Loving Our Neighbors By Sharing Our Gifts

WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
ALL SAINTS’ DAY – CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION
November 1, 2026

Live Streaming at youtube.com/@westportpresbyterian

CHORAL INTROIT:   How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place            arr. DM Dicie                                                       tune:  Brother James’ Air
CALL TO WORSHIP:                    Riva Capellari, liturgist

      One:          Our help is in the name of the Lord,
All:           who made heaven and earth.
      One:          In life and in death
      All:           we belong to God.
      One:          Baptized into Christ’s death
      All:           we now life his servant life in the world.
      One:          Come, let us Worship God!

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

All:           Eternal God, in every age you have raised up men and women to live and die in faith. We confess that we are distracted and divided. You call us to proclaim your name, but we are silent. You call us to do what is just,  but we remain idle. You call us to live faithfully, but we are afraid. In your mercy, forgive us. Give us courage to follow in your way, that joined with those from ages past, who have served you with faith, hope, and love, we may inherit the kingdom you promised in Jesus Christ.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE:

One:          Hear the good news: We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
All:            For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead.
One:          When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were buried so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of God, we too might walk in newness of life. Believe the good news:
All:           In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!

SUNG RESPONSE:   Thankful Hearts and Voices Raise   GTG#648
GIVING STORIES                                            Bob Russell
Time with Young Disciples
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:          Holy God, in this world of rapidly shifting stories, speak your eternal Word that never fails. Prepare our hearts and minds to receive the Word that you would give us, through Christ our Lord.
All:           Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING:   Luke 10:25-37
CHORAL ANTHEM:   Shall We Gather At the River   arr. Carter                                           Hannah Vance, flute
MESSAGE:   Loving Our Neighbors By Sharing Our Gifts            Rev. Jared Witt
MOMENT FOR SILENT REFLECTION
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER:      Come Down, O Love Divine (verse 1)   GTG#282
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER: 

All:          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:        Our economy teaches us that we must compete for scarce resources. But our God is not a god of scarcity. Our God is a god of abundance who has provided for the needs of God’s people. Trusting in the generosity of God, let us return our tithes and offerings to the one who has provided them in the first place.

OFFERTORY:   Prayer of St. Francis                 C. McClure                            Nico Caruso, tenor & Hannah Vance, flute
PRAYER OF DEDICATION: 

One:        Gracious God, from your bountiful hand, we have received grace upon grace. From the abundance of your world, we return this portion to you asking that you would bless these gifts, multiply them, and use them. May we be blessed as we see your kingdom at work among us through Christ our Lord.
All:         Amen. 

INVITATION TO THE TABLE
GREAT THANKSGIVING
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
COMMUNION
MUSIC DURING COMMUNION:   Sheep May Safely Graze          Bach                                                                  Hannah Vance, flute & Renee Zimmerman, piano
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION: 

One:        God incarnate, in these ordinary elements  you have fed us with the body of the living Christ, that we might become the body of the living Christ. Increase in us faith, hope, and love, that we might be your friends, co-creators of a new world.
All:         Amen.

WELCOME:   News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
CLOSING HYMN:   Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal
CHARGE AND BLESSING
POSTLUDE:   Siciliana from Sonata in Eflat Major, CPE     Bach                           Hannah Vance, flute
 

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 will meet during the second half of worship in the in the 2nd floor Children’s Space. Children are invited to remain in the service until the “Time for Young Disciples” and then go upstairs for the remainder of the service.
• 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.
• CHILDREN’S CHOIR PRACTICE: Kids that want to sing with the choir are invited to join Renee in the front of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings from 10:00-10:25 a.m.
• Our FALL PLEDGE DRIVE is underway. The Church Session & Stewardship Committee are asking all in our community to make a financial pledge for 2027. Every pledge – large or small – will help us resource our ministries, compensate our staff, and improve our facilities. Pledge Sunday is November 8 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 our 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
•  WPC Fall Mini-Retreat: An Invitation to Post-Election Re-Connection
  Sat, Nov. 14, 8:30 am-1 pm
  WPC will host a small retreat designed to create space for re-connecting what so often feels dis-connected. Through simple rhythms of Scripture and poetry readings, silence and conversation, we’ll experiment with ways to reconnect to our bodies, our strengths, our wisdom, our places, and our communities. Please RSVP so that we can plan for breakfast and lunch. Let us know of any food allergies.
  Cost for the retreat is $20. If the cost is prohibitive for you, just email jared@westportpresbyterian.org and we will make sure you can attend. To register use the sign-up sheet at the back of our sanctuary or use the QR code to register on our website.

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 Thursdays in the RESOURCE CENTER and Sundays as part of WESTPORT SHOWERS. Food donations of fruit cups, meat, cheese, peanut butter, squeeze jelly are always needed.

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

• Monday, Nov. 2                 6:30 p.m.         Men’s AA Meeting (Fellowship Room)
  7:30 p.m.         Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
• Tuesday, Nov. 3                 6 a.m.-7 p.m.   Election Day – Polls Open (Fellowship Room)
                                              4:30 p.m.         Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
• Wednesday, Nov. 4            11:35 a.m.        Voting Equipment Picked Up (Fellowship Room)
• Thursday, Nov. 5               11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.        Resource Center Open & Sack Lunches Distributed         (Fellowship Room)
  5:30 p.m.         Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non-conforming people (Basement)
• Friday, Nov. 6                    11:30 a.m.        Children’s Mercy Healthy Families Group (Fellowship Room)
                                              12:00 p.m.        Westport Center for the Arts – Brown Bag Concert:  Shortleaf Band: Music of the Ozarks (Sanctuary)
• Saturday, Nov. 7                8:30 a.m.          Private Rental – Meeting (Living Room/Library)
                                              9 a.m.- 1 p.m.  Willow Woods CPR Training (Fellowship Room)
                                              10:00 a.m.        Cub Scout Pack 2025 (Westport Rising Room)
                                              7:00 p.m.         KC English Dance (Westport Rising Room)     
• Sunday, Nov. 8                   6:30-9:00 a.m.  Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
                                              10:00 a.m.        Book Discussion Group
  10:00 a.m.        Children’s Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
  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: 

• Tuesday, Nov. 10          5:15 p.m.         Session Meeting (Fellowship Room)
• Saturday, Nov. 14          8:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.  WPC Fall Mini-Retreat
                                          2:00 p.m.         Celebration of Life for James Kenison Russell Sr.  (brother of Bob & Bill Russell) (Sanctuary)     
• Sunday, Nov. 15                 after church    Friendsgiving Potluck

Whats on my ballot (where to find)

• Vote411.org 
• KCEB.org     
• sos.mo.gov (secretary of state website)
• League of Women Voter videos on amendments & Prop A
  Go to LWVKC.org and click on Voting and Elections
  On drop down menu click on Voter Education
  Scroll down to Nov 3 Ballot Measures
  Videos range from 6- 11-1/2 minutes each
• Read Full Text of Amendments & Prop A
         Go to sos.mo.gov, click on Elections & Voting at the top
  Click on Initiative and Referendum Petitions on menu
  Click on 2026 Ballot Measures under Current Election Cycle
  Under each number it will say Full Text
  The amendments and Prop A run between 1-1/2 to 4-1/2 pages long. REMEMBER this is what you are actually voting on, not just what you see on your ballot.
  At the polling places people are handing out information on Amendment #6 that is false. Amendment 6 gives more power to the citizens and restricts the power of the legislature to over turn amendments citizens have passed.