March 20, 2022 - Sunday Service Worship Guide
Welcome!
Good morning Mercy Hill and happy Sunday to you! If you're new with us, we just wanted to extend a special welcome to you. Feel free to fill out a Connection Card to get more info or prayer. We're glad to have you with us!
TOday's Announcements
Here are a few critical announcements to keep in mind:
Mercy Hill Women's Fellowship
Ladies, we hope you can join us for a spring afternoon gathering Saturday, March 26th, from 1:00-3:00pm in Kathy Wilson's backyard. This is just an opportunity to slow down, relax and enjoy each other's company—nothing fancy. It's been a while since many of us have been able to connect, and we're blessed with some new ladies to get to know as well. Save room after lunch for a snack of cheese, chocolate, and fruit! Kathy's address is 6181 Blossom Avenue in San Jose. Please enter by the side gate into the back yard. Feel free to invite friends!
Please RSVP here so we know how many to expect.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at .
Mercy Hill Women's Bible Study - With Us in the Wilderness!
Drawing from the Book of Numbers, this study by Lauren Chandler follows the Israelites, newly freed from the shackles of Egypt, as they wander in the wilderness toward the promised land. It is the story of God's presence among them, His beloved people. We'll begin the seven-week study the week of April 4th and end the week of May 16th.
Ladies may join one of two small groups: Mondays from 8:00-9:30pm on Zoom, or Tuesdays from 7:00-8:30pm in Kathy Wilson's backyard at 6181 Blossom Avenue in San Jose. A joint meeting of both groups will follow on the afternoon of Saturday, May 21st.
Books are available at Amazon.com for $19.99. Click here to purchase.
To sign up for the Monday Zoom option. click here.
To sign up for the Tuesday in-person option, click here.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at .
Foster the City - Support Friends!
As many of you may know, the Knepper family has been diligently pursuing becoming foster parents!
Would you prayerfully consider becoming a support friend to the Knepper family? Welcoming a child into your home comes with many joys and many sorrows. As a way to help families avoid burnout, Foster the City has come up with a wonderful plan to come alongside foster parents through the process. This involves four committed friends that are ready and willing to tangibly serve, lift burdens, and pray!
Some of the ways a support friend cares for a foster family is through cooking meals, running errands, babysitting, providing date nights, sending words of encouragement, prayer, and so much more. Training for this role is provided and your commitment lasts through the duration of at least one child placed in their home. What a joy to have the opportunity to serve the orphans in our community!
If you're interested, please reach out to Megan at
Ever Wondered? - Quick Survey
We are looking to launch a new ongoing sermon series entitled Ever Wondered? We'll try to preach a new sermon for this series once every quarter. On these particular Sundays, we'll try to tackle tough questions that those skeptical or curious about Christianity might be asking—questions like: where can I find lasting happiness?; why should I trust the Bible?; aren’t Christians all hypocrites?; don’t science and faith contradict each other?; if God is so good, why is there so much pain in the world?; etc. Sound exciting? We hope so!
As we pray and prepare, we could use your help. Would you mind taking a minute or two to fill out a quick survey where you can input questions you think your unbelieving friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc. might be asking about Jesus and Christianity (and who are we kidding, even we as Christians still have a lot of questions too . . . so put those in as well!). We can't promise we'll answer all your questions with specific sermons, but they will help give guidance and shape to our planning. Thank you in advance!
Click here to fill out the survey!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at .
Mercy Hill Youth Hangout - Game Time!
All Mercy Hill Youth (6th thru 12th grade) are invited to join us after service today at 12:30pm for a time of fun. Food will be provided and board games will be played. The youth are encouraged to invite a friend and bring their favorite board game if they have one. Some of Mercy Hill's young adults will also be joining to hangout with the youth. Weather permitting, we'll meet at the picnic tables in the pavilion around the back of Allen at Steinbeck Elementary. See ya there!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at .
Mercy Hill Kids - In-Person Today!
Due to the pandemic and the varying comfort levels each family has with their kids attending class in-person, we have established a rhythm for Mercy Hill Kids that allows for both online and in-person worship. On the first and third Sundays of each month, Mercy Hill Kids has in-person instruction for Preschool and Elementary children (2 years thru 5th grade). On the off-weeks, Mercy Hill Kids meets online.
This Sunday's class is IN-PERSON. Kids can be checked in to their classes before the start of service and can continue there until the service ends. Our Nursery is not currently staffed but we do have a Mother's Room adjacent to the Sanctuary where parents can care for their littlest ones.
Note: We will NOT have the online zoom class on these first and third Sundays.
For more information, please contact Christina Lugo at .
Mercy Hill Kids - Calling All Volunteers!
As we look to ramp back up our in-person kids ministry, we'd love it if you'd prayerfully consider joining the team. Your involvement would allow us to do more. We see ourselves as missionaries sent by God to these kids. What a great pleasure and privilege it is to play a part in reaching them with the good news of Jesus!
If you're interested in learning more, click here to let us know.
You can also reach out with any questions to Christina Lugo at .
All Church Prayer - In-Person @ 4:00pm Today
This Sunday's prayer meeting will held in-person at the Wilson Residence. Click here for more info.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at .
Helping Afghan Refugees!
There are hundreds of Afghan refugees coming to Santa Clara county who need help getting settled. They have many needs, such as transportation, help finding housing, writing resumes, finding jobs, setting up homes, etc. This is a great opportunity to build relationships with them and to show them Jesus' love and hopefully open doors for spiritual conversations. There are two options for Mercy Hill to be involved: (1) If we have a few people or families interested, they can sign up, will receive coaching, and will get a list of specific needs that they can volunteer to meet. (2) Or if we have 4 to 5 people or families, we could adopt one family. We would like to find out how many people would be interested in helping. We are not asking for a commitment yet.
If interested, please contact Becky Durstenfeld at .
Lenten Devotionals!
With the Lenten season now here, you might want to consider engaging a resource specially designed to help you reflect and go deeper with Christ. Here are a few of our favorites for you to check out:
50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die
Gospel in Life's Lent Devotionals
Biola’s Lent Project
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at .
Join a Home Group!
Home Groups are the heartbeat of our church. They are the place where our values of Faith, Community, and Mission gain traction in the everyday. Our hope is to have "everyone in one"!
Find a group to join here. You are not alone!
Today's Sermon
Title: The Runaway Prophet
Text: Jonah 1:1-3
Preacher: Joey Wang
Manuscript: If you appreciate following along with written material, you can find today's manuscript here.
Call to Response
1. Sing:
We encourage you to lift your heart and voice up to the Lord!
2. Pray:
If you need prayer in any way, there are a number of things you can do: (1) find one of our leaders during or after the service; (2) fill out a Connection Card; (3) post your request to our Mercy Hill Community Facebook Group. We’d love to be lifting you up and caring for you in this time!
3. Give:
If you’d like to give an offering this morning, you can give online here. Thanks for your generosity!
Mercy Hill Kids
While difficult, this pandemic does create a wonderful chance for parents to step towards their God-given call as chief disciplers of their kids. We know this may feel overwhelming and that is why we want to help! Every Sunday we have something for your kids, either in-person or online. You can check our church calendar to see what's happening on a particular date. We'd love to have you join us!
If you have any questions or need help in any way, don't hesitate to reach out to Christina at
Have a Wonderful Week!