Rose City Park United Methodist Church

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

Rose City Park United Methodist Church

Rev. Dr. David Weekley, Pastor

May 24, 2026 Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-21

The God-Shaped Hole



Have you ever asked someone their religion as part of an introductory conversation and have them respond “none”?

Most of us probably heard about the “Nones.” It is a term used by organizations like the Barna Group and The Pew Research Center for people who describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” when surveyed about their present religion, if any. Religion? None. Oregon has one of the largest None populations in the country!

Further questions on these surveys often reveal that, while many Nones report feeling abused, used, and or judged by the institutional church, Nones are not necessarily hostile against organized religion. Some even describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” which implies they may have an inner hunger or desire for connection with something or someone greater than themselves.

But recently, surveyors have identified a subgroup of the Nones they call the “Dones.” The term suggests that some in this cohort may have had a passing involvement with religion or spirituality, but now they are done with all of that, done with religion, and done with spirituality apart from religion. The Dones comprise about a third of non-religious people in this country. What is unique about them is that they do not express any yearning for God or someone higher than themselves at all.

Some in this subgroup have never had a connection with religion or spirituality, and they do not miss it. As Ryan Burge, who published a study about Dones, bluntly puts it, “When we say that the Dones are done, we mean it. And it’s not that they have walked away from organized religion. They are not interested in spirituality either. It is like they just do not have a God-shaped hole that needs filling. The Dones don’t yearn.” That’s right; or at least they do not yearn for God. A luxury car a yacht, perhaps, and lots of spending money. Any holes that may pop up inside are quickly filled by the dollar shaped paper used in our culture. But that is a sermon for another day.

The term “God-shaped hole” is sometimes attributed to Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French mathematician and philosopher, although there is no record of Pascal using the phrase. He did, however, write about that general idea in his book, Pensées, where he commented that mortals have a craving for God “that they try in vain to fill with everything around them.” The God-shaped hole has become a modern expression for the inner restlessness and longing some people feel, and that can only be filled by God.

Whether or not Pascal originated the term in the 17th century, what it describes was not a new idea even then. The same thought is found in the writings of Saint Augustine, who was born in the 4th century. Augustine prayed, “I call you into my soul, which you prepare to accept you by the longing that you breathe into it.” Aristotle also said, “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” Scholars of Saint Augustine point out that he used the word “heart” in its singular form, which they see as referring to the collective heart and hunger of humankind, rather than simply the hunger of a single individual. So, the idea is that Aristotle viewed all people as having that hunger.

Now, however, we are hearing about the Dones, who do not seem to fit that assumption. Statistically, about one in 10 Americans has nothing to do with religion and has no interest in changing that. That represents a lot of people, approximately 34 million! And many of the Dones are people who have experienced a significant portion of life. According to the survey, about half of them are at least 55 years old and a third are older than 65.

Core Reasons Identified

1. Intellectual and Developmental Factors

· About 52% of religious “dones” report leaving due to intellectual or cognitive reasons.

· This includes rejecting previous beliefs or perceiving conflicts between faith and reason, science, or logic.

2. Trauma and Negative Experiences

· Around 22% cite religious trauma, ranging from exposure to hypocrisy, institutional abuse, or unethical behavior within the church.



3. Social and Structural Dissatisfaction

· Dissatisfaction with bureaucracy, rigid rules, or politics of the church contributes to the departure of highly engaged individuals.

· Many Dones desire authentic community, and meaningful participation, rather than passive attendance.

4. Spiritual Quest and Preservation

· Many Dones leave to protect or deepen their faith, believing that institutional structures inhibit genuine spiritual growth

5. Generational and Cultural Influences

· Younger adults increasingly reject institutional norms while maintaining spiritual identity.

· Broader cultural trends, like individualism or skepticism toward authority, contribute to departure.

6. Emotional Well-Being Factors

· Discontinuing Dones: largely cease participation and express emotional relief

7. Catalytic Events and Cumulative Dissatisfaction

· Departure is rarely sudden; often a long-standing series of frustrations accumulates until a trigger event, which can seem minor externally, precipitates leaving.



Today is Pentecost, commonly considered the day the church so many have left was born. The focus of the Acts text is on the action of God, through the Holy Spirit, on the followers of Jesus. Through them, the crowd ends up being amazingly receptive to the message. In verse 21, Peter quotes Joel from the Hebrew Bible to tell his hearers that everyone who calls on the name of God will be saved, and many who hear do so. We can rightly assume that those who did respond had some awareness of spiritual yearning awakened by God’s Spirit as Peter spoke, at least in that moment. If there were any Dones in the Pentecost crowd, it is likely they drifted off, uninterested in what Peter had to say.

Yet if there is one thing Pentecost teaches, it is that God is not limited to one human gateway, longing, to reach us where it matters.

We mortals have several portals through which the Holy Spirit can reach our innermost being. For example, C. S. Lewis, who was one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th century, described his conversion to Christianity in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy. The chapter in which he described this conversion is titled “Checkmate.” It is an appropriate label for Lewis, who was a great thinker, and who originally was an atheist. The reason for his disbelief in God was because the traditional arguments for the existence of God, and the claims of the Christian church simply were not convincing to him.

But as time went on and Lewis continued reading and thinking, he discovered that arguments against the existence of God became harder to defend intellectually than the arguments in favor of God’s existence. Lewis came to understand the gradual destruction of his objection to God and the Christian faith as moves by God to bring Lewis to a place of intellectual checkmate. The Holy Spirit used the very thinking processes that Lewis valued so highly to break down resistance to God’s claim on his life.

Lewis’ conversion occurred primarily through the intellectual gateway. To be sure, it was soon followed by the other aspects of his life, but the mental gate was the first point of entry for God’s Spirit into Lewis’ life.

We can also think of the number of people whose first encounter with God’s Spirit is through their emotions, perhaps through a spiritual high, experienced as a young person at a church camp, or later in life through a personal spiritual experience. Feelings can be fleeting though, and an emotional surrender to God, if it is to last, needs to be reinforced by commitments in other areas. These include intellectual, spiritual and social relationships, but for many people, emotions break down defense mechanisms built to protect them against the call of God in their lives. Feelings can be a gateway for God to enter our hearts.

The Holy Spirit can also enter our lives through our conscience, our relationships with others, painful or joyous moments in our lives, decisions we make, sudden revelations- there are many creative pathways for the Spirit to enter our lives.

The story of Pentecost tells us that the Spirit of God that is poured out is not limited by human barriers, and that includes the skeptical outlook of the Nones and the indifferent position of the Dones.

While the Dones may not currently yearn for God, or have any clue of the Holy Spirit that does not mean none of them ever will. Consider the case of Malcolm Muggeridge, who died in 1990 at the age of 87. Malcolm was a British journalist and satirist, and an atheist for most of his life. Muggeridge “compared his attitude toward faith “to a gargoyle on the top of a cathedral looking down, grinning and laughing at the absurd behavior, the vain strivings, of [people] on earth,” (Kathy Schiffer, writing about Muggeridge for the National Catholic Register.) “Muggeridge examined religion and faith with the eyes of a journalist, from the outside looking down, like the gargoyle, without venturing in to meet the faithful on their own terms.”

But in his mid-60s, Muggeridge was assigned to make a documentary about Mother Teresa and her work with the poor in Calcutta. Malcolm spent time with Mother Teresa, which he described as an encounter with a powerful and inspiring example of Christian love and faith in action. That experience helped Malcolm Muggeridge realize the emptiness of the cynicism that had been his outlook on life for so long. It also awakened what Muggeridge called a “longing for God.” In his book about Mother Teresa, Something Beautiful for God, he wrote, “Christ is longing to be your food. Surrounded by the fullness of the living God, you allow yourself to starve. Christ has created you because [Christ] wants you.”

Anne Rice, the author of several vampire novels, is a more recent example. Anne Rice died in 2021 at age 80. She, too, was an atheist for much of her adult life. But in her late 50s, she became aware of something happening inside her: “I became convinced that I was being pursued by the Lord. I did not think literally, ‘God is pursuing me.’ After all, God wasn’t supposed to exist as anything more than an idea. Jesus was ‘located’ in nostalgia. I thought something is pursuing me. Something is happening.”

Eventually, Rice realized that it was indeed God who was pursuing her, specifically in the person of Jesus. She realized that the growing discontent inside her was because she had become, as she called it, “Christ haunted.” Anne found herself recalling a poem that had been a favorite of her father. It was by Francis Thompson and titled “The Hound of Heaven.” It pictures God as one who hounds us and keeps pursuing us despite our efforts to ignore or lose God, as one who continues after us with the relentlessness of a hound that pursues its prey.

In any case, Rice eventually said yes to the Divine Pursuer, and went back to the Catholic Church of her youth. Rice described her change using a word any Protestant would understand. She called it a “conversion.” In an interview about this conversion, Rice said: “My commitment to Christ remains at the heart and center of my life.”

So you see, Pentecost, the pouring out of God’s Spirit into the world, has never been confined to the first century, but continues today, through God-shaped holes, unexpected experiences, human relationships, and through countless creative pathways.

Life's essence whispers,
Unseen, yet ever near,
A gentle breath that stirs,
Both solace and revealer. -Emily Dickenson

—Stan Purdum and Carl Wilton contributed to this material.



Passing the Peace of Christ. The first thing Jesus says to his startled, confused and wary disciples is, “Peace be with you.” In this same meeting, the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, and Jesus once again “sends” them on a mission. The great reminder of Pentecost is that we are a “sent” people. We are commissioned to take Jesus Christ with us and introduce Jesus wherever we go. But we cannot do this until we hear Jesus say to us, “Peace be with you…receive the Holy Spirit.” Many of us are not at peace. We’re fractured, confused and just as muddled as the disciples in our text. When we pass the peace of Christ during the service, it is not an idle exercise. It is a call to wholeness so that we may be equipped to bring Jesus to the world.

Holy Spirit, you carry our prayers to the heart of God. You place our feet on the path of peace. You stir our desire for the eternal Presence. You open the way to deep truth. On this Pentecost Day, like wind upon the water, like tongues of living fire, come, Holy Spirit, abide with us. Amen.

05/31/2026

Rev. Dr. David Weekley

Readings from:

Luke 17:11-18
Luke 24:13-35

Announcements:
- A Celebration of Life service for Sandy Coyle will be on Saturday, June 6 in the sanctuary.

- Come to camp! Oregon/Idaho Methodist camp registration is open for children and youth camps, family camps, adult specialty camps and retreats—and RCPUMC has funds that might help finance camp adventures. For information visit gocamping.org/campsessions, or call the camp office at (503)802-9214. After you have registered and paid the registration fee, contact Mari Rudd at [email protected] or (503)702-2733 by Monday, June 1 for consideration of funds by the RCPUMC board. Go camping!

-Undie Sundays: We are collecting bras and underwear (men's, women's, and children's—all sizes), free of stains and tears, and baby wipes for the Bybee Lakes Hope Center. Bring garments to the church on any Sunday in May.

-Collective/church Work Party June 13th, 9am to noon, meet in Youngson Hall. There will be something for everyone!

-The Siren's are back in concert, ready to entertain you with all their favorite songs from previous concerts covering music from the 1920's to current favorites. Join us Sunday, June 14th at 3:00 in the Rose City Park United Methodist Church sanctuary for what we promise will be a great time with wonderful sing-a-long tunes! A free will offering benefiting the Oregon Food Bank will be taken.

-Prayer chain- If you have a prayer
request (confidential or otherwise), please reach out to the email address [email protected]. If you are interested in participating in the prayer chain, please contact Kay Pettygrove at [email protected].

Welcome to all! To those worshiping with us for the first time, we extend a special welcome!
_____

Rose City Park United Methodist Church
5830 NE Alameda
Portland, OR 97213

rcpumc.org
503.954.2830
[email protected]

05/31/2026

Rev. Dr. David Weekley

Readings from:

Luke 17:11-18
Luke 24:13-35

Announcements:
- A Celebration of Life service for Sandy Coyle will be on Saturday, June 6 in the sanctuary.

- Come to camp! Oregon/Idaho Methodist camp registration is open for children and youth camps, family camps, adult specialty camps and retreats—and RCPUMC has funds that might help finance camp adventures. For information visit gocamping.org/campsessions, or call the camp office at (503)802-9214. After you have registered and paid the registration fee, contact Mari Rudd at [email protected] or (503)702-2733 by Monday, June 1 for consideration of funds by the RCPUMC board. Go camping!

-Undie Sundays: We are collecting bras and underwear (men's, women's, and children's—all sizes), free of stains and tears, and baby wipes for the Bybee Lakes Hope Center. Bring garments to the church on any Sunday in May.

-Collective/church Work Party June 13th, 9am to noon, meet in Youngson Hall. There will be something for everyone!

-The Siren's are back in concert, ready for

Welcome to all! To those worshiping with us for the first time, we extend a special welcome!
_____

Rose City Park United Methodist Church
5830 NE Alameda
Portland, OR 97213

rcpumc.org
503.954.2830
[email protected]

05/24/2026

Rev. Dr. David Weekley

Readings from:

Acts 2:1-21
John 20: 19-23

Announcements:
- A Celebration of Life service for Sandy Coyle will be on Saturday, June 6 in the sanctuary.

- Come to camp! Oregon/Idaho Methodist camp registration is open for children and youth camps, family camps, adult specialty camps and retreats—and RCPUMC has funds that might help finance camp adventures. For information visit gocamping.org/campsessions, or call the camp office at (503)802-9214. After you have registered and paid the registration fee, contact Mari Rudd at [email protected] or (503)702-2733 by Monday, June 1 for consideration of funds by the RCPUMC board. Go camping!

-Undie Sundays: We are collecting bras and underwear (men's, women's, and children's—all sizes), free of stains and tears, and baby wipes for the Bybee Lakes Hope Center. Bring garments to the church on any Sunday in May.

-Collective/church Work Party June 13th, 9am to noon, meet in Youngson Hall. There will be something for everyone!

Welcome to all! To those worshiping with us for the first time, we extend a special welcome!
_____

Rose City Park United Methodist Church
5830 NE Alameda
Portland, OR 97213

rcpumc.org
503.954.2830
[email protected]

05/17/2026

Rev. Wes Taylor

Readings from:
Exodus 24:12-18
John 4:1-14

Announcements:
- A Celebration of Life service for Sandy Coyle will be on Saturday, June 6 in the sanctuary.

- Come to camp! Oregon/Idaho Methodist camp registration is open for children and youth camps, family camps, adult specialty camps and retreats—and RCPUMC has funds that might help finance camp adventures. For information visit gocamping.org/campsessions, or call the camp office at (503)802-9214. After you have registered and paid the registration fee, contact Mari Rudd at [email protected] or (503)702-2733 by Monday, June 1 for consideration of funds by the RCPUMC board. Go camping!

-Undie Sundays: We are collecting bras and underwear (men's, women's, and children's—all sizes), free of stains and tears, and baby wipes for the Bybee Lakes Hope Center. Bring garments to the church on any Sunday in May.

Welcome to all! To those worshiping with us for the first time, we extend a special welcome!
_____

Rose City Park United Methodist Church
5830 NE Alameda
Portland, OR 97213

rcpumc.org
503.954.2830
[email protected]

05/16/2026

7th Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2026
Rose City Park UMC
Rev. Wesley D. Taylor, Guest Pastor

Church Bulletin for online viewing
We are in person, this bulletin is for if you are watching online
and wish to follow along and have the words for participation.
YouTube link for viewing HERE - Facebook link for viewing HERE


PRAISE BAND

Whenever I Stop
Whenever I stop
And think about it
I feel Your presence
To the depths of my soul
Wherever I go, whatever I do
My Lord is with me everyday

Whenever I walk
Through a forest so green
I’m overwhelmed by
All the gifts in my life
No matter how hard
My world falls apart
I know You’re there to lift me up

Now I want us to praise Him
And I want us to shout
I want to feel God’s spirit
That’s what it’s all about
Don’t you feel it in the music?
Don’t you feel it in the house?
Our Lord is with us right now!

Whenever I stop
And think about it
I feel Your presence
To the depths of my soul
Wherever I go, whatever I do
My Lord is with me everyday

Whenever I’m lost
I know You understand
You show me mercy
A chance to make amends
As I realize
However I try
I’m blessed to have You on my side

Now I want us to praise Him
And I want us to shout
I want to feel God’s spirit
That’s what it’s all about
Don’t you feel it in the music?
Don’t you feel it in the house?
Our Lord is with us right now!

Whenever I’m lost
I think about You
And try to remind myself
How good it can be
Only in time, I’ve come to realize
Just what You really mean to me

Whenever I stop
And think about it
I feel Your presence
To the depths of my soul
Wherever I go, whatever I do
My Lord is with me everyday

Our Lord is with us everyday
I think about You
Whenever I stop
I think about You
Whenever I stop
I think about You



Rock Of Ages
There is no rock, there is no god like our God
No other name worthy of all our praise
The rock of salvation that cannot be moved
He’s proven himself to be faithful and true
There is no rock, there is no God like ours.

Rock of ages, Jesus is the Rock.
Rock of ages, Jesus is the Rock.
Rock of ages, Jesus is the Rock.
There is no rock, there is no God like ours.



Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Think of your fellow man
Lend him a helping hand
Put a little love in your heart
You see it’s getting late
Oh, please don’t hesitate
Put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you, and me
You just wait and see

Another day goes by
Still the children cry
Put a little love in your heart
If you want the world to know
We won’t let hatred grow
Put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you, and me
You just wait and see
Wait and see

Take a good look around
And if you’re looking down
Put a little love in your heart
I hope when you decide
Kindness will be your guide
Put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you, and me
You just wait and see

Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart



WELCOME AND PASSING OF THE PEACE

COMMUNITY NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS



INTROIT #176 “Majesty”
Majesty, worship His majesty;
unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise.
Majesty, kingdom authority,
flow from His throne unto His own; His anthem raise.
So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus.
Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus, the King.
Majesty, worship His Majesty,
Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all Kings.



CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Easter people, Christ has completed the work of salvation, reconciling us to God so that we may know eternal life.
All: Through Christ, we are made one with God.

One: In life, death, and Resurrection, Christ guides us into eternal life with God here and now.
All: Through Christ, we are made one in God.

One: Through prayer and teaching, healing and serving, Christ draws us together as the people of God, diverse members of the one body.
All: Through Christ, we are made one with God and one another.

One: So, come, let us worship God who saves us into eternal life with God and one another!
All: Thanks be to God! Amen. -Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, October 2025.



HYMN OF PRAISE #64 “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty”
1. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

2. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

3. Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love and purity.

4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity.



READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURE Exodus 24:12-18
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there; I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up onto the mountain of God. 14 To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come back to you. Look, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the Israelites. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.



ANTHEM “What a Fellowship” arr. by Gilbert Martin
Rose City Park Choir



READING FROM THE GOSPEL John 14:1-14
Now when Jesus[a] learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John”2 (although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized), 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)[b] 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir,[c] you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”



MESSAGE Sacred Places, Sacred Journeys Rev. Wes Taylor



RESPONSE HYMN #344 “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore”
1. Lord, you have come to the lakeshore
looking neither for wealthy nor wise ones;
you only asked me to follow humbly.

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,
and while smiling have spoken my name;
now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me;
by your side I will seek other seas

2. You know so well my possessions;
My boat carries no gold and no weapons;
You will find there my nets and labor.

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,
and while smiling have spoken my name;
now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me;
by your side I will seek other seas.

3. You need my hands, full of caring,
Through my labors to give others rest,
And constant love that keeps on loving.

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,
and while smiling have spoken my name;
now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me;
by your side I will seek other seas.

4. You, who have fished other oceans,
Ever longed for by souls who are waiting,
My loving friend, as thus you call me.

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,
and while smiling have spoken my name;
now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me;
by your side I will seek other seas.



PASTORAL PRAYER AND PRAYERS OF THE COMMUNITY
God of all creation,
who called every being into life,
who is mindful of humankind in all its diversity,
who embodies us with dignity,
granting different gifts and talents to shape life in this world,
we ask for your Spirit to unite us where we face lack of understanding and disunity in our churches, in our communities, in our countries.
And in silence, we lay before you the burdens of our hearts.

(Silence)

We ask for your Spirit to unite us
wherever fear prevents us from caring for our neighbor,
from meeting people different from us with respect, and, in silence, we bring to you the brokenness of human relationships.

(Silence)

God of all creation,
in Christ we are reconciled,
and so we ask for your uniting Spirit
to help us to overcome all our divisions
that we may live in peace.



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 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.



OFFERING OF OUR TITHES AND GIFTS

OFFERTORY Hye Yeon Kim, Pianist



DOXOLOGY #95
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God all creatures here below.
Praise God above, Ye Heavenly hosts,
Praise Christ, Creator, Holy Ghost. Amen.



DEDICATION OF THE OFFERING
Unifying God of Grace, you have entrusted us with the joy of community and the calling of witness. As Jesus prayed that we might be one, we bring these gifts as a sign of our shared commitment to your mission in the world. Use these offerings to strengthen the church, to bless our neighbors, and to glorify your name. Amen.



CLOSING HYMN #374 “Standing on the Promises”
1.Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
through eternal ages let his praises ring;
glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God.

2. Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God I shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God.

3. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
bound to him eternally by love's strong cord,
overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God.

4. Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit's call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
standing on the promises of God my Savior;
standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises of God.



BENEDICTION



CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE #302 “Christ, the Lord is Risen Today” vs. 4

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! A-MEN!



POSTLUDE “Festival Toccata” - Percy E. Fletcher (1879-1932)




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UPCOMING EVENTS

"Come to camp! Oregon/Idaho Methodist camp registration is open for children and youth camps, family camps, adult specialty camps and retreats—-and RCPUMC has funds that might help finance camp adventures. For information, visit www.gocamping.org/campsessions, or call the camp office at 503-802-9214. After you have registered and paid the registration fee, contact Mari Rudd at [email protected] or 503-702-2733 by June 1, for consideration of funds by the RCPUMC board. Go camping!“

We are collecting underwear (men’s, women’s, children’s), free of stains and tears, and baby wipes, for Bybee Lakes Hope Center. Bring to the church on any Sunday in May.

Potluck - May 24th immediately following worship service. Bring your favorite dish to share and come and socialize with others.

Memorial service for Sandy Coyle will be held on June 6, at 2:30pm in the sanctuary.

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STAFF
David Weekley, Pastor
John Green, Director of Music
Dan Pettis, Praise Band Leader/Pianist
Hye Yeon Kim, Pianist
Elsa Johnson, Building Manager
Andre Cordes, Financial Accountant
Chloe Carter & Olivia Leap, Nursery Team
Sarah Haftorson & Filipe Wild-Camara, Video Team
Carlos Diez & Carlos Diez, Jr., Custodial Team
Brian Bolster, Slides

Prayer Chain
Just as a reminder, the prayer chain is available to those that would like to request prayers. Also, if someone would like to join the prayer chain all they need to do is send a request to be added to the email address below. [email protected]

5830 NE Alameda St, Portland, OR 97213
503.954.2830 | [email protected] |www.rosecitypark.org
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