March 14, 2021 • 11am Worship by Centenary United Methodist Church

WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT

"BIG QUESTIONS OF LIFE: AM I MADE FOR SOMETHING?" MARK 8:31-38

SUNDAY • MARCH 14, 2021 11:00AM WORSHIP

WELCOME! Welcome to Centenary United Methodist Church. Thank you for worshiping with us today! We are grateful for your presence and invite you to participate in our worship, program and ministry life here at Centenary. We hope the worship will inspire and comfort you as we hear God’s message proclaimed. During this time, now more than ever, may the grace and love of Christ surround you.

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OUR MISSION “The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

PARTICIPATING IN WORSHIP PREACHING

The Reverend Dr. P. Glenn Kinken III

LITURGISTS

The Reverend Meg Gaston Tamara M. Pollock

MUSIC

Jonathan Emmons, Director of Music Ministries Susan Bates, Organist/Music Associate Centenary Chamber Ensemble

CHANCEL FLOWERS

The Chancel flowers are given in loving memory of Ida Peninger by her three sons, Doug, Wes and Terry, and their families.

Musical texts are printed with permission. One License A-707342 COVER PHOTO: The East Door by Doug Peninger.

LET US WORSHIP Fourth Sunday in Lent • 11:00 am • March 14, 2021

THE COMMUNITY GATHERS VOLUNTARY

Jesus, My Joy — Johann Gottfried Walther

GREETING INTROIT

Morning Has Broken — Shawn Kirchner Morning has broken like the first morning; blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word! Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dewfall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where his feet pass. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning born of the one light Eden saw play! Praise with elation, praise every morning, God's recreation of the new day!

CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 107:1-3; 17-22 (In Unison)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

HYMN (found on page six) AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

#415 Take Up Thy Cross — GERMANY I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick 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. Amen.

SACRAMENT OF HOLY BAPTISM

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE THE LORD'S PRAYER

After each prayer, the leader may conclude: Lord, in your mercy. All may respond: Hear our 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.

WE HEAR THE WORD PROCLAIMED SCRIPTURE Mark 8:31-38

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (NIV) This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

SERMON

"Big Questions of Life: Am I Made for Something?"

WE RENEW OUR COMMITMENT INVITATION TO OFFERING OFFERTORY

Just As I Am — Bob Chilcott Just as I am, without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bid'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am, though toss'd about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings within and fears without, O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; sight, riches, healing of the mind, yea, all I need, in thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve, because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am (thy love unknown has broken every barrier down;) now to be thine, yea, thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am, of that free love the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove, here for a season, then above, O Lamb of God, I come.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Receive these gifts, O Lord. May they be magnified by your Holy Spirit to teach your children about your love, to show the world your grace, to bring healing to the broken hearted, to comfort the grieving, to embrace the needy, and to praise your name. We offer ourselves as instruments of your peace to the world. We offer our talents, our time, and our gifts to you. Use us as you will. Deploy us for your benevolence. Transform our hearts as we transform the world. We pray this in your Holy name. Amen.

WE GO AS GOD'S PEOPLE INTO THE WORLD HYMN (found on page eight)

#364 Because He Lives — RESURRECTION

BENEDICTION

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

BENEDICTION RESPONSE

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God — CLEAN HEART Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of salvation; anoint me with Your Spirit free.

Psalm 51:10-12

VOLUNTARY

Passacaglia in C Minor — Johann Sebastian Bach

SERMON NOTES _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 5

OUR WORSHIP BULLETIN IS INTERACTIVE Our worship bulletin is fully interactive. If you see a website address, simply click on the text and you will be redirected. Also, within our announcements, when you see text that is red and bold, it is a link to an email address or web page. Again, click on the text and you will be re-directed. RESOURCES FOR LENT Lent is a time of self-reflection as we focus on what our faith means. We ask ourselves how well am I living into the faith I say I believe? Lent is a time when we as the followers of Jesus prepare ourselves for Easter and consider the impact of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection on our lives. Our Faith Formation ministry has collected a list of ideas, daily scripture readings and other resources to make this season more meaningful for you and your loved ones. To find these resources, click on the Engage tab of the Centenary website. For questions, please contact Rev. Bret Cogan.

STEPHEN MINISTRY When I found out my spouse was having an affair, it knocked the wind out of my sails. I found it hard to get out of bed or even think straight. I felt so betrayed and honestly, I not only felt abandoned by my husband, but I also felt abandoned by God. With the help of a Stephen Minister, I slowly rediscovered the presence of God in my life, and I was able to move forward. If you or someone you know could benefit from Stephen Ministry please sontact Deena Morgan (336-692-2314) Wilba Brady (336-723-6236), Rev. Craig Ford (336.724.6311 ext. 1353), or Rev. Susannah Pittman (336.724.6311 ext. 1357).

LENTEN CHECK-IN Tuesdays • Now – March 30 • Noon - 1 pm • Zoom Rev. Susannah Pittman invites you to six, stand-alone sessions during the season of Lent where we will Check-in with one another. Each session will offer a Scripture passage from the lectionary for Lent to center and guide the conversation as we seek to offer support and care during this season. To register, CLICK HERE. For more information, contact Rev. Susannah Pittman.

FAITH AND FITNESS! Centenary is looking to start a Faith and Fitness group that is hoping to meet once or twice a week for running and group work out sessions. If you are interested in joining, you can reach out to Rev. Meg Gaston to find out more.

ZOOM SUNDAY SCHOOL Our theme for March is Bake Off! where we’ll be learning about patience. Each age group will meet with Kate and Jeanette for 20 minutes. Preschool will meet at 8:30 am, K-2nd will meet at 9 am, and 3rd - 5th will meet at 9:30 am. We hope you and your kids will join us! If you have not received the Zoom information by email, contact Jeanette Juran. Easter Eggs and Scavenger Hunt Are you ready for Easter? In lieu of our usual Easter Egg hunt, we are partnering with youth ministry to "egg" families' houses by hiding Easter eggs in your yard! While our youth are busy hiding eggs, we hope you'll join us for a fun Easter-themed scavenger hunt around town. The scavenger hunt and egg hiding will take place on March 28 from 3-5 pm. SIGNUP HERE to have your yard "egged" and/or to participate in the scavenger hunt. The last day to signup is March 14. Youth interested in hiding eggs should look for a SignUp from Tammy coming soon. Do you have questions or want more information, contact Jeanette Juran.

MARCH 14 10:00am Sunday school (Via Zoom) 11:00am Worship (Via Live Stream) 4:00pm Youth Group

CENTENARY

To love youth on behalf of Jesus in hopes of loving them to Jesus.

MINISTRY

MARCH 17 7:00am 6th Grade Bible Study. All 6th graders are invited for breakfast & short Bible Study before school! (Make sure to dress warm & wear your mask!) 6:00pm Confirmation (via Zoom)

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO UPDATE OUR DATABASE Do you need to update any of your personal data with the church? Perhaps your phone number has changed. Maybe, your email address has changed or you have moved to a new home. We want to make sure you are receiving all communication pieces from Centenary. If you need to update anything, please contact Rick Gibbons (336-724-6311 ext. 1342). Also, if you are not receiving our weekly emails, CLICK HERE and you can sign up. Be sure to select "Happenings (Tuesday Mornings)" and "This Sunday @ Centenary."

SCHOLARSHIPS AT CENTENARY Scholarship Application Deadline is April 1 Centenary offers three types of endowed scholarships: · T.B. and Mary Neal Dixson Foundation: Scholarships for Centenary members or staff who are full-time students · Cabaniss Fund Scholarship: For needy and deserving students engaged in or planning for ministry · Emma Kapp Ogburn Memorial Fund: Scholarships for Methodist residents of Forsyth County pursuing education for Methodist ministry or a Christian education ministry vocation The deadline to submit all applications is April 1. Find more detailed guidelines and download forms on Centenary’s website under the Engage tab and select the Resources menu. Contact Stacy Holley for more information (ext. 1359)/sholley@centenary-ws.org.

MARCH PROGRAM

Thursday • March 18 • 11:30am • Zoom Soloist, Jacob Wright, will present a program of Irish music, and music to inspire us as we look forward to Easter. This program will be online using Zoom. You can plan to join the Zoom conference call as early as 11:30 am, with remarks scheduled to begin at noon. Information you’ll need to join the Zoom call will be emailed to all recipients of the senior adult newsletter. If you are new to Centenary or new to our senior adult programs, please contact Rev. Craig Ford (336-724-6311 ext. 1353) so we can make sure you receive that information. CHURCH COUNCIL & CHARGE CONFERENCE Monday • March 22 • 7:00pm • Zoom All are invited to the next church council and charge conference. Immediately following the regular business of the Church Council, we will hold a called Charge Conference. The purpose of this Charge Conference will be: 1. Approval of a candidate for ministry; and 2. Approval of the sale of non-contiguous gift of real estate given to the church several years ago. Register for meeting HERE to receive link.

We celebrate the baptism of Calhoun Worcester Smith (Callie), daughter of Alden and Jennie Smith, and granddaughter of Bill and Jane Whitehurst, and Curt and Marti Mostellar.

FOR THE RECORD February 23 - March 1, 2021 Worship Attendance

Contributions

11:00 am Live Stream Roots Revival

Offering Special Gifts Centenary Fund Capital Campaign

Total

Virtual Sunday School (Includes Adult, Youth & Children)

PO Box 658 • Winston-Salem. NC 27102