It is with excitement and hope for the future that we call our 19^th settled minister to the
First Congregational Church in Billerica. We understand that we, the congregation, form
a covenant relationship with our settled pastor and teacher as we discern God's call for us
in these challenging times.

Hear these words from Lead us on our journey by Ruth Harvey' as we set our sights on
God's call to us.

God, our God,

you have called us to be a people
on the move;

travelling light,

dying to live,

ready to lose ourselves for the sake of the world.

You have called us to be a people
with a purpose;

travelling without a map,
travelling to where we are led,
sustained by your Spirit,

committed to the gospel for the hope of the world.

Move us on our journey

from where we are to where you want us to go.
Open our eyes on the way

to the people of different cultures, continents and countries,
who can bring color to our lives.

Take us on our journey

from where we are to what you want us to be;
so that we become a community

where all are welcomed and no one is excluded,

all are valued and no one is made to feel inadequate,
all are forgiven and no one is ashamed to belong,

all are encouraged and no one is too hurt to come among us.

Lead us on our journey

from who we are to who you want us to be;
so that patience is built into us,

kindness is assumed in us,

gentleness is part of us,

compassion flows from us,

truth is second nature to us,

l Harvey, Ruth, "Lead us on our journey," in Eggs and Ashes: Practical and Liturgical Resources for Lent
and Holy Week, ed. Ruth Burgess and Chris Polhill. (Wild Goose Publications, lona Community, 2004),
109-110.