September 11, 2021

Dear Beloved St. Paul’s UMC and Wesley Foundation Family,

Grace and peace to you, my dear friends.

Today we are excited to begin our new schedule as we kickoff the Fall of 2021. I believe that we have some important things to discover together as we move into this Fall and beyond, so we want to encourage you to find a way to engage with the variety of options being provided. Here is the schedule for tomorrow, September 12th:
9:00 AM
In-person Sunday School for children and adults

9:00 AM
In-person Service of Word and Table in the sanctuary

10:30 AM
Hybrid worship service in-person and livestreamed here.

11:30 AM
Discussion Group in-person and on Zoom
(join by clicking here, or use Meeting ID- 859 0584 5591 and Passcode- stpauls)
As we all continue to make our way through this chapter of the pandemic, we want to encourage you to make this the time that you return to the church community, whether online or in-person. Together, we are finding our way forward!

Grace|Peace,
Pastor Greg
Order of Worship
Prelude
Mary Bahnfleth

Greeting
Rev. Greg Milinovich

Call to Worship
One: The love of God has called us here, 
All: and we come to lift up that love in praise; 
One: we come to remember our belovedness, 
All: and to remember the call to love others. 
One: This is our way forward: a humble kind of love in service to God and others:
All: This is the love that has called us here!

Opening Hymn: “Lord God, Your Love Has Called Us Here” (UMH 579)

Wesley Covenant Prayer
Rev. Becky McGee
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

Passing the Peace

Children’s Message
Sally Herdman

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38 (NRSV)
Glenn Albert

Message: “Deny Yourself”
Rev. Greg Milinovich

Pastoral Prayer

Offering
Rev. Greg Milinovich

Closing Hymn: “Take Up Thy Cross” (UMH 415)

Benediction

Postlude
Mary Bahnfleth
Discussion Questions:

  • What do you think has been the effect of so much uncertainty in our lives over the last year and a half? How has it impacted you? In the fog of uncertainty, have there been some things that you are sure of that have come into sharper focus?

  • Our Gospel text this morning contains Jesus’ teaching that those who follow him must deny themselves and take up their cross. Think about Peter hearing these words right after his conversation with Jesus about what kind of Messiah he thought he needed to be. How might this shape our hearing of Jesus’ words, and what they could mean for us?

  • What are ways that God might be calling you – and us – to deny ourselves? How is this self-denying humility exercised in our listening, learning, and loving? What about our meeting, making, and moving?
St. Paul's United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation
250 East College Avenue | State College, PA 16801 | 814-237-2163 | stpaulsc.org