Move Slow, and Mend Things

WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
SEASON OF EPIPHANY
February 16, 2025

(Video will be posted LIVE on the church’s FB page at 11am and then cross-posted here afterwards.  If the video doesn’t load properly here, you should be able to click on the Watch on Facebook link and watch as a guest, even if you don’t have Facebook) 

PRELUDE:   Harpsichord Sonata in G minor, g. 080: Grazioso                         Joseph  Bologne,         Chevalier St. George (1745-1799)
CALL TO WORSHIP: (from Psalm 37:39-40) 

One:         Our salvation is from the Lord;
All:           God is our refuge in times of trouble.
One:         The Lord helps us and rescues us;
All:           God saves us because we take refuge in our Lord.

OPENING HYMN:  There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit   GTG#408
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED OF GOD: 

Merciful God, you have commanded us to love you above all and to have no other gods. You have called us to love others as you love them. But our lives are often deformed by the love of other “gods” — false loyalties to prosperity and accumulation, to people who look, act, and think like us, to long held assumptions about gender, and to a selfish nationalism. Forgive us our sins and transform us by your Spirit so that we might learn to love as you love and live as people baptized as your own children. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE: 

One:         Friends, hear the good news — God’s radical forgiving, transforming and justice-seeking love will not let us go and is ever bringing resurrection and new life. Let us remember our baptisms and trust in God’s mercy to restore our right standing as God’s beloved people.
All:           Thanks be to God!

SUNG RESPONSE: Rain Down   GTG#48
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST: 

One:         The peace of Christ be with you.
All:           And also with you.
One:         Let’s share the peace of Christ with one another.

SCRIPTURE READINGS:    Genesis 45:3-11, 15      1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50

One:         May God bless the reading of Holy Scripture.
All:           Thanks be to God.

CHORAL ANTHEM:   Total Praise                             words and music by Richard Smallwood
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION: 

One:          O God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us so that the Scripture we have heard will become God’s Word for us in this day and age. Help us listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
All:           Amen.

MESSAGE:   Move Slow, and Mend Things
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN:   How Firm a Foundation   GTG#463
WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER:    Come, Bring Your Burdens to God  GTG#851
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER: 

Our Mother and 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE:

The earth is the Lord’s along with everything that fills it.  God has given us life and resources to live, so let us give in return.
Offering link

OFFERTORY SOLO:   1. Night              text: Lousie C. Wallace, music: Florence Price  Prayer H. Leslie Adams                               Emma Witbolsfeugen, soprano
PRAYER OF DEDICATION: 

One:          O God, may these gifts be used as a witness to your love, peace and justice at work in the world, renewing the face of the earth.
All:           Amen. 

CLOSING HYMN:   I Love the Lord, Who Heard My Cry   GTG#799
CHARGE AND BLESSING
POSTLUDE:   Rondo in C Major                                       Joseph Bologne, Chevalier St. George

 

A WESTPORT WARM WELCOMING! 

• WELCOME! MEMBERS! NEWCOMERS! FRIENDS!  We are so glad you could join us for worship today! VISITORS, please take a moment to let us know you were here by picking up an attendance card (in the pews) and filling out whatever information you would like to share with us.
• WELCOME FAMILIES! Children’s Sunday School meets in the 2nd floor Children’s Space, Sunday mornings during the 1st half of worship, beginning at 11:00 am. NURSERY care is also available upstairs. Parents are asked to fill out a brief registration form before church begins. (This form only needs to be filled out once).
• HEARING ASSISTANCE DEVICES available upon request. Talk to Deanna up in the front of the sanctuary at the livestream table if you would like to use one.
• 2025 PER CAPITA is $44.98 per member. This money helps support our denomination on the regional and national levels. The breakdown is: $10.84 to General Assembly, $3.15 to Synod of Mid-America, and $30.99 to Heartland Presbytery. If you would like to help out the church by paying your own Per Capita, make your check out to Westport Presbyterian Church or place money in a pew envelope and include “per Capita” on the memo line. Thank You!

MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:

• WINTER WEATHER CLOTHING DRIVE: Westport Showers is collecting coats, hats, gloves, warm socks, and boots. Look through your closets and see if you have any extra items you can donate.
• WESTPORT SHOWERS happens on Sunday mornings & Thursday nights. Items Needed for our CLOTHING CLOSET include: Sneakers, T-shirts, Underwear (Men’s Boxer Briefs), Socks, Women’s pants/shorts size 0-8, Men’s pants/shorts size 28-40, Bandaids, Sweatpants, Leggings, Belts, Backpacks, Body wash, Sports bras, & Washcloths.
• WESTPORT SHOWERS is looking for additional volunteers to help with Sunday mornings. With the increase in guests, we would like to have teams of 2 volunteers upstairs working together at the door and 2 downstairs working in the shower/laundry room each Sunday. You would be working with experienced volunteers who can train you in what is needed. If you would like to help, and are willing to volunteer 1 Sunday morning a month, reach out to Drew Irwin or Allison Rozga for more information.
• We are giving out lunches on Wednesdays in the RESOURCE CENTER and Sundays as part of WESTPORT SHOWERS. Food donations of bread, fruit, meat, cheese, peanut butter are always needed.

CONNECTION HOUR SMALL GROUPS:   Sunday Mornings

• 9:30 a.m.         “Overcoming Dumpster Fire Overwhelm” lead by Jennifer White.
  Does it feel like everywhere you look the world is on fire? This weekly workshop will give you 1-5 minute tools to help deal with the stresses of our modern way of living.
• 10:00 a.m.       Book Discussion Group readings related to various topics including faith, art, culture, politics, earth care. Currently reading The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell.
  The next book will be Wanderlust: A History of Walking, by Rebecca Solnit

INREACH & OUTREACH IN THE COMING WEEK:  (All Events are at the Church, 201 Westport Rd – unless noted) 

• Monday, Feb. 24                6:30 p.m.         Men’s AA Meeting (Storefront)
  • • 7:30 p.m.         Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
• Tuesday, Feb. 25                4:30 p.m.         Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
• Wednesday, Feb. 26           10:00 a.m.       Resource Center Open (Storefront)
  • • 11:00 a.m.       Sack Lunches Distributed (Storefront)
    • 7:00 p.m.         Stewardship Committee Meeting (Online)
    • 8:00 p.m.         Mission & Outreach Committee Meeting (Zoom)
• Thursday, Feb. 27              5:30 p.m.         Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non-conforming people (Basement)
• Friday, Feb. 28                   11:30 a.m.       Children’s Mercy TIES (Fellowship Room)
• Saturday, Mar. 1                8:30 a.m.         Living Integrated (Men’s Support Group) (Storefront)
• Sunday, Mar. 2                  8-9:30 a.m.      Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
  • • • Connection Hour Small Groups:
        • 9:30 a.m.         “Overcoming Dumpster Fire Overwhelm”
        • 10:00 a.m.       Book Discussion Group
      • 11:00 a.m.       Service of the Lord’s Day (Sanctuary)
      • Children’s Sunday School & Nursery Care (Upstairs Children’s Room)
      • 12:15 p.m.       Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Wednesday, Mar. 5            6:00 p.m.         Ash Wednesday Service (Sanctuary)
• Saturday, Mar. 8                8:30 a.m.         Session Retreat (Fellowship Room)
  • • • • 7:00 p.m.         KC English Dance (Westport Rising Room)
• Sunday, March 9               Service: Please plan to join us for a unique Sunday of worship and conversation.  Along with singing and praying, we will be engaging in conversation together about the future of our congregation.  In small group settings, we’ll share stories of what we love about our congregation.

MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: from Riva and the League of Women Voters
If you would like to read more about individual bills please go to the house and senate websites (house.mo.gov – HB bills) (senate.mo.gov – SB bills). You will also find bill summaries and the emails to all legislators there.
If you would like to receive the weekly Legislative Action Newsletter from the League of Women Voters KC, visit the website lwvkc.org and click on the red sign-up box on top of the page. You do not have to be a member of the league to do this. You can also share the alert with others.

BECOME ENGAGED IN GOVERNANCE

• HB807: Called the Save MO Babies Act, this bill Creates a Maternal and Child Resources division within the Department of Social Services, requiring them to create and maintain a database of expectant mothers at risk for seeking an abortion. They call them “avoidable abortions”.
  Concerns: Pregnant women who are interested in adoption services can contact the office directly for assistant. Keeping a database of any pregnant woman is an invasion of privacy. Could possibly cause harassment for these women who have the right to the privacy of their reproductive decisions.
• HB1175: Reestablishes the “Second Amendment Preservation Act” (SAPA). Undermines public safety: The law interferes with law enforcement’s ability to enforce federal firearms regulations designed to protect citizens.
  Concerns: Disrupts collaboration between state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies, making it more difficult to solve violent crimes. It impedes domestic violence prevention by allowing abusers to keep their guns. Contradicts its stated purpose of protecting citizens; it may actually expose them to greater harm.

These bills are working themselves through the legislative process. Please contact your senators (SB bills) and representatives (HB bills) about them.

Mar. 12, 2025 for Apr. 8, 2025 General Municipal Elections
LWVKC Candidate Forums:
School Boards are some of the most important, yet undersung, elected positions in any community.

The following forums will be held:
North Kansas City School Board Wednesday, Mar. 19. 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Hickman Mills School Board Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Raytown Alderman Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Lee’s Summit School Board Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Kansas City School Board Tuesday, Apr. 1, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Raytown School Board Wednesday, Apr. 2, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
If you are unable to attend these forums on the date, you can watch a recording on You Tube (type in lwvkc).