Sharing God’s Loving Responsibility For Creation, Humanity & Self

WESTPORT RISING WORSHIP SERVICE
SEASON OF STEWARDSHIP AND COMMITMENT
November 19, 2023

(Video will be posted LIVE on the church’s FB page at 11am and then cross-posted here afterward.  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: Canzona in F major Domenico Zipoli
CALL TO RETURN TO OUR SOULS:

Pastor: Be alert, my people, for the grace of the Living God!
People: The Light Of The World starting to shine within us. We can see again.
Pastor: The scattered and shattered places within becoming whole.
People: Our worst wounds are being healed.
Pastor: The Mysterious One’s constant, liberating power.
People: The inner light Christ is always kindling!
Pastor: We are a people freed by the Spirit’s power!
People: Hallelujah!
Pastor: We praise God!
People: We praise the One Whose Beauty is everywhere!

OPENING HYMN: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past  GTG#687
UNISON CALL TO CONFESS OUR LACK OF WILL TO CONFRONT EVIL, THEN COMMIT TO TRANSCEND THIS SELF DEFEATING MINDSET:

Confrontation is not bad.
Goodness is supposed to confront evil.
Our silence is complicity.
The best thing we can do is be a servant of God.
It does good to stand up and serve others.
We will no longer stand back while the future beckons us on!
The eyes of the world have been focused on us,
and somehow we are led to believe racial segregation will end in this country.
We are a fire you cannot put out.
Amen.
—Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, founder, Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights—Co-founder with Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, Bayard Rustin (pioneering Black gay rights leader) and Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy—of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference(SCLC)

SUNG RESPONSE CELEBRATING GOD’S GRACE:   Take, O Take Me as I Am (SING TWICE)   GTG#6982
PASSING OF PEACE:

Pastor: The grace, peace, love and joy of Jesus Christ be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us share the peace of Christ with each other.

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Genesis 1:24-27a, 28-31, 2:1-3; Matthew 25: 14-30
CHORAL ANTHEM: We Gather Together Nerderlandtsch Gedenckclank, 1626, arr. Rachel Aarons
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION:

Pastor: Let the words of my mouth
People: And the meditations of our hearts
Pastor: Be acceptable to You,
People: O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

MESSAGE: Sharing God’s Loving Responsibility For Creation, Humanity & Self
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN:   Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ   GTG#526
WELCOMING
PLEDGE DRIVE MESSAGE – Deanna Capps –  Pledge Online Here
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER: Come, Bring Your Burdens to God (SING TWICE)   GTG#851
MORNING PRAYER, LORD’S PRAYER
CALL FOR THE OFFERING
                 Offering link
OFFERTORY: I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light Kathleen Thomerson, The Quartet
For those who wish to see the text – this is #377 in Glory to God
UNISON PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

Leader: Hope is not a feeling of certainty that everything ends well.
People: Hope is the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.
Leader: Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture.
People: It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.
Leader: Hope is the deep orientation of the human soul that is sustained at the darkest times.
People: The kind of hope we seek is above all is a state of mind—not a state of the world.
Leader: Hope is a dimension of the soul and is not dependent upon some particular
observation of the world or estimate of the situation.
People: Hope isn’t a conviction that things will turn out the way we want them to.
Leader: Hope is a commitment to the idea that our lives and our work have a meaning.
People: Let us re-dedicate ourselves and what we give of ourselves to this kind of hope.
Amen.

CLOSING HYMN: We Are Marching in the Light of God   GTG#853  (All Stanzas: Marching, Dancing, Praying, Singing, Siyahamba)
BENEDICTION
SUNG BENEDICTION RESPONSE:   We Are Marching in the Light of God (REFRAIN)   GTG#853
POSTLUDE: I Come with Joy (DOVE OF PEACE) setting by Sally Drennan Mossing

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 is back in action in the redesigned 2nd floor Children’s Space, teaching & learning will emphasize Care for the Earth, Sky and all God’s creation. Sunday mornings during the 1st half of worship, beginning at 11:00 am.
• We WELCOME REV. SUSAN WESLEY HARTLEY who has been hired by the church Session to serve as our Bridge Pastor for the next several months. If you need pastoral care, please contact the church office.
• Join us for FRIENDSHIP TIME after worship with snacks and coffee. Time for spontaneous friendship interaction! Smile.
• Our FALL PLEDGE DRIVE is underway. The Session has set a goal of $112,000. Please prayerfully consider what you are able to give in the coming year to help us reach our larger goals of making space for God’s grace here at Westport Presby. Our mission is to uncover what Jesus is doing now—here in the heart of the city—and follow him! PLEASE HELP US REACH OUR GOAL by submitting a pledge card!
  We have $45,900 in pledges so far.
• Next Sunday will be our FRIENDSGIVING POTLUCK. Bring a favorite dish to share and join us for lunch following the worship service.
• Volunteers need to help DECORATE THE CHURCH FOR CHRISTMAS & ADVENT on Saturday morning December 2 at 9 a.m. Come help us hang some wreaths, trim the tree, setup some nativity scenes, and get in the holiday spirit.
• Our HOLIDAY COOKIE SALE will be Sat., Dec. 16 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. This is an annual fundraiser for our Westport Concert Series & Music Program. Volunteers are needed to bake cookies and other Christmas treats and to volunteer at the sale to box and weigh cookies! If you can help please sign up to let us know! Setup will begin at 10 a.m. and cookies can be dropped off on the Friday before the sale.

MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:

• Bread, Buns, Fruit, Water, Meat, Peanut Butter, Cheese are always needed for our INTERRUPT HUNGER work. WESTPORT SHOWERS happens on Sundays & Thursday nights. Men’s boxer brief underwear needed. Men’s and Women’s shoes. Backpacks! Jackets, Sweatshirts, Warm Clothes for this cold weather!
• Thanks to everyone for all you do to make our missions happen all year round! For the Christmas Season, we will be collecting MITTENS, GLOVES and HAND WARMERS over the next few weeks to give out to our Westport Showers guests as a special gift on Christmas Eve morning. If you would like to help, please bring these items in by Dec. 17. (Adult Men’s & Women’s Sizes Needed)

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

• Monday, Nov. 20 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, Nov. 21 11:00 a.m. Jancyn Appel Organ Practice (Sanctuary)
  • • 6:00 p.m. Irish Dance (Westport Rising Room)
• Wednesday, Nov. 22 2-6:00 p.m. Daniel’s Eagle Scouts Blood Drive (Fellowship Room)
  • • 7:00 p.m. Zoom Bible Study – contact church office for link (Online)  *meets every other week*
• Thursday, Nov. 23 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY (Church Office Closed)
  • • & Friday, Nov. 24 11 a.m. Lunches will still be passed out (while supplies last)
• No Thursday Night Showers
• Saturday, Nov. 25 8:30 a.m. Living Integrated (Men’s Support Group) (Storefront)
  • • 10:00 a.m. Cub Scouts (Westport Rising Room)
• Sunday, Nov. 26 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)
  • • 12:15 p.m. Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
• After Church Friendsgiving Potluck (Fellowship Room)

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Saturday, Dec. 2 9:00 a.m. Decorating the church for Advent & Christmas (volunteers needed)

STAFF:

Bridge Pastor…………………………………………………………………………………..Susan Wesley Hartley
Music Director……………………………………………………………………………………….Emily Davidson
Office Manager………………………………………………………………………………………..Deanna Capps
Custodians………………………………………………………Jose (Chico) Jimenez & Marisel Myers-Aronson

CONTACT INFORMATION:

www.westportpresbyterian.org
info@westportpresbyterian.org (church contact)
816-931-1032

Follow us on Facebook at: facebook.com/westportpresbyterian