THE GATHERING

Fifteenth Sunday in Kingdomtide
October 1, 2023

Welcome

Welcome/Opening Prayer

Song

Worship

Creed

Song

Song

Prayer

Teaching

Scripture Reading

Sermon

“Just As I Am”

Song

Communion

Invitation, Confession, Pardon and Peace

Prayer of Confession

L: We have not believed you or trusted in your power.
ALL: Lord, help our unbelief.
L: We have stained our souls by our action and inaction.
ALL: Cleanse us, Lord.
L: We are broken by disease, bruised by the sins of others, weakened and unable to repair ourselves.
ALL: Heal us, Lord.
L: We ignore your call to center our lives in you, and so are deaf to the hopes and cries of the poor, the sick, the needy, and the earth.
ALL: Ground us, Lord!
L: When we confess our sinful ways, God abundantly pardons.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
ALL: In the name of Jesus Christ, we are all forgiven. Glory to God!

L: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with you!
ALL: And also with you.

The Great Thanksgiving

L: The Lord be with you.
ALL: And also with you.

L: Lift up your hearts.
ALL: We lift them to you, Lord.

L: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
ALL: It is right to praise you, Lord.

L: It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
Always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Holy Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
your name is praised among all peoples.

Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
who for ever sing this hymn to the glory of your name:

ALL: Holy, holy, holy, Lord,
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full…
Full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who comes
In the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna in the highest!

L: You are holy, Almighty One!
Blessed are you, Jesus Christ!
In the power of the Spirit
you created all things, blessed them, and called them good.
You called to yourself a people
To make your mercy and truth known in all the world.
We betrayed your calling;
ALL: You were faithful.
L: We wandered from the way;
ALL: You called us to return, and led us home.

L: And still we turned from your ways,
abused your creatures,
and made ourselves slaves to sin and death.

At the right time
you came and dwelt among us,
as one of us,
bringing good news to the poor,
healing the sick, raising the dead,
sharing table with the unrighteous,
and teaching the way that leads to life.

By your incarnation, life, suffering, execution and resurrection
You gave birth to your church,
delivered us from slavery
and made a new covenant with us
by water and the Spirit.

On the night of your betrayal, Lord Jesus,
you took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to your disciples and said,
“This is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
You did the same with the cup after the supper, saying,
“This cup that is poured out is the new covenant in my blood.”

Blessed Trinity, in remembrance of all you have done to save us,
we offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we sing (proclaim) the mystery of our faith:

ALL:
Christ has come among us. Christ has died.
Christ has risen. Christ abides with us.
Christ will come again.

L: Pour out your Spirit on us
Pour out your Spirit on these gifts
Make these gifts the body and blood of Christ
ALL: Make us, through them, Christ’s body alive in the world.

L: We thank you, Father!
ALL: Let Your Kingdom come.

L: Come, Lord Jesus!
ALL: Be our daily bread.

L: Holy Spirit!
ALL: Send us to the world.

L: Holy, Blessed Trinity!
ALL: One God forever and ever! Amen.

Tithes and Offerings

Communion

Communion Prayer

Closing

Announcements

Benediction

Song

BLUFF PARK SANCTUARY CHOIR- GIVE US A TRY!
Bluff Park Sanctuary Choir is always looking for anyone that enjoys singing to come and experience firsthand this community of believers that loves to lift their voices in praise to our Almighty Father! Perhaps you have considered visiting our regular weekly choir rehearsal on Wednesday evening. Now is the perfect time to come and enjoy an evening or Praise as we start to prepare music for the fall and Advent season. It is not required that you know how to read music to be a part of this wonderful choir. All you need to do is come and check us out for yourself. It is not required for you to attend every rehearsal or to be present every Sunday for Worship. Being able to match pitch is important. If you would like to only sing for our Christmas Program that is great. Come, we would love to have you. This year we will be presenting MESSIAH, by Handel with guest orchestra and soloists. Please talk to any choir member or give me a call at church or email or better yet see me after service. I guarantee you that you will receive a blessing by just attending one rehearsal. You won’t know until you try!  Art DeWeese, Director of Traditional Worship—adeweese@bpumc.org

BPUMC Halloween Trunk or Treat
We are having a Halloween Trunk or Treat in the parking lot of our church on Saturday, October 28th from 2-4pm! There will be a trunk-or-treat with lots of candy, a pumpkin patch, carnival games, face painting, a dunk tank to raise money to buy socks, gloves, and hats for the homeless, and more! In order to make this event as great as it can be for the kids of our church and the kids of our community, we need your help! We need as many people/groups as possible to decorate a car and hand out candy, and we also need candy donations! There will be candy donation bins in the narthex and both entrances on the first floor, and if you would like to sign up to help with our trunk-or-treat, please email Melissa Hendon at mhendon@bpumc.org!

BPUMC Marriage Retreat
No matter how long it’s been since you made your vows, the work of maintaining a healthy marriage is an intentional effort that’s always worth the work. BPUMC is excited to offer you a one-day opportunity, hosted on our church campus, to do just that in community with other couples in the church! Our first ever Marriage Retreat will be on November 4th, 2023, where we will be led by Rev. Monica Harbarger at United Counseling through a conversation on “The Seven Principles for Making a Marriage Work,” a practical guide from leading relationship experts that can equip couples to strengthen their marriage in any season or stage of life. The registration fee for this retreat will cover lunch, snacks, a retreat T-shirt and more! Childcare for birth through 5th grade will be offered for an additional $10 per child. Register Online: BluffParkUMC.org/events/ Have questions? Contact Rev. Ross Furio or Billy Rainey!

One Night for the Homeless
This is one of our favorite annual events where 6th-12th graders are invited to spend a night at the church learning more about homelessness and learning how we can care for our homeless neighbors in practical ways. This year’s event will be held on October 8th-9th and students will be collecting socks, hats, and gloves from our congregation that night to be donated to those in need. This event is *free* but space is limited, so sign your student up now at bluffparkumc.org/events/

Red Cross Blood Drive
There will be a Red Cross Blood Drive in the 1st floor  gym on Sunday, October 1st, from 7:30am—12:30pm. Donors will get a $15 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. A Red Cross Donor Card or photo ID is required to make a donation. To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-Red-Cross or visit their website at RedCrossBlood.org and use the keyword BPUMC

Thank you for supporting the ministry and mission of our church family! Click the link below to give online safely and secure through Realm

We would love to pray you. Submit a prayer request below and our team with be praying for you. You can also pray for other needs posted below.

Prayer List:

Betsy Delionback, Sox Sockler, Butch Styes, Bill Jones, Derilda Joiner, Anna Chatterton, Becky Walker, The Family of Myra Gray, Jared Thomas and Family, Martha Clayton, Kerns Family, Philip Causey, Anne Foote, Kevin Payne and family, Family of Don Miles, Jim and Gaile Ketchersid, Carolyn McCrary, Celeste Cisco, Rick Hardy, Maya Wright, Jean Glaze, Bill Cooch, Lisa Avant, Sara Perry, Pam Phagan, Haley Buchman, Gene Donaldson, Ann Miller, Linda Phillips, Olivia Howard, Pam McDonald, Nathan and Amy Pearman, Sue Pearson, Nathan and Alice Chase, Rosemary Hill, Ann Bice, The people of Ukraine, Pan Cahoon, Mark and Becky Blankenship, Matt and Pat Reeder, Barbara Wilson, Catherine Hallmark, Ann Gilliland, Mildred Stokes, Gayle Pierce, David Walker, Pauline Hendricks, Charlotte Word, Connie Steele.

Prayers for Our World:

Matthew 25:43, 45“ …I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me…Truly, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Lord, as we enjoy the daily busyness of our lives with friends and family, may we also remember those who cannot do the same, whether through their illness or incarceration.  May we keep these brothers and sisters in our prayers and reach out with specific actions, using the skills You have given us.  May we be led to take the minutes to make a call, schedule a visit, or voice support for policies that will improve others’ lives.  May we also humbly acknowledge that we, too, may be in need of such outreach, many times without warning.

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