Worship Connection for August 8, 2021 - Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren

Younger Children’s Activity Pages

Older Children’s Activity Pages

Good morning! This page is intended to both serve as a continuing worship option for those participating in our worship service from home, and to serve in place of print resources during our in-person worship. Following the worship service on Sunday, one or more video recordings from the service will be placed on this page, including the sermon. This may take several hours, due to the time needed to process the videos. We will email the congregation when the recordings have been posted. If you would like to be added to our congregational email list, please contact pvcob.alive@gmail.com.

Indoor seating is available in the sanctuary with the live stream of the service on the screen.
We are planning a Brethren Disaster Ministries trip to Dayton, Ohio for August 22 -28. Please be in prayer for a safe, productive, and spiritually edifying trip!
“Wind and Word” Bible Study takes place at 7PM on Tuesday evenings in the Pavilion. This is a casual study of the book of Acts, and all are encouraged to come as they are available.
Men of the church of all ages are invited to a Men’s Breakfast in the Pavilion on August 14 at 8:30AM. This will be a time to join together in fellowship, study and prayer as we reflect on the past year, and look forward to how God is leading us forward now.
We are resuming inviting children to come forward to participate in the Children’s Time during worship. Children’s Bulletins and crayons will also be available during worship each Sunday.
We are holding a Kids Connection at 9:00 am, each Sunday- continuing until children’s Sunday School restarts – Children can meet at the playground for some activities and social interaction for the half hour before worship.
Thank you all for your submissions to our August Newsletter. The deadline for including items in the September Newsletter will be August 25.
As a reminder, please note that the Rockingham County Fair is hosting a concert with Jimmy Fortune and the Isaacs at the Pepsi Grandstand August 15. Group discounts are available for purchases of 10 or more tickets. Please call the fair office for more information or obtain your individual tickets online at www.rockinghamcountyfair.com.

We gather in the presence of the God who not only rules creation, but also embraces us with all of his heart, steadfast and unceasing. Hear now these words from Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Come, let us present ourselves before our God

Let us gather in the love and glory of the one who has called us all as children
Let us gather confident in the power of God’s love
Let us gather knowing that in God we need fear no abandonment,
but are secure for all time.

Come, let us open our hearts to the God who is our fulfillment

Let us bear to God our every sorrow
Let us reveal to Christ our every fear
Let us open to the spirit our every insecurity,
Knowing that in the divine we will find our comfort and our strength

We are wrapped in the arms of God’s love
We are lifted on the wings of divine inspiration
We are blessed by the one who creates us and nurtures us in the divine image

Let us gather in the joy of our God.

The best way to get connected at Pleasant Valley is by joining one of our Life

Groups. Life Groups consist of 6-12 adults who meet weekly or bi-weekly

throughout the year. Life Groups help us grow in our relationships with each

other and in our faith. These groups knit the church together as group members

build friendships, pray, and study the Bible together.

The following acrostic further defines the purpose of Life Groups:

L ean on Jesus as we

I gnite faithful discipleship,

F ellowship in love, and

E ncourage Christian growth.

Groups will begin meeting in September, and sign-ups will be available at church and online during the month of August. There will be Life Groups for everyone, and we encourage and challenge you to help us form new groups based on interests and preferences.

Stay tuned for additional information about our Life Groups. If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Rebecca.

Life Group Committee: Pastor Rebecca House, Sara Houff, Karissa Ruiz, and Carol Wilson

Most wondrous and amazing God,
Your love pours over mountains.
Fills the deepest caverns.
Overwhelms and illumines the darkest cracks of the earth.
We turn to you today, knowing that you offer what we need:
Water that sooths the dryness of our souls,
Shelter that holds us secure in the storm,
Grace that frees us to celebrate and share instead of fear.
Open our hearts to your Spirit,
and lead us into the life that is really life.
In Jesus we pray, Amen.

Blessed Be Your Name

Verse 1

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Verse 2
Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Pre Chorus

Every blessing You pour out, I’ll
Turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Chorus
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Verse 3

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s ‘all as it should be’
Blessed be Your name

Verse 4
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Pre Chorus

Every blessing You pour out, I’ll
Turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Chorus
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Bridge

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord blessed be Your name

Chorus
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

CCLI #1699256

Ephesians 1:1-14 NRSV

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

Graves Into Gardens

Verse 1

I searched the world
But it couldn’t fill me
Man’s empty praise
And treasures that fade
Are never enough

Then You came along
And put me back together
And every desire
Is now satisfied
Here in Your love

Chorus

Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You

Verse 2

‘Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley
There’s not a place
Your mercy and grace
Won’t find me again

I’m not afraid
To show You my weakness
My failures and flaws
Lord, You’ve seen them all
And You still call me friend

Chorus

Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You

Bridge

You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You’re the only one who can

You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You’re the only one who can

You turn graves into gardens
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You’re the only one who can
You’re the only one who can

Chorus

Oh, there’s nothing better than You
There’s nothing better than You
Lord, there’s nothing
Nothing is better than You

CCLI #1699256

Psalm 85:8-13 NRSV

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people,
to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and will make a path for his steps.

Give Online

God of glory and wonder,
We come to you today giving thanks for your love
and seeking your blessing and healing for ourselves and the world around us.
You are faithful in your hopefulness for creation.
You have blessed us with the wealth of the shores and the woods.
You inspire us with the heights of the mountains and the breadth of the oceans.
In your creativity, cattle graze the grass and birds pluck fruit from the trees.
All is woven together in a cloth of unsurpassed beauty
as we share, and care, and mend, and grow.
Too often we rip and tear instead,
We are overcome by jealousy and fear.
We turn to idols of wealth and power and follow wherever they lead.
We forget that you are the shepherd who is able to satisfy our needs.
But you have come to remind us, to restore us, to heal us.
You came as a child to live among us, to live as one of us,
to teach us your ways.
You came with truth, and mercy, and power
to reveal the certainty of your promises.
So help us to follow you faithfully.
Open our ears and hearts to your word.
Teach us to choose justice and righteousness
so all may experience your bounty and peace.
Help us to help each other
in the same example of generosity that you have shared with us.
We pray your blessing on our brothers and sisters around the world.
Bring protection to those in times and places of danger.

We pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria and Burma
that violence and hatred would falter,
that seeds of compassion and mercy would sprout and grow,
that hearts would turn towards each other and you.
We pray for those that are ill
and those that are caring for them.
May understanding increase.
May we take advantage of the opportunities to guard the health of each other,
that a new day of celebration will come soon.
Help us all to keep our hearts focused
on your promise of a kingdom of beauty and peace,
where mercy will prosper and grace will reign,
so we will see its arrival soon.
In your Spirit we pray, Amen.