A Good Name

WESTPORT RISING WORSHIP SERVICE
SEASON OF PENTECOST
September 8, 2024

(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:   Longing and Belonging                Mark Patterson
CALL TO WORSHIP: 

One:          Our merciful God, maker of us all, takes the side of those poor and afflicted.
     All:           Open our hearts to favor what God favors, to love what God loves, and to dream a new world into being. 

OPENING HYMN:     Live into Hope   GTG#772
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED FOR GOD: 

     All:           God you have chosen the poor of the world, but we overlook and dishonor them.  You take up the case of those afflicted and in distress, and we fail to come to their aid.  We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have too often been on the side of the rich. Soften our hearts, heal our unbelief, and expand our vision of what’s possible. Amen.

SILENT CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE:

One:          The clearest expression of mercy – for us and for the whole world – is the poor, brown rabbi from nowhere Nazareth. In Jesus the Christ, we are healed and delivered from evil.
All:           Thanks be to God!

SUNG RESPONSE: Alleluia (sing twice)   GTG#586
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST: 

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

SCRIPTURE READINGS:    Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23;      James 2:1-10, 14-17          Drew Irwin
CHORAL ANTHEM:  Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy (RESTORATION)                                           arr. Ronald Turner
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION: 

One:          Healing God, you do all things well.
All:           Illumine our hearts by your Holy Spirit, that we might receive the good news and be transformed. Amen. 

SERMON:   A Good Name                                                                                              Rev. Jared Witt
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord   GTG#310
WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER:    Come, Bring Your Burdens to God (sing twice)   GTG#851
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER:  (Our Mother and Father in heaven…)
THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE
                 Offering link
OFFERTORY SOLO:   Wayfaring Stranger: American folksong            setting by Richard Walters                    Sarah Baxter, alto
UNISON PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

One:          Generous God, thank you for these gifts we bring from your abundance.
All:           Bless gifts and givers and show your love to all in need,  through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 

CLOSING HYMN:  God of Great and God of Small   GTG#19
BLESSING
POSTLUDE:   Fanfare on “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven”  setting by Matthew Machemer

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.

MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:

• Bread, Buns, Fruit, Water, Meat, Peanut Butter, Cheese are always needed for our INTERRUPT HUNGER work. 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.
• FALL WEATHER CLOTHING DRIVE: To prepare for the colder months ahead 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 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.
• WEEKDAY LUNCH VOLUNTEERS. We could use a few more people to help with making and handing out weekday lunches. Please contact the church office for more information.

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

•      Monday, Sept. 9                 11:00 a.m.       Sack Lunches Distributed (Front Door)
  • • • • 4:30 p.m.         FREDitation – a centering prayer experience – 20 min (Chapel)
        • 6:30 p.m.         Men’s AA Meeting (Storefront)
        • 7:30 p.m.         Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
•      Tuesday, Sept. 10               11:00 a.m.       Sack Lunches Distributed (Front Door)
  • • • • 6:00 p.m.         Irish Dance (Westport Rising Room)
        • 7:00 p.m.         Session Meeting (Fellowship Room)
•      Wednesday, Sept. 11         10:00 a.m.       Resource Center Open (Storefront)
  • • • • 11:00 a.m.       Sack Lunches Distributed (Storefront)
        • 3:30 p.m.         Jayne Siemens Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
        • 7:00 p.m.         Zoom Bible Study – contact church office for link (Online)  *meets every other week*
•      Thursday, Sept. 12             10:00 a.m.       Resource Center Open (Storefront)
  • • • • 11:00 a.m.       Sack Lunches Distributed (Storefront)
        • 5:30 p.m.         Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non-conforming people (Basement)
•      Friday, Sept. 13                  10:00 a.m.       Children’s Mercy TIES Group (Fellowship Room)
  • • • • 11:00 a.m.       Sack Lunches Distributed (Front Door)
•      Saturday, Sept. 14              8:30 a.m.         Living Integrated (Men’s Support Group) (Storefront)
•      Sunday, Sept. 15                8-9:30 a.m.      Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
  • • • • 11:00 a.m.       Service of the Lord’s Day (Sanctuary)
        •                        Children’s Sunday School (Upstairs Children’s Room) 

LOOKING AHEAD:

•      Wednesday, Sept. 18         8:00 p.m.         Mission & Outreach Committee Meeting (Zoom)
•      Friday, Sept. 20                  12:00 p.m.       Westport Center for the Arts Brown Bag Concert: “All the Things You Are: Songs of Love!”  Jayne Siemens, Soprano & John Livingston, pianist (Sanctuary)

VOTER INFORMATION/BALLOT PRESENTATIONS:

The League of Women Voters Kansas City, the Kansas City Public Libraries, AAUW, Revolucion Educativa and the Cass County Public County are collaborating on presentations in the local libraries to explain the 5 ballot questions that voters will vote on this November. 3 of these ballots were advanced by Missouri citizens, not the Missouri Legislature.

• Monday September 23 at 5:30pm at the Plaza Library
• Friday September 27 at noon at the Bluford Branch
• Saturday, October 5 at 10:00 am at the NE Branch (in Spanish)
• Wednesday October 9 at 5:30pm at the Central Library
• Monday October 14 at 6:00pm at Cass County Library
• Friday October 18 at noon: webcast hosted by Kansas City Public Library

If you are unable to attend any of these events the LWVKC will put recordings of them on their YOUTUBE channel at some time before the election.