A Vision for St. Paul's 130 years...and beyond

September 10, 2023
 
Prelude
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Jubilee Bells

Greeting
Rev. David Petty

*Call To Worship
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Leader: We gather to celebrate 13 decades of ministry
People: Decades of love, grace, heartbreak, joy, and laughter
Leader: We celebrate the history we share as our foundation
People: We also look forward to the future. We will go where God is calling us and love one another like Jesus loves us.
Leader: This is the day that the Lord has made.
People: We shall rejoice and be glad in it!

*Gathering Song
Be Thou My Vision
UMH # 451
WORDS: Ancient Irish; trans. by Mary E. Byrne, 1905; versed by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt.
Alt. © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House
 
1. Be thou my vision,
O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me,
save that thou art.
 
Thou my best thought,
by day or by night,
waking or sleeping,
thy presence my light.
 
2. Be thou my wisdom,
and thou my true word;
I ever with thee
and thou with me, Lord;
 
thou and thou only,
first in my heart,
great God of heaven,
my treasure thou art.
 
3. Great God of heaven,
my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys,
O bright heaven’s Sun!
 
Heart of my own heart,
whatever befall,
still be my vision,
O Ruler of all.
 
Greet Neighbors

Mystery Box
 
Prayer Song
Sanctuary
TFWS #2164
WORDS & MUSIC: John Thompson and Randy Scruggs
© 1982 Whole Armor/Full Armor Music, admin. by The Kruger Organization
 
Lord, prepare me
to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy,
tried and true.
 
With thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living
sanctuary for You.
 
Prayer, Silent Prayer, and, The Lord’s Prayer
CLM Twinkle Gordon

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory forever.
Amen

Prayer Response
Sanctuary
TFWS #2164
WORDS & MUSIC: John Thompson and Randy Scruggs
© 1982 Whole Armor/Full Armor Music, admin. by The Kruger Organization
 
Lord, prepare me
to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy,
tried and true.
 
With thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living
sanctuary for You.

Invitation to Offering
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Offertory
Excerpts from “O Ye Works of the Lord”
by John Rutter
Sanctuary Choir

Prayer of Thanks and Dedication
Rev. David Petty

*Doxology
Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow
 
Praise God, from whom 
all blessings flow; 
Praise God, all creatures 
here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 
Praise God, the source 
of all our gifts! 
Praise Jesus Christ, 
whose power uplifts! 
 
Praise the Spirit, 
Holy Spirit! 
Alleluia! Alleluia! 
Alleluia!

Scripture Reading
Psalm 149:1-5
Acts 2:17
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.

Anthem
Praise His Holy Name!
by John Rutter
Sanctuary Choir

Prayer for Illumination

Leader: May the words of my mouth,
People: and the meditations of all of our hearts
All: be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our rock and our redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Message
A Vision for St. Paul’s:
130 years…and beyond
Rev. David Petty

*Affirmation of Faith
CLM Twinkle Gordon
 
Leader: As United Methodists, we don't require belief in a specific creed to belong to this church, but we say these affirmations to give words to our faith where words may even fall short. We say these affirmations to aspire to belief where we have doubts. We say these affirmations to give voice to our faith in a Mystery and to speak aspirations of hope about who we strive to be.
Today's affirmation of faith combines elements of the Apostles Creed, elements of our United Methodist Social Creed, our New Vision Statement, and a faith statement of who we are as a church.

All: We believe in God, the Creator Almighty,
Who made heaven and earth,
Calling us into a life of justice, love, and humility.

We commit to a world free from exploitation,
Where all have basic needs met,
And our world is a reflection of God's compassion and desire for equality.

We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day, He rose again,
And became the living embodiment of grace and redemption.

In the name of Jesus, we stand against systems that discriminate or degrade,
We Affirm the worth of all individuals,
And strive for their physical and spiritual well-being.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy universal Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting.

We advocate for justice in the face of injustice,
We promote the responsible stewardship of resources,
and fair wages and conditions for all those who labor.

We are called to be peacemakers,
To love the unlovable
to see the unseen.
to feed the hungry
to give drink to those who thirst.

To invite in the stranger,
to clothe the naked, look after the sick
and to visit those in prison.
We are called to be healers of a broken world
and menders of broken hearts.

We are the people of God,
We are St. Paul’s United Methodist Church,
Celebrating the love of God,
Following the teachings of Jesus,
And living in the power of the Holy Spirit,

AS THIS CHURCH, it is our vision that
We will be a Christ-centered spiritual community
that connects with and serves people
from all walks of life.

We strive to be a beacon of hope
where love is generous,
and diversity is valued.

We will meet people where they are,
encourage their personal faith journey,
and share God’s love
throughout our wider community.

This is our share belief,
our communal hope,
and our congregational vision.
Amen.
 
*Hymn
What Gift Can We Bring
UMH #87
WORDS: Jane Marshall, 1980
© 1982 Hope Publishing Co.
 
1. What gift can we bring,
what present, what token?
What words can convey it,
the joy of this day?
 
When grateful we come,
remembering, rejoicing,
what song can we offer
in honor and praise?
 
2. Give thanks for the past,
for those who had vision,
who planted and watered
so dreams could come true.
 
Give thanks for the now,
for study, for worship,
for mission that bids
us turn prayer into deed.
 
3. Give thanks for tomorrow,
full of surprises,
for knowing whatever
tomorrow may bring,
 
the Word is our promise
always, forever;
we rest in God’s keeping
and live in God’s love.
 
4. This gift we now bring,
this present, this token,
these words can convey it,
the joy of this day!
 
When grateful we come,
remembering, rejoicing,
this song we now offer
in honor and praise!
 
*Benediction
Rev. David Petty

Postlude
Stephanie Shorden