On Rally Sunday we’ll begin a 7-week series on some of the basic convictions of the Christian faith: God is real and a mystery, Jesus is the center of our faith, the Bible is true (and has political ramifications), and loving God means loving others. What if we really lived as if God is real and life is about loving God?

Join us as we look at how our convictions shape us both as individuals and as a community of faith. A 6-week book study based on Marcus Borg’s Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most

will be offered on several days in conjunction with this series. Details to come! .

Starting Sept. 8: C onvictions

Bikes, Burgers & Beverages Our next summer bike ride will be Monday, Aug. 19. Meet at 6pm in Stillwater, at the public parking lot off Water Street near Lowell Park. We’ll take the Browns Creek Trail for about an hour, then regroup afterward for burgers and beverages. RSVP by emailing john.mcbride@wblumc.org.

August family pizza night Join us 5:30-7:30pm on Wednesday, Aug. 21, for a fun night of fresh-baked pizza from our Community Brick Oven, food and beverages, family fun and entertain-ment. We’ll have a bounce house, face-painters, gaga ball, games and more at this free family-friendly community event — bring your friends and neighbors. We’ll have an indoor/outdoor setup similar to our July event. If you’d like to vol-unteer to help with the August event, contact Glenn at golipha@gmail.com or sign up in the narthex.

Register now for kids & youth fall programming General registration for fall programs at WBLUMC has begun. For information and to register, go to wblumc.org/kids or /youth.

August Sundays for kids Today, students entering 4th and 5th grade are invited to try Tween group Friends 4/5 during worship. Deliver your student to room 102 at the beginning of the hour. Otherwise, children and youth stay with their families for the worship hour in August.

Choir rehearsals start soon Chancel Choir rehearsals resume Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7:30pm. If you love to sing and can commit to Wednesday rehearsals and to leading the 9am service, then we’re looking for you! All rehearsals will be in the choir room. Benefits: great music and friends, cool blue robes, gratuitous dog visits, bragging rights.

Wednesday women’s golf group Women: Inver Wood Golf Course in Inver Grove Heights on Wednesday, Aug. 14; $19.50; $14 seniors. Email Mary Cripe at suzary006@comcast.net to sign up.

Men: All are welcome to join us on Thursday afternoons. Call or text Paul Steffek at 920-493-2657 or email him at pncsteff@aol.com.

Book club: Get reading now! The 2019-20 book list is out! The first book is The Cherry Harvest by Lucy Sanna. First meeting will be at 7pm on Monday, Sept. 23, in the library. Look for the full book list in this week’s e-blast, plus details on each book at the beginning of each month. We hope you’ll join us for some or all of our discussions.

Sunday, Aug. 11 10am—Outdoor worship & nursery 11am—Coffee, tea, treats in Fellowship Hall 5-9pm—St. Paul Saints game, offsite

Monday, Aug. 12 10m—Hang Loose Women’s Al-Anon, 107 1-3pm—UMW Sarah Circle, room 200

Tuesday, Aug. 13 6pm—Year of Invitation meeting, sanctuary 6:30-8pm—Board of Directors, room 200 6:30pm—Trustees meeting, church office 7-9pm—Staff-Parish Relations Committee, room 206 7:30pm—Finance Committee, room 107

Wednesday, Aug. 14 8:30am-4:30pm—Youth Summer Stretch, Grove UMC 4:30pm—Bridging 101 tour, offsite

Thursday, Aug. 15 7:10am—Men’s Breakfast Group, library 10am—Pages of Wisdom AA, room 107 10am-noon—Cherub Choir planning meeting, room 206

Friday, Aug. 16 Office closed on Fridays 4pm—Gapinske-Brown wedding rehearsal

Saturday, Aug. 17 7:30am—Men’s Prayer Group, room 200 10am—WBL Sat. Morning Women’s Group, room 107/206 11am-4:30pm—Gapinske-Brown wedding

Sunday, Aug. 18 10am—Outdoor worship; blessing of ani-mals; nursery 11am—Coffee, tea, and treats in Fellowship Hall

Monday, Aug. 19 10-11am—Hang Loose Women’s Al-Anon, room 107

September 8 — The World We Live In September 15 — God is Real and a Mystery September 22 — Salvation is More than Heaven September 29 — Jesus Is the Center

October 6 — The Cross Matters October 13 — The Bible is True…and is Political October 20 — To love God is to Love Like God

“They say I’m old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!” ~ The Lorax

“Somewhere, Over the Rainbow” by Harold Arlen

“Way Over Yonder” by Carole King

(responsively)

Creating God, here we are, a gathering of your people; evidence of Creation’s unfolding, we come, all shapes and all sizes, all ages and life stages. We come on dancing feet or carefully walking. We come hesitant and unsure, or filled with conviction and knowing our way. However we come, we are here to join with all of creation in praise and thanksgiving. Accept our gift of worship as with one voice, one hope, one love, we gather into praise.

“All Creatures of Our God and King”

Outdoor Worship | Sunday, August 11, 2019

“All Creatures of Our God and King” Francis of Assisi, trans. by William H. Draper, music by Geistliche Kirchengesane © 1989. Used by permission CCLI# 507344

Verse 1 All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing, O praise ye! Alleluia! O brother sun with golden beam, O sister moon with silver gleam! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Verse 2 O brother wind, air, clouds, and rain, by which all creatures ye sustain, O praise ye! Alleluia! Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice, ye lights of evening, find a voice! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Verse 3 O sister water, flowing clear, make music for thy Lord to hear, Alleluia! Alleluia! O brother fire who lights the night, providing warmth, enhancing sight, O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Verse 4 Dear mother earth, who day by day unfoldest blessings on our way, Alleluia! Alleluia! The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, let them God’s glory also show! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Children will stay with their family for the full hour of worship in August

God of mystery: You are a God of wholeness. Give us new ways of encountering one another; help us be open to the struggle of the world; allow us to be honest about the ways we do not listen to the cries of creation. God, through our worship, empower us to be active participants in your world, listening with new ears to the cries of pain and hope from the depths of creation. Amen.

“What A Wonderful World” by Weiss and Theile

Gabrielle Frances Kaufenberg | Daughter of Liz & David Kaufenberg

“I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” I was there to hear your borning cry, I’ll be there when you are old.

I rejoiced the day you were baptized, to see your life unfold.

We welcome Gabrielle Frances Kaufenberg joyfully and reverently as a member of our family, the family of God. We offer ourselves to be her brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, grandfathers and grand-mothers in Christ, to surround her with God’s kind of love. We accept as our sacred responsibility helping her to grow, together with us all, to full humanity as we see it in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Genesis 1:27-31 Reader: Roberta Schmidt

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Leader: For the word of God in Scripture, for the word of God among us, for the word of God within us. All: Thanks be to God.

The Gospel in Children’s Stories: The Lorax Lori McBride, Minister of Missions & Faith Development

“God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale”

Please take time now to fill out your green connection cards to help us track attendance. After the prayer of dedication, you may place them in the offering plates as they are passed to you.

“Circle of Life” by Elton John

“Just A Closer Walk With Thee”

Dear congregants and friends of WBLUMC,

I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude for the warmth and welcome you have extended to me throughout my intern-ship. I experienced nothing but love and smiles when meeting new people and learning about your church. I felt cared for and uplifted through the conversations we had over donuts in the fellowship hall or other snacks in other places and the sincerity you shared with me as I shook your hand after worship. I have never been in a congregation that is so friendly and felt so much like a family I was graciously welcomed into. I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to worship alongside you and to meet and get to know so many of you. My only regret is being nervous and hesitant to jump right in and share in fellowship with you all sooner. This internship has flown by and come to an end much too quickly, but I will see you all again soon as I plan to stay in touch and continue to be a part of this community when I can. WBLUMC has been nothing but a blessing and invaluable experience in my life and I will be forever grateful for the way you supported me in my discernment process and helped me to understand the call God has for me.

Jane Brossart, vocals; John Koziol, keyboards and sound technician

“God of the Sparrow” words by Jaroslav J. Vajda, music by Carl F. Schalk © 1983 GIA Publications Inc. Used by permission CCLI# 507344

Verse 1 God of the sparrow God of the whale God of the swirling stars How does the creature say Awe How does the creature say Praise

Verse 2 God of the earthquake God of the storm God of the trumpet blast How does the creature cry Woe How does the creature cry Save

Verse 3 God of the rainbow God of the cross God of the empty grave How does the creature say Grace How does the creature say Thanks

Verse 6 God of the ages God near at hand God of the loving heart How do your children say Joy How do your children say Home

Verse 1 I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I'll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Verse 2 Thro' this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. (refrain)

Verse 3 When my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. (refrain)

“Just a Closer Walk With Thee” words and music, Anonymous. Used by permission CCLI# 507344