8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost August 7, 2016

WE GATHER TO ACCLAIM HIM PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PRELUDE Meditation on Sweet By and By-arr. Albin Whitworth LaMurl Morris GATHERING SONG (11:00) NO. 715 Rejoice, the Lord Is King

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Glenn Cole

GREETING TIME

WE WORSHIP HIM WITH PRAISE, PRAYER, & GIVING

BAPTISM OF CLAIRE STALNAKER (11:00) Parents Jade and Stephanie Stalnaker

HYMN NO. 171 There’s Something About That Name

OFFERTORY You Are My All in All-arr. Marilynn Ham LaMurl Morris

DOXOLOGY-HYMN NO. 62 Let all things their Creator bless, and worship him in humbleness,

O praise ye! Alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

And Praise the Spirit, Three in One!

O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

READING OF THE WORD Glenn Cole

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (8:30)—#889

PRAISE SONGS (11:00)

MORNING PRAYER Bill Emerson

(11:00) Children may be dismissed to Children’s Church in Room 103. Pre-K (4 years old by Sept. 1, 2015) through 3rd Grade

WE HEAR HIS WORD The Rev. Bill Curington SCRIPTURE Daniel 3:13-18 (NIV) MESSAGE “Die Well”

HOLY COMMUNION

OUR RESPONSE HYMN NO. 64 Holy, Holy, Holy

RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS– Missy Zeagler and Carol Miller (11:00)

SENDING FORTH

CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING

May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever, Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor.

Lift up your eyes and see His face, know His grace is for you, May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever.

POSTLUDE Stand Up and Bless the Lord-ST. MICHAEL

LaMurl Morris

Altar Color for Sunday, August 7—White

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES AT ST. JAMES

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES Sunday, August 7, 2016

8:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship Service

THE LIGHT

Did you miss a Sunday?

Pastor Bill’s sermons are on our

website. Go to www.sjumc.org

and click on “Teachings.”

The Worship of God

Keep Festival…Sow to the Heavens…Until the Glory Comes!

“Sow to the heavens and I will sow to the earth.” The Lord spoke these words to revivalist, author, singer and songwriter Ruth Heflin in the middle of the night while her first trip to Jerusalem in 1972. In her book Glory: Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven, Heflin describes how, through empowered worship, the Lord used her and the 25 students with her to pour out His Holy Spirit upon groups of believers throughout Jerusalem, Gaza, and Galilee. Revival broke out in the land of Israel. God blessed her with a scripture to support this word: Hosea 2:21-23. Heflin’s revelation was that when we sow to the heavens through praise and worship, God pours out His abundance upon us. While in Tanzania recently our mission team experienced the power of sowing to the heavens. No gathering of Tanzanian Christians appears to begin without praise and worship. Joyful praise. Fervent praise. Loud praise. Dancing praise. The kind of passionate praise upon which, Heflin declares, God is enthroned (Psalm 22:3). At one church we sang the worship song “Break Every Chain.” This song, which we sang in both English and Swahili, went on for probably 15-20 minutes. We repeated the phrase “break every chain” at least 35 or 40 times. The more we sang it out, the more passionate and empowered the words became. It eventually rose to a crescendo of God’s children crying out to Him to set us free from what binds us. We saw chains broken during that service and people delivered from the power of the enemy. Praise be to God! The word the Lord gave to me for St. James during this trip was “Keep festival!” The Holy Spirit breathed on these words as I read Psalm 42:4 (ESV) one morning during my quiet time. “…how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.” The Hebrew word for “keeping festival” in this verse is chagag. It means “to move in a circle, to march in a sacred procession, to observe a festival, to be giddy, celebrate, dance, reel to and fro.” The Lord wants St. James to keep festival. He’s going to do a new thing and take our church to a higher place in worship.

Heflin calls this higher place “glory.” She says, “Praise ... until the spirit of worship comes. Worship ... until the glory comes. Then ... Stand in the glory!” When we pursue the glory, we take off the wrist watches and the inhibitions. We pursue with abandon the face of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! We sow to the heavens. God, who is called Jezreel (God sows) in Hosea 2:22, will open His mighty hand and sling a heaping handful of His glory upon St. James.

Let’s go there together! Are you ready? Are you willing? Let’s worship God until the glory comes, in the mighty name of Jesus!

Tim Savelle

The sanctuary flowers today are given to the glory of God and in honor of Wayne and Lucille West

on their 74th wedding anniversary on August 16th by Jim and Charlotte Rosebrook.

August 7, 2016

Sunday, August 7

Worship Services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m. Worship (Sanct.) 9:45 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Worship (Sanct.) 9:45 a.m. Orientation for Athens SHARE Family Connection Partner Program (Rm. 107) 5:30 p.m. Hebrew Class (Rm. 219) 6:30 p.m. Youth Fall Reveal (FH)

Monday, August 8

Tuesday, August 9 7:30 a.m. Men’s Bible Study (Rm. 220) 6:30 p.m. Restoring the Foundation (RTF) Class (FH)

Wednesday, August 10

Thursday, August 11 9:00 a.m. Wedding Preparation (FH) 6:30 p.m. Finance Committee Mtg. (Rm. 220)

Friday, August 12 [SJUMC Office Closed on Fridays]

8:00 a.m. Men’s Prayer Group 5:30 p.m. Wedding Rehearsal (Sanct.) 6:30 p.m. Athens SHARE Group (The Jimmy)

Saturday, August 13 3:00 p.m. Wedding (Sanct.) Key FH=Fellowship Hall Sanct.= Sanctuary The Jimmy=House beside St. James (across parking lot)

PRAYER REQUESTS Mike Johnston Galt Family Faye Boyd Robert Murphy Shelly Legato Bette Daniels Laura Beck Sally Stowers Phil Sherman Andy Hassell Quinn Daly Collin Jarrett David Jarrell Katherine Wolf Fran Hutto Anna May Cobb Barbara Andersen Courtney & Landon Westerman David & Pam Cothran

SERVING IN THE MILITARY

Corp. Shay Jennings Capt. Brett Thomas 2nd Lt. William Mahoney Pvt. Andrew Bryant Capt. Courtney Strack 2nd Lt. Wesley M. Hutto Maj. Nathaniel Chittick Cody Maxwell

PREPARING FOR SUNDAY MORNING Sunday Worship at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

The Rev. Bill Curington

LITURGICAL READINGS for August 7, 2016

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40

THANK YOU FOR SILENCING ELECTRONIC DEVICES

DURING THE WORSHIP SERVICES.

Our St. James Prayer Ministers will be available at the Altar immediately

following the service to pray with anyone desiring prayer.

Jade Stalnaker—Head Usher, August, 2016

111 West Lake Drive • Athens, Georgia 30606 • (706) 548-1680 Congregational Care Hotline (after hours) (706) 395-5152 • www.sjumc.org

Questions? Email us at info@sjumc.org

LOOKING AHEAD August 17 Wednesday Night Activities Resume August 21 Mission Trip Sharing August 25 Night of Healing Prayer at St. James August 28 Employee Appreciation Luncheon

Wednesday Night Opportunities

Attendance & Offering (July 31, 2016)

Attendance

Sunday School 131 Worship (8:30) 38 Worship (11:00) 193 Total Worship 231

Offering

General/Operating Fund Offering $10,637 General/Operating Fund Offering (YTD) $481,165

ST. JAMES UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The Rev. Bill Curington, Senior Pastor

Glenn Cole Bill Emerson Executive Minister Minister of Music and Congregational Care Katie Simmons Lloyd Craft Children’s Minister Pastor, The Light (Mission Church) Brandy Chandler Austin Hunter Nursery Minister Youth Minister Bryan Shaw LaMurl Morris Director of Worship and the Arts Organist Glenda Churchill Mary Swift Finance Secretary Administrative Assistant

7:00-8:00 p.m. Bible Study (Two Story Coffee)

Youth Ministry

St. James Prayer Ministry Training Classes

Level 1: Free To Be Like Jesus Mondays, August 15-November 21 (6:30-8:30 p.m. in Room 220) Registration Fee $20, which covers book & workbook for the class Level 2: Restoring the Foundations (RTF) Tuesdays, August 9– November 15 (6:30-8:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall and Room 220) Registration Fee $12, which includes RTF workbook

For more information, contact Sandy Blount at sandy.blount@gmail.com

VSS (Vacation Sunday School) June 5—August 7

Pre-K through 5th Grade

Please note… In October 2016, as a part of the 26th Japan-America Grassroots Summit, the Greater Atlanta area will be hosting guests from Japan. As a part of their stay, our guests will be visiting different local communities throughout the area, including Oconee County. During the local community visits, our guests will be participating in home stays, and volunteer host families are needed. Host families will be doing the following: Providing 3 nights lodging and meals (Oct. 6-8) in their homes. Guests will be

prepared to pay their own share for any meals eaten outside the home, as well as other local activities.

Providing transportation for the guests within the local community (Oct. 6-9). Share/exchange information about each other’s cultures (including guests in family

activities, sporting or school events, etc.). Attend activities planned in the local community. Take photographs to share with your guest and others at the closing ceremony.

To volunteer or for more information please contact Denise Plemmons at denise.plemmons@athensclarkecounty.com or 706-296-6467.

Ladies, Save the Date! November 5, 2016

Women’s Day at St. James Beverly Varnado—Guest Speaker (More information to come soon!)

SAVE THE DATE…

Night of Healing Prayer

Thursday, August 25th 7:00-8:30 P.M. St. James UMC Sanctuary

Save the Date! Church-wide Picnic Supper

September 11, 2016 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Fort Yargo State Park (One mile south of Winder on GA 81)

(More information to follow)

Join us for one of our new Fall Bible classes.

Fresh Encounter by Henry Blackaby—led by Pastor Bill Curington (6-week class begins Wednesday, August 17, 6:15-7:30 p.m. in Room 220)

Hebrews –led by Glenn Cole (6-week study begins Wednesday,

August 17, 6:15-7:30 in Room 219)