3RD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
3RD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
SCHOLARSHIP RECOGNITION / Bear Creek Camp
06-14-2026 10:00AM Worship (in person and online
+ We Rejoice in God’s Presence +
THE OPENING RITE (based on PSALM 100):
L Break out with joy and gladness, sisters and brothers!
Open your hearts and praise the Lord!
Say it, sing it, shout it, and show it!
C God is not dead!
God has created and blessed us!
L And God has not given up on us!
We belong to God!
Say it, sing it, shout it, and show it!
C God loves us!
We thank God, we trust God, and we offer God our lives! HALLELUJAH!
OPENING SONG:“JOYFUL, JOYFUL, WE ADORE YOU” Tan #120
PRAYER OF THE DAY (together) :
Holy God, it wasn’t our idea to follow and serve you. You loved us first, before we ever reached out to you.
And now you have sent us out, bearing the name and spirit and mission of Jesus to others.
Dear God, may it truthfully be said of us,
“They have been faithful in living and fervent in loving.” Amen.
+ We Rejoice in God’s Saving Word +
FIRST READING: EXODUS 19:2-8a
[Delivered for a purpose! But don’t we sometimes forget?]
SECOND LESSON: ROMANS 5:1-8
[Standing in grace, pressing on in hope. We honestly won’t be good Christians without Christ in our lives.]
BEAR CREEK CAMP SONGS AND SHARING… We welcome staff and another summer of Christ at work!
GOSPEL VERSE: “Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.”
THE HOLY GOSPEL: MATTHEW 9:35 – 10:23
[We are commissioned to go, bear God’s love, not losing the focus, the faith, or the courage Jesus offers us.]
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE SERMON: Minister Tiese Giles, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church,
SONG RESPONSE: “MORE ABOUT JESUS” Tan #565
SCHOLARSHIP RECOGNITION… We celebrate those who are graduating from various levels of schooling.
THE PRAYERS… We pray for NEW LIFE in the Spirit and for the MISSION of the Church to the world!
+ We Rejoice in God’s Nourishing Meal +
THE PEACE GREETING… We offer words and signs of GOD’S LOVE alive and real among us!
OFFERING… Let us offer our gifts and our lives, spreading God’s love as workers in the harvest!
In the Sanctuary put your offering in the offering plate. Or you can mail a check or money order to St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2169 74th Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19138. Or you can contribute online through bit.ly/stpetersgiving and set up a one-time donation or a recurring weekly gift to the categories you select. Or you can text Give+ at 833-914-0896 and follow the
instructions for your contribution. Ask God to guide you towards grateful generosity.
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
OFFERING SONG: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
THIS IS MY STORY, THIS IS MY SONG,
PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG! [sing the chorus 2 times]
We are God’s people, we are Christ’s Church, called by God’s Spirit into the world.
We have God’s power from heaven above, we’ll share God’s justice, mercy and love!”
OFFERING PRAYER led by the Communion Assistant:
O Lord our God, if your Spirit is alive within us, then stretch our time and abilities, our money and our mouths,
all that we are and all that we have, to testify to your amazing grace in Jesus Christ. Someone somewhere is in
need of your Good News. Amen.
THE PREFACE AND THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS:
L The Lord be with you. C And also with you.
L Lift up your hearts! C We lift them up in love for God!
L Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C It is right to give God our thanks and praise.
L Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful… C … and set us on fire with your love! Alleluia!
L We give you thanks, O God, for the gift of creation,
for earth and sky and sea, for the blessing of our own lives, and for your grace and mercy.
We give you thanks, O God, for the gift of Jesus Christ,
for the servant-love he showed us while living, and for the salvation he gave us by dying.
And we give you thanks, O God, for your Holy Spirit,
present in and among us to comfort, empower, and guide us as your servant people.
Today we join with all the saints on earth and all the angels in heaven
to praise your holy name and to sing the unending hymn…
C [singing…] “Holy, holy, holy, holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
and we lift our hearts before you as a token of our love,
holy, holy, holy, holy.
Precious Jesus, precious Jesus,
We’re so glad that you redeemed us, precious Jesus…
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit,
come and fill our hearts anew, O Holy Spirit…”
THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS by the Celebrant, who recalls and re-enacts Jesus’ Holy Meal.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
COMMUNION AND BLESSINGS… All believers in Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! You may come up by the center aisle and kneel or stand at the altar. Get an empty glass as you come up if you want wine from the chalice; we will also have a tray of pre-poured glasses of grape juice at the altar. You may return to your seats by the side aisles. PRAISE THE LORD FOR THIS COMMUNITY MEAL THAT RENEWS OUR SPIRITS, POWERS OUR FAITH, AND REMINDS US OF THE HEAVENLY BANQUET!
COMMUNION SONG: “I HAVE DECIDED” Tan #400
COMMUNION SONG: “I AM THINE” Tan #387
COMMUNION SONG:“I DON’T FEEL NO WAYS TIRED”Tan #414
THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant.
+ We Rejoice in Our Mission +
THE BENEDICTION by the Pastor…We are sent forth to be and become the BODY OF CHRIST for the world!
CLOSING SONG: “I WANT JESUS TO WALK WITH ME” Brown #66
(1) I want Jesus to walk with me… I want Jesus to walk with me.
All along my pilgrim journey, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
(2) In my trials, Lord, walk with me… In my trials, Lord, walk with me.
When my heart is almost breaking, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
(3) When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me… When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me.
When my head is bowed in sorrow, Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.
3RD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 06-14-2026
Welcome to worship. Whether you are in the Sanctuary or online this morning, with us for the first time or back again, a member of our congregation or a friend, may Jesus be risen and alive in you! Don’t keep the story of God’s love a secret from others. Human sin and human politics have accented hurt and hate in the world. But we can be and do so much better than that.
SHARE HIS LIGHT. BEAR HIS WORD. DARE HIS WILL.
TODAY
9:00AM All Saints Choir warm-up.
10:00AM + PENTECOST SEASON WORSHIP + (in person and online).
11:40AM Refreshments downstairs.
Scholarship Recognition Sunday.
Lord God, we are grateful with our students at this time of graduation. We celebrate with them their accomplishments as they reach this milestone in their life. We pray that they will seek and recognize your guidance on the next stages of their journey. May your Spirit protect, guide, and empower them every step that they take. And may they seek to grow and live – according to the example and lordship of Jesus Christ – lives of joyful faith, loving service, justice, and peace! May they stay wise by trusting and remembering that there is no better life than life in Christ! Amen.
Welcome to our visitors representing BEAR CREEK CAMP! Children, register now for a week of spiritual growth, outdoor exploration (3,000 acres of forests, streams, and fields… 30 miles of trails), small group development, and adventure and fun at our Lutheran camp in the Pocono Mountains. The “Philly Connect” base fee will again be $75; additional items (Camp Store, photo or video) will cost extra. You can register online or on paper. See the Pastors if you have any questions. There are 8 sessions. Session 1 will begin next Sunday, June 21; Session 8 will begin August 9.
Last Sunday we surprised Mr. Dennis Fortune, our keyboard player, with a celebration of his 35 years of humble and hearty service at St. Peter’s. He thanks you for kind words, the meal downstairs, and tokens of appreciation!
ST. PETER’S CHURCH COUNCIL (06/08): (1) waited for a quorum to officially meet; (2) praised God that January – May Budget Income of $81,974.95 was only about $1,000 behind Budget Expenses of $82,897.69; (2) approved minutes of the Annual Congregational Meeting, held in March; (4) discussed yard maintenance care and a current delay; (5) discussed future steps the congregation might consider to continue growing our congregation; (6) approved a combination “flea market” / “Back to School” event in early August. We are grateful for the elected Council members who lead and serve our St. Peter’s Church!
ThiS week At st. peTer’s
Wednesday, 9:30AM Senior Ministry “Sister Talk” Discussion and Study. Men are also invited.
Wednesday, 10:30AM Whole Foods fresh produce distribution in Rhoda Hall to the community.
Thursday, 7:30PM AL-ANON STEP GROUP. Find and share support to overcome codependence!
Friday… JUNETEENTH (African American historical remembrance on June 19).
Saturday, 9AM/11AM Viewing / Funeral for Sandra Santos, neighbor and recent regular worshiper.
Grateful and generous in our giving.
Beyond support of our 2026 Budget ($187,927 is what we envision spending this year) are those opportunities for special giving on behalf of others. They include:
ELCA World Hunger Appeal (responding to international, national, and local hunger and poverty).
We have received $1,567 to date. Your love is showing!
Lutheran Charities Appeal (assisting three local social ministry organizations – KenCrest Services, Lutheran
Settlement House, and Gemma Services – that serve thousands of neighbors with various needs).
We have received $496 to date. Lives are being changed!
Mission Offering (For January 1 – June 30 it is Sisters of St. Joseph Refugee Housing Project. We sent them $579.65 in 2024.) We $507 to date. Help welcome others! This offering ends soon.
“God’s Global Barnyard” is an ELCA development project to fight poverty. We have received $20 to date.
What’s Happening
June 21… PENTECOST 4. Hybrid Worship in person and online at 10:00AM. FATHER’S DAY!
Our (Lutheran) Central Philadelphia Conference will have a table (with free info and giveaway tokens) at the Juneteenth celebration at Malcolm X Park, 52nd & Pine, West Philadelphia. The total time frame is 12 noon to 8PM. Want to volunteer some time to help?
June 28… PENTECOST 5. Hybrid Worship in person and online at 10:00AM.
CONFIRMATION CLASS for Christian youth becoming Christian adults, 11:30AM.
LOVE, NOT HATE. PEACE, NOT VIOLENCE.
MERCY, NOT GREED. JUSTICE, NOT ABUSE.
HUMILITY, NOT ARROGANCE. GOD’S TRUTH, NOT LIES. THE WAY OF JESUS, NOT JUST “MY WAY”.