8/27/23 Bulletin & Order of Service

Welcome & Church Information

8 & 11 am Order of Service

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Traditional Worship—8 & 11 AM

August 27, 2023

*Please stand as you are able. Congregational responses are in bold.

(Click here to check-in)

PRELUDE

"And Can It Be" arr. Harold DeCou

Rick Nay, Organ

(11:00) CHORAL INTROIT

"Let Our Song Go Forth" by Fred Bock

Chancel Choir

*CALL TO WORSHIP Rev. Bob Martin

Pastor: We gather here this day to hear God’s word for us.

People: We praise God for the opportunity to gather together.

Pastor: We are sent forth from this place to share God’s transforming love.

People: Lord, encourage us and empower us to do your will.

*HYMN OF PRAISE

"Christ for the World We Sing" Number 568

*PASSING THE PEACE OF CHRIST

*CONGREGATIONAL SONG

“Blest Be the Tie That Binds” Number 557

Blest be the tie that binds

our hearts in Christian love;

the fellowship of kindred minds

is like to that above.

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

“Apostles’ Creed” Number 881

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

(11:00) WELCOME OF NEW MEMBERS

Nancy Chapin

Linda J. Delaney

Helen & Jonathan French

Lindy & Steve Grimes

Cynthia & Wally Guthrie

Hunter Krause

Kristina & Loren Russell

Sugar-pi Wiedeburg

Barb Wilson

Roberta Seward

PASTORAL PRAYER / LORD'S PRAYER

Our 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

(11:00) CHORAL ANTHEM

"In This Very Room" by Ron and Carol Harris

Chancel Choir

WORSHIP WITH OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS (Click here to GIVE)

"Abide With Me" by Eric Lewis

Rick Nay, Organ

*DOXOLOGY Number 95

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise Him, all creatures here below; praise Him above, ye heavenly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*HYMN OF PREPARATION

“Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us” Number 381

SERMON

"Live into Holiness" Rev. Margaret Rountree

Text: Revelation 2:12-17 (ESV)

*HYMN OF DEDICATION

"Jesus Is All the World to Me" Number 469

*BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE

"Sunshine In My Soul" by Franklin Ritter

Rick Nay, Organ

The flowers are given to the glory of God in love and honor of Ginny & Dennis Sexton’s 60th wedding anniversary on August 31, from their family.

Thank you for joining us this morning!

Reminder: If you are not feeling well, please take advantage of our livestream worship. COVID is spiking again in Florida and we want to keep everyone safe!

9:30 am Order of Service

Pastor's Note

A NOTE FROM PASTOR MARGE We are in the third week of our sermon series titled, "A Message for Today's Churches." In this series, we've been diving into the book of Revelation and exploring questions such as these: "Is the church today what it was created to be?" "What happens when the people of the church lose sight of their purpose?" "What devastating blow does the church deliver to its community when it forgets the people of God are to serve others and instead serves itself?" On a Sunday morning in the year AD 96, the apostle John, who was living on the prison island of Patmos in the middle of the Aegean Sea, received a revelation, otherwise known as an apocalypse, from Jesus. In this revelation, Jesus stands in the middle of seven lampstands, which represent seven churches on the mainland, and dictates seven extremely important messages to these seven churches. In his message to the church in Pergamum, Jesus speaks an amazingly relevant word to us and to other followers of Jesus who seek to be faithful in a post-modern, pluralistic culture. We live in a culture where there's this mindset of, "Whatever floats your boat" and "Do what makes you happy" and "YOLO." It turns out that the church in Pergamum was struggling with this kind of mentality too. Pergamum was a 1st century city, now located in modern day Turkey. It was an important center for pagan and imperial religion. Worshipping false gods and idols was the norm in this city and the church found itself right in the middle of it all. The church in Pergamum was doing a good job standing firm against the overt pressure of the pagan city. But, there was a major problem within the church: they were either unaware of, or carelessly tolerant of, the covert pressure coming from within the Christian fellowship. This is the way it has been throughout Christian history. Most growing Christians are relatively able to spot and resist ideas that are blatantly contrary to God's will and way. However, it's the ideas that come to us wrapped in seemingly harmless religious language which are more difficult to spot and resist. From the church in Pergamum, we learn a deeply important lesson: that as believers that live in the world, we must wage war against being of the world. We overcome conforming to the things of this world by transforming it in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. We are not holding our ground against the kingdom of darkness because the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing, and it takes forceful men and forceful women to lay a hold of it. Do you know how we are forceful? Do you know how we can live into holiness? We see Jesus, we fall in love with Him, we repent of our sins, and we don't just repent to kind of sit there and go, "Oh, the rescue boat is fun." Rather, we repent and then we go fight evil and darkness in the name of Jesus Christ. We fight to defeat the enemy. This world at best only offers circumstantial happiness. That is the best this world has to offer. And so many people, even so many "Christians" who claim with their mouths that Jesus is Lord and Savior, choose this temporary, circumstantial happiness with their hearts. This pursuit of happiness never satisfies us and always leaves us wanting more and more and more. Whether it's choosing to be temporarily sexually satisfied or comfortable or powerful, everything this world has to offer us absolutely fails in comparison to the intimacy, glory, and power that Jesus Christ has given to us, as His chosen people. We have been called to live a holy life and holy does not mean perfect, it just means "set-apart." That we would not let the things of this world rule over us and define/label us but rather we would stop, turn around, and head in the direction that leads to an abundant, everlasting life. That we would fight the good fight and stand up every day against our enemy. That's what it means to live a holy life: to repent and to set our eyes on eternal, everlasting things that will not only give us happiness, but will more importantly give us deep, profound joy too. — Pastor Marge

Bulletin/Announcements

Wednesday Night Dinner & Wednesday Night Live

Returns on September 6!

Last Week's Attendance Numbers

Thank you for joining us for worship! These are our attendance numbers for worship from last week. We hope to see you again next week!

August 20: In Person 381 // Online 362

July 2023 Giving

July Income $179,810

July Expense $195,824

School Partnerships Fundraiser:

St. Pete First needs your help in providing school supplies and other needs for our two partner schools, Melrose Elementary and Fairmount Park Elementary. Your donated funds will go towards purchasing needed school supplies, school uniforms, underwear, shoes, gym equipment, as well as school events such as Teacher Appreciation Luncheon, Career Day, and the National Day of Reading. You can write a check (memo line: School Partnerships) or go to our website and donate to the School Partnerships fund.

Confirmation Meeting (8/27 TODAY):

Confirmation is beginning September 10 for youth in 7th & 8th grades. There will be an informational youth and parents meeting TODAY August 27th at 12 noon in the WhereHouse. Contact: KayLee Bennett KBennett@fumcsp.org

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner (8/30):

Our wonderful volunteers at St Pete First are invited to a special dinner on August 30th! Bring the family! Or invite a friend! Click here to RSVP or call the church office (727-894-4661) no later than THIS Monday, August 28th.

Wednesday Night Live (begins 9/6):

Click here for more information and to sign up for classes & groups.

Discover SHAPE (begins 9/6):

Join us on Wednesday nights as we stretch ourselves to explore our spiritual gifts and find our place in the life of the church. You are only seven weeks away from your perfect fit at St. Pete First! Get in SHAPE! Click here to sign up.

Help us SERVE on Wednesday Nights:

Wednesday Night Dinner returns September 6th! As always, it's a team effort. Contact Chad at 727-667-7169 or email csimonds@fumcsp.org to join a service team. We can't do it without you!

Order your St. Pete First T-Shirts here:

Did you miss our last t-shirt order? Need another color? Ordering is open now and will remain open until Friday, September 8. Get a St. Pete First t-shirt to wear to church events, volunteer work, or around town! Click here for more information and to order online.

Stephen Ministry Needs YOU (training begins 9/26):

Do you want to help others but aren't sure you have the skills? Do others see you as a compassionate person? Are people drawn to you when they are dealing with life challenges? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are a good fit to become a Stephen Minister. Training begins September 26th 6:30-8:30. Contact Barb Willey for an application or to discuss details: 703-409-8003

Street Ministry Cook Opportunity:

Come join a small team of Street Ministry Cooks that prepares meals for the homeless in our church kitchen. Volunteer Cooks prepare meals from 4 pm to about 5 pm on various weekdays. Most cooks only volunteer an hour a month and have had no prior experience in cooking for a large number of people. To learn more about volunteering with Street Ministry, contact Hal Heitler at 727-448-6291 or at heitlerh@tampabay.rr.com.

Job Openings

Kids & Youth

Weekly & Monthly Events

SUNDAY WORSHIP

8:00 am Traditional Service -Sanctuary

9:30 am Contemporary Service -Sanctuary

11:00 am Traditional Service -Sanctuary

FELLOWSHIP TIME (BETWEEN SERVICES)

9-11:30 am Common Grounds (Coffee, Food & Fellowship) -Fellowship Hall

9-11:30 am (2nd Sundays) Blood Pressure Clinic -1st Floor Nurse's Area

ADULTS

SUNDAYS

9:30 am QUEST -Zoom & Room 208

10:45 am PROMISED LAND -Zoom & Room 301 (Returning 9/17/23)

10:45 am YOUNGISH ADULTS -Room 101

11:00 am BECOMERS -Zoom & Room 103

11:00 am DISCIPLE MAKERS -Library-Room 212

11:00 am SOJOURNERS -Room 208 (Returning 9/10)

MONDAYS

11:30 am United Women in Faith FAST Crowd (3rd Mondays) -Location varies (Returning in September)

TUESDAYS

1:00 pm United Women in Faith Deborah Circle (2nd Tuesdays) -Room 103 (Returning in September)

WEDNESDAYS (Wednesday Night Live/Dinner returns 9/6/23)

5:30 pm DINNER Fellowship Hall

6:30 pm BAND OF BROTHERS MEN'S GROUP Parlor -Room 214

6:30 pm BIBLE 101 - A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO BIBLE STUDY -Room 103

6:30 pm DISCOVER SHAPE -Room 214

6:30 pm PASTOR MARGE'S ESTHER BIBLE STUDY -Room 208 (Begins Oct. 4)

THURSDAYS

7:30 am THURSDAY MEN’S STUDY -Zoom

2:00 pm United Women in Faith Abigails (4th Thursdays) -Room 103 (Returning in September)

MUSIC

SUNDAYS

8:30 am IGNITE WORSHIP PRACTICE -Room 214-Parlor & Sanctuary

10:15 am CHANCEL CHOIR -Room 312

12:10 pm HANDBELLS -Room 310 (Returning in September)

TUESDAYS

6:00 pm IGNITE WORSHIP PRACTICE -Sanctuary

WEDNESDAYS

7:30 pm CHANCEL CHOIR PRACTICE -Room 312 (Sundays only June-August)

CARE & SUPPORT

WEDNESDAYS

12:00 Noon CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP -Zoom

THURSDAYS

6:30 pm WOMEN'S JOURNEY -Chapel

7:30 pm AL-ANON Parlor -Room 214

LEADERSHIP TEAM MEETINGS

FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

5:30 PM BOARD OF TRUSTEES -Room 101

SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

6:00 PM STAFF PARISH Closed Meeting

THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

6:00 PM FINANCE TEAM Admin Conference Room

FOURTH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

6:00 PM CHURCH COUNCIL Fellowship Hall & Zoom

FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

12:00 PM LEARN PILLAR

SECOND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

6:00 PM SERVE PILLAR

6:00 PM INVITE PILLAR

THIRD THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

2:00 PM NURTURE PILLAR

8/27/23 Bulletin & Order of Service

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St. Petersburg First United Methodist Church
212 3rd Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727.894.4661

© St. Petersburg First United Methodist Church 2023