Order of Worship
GATHERING MUSIC O River by Karisha Longaker
Oh river, I feel you hear you callin’ me
Oh river, who will I be when I reach the sea
Findin’ my way…
findin’ my way back home
I — I am home!
WELCOME
* OPENING SONG Come Sing, O Church, in Joy!
Come sing O church in joy
Come join O church in song
For Christ the Lord has led us
Through the ages long
[Refrain]
In bold accord
Come celebrate the journey now
And praise the Lord
Long years have come and gone
And still God reigns supreme
Empowering us to catch the vision
Dream the dream [Refrain]
Let courage be our friend
Let wisdom be our guide
As we in mission
Magnify the Crucified [Refrain]
Come sing O church in joy
Come join O church in song
For Christ the Lord has triumphed
Over the ages long [Refrain]
WHY DO WE SING IN CHURCH?
PASSING OF THE PEACE
Peace be with you… ...and also with you
* SONG - I’ve Got Peace Like a River
I've got peace like a river,
I've got peace like a river,
I've got peace like a river in my soul.
I've got peace like a river,
I've got peace like a river,
I've got peace like a river in my soul.
I’ve got joy like a fountain
I’ve got joy like a fountain
I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul
I’ve got joy like a fountain
I’ve got joy like a fountain
I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul
I’ve got faith like an anchor
I’ve got faith like an anchor
I’ve got faith like an anchor in my soul
I’ve got faith like an anchor
I’ve got faith like an anchor
I’ve got faith like an anchor in my soul
WHY DO WE GIVE IN CHURCH?
GIVE, SERVE, SHARE: Announcements
OFFERTORY
* DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures here below.
Praise God above ye heavenly host,
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
SCRIPTURE Romans 12: 1 - 2
READING “Joy” by Stuart Kestenbaum
SONG OF PREPARATION Sweet Hour of Prayer
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my maker’s throne
let all my needs and wants known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter's snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for your return!
With them I hasten to the place
where I would know my Savior’s face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Whose wings shall my petition bear
to one whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since I’m bid to see God’s face
believe God’s word and trust God’s grace
I'll cast away my every care,
and wait for you, sweet hour of prayer!
SHARING OF JOYS AND CONCERNS
When in the past week did you see God at work?
What concerns would you like to turn over to God’s care?
PASTORAL PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father/Creator/Parent, 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 sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen
MUSIC FOR REFLECTION Travelin’ Thru by Dolly Parton
Sarah Simmons McCollum, mezzo soprano
WHY DO WE PRAY IN CHURCH?
* CLOSING SONG Canticle of the Turning
My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?
Refrain
My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
and the world is about to turn!
Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.
[Refrain]
From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev’ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
There are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.
[Refrain]
* BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Church in the Wildwood by Dr. William S. Pitts made famous by Dolly Parton
Sarah Simmons McCollum, mezzo soprano
* * *
Announcements
Elevator is Working!
We are ECSTATIC to announce: our elevator is finally working again!!! Major thanks to our trustees (especially Ken Bertrand) for taking the lead in getting it fixed, and thanks to everyone for your patience as we jumped through the necessary hoops to get the elevator repaired and certified for use.
To use our elevator on Sunday mornings, look for the Accessible Entrance sandwich sign on Cullom street. Check out this video Xander and Rebecca made with more details on how to find and operate the elevator.
Back Bay Supply Drive
Bethany is returning to Back Bay in Biloxi, Mississippi in October and we need your help. Part of their mission is to help the homeless in their community. There are no overnight shelters in Biloxi. Please bring 1 or more items for hygiene kits that we will deliver to the mission.
Next Sunday, Back Bay executive director James Pennington will be preaching and you are invited to bring supplies to kick off our prep for this year’s trip. (Are we tempted to try and WOW James with a giant heap of these things? Yes. We. Are!)
hand towel (approximately 16" x 28")
wash cloth
wide tooth comb
toothbrush
toothpaste
bar of soap (bath size, in wrapper)
plastic soap container
deodorant (men or women)
razor (men or women)
comb or brush
menstrual products
Beach Clean Up - September 19th
Join Organizing for Plastics Alternatives to help clean up trash at Foster Beach from 10am-12pm! Register here if you plan on joining.
Sunday School Returns! - September 20th
Sunday school is back on September 20th! We are so excited to begin our year diving into the Fruits of the Spirit every week from now through May. We can’t wait to sing worship songs, explore Biblical stories, and engage activities together in k-2nd and 3rd-6th grade classes.
Rebecca and Vince’s 10 Year Anniversary - September 20th
We are celebrating Vince and Rebecca's 10 year anniversary at Bethany in church on September 10th! Make sure to stop by to celebrate them during coffee hour and support one of a decade's worth of services they have led us in.
Improve Election Turn Out with Bethany - September 23rd
Did you know that, nationally, those who prioritize environmental issues tend to have low voting rates? That needs to change! Bethany is partnering with the Environmental Voter Project to get out the vote in Texas. We will be writing postcards to environmentally-minded voters to get them engaged in their upcoming election. You will be given a script, so no worries about what to write.
Contacting voters directly has a proven record of success – the more postcards, the more voters go to the polls. They've found their campaigns can boost turnout of environmental voters by as much as 1.3%. If you've ever wished you lived in a swing state where your vote mattered more, now's your chance. Many races these days are determined by narrower margins than that!
So join us for some snacks, brews, and political action on September 23rd from 6-8pm. We'll be completing 200 postcards and all supplies will be provided.
Volunteer at Urban Grower’s Collective - September 26th 1-4pm
Come farm and meet goats at a Black and women led farm in the South Chicago neighborhood working towards food sovereignty for Chicago’s south side. Get a ticket to tour and/or volunteer on the Urban Grower’s Collective website here and let Xander know when you do! Xander is happy to drive up to four folks there and back home!
Keanon & Yasuko at The Checkout - October 11th
Come out to support Bethany favorites Keanon Kyles (baritone) and Yasuko Oura (piano) as they take to the stage! This concert takes you on a musical journey through different eras, styles, moods, and stories, bringing together the timeless beauty of classical music mixer with the energy and emotion of music from today.
Expect the unexpected: soaring arias, powerful ballads, familiar favorites, hidden gems, and everything in between—all brought to life through the unique partnership of voice and piano.
Whether you’re an opera lover, a musical theater fan, a pop enthusiast, or someone who simply loves a great song, there’s something here for everyone.
One voice. One piano. Every genre. Hit SHUFFLE.
Book Group reads Lost & Found - October 14th
Join us for our next Book Group on October 14th. We’ll be reading Lost and Found by Kathryn Schulz:
Eighteen months before Kathryn Schulz's father died, she met the woman she would marry. In Lost & Found, she weaves the story of those relationships into a brilliant exploration of the role that loss and discovery play in all of our lives. The resulting book is part memoir, part guidebook to living in a world that is simultaneously full of wonder and joy and wretchedness and suffering--a world that always demands both our gratitude and our grief. A staff writer at The New Yorker and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Schulz writes with curiosity, tenderness, erudition, and wit about our finite yet infinitely complicated lives. Lost & Found is an enduring account of love in all its many forms from one of the great writers of our time.
Sign up here if you plan on reading with us!
See Jordan Harris in A Strange Loop - November 4th
If you were lucky enough to worship with us on a Sunday when Jordan Harris was a guest soloist, it will be no surprise to learn that you can see them in the lead role in Raven Theatre's fall production of A Strange Loop. They were cast as understudy after — well, it's a story that involves an Instagram story of them singing the Pokémon theme song as a June postlude. I (Rebecca writing here) was possibly even more excited than Jordan when it all first happened.
The dedicated understudy performance is on Wed, Nov 4th. The show as a whole is selling fast and word of Jordan's Bethany fan base has reached the box office via Raven board member Judy Beaupre — but that doesn't mean they're saving you a ticket! You've got to get your own here!
Huge congratulations, Jordan! (Here's hoping the principal gets just sick enough to miss a show or two during the run. 🤧)
Help Make Worship Happen
For the next couple months, our pastors will be flying solo, which means we could use your help now more than ever! Please sign up here if you’re able to help.
Calling All Small Group Leaders!
Last year we had an incredible variety of amazing small groups led by Bethany members and friends, and we hope to do it again in the 26-27 program year! If you have an idea for a small group to offer anytime between September and next June, let us know.
Bethany small groups can be spiritual, educational, artistic, supportive, or social. They typically meet weekly for about a month, but can be longer or shorter. They meet at church, in homes, in public spaces, or online. If you have an idea for a group you'd like to offer this year, fill out the form here. Vince will be in touch in August to put together the full schedule of small groups for the coming year.
Summer Pastoral Calendar
As part of their part-time schedules, Rebecca and Vince each have 10 weeks off a year for pursuing their other work of storytelling and pilgrimage leading (or for whatever else they choose). While one of them is away for this leave, the other works full-time so that there is always full-time pastoral coverage. Here's a look at this summer's schedule:
August 17-30: Vince off, Rebecca working full-time, Sunday-Thursday
We also list current pastoral hours in the weekly email and bulletins.
Subscribe to Bethany’s Google Calendar (a work in progress!)
