song of peace for lands afar and mine.This is my home, the country where my heart is;here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:But other hearts in other lands are beatingwith hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;But other lands have sunlight, too, and clover,and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.O hear my song, O God of all the nations,a song of peace for their land and for mine.

*Benediction                                                                                                      Rev. TJ Mack

*Sung Benediction                  Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing (vs. 1)                   R. #333

Lord, dismiss us with your blessing; fill our hearts with joy and peace; / let us each, your love possessing, triumph in redeeming grace: / oh, refresh us, oh, refresh us, traveling through this wilderness.

Postlude                                                                                        Monteux Student Musicians

(Please remain seated for the Postlude)

If you are visiting with us today, please sign our Guest Book at the back of the sanctuary. 

The church’s Hook & Hastings Pipe Organ was built in 1929 (OP 2577) for the Northern Conservatory of Music in Bangor. It was moved to Bar Harbor and to Hancock Point and was given to the Church by Edward Steinbach (1887–1984). It was installed by Stoddard Smith    (of Northeast Harbor) in 1988 and was restored in 2020 by Messrs. Czelusniak et Dugal, Inc., Northampton, MA.

We welcome our Monteux musicians this morning,

Juan Florez, violin; Misaki Hall, violin; Noah Stevens, viola; and Ben Stayner, cello

Juan Florez is a violinist and conductor from Miami, Florida. He has completed his degree in Violin Performance from the University of Florida and is currently doing a Masters of Science in Management geared towards Arts Administration at the Hough Graduate School of Business. Simultaneously, he is completing a master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting under the direction of Dr. Tiffany Lu at UF. Juan is currently a violinist for the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, and the Coastal Symphony of Georgia, and has had previous performances with major orchestras, such as the New World Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he was inspired by Gustavo Dudamel to study conducting. He started building a robust conducting presence for himself by being named the principal conductor of the Collective Chamber Orchestra. Recent engagements include leading the Tegucigalpa Symphony Orchestra in performance, the ensemble of the capital of Honduras, as well as the Orquesta Filarmónica de Honduras.

Misaki Hall is a conductor and violinist based in Louisville, Kentucky. She currently serves as rehearsal assistant of the Louisville Orchestra and conductor of the Kling Chamber Orchestra, one of Kentucky’s string orchestras. As a guest conductor, Misaki has shared performances with the Louisville Civic Orchestra, Louisville Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Northern Arizona. In the fall semester of 2023, she served as lecturer and sabbatical replacement for the University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra and graduate orchestral conducting program. As an instrumentalist, she enjoys playing in various ensembles and genres of music. She has performed as a solo jazz violinist with the Count Basie Orchestra as well as the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and plays as section violinist in regional orchestras of Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee. She also performs synthesizer in her psychedelic-rock band, DOOM GONG. 

Noah Stevens Based in the NJ/NYC Metropolitan Area, Noah is in demand as a violist. Notable engagements include his debut performance of Telemann’s viola concerto, a collaboration with the Attacca String Quartet, and playing electric viola with several New Jersey bands. His playing has been broadcast on EWTN, an international television network with over 400 million daily viewers. Noah serves as principal viola for various ensembles, such as the NYC Project Orchestra and the underStaffed Chamber Orchestra. He has composed music for film and dance, and his concert music has been read by critically acclaimed ensembles like Time for Three and the Cavani String Quartet. He recently completed his undergraduate studies at Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music, studying viola with Kathryn Lockwood and conducting with Kyle Ritenauer. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, public speaking, and playing the tuba.

Benjamin Marten Stayner is a conductor, music director, and multi-instrumentalist from Youngstown, NY. After receiving a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory from The Hartt School and a Master of Music in Conducting (Musical Theatre & Opera) from Ithaca College, he spent three years music directing and conducting musical theatre around the country. Ben has collaborated with Broadway-level talent such as David Archuleta, Josh Strickland, and Felicia Finley. He has studied conducting with Edward Cumming, Glen Adsit, and Christopher Zemliauskas. In masterclass, he has worked with Tito Muñoz, Michael Jinbo, and Carl Topilow. Ben is currently working toward a Master of Music in Orchestral and Choral Conducting at the University of Connecticut, studying with Paul McShee and Jamie Spillane. As part of his assistantship, he teaches fundamentals of music theory and ear training, assists with undergraduate conducting classes, and serves as the Assistant Conductor of the UConn Symphony Orchestra and Concert Choir.

Support our Church Financially

Please visit Hancock (Maine) UCC on Facebook or our webpage www.hancockucc.com

or visit this link to our PayPal account: paypal.me/hancockucc   

or mail offerings to:

Union Congregational Church, PO Box 443, Hancock, ME 04640 (Attention: Treasurer)

Contact Us

hancockmaineucc@gmail.com     treasurer@hancockucc.com      revtjmack@gmail.com

                    207.422.3100                                                                          207.323.6743

Resources

Call to Worship, Invitation to Offering - enfleshed: liturgy that matters

Invocation, Prayer of Dedication - Feasting on the Word

Many thanks to those who make this service possible –

in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

Music Minister – Debbie Riley

Deacons – Doug Kimmel & Sally Knapp

Liturgists – Bill O’Meara, Peggy Karns, Ken Emerson,

Doug Denny-Brown, Andrea Denny-Brown. 

Audio-Video Support – Ron Schwizer

Office Administrator – Vicky Espling 

Settled Minister – Rev. TJ Mack

The Body of Christ – You

The New Century Hymnal  (B.)                            Hymns of Truth and Light  (R.)

Copyright © 1995 The Pilgrim Press                       Copyright © 1998 First Congregational

Church of Huston, Texas

"Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE,                   

License #A-738532. All rights reserved.

God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens

Words - ©1967 Hope Publishing Company

Contributors: Catherine Cameron

This Is My Song

Words - ©1934, 1962 Lorenz Publishing Corporation, The

Contributors: Lloyd Stone

Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing

Words and Music - ©pd Public Domain

Contributors: Public Domain