Sunday service for 11 May 2025, fourth Sunday of Easter

Sunday 11 May 2025, Fourth Sunday of Easter, youth end-of-session service
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Service prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson
Manse: 632143 
Email: TPeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
Email Charlene, Parish Assistant: CMitchell (at) churchofscotland.org.uk

Prelude Music (praise band)

Welcome

Sanctuary Processional Hymn 198: Let Us Build A House (vv. 1-2, 4-5)

We Gather As God’s Family (As the Bible is brought in, we stand and sing)
A family gathered in love,
striving for justice and joy,
blessing the broken-hearted,
and sharing the hope of God’s kingdom.

Call to Worship
One: The good news is spreading,
The Spirit is moving,
All: The Body of Christ is growing!
One: And sometimes the world feels complicated.
And sometimes the need feels overwhelming.
All: God has given us gifts to share and power to serve!

Prayer
God of word and wisdom,
your story can’t be contained,
just as your Son couldn’t be held in the tomb.
Your voice echoes through the words of our ancestors,
and our neighbours,
and even our own.

God who is Three and yet One,
you call us into community,
to live together in your way.
Focus our hearts now,
make us faithful in a world
full of other ways that do not lead to life.

Speak to us this day
and help us hear you calling us
beyond the wood and stone of a church building,
beyond the tune of our favourite songs,
to live from the centre of your truth:
that you love the world and you have come among us
and show us your Way.

Open our eyes to see you,
give us the right words to tell your story,
and fill us up us with your Spirit
so we can serve you with joy in every place.
We ask in the name of the Risen Lord, Jesus the Christ.
Amen.

Online Hymn: Draw Near the Tomb (Resound)

Sanctuary Hymn GWA199: Oh How Good It Is (praise band)

Scripture Reading: Acts 6.1-7 (New Revised Standard Version)
Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Greek-speaking members complained against the Hebrew-speaking members because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, brothers and sisters, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

For the word of God in Scripture
For the word of God among us
For the word of God within us
Thanks be to God.

Online Sermon: leadership lessons
During those days when the disciples were increasing in number…

Those are challenging days. When a group becomes a family becomes a community becomes an institution, things get complicated, fast. Where it used to be that everyone just pitched in, and everyone knew what everyone else was good at and what they were bad at, it was easier. A dozen, or a few dozen, are simple — we can sit down together, share a meal, joke about whose turn it is to do the washing up and whose turn it is to take out the bins.

But when a community grows, that’s harder. New people with their foibles and failings, their talents that overlap ours, their previous experiences that make them sensitive to different stuff, the things they like or think are important and the things they dislike or think are meaningless…they change how we interact with one another. Add in people joining who speak a different language, and that’s a whole other layer.

Communities are always changing. Every time a new person comes in, and every time someone leaves or dies…even every time a person who’s been here for a while has a new experience or learning that changes their opinion or outlook or understanding. Multiplied times — well, in the book of Acts, dozens and then even thousands at a time! It’s easy to see how conflicts arise.

Sometimes the leadership assumes everyone joining is just like them, and so there’s no need to expand or do anything differently. Sometimes a whole community assumes that anyone who joins just assimilates, melting in seamlessly and becoming like us, regardless of where they come from or who they are or what their lives have been like. Sometimes we just don’t realise or notice that people have different needs or ideas or triggers. Sometimes we just overlook things or people because we got busy or distracted or overwhelmed with trying to keep it all together.

And often leaders in those situations will struggle to recognise just what the issue is — they’re trying to keep all the plates spinning, meet all the expectations, and also make sure their own relationship with God is alive. Leaders need people to come and tell them, directly, what’s happening. And when that happens, the twelve apostles give us a great example of what to do next.

First, they make sure it’s a real issue, not just one person saying “people are saying”…and then they acknowledge that it’s a problem they haven’t noticed or solved yet. Admitting that there’s a situation they aren’t managing well is the first step in changing course.

Second, they think and pray about their capacity and boundaries. What is actually their job to do, and what is important but needs to be done by someone else? How much can they manage without burning out? Just saying yes and trying to fix it themselves is what many of us might think we have to do, but that can end up taking on more and more and more…until we have a pretty spectacular fail. And while it is tempting to believe the hype that we can do it all and have it all, and there are plenty of people and organisations out there that want us leaders to just take responsibility for every single thing themselves, and that want churches to do everything and then some, the truth is that’s impossible and also unhealthy. It’s bad for the leaders and bad for the community. Recognising what is actually ours to do is a crucial skill for everyone, and for every church.

Third, they get everyone together and articulate what they see as their role, and what skills are needed in order to fill the gap or solve the problem that has arisen. They are clear about their gifts and the community’s needs. And they don’t just do this among themselves, they call a meeting and make sure everyone has the chance to participate in this clarifying of the situation.

Fourth, they ask for help. The apostles said “great, let’s divide the labour and share the load. We can carry more and go farther if we do it together.” They suggested that those who brought up the problem, who were un-represented on the leadership team, select the people who were gifted to do the thing that they saw needed doing. And they made space for these new people to join the leadership — even though they were new people, even though they spoke a different language and had a different background, even though they hadn’t learned all the traditions yet.

Fifth, they trusted the Holy Spirit — they believed that the Spirit had already gifted and called people, and all the community needed to do was look for that. Look around and see who is being called, and then lay hands on them and let them get on with it. No need to check they’re good enough, no need to micromanage their tasks. Just discern that they have the gifts needed for this situation, and crack on together as a bigger team all working for the same goal, but in different ways.

Notice they did not say they needed more people just like themselves. Instead, they trusted that the Spirit was gifting and calling people to fill this new need that had arisen because the community had changed. They didn’t need more people to duplicate their efforts, they needed people with different skills because the need was different than what they had trained for. So they made sure these new leaders were discerned, equipped, prayed for, and deployed to do their particular ministry…and so the diaconate was born. The word used for these seven men who took up this task of looking after the vulnerable in the community, while also proclaiming the word in their own language, is: deacon.

In a community that was growing and changing, they needed more than one kind of leader. In a community that was growing and changing, they needed to let people participate even if they hadn’t yet earned it by their long service. In a community that was growing and changing, they needed to try new things and not control the program too tightly. In a community that was growing and changing, they needed to trust the Holy Spirit to empower them all to share the load so that ever more people could hear the good news…and so the gospel spread, up and down the ladder of society, across the city, even into places that no one ever expected…and so they grew and grew, because they shared the story and shared the work…and the world would never be the same.

May it be so. Amen.

Online Hymn GWA199: Oh How Good It Is (praise band)

Sanctuary Hymn GWA224: Sing a New World Into Being (tune: Nettleton)

Welcoming Colin as new BB Captain
The Boys Brigade was founded in 1883 for the purpose of “Advancing Christ’s Kingdom amongst boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness.” Here in St John’s the 2nd Gourock Company has 127 years of working toward that mission, building community among boys and guiding them into Christian life and values since 1898. The Captain is the leader of the company, who sets the priorities and program, managing and planning for the whole company so that the work carried out with and for young people will be valuable, safe, loving, and meaningful. It is a big task, and not one undertaken lightly.
We are grateful that Colin has discerned God’s calling to this ministry, leading the 2nd Gourock into the next chapter. Colin, please know that your church family is here, praying for you, encouraging you, a resource and support for you, and we look forward to seeing your work flourish in this community. As you formally begin this role as the 15th captain of our company, we ask you these questions:
You have been called by God: not to be perfect or all-knowing, but to be faithful, and to share your journey. You are called to share God’s love, to walk with Jesus, and to look for the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world. Today we ask you to be mindful of this task: to form young people in grace and gratitude, to help them discover God’s purpose for their lives, and to lead them in being a blessing to the world. Will you, by your work, your word, and the example of your life seek to advance Christ’s kingdom, to work in partnership with the Church to share the good news of God’s love? Will you?
And will you, in your own life, attend to the purpose God has for you, seeking God in prayer and offering yourself in service, that you might be equipped for every good work? Will you?

(Bible)

Let us pray.
Loving God, thank you for Colin, for his answering your call to leadership in the Boys Brigade, and for all the experiences that have brought him to this point, from coming up through this company, to being a part of this church family, to his work and his family and his passions and talents. We ask your blessing on him today, that he made guide and form the volunteers and the boys in his care to seek your kingdom and develop into faithful people who serve you by serving others. We ask your blessing too for the leaders who make up the 2nd Gourock team, and also for Colin’s family, for Alison and Euan, that they may also be a support and an inspiration to him, and that they may themselves be supported and inspired by your Holy Spirit and your Church and by this company of the boys’ brigade.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Colin, thank you for offering yourself in service, an example to us all.

Sanctuary Offering and Response: Draw Near the Tomb v 3/choruses (Resound Worship)

Celebrations
Speaking of offering — Alan has offered his time and energy and talent as captain of the 2nd Gourock for more than one third of its existence — 47 of our 127 years.
When he was just 19, not technically old enough to become captain, the Kirk session agreed to entrust him with the post – along with an elder as a mentor – and the rest is 37% of 2nd Gourock history. Through that time, Alan has nurtured countless boys, seeking to fulfil the BB mission: to “Advance Christ’s Kingdom amongst boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness.” He has been an example of those habits, a role model of commitment and faithfulness, and a steadfast companion on the way. Through camps, residential, trips, sports, study, and more — including somewhere around 1200 Friday nights spent in the church hall — he has walked beside hundreds of young people as they have grown into the people God called them to be. Actually I did some maths and realised that likely upwards of a thousand boys have come through the 2nd Gourock in one way or another over the past 47 years. What an immense legacy to leave not just for the company, but in the church and the town and the nation.
Of course Alan hasn’t done it alone — as we have heard already, sharing the load is part of good leadership. And Alan’s first, and longest, bit of sharing was to ask Helen to help out for a year…46 years ago. Together they have had an impact on so many lives. We your St John’s family are so grateful for all you have given to the building of Christ’s kingdom in this community. As you head into a well-earned retirement, looking forward to some Tuesday and Friday nights spent outside this building, we want to give you a token of your church family’s appreciation and gratitude and love, in the hope that you’ll be able to enjoy yourselves a wee bit without any uniforms needed!

The rest of the Anchor Boys team — Alison Purdue and Peter Lowles — aren’t able to be here today, but they too are retiring after 33 and 28 years respectively, and we are also so grateful to them for their dedication to the youngest boys in the company, and to the wellbeing of this community.

For those doing the maths today that means that the four retiring officers have given a combined 154 years of dedicated service to the boys of this community. They have shared their faith and values, they have taught and encouraged, they have empowered and guided, they have been companions through some of the hardest times young people can face and cheerleaders through huge successes. They have been role models for not only children but also families and friends. Through their faithful efforts we truly believe that the world has been changed. Thank you.

Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Faithful God, we give you thanks today for those whom you have called into leadership among us,
for those who have shown us your love and grace,
those who have given of their best day in and day out.
We thank you especially today for Alan, for his steadfast commitment to the young people you have given into his care, for his ability to keep them engaged, for his flexibility in growing as the years have changed, for his persistence in getting them to reach higher and achieve all they can. Truly he has led the 2nd Gourock to be second to none, and we are so grateful to have been witnesses to his ministry in this place.
We thank you today too for Helen, for decades of work with our youngest boys, ensuring they have fun and learn and grow, always finding something new for them to experience. We thank you for her patience and imagination and humour, and for her dedication that shines in all she does.
We give you thanks for Alison and Peter, for their many years of faithful work, the ways they have anticipated what was needed, supported behind the scenes and out in front, and shown up for your children week in and week out.
We pray that Alan, Helen, Alison, and Peter would enjoy a well-deserved rest, that they might experience the fullness of your sabbath joy, and know themselves cared for and loved, by you and by us.
Loving God we thank you today for all the leaders of our youth organisations, and for the young people and families who are part of this community. We pray for your spirit to be present among them, revealing your abundant life, guiding them on your path, and helping them grow into the people you call them to be.
We thank you too for all who have answered the call to lead in our community, nation, business, and world. It is a challenging time in the world and we pray that you would inspire them, give them courage to seek the common good rather than their own greed, to do what is right without thought for their ego, and to find a new way forward in the changes of these days. We especially pray for wisdom for those new to their roles — new ministers ordained across the church, new councillors across England and Wales, new staff at our own local council, and even the new Pope Leo XIV — that they may discern your way and walk it faithfully.
Remind us all today of our part in your world, our part in your Body — not to do it all, but to work together and share the load and so participate in making your vision, your plans, real right here on earth.

On the 11th day of the month we join our hearts as your St John’s family to pray:
*For all who live and work in the Castle Levan area.
*For the leaders of St John’s congregation: for the elders, the Kirk Session, the Session Clerk and Assistant Session Clerk, and the Treasurer.
*For the land, people, and governments of the nations of Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

Set our feet firmly on your path, Lord, and make our lives a reflection of your love and grace for the world. We ask in the name of Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray together:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn 737: Will Your Anchor Hold

Sanctuary Hymn 703: National Anthem vv. 1 & 3

Sending 
Go from this place following the Spirit of the Risen Christ, telling the story of how God changes our lives for the better.
And as you go may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you. May the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion. May the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way, and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone. And may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.

Sung Benediction Response (John L Bell, tune Gourock St John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit when we meet
Bless sanctuary and street.

Recessional / Postlude Music 

Announcements

*If you’d like to join one of our prayer groups, or ask them to pray for someone or something, please be in touch with the coordinators:  Sunday morning 10:10 in the vestry (Brian Ross), Intercessors who pray at home (Fiona Webster)

* We worship in the sanctuary on Sundays at 11am, and Sunday worship is also online. If you are able, please enter by the front door in Bath street, and only those who need step-free access should use the back door. If you feel unwell, please worship online, to protect both yourself and others in our community.
The Sunday evening service is on a break for Lent so that we can focus on the Monday evening book group (more info below). The Sunday evenings will re-launch after Easter.

* The first Sunday of the month at 11am is an all-age service, with different ways of encountering God’s word without a traditional sermon. All people — young and old, different personalities and learning styles, are welcome! You’ll find a more informal service with a variety of music, a Bible story, prayer, and some more interactive elements. The online service for the first Sunday will therefore also be different — there will still be a reading, prayers, and music, but usually not a sermon.

* Starter Packs are in need of Bathroom/Kitchen Cleaner, Shampoo, Shaving Foam, Razors, Ladies Deodorant
.
The FoodBank are in need of toothpaste, diluting juice and tinned tomatoes.
You can bring donations to the church and place them into the boxes in the vestibule. Thank you!

* The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland begins next weekend, Saturday the 17th of May. You can watch online at the Church of Scotland website to keep informed about all that the Church is doing!  Teri is a commissioner this year so will be away during the following week (from the 18th after worship). If you need anything, please contact Charlene or Cameron. Teri will have access to email and text messages for urgent matters but responses may be delayed. 

* The Kirk Session will meet on Thursday 5 June at 7pm and the meeting will include discussion of the book “Finding Our Voice.” Elders should have a copy but there is one left in the church if anyone still needs to pick one up.

* A funeral service to celebrate the life of Mrs Betty Dixon will be held at Greenock Crematorium on Monday 12 May at 11am. 
A funeral service to celebrate the life of Mrs Rene Brown will be held at Greenock Crematorium on Monday 19 May at 1pm.

* Did you know that the ministry we do at St John’s costs about £3000 per week? Everything we do is funded by your generous giving — all our support for young people, older people, bereavement care, community outreach, worship, study, spiritual growth, and community work is because of your offering. If you would like to set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Teri and she can give you the treasurer’s details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. 
It is also possible to donate to the work of the parish assistant, speak to Anne Love about how to go about directing new donations to that item in the budget.

* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email newsletter! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. 

* Free period products are available in the church toilets for anyone who might need them, thanks to Hey Girls and Inverclyde Council.