WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
PENTECOST SUNDAY
May 24, 2026
CHORAL INTROIT: I’m Gonna Sing ‘Til the Spirit Moves in My Heart arr. Hogan Soloist: Joshua Stark
CALL TO WORSHIP: (based on Acts 2:1-4)
One: All together in one place;
All: they heard the rush of a violent wind;
One: it filled the entire house.
All: Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared and rested on each of them;
One: they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
*OPENING HYMN: On Pentecost They Gathered (verses 1-3) #289 GtG
PRAYER OF REFLECTION AND RENEWAL:
All: Spirit of the Living God, we hesitate and doubt.
You call us to act boldly, but fear keeps us quiet and circling.
We confess our lack of courage, splintered by uncertainty and second-guessing.
Forgive us for all the times we shrink from your call.
Embolden us to dream beyond what we know;
and to imagine the world as beloved community.
Let your Spirit fill us, prodding us beyond inertia.
Guided by your Holy Spirit, help us to live as Christ’s body,
active participants in ushering in your peaceable realm. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE: (based on Acts 2:21)
One: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and freed for the future.
All: Thanks be to God!
SUNG RESPONSE: #591 Glory to God Halle, Halle, Hallelujah! (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: Flickering, faithful Mystery, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Spirit,
that we might hear and receive the message you intend for us today.
All: Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING: Numbers 11:24-30 I Corinthians 12:3b-13
One: May God bless the reading of Holy Scripture.
All: Thanks be to God.
CHORAL ANTHEM: Like a Mighty Wind Marolli
MESSAGE: Welcoming Fresh Expressions of Spirit Rev. Dr. Jared Witt
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: #292 Glory to God As the Wind Song
RECOGNIZING GRADUATES & JOSHUA STARK
WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER: #288 Glory to God Spirit of the Living God (Sing 2x)
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: God’s Spirit is among us making all things new.
Let us participate in this new creation by offering our gifts to God.
OFFERTORY SOLO: Come Thou Fount arr. Hayes Sarah Baxter, alto
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
One: You give with open hands, Generous God, sharing gifts as seed to sow.
We gather these offerings, asking only that they might take root and flourish —
to nurture your beloved community.
Our gifts express our commitment to shape the world in your image,
one generous gesture at a time.
All: Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN: #280 Glory to God Come, O Spirit, Dwell Among Us
*CHARGE AND BLESSING
*POSTLUDE: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing arr. Stockton
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 Josh up in the front of the sanctuary at the livestream table if you would like to use one.
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.
BUDGET AND ELECTION UPDATES from Riva Capellari
Budget
- Lawmakers left Missouri’s K-12 foundation formula roughly $190 million short of full funding in the state budget. Schools already took a current-year hit when lottery revenue fell short of assumptions.
Bills
- Following a call from St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski who was against the proposal to switch control of MOScholars from the State Treasurer’s Office to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the proposal fizzled on the last day of legislative session. The archdiocese runs one of seven organizations that accept donations and administer scholarships as part of the MOScholars program. There were bi-partisan concerns about how the treasurer’s office was handling the MOScholars program.
- A healthcare bill expanding women’s and maternal health coverage, increasing access to telehealth, and allowing women with private insurance to pick up an annual supply of contraceptives vs monthly. The bill requires insurance to cover home blood pressure monitoring devices for women who are pregnant or in the 12-month postpartum period. Passed
- The “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” anyone who “knowingly performs or attempts to perform an overt act that kills a child born alive” can be charged with first-degree murder (this includes doctors) even though infanticide is already illegal in Missouri. Passed. On the governor’s desk.
- HB 3146 (would have prevented courts from rewriting misleading ballot language) and HB 2124 (would have imposed significant restrictions on petition circulators) did not pass.
- HB1871 expands provisional ballots to all elections and restores voting rights to most returning citizens upon release from incarceration, potentially allowing 60,000 Missourians on probation and parole to cast a ballot for the first time this year. Passed
- SB 928/HB 2637: streamlines the order of protection process in domestic violence cases to reduce risk of additional violence against victims, law enforcement, and court officials; updates legal definitions of assault and domestic violence for more efficient prosecution; includes technology language to the definitions of stalking and harassing. Passed
- SB 1637 /HB 1840; creates framework for Communication Access Services to help deaf and hard of hearing Missourians receive access to services like interpreters during court visits, doctor’s visits, and various other daily tasks. Passed
Redistricting Confusion
- The Missouri Constitution says: “Any measure referred to the people shall take effect when approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon, and not otherwise.” The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the suspension (of the new map) does not occur until the signatures are verified as valid by Hoskins no later than Aug. 4 . The districts used for the primary could be changed as people are voting.
- The new map alters voting for 45% of the 130,000 registered voters in the county. Officials in 30 of Missouri’s 116 local election authorities must alter voter assignments by May 26 to implement the new maps for the Aug. 4 primary. The revisions touch five of Missouri’s eight congressional districts, splitting counties, cutting through neighborhoods, or even through individual residences. When lines split existing precincts, work is done house-by-house in a painstaking review of where the lines fall. However, Missouri election officials can’t revise voter rolls to reflect the state’s redistricted congressional map until Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ office opens the statewide voter registration system to accept the changes.
- Regardless of what map is used, voters will not need to update their voter registration themselves. They will automatically be updated and issued new voter ID cards. A new lawsuit filed Monday asks a Cole County judge to force Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to decide whether the referendum challenging Missouri’s new congressional map qualifies for the November ballot before voters cast ballots in the Aug. 4 primary. The petitions were submitted Dec. 9 and signature verifications reported to Hoskins’ office show it has enough signatures in enough districts to meet the constitutional threshold for placement on the ballot.
Plaza Developments
- While tax incentives are in limbo, the new owner of the Country Club Plaza is seeking to raise height limits for new construction. It want to allow buildings up to 120, 150 or 178 feet tall, compared to the height of the 138-foot Giralda tower at the corner of Mill Creek Parkway and 47th Street. Historic preservation advocates and neighbors say new height limits would wall off the Plaza from the rest of midtown.
INREACH & OUTREACH IN THE COMING WEEK: (All Events are at the Church, 201 Westport Rd – unless noted)
- Today, May 24 After Church Potluck: Celebrating Graduates & Joshua Stark (Fellowship Room)
- Monday, May 25 MEMORIAL DAY (Church Office Closed)
6:30 p.m. Men’s AA Meeting (Fellowship Room)
7:30 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room) - Tuesday, May 26 4:30 p.m. Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
- Wednesday, May 27 6:30 p.m. Stewardship Committee Meeting (Zoom)
- Thursday, May 28 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) - Friday, May 29 10:30 a.m. Private Memorial Service (Chapel)
4:00 p.m. Willow Woods Spring Program (Sanctuary)
7:00 p.m. Westport Center for the Arts – The Dancing Word: “THEN and NOW: When to Hold on and When to Let Go” (Center for Spiritual Living, 1014 W. 39th St.) - Saturday, May 30 8:30 a.m. Private Rental – Meeting (Living Room/Library)
2:00 p.m. Westport Center for the Arts – The Dancing Word: “THEN and NOW: When to Hold on and When to Let Go” (Center for Spiritual Living, 1014 W. 39th St.) - Sunday, May 31 PENTECOST SUNDAY (Wear Red)
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)
4-8:00 p.m. Gregor White Graduation Party (Fellowship Room)
LOOKING AHEAD:
- Thursday, June 4 6:00 p.m. WCA Pride Concert: Nick May, saxophone & Alex Siu Lun Li, piano
(Sanctuary) - Saturday, June 13 5:00 p.m. WCA 20th Anniversary Dinner, Concert & Silent Auction (Fellowship Room & Sanctuary)
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