Prelude
Introit
Welcome Lloyd Kenyon
Lloyd: As servants of Jesus Christ we are all called to be ministers, but in addition to this general calling some are called to the church’s special ministries. We are gathered today to acknowledge the call of Amy Johnson to the pastoral ministry of the church, and on behalf of the whole people of God to set her apart for this ministry through prayer and the laying on of hands. We invite all who are gathered here to join in this celebration.
Call to Worship Lloyd Kenyon
Lloyd: In Christ, we are made new
People: And filled with hope.
Lloyd: In God, we belong to a new community,
People: Discovering we are friends, sisters and brothers in Christ.
Lloyd: In Christ, the old ways have lost their glitter and appeal,
People: For we have turned toward the new light.
Lloyd: In God, we receive a new name and a new call;
People: We are God's beloved, and we carry on the ministry of reconciliation.
Lloyd: In Christ, we are a new creation.
People: The old is passed away, and we live as signs of reconciliation and love.
Hymn
Invocation Mandy Brummer
Mandy: Worthy are you, O God, to receive glory, honor, and power. We praise you for the church, the body of Christ and a dwelling of your Holy Spirit. We praise you that through that same Spirit you have called men and women into your service and given them gifts fitting for such service. Especially we praise you for Amy, whom we are to set apart as a minister of the gospel. Grant that this may be for her and for us a special time of joy, and may your grace be with her this day and through all the years of her ministry. Amen.
Reading of Recommendation Leigh Johnson
Leigh: Is this what you’ll say? I’m not sure what this is supposed to say here. Upon recommendation of the Ordination Council of the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island, I have the joy of presenting Amy Johnson to this congregation for ordination to the gospel ministry.
Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-13 Brian Johnson
Hymn: How Firm a Foundation
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 Brian Johnson
Sermon Kate Harvey
Anthem Choir
Charge to Candidate Ronald Brown
Charge to Congregation Linda Lea Snyder
Solo: "The Call," Vaughan Williams Margaret Frazier
Vows of Ordination Linda Bausserman
Linda: Before God and this congregation you are called upon to answer in all truthfulness the questions I now ask you. Do you believe that you are truly called to be an ordained minister in the church of Jesus Christ and with the help of God to serve faithfully in the fulfillment of the responsibilities of this ministry?
Amy: I do, God being my helper.
Linda: Do you promise to be faithful in prayer and in the reading of the scriptures and through study to deepen your knowledge of divine truth and human experience?
Amy: I do, God being my helper.
Linda: Will you seek to bring others into an acceptance of the cost and joy of discipleship, and through faithful teaching lead them into a full understanding of Christian commitment?
Amy: I will, God being my helper.
Linda: Will you have a loving concern for all people and give yourself to minister impartially to them without regard to race, creed, gender, or lifestyle?
Amy: I will, God being my helper.
Linda: Will you endeavor to uphold the integrity of the church and to seek that unity in which all churches will manifest the one Lord, one faith, and one baptism?
Amy: I will, God being my helper.
Linda: Will you give yourself to the denomination in which you are being ordained and in so far as possible serve its causes and seek to enlarge its witness at home and abroad?
Amy: I will, God being my helper.
Laying on of Hands and Ordination Prayer Lisa Gustafson
Lisa: People of God, you have heard the commitment made by Amy. What is your desire?
People: She is worthy! In the name of Christ and relying on God’s grace, let us ordain her.
Lisa: Will you give her your full support in this ministry?
People: Relying on God’s grace, we will.
Lisa: Then let us acknowledge and confirm this ordination by the laying on of hands in prayer. Invite ordinand to kneel and request that those who are to share in the laying on of hands come forward and place their hands upon her head.
Lisa: Use this statement and prayer or one of your own choosing. From the earliest times the church has through the symbolic act of the laying on of hands and prayer recognized God’s call to ministry, and by this act set apart men and women for the special ministries of the church. Let us pray. Eternal God, you have called Amy into the special ministry of your church. Confirm that call by your Holy Spirit as with prayer and the laying on of hands we ordain her to the office and work of that same ministry. Grant her wisdom to understand and power to proclaim the Good News and to lead your people in worthy worship. Give her the grace to be a pastor whose love is like your own, a teacher whose store of truth brings light and understanding, and a priest who reveals your presence to every brother or sister in need. Keep her faithful to your high calling that in your good time she may hear your words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." To this ministry we consecrate Amy and ourselves, that to you may be given the praise and glory, now and forever. Amen. Ordinand stands and others return to their seats.
The Declaration Leigh Johnson
Leigh: Use this statement or one of your own choosing. By the authority of this church and its sister churches and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we declare you to be ordained to the office and work of the Christian ministry. Through this act you have been commissioned to preach and teach the Word of God, to lead the worship of the church and administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to perform those other services associated with the ministry, to be a faithful pastor of your people, to inform the conscience of the congregation concerning the personal and social issues of the day, and to be a witness to those who have not come to know for themselves the love of God in Christ.
Presentation of Certificate Leigh Johnson
Leigh: Use this statement or one of your own choosing. May this certificate be a continual reminder to you that on this day and in this place you were set apart for the high and holy office of the Christian ministry.
Greetings and Welcome to the Ministry
Stan Lemons
Jay DeFanti
James Pratt
John Endler
Lowell Fewster
Lee Ireland
Hymn
A Litany of Commissioning for All God’s People Amy Johnson
Leader: As Jeremiah heard God say, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. . ."
People: As Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord in the temple asking, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us. . ."
Leader: As the disciples heard Jesus call out, "Come, follow Me. . ."
People: We have gathered here by the guidance of God, by the beckoning of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to celebrate God's call to us as God's people.
Leader: The spirit of the Lord is upon us, because the Lord has anointed us --
People: to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted --
Leader: to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners --
People: God has proclaimed us servants of the Lord, ministers of our God.
All: We will greatly rejoice in the Lord, for as the earth brings forth its shoots, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Benediction Amy Johnson
Postlude
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