Called to Praise

 

⭻Prepare your heart and body for Worship

 

Greeting & Announcements
 

• We have ‘In-Person’ & ‘Online Worship’ on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at 10am.

 

• You can join our Online Worship via YouTube or Facebook. Type “Little Falls United Methodist Church” in the search window on YouTube or Facebook. Please use the link below to join in Online Worship. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lfumc

 

• Prayer Concerns & Joys – If you would like to share your concerns and joys with the congregation, please email Pastor Jin (jkim@littlefallsumc.org) or complete the online form, www.littlefallsumc.org/prayer.

 

• Altar Flowers – Thank you, Jeff Palmer, for providing the Altar Flowers in celebration of membership of Church. If you would like to offer the altar flowers, please contact Janet (973) 896-8936 or ladyteddy@aol.com. 

 

• Fellowship Time after Worship – Thank you, Bethany Hope Circle, for hosting Coffee Hour. Let us enjoy a good fellowship time every Sunday after Worship. Please help us with hosting the coffee hour. The Sign-up board is on the table in the Narthex. Please contact Cheryle or Kathy F. if you have any questions about the coffee hour.

 

• Father’s Day - We will celebrate Father’s Day recognizing all fathers during Worship on June 8, 2025. Join Sunday Worship and Let us, as a church family, celebrate Father’s day,

 

• Baptism and Reception of New Members - Kyheem Joshua Swaby will be Baptized and accepted as a Baptized Member of the Church, and Nitikia Geil will be baptized and accepted as a Professing Member of the Church, and Jeff Palmer will be accepted as a Professing Member of the Church. Join Sunday Worship and Let us, as a church family, celebrate the Baptism and reception of New Members of the Church!

 

• Sunday Worship Highlights

  • June 15, 2025 – Father’s Day – Recognition of Fathers & Baptism (Nitikia Geil, Kyheem Joshua Swaby) and reception of a new member (Jeffery Palmer)

  • June 22, 2025 – Moving to the Fellowship Hall for Sunday Worship

  • June 29, 2025 – Welcome Summer Hot Dog Lunch

 

• Young Adult & Family Gathering – We will have a Young Adult and Family Gathering on Sunday, June 22, 2025, from Noon to 1:30pm.

 

• Treasured Memories –The next meeting will be held at 7 pm on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. “Treasured Memories” is a grief group for those who have lost their loved ones. The ongoing meeting gathers every 2nd Wednesday of the month in Lee Lounge at 7 pm. Contact Allison for details (973) 800-4152. 

 

• Walk by Faith – Thank you for joining us in Walk by Faith. Please join us next time. Please join us and let us share the Good News with others and invite them to the church for a faith journey.

 

• Online Donation – Online donation is available now. Please visit the church website and click ‘Donation.’ The link is https://www.littlefallsumc.org/donation.  Your financial support and generosity are greatly appreciated and essential for our church ministry and mission. Please consider sending your tithes and offerings to Little Falls UMC (139 Main St. Little Falls, NJ 07424). You can send your offerings and tithes to the church every week. Or you can send offerings and tithes for a month with a check. Thanks again for your generosity!

 

• Shoprite Gift Card – To purchase a Shoprite gift card, contact Pete (973) 595-5765 or detroit50@aol.com.

 

• LFUMC FOOD PANTRY ITEMS NEEDED - Many families depend on the Food Pantry on a regular basis. The Pantry needs the following non-perishable items; canned vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, adult/children’s cereal, pasta & sauce, instant potatoes/rice, tuna, chicken, sardines, fruit, apple sauce, juice, and granola bars.

 

• SOCKS FOR SOULS - Do your feet get cold? Please help Unity Circle to provide new or gently used socks to the homeless. There is a constant need. Please drop off your socks in the large white sock in the Narthex. 

 

• Ongoing Collection - UMW collects postmarked stamps, can pull tabs, and the front of greeting cards (No Hallmark). Items are donated to different charities and organizations.

 

†Call to Worship

Leader: Come, people of God! Let us worship the One who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—Three in One and One in Three.

People: We come to worship the Triune God who works in perfect unity with one vision of love and salvation.

Leader: Today we celebrate new life through baptism, new commitment through membership, and the love of fathers and families.

People: As families are formed by love and vision, so we are united by the blood of Christ and called to one vision as God’s family.

Leader: Let us follow the Spirit, who guides us into all truth, and live as one body in Christ.

People: We are one church, one family, pursuing one vision—given by God, lived through Christ, and empowered by the Spirit!

All Together: Come, Holy Spirit! Lead us in worship and guide us toward Your vision for our lives and Your church. Amen.

 

†Praise Song                                  This Is My Father’s World                              UMH 144

 

1. This is my Father's world,

and to my listening ears

all nature sings, and round me rings

the music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world:

I rest me in the thought

of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

his hand the wonders wrought.

 

2. This is my Father's world,

the birds their carols raise,

the morning light, the lily white,

declare their maker's praise.

This is my Father's world:

he shines in all that's fair;

in the rustling grass I hear him pass;

he speaks to me everywhere.

 

3. This is my Father's world.

O let me ne'er forget

that though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father's world:

why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!

God reigns; let the earth be glad!

 

Children’s Time                           Father’s Day                                  by Sunday School

Recognition of Fathers

 

Hymn of Prayer                           God Will Take Care of You                 UMH 130

 

1. Be not dismayed whate'er betide,

God will take care of you;

beneath his wings of love abide,

God will take care of you.

 

Refrain:

God will take care of you,

through every day, o'er all the way;

he will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

 

2. Through days of toil when heart doth fail,

God will take care of you;

when dangers fierce your path assail,

God will take care of you. [Refrain]

 

3. All you may need he will provide,

God will take care of you;

nothing you ask will be denied,

God will take care of you. [Refrain]

 

4. No matter what may be the test,

God will take care of you;

lean, weary one, upon his breast,

God will take care of you. [Refrain]

 

Pausing for Silent Prayer and Confession

 

Prayers of the People (Response: God, in Your Mercy, hear our prayers.)

Loving God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— We thank You for the joy of this day: for baptisms, new membership, and the gift of being one church family. We give thanks for fathers and those who have guided us with love and strength. God of peace, we also lift to You the concerns that weigh on our hearts: For those who are sick or in recovery—bring healing. For those who are grieving—bring comfort. For those who are facing uncertainty—bring courage. And for our church—bring clarity and boldness to walk together toward the vision You have given us. Help us walk together toward the vision You have given, united in Christ and led by the Spirit. In Your holy name we pray, Amen.

 

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.

 

Called to the Word

Prayer for Illumination   

 

Leader: Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and your Word proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. 

All: Amen

 

NT Lesson                                      Romans 5:1-5

5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

 

This ends the NT Lesson. 
Let us turn to the Gospel Lesson. Please stand, if able.

 

†Gospel Lesson                                        John 16:12-15

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

 

This is the word of God for the people of God. 

All: Thanks be to God.

 

Message                                           Toward One Vision                               Rev. Jin Kook Kim

Good morning, Church family! I hope you had a blessed week in God’s love and grace! Last Sunday was a blessed day for us as three young individuals were confirmed and became professing members of the church. As I shared, that was a new beginning of their faith journey and our faith journey as a church family! Please encourage them, support them, and help them with their new beginning. Today is also a joyful and glorious day for us as we receive three new members of the church through baptism and reception into the church family.

 

What makes a family become a family? One of the facts is a blood relation. A family is bound by blood. Likewise, the church becomes a family bound by the blood of Jesus, the love and grace of God.  We are saved by God’s grace through Jesus’ sacrificial love. Whoever believes that Jesus died for them for the forgiveness of sins and saved them from sins and gave them a new life in God, becomes God’s child. That binds us together as a family.  Baptism is one’s profession of faith in God that one accepts Jesus as their savior. The profession of faith in Jesus makes us together as a family. Whoever is baptized becomes a church member. This is why baptism happens in a faith community, the church family. Last Sunday, three young individuals reaffirmed their faith in Jesus and became professing members. Today, we accept three people as church members. Through baptism, Kyheem will be a baptized member and Niki will be a professing member, and through the reception of a new member, Jeff who was already baptized in the past and now reaffirm his faith in Jesus, will be a professing member. Nothing, but the blood of Jesus, the love and grace of God bind us together as a church family. Church family, God binds us with Kyheem, Niki, and Jeff through God’s love and grace by Jesus’ blood. We have shared Jesus’ blood, God’s love and grace. We are the family of God and the household of God. Let us accept them with joy and celebrate today remembering that God binds us together as Little Falls Church family.

 

Another fact that a family becomes a family is shared vision and goal. Although a family does not set or state its vision statement, a healthy family grows together by pursuing shared values and goals. A family works together for its shared values and goals. One of the common values is the well-being of the family as individuals and as a group. All family members share the value, and to make it, all family members work together and help and support each other with love and care. Likewise, the church family is united by pursuing shared values and goals, and we call it vision and mission. The church family’s goal is simple. It is following God’s will and desire. As we accept Jesus as our savior, we accept God’s grace and we commit ourselves to God for God’s glory, kingdom, and ministry. Following God’s will is our vision and mission. The United Methodist Church’s mission statement is “Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This is the goal of the church and the purpose of the church that the United Methodist Church is pursuing to follow God’s will. Our goal is “Serving people to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and follow Jesus as their disciples and working together to transform the world into the kingdom of God.” Transforming the world into the kingdom of God means making the world better where God’s love and grace rule.

 

 While the mission of the church indicates the goal and purpose of the church, the vision of the church shows how to achieve the goal, the mission. Our church has a vision statement that is “A Welcoming Community of Faith, Hope, Mission, and Outreach by sharing Christ’s love.” We, Little Falls UMC, want to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by being a welcoming community of Faith, Hope, Mission, and Outreach by sharing Christ’s Love.” This is who we are and why we are here as a church family. Also, this is the vision we pursue together as a church family, and we are working on it.

 

On May 1, 2025, the Council of Bishops of the UMC released a new vision statement. It is: “The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.” UMC wants to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and the world to transform the world into the Kingdom of God. ‘Love boldly’ means “Passionately love God and, like Jesus, embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender, and walk of life.” “Serve joyfully” means “With a Christ-like heart, journey alongside the most vulnerable, offering care and compassion with joy.” “Lead courageously” means “Follow Jesus’ example by resisting and dismantling all systems of evil, injustice, and oppression, striving for peace, justice, and reconciliation.” This servant leadership is needed in the world where we are living today. And the Bishops, the leaders of the church, believe that the vision will help the Church embrace the opportunities before us, to follow where God is leading us, and to more fully engage in our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”  They encourage us to have the vision and work together. In a broader sense, this vision and our church vision are related to each other very closely and pursue the same mission. To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we want to share Jesus’ love, and the love can be shown by loving God and all people boldly, serving all people joyfully, and leading the world into God’s ways courageously.

 

Church family, we are called to have one vision in God and work together on it as God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have one vision and work together on the vision. As we read the scripture, Jesus points out the unity and oneness of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as the Trinity, saying that the Holy Spirit guides us into the truths that come from God. Through the Bible and our experience, we see that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have the same vision for us and work together for the vision that is love, grace, peace, and guides us all the time.

 

Church family, as we have had our shared vision in our hearts and we have faithfully worked on it till now following the example of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, let us keep one vision in our hearts as a church family, and continue to work on it faithfully to follow God’s will and desire. Having one vision and working together for the vision binds us as a church family stronger. Niki, Jeff, and Kyheem and family, as you are becoming our church family members, I hope you have the same vision in your hearts and work on it with us as one in Christ. The church family, please invite, encourage, and support them as they become a part of our church family. Church family, God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has shown us what it means to be united in love and purpose. Let us, too, live as one body, one family, working together toward one vision: to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Let’s welcome our new members with open arms, and walk together in faith, hope, and mission. Amen.

 

Baptism & Reception of New Members                 The Baptismal Covenant I       UMH 33

 

Baptism

Nitikia Geil

Kyheem Joshua Swaby

 

Reception into the Church

Nitikia Geil - a Professing Member

 Jeffery Palmer - a Professing Member

Kyheem Joshua Swaby - a Baptized Member

 

Called to Share

Response to Our Generous God 

 

 †Doxology                 Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow                   UMH 95

 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

 

†Prayer of Dedication

All: Generous and faithful God, You have given us life, love, and the gift of community through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. As we offer these gifts, may they be used to build up Your church, share Your vision, and bless the world. Unite us in purpose and guide us in love, that we may serve You with joyful hearts. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Called to the World

 

†Closing Hymn                             Blest Be the Tie That Binds                        UMH 557

 

1. Blest be the tie that binds

our hearts in Christian love;

the fellowship of kindred minds

is like to that above.

 

2. Before our Father's throne

we pour our ardent prayers;

our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

our comforts and our cares.

 

3. We share each other's woes,

our mutual burdens bear;

and often for each other flows

the sympathizing tear.

 

4. When we asunder part,

it gives us inward pain;

but we shall still be joined in heart,

and hope to meet again.

 

†Benediction                                                                                             Rev. Jin Kook Kim

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.  Amen.