Deacons In Action: Worship Committee

 

The Worship Committee consists of 4 groups of helpers to organize the sign-up sheets and to help St Mark run smoothly. 

The Communion Group sets up Communion trays with the elements and passes the trays in the pews during the service. Gluten free elements are used for Communion. St. Mark celebrates Communion on the first Sunday of each month. 

The Greeter Group organizes the sign-up sheet for volunteers who stand at the Welcome Center and at the Narthex doors greeting people & making them feel welcome. 

The Sanctuary Group decorates the Sanctuary for Easter and Christmas. They also refill the pages in the Friendship pads in the pews. The information in the Friendship pads lets us know how many people attended the service. It is also a great way to learn people’s names and make everyone feel included and welcomed at St Mark. 

The Ushers Group hand out bulletins, can escort us to our seats and welcomes us before the worship service begins. They work in teams of 5, some of the teams currently only have 4 people and slots need to be filled. If you are interested or would like to find out more about being an Usher please contact Glenn Knopf.

Worship Prayers September 29

 CENTERING PRAYER

 

Gracious God, you give life and, in your Word, it is beautiful. Thank you for this new day. In each coming hour, help me to see beneath the ever-present difficulties and superficial joys into the mysteries that you have set out for your people. Guide me toward those I meet today in a way that welcomes them and, in turn, grants me a welcome, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good.

God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Let our words and thoughts be acceptable to God;

the Lord is our rock and our redeemer.

Let us worship our awesome God together.

 

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 

Merciful God, we confess we have not followed your way. You rain down mercy upon us, yet we murmur in our discontent. You cast out the evil within us, yet we fling curses at others. Forgive us, God of grace. Call us home from our wandering, deliver our souls from death, and cover us with your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Silent Confession)

 

 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – The Apostles’ Creed

 

 

OFFERING

 

Invitation to the Offering

 

Like the child Jesus held, we live and move and have our being

inside the circle of his arms.

Let us open our hearts so that our tithes and offerings

bring others, as well, into that circle.

 

Prayer after Offering

 

Let us pray…We thank you for the wealth you shower on us daily, O Lord,

and we witness the marvelous goodness that comes from you.

Transform these gifts into signs of welcome

for all who are touched by their use.

Transform us into people who bless others throughout each day,

in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

 

Scripture for September 29

 

James 5:13-20

The Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

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Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Daily Prayer September 27

The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor and release to the captives.

Daily Readings for Friday, September 27, 2024

• Morning Psalms 88; 148
• First Reading Esther 8:1-8, 15-17
• Second Reading Acts 19:21-41
• Gospel Reading Luke 4:31-37
• Evening Psalms 6; 20

Almighty God, you sent Jesus to proclaim your kingdom and to teach with authority. Anoint us with your Spirit, that we too may bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to the captive. As you have made this day, O God, you also make the night. Give light for our comfort. Come upon us with quietness and still our souls, that we may listen for the whisper of your Spirit and be attentive to your nearness in our dreams. Empower us to rise again in new life to proclaim your praise, and show Christ to the world, for he reigns forever and ever. Holy God, from whom every family on earth takes its name: Strengthen parents to be responsible and loving that their children may know security and joy. Lead children to honor parents by compassion and forgiveness. May all people discover your parental care by the respect and love given them by others. (Add your prayers.) Amen.

The grace of Christ attend you, the love of God surround you, the Holy Spirit keep you, that you may live in faith, abound in hope, and grow in love, both now and forevermore.

(Opening sentences, prayers, and blessings are from the Book of Common Worship. Readings are from the daily lectionary in Daily Prayer. Both are published by Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Peace and Global Witness Offering

 

What is Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery doing to serve as a Peacemaker? Guns to Gardens is a ministry of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and is part of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Dismantling Racism and White Privilege Team. In the last two years G2GSTL has sponsored gun recycling (to be turned into garden tools) events, informative sessions on abating gun violence, and cohort training in the St. Louis area. More information is available on https://www.presbypeacefellowship.org/gun-violence-prevention#guns-to-gardens

How is the money collected by the Peace and Global Witness Offering spent? Here are a few ideas of the cost of specific items:

· Supplies for displaced students $30

· Refugee food basket $50

· Teacher training $85

These gifts add up to a greater impact, considering all the churches involved. Online the Presbyterian Giving Catalog gives lots of ideas for specific gifts. No matter what is chosen, it all adds up and has impact. Be part of that and give generously.

Food Pantry Needs

 SEPTEMBER FOOD PANTRY CRITICAL NEEDS 

• Canned Chicken 

• Canned Spinach 

• Canned Fruit 

• Deodorant* 

• Multipurpose Cleaners* 

All year long, we collect food and hygiene items for Circle of Concern and Isaiah 58 Ministries. Please place your donations on the mission table outside the church office 

*Non-food products such as deodorant and household cleaners cannot be purchased with food stamps.

Worship Prayers

 

CENTERING PRAYER Gentle Jesus, you call us to live in your name with honor and respect, fully known to you and precious in your sight. Draw us near to you each day as you teach us how to feed on your gifts, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP Happy are the people who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that they follow, or sit in the seat of people who make fun of others. Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on God’s law day and night. The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION O God, who makes known to us all truth, we confess that we are weighed down by our failings: envy distances us from other people; greed alerts us only to our own desires. Where we might bring reconciliation, we create conflicts. Where you call us to give, we take. Where your presence beckons, we resist. Deal with us not as we deserve, O God, but forgive us, cleanse us, and teach us your way. (Silent Confession)

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE 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 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. 

Scripture for September 22

 James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Submit Yourselves to God

4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Photo by Cliff Johnson on Unsplash

Daily Prayer September 20

The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe the good news.

Daily Readings for Friday, September 20, 2024

• Morning Psalms 130; 148
• First Reading Esther 1:1-4, 10-19
• Second Reading Acts 17:1-15
• Gospel Reading John 12:36b-43
• Evening Psalms 32; 139

Loving God, through your Son you have called us to repent of our sin, to believe the good news, and to celebrate the coming of your kingdom. Like Christ‘s first apostles, may we hear his call to discipleship, and, forsaking old ways, proclaim the gospel of new life to a broken world. Great God, you are one God, and you bring together what is scattered and mend what is broken. Unite us with the scattered peoples of the earth that we may be one family of your children. Bind up all our wounds, and heal us in spirit, that we may be renewed as disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master and Savior. God of all who stand in awe of you, make us one with all your saints and with any who are in need. Teach us to befriend the weak, and welcome the outcast, that we may serve the Lord and live to offer him glory. (Add your prayers.) Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord be kind and gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.

(Opening sentences, prayers, and blessings are from the Book of Common Worship. Readings are from the daily lectionary in Daily Prayer. Both are published by Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Peace and Global Witness Offering

 

Each church decides where their “mission” efforts and dollars will go. A church in Pennsylvania initiated “Fresh Start Loads of Love”, a laundry outreach program to those in the community who were struggling, and covering the expenses of a laundromat was a challenge on many levels.

The program was partially funded by a grant from the Presbytery, using a part of their portion of the Peace and Global Witness Offering as well as the congregation’s portion. Rev. Caroline Vickery says, “We know that Jesus makes it clear that how we treat the vulnerable is how we treat Jesus…our laundry outreach has put the congregation in touch with a world whose hardships they’re unaware of…Not being able to keep yourself clean robs people of their dignity…That’s why we call it ‘Fresh Start.’ It’s a chance to start over.”

St. Mark’s involvement with Isaiah 58, Circle of Concern, and Peace Meal are efforts to reach out and to support those in need. Please give generously to this Special Offering.

Newborns in Need

 

Presbyterian Women is collecting for Newborns in Need during the month of September. Newborns In Need is a charity that specializes in the needs of babies facing health or economic crisis In St. Louis. It is a local and national nonprofit organization. 

New and gently used baby items such as bibs, booties, burp cloths, hats, onesies, socks, sweaters, and undershirts, sleepers, blankets, baby wash, wipes and diapers are accepted and may be placed in the Pac n Play by the PW table. 

Monetary donations are greatly appreciated. Make checks out to Newborns In Need and ask for a tax receipt. Mail to: Newborns In Need c/o Judy Giovanoni, 310 Oxford Ridge Ct.., Ellisville, MO 63021. For more information, call Shirley Boeker or Louis Grothe.

Worship Prayers September 15

 

CENTERING PRAYER

 

It says in the Bible, O God, that you created the world through your Word. Your Word is powerful, but so are our words. They can heal, create a smile, be a declaration of love; they can also hurt and destroy a sense of self-worth. Give us your wisdom, God of the Word, so we use our words to build up and not to destroy. Amen.

 

 

CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 19)

 

Look at the heavens!

They are shouting the glory of God.

The days and the nights declare the magnificence of God’s creative works

Their voice goes through all the earth and their words reach the ends of the world.

Let our words of praise be acceptable to you.

Our Lord, our rock, our redeemer!

 

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 

You call us, O God, but we refuse to listen; you stretch out your hand and we do not take it. We take what you give us and use those gifts to hurt others and defy you. We refuse to listen to your wisdom. Forgive our inability to recognize you and live out the reality of your gospel. Give us the insight we need to understand your place in our lives. May our words and actions reflect the glory of God in the lives of others. (Silent Confession)

 

 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – The Apostles’ Creed

 

 

OFFERING

 

Invitation to the Offering

 

God has given us our lives and our very beings. Let us give to God now from what God has given us.

 

Prayer after Offering

 

Let us pray… God of wisdom, may this offering serve as a powerful witness to this world in need. Guide us as we use these gifts for the building of your kingdom. It’s in Jesus Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

 

Scripture for September 15

James 3:1-12

Taming the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Read full chapter

 

Daily Prayer

Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.

Daily Readings for Friday, September 13, 2024

• Morning Psalms 51; 148
• First Reading Job 29:1, 31:24-40
• Second Reading Acts 15:12-21
• Gospel Reading John 11:30-44
• Evening Psalms 142; 65

Jesus, Good Shepherd of the sheep, by whom the lost are sought and guided into the fold: Feed us and we shall be satisfied, heal us and we shall be whole, and lead us that we may be with you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Almighty God, by grace alone you call us and accept us in your service. Strengthen us by your Spirit, and make us worthy of your call. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. In the beginning you separated light from darkness and placed all your works in our hands. You have given us the light of day that we might see your wonders in all we say and do; you give us the gentle darkness of the night that we might rest from our burdens and be refreshed in body and spirit. Break through the darkness of our sins with the splendor of your mercy and love. Send your light to dispel our fears and anxieties and fill us with hope and joy. Glory, praise, and honor are yours, O God. (Add your prayers.) Amen.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

(Opening sentences, prayers, and blessings are from the Book of Common Worship. Readings are from the daily lectionary in Daily Prayer. Both are published by Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Worship Prayers September 8

  CENTERING PRAYER

Generous God, you are my maker and I trust in you. Surround me with your favor today that I may hear the cry of those in need and share my resources with the poor; in the excellent name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. Amen.

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good.

God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Be strong; do not fear! God is with us.

The Lord will come to save us.

Let us worship our God together.

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 

God of favor, we have not been true to you.   You have chosen the poor in the world, but we have dishonored them.     You plead the cause of the afflicted, but we crush them. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.   We have favored the rich and despised the poor. We have dismissed the needy with empty words.             Soften our hearts and make straight our ways. Heal our unbelief and turn us back to you. (Silent Confession)

 

 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – The Apostles’ Creed

 

OFFERING

 

Invitation to Offering

 

Those who are generous are blessed       

through the good name of Jesus Christ our Savior,         

by whom we have received the favor of our God—
better than silver or gold.

From the riches of God’s grace,

let us present our gifts of gratitude to bless those in need.

 

 

Prayer after Offering

 

Let Us Pray…Generous God, thank you for these gifts                          

we bring from your abundance.

Bless gifts and givers to show your love to all those
in need  

through our glorious Lord Jesus Christ,   

healer of the sick, advocate of the afflicted,         

provider for the poor. Amen.