9/17/23 Bulletin & Order of Service

Welcome to St Pete First United Methodist Church! All are welcome. All belong. Whether a first-time guest or a lifelong member, you are a part of our family. God has called you to worship here, and for that we are glad.

Rev. Bob Martin, Senior Pastor

Rev. Margaret Rountree, Associate Pastor

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Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Traditional Worship—8 & 11 AM

September 17, 2023

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

(Click here to check-in)

PRELUDE

"Children Of The Heavenly Father" arr. Richard A. Nichols

Dr. Ross DeBardelaben, Violin; Rick Nay, Organ

(11:00) CHORAL INTROIT

"The Family of God" by William Gaither

Chancel Choir

*CALL TO WORSHIP Rev. Margaret Rountree

Leader: Sing and rejoice! The Lord reaches out to you with healing love!

People: The Lord is our strength and our power!

Leader: Dance before the Lord, a dance of joy and hope!

People: The Lord brings us joy and lifts us up in hope.

Leader: Come, let us worship God who is always with us.

People: Let us celebrate the good news God brings to us each day.

*HYMN OF PRAISE

"To God Be the Glory" Number 98

*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.

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

"Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah" arr. Mack Wilberg

Chancel Choir

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

"When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" arr. Paul S. Jones

Dr. Ross DeBardelaben, Violin; 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

“Close to Thee” Number 407

SERMON

"Make a Difference" Rev. Bob Martin

Text: Revelation 3:1-6 (NLT)

*HYMN OF DEDICATION

"Spirit Song" Number 347

*BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE

"Postlude In C" by George Blake

Rick Nay, Organ

The flowers are given to the glory of God in love and honor of Rex & Peggy Stuckey’s 60th wedding anniversary on September 14th, 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!

Contemporary Worship - 9:30 AM

September 17, 2023

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Praise & Worship

"Joy of the Lord"

"Here I Am to Worship"

Passing the Peace of Christ

Confirmation Bible Presentation

Worship with Our Tithes and Offerings

(Click here to GIVE)

"How Great Thou Art"

Sermon

"Make a Difference" Rev. Bob Martin

Text: Revelation 3:1-6 (NLT)

Worship Song

“One Thing Remains”

Benediction

The flowers are given to the glory of God in love and honor of Rex & Peggy Stuckey’s 60th wedding anniversary on September 14th, 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!

A NOTE FROM PASTOR BOB This has been a week of reflecting. Sitting in bed with COVID will do that to you. It’s moments like this where you have little energy when you discover that life’s pace runs too fast. Work commitments, taking kids to and from extracurricular activities, making sure dinner is on the table to feed your family or closing the deal that has been within reach but seemed to be going south that you learn the real importance to life. I make a confession that even preachers fall short on the significance of what it means to sit in God’s presence… oh how I have missed just listening for God’s voice to speak words of encouragement and hope into my life because life has just been too busy to stop long enough to listen. The scriptures remind us of how important it is to seek God’s Word and presence each day. Isn’t it a tragedy to know that we can allow life’s busyness to take away the one thing we need most in life? It’s been an eye opener for me… In these quiet moments I have heard the Lord’s voice of care, nurture and hope. The thing I am reminded most is God’s love and care comes through all of you. Don’t misread my words, this isn’t about me, but in some small way this time of just sitting, listening and soaking up God’s love has touched my heart even more for the better. Friends, there are those hurting in our church family who need your touch this week. Death of a precious family’s daughter, loss of a job, seeking life’s direction for the day are just a few realities affecting so many. I think we are reminded just how important we are to each other. Perfect strangers once, but called to be a family in Christ whose love for us is more than we can fathom in our own grey matter called a brain. Here’s what I know… life on this earth is too short for anyone hurting to go it alone. Let me encourage you to be an encourager to someone who is hurting today. Make the call. Go to their home. Shower them with your love. Let them know no matter what life is throwing their way they are not alone. Be Christ to someone in need. Love them. Surround them and remind them in those moments of need God is real, God loves them and binds their wounds. Pray for one another and be an instrument of the love of Jesus. This is one thing that humbles me daily… we need each other. We love, because God first loved us.

— Pastor Bob

Wednesday Night Dinner Menu

$5 kids, $8 adults, $30 family of 5

To-Go available - just walk in and ask for a to-go plate!

Adults: Fried or Baked Chicken, Potato Salad, Collard Greens, Biscuit, Lemon Meringue Pie

Kids: Hotdogs & Chips, Celery & Carrots, Fruit Cup, Ice Cream Sandwich

Click here for Wednesday Night Live information

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!

September 10: In Person 429 // Online 296

Are you wondering how you can help our neighbors who have been affected by Hurricane Idalia? If you would like to give online, go to our St. Pete First Giving page and choose the "Disaster Relief" fund for your donation.

​Have you been affected yourself by Hurricane Idelia? Please call the church office and let us know how we can assist you. Click here for a list of Hurricane Recovery Resources.

Children's Ministry News

Elizabeth Nagel, our preschool coordinator for Sunday and Wednesday programming will be leaving us on Sept. 24th after 8 years on staff. Elizabeth started volunteering in the nursery and with our VBS and Summer Camp programs while she was in High School and joined our staff in 2015. As a college graduate, she has accepted a full-time position elsewhere. We have loved having her as a part of our church family all these years and she will be dearly missed. Join us in wishing her well these next two weeks.

Paint Your Own Pumpkin Frame (9/17):

“Pottery to Go,” kits are available in the Fellowship Hall TODAY: September 17th, in limited quantities! Return your painted frames to the church by September 24 for firing, and pick up your completed frame on October 1st. Help support The WhereHouse Youth Ministry with a donation of $25 per frame. Frame comes with glass and black cardboard backing, name and year written.

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner has been rescheduled (9/18):

Let's try this again! The 5th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner is happening Monday, September 18th. If you left an RSVP for the previous date (August 30th), please RSVP again for the newly rescheduled date. Please note the new time - dinner starts at 5:30 and goes until 7pm. The time slot has been extended to accommodate busy schedules, so please feel free to show up when you can! Thank you for all you do - we hope to see you there! More Info

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

Pastor Marge's Esther Bible Study (begins 10/4):

Everyone loves a transformation story. Rags to riches. Plain to beautiful. Weak to strong. The story of Queen Esther is that and so much more. Come join Pastor Margaret on Wednesday nights from 6:30-7:30pm (starting on October 4th) as she dives into the beautiful Old Testament book of Esther for ten weeks. We will learn timeless lessons that can be applied to your own life, including:

• The importance of standing up for what you believe in, even when it's difficult.

• How to embrace your God-given strength.

• The true limits of retaliation.

Click here to sign up

Job Opening: Preschool Ministry Coordinator:

With the departure of Elizabeth Nagel (see above), we have an opening for a person to lead the preschool age children on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Approximately 10 hours per week plus special events. Contact Lora Ulrich at lulrich@fumcsp.org for more information.

To see our list of job openings, visit our Job Center: https://www.stpetefirst.org/job-center.

KIDS

SUNDAYS

9:30 AM

Nursery (Birth - 2 years) Room 105

2’s TODDLER Room 104

PRESCHOOL (Age 3 - K) Sunday School Preschool Hall

ELEMENTARY (1st - 5th Gr) Kids Church 4th Floor

11:00 AM

Nursery (Birth - 2 years) Room 105

2’s TODDLER Room 104

PRESCHOOL (Age 3 - K) Kids Church Preschool Hall

ELEMENTARY (1st - 5th Gr) Sunday School 4th Floor

CLUB 56 (5th & 6th Grades) Room 404

WEDNESDAYS

5:00 PM KIDS PRAISE TEAM (Age 4-5th Grade) Chapel

5:30 PM DINNER Fellowship Hall

6-7 PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE (Preschool & Elementary) Preschool/4th Floor

6:30-7:30 PM NURSERY (Birth - 3 years) Room 105

YOUTH

SUNDAYS

9:30 AM WORSHIP (Look for the youth up front) Sanctuary

10:45 AM CONFIRMATION WhereHouse

11:00 AM CLUB 56 (5th & 6th Grades) 4th Floor, Room 404

10:45 AM YOUTH (7th – 12th GRADES) WhereHouse

6:00 PM YOUTH (7th – 12th GRADES) WhereHouse (returns TONIGHT)

WEDNESDAYS

5:30 PM DINNER Fellowship Hall

6-7:30 PM Youth Group WhereHouse

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 TODAY)

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

MONDAYS

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

TUESDAYS

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

WEDNESDAYS

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 -Chapel

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

MUSIC

SUNDAYS

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

10:15 am CHANCEL CHOIR -Room 312

12:10 pm HANDBELLS -Room 310

TUESDAYS

6:00 pm IGNITE WORSHIP TEAM -Sanctuary

WEDNESDAYS

7:30 pm CHANCEL CHOIR PRACTICE -Room 312

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 -Admin Conference Room

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