Service of the Word for Black History Month – Live Streamed – Sunday, 10 October 2021

Preacher: Revd Hannah Akibo-Betts
Led by: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Please note that the video feed will go live from around 9:45 am and will be switched off after the service.
A separate video feed of the choir is available here.
Services are not being recorded for publication later.

Welcome

Hymn: Funga Alafia

Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.
Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.
Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.
Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.

With my eyes, I welcome you.
With my words, I welcome you.
With my heart, I welcome you.
Today we, all welcome you.

Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.
Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.
Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.
Funga alafia, ah-shay ah-shay.

Call to Worship

Beloved God,
today we bring ourselves into your presence.
To you we offer our prayers, our praise, and our supplications.
As we celebrate Black History Sunday and honour the culture of our brothers and sisters.
We remember the legacy of those who came before us –
who not only paved the way, but carried the bricks on broken backs that then built that road.
We remember the songs, stories, and fiery hope of men and women
and marvellous musicians, artists, writers, dancers, actors, athletes,
doctors, nurses, teachers, civil servants, broadcasters,
great orators and leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators.
Many suffered discrimination and prejudices just because the colour of their skin.
However, they did not give up. They overcome the adversities with Hope.

Beloved God,
help us to honour their memory and never forget their stories.

Beloved God,
help us in our advocacy efforts to work for justice, healing and peace in our day.

Beloved God,
help us as we labour for the end of hunger.

Beloved God,
help us to examine ourselves and overcome all forms of discrimination.

Beloved God,
Help us to value diversity beyond variety;
with a vision for a progressive future that acknowledges our strength together
as well as the power, creativity, ideas, and part that we all bring when we are all welcome – to come to the table and taste and see that the Lord is good.

Amen

Hymn: Amazing grace

Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, trials and snares
I have already come:
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will led me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
his word my hope secures;
he will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease:
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine;
but God, who called me here below,
shall be forever mine.

John Newton (1725–1807)
CCL31580

Gathering Prayer

In all our travelling,
may your footsteps guide us.

In our journeying to work and returning,
may your footsteps guide us.

Within our homes and families,
may your footsteps guide us.

In our leisure time together,
may your footsteps guide us.

In difficult situations and conflict,
may your footsteps guide us.

As we stumble on the way,
may your footsteps guide us.

In the travelling of our faith,
may your footsteps guide us.

As we place our trust in you,
may your footsteps guide us.

In all our travelling. Lord, may it be your footsteps in which we place our feet

Amen

Confession

Beloved God, forgive us when we adhere to laws that are not of you,
when we criticise others because their ways are not our ways.
Cleanse our hearts and make us pure.

Beloved God, we confess that we have not supported one another in love,
or protected those that are vulnerable.
Cleanse our hearts and make us pure.

Beloved God, forgive us when we have corrupted your commands and gone our own way,
or when we have not nurtured those in our families and communities and let them go astray.
Cleanse our hearts and make us pure.

Help us to live as one community, bound together in love and grace.
Help us to live alongside each other and be there for one another.

Amen

Kyrie

[From Ghana]

Absolution

Thank you, O God, that we are a forgiven people,
cleansed and restored by you, made pure in your image.
Today we are free because of the cross.

Amen

Poem

By Yaw

Prayer of the Week

Loving Lord, you know us better than we know ourselves.
As we come together to worship you and celebrate Black History Sunday,
help us to explore our relationship with you and one another.
May your words and challenges strengthen and affirm us;
may your love sustain us and guide us;
may our worship be acceptable to you, in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Old Testament Readings

Read by Tabbie Macharia

Genesis 1: 26a, 27–28a & 31a

26 Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, ….’

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; ….’

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

NIV®

2 Kings 4: 1–7

The widow’s olive oil

1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.’

2 Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’

‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a small jar of olive oil.’

3 Elisha said, ‘Go round and ask all your neighbours for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.’

5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’

But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing.

7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.’

NIV®

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Hymn: Alleluia y’in oluwa

Aleluya y’in oluwa.
Aleluya y’in oluwa.
O seun, o seun, o seun, o seun baba,
aleluya y’in oluwa.

Alleluia, praise the Lord.
Alleluia, praise the Lord.
Praises, high praises, now bring to the Lord,
alleluia, praise the Lord.

Songs of joy sing to the Lord.
Songs of joy sing to the Lord.
Dancing and singing your praises to God,
songs of joy sing to the Lord.

Beat the drums and worship God.
Beat the drums and worship God.
Praises, high praises, give thanks to the Lord,
beat the drums and worship God.

Aleluya y’in oluwa.
Aleluya y’in oluwa.
O seun, o seun, o seun, o seun baba,
aleluya y’in oluwa.

New Testament Reading

Philemon vv. 1–2, 6–18 & 21

Read by Pat Kyd

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker – 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier – and to the church that meets in your home:

6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

8 … Although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul – an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus – 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

12 I am sending him – who is my very heart – back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favour you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for ever – 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.… 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

NIV®

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Choral Response

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in the Creator:
the maker of all things.

We believe in the Son:
the redeemer of our broken world.

We believe in the Spirit:
The sacred wind that binds all things together in the family of God.

Creator Father, beloved Son and living Spirit.

Amen

Intercessions

Led by Glynne Gordon-Carter

The Lord’s Prayer

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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen

Hymn: Amen Siyakadumisa

Amen siyakadumisa,
amen siyakadumisa,
amen bawo, amen bawo.
Amen siyakadumisa

The Peace

Peace to you from God, who is our Father.
Peace from Jesus Christ, who is our peace.
Peace from the Holy Spirit, who gives us life.

The peace of God be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Notices

Harvest Gift

Thank you to all those of you who have already supported the Mission of Hope by giving your Harvest Gift. If you have not yet made a gift and would like to, there is still time. Details of how to make your gift can be found on the church website at cornerstonemk.co.uk.

Thank you.

Janet Trimnell (steward.cccmk@gmail.com)

Church Flowers – Opportunity

Come and join the arrangers! Grab the opportunity to explore your creative side! If you don’t think you have one, try; you might be surprised!

Flower arranging is now done on Saturday morning.

It has been a real joy to have been in charge of the flowers at Cornerstone since 2007, but it is now time for someone else to take the lead. Ratna Devi will now be in charge; she has arranged many of the Worship Area arrangements in recent months. I will still be involved, so you could still speak to me at services or Ratna at services, leave a message at the Cornerstone Flowers pigeonhole in Reception or email ratnadevi25@aol.com.

Donations are always welcome. Some people donate simply because they enjoy seeing the arrangements weekly, while others pay towards the flowers for special events like birthdays and anniversaries or any other event. If you’d like your special event to be mentioned in the Notice Sheet, please do let us know. Since 2007 there has been no call on church funds for flowers.

Katherine Wheldon

Volunteers for Cornerstone Café and Reception

In order to fulfil our mission to the people of Milton Keynes and to be an Oasis of Hope in Central Milton Keynes, we need to keep the church building open throughout the week.

The Cornerstone Café plays an important role in providing a welcoming environment to everyone who comes to our building during the week. The Cornerstone Café needs more volunteers to help in the preparation and serving of food and drink, and taking payments at the till. The Café is open 9.00 am – 3.00 pm Monday–Friday. If you are able to offer a few hours, either on a regular basis or as support when regular volunteers are away, please contact our Catering Manager, Marianne Cockburn (marianne.cockburn@cornerstonemk.co.uk) to discuss what is needed. Volunteers will have the opportunity to study for a Food Hygiene qualification.

Volunteer Receptionists are the welcome face of the church, and ideally we need two people in Reception whenever the building is open to the public. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet people and contribute in an important way to our outreach to the people of Milton Keynes. Volunteers each cover a morning, afternoon or evening ‘shift’. The hours are 9.00 am – 1.00 pm, 1.00–5.00 pm and 5.00–8.00 pm. Please contact our Administrator, Mark Okor (admin@cornerstonemk.co.uk) or speak to him in the Church Office either in person or by phone (01908 246480). Mark’s office hours are 9.00 am – 1.00 pm Monday–Friday.

Congregational Meeting Sunday, 10 October 2021: Agenda

1 Welcome and prayer

2 Apologies for absence

3 Minutes of the previous Congregational Meeting

To confirm the minutes of the Congregational Meeting of 18 July 2021.

4 Matters arising

5 Report from the Chair of Ecumenical Council

6 Report from the Clergy

7 Financial update

8 Cornerstone Strategy Development Team

9 Calls for help

For Cornerstone to thrive Church members need to step up and volunteer in many different ways,

including:

  • membership of the Ecumenical Council
  • membership of committees (Finance and Resources, Pastoral, Worship, Social Justice,
    Communications Group)
  • fundraising
  • Cornerstone Toddlers
  • help with the Sunday school and young people
  • help with admin with IT
  • in the choir
  • for the Trading Company, including in the Café and on Reception

And in lots of other ways. Whatever you can offer, we can use!

10 Any other business

11 Date of next meeting

The next Congregational Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, 13 February 2022.

The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, 3 April 2022.

12 Closing prayer

Proposed Membership of the Strategy Development Team

At its meeting on 21 September 2021, Ecumenical Council approved the following membership of the Strategy Development Team:

Pat Kyd (Member of the Oasis of Hope Roadmap Development Group)
Revd George Mwaura (Leader of the Oasis of Hope Development Group)
Peter Cope (Member of the Oasis of Hope Roadmap Development Group)
Stuart Kean (Member of the Oasis of Hope Roadmap Development Group)
David Chapman (Clerk to the Ecumenical Partnership)
Adrian Yardley (Church Treasurer)
Revd Margaret Goodall (Methodist Minister)
Iain Porteus (Leader, CIO Development Team)
Walter Greaves (Chair, Cornerstone Trading Company)
Ade Adeyemi (Chair, Ecumenical Council)
Father Francis (Cornerstone Catholic Minister & Area Leader)
Revd John Robertson (Director of Ecumenical Mission & External Facilitator)
Revd Tim Norwood (Anglican Area Dean & External Facilitator)

Final Prayer

Lord, go with us into our everyday lives, to honour you in all that we do and say.
May our being and doing reflect your love and your grace.
And when we next meet, may we recognise with thanks the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Hymn: Joyful, joyful we adore thee

Joyful, joyful we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee,
praising thee, their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away;
giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day.

All thy works with joy surround thee,
earth and heaven reflect thy rays;
stars and angels sing around thee,
centre of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
blooming meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain,
call us to rejoice in thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
well-spring of the joy of living,
ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother:
all who live in love are thine;
teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the joy divine.

Henry van Dyke (1852–1933) )
CCL31580

Blessing

In a world where we have, in the past, enslaved and dehumanised others,
we go to treat each person with dignity and respect.

In a world where profit is valued more than human life,
we go to proclaim the priceless worth of each person.

In a world where the ugliness of racism and White supremacy is found,
we go to show that love conquers all social ills.

Song: We bid you goodbye

[Sung by the Choir]

Go forth into the world in peace;
be of good courage;
hold fast that which is good;
render to no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak;
help the afflicted;
honour everyone;
love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;
and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

Amen

Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ.

Amen

We are marching in the light of God (Siyahamba)

[Sung by the Choir]

John Muafangejo (1943 – 1987) A Namibian artist who became internationally known as a maker of woodcut prints. He created linocuts, woodcuts and etchings.