WELCOME TO WORSHIP
In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we welcome you to St. Paul’s. We especially welcome our guests who have joined us today. We pray that your soul will be strengthened by the good news of God’s forgiveness through Jesus.
PRAYER IN PREPARATION FOR TODAY’S WORSHIP
Lord Jesus, you are more valuable to me than anything in this world and your blood shed on the cross is the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. Forgive me for the times I fail to treasure you as I ought, and refresh my soul today in the true value of what I have in you. I ask this is in your glorious, gracious name. Amen.
OPENING HYMN What Is the World to Me | 477
CONFESSION incorporating hymn 304
ABSOLUTION
PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Word
FIRST LESSON 1 Kings 3:5-12
SECOND LESSON 1 Timothy 6:17-21
VERSE OF THE DAY John 6:68
GOSPEL Matthew 13:44-52
APOSTLES’ CREED
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN OF THE DAY All Depends on Our Possessing | 421
SERMON Matthew 13:44-52 The Kingdom Is the Most Valuable Thing You Have
CREATE IN ME
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN Your Kingdom, O God | 755
PRAYER
BLESSING
CLOSING HYMN Take the World, but Give Me Jesus | 355
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
CHRISTIAN FAMILY SOLUTIONS PRESENTATION
On Sunday, August 6, between services we will have a short presentation by James Mattek, the Director of Ministry at Christian Family Solutions. CFS provides distinctly Christian mental health care, healing and helping people in need through the ministry of Jesus Christ. CFS’s ministry has two main branches of service: Counseling Care & Services and Senior Services. Join us on August 6 at 9:15 am to learn more.
FUN DAZE PARADE
Mark your calendars for the Bangor Fun Daze Parade on Sunday, August 13, at noon. We’re looking forward to having another fleet of St. Paul’s members to hand out candy and pocket invites to our church and school. God be praised for this opportunity for our congregation to be in front of the community!
LUTHER HIGH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Luther High School is looking to hire a full-time custodian for 2nd shift (40 hrs/wk). Applications are available in the Luther High School office and online at lutherhigh.org. Candidates may submit their application and resume to the Luther High School office. If you have questions and requests regarding application, email johndona@luther.k12.wi.us or call 608-386-4753.
OPPORTUNITY AT GOOD STEWARD
Good Steward Resale Shop is looking for a store coordinator. The position is 3-4 days/week with flexible hours, about 24-32 hours per week, Tuesday-Friday and occasional Saturdays. A job description and an application form are available at Good Steward (608-779-9763).
ICE CREAM SOCIAL @ ST. JOHN’S BARRE MILLS
St. John’s in Barre Mills will be having their annual fellowship event that includes ice cream, supper, children’s games, pies, entertainment, and music on Sunday, August 13, beginning at 4:00 pm.
REPORT FROM GOOD STEWARD
After the first six months of this year, we pause to thank God for His continuing blessings on the Good Steward Resale Store. At the middle of the year, our receipts are $384,920, which is $23,000 more than last year at this time. We thank everyone for their donations of merchandise. And we pray that God will continue to bless us during the rest of this year, so that we may continue to be a blessing to Luther High School and to area Lutheran elementary schools.
At the beginning of July we welcomed a new manager at Good Steward. He is Mr. Jeff Essig from Lewiston. We thank God for sending him to us. And we pray that God will bless his work among us. We also thank Mrs. Lisa Wendt for her many years of faithful service as our first Store Manager. She has retired from her full-time position but will continue to work for us on a part-time basis.
One of the ways in which Good Steward serves Luther High is by awarding grants to students for tuition. In June we were able to award grants to 89 students. The grants were $1000 for the first child in a family and $700 for other students in a family. The total amount of grants was $83,900. Good Steward also awards grants to students at area Lutheran elementary schools. At the present time we are in the process of verifying the enrollment of the students who were nominated. Our preliminary report indicates that 179 students will receive a grant. These grants are for $500 for the first child in a family and $450 for other children in a family. Volunteers who work at Good Steward a minimum number of hours are given the privilege of nominating a student for a grant. If you are interested in more information about doing this, please stop in at the store and ask for the manager.
WELS CHRISTIAN AID AND RELIEF VOLUNTEER SURVEY
WELS Christian Aid and Relief is all about showing compassion to those in need. One area in which they serve is disaster relief. When appropriate, they supply funding, equipment, and trained volunteers to relieve the suffering of those who have been impacted by a flood, tornado, hurricane, or some other disaster. They have done this for many years. Now, they would like to improve and expand this ministry of compassion.
One way they can improve is by gathering a corps of trained leaders who have the experience and technical know-how that are crucial for disaster relief work. They are looking for WELS members who have both a passion for helping those in need and certain necessary skills to serve on one of our Incident Management Teams (IMTs).
A link to a brief survey has been shared in the email news (or you can email Pastor Groth for the link). They are looking for people with skills in construction, construction management, volunteer management, medical services (physicians, nurses, EMTs, etc.), and a number of other areas. Those who have served as volunteers for the American Red Cross or FEMA often have just the kind of skills they are looking for. In addition, those who have served or are currently serving as police officers, fire fighters, or members of the armed forces have much of the background, training, and experience they need. Thank you for considering.
CALENDAR
TODAY 8:00 am Worship
10:00 am Worship
MONDAY 7:00 pm Worship
WEDNESDAY 5:30 pm Education Committee Meeting
7:00 pm Council Meeting
NEXT SUNDAY 8:00 am Worship with Communion
10:00 am Worship with Communion
7:00 pm PACE Meeting