ST. ELMO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Presbyterian Church in America

Our purpose is to know,

live out of, and proclaim the wonder of God’s grace in Jesus.

4400 St. Elmo Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37409

423-821-1424

http://www.stelmopres.org

September 19, 2021

Rev. Bill Massey, Interim Pastor

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This Week at St. Elmo Presbyterian Church and Community

September 19, 2021

Live stream** Today 9:30am Sunday School for children 9:15am Adult SS with Dick Fisher (6 weeks) in the Fellowship Hall 10:30am Morning Worship in person and on YouTube** Monday September 20 7:00pm Boy Scouts meet — Contact Ed Sunder or Jay Green Tuesday September 21 10:00am Women's study group meets (childcare available)— Contact Lynn Hall or Shelley Madueme 6:30pm Stephen Ministry Supervision — Contact persons: Herb and Susan Lea Wednesday September 22 7:00pm Wednesday Night Prayer Group #1 will meet at Diane Reichmann’s — Contact: Jim or Carol Wildeman 7:00pm Flintstone Prayer Group meets at Tuckers’ — Contact: John or Kathy Tucker Thursday September 23 7:30pm Session meets — Contact any Elder

Nursery September 19: Ellie Potter and Kathy Tucker September 26: Elaine Tinholt and Lydia Mayberry Nursery volunteer sign up: https://tinyurl.com/yp8trcc Nursery Director: Lydia Mayberry, lydiakarstin@gmail.com, (423) 400-0506

Upcoming

September 26 Youth Group resumes 6:00pm-7:30pm

Greeters!

Beginning in October, and subsequent months, we are in need of volunteers to serve as Greeters for the worship service. This can be an individual or couple that arrives at the church by 10:10 to pass out bulletins and warmly welcome those attending SEPC.

If you would like to serve in this capacity, please email Jill Robbins (jillrob84@gmail.com) or Kathy Tucker (kathyatucker@gmail.com).

Thank you! Jill Robbins Kathy Tucker

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FOR REFLECTION BEFORE WORSHIP And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28 Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world’s tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That reassuring knowledge prepares him for everything. He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a voice saying, “It is I, be not afraid.” He knows too that God is always wise, and, knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which ought not to arise. He can say, “If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. God brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes. — Charles Spurgeon

________________________________________________ MUSIC

ANNOUNCEMENTS

GATHERING FOR WORSHIP PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP L - O God, we joyously come together to worship, realizing we need not summon you into our midst, for you are here. P - We need not call you into the secret places of our hearts, for you are there. L - We need our eyes of faith to be opened, that we may see you; our ears to be unstopped, that we may hear you; P - our minds to be sensitive, that we may know you; our hearts to be tender, that we may receive you. L - Grant each one a blessing, O Lord, as each has need, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. MUSIC WE PRAISE YOU, LORD CALL TO WORSHIP – based on Psalm 107:15 L – Let us give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for us! HYMNAL #4 —All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above PRAYER OF ADORATION AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS AND SHARING OF THANKSGIVINGS

OUR RETURN TO GOD, OUR SAVIOR CORPORATE PRAYER OF CONFESSION P - O Lord, who are all merciful, take away my sins from me and enkindle within me the fire of your Holy Spirit. Take away this heart of stone from me and give me a heart of flesh and blood, a heart to love and adore you, a heart which may delight in you, love you, and please you, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

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SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION ASSURANCE OF GOD’S PARDON — Psalm 147:2-3, 5 L - The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. REJOICE! #46 – I Will Glory in My Redeemer PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION RECEIVING OF GOD’S WORD READING OF GOD’S WORD – Matthew 8:23-27 NIV 1984 SERMON – Dr. Hans Madueme THE LORD’S SUPPER L – The Lord be with you. P – And also with you. L – Lift up your hearts. P – We lift them up to the Lord. L – Let us give thanks unto the Lord. P – It is fitting and right to do so. L – People of God, as you come to the table, what do you proclaim? P – Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come back again. INSTITUTION, PRAYER, 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.

HYMN #52 – Jesus, All for Jesus BENEDICTION BLESSING L – Having heard the Gospel, P – Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ALL – Thanks be to God!

President Biden and Vice President Harris The Persecuted Church in NIGERIA (9)

Pray for our faithful witness to our neighbors

David, Gwen, Helen Grace, Tirzah, Caleb, and Colin Macallister

Scott and Jeannie Manley

Seth, Lydia, Hank, and baby Mayberry

Noah and Alexandra McKay

The Finance Ministry Group

Dan and Mako Gilchrist Shepherd’s Arms Rescue Mission Covenant Theological Seminary

Please pray for these individuals and groups this week:

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Adult Sunday School Class

Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus with Others

September 19 at 9:15am Personal evangelism feels like an enormous challenge in places like Chattanooga where many of our neighbors are nominal Christians or people who grew up in the church but think they no longer need Jesus. At SEPC, many of us work with fellow believers and rarely meet non-Christians. We know we should be sharing the gospel but feel ill-equipped or lacking in opportunity. Dick Fisher, founder of You Last Forever Ministries and an elder at First Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, will bring insights from his many years as a hospice chaplain, pastor, and evangelist sharing the gospel with people throughout the world.

Please join us for this exciting 6-week Sunday School class starting on September 19. Due to the pandemic, the class will be in the Fellowship Hall and masks will be required for all participants. If you have any questions, please contact Bill Massey (massey.wd@gmail.com).

Pray for the Persecuted Church in NIGERIA (9) ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS KILL 36 CHRISTIANS IN LESS THAN 30 DAYS Source: MNN, September 10 Pastors in Nigeria say they’re burying church members on a near-daily basis. 12 children were burned beyond recognition in the latest attack on a Christian village. Last month, Fulani herdsmen killed 36 believers in less than 30 days. Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada says attacks like these leave believers without food or shelter. You can send tangible aid and the hope of Christ through VOM Canada at Mission-News-dot-org. Pray May God minister great comfort and healing to all who have been injured or bereaved as a result of militants' brutal

attacks. Ask the Lord to transform militant groups like Boko Haram and ISIS. Pray they will encounter the Gospel and

surrender their lives to Christ. Pray God will move in the hearts of Nigerian government leaders to help their people.

**COVID information update

Masks are REQUIRED in the Fellowship Hall on Sundays. Masks are strongly REQUESTED in the Sanctuary on

Sundays. We will reassess at the end of September.

Shepherd’s Arms Rescue Mission Contact:: Beverly Morris Prayer Requests Pray for the family of Meg O’Neal who passed away with covid. Pray for the family of Delores O’Neal who passed away. Pray for our health care workers who are totally exhausted and need strength. Pray for wholeness for Mary Ann Sanders after a hospital stay. Pray for wisdom for SARM leadership. Pray for the families being served by SARM to find employment. Pray for the new converts to Christ through SARM to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

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Dan and Mako Gilchrist

Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania Equipping Leaders International

ELI is connected in training partnerships with 38 national movement leaders, to train 900 current leaders who themselves are training another 36,000 emerging church leaders. (Most ELI faculty and partners consider these figures to be too conservative.) Dan has an additional 62 requests from almost 20 different countries at some point between "Initial Inquiry" to approved and awaiting an ELI faculty member with time and resources to serve them as a training partner. Prayer For wisdom, time, resources, and personnel needed to most faithfully evaluate and respond to these requests and

establish fruitful partnerships with them. For continued provision of faculty who can partner with these Christian leaders around the world to provide

leadership training. Please pray also for wisdom, personnel, and resources who can travel to meet new partners to launch new training efforts.

Stateside Ministry Partners (YOU!)

This summer's conferences in Kenya (including the expansion of one partnership and the establishment of another), involved significant expense. We continue to marvel at our Lord's faithful and generous provision of finances and personnel for that work through the faith-filled prayers and gifts of His people. Thank you for YOUR part in Christ's continuing and expanding work in Kenya. And, as you can guess, expanding work and increasing opportunities require an expanded and deepened foundation of prayer and financial support. From September through November we will seek to connect with many of you and seek to make new connections to grow our team of Stateside ministry partners. If you know individuals or churches (your own?) who would like to be encouraged to learn more about Christ's continuing work and would be willing to introduce us, please send us an email. Currently, we are aiming to raise an additional $4000/month in additional support, all of which goes toward anticipated 2022 ministry expenses. If you have not yet given a gift, would you consider giving annually or monthly?

2021-2022 General Fund through August 2021 Year to date General Fund contributions $43,065 Year to date budget 45,176 Contributions deficit year to date ($ 2,111) Deacons' Fund through August 2021 Deacons' Fund 7/1/2021 $41,301 Year to date Deacons' Fund contributions 2,244 Year to date Deacons' Fund expenditures (-0-) Deacons' Fund 8/31/2021 $43,545

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Matthew 8:23-27 NIV 1984

23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

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Date: _______________________________

Hymns or Song Titles we sang today: Put a star by your favorite song we sang today.

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Today’s Text: __________________Book _________Chapter _________Verse _______

What is one important thing you learned from the sermon today? ______________

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Listen for certain words in the sermon,

and put a mark by them when you hear Pastor Bill say them.

Sermon Words

Then he got up and _________ the winds and the _______, and it was completely ______. The ____ were amazed and asked, "What kind of ____ is this? _____ the winds and the waves ______ him!"

DISCIPLES FAITH

CALM JESUS

DROWN SAVE

STORM OBEY

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Parking

Please do not park in front of driveways, or IN driveways, or in front of garages. Please try to park on the side streets and not on St. Elmo Avenue (painted bike lanes).

Also, park to the right of the road (in the direction you are going) so that you are not ticketed by the police.

Permission to print music and lyrics: CCLI#418158

Sunday School for Children and Adults Children begin September 12, 2021 at 9:30am. Adults begin September 19, 2021 at 9:15am. Children through youth group age Sunday School contacts: Rob and Elaine Tinholt Little Lambs Worship Program for Three and Four Year-Olds TBD Nursery Available Nursery is provided for babies through the age of two during Sunday School and worship. If you can help us in our nursery, please contact: Lydia Mayberry. Sign up to volunteer in the nursey at: stelmopres.org. Click on “Connect-Grow-Serve” then “Nursery...” then scroll down to Sign up for Sunday Nursery...”. You can also go to: https://tinyurl.com/yp8trcc Past Sermons and Church Calendar Sermons online: https://soundcloud.com/SEPC4400/sets Calendar online: www.stelmopres.org/events

Find us on Facebook: St. Elmo Presbyterian Church - pca

facebook.com/StElmoPresPCA

High School and Middle School Youth Group Coordinators/Contacts: Lance and Julie Wescher Youth Group meets Sunday nights from 6:00pm-7:30pm, beginning September 26. Christian Education Staff Contact Information Nursery Director: Lydia Mayberry

Children’s Director: TBD Youth Interns: Aden Hunt and TBD

Welcome to St. Elmo Presbyterian Church pca St. Elmo Presbyterian Church is a Stephen Ministry Congregation

To join the St. Elmo Presbyterian Church Email List:

1. Go to: http://lists.st-elmo.org/mailman/listinfo/sepc

2. Enter your email address in the gray box 3. Enter your name in the gray box 4. Password is optional 5. Click “Subscribe” and you will be added to the

list. You will receive an email with directions for sending an email to the list and also unsubscribing. If you have difficulty signing on, please email Jay Green at jay.green@covenant.edu.