09/05/2026
ANNOUNCEMENTS & WORSHIP RESOURCES 09/06/2026
*Have a safe and happy Labor Day!
*We will be celebrating Holy Communion in worship today. If you are worshipping with us online and wish to commune, you’ll want to have bread/crackers and juice/wine ready to go.
*Many thanks to all who have helped with cleaning on Sunday mornings this summer! Our crew from Next Step will resume weekly cleaning starting this Wednesday, September 9th so we no longer need to clean on Sunday mornings.
*The council will meet this Tuesday, September 8th at 6:00pm.
*The Grand Meadow Women of the ELCA (WELCA) group will meet this Wednesday, September 9th at 1:30pm in the fellowship hall. All women of the congregation are invited to attend.
*An adult choir has been put together and starting practicing! Practices will be held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 6:30pm. September practices will be held on September 9th and September 23rd. Please talk to Sue Warmka if you have any questions.
*Bear Creek Lutheran Church will be hosting their annual Meatball Dinner on Wednesday September 9th from 4:30pm until 7:00pm or until gone.
*Sunday School and Confirmation class will both begin next Sunday, September 13th! Sunday School will meet following the Children’s Sermon and Confirmation class will meet at 10:30am.
*St. Finbarr will be hosting their Fall Festival on Sunday September 13th from 11:00am-2:00pm. There will be a meal of brats, hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, chips, cookie, and lemonade. There will also be a Beer and Bloody Mary bar, kids games, and more!
*The annual food pack for Real Hope for the Hungry is set for Wednesday September 16th with shifts at 6:00pm and 7:00pm. If you’d like to participate, please sign up for one or both shifts on the sign-up sheet on the table in the narthex or talk to Pastor Megan.
*Annual Ham & Beef Supper at St. John’s in Elkton will be held on Wednesday September 16th from 4:00pm-7:00pm. Menu includes ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, pickles, pie, and beverage. Cost is $20. Dine-in or Drive-Thru available.
*We look forward to welcoming Pastor Barb Streed, Assistant to the Bishop for Call Process and Congregation Care, on Sunday September 20th. Pastor Barb will be joining us for worship and preaching.
*Our next 150th anniversary activities are just around the corner! Mark your calendars and plan to join us for worship on Sunday September 27th. Worship will be led by Pastor Wayne Vogt with music by the Bear Creek Boys! We’ll also have 150 paper leaves hidden for the kids to find after Sunday School!
*The Annual Pie Auction will be held on Sunday October 4th beginning at 10:15am in the fellowship hall. Donations and bidders needed and welcomed!
*Our big celebration of the 150th Anniversary will be held on Sunday November 15th. Following a special worship service with preaching by Bishop Regina Hassanally a lunch of pork chops, baked potatoes, corn, and Norwegian desserts will be served. To help us with planning, please RSVP for the lunch by October 15th. You can RSVP to Margene Myre, Dillon Denisen, Char Blanchard, Pastor Megan, or the church office.
*The September coin offering will go to Sunday School.
*It takes many hands to make things happen here at church, to keep the life of our church going and our ministry happening. If you’d like to get more involved, we are in need of more volunteers to read in worship, run the camera and PowerPoints, be head usher, serve on the decorating committee, serve on altar guild, and help with coffee hour. If any of those sound like something you’d be willing to do, please talk to Joanne or Pastor Megan.
*Your continued giving and generosity is greatly appreciated and needed! Offerings can be brought to worship, or mailed to the church office, Nancy, or Diana. If you would like to set up online giving with Vanco please use this link: https://tinyurl.com/GMLCVanco
WORSHIP RESOURCES
Announcements
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who pours love into our hearts
and healing upon the earth.
Amen.
Confident that God justifies us by grace through faith,
let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Compassionate God,
we confess that we struggle to embody your goodness
in the world and in our own hearts.
Creation groans from overuse.
Jealousy and bitterness strain our relationships.
Indifference keeps us from seeking justice.
Divisions disrupt your call to show genuine love
to others.
Turn our hearts back to you.
Restore our world and reconcile us to one another.
Renew us to live as your holy people,
following the way of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Hear this good news:
We have peace with God through ☩ Jesus Christ,
in whom there is no condemnation,
but only forgiveness and the promise of eternal life.
Receive freely this healing gift of grace.
Amen.
Hymn: We Praise You, O God
Greeting
Kyrie
Hymn of Praise
Prayer of the Day
O Lord God, enliven and preserve your church with your perpetual mercy. Without your help, we mortals will fail; remove far from us everything that is harmful, and lead us toward all that gives life and salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
First Reading: Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 149
Second Reading: Romans 13:8-14
Children’s Sermon
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
Sermon
Hymn: Lord of All Nations, Grand Me Grace
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and 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.
Prayers of Intercession
Peace
Offering
Offertory Verse
Offertory Prayer
God of creation, you send rain and the earth springs forth abundantly. All blessings are from you; make us generous with what we have. Use our gifts, our abilities, and our hearts in service to you and in love to our neighbors, today and always. Amen.
Holy Communion
Dialogue
Preface
Sanctus
Words of Institution
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 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 and ever. Amen.
Distribution
Post-Communion Blessing
Canticle
Post-Communion Prayer
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord’s face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Amen.
Hymn: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Bell
Doxology
Dismissal
