Hurricane Policy (June 2021)
With hurricanes a yearly threat and evacuation a very real possibility, John Calvin Presbyterian Church believes that the safety of all our church family (congregation, Playschool families, groups using the Outreach rooms, and anyone using our buildings) is of paramount importance when a hurricane is headed in our direction.
This policy is intended to clarify the decision-making process and communication plan for closure (and reopening) of the church buildings, and hurricane preparation steps.
Worship services will always continue on-line, even during evacuation or other church closure!
Church Building Closure
Mandatory Evacuation
All church buildings will be closed, and activities/functions cancelled whenever a Mandatory Evacuation is issued for Jefferson Parish.
In-person Worship will be cancelled, but on-line worship will continue at the usual time.
Optional or Voluntary Evacuation
All church buildings will be closed, and activities/functions cancelled whenever an Optional or Voluntary Evacuation is issued for Jefferson Parish.
In-person Worship will be cancelled, but on-line worship will continue at the usual time.
We believe that when danger is a possibility, everyone should be getting prepared. Worship will always be available in some fashion on-line through the computer, tablet, or phone. There is no need for anyone to stop their evacuation preparations to physically come to the church building.
Playschool Closure
The Playschool’s protocol for closure follows the lead set up by the public schools in Jefferson Parish. During the school year, that established protocol will continue. When the school is out of session, the church building closure, above, will be used.
Closure Communication Plan
Primary Ongoing Information Source
At all times, the church website will have the most up to date information. It is the primary place where anyone can find out the status of church building closure and reopening.
Primary Communication from the Church
When the decision is made to close the church, a phone message, a text, and an email will be sent to every phone number and every e-mail established with the church office. It is intended that 95+% of the congregation and critical others will receive the information by one or all of these modes. Our hope is that these numbers include those non-member families of members who may not have access to one of these communication modes.
In addition, the answering machine in the church office will have a recording saying that the church has been closed and to check the website for the latest information.
If someone in the church family needs help at any time during the evacuation or the storm, they should call the church office. The church office phone will be forwarded to the pastor’s phone who will try to do what they can to help the situation.
Additional Communication
The leaders of the Outreach Groups currently using the Outreach Rooms will receive a phone message, text, and email to inform them at the church buildings are closed and asked to monitor the church website for the most current information.
The Church Representative (as defined in the Building Use Policy) will contact anyone who has scheduled use of a building space within 3 weeks after building closure. Their activity will be cancelled if the building has not yet opened in time for their function. The church pastor or designee will contact anyone who has scheduled a wedding in this timeframe.
Church Building Re-Opening
The church buildings will not be opened until the facilities have been deemed safe. Worship will continue on-line while the buildings are closed.
The pastor has the final word in deciding if the buildings are ready to be opened.
The pastor and a team of designated individuals will be able to reenter the area before an evacuation order is lifted to assess damage and support the decision-making process.
Opening Communication Plan
As with closing, the primary source of information is the website. The pastor will keep the website up to date as far as feasible throughout the building closure and through the opening phases.
The automatic call/text/email service will be used to send out regular information and the decision that the church buildings are being re-opened.
If someone in the church family needs assistance getting back to the area, they can call the church office or communicate through the church website. The office phone will be forwarded to the pastor’s phone to take calls, and the website will have a space to request help.
After It’s All Over
The church website will have a space to check in and let the church know how they have faired, where they are, or whatever their status may be.
It is our hope that everyone in our church family will utilize this benefit of the web to help us all keep track of each other.
If someone in the church needs help or assistance after the storm, the best way to get help is through the church website.
Hurricane and Flood Preparation for the Church Buildings
The Facilities Committee is primarily in charge of preparing the church buildings and grounds when a hurricane or significant flooding is pending. They should call in help from the congregation when action is necessary. As a rule of thumb, inside of the buildings, floatable objects should be moved up to countertop height.
Checklist:
- Move computers and any electronic equipment up to nearby countertops.
- Shift the Baptismal Font up onto the chancel.
- Move up or tiedown all wastebaskets and garbage cans both inside and outside.
- Move all of the toys in the Ones playground inside the A/C fence.
- Move any loose toys from the Playschool playground inside, into an enclosed area or room.
- If the Playschool is open, the teachers will move the loose items in their classrooms. If the Playschool is not open, check each classroom and move loose items up above countertop height.
- Walkthrough the church buildings and move anything that may float up above countertop height – including in the Outreach Rooms.
- Walkthrough the Playschool and move anything that may float up above countertop height – including in the Playschool Office.
- Walkthrough the church grounds to remove or tie down anything that could become a projectile – including the smoker’s butt containers.
- Walkthrough the Playschool grounds to remove or tie down anything that could become a projectile.
- Change the message on the phone system and set it up to transfer calls.
- Set-up the automatic call/text/email service messages and send them out.
The Finance Committee should review the contents of the fire closet in May or June each year, to ensure that our critical records are high enough to escape damage.
The Music Professionals should review all items stored in the choir room and move them to a flood safe location in May or June each year.
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Jun '21
Order of Worship; June 27, 2021
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Jun '21
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
5th Sunday after Pentecost
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA)
June 27, 2021 Ten Thirty in the morning
Minister: The Reverend Aaron Ochart
Liturgist: Tony Hill
Please silence all cell phones.
Face masks must be worn while entering and exiting
Bold face indicates congregational participation
GATHERING
WORDS OF WELCOME
PRELUDE “F Major Prelude”
ADORATION
CALL TO WORSHIP Matthew 10:40
Welcome one another in Jesus’ name,
for Christ is truly present among us.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. You call us to holiness and righteousness, but we forever fall short of your standard for us. In Jesus Christ you became a human being, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Through faith in you, we are given the grace of your righteousness rather than our own. Help us to extend that grace to others, and see them with the eyes of Christ. Amen.
HYMN 13 “Prepare the Way”
1 Prepare the way, O Zion, your Christ is drawing near!
Let every hill and valley a level way appear.
Greet One who comes in glory, foretold in sacred story.
Refrain: O blest is Christ who came in God’s most holy name.
3 Fling wide your gates, O Zion; your Savior’s rule embrace,
and tidings of salvation proclaim in every place.
All lands will bow rejoicing, their adoration voicing. [Refrain]
CALL TO CONFESSION
SILENT CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, you shattered the power of sin and death. We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We overlook the poor and the hungry, and pass by those who mourn; we are deaf to the cries of the oppressed, and indifferent to calls for peace; we despise the weak, and abuse the earth you made.
Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust your power to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the joy of life abundant given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
GLORIA PATRI 579
PROCLAMATION
FIRST LESSON Deuteronomy 14:3-21
You shall not eat any abhorrent thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain-sheep. Any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof cleft in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cleft you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses. Of all that live in water you may eat these: whatever has fins and scales you may eat. And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you. You may eat any clean birds. But these are the ones that you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, the buzzard, the kite of any kind; every raven of any kind; the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind; the little owl and the great owl, the water hen and the desert owl, the carrion vulture and the cormorant, the stork, the heron of any kind; the hoopoe and the bat. And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten. You may eat any clean winged creature. You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to aliens residing in your towns for them to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN
ANTHEM “Morning Has Broken Medley”
Morning has broken Like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing Fresh from the Word!
Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, Praise every morning,
God’s recreation of the new day!
A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, And, armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal.
And though this world with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
‘Till all the world adore His sacred name.
Come Christians follow where our Savior trod,
The Lamb victorious, Christ the Son of God.
Second Lesson Acts 10:1-23
In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa. About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven. Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon’s house and were standing by the gate. They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three men are searching for you. Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them.” So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?” They answered, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him.
The Word of God for the People of God
Thanks be to God.
SERMON “Holy Sheet” The Rev. Aaron Ochart
RESPONSE
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Heidelberg Catechism: BOC 4.001
What is your only comfort, in life and in death?
That I belong body and soul, in life and in death not to myself but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the dominion of the devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
HYMN 485 “To God Be the Glory”
1 To God be the glory, great things He hath done!
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.
Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory: great things He hath done.
2 Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. [Refrain]
PARTING PRAYER Attributed to Nels Ferré (1908-1971)
Come, O Holy Spirit. Come as Holy Fire and burn in us, come as Holy Wind and cleanse us within, come as Holy Light and lead us in the darkness, come as Holy Truth and dispel our ignorance, come as Holy Power and enable our weakness, come as Holy Life, and dwell in us.
Convict us, convert us, consecrate us, until we are set free from the service of ourselves, to be your servants to the world. Amen.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Toccata in E minor Pachelbel