April 10, 2021

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

Grace and peace to you, friends, in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ! It is so easy to forget that the season of Easter is just that: a season! Easter isn’t over, just because the chocolate is gone. No, the resurrection of Jesus is a daily reality for our us in our own journeys. Today we are considering how we might tell that story, and how, in the telling, our joy can be made complete. Join us, as we worship together, by clicking here.

Children’s Sunday School
This week we explore an empty tomb with Miss Joanna. Pls have the last egg ready for the craft we will make with its contents during our time together. The lesson is here.

Small Group Discussion
We continue to make real and meaningful relationships in our weekly discussion groups. We would love to have you join us on Sunday, April 11th at 11am on Zoom. You can join us by clicking here (if you are using the Zoom App, the meeting ID is: 859 0584 5591 and the Password is: stpauls).

Regathering Plan
As we move towards regathering for in-person worship, we are aiming at a phased plan, in which we will take each step in sequence, in order to care for one another, and move into this next season as gracefully as possible. Phase One will be a switch from pre-recorded worship services to live streamed worship, beginning in May. Then, unless COVID 19 infection rates and hospitalizations worsen significantly, we will begin Phase Two in June: a one service, in-person worship experience with health safety precautions and limited capacity. That service will continue to be live-streamed and be available to view online. More details will follow as we get closer to May.

Grace|Peace,
Pastor Greg
Order of Worship
Greeting: Rev. Greg Milinovich

Call to Worship
One: We gather in the name of the risen Lord.
All: Christ is risen! Alleluia!
One: We gather as sisters and brothers of the resurrected one.
All: Christ is risen! Alleluia!
One: We gather to share our faith and to worship God.
All: Christ is risen! Alleluia!
One: We gather to proclaim the good news of Easter!
All: Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Opening Hymn: “Alleluia, Alleluia” (UMH 162)

Prayer of Confession
God of mercy,
we come celebrating our unity,
but we confess the many ways
that we are divided.
Our nationality, ethnic origin, economic status,
gender, age, and musical preferences
all too often obscure the common calling
we share in Christ’s name.
May our common identity as your children
and our communal witness to Christ
bind us together in your name.
Forgive our tendency toward separation and division,
and remind us that we are your Easter people.

Words of Assurance

Passing the Peace

Children’s Message: Linda Keisling

Scripture: 1 John 1:1–2:2 – Karl Colyer

Hymn: “We Are Singing” (FWS 2235a)

Message: “The Stories We Tell” – Rev. Greg Milinovich

Pastoral Prayer

Offering

Closing Hymn: “Easter People, Raise Your Voices” (UMH 304)

Benediction
 
Postlude
Discussion Questions:

  • Can you think of a personal story you love to tell? (if not, why not?). What is it about this story that makes it so worth telling?

  • What are some of the ways that “telling the story” of our faith might “make our joy complete?

  • When we think about telling our story, we may be tempted to only think about traditional modes of evangelism. Truly, we want to tell the stories that say we “have seen the Lord!” but can we think of any new ways of telling these stories?
St. Paul's United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation
250 East College Avenue | State College, PA 16801 | 814-237-2163 | stpaulsc.org