Fall Kick-Off & Potluck Sunday

WESTPORT RISING WORSHIP SERVICE
SEASON OF PENTECOST
September 29, 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:   Prelude in C                                                                                                                   JS Bach
CALL TO WORSHIP (from Psalm 1): 

One:          If it had not been for God, who was on our side, we would have fallen prey to harm; we would have been swept away by sadness and fear.
All:           Blessed be the Lord, our Protector!
One:          God has broken open the prisons that make us unfree. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
All:           Blessed be God’s holy name! 

OPENING HYMN:  Let Us Build a House   GTG#301
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED FOR GOD:

All:           God, our strength and savior, you know our weaknesses, our faults and secret sins. You also know our strength, our beauty, and our dignity. Bear us up when we lose hope. Sustain us when we grow weary and cynical. Keep us flexible when we grow rigid in our perspectives. Lead us into playfulness and joy as your forgiven people. Amen.

SILENT CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE: 

     One:          We wander away, and God brings us back. Back to the way. Back to home. Back to ourselves. Sometimes God uses another person; sometimes beauty or a book; sometimes a memory or an experience. Jesus Christ is the good news of our way back home, which is always also our way forward.

     All:           Thanks be to God!

SUNG RESPONSE:   Come and Fill Our Hearts   GTG#466
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:     Psalm 124     James 5:13-20
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION: 

     One:          Lord of everything lovely, by the power of your Spirit  enlighten our eyes, instruct our minds, rejoice our hearts and rekindle our hope
     All:           So that our lips and our lives may bear witness to your goodness. Amen. 

SERMON:   Transition Time: What’s Next Here at WPC            Rev. Jared Witt
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN:    I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light    GTG#377
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 CHORAL ANTHEM:  Oh, I Know the Lord’s Laid His Hands on Me                                           African American spiritual
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:   Jesus, Light of Joy    GTG#673
BLESSING
POSTLUDE: Voluntary in D major                    Boyce

 

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.
• ¬INTERESTED IN JOINING THE CHURCH? We will be receiving new members to the congregation this Fall. If you’re interested or just have questions, contact Pastor Jared! 

 

MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:

• ¬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.
• 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.
• 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. A Sign up sheet is located on the table at the back of the sanctuary.

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

• Monday, Sept. 30              6:30 p.m.         Men’s AA Meeting (Storefront)
•                                              7:30 p.m.         Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
• Tuesday, Oct. 1                  4:30 p.m.         FREDitation – a centering prayer experience – 20 min (Chapel)
•                                 6:00 p.m.         Irish Dance (Westport Rising Room)
• Wednesday, Oct. 2             10:00 a.m.       Resource Center (Storefront)
• Thursday, Oct. 3       10:00 a.m.       Resource Center (Storefront)
•                                   5:30 p.m.         Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non-conforming people (Basement)
• Saturday, Oct. 5           8:30 a.m.         Living Integrated (Men’s Support Group) (Storefront)
•                                  10 a.m.             Cub Scouts (Westport Rising Room)
•  Sunday, Oct. 6                   8-9:30 a.m.      Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
•                                  11:00 a.m.       Service of the Lord’s Day: Communion Sunday (Sanctuary)
•                                                       Children’s Sunday School (Upstairs Children’s Room)

 LOOKING AHEAD:

•  Friday, Oct. 18                  12 noon           Westport Center for the Arts’ Brown Bag Concert Series: Prairie Earth Ensemble (Sanctuary)
•                                  1 p.m.              Concert Reception and Visual Art Exhibition Opening:   Gloria Heifner, local Kansas City artist, showing her “Audacious Women” series and her “Uterus” series, each focusing on women’s rights in the United States
• Sunday, Oct. 20                 after worship  Congregational Meeting – to amend bylaws and approve nominating committee 

 

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.