Sunday Bulletin
Celebration Service
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
July 26, 2026 9:30 am
Prelude “Now Rest Beneath Night’s Shadow” Flor Peeters
Welcome & Announcements Nikki Canalichio
Call to Worship Lay Leader: Ruth Roy
Come, all who hunger and thirst. Come to the God who provides for
every need.
We come to the One who feeds us with good things, who gives
bread from the earth and life from heaven.
In the wilderness, God gave manna to the hungry. At the table, God
gives bread to the broken. In Christ, God gives himself to the world.
You are our Provider, O Lord. You give us our daily bread, and you
sustain us with your unfailing love.
All: Come, Lord Jesus, Bread of Life. Gather us at your table,
nourish us by your mercy, and teach us to become bread for the
world.
Hymn “Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart” #15
Unison Prayer
Our Heavenly Father--the one who provides all things--thank you
for sustaining us every day. You gave your son to be the Bread of
Life for us, who gives us strength and allows us to thrive in our
connection with you. Give us once more this day our daily bread.
Beyond just satisfying hunger, we need your presence to keep us
going. Empower us to live faithful lives for you, and to be your
hands and feet to provide for others, too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Reading Matthew 15:32-38
Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion
for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry,
for they might faint on the way.”
The disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in the
desert to feed so great a crowd?”
Jesus asked them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven,
and a few small fish.”
Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground,
He took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he
broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave
them to the crowds.
And all of them ate and were filled; and they took up the broke
pieces left over, seven baskets full.
Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and
children.
The Gloria Patri #35
Special Music “Pie Jesu” from Requiem Gabriel Faure
Vicki Wacek, soloist
Sabbatical Sojourns Kathe Rhinesmith
Prayers of the People
Hymn “O Jesus I Have Promised” #612
Reading Leviticus 24:5-9
Message “Bread that sustains their hearts” Nikki Canalichio
Offering
Offertory “Panis Angelicus” Cesar Franck
Doxology* #46
Offertory Prayer*
Hymn “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” #622
Benediction
Closing “Here I Am, Lord” refrain #452
Postlude “Voluntary I” Handel
Calendar of Events
Monday, 7/27 Noon AA meeting in Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, 7/28 7:30 AA meeting in Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, 7/29 Noon AA meeting in Fellowship Hall
7 – 8 Zoom Sabbatical Book Study
Happy Birthday this week to:
Julienne Douglas and Dan Jennings today, 7/26
Alex Schmidt on 7/29
Scott Noble, Rebecca Vaus and Dana Wehe on 7/30
William Paul Garret on 8/1
Happy Anniversary this week to:
Terry Dwyer & Nancy Jeffries-Dwyer today 7/26
Announcements
The ushers today are Meg Scotti and Greg Morrill. Thank you for helping today.
Thank you Nikki Canalichio for leading us in worship today.
After earning her Masters degree in Bible Translation from the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in 2013, Nikki Canalichio was certified by the Forum of Bible Agencies Int'l as a Bible Translation Consultant. Along with teaching and training translators, this role includes verifying the accuracy of Bible translations being done around the world, working with three organizations: Seed Company, Scriptura, and Word Collective. She specializes in Hebrew and the Old Testament, as well as the sub-fields of oral translation and biblical poetry, and she and her team are currently developing a new approach to poetry translation that includes the arts. She was a preacher at Mosaic Church in Arlington, TX for 8 years. For her, the beauty of God has been an absolute game-changer, and her passion is to help others experience his beauty, too.
Thank you, Vicki Wacek, for sharing your lovely voice with us this morning for the Special Music and the Offertory.
Victoria Drew Wacek is a Vermont-based Lyric Soprano and vocal educator who has been performing throughout New England for over two decades. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Vermont and her Master of Music in Opera Performance from the Longy School of Music. In addition to appearing in opera, recital, and concert performances, Vickie has maintained a private voice studio since 2002, helping singers of all experience levels discover healthy, confident, and expressive voices.
Vickie is grateful for the opportunity to share her music with the congregation and hopes today's selections bring moments of reflection, joy, and peace.
Note Change of Dates:
Sabbatical Book Study will begin July 29th. Join us for a discussion group on the book: Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No To the Culture of Now by Walter Brueggemann. This three session book study will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, July 29, August 12 and August 26 from 7 – 8 pm. Copies of the book which include a study guide, can be purchased on line from Amazon. Please contact Kathe Rhinesmith at Katherhinesmith@gmail.com. See the article in the Quest for more information.
Women’s Fellowship will be hosting the coffee hour next week, August 2. Please join everyone following our worship service on the porch, weather permitting.
Save the Dates:
Bible Camp – August 17-21, 2026 9am to noon “Rainforest Falls – exploring the nature of God” Bible Camp is available for all students from K – 5th grade and for Middle School Students, 6th – 8th for a week of Community Outreach! High School students are welcome and encouraged to join us as Camp Counselors and get community service hours for their time! Registration and information can be found at stowecommmunitychurch.org.
2026 Sabbatical Pulpit supply:
8/2/26 Rabbi David Fainsilber
8/9/26 Rev. Katherine Arthaud
8/16/26 Nikki Canalichio
8/23/26 Rev. Dr. Michael Caldwell
8/30/26 Rev. Laura Cadmus
9/6/26 Rev. Laura Cadmus
Musical Notes by Karen Miller
Prelude: The German chorale tune "Nun ruhen alle Walder" (Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow) was written by Heinrich Isaak around 1490. The version used to create this organ prelude is from the Eisleben Gesangbuch of 1598. Isaak (c.1450-1517) was a Flemish composer. He was in the service of Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence as organist, choirmaster, and teacher of his children from 1485-1493. He then became the court composer at Innsbruck for two years. Returning to Florence in 1502, he also served at Ferrara. He composed a great deal of church music, including 36 masses. Twentieth century Belgian organist, composer, and teacher Flor Peeters (1903-1986) created a quiet, peaceful chorale prelude based on this melody. The tune remains principally in the soprano line, but the tenor line carries a phrase from time to time.
Special Music: In 1877 Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) wrote his Requiem for soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, organ, and orchestra. It has seven movements and the "Pie Jesu" is the fourth of these. The Requiem went through several revisions from 1887 to 1901. Probably his best-known work is his Requiem. We thank Vicki Wacek for sharing the "Pie Jesu" from this work with us this morning.
Offertory: "Panis Angelicus", a lovely choral piece by Cesar Frank, was originally written for tenor solo, organ, harp, violincello, and double bass in 1872. Its popularity has spurred its use in numerous adaptations. We delight in the version brought to us this morning by Vicki Wacek.
Postlude: The collection 12 Voluntaries and Fugues for the Organ or Harpsichord is attributed to George Frederick Handel. It was published in London around 1780, about twenty-one years after Handel's death. Each of the pieces In this volume has two parts: a slow movement followed by a faster, longer movement. In "Voluntary I" the first movement has a Largo indication and uses a diapason stop. The second movement adds a 4' principal stop and has an Allegro tempo