Order of Worship
GATHERING MUSIC This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.
Everywhere I go…
All through the night…
WELCOME
* OPENING SONG I’ll Be there for You by Rembrandts
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but
I'll be there for you
(When the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you
(Like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you
('Cause you're there for me too)
You're still in bed at ten and work began at eight
You've burned your breakfast, so far things are going great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees that
I'll be there for you
(When the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you
(Like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you
('Cause you're there for me too)
No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with
Someone I'll always laugh with
Even at my worst, I'm best with you, yeah!
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
I'll be there for you
(When the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you
(Like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you
('Cause you're there for me too)
I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
('Cause you're there for me too)
OPENING PRAYER
PASSING OF THE PEACE
Peace be with you… ...and also with you
* SONG Amazing Grace
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
My God has promised good to me,
whose word my hope secures;
God will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.
When we've been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
than when we'd first begun.
SCRIPTURE I Corinthians 3:5, 4:6-8a
reader, Nathan Schaefer
READING - “Prayer for Werewolves” by Stephanie Burt
SONG OF PREPARATION We Belong to Each Other by Annie Schlaefer
Every one, oh every one, oh every one
of these people are ours
Just like we are theirs.
We belong to them
and they belong to us.
SERMON Rev. Vince Amlin
MUSIC FOR REFLECTION Everyday People
Sarah Simmons McCollum, mezzo soprano
SHARING OF JOYS AND CONCERNS led by Jen Pope
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
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.
* CLOSING SONG We Belong to Each Other by Annie Schlaefer
Every one, oh every one, oh every one
of these people are ours,
Just like we are theirs.
We belong to them
and they belong to us.
* BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
**********
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Get Involved with ICE Rapid Response Efforts!
Want to learn more about Rapid Response efforts to support/defend our community from ICE? There are lots of ways to get involved, and our neighbors desperately need our help. If you have questions, want to learn more, or want to get involved, email Hannah Rumsey at hannah.e.rumsey@gmail.com.
Share Your Belonging(s) Stories
In line with our “Belongings” worship theme for September, we’d love to hear from you about times you felt welcomed, invited, known, befriended… Answer one or all of our prompts at the link with or without your name.
Sign Up To Host Coffee Hour!
September’s theme is all about belonging and getting to know each other. No better time for that than a coffee hour! Help make it happen by signing up here. On coffee hour Sundays, hosts provide a snack or treat while Bethany provides the coffee! Store bought or homemade is fine, whatever works for you!
October Singing School: a field trips small group
Our worship theme in October is Tune My Heart, thinking about the music we love to sing and why. (Just one example: why is singing such a big part of Christian worship)? Like Vince’s summer small group that created playlists that echoed the psalms, we’ll sing some of our “heart music,” the songs that inspire, comfort, and move us.
And as part of a small group led by Rebecca, we’ll join group singing experiences around Chicago to learn and feel how they’re doing it.
4 opportunities. 4 dates. 4 very different experiences. Come to one, come to all, but please RSVP. Details below including those with suggested donations but don't let that stop you. For now: just let us know when you'll be with us, so we can plan!
Book Group- Oct. 1st
Join us October 1st at 7pm for our next book group! We’ll be reading The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry, a coming-of-age novel set in the fictional small town of Thalia, Texas, in the 1950s, focusing on high school seniors Sonny and Duane as they navigate the mysteries of sex and love, witness the decline of their town's culture, and experience profound changes that lead to loss and a struggle for identity.
Sign up here if you plan on reading with us!
Pet Blessing Sunday - Oct 5th
Bring your furry, feathered or scaly pets to church on Oct. 5th for a special day of worship on the front lawn! We'll bless them, rain or shine. (If it rains, we'll be in the gym.) It's also a great day to invite your animal-loving human friends. Mark your calendars!
Adult Sunday School- Oct 5th
Help us kick start our 2025-2026 Adult Sunday School session with a meeting facilitated by Hannah Rumsey! As a whole, our society isn't the best at dealing with grief. So let's talk about it! Ways grief has affected our lives, how to support those who are grieving, how we'd like to receive support, and more. We will meet in the parlor after worship on 10/5.
Next Outer Belt Pilgrimage- Oct. 11th
We’ve already walked 40 miles (!) along Chicago’s Outer Belt Trail, but we’ve got a ways to go before we’re finished! Sign up here join our next leg of the journey on Saturday Oct. 11th, and mark your calendars the next upcoming dates:
November 8th
December 6th
For more info, contact Vince (vince@bethanychicago.com)
