March 1, 2026

For more than 80 years, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has alleviated the suffering of individuals, families and communities affected by both natural and humanmade disaster.

UMCOR journeys with communities throughout a disaster’s cycle. It focuses on disasters that overwhelm a local community’s ability to respond, such as storms and flooding, earthquakes, fires, volcanoes, war and civil unrest.

Through a strong network of worldwide partners, UMCOR quickly assesses needs in the wake of disaster. UMCOR comes alongside communities at their invitation and encourages their involvement in and ownership of their recovery. UMCOR works collaboratively with local partners to connect survivors to the help they need to rebuild their lives.

From initial relief efforts such as distributing food, water, clothing and hygiene items, to long-term recovery projects like home repair, case management, psychosocial support and restoring livelihoods, UMCOR’s partners select beneficiaries based on need and vulnerability as opposed to other categories such as gender, race or religion.

In 2024 and 2025, UMCOR provided US relief with the Northwest and Los Angeles wild fires, hurricanes Helene, Ernesto, Debby, and Beryl, as well as flood and tornado recovery in Missouri and North Georgia. UMCOR has additionally provided disaster relief in the Philippians and Africa.

UMCOR’s ministry would not be possible without the support of others who give generously of their time and resources. Donations to UMCOR allow them to respond quickly and effectively to disasters as they arise. Your gifts this month will help underwrite UMCOR’s administrative and operating costs. This offering allows UMCOR to use 100% of all funds given to humanitarian response and recovery efforts directly to communities in need.

Together, we can alleviate the suffering of those affected by disaster, bringing hope and healing to communities worldwide.

February's mission was Tessa. On March 15th we will have a "Hands on Mission” putting together children's Comfort Kits.

“The High Way”
Week Two
Please note: this service can be moved around to a different week to coincide with a Communion Sunday if you do not celebrate communion every week. You might also consider following this service with a community meal or a time of preparing/serving meals in the community or at a shelter or food bank.
 
WE GATHER
Meeting One Another on The Way
 
Prelude
Cynthia Hibbets
Welcome
Rev. David Petty
Preparing Together
 
Threshold Moment
CLM Twinkle Gordon
Leader: Today, we continue our worship series called “The Way” that invites us to a spiritual journey during this season. Today we come to the table to be sustained for the road ahead. In our society, we are taught that everything costs. But our ways are not God’s ways, as we will hear in scripture. We are all invited to the table of Jesus without price. This is the abundance of God’s grace. This is the higher way that we are invited to embody for the sake of the world. The “rich food” that we are invited to partake is the richness of life when all have enough–not simply to survive–but to thrive. Hospitality is the way–even though we do not agree on everything, we are still one family at one table.
 
[sung]
Dominick Nors
We are a wilderness wandering people
on a journey of the soul.
May we find our destination
in our longing to be whole.
Our Holy God is calling to us.
With Jesus by our side
may compassion be our compass;
may the Spirit be our guide,
on The Way,
on The Way,
on The Way.
 
 
Prayer for the Path
CLM Twinkle Gordon
God of Grace,
we know you are with us on The Way.
But we need sustenance in order to make the journey. 
As we come seeking peace and a place at the table,
we find that you have already prepared and were expecting us.
Help us to set tables of abundance 
for all who travel this journey of life,
just as Jesus did.
Amen.
 
 
Opening Hymn
Come, We That Love the Lord
UMH # 732
WORDS: Isaac Watts, 1707
 
1. Come, we that love the Lord,
and let our joys be known;
join in a song
with sweet accord,
and thus surround the throne.
 
2. Let those refuse to sing
who never knew our God;
but children of
the heavenly King
may speak their joys abroad.
 
3. The hill of Zion yields
a thousand sacred sweets
before we reach
the heavenly fields,
or walk the golden streets.
 
4. Then let our songs abound,
and every tear be dry;
we’re marching through
Emmanuel’s ground,
to fairer worlds on high.
 
Announcements/Passing of the Peace

Mystery Box

Invitation to Offering
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Offertory
Lamb of God
Sanctuary Choir

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Rev. David Petty
 
*Doxology
Praise God from Who All Blessings Flow
UMH #94
 
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!

WE PROCLAIM
Discovering Ourselves on The Way
 
First Reading
Psalm 37: 23-27 (NRSVUE)
CLM Twinkle Gordon
 
Our steps are made firm by the Lord
when God delights in our way;
though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us by the hand.
I have been young and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.
Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.

Second Reading
Luke 5:29-32
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Sermon
The High Way
Rev. David Petty

WE RESPOND
Opening to the Holy on The Way
 
Prayers for Getting Out of Our Own Way
Rev. David Petty
 
Leader: Prayer is a kind of “pitstop” along our journeys–a time when we pause in the stillness and reassess and remember to breathe. Let us take this moment to rest deeper into the guiding presence of The Giving One.
 
O God,
You so love the world
that you give and give and give:
the generous gift of Life itself,
freedom of choice,
sunrise in the morning,
sunset in the evening,
and all those surprises in between.
Then you give us all the time there is–eternity.
I confess that my schedule often crowds out
appreciation for these gifts and my numbness
allows me to take them for granted.
Everyday living requires
such a serious investment of my energy
that I easily neglect the grandeur
all around me.
Set me free to dance
to the rhythms of your Spirit.
Help me see that even times of sorrow and despair
often enable me to discover strength
I never knew I had.
Make me strong at the broken places.
Yet when the dark night of the soul approaches,
if it is possible,
let that cup pass from me,
but if not…
Amen.

The Prayer of Jesus

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

“Stillness”
 
[sung]
Meet me in the stillness, Lord
Be the air I breathe
Meet me in the stillness, Lord
Free me to receive

Time for Contemplation
 
Hear this: No matter whether you pause in gratitude for the gifts of God or not,
God never stops giving. We can begin a higher way at any time.
Whether or not you know it, believe it, or feel it,
Jesus is with you now because Jesus promised to
set the table along our journey of life over and over again.
You are forgiven and invited,
especially when you think you have no place.
May it be so.

[sung]
Meet me in the stillness, Lord
Be the air I breathe
Meet me in the stillness, Lord
Free me to receive
 
Praying for Others Along the Way
Leader: We continue our prayers with intercessions for those whose journeys are difficult in this moment…

Communion Liturgy
 
The following prayer is based on the structure of the 2nd century Hippolytus prayer that is the ecumenical standard and contains all the traditional sections. Please adapt it to suit your particular tradition. If you will be offering live-streamed, hybrid, or pre-recorded worship, be sure to include an invitation to those participating online to gather something to eat and drink if they wish to participate in communion. Of course, adapt this invitation according to the practices that your denomination or community specifies. 
 
Invitation
 
Will you open yourselves to the grace of Jesus Christ
that is always and already available here at this table?
If so, say, “Open us to your grace, Lord.”
“Open us to your grace, Lord.”
Will you open yourselves once again to the call of Jesus Christ?
If so, say, “Open us to your call, Lord.”
“Open us to your call, Lord.”
Will you open yourselves to the possibility of transformation
through Jesus Christ?
If so, say, “Transform us, O Lord.”
“Transform us, O Lord.”

The Great Thanksgiving
 
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, Creator of all that was,
and is,
and is to come.
You formed us in your image,
creating all in goodness,
asking us to walk with You in love.
When we held back from Your invitation,
You sought us out, encouraging us on our way, time and again.
You led those who could not see by a road they did not know.
You have turned nighttime before them into light.
You have smoothed out the rough places and made them plain.
You have released the prisoners from the dungeon.
You have made all things new.
And so,
with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

[spoken]
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
Your Spirit anointed him to walk with the poor, the captive, and the oppressed
and to proclaim freedom and abundance in your name.
On dusty paths and lakeside shores he encountered friends, strangers, and enemies,
inviting them to journey with him and to eat with him.
He offered newness of life and renewed covenants of love by water and the Spirit.
On the night that he gave himself up for the path of justice,
he was at the table with his friends.
He invited them… and he invites us,
to pause in our quest for destinations and savor the company of each other
and the ways in which he still is present in our gathering together.
He took the bread, he broke it and blessed it and shared it.
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
He took the cup, he poured into it, blessed it and shared it.
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
And so,
in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again!

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ’s pilgrimage to the kin-dom,
walking together one with each other,
working together in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory
and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through your Son Jesus Christ
with the Holy Spirit in your holy church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty God,
now and forever.

Amen!

WE GO FORTH
Continuing with Jesus on The Way
 
Sending Hymn
Amazing Grace
v. 1, 3, 6
UMH #378
 
1. Amazing grace!
How sweet the sound
that saved a
wretch like me!
 
I once was lost,
but now am found;
was blind, but now I see.
 
3. Through many dangers,
toils, and snares,
I have already come;
 
’tis grace hath brought
me safe thus far,
and grace will
lead me home.
 
6. When we’ve been there
ten thousand years,
bright shining
as the sun,
 
we’ve no less days
to sing God’s praise
than when
we’d first begun.
 
Benediction
Rev. David Petty

Our blessing, or “benediction,” for this season is a call and response form.
Your response is:
 “We will follow on The Way.”
“We will follow on The Way.”
 
The Creator God filled you with breath,
inviting you to this journey called Life.
We will follow on The Way.

Jesus, our Guide, showed us what it means
to make a new way with Love.
We will follow on The Way.

The Spirit gives us strength to move forward
with Courage and Compassion for all we meet.
We will follow on The Way.

May this week be filled with opportunities to choose
to take the higher ways of the Holy, offering friendship, grace, and sustenance to those you meet. May it be so. Amen.
“Buen Camino!”

Postlude
Cynthia Hibbetts

Lenten Study

Our Lenten Study is “The Way” Study by Adam Hamilton. We will embark on a most significant journey, we will be walking in the footsteps of Jesus during the course of his ministry. Along the way we will listen to Jesus teach, watch him perform miracles, spend time with his friends (not always the top tier of society!). and find yourself transformed. The book and video components of this study will “put you on the ground,” seeing and experiencing the things Jesus saw as he traveled the length and breadth of Galilee and Judea. This is not just a study of geography or history. It is a call to discipleship.
The study book is available on Amazon:
Paperback - $10.39
Kindle - $9.87
Audiobook - $10.49

Lenten Soup Suppers at 6:00 pm on Thursdays

March 12th - The Way Around - The Grief of Unfairness - Join us for a discussion about the grief of unfair losses: like a job, mobility or housing, for example.

March 19th - The Way Home - The Loss of Self or the Familiar - Join us for a discussion about the grief of losing the things that make you , you.

March 26th - The Free Way - How to Move Forward after Loss - Join us for a discussion about: How we Move past our losses.

 Palm Sunday Brunch - March 29th after the Worship Service
We will join together right after church for our Annual Palm Sunday Potluck. St. Paul's is providing the ham. There will be trollies upstairs at each door where you may put your dish. Please bring a side dish, salad or dessert to serve 10. We will need extra clean-up as some tables and chairs will need to be taken down and put away. This is always a special time for sharing food and fellowship, so put it on your calendar now.

Maundy Thursday Soup Supper Service
April 2nd  at 6:00 pm in Waddell Hall

Good Friday Service
April 3rd we will have a Good Friday service in the Sanctuary and online.
The service will start at 7:00 pm.

Easter Egg Hunt
Join us for our Annual Easter Egg Hunt after the Easter Worship Service. Please bring your basket and your best Easter Egg finding peepers!
 
Easter Fair
WHO: Children of All Ages
WHAT: Easter Fair
WHERE: Waddill Hall
WHEN: Sunday, August 5, 2026
WHY: Celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus

Remember- right after the service is the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Kids will meet Val Cox in front of the Nursery. If you don’t have an extra basket to bring with you, don’t worry – we have extras. There will be a variety of crafts and don’t forget- live chicks.

Celebrate the resurrection and love of our Lord Jesus
with joy this Easter!