PUMC Bulletin 10.2.22

WELCOME TO

Princeton United Methodist Church We are a diverse faith community, engaged in enlivening spiritually thirsty people to joyfully respond to God’s love and grow as disciples of Christ, so that together we may experience the fullness of life.

OCTOBER 2, 2022 SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SCAN TO GIVE OR TEXT YOUR GIFT AMOUNT TO 609-554-1128

SCAN TO CONNECT WITH US OR TEXT 'PUMC' TO 609-542-2192

ANNOUNCEMENTS WORLD COMMUNION DAY TODAY! In celebration of World Communion Day, we will be having a potluck during coffee hour. Join us to enjoy food from different cultural heritages! Don't forget to donate to our special offering for World Communion Day at princetonumc.org/give-pumc/.

INSPIRED BOOK STUDY WEDNESDAYS It's not too late to sign up for our eight-week journey reading Inspired by Rachel Held Evans. This book study will be on Wednesdays at 7 pm via Zoom. Email Pastor Tayler or see Happenings to sign up.

EVERY OTHER MONDAY EMBODIED FAITH Last Monday was our first "Embodied Faith" session. You can still sign up for future sessions! Join us at 7:30 pm in the SDR and on Zoom to be led in movement and prayer practices. Email Pastor Tayler for registration.

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IN HIS IMAGE

BY WILLIAM ZDINAK

TO HEAR THE WORD AND REFLECT

THE CHURCH GATHERS Pre-Service Music

Prelude in D Minor

J. S. Bach

Call to Worship adapted from Steve Garnaas-Holmes Creator of all things, Thank you!

Maker of earth and sky, the seas and stars, and all living beings, Thank you!

Loving Mother and Father of all people, nations, tribes, and races, Thank you!

You whose arms hold Koreans and Bolivians, Rwandans and Inuit, Thank you!

The God who knits together Baptist and Orthodox, Methodist and Moravian, Congregational and Coptic, Thank you!

With all your Beloved we gather at your table to feast with our siblings in Christ, one in the Body of Christ, one in your love.

Thank you!

We worship, we receive your grace, and we give ourselves to you and our neighbor, for the sake of the world.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Hymn

God Is Here

UMH #660

Prayer of Confession adapted from Steve Garnaas-Holmes & Thom Shuman We come to this place, this table today, aware that there are things that trip us up as we come to feast with God and one another.

So let us confess together: God, we give thanks for the diversity and unity of the human family, and for your grace in the ways we honor that gift.

And we confess the ways we resist our unity, resist our diversity, judge those who are not like us, and ignore our siblings.

Heal our fear, forgive our sin, and renew in us your loving Spirit.

God, forgive us. Forgive us. silence for prayer Words of Assurance Seeing our brokenness, God puts us back together, hearing our prayers, God chooses to forgive us.

One hope, one faith, one baptism, one body, these are the gifts God gives us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

Thank you, God! Amen.

Be Thou My Vision

Children's Time Scripture

arr. Alice Parker

Where Children Belong

TFWS #2233

Ephesians 4:11–16 This is the Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Rev. Jenny Smith-Walz

TO RESPOND IN FAITH

Prayers of the People Offertory

Korean Folk Tune

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Joy E. Koning UMH #13

The Lord's Prayer Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kin-dom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kin-dom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Prayer After Receiving Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves for others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

AND SCATTERS TO BE IN THE WORLD Hymn

We Are All One in Mission

TFWS #2243

Benediction Postlude

Fugue in C Major

J. S. Bach

PRAYER CONCERNS Donald Jones, Ian Griffiths, Larry & Helen Curtis, Vicky Lepore, Donna, Jason Harding, Nora Jule, Ahsan, Zion Hicks, Gail Baker, Jim Frisbee, the people of Ukraine & Pakistan, Gun laws, those fighting for gender equality in Iran & around the world, people in Cuba & Florida

HAVE PRAYER CONCERNS?

SHARING IN WORSHIP TODAY

Acolyte: Sequoah Hadley Liturgists: Heather Hadley, Jae Hong Reader: Isabella Dougan Musicians: Kevin Daly, Chancel Choir Ushers: Bob Nuse, Charles Bass, Reginald Cann, Paul Manulik

Music Ministry

TODAY'S FLOWERS ARE GIVEN To the Glory of God

For our Prayer Chain, call Mary Lib Stewart at 609-632-1973 or contact Yvonne Macdonald at yvonnee.mac@verizon.net.

Email Pastor Jae Hong at jae@princetonumc.org when you or a family member is in the hospital or in need of a pastoral call.

ENVISIONING THE KINGDOM Where are you finding hope these days? In what do you place your hope? In times of great division and trouble, hope becomes particularly elusive and extraordinarily important.

When it comes to hope, story-tellers, poets, artists, and visionaries are often the ones to help us find it. Hope-cultivators look to the promises of God, the stories of God hearing the cries of the suffering and delivering people from slavery and death and oppression. Hope-bringers put word and image to the pain and struggle, to that which must be relinquished to discover a promised future, and to God's vision for us. Hope-builders create bridges from where we are and our current perspectives to a promised future and a new view of the world, one of unity and diversity, of flourishing and shalom, of mercy and compassion, of abundance and grace.

Write down (or otherwise record or share) a story of hope. Maybe it's a story rooted in real life—something that happened or is happening to you or others. Maybe it's a fictional story, a poem, a song, or a piece of art that you or others wrote that speaks of hope to you. Maybe you have a vision that God is giving to you of God's kingdom.

ACTION

This week, do something to cultivate hope with a neighbor. Maybe this is the same neighbor you served with generosity in week 1 of this series, or one you discovered in week 2 as you "came and saw" what Jesus was up to, or the neighbor whose pain you were compassionately present with (week 3). Talk with your neighbor about hope and about the ideas on the other side of this paper. Share your story, poem, or artwork. Ask them to share theirs.

Bonus action invitation #1: Do this with a neighbor whose perspective is different from yours.

Bonus action invitation #2: Find a way, together with the neighbor, to take some action toward the hope you speak of.

REFLECTION

1. DID ANYTHING YOU EXPERIENCED OR DISCOVERED CHALLENGE OR STRETCH YOU?

2. DID YOU EXPERIENCE GOD'S PRESENCE, GRACE, AND ABUNDANCE IN YOUR EXPERIENCE? DID YOU CATCH A GLIMPSE OF GOD'S KINGDOM? DESCRIBE IT.

3. WHAT IMPACT, IF ANY, DID THIS EXPERIENCE HAVE ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE? ABOUT JESUS & HIS PERSPECTIVE? ABOUT YOURSELF? ABOUT OTHERS? ABOUT THE WORLD?