Reflections on Change and Transformation 

WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
TRINITY SUNDAY
May 31, 2026

PRELUDE: For the Beauty of the Earth Conrad Kocher, arr. Mark Hayes
CALL TO WORSHIP:

One: Friends, today is Trinity Sunday.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
All: And also with you.
One: And as we sail into a summer of storytelling,
Let us give thanks to God for imaginative writers and weavers of tales.
All: Yes! We give thanks for the stories that shape our lives –
in Scripture and song, in novels and comics;
for stories told around fires and stories told on digital screens.
One: Now let us sing our way into imagining a new world.

OPENING HYMN:  #1 Glory to God Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED OF GOD:

All: Presence, Life, Fire – God who is Three in One,
We confess that our attention is elsewhere.
We find small distractions more desirable than life itself.
We get tangled up in our own lives, unable to imagine the lives of others.
We miss the beautiful spark in others, seeking to use them for our benefit.
So we pray for mercy.
We pray for healing, guidance, and growth.
Bring us into the largeness of your three-fold life,
so that our communities might reflect the beauty that dances in yours.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE:

One: The Holy Spirit connects us to Israel’s Sustaining Mystery and to the gentle face of Jesus from Nazareth. In the nick/name of the One we call Father, Son, and Spirit –
one God, Mother of us all – you are forgiven and loved.
All: Thanks be to God!

SUNG RESPONSE:  #544 Glory to God Bless the Lord (Sing 2x)
[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: Loving God, through the stories of Scripture, make us better storytellers.
Invite us into this great tradition of change and growth, that our lives might unfold into beauty and goodness.
All: Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 9:1-19

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

CHORAL ANTHEM: Over My Head, I Hear Music in the Air spiritual
MESSAGE: The Apostle Paul and Silas Marner:  Reflections on Change and Transformation
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN:  #4 Glory to God Holy God, We Praise Your Name
WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER:  #469 Glory to God Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying (Sing 1x)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, BLESSINGS, 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.

THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE:

One: Having heard of God’s love and grace to us all, let us give all that we are to God.
Let us give too of what we have for God’s work in the world.

OFFERTORY SOLO: A Simple Song (from Mass) Bernstein      Joshua Stark, baritone
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

One: Holy God, all that we have and all that we are is a gift from you.
We dedicate these gifts given this day to your work of making disciples
in this time and place.
All: Amen.

CLOSING HYMN:  #100 Glory to God My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout
CHARGE AND BLESSING
POSTLUDE: Canticle of the Turning Rory Cooney, arr. Mark Hayes

 

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.

SUMMER SCHEDULES:

• Deanna will be out of office from Wednesday June 3 – Friday, June 5. Church office hours will be limited. Contact Pastor Jared if you need assistance.
• Pastor Jared will be on vacation Wednesday, June 10 – Tuesday, June 16. He will be with us during worship on Sunday, June 14 through a recorded video sermon. 😊
• SAVE THE DATE – SUMMER WORK DAY & CHURCH CLEANOUT:
  Saturday, July 11 the church will be having a work day to help with some much needed cleaning and organizing. We will be renting a large dumpster to clear out unwanted items. Volunteers are needed to help remove trash from our basement storage areas and other places around the church. We can also use help with rearranging and organizing the closets & pantries.

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.

AUGUST 4TH ELECTION INFORMATION from Riva Capellari
There will be 4 ballot measures on the Aug 4 Ballot:

• Amendment 1 which continues sales/use tax for soil and water conservation for state parks and historic sites.
• Amendment 2 which requires election and training of each county assessor.
• Amendment 4 which requires a majority in every congressional district for a citizen-led initiative petition amendment to pass. If one district fails to have a majority for an amendment, it will cause the amendment to fail.
• Amendment 5 which is the elimination of income tax to replace it with sales/use tax. (The Missouri Budget Project has more information on this amendment.)

More information to come on these issues.

Also on the August ballot, Kansas City voters will be presented with five ballot questions, including four bond measures totaling $1.7 billion and a sales tax renewal that would fund economic development:

• A $750 million revenue bond measure to fund water system improvements.
• A $750 million revenue bond measure to fund sewer system improvements.
• A $100 million general obligation bond measure to fund affordable housing projects via the housing trust fund.
• A $100 million general obligation bond measure to fund maintenance and repairs of Bartle Hall, Municipal Auditorium and City Hall.
• A 1/8-cent sales tax to fund economic development projects in an area bounded by Ninth Street to the north, Gregory Boulevard to the south, Paseo Boulevard to the west and Indiana Avenue to the east.

To read more about this go the Beacon, May 26th issue

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

• Today, May 31 4-8:00 p.m. Gregor White Graduation Party (Fellowship Room)
• Monday, Jun. 1 6:30 p.m. Men’s AA Meeting (Fellowship Room)
  6:30 p.m. MO Workers Center Meeting (Chapel)
  7:30 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
• Tuesday, Jun. 2 4:30 p.m. Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
• Thursday, Jun. 4 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Resource Center Open & Sack Lunches Distributed (Fellowship Room)
  5:30 p.m. Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non- conforming people (Basement)
  6:00 p.m. WCA Pride Concert: Nick May, saxophone & Alex Siu Lun Li, piano  (Sanctuary)
• Friday, Jun. 5 4:00 p.m. Willow Woods Spring Program (Sanctuary)
• Saturday, Jun. 6 8:30 a.m. Private Rental – Meeting (Living Room/Library)
  7:00 p.m. KC English Dance (Westport Rising Room)
• Sunday, Jun. 7 6:30-9:00 a.m. Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
  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)
  5:00 p.m. Community Potluck Dinner (Fellowship Room)
  6:00 p.m. Taizé Service (Sanctuary)

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Tuesday, June 9 5:15 p.m. Session Meeting (Fellowship Room)
• Saturday, June 13 5:00 p.m. WCA 20th Anniversary Dinner, Concert & Silent Auction  (Fellowship Room & Sanctuary)
  WCA 20th ANNIVERSARY DINNER, CONCERT & SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISER
  TICKETS: $50. Available Online or by filling Out an RSVP card in the Back of the Sanctuary