Faithful Flexibility

WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
ALL SAINTS’ SUNDAY
CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION
November 2, 2025

PRELUDE:   I Will Arise and Go to Jesus                                                                 arr. Parker/Shaw
CALL TO WORSHIP:

One:         Sing to the Lord a new song!
All:           Rejoice and give thanks.
One:         For the Lord takes pleasure when the community gathers in gladness.
All:           Hallelujah! We bring our gratitude and gladness into this time and place. 

OPENING HYMN:  For All the Saints (verses 1-3)   GTG#326
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED OF GOD: 

All:           God who blesses us into belonging, You call us to reconnection instead of revenge.  You fashion our ordinary lives into the very body of Christ.  And yet we live beneath that calling with our failures to love and care and serve.  Forgive us when we fail to live out the faith, hope, and love we have learned from all our ancestors in the faith. Amen. 

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE:

One:         In the great compassion of God, Expressed most clearly in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God is a forgiving God, always and utterly on our side, Inviting us into our true lives as people with hope for the whole world.
All:           Thanks be to God!

SUNG RESPONSE: Halle, Halle, Hallelujah! (refrain, sing twice)  GTG#591
[Kids’ Time Front of Sanctuary]
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. 

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION: 

One:         Pour out your Spirit upon us, O God; enlighten our hearts, that we might hear the good news and rearrange our lives accordingly.
All:           Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING:   Luke 19:1-10
CHORAL ANTHEM:   When I Can Read My Title Clear                                    arr. Dan Forrest
GIVING STORIES                                                                                              Tony Waterhouse-Leal
MESSAGE:   Faithful Flexibility                                                                                   Rev. Jared Witt
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER:   Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying  GTG#469
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.

CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION:
THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE:

One:         God’s Spirit continues to fill our lives with generosity. With thanks for God’s ever-present love for us, let us give back a portion of what God has given to us.

OFFERTORY SOLO:   Deep River                                                                              arr. Mark Hayes                                         Joshua Stark, baritone
PRAYER OF DEDICATION: 

One:         We give because we have been given so much. Lord, take these gifts and use them to bless our neighborhood and wider world.
All:           Amen.

INVITATION TO THE TABLE
GREAT THANKSGIVING
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
COMMUNION
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION: 

One:         Nourishing God, thank you for inviting us to your table where all are welcome, and for feeding us with the bread of life and the cup of blessing. As you have filled our lives with love and hope, may we be a source of your love and hope for those who hunger for your good news.
All:           Amen.

GREETINGS      Rev. Dale Jackson, Presbyter for Vision & Leadership
WELCOME:   News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
CLOSING HYMN:   God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending  GTG#716
CHARGE AND BLESSING
POSTLUDE:   When We all Get to Heaven                                                      arr. John Campbell

 

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! NURSERY care is available in the upstairs children’s space. Parents are asked to fill out a brief registration form before church begins. (This form only needs to be filled out once). Children’s Sunday School usually meets during the second half of worship in the in the 2nd floor Children’s Space, but is on break.
• 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.
• Our FALL PLEDGE DRIVE begins today. The Church Session and Stewardship Committee are asking all in our community to make a financial pledge for 2026. Every pledge – large or small – will help us resource our ministries, compensate our staff, and improve our facilities. Pledge Sunday is November 16 and we’d love to have your pledge by that date. You can place your pledge card in the offering plate, turn it in to the church office, or submit your pledge online at westportpresbyterian.org/pledge-drive/
  Thank you for supporting our church and it’s mission to follow Jesus in ministries of service, healing, justice and prayer; and to make the city a better place for people to live, work and worship.
• We are short on Sunday School teachers!  20 min commitment a month, we have a curriculum to follow… Contact James Capps if you would like to help!
• Many of our PLANTS (we think it’s primarily the ones the women’s AA group left in our care) are infected with scale.  If anyone with a green thumb is willing to take on babying them back to health, let us know!

MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES: 

• 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 Fridays in the RESOURCE CENTER and Sundays as part of WESTPORT SHOWERS. Food donations of bread, fruit, meat, cheese, peanut butter are always needed.
• WINTER WEATHER CLOTHING DRIVE: As cooler weather approaches Westport Showers will be collecting coats, hats, gloves, warm socks, and boots. Look through your closets and see if you have any extra items you can donate.
• BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED & PAID PART-TIME POSTITIONS AVAILABLE: Westport Center for the Arts, an non-profit organization founded by our church that has dedicated itself to bringing free art exhibits, concerts, dance performances, etc to the neighborhood, has several positions that need filling. They need a board president to set a meeting agenda and keep track of who is doing what, and they are looking to fill several paid positions that periodically involve some work: Marketing person (email newsletter, website updates, figure out where to advertise), Photographer, Grant Writer, Visual Arts Program Director.  If interested, email [email protected] or speak with Josh Stark or Deanna Capps.

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

• Monday, Nov. 3                 6:30 p.m.         Men’s AA Meeting (Storefront)
  • • • 7:30 p.m.         Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
• Tuesday, Nov. 4                                         ELECTION DAY
  • • • 6:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.        Polls Open (Fellowship Room)
      • 4:30 p.m.         Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
• Thursday, Nov. 6              11:35 a.m.       Voting Equipment Picked Up (Fellowship Room)
  • • • 5:30 p.m.         Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non-conforming people (Basement)
• Friday, Nov. 7                    11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.       Resource Center Open & Sack Lunches Distributed (Storefront)
  • • • 11:30 a.m.       Children’s Mercy Healthy Families Group (Fellowship Room)
• Saturday, Nov. 8               8:30 a.m.         Private Rental – Meeting (Storefront)
  • • • 10:00 a.m.       Cub Scouts (Westport Rising Room)
• Sunday, Nov. 9                  8-9:30 a.m.      Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)

                        Connection Hour Small Groups:
9:40 a.m.         “Overcoming Dumpster Fire Overwhelm”
10:00 a.m.       Book Discussion Group

11:00 a.m.       Service of the Lord’s Day (Sanctuary)
Nursery Care (Upstairs Children’s Room)
12:15 p.m.       Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Tuesday, Nov. 11               5:30 p.m.         Happy Hour Gathering (Location To Be Announced)
  • • • 7:00 p.m.         Session Meeting (Fellowship Room)
• Sunday, Nov. 16                                        PLEDGE SUNDAY
  • • • After Church  Friendsgiving Potluck – Bring an Entrée, Side, Salad, or Dessert  to Share (Fellowship Room)
• Friday, Nov. 21                  12:00 p.m.       Westport Center for the Arts – Brown Bag Concert Series: The Shortleaf Band: Music of the Ozarks – “Voices of the Hills”      Michael and Tenley Fraser (Sanctuary)

MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:  from Riva and the League of Women Voters 

November 4th Special Election

Absentee Voting with
an Excuse (In-Person) Sept. 23 – Oct. 20
During KCEB’s Hours

No-Excuse Absentee Voting (In-Person) Oct. 21 – Nov. 3
Locations + Hours TBA

Absentee Ballot
Return Deadline November 4

Question: Shall Articles Ill, IV, and V of the Jackson County Charter, adopted by vote on November 3, 1970, and as amended by public votes on August 8, 1978, April 2, 1985, November 4, 1986, August 2, 1994, August 3, 2010, and November 6, 2018 be amended to require that the Charter Office of the Jackson County Assessor no longer be a qualified appointee and instead be an elected position?

There are 7 locations for No-Excuse Absentee Voting for the November 4, 2025 Election. Note that ONLY KCEB will be open on Monday, Nov. 3.

Kansas City Election Board                       Palestine Senior Activity Center
4407 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.                 Blvd 3325 Prospect Ave.
Weekdays, Oct. 21 – 31: 8am – 6pm           Weekdays, Oct. 21 – 31: 10am – 6pm
Saturday, Nov. 1: 8am – 12pm                     Saturday, Nov. 1: 8am – 12pm
Monday, Nov. 3: 8am – 5pm

Fellowship Right Baptist Church               Second Presbyterian Church
4700 Pittman Rd                                         318 E. 55th St.
Weekdays, Oct. 21 – 31: 10am – 6pm          Weekdays, Oct. 21 – 31: 10am – 6pm
Saturday, Nov. 1: 8am – 12pm                     Saturday, Nov. 1: 8am – 12pm

Garrison Community Center                      United Believers Community Church
1124 E. 5th St.                                                5600 E. 112th Ter.
Weekdays, Oct. 21 – 31: 10am – 6pm           Weekdays, Oct. 21 – 31: 10am – 6pm
Saturday, Nov. 1: 8am – 12pm                      Saturday, Nov. 1: 8am – 12pm

Mount Christian Worship Center
1800 E. 79th St.
Weekdays, Oct. 21 – 31: 10am – 6pm
Saturday, Nov. 1: 8am – 12pm

No-Excuse Absentee Voting Locations ONLY use Ballot Marking Devices. Pre-printed Paper Ballots will ONLY be available at your home ward and precinct on Election Day.
Provisonal Ballots, which are used for voters who do not have a valid form of ID, are only available on Election Day.
You must have an acceptable form of ID to vote absentee.