In the name of Christ WELCOME!

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1 In the name of Christ WELCOME! Although you may be a stranger to us, you are no stranger to God, who knows you and loves you, and whose heart is glad at your presence here. We sincerely hope this time of worship will bless your life. As you are able, please stand for acts of worship indicated by an asterisk (*). UMH indicates United Methodist Hymnal (red hymnal) TFWS indicates The Faith We Sing (small, black hymnal) Help us sustain God s creation by placing unwanted worship bulletins in the basket on the credenza in the back of the sanctuary for recycling. LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES GREETING and NOTICES PRELUDE *INTROIT (11:00) Surely the Presence The Chancel Choir *CALL TO WORSHIP (Responsively) Come, children of God, let us lift our hearts and our voices. We lift our hearts to God, inviting God to touch and shape us during this time of worship. God delights when hearts are open to the Spirit. We lift our voices in praise and adoration to God, for all the wondrous things God does and in amazement at God s sheer magnificence. God delights in our heartfelt, passionate worship. Praise God for this day. Praise God for creation. Praise God for life itself. Praise God for opportunity and possibility. Praise God for saving grace. Thanks be for the steadfast, abiding presence of God. *HYMN Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee UMH 89

2 *OPENING PRAYER (in Unison) Holy One beyond our imagining, we lift to you our heartfelt expression of praise and gratitude. In you, O God, our lives find meaning. In you, we find unconditional love and strength for the journey. When we meditate upon you, O God, we are filled with wonder that you who are so great care for us. Our only adequate response is passionate worship. So with hearts overflowing, we say thank you. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for guiding us. Thank you for sustaining us. Thank you! Thank you! In Jesus name. Amen. IN APPRECIATION OF SERVICE IN MUSIC MINISTRY (11:00) HEBREW SCRIPTURE Isaiah 6:1-8 (NRSV) 6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. 4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts! 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out. 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, Here am I; send me! The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. 2

3 GIVING OF OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS OFFERTORY PRAYER (In Unison) God of our hearts, God of our lives, receive this outpouring of praise and commitment as represented in these tithes and offerings. Receive the praise of our souls and the giving of our resources. Shape us in this time to be good stewards and faithful disciples, so that together we might become your love in this world. Amen. OFFERTORY *PRESENTATION OF GIFTS UMH 94 Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! *HYMN Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty UMH 64 PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE [You are invited to share your prayers aloud.] PASTORAL PRAYER THE LORD S PRAYER SUNG IN UNISON Our Father, which 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. ANTHEM (11:00) We Will Glorify The Chancel Choir 3

4 SERMON Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations Passionate Worship: Three Simple Words Rev. Candee Martin RECOGNITION OF PERSONS IN MUSIC MINISTRIES (11:00) *CLOSING HYMN How Great Thou Art UMH 77 *COMMISSIONING AND BLESSING As you go forth into the world today, go singing the song of God s grace everywhere you go and to everyone you meet. Sing loudly and boldly, for there are many who need to hear the song and come and dance in the light of God s mercy. As you go, may the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit live and abide with you, with those you love, and especially with those to whom love is a stranger this day. Amen. *POSTLUDE 4

5 AN ORDER FOR THE RECOGNITION OF PERSONS IN MUSIC MINISTRIES Dear friends, let us recognize those who have responded to the call of God to the ministry of music in the church. To direct, to sing and to play instruments are ministries of Christ among us. Those called to these ministries need our loyal support and our prayers. Making music to the praise of God in the congregation is a ministry that requires devotion and discipline. Do you accept responsibility for this ministry? I do. Will you be faithful to the disciplines of music? I will. May the faith expressed by your music live in your heart, and what you believe in your heart, practice in your life. And may God give you grace to offer your music and your life in faithfulness and consecration, now, and in the world to come. Dear friends, I commend to you these persons. To them has been given the ministry of music in the church. Will you sustain them with your encouragement and your prayers, as together we seek to offer praise to God? We will. Let us pray: O Lord, our God, bless these ministries of music and those who offer them in your service. Give to these persons love for you and your people, fullness of heart as they praise you, and diligence that their music may be a worthy offering to your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 5

6 Today we began a five-week journey with the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, a book written by Bishop Robert Schnase. These five practices are: -- Passionate Worship -- Intentional Faith Development -- Risk-Taking Mission and Service -- Radical Hospitality; and -- Extravagant Generosity I invite you to pause for a few moments to reflect upon Bishop Schnase s thoughts on the meaning of passionate worship: God in Christ changes people s lives through Passionate Worship. Worship stirs people s souls, inspires them and strengthens them Worship describes those times we gather deliberately seeking to encounter God in Christ Understanding the meaning of worship requires looking beyond what people do to see with the eyes of faith what God does. God uses worship to transform lives, heal wounded souls, renew hope, shape decisions, provoke change, inspire compassion, and bind people to one another. We don t attend worship to squeeze God into our lives; we seek to meld our lives into God s. It s a time to think less about ourselves and more about faith, less about our personal agendas and more about God s will. We encounter a fresh vision of God s reality in Christ so that God s Spirit can reshape our lives and form us into the body of Christ. Peace and Blessings to you, Pastor Candee 6

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10 Is there someone for whom you would like us to pray? Please contact the church office. Please remember in prayer those from our congregation: Lil Bit Brown Nell Writtenberry Carl & Jane Roberts Robert Kilgore Richard Mundie Eleanor Woodward Cecelia Short Marty Baker Ed Kilgore Jean Andleton Allen Langford Kristen Milholen Mike & Tami Langford Barbara Cubbage Bob Lawson Other requests: 10

11 Our friends and family members in need of prayer: Carolyn Crozier (former member); Baby Lyle (Wilson s preemie grandson); Z amir (Pastor Candee s grandnephew); Eloise (friend of Jane Miller); William Lucke (Jane Miller s cousin) in Kabul returns in October 3, 2017; Sylvia Milholen; Courtney (friend of Amanda Hooten); Jerry Berkseed; Cottrell family; David Roberts (Carl & Jane s son); Ernesto Bridges' mom; Lenny (Carol Gardner's friend); Cynthia Morrill (Vince Mundie s sister); Phil Suazo (Rich Foley s friend); David Hearne (Rich Foley s friend); Kevin Kittrell (friend of Michele Benson); Kim Dulaney (Cheryl Baker s daughter); Peggy Shomette (friend of Milholen s); Mark McDaniel (friend of Milholen s); Rodriquez Family; Robert Bage (Peggy Langford s cousin); Harry & Audrey Slye (sisterin-law); Carol & Mike Thomas (friend of the Slyes); Libby Kendrick s cousin; Michaela Burkholder s father; Becky Montgomery s Aunt Frances; Jennifer (Jane Miller s friend); Bobby Sherman (Jo & Ralph White s son-in-law) Also remember: the hungry, the unemployed, those suffering with loneliness and depression, healing for all cancer patients, members of our armed forces & veterans, first responders, state and national leaders, the homebound and the homeless, our UM Bishop and District Superintendent, our Pastor, church leaders & staff, our children s Sunday school program, areas of conflict, those traveling, those suffering, volunteers for God's Work, the community surrounding our church, the Lord's Guidance in how our church will move forward, CALE and Prayer Triplets, and many others. 11

12 Reminders, Announcements and Other News Sunday, Sept 10 8:30 am Worship (S) 9:30 am Refreshments & Fellowship (FH) 9:45 am Sunday School/Bible Study 11:00 am Worship with Music Recognition (S) 3:00 pm District Conference at Warwick Memorial Monday, Sept 11 11:30 am UMW Circle 8 (Cypress Embassy Suites) 6:00 pm UMW Circle 2 (Melva Fairchild s home) 7:00 pm Nominations Committee (Parsonage) Tuesday, Sept 12 10:00 am Nifty Crafters Wednesday, Sept 13 9:30 am UMW Circle 1 (FH) 11:30 am UMW Circle 4 (Vancosta s Restaurant) Thursday, Sept 14 4:30 pm Finance Committee Meeting (C) 6:15 pm Handbell Choir (CR) 7:15 pm Chancel Choir (S) Friday, Sept 15 No scheduled activities Saturday, Sept 16 12:30 pm UMW to Mattaponi Clinic Sunday, Sept 17 8:30 am Worship (S) 9:30 am Refreshments & Fellowship (FH) 9:45 am Sunday School/Bible Study 11:00 am Worship (S) FH-Fellowship Hall CR Choir Room CFR-Craft Room C-Crouse Room HP-Happy People s Class S-Sanctuary Kit-Kitchen P-Parlor 12 9/10 9/11 9/12 Midge Eason 9/13 9/14 Joshua Hooten 9/15 Julie Crocker Becky Montgomery 9/16 Ed Boyce The Pastor and staff wish everyone a happy birthday and pray God s blessings upon you. If your birthday is not listed or listed incorrectly, please accept our apologies and let us know in the office so we can correct our records. Thank you. Church Council Wednesday, Sept 20 7:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall

13 WORSHIP ASSISTANTS TODAY, SUNDAY, SEPT 10: LITURGISTS: William Milholen (8:30) Meg Moore (11:00) WORSHIP ASSISTANTS NEXT SUNDAY, SEPT 17: LITURGISTS: Jeremy Hooten (8:30) Ann Gordon Evans (11:00) FINANCE: Carol Gardner FINANCE: Vesta Wallio BUS DRIVERS: Ed Boyce BUS DRIVERS: Gary Bergtholdt COUNTERS: Bob Allsbrook Ralph White COUNTERS: Brad Allsbrook JoAnn Walberg Stewardship Corner Sept 3 Attendance: Worship: Total: 87 8: :00-56 Sunday School: 48 Offering Received last week: General Fund 8, Designated Funds The chancel flowers are given to the Glory of God by Beverly Geer in loving memory of Her husband, Bart. Next week s flowers: Shirley Boyce The United Methodist Women will be taking supplies to the Mattaponi Healing Eagle Clinic on Saturday Sept. 16. We will take the church bus and leave at 12:30 p.m. from the church parking lot. These are the supplies gathered from the cancelled trip in July. We will load the supplies on the bus and travel to the clinic. It is open this day. We will unload the supplies and drive back. Another group is bringing lunch for the workers that day. If you are interested in making the trip please contact Judy Rushton

14 Key elements in successful stewardship strategies What if stewardship was more than a campaign in your church? What if it was a mindset? And what if stewardship was incorporated in every season? The Rev. Ken Sloane is director of stewardship and connectional ministries at Discipleship Ministries and has witnessed firsthand the different ways in which churches approach stewardship. Sloane recommends shifting the goal from getting money to pay bills to getting money so your congregation can experience the joy of generosity and the joy of being faithful disciples. In doing this, stewardship becomes an integral part of every season instead of a season all its own. Sloane outlined main components of a strong stewardship program, which include: First fruits - Many churches are not comfortable talking about tithing. If this is true of your congregation, turn to the Bible. Leviticus 23:9-14 explains the concept of giving the first 10 percent of the harvest to God. Use this biblical passage as a basis to ask: What are the financial priorities in your life? What is most important in your life? This conversation emphasizes that our offering to God comes first. Use these conversation starters as an opportunity to discuss priorities and boundaries. Church mission - According to Sloane, belief in the church s mission is one of the most compelling reasons for people to give. Have you articulated your church s mission? Ask these questions: Is our church s mission clear and concise? Do people know the church s mission? Is there a call to action? Does the mission include measurable results? Two important ingredients a call to action and measurable results often are left out of mission statements. As you consider stewardship education and strategies for your congregation, consider moving from: Seasonal to continual. Have an ongoing conversation about generosity and giving. Stewardship should not be the focus of only two to three weeks in the fall. Scarcity to abundance. Instead of talking about what your church doesn t have, talk about how blessed it is. People are more motivated to give out of a grateful heart. 14

15 Encourage joy in giving. Use John Wesley s teachings. Often attributed to Wesley is the adage, Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can. Wesley modeled modest living and social giving. His words ring true today. Read the complete article at United Methodist Communications Cleaning buckets, donations needed in wake of Harvey - Want to help survivors of Hurricane Harvey? First, prayer is needed for the survivors, their families and all who are aiding in rescue, clean up and in many other ways. You can also put together Cleaning Buckets which are needed. Visit the conference website to download a list of Cleaning Bucket contents. As well consider a donation through UMCOR (United Methodists Committee on Relief). Drop off deadlines and collection points for the buckets can be found on the conference website at Rio Texas Conference asking for Early Response Teams - The Rio Texas Conference is asking for ERTs that are currently certified. Teams will base out of Corpus Christi and should register at ERT trained individuals/small groups not part of a team should register at Current needs include debris removal of downed trees and roof tarping. Many homes have water damage from damaged windows and roofs. Registration open for Fall 2017 Diaconate Retreat - The current realities in social, cultural and political lives are calling for more compassion and justice. For such a time as this, there is the diaconate. This retreat, held October 3-4, 2017 at the Eagle Eyrie Retreat Center in Lynchburg, will be a time of renewing baptismal and ordination vows as participants strive for and lead the church in compassion and justice. This event is open to all deacons (ordained and provisional) as well as inquiring or certified candidates. Retreat leader will be the Rev. Dr. Virginia Lee, Associate Professor of Christian Education and Director of Deacon Studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and an ordained deacon in the Virginia Conference. Event will begin 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3 and conclude at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Registration fee is $150 per person which includes all meals and lodging in a double room. For questions, contact the Rev. Kelley Lane at kelleylane@vaumc.org. More information on conference calendar at Published weekly, the electronic Sunday Advocate summarizes news events affecting Virginia United Methodists and serves as a link to the indepth reporting of the Virginia United Methodist Advocate, the official magazine of the Virginia Conference. To subscribe to the monthly Virginia Advocate magazine, call (804) or , ext. 110; or Advocate@ vaumc.org. Unless indicated, all news compiled courtesy of the Virginia Advocate, the weekly e-advocate or United Methodist News Service. 15

16 Visitor Center How to Reach Us TO REACH THE REST ROOMS OR THE NURSERY: Enter through the canopied entrance on the side of the building. Rest rooms are down the hall to the left. The Nursery is up the steps and down the hall to the right. Greeters and ushers are available to guide you. REGISTRATION PADS are located in each pew near the center aisle. Please use these to record your presence, and to pass along information for the pastor or the church office. PRAYER REQUEST CARDS are available in the pews and in the foyer atop the Prayer Box. Deposit them in the box, or drop them in the offering plates. WE PRACTICE OPEN COMMUNION. We celebrate Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month, and at other special times. All are welcome at the table of the Lord, regardless of church membership, age, or feelings of worthiness. If you wish to come into relationship with Christ, deepen or renew that relationship, there is a place for you here. Office office@firstumchampton.org Pastor Rev. Candee Martin candeemartin@vaumc.org Office Manager/Finance Laura Harris office@firstumchampton.org Director of Music Ministries Dean Shinn deanshinn@aol.com Nursery Director Jenny Hamm jennynichole@outlook.com FOR INFORMATION ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER OF FIRST UMC, please indicate so on the registration pad, or contact the pastor. OUR SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE: WORSHIP: 8:30 AM FELLOWSHIP: 9:30 AM BIBLE STUDY: 9:45 AM WORSHIP: 11:00 AM There is a place for you and your family on Sunday mornings here at First UMC Hampton 16