Prayers from GS 30 Worship 

Call to Worship and Welcome 
Sunday, June 28, 2015

Call to Worship								      
Now in the presence of our loving God, 
and the company of this beloved family in this holy place, 
Let us worship in spirit, truth and joy!

Song			We Are Standing On Holy Ground                                                 Bill Gaither
(chorus) 
We are standing on holy ground 
For I know that there are angels all around 
Let us praise Jesus now 
For we are standing in His presence on holy ground 

Welcome											
Expect the unexpected on Holy Ground—					
Turn aside to see the burning bush which sends us on mission; 
Feel the creativity which sparks where 2 or 3 (or 4- or 5000!)
gather in Christ’s name and encounter the presence of our Still Speaking God!
	Expect the unexpected on Holy Ground:								Justice, Healing, Joy!

Welcome to Sunday worship 						
at this 30th United Church of Christ General Synod.  
Welcome to Cleveland, 
where the United Church of Christ was founded in 1957, 
and where we  established our national offices in 1989.
Expect the unexpected on Holy Ground:							Justice, Healing, Joy!

Here we are surrounded by a great cloud of UCC witnesses 		            
to the Good News of Jesus Christ--           
Our ancestors in faith.
	As we honor their legacy let’s prepare the future for the United Church of Christ.

Expect the unexpected on Holy Ground:							Justice, Healing, Joy!

As we gather from all around the country and the world, 			
let us first acknowledge 
that we are indeed standing on Holy Ground.  
This land has been sacred– 
before any buildings were erected upon it; 
before any settlers found their way to this region; 
even before any human beings walked this soil – 
this was Holy Ground.

And so we honor the presence 
of the Generations who preceded us all, 
especially those who were the indigenous inhabitants of this sacred land-
Expect the unexpected on Holy Ground:							Justice, Healing, Joy!

Song:		We are Standing on Holy Ground (chorus)

Sunday Service of Worship at General Synod 30 was written by The Rev. Ann Jefferson, Pastor, and Director of Community Life and Pastoral Care, Pacific School of Religion and member of City of Refuge UCC in Oakland, CA.

Copyright 2015 United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH  44115-1100.  Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education.  All publishing rights reserved.