Stout Memorial United Methodist Church 3329 Broad Street | Parkersburg | West Virginia | 26104 www.stoutmemorial.org | (304) 428 - 1179 | stoutmemorial@gmail.com “One thing I do know. I WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE” John 9:25, NIV March 15, 2026 - Traditional Worship Ministers The congregation Pastor Helen R. Oates Ministers through Music Terri Bush ~ Choir Director Bonnie Leonhart ~ Organist Ministers Though Service Andrew Mommessin ~ Sound Coordinator Sarah Sisson—Communications Director Danny Stemple—IT Specialist Order of Worship Fourth Sunday in Lent March 15, 2026 Welcome and Announcements Rev. Helen R. Oates Prelude Bonnie Leonhart Choral Introit Set Thy Love by John Horman Chancel Choir Call to Worship Carolyn Bolton Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we need thy tender care; in thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use thy folds prepare. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus! Thou has bought us, thine we are. Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus! Thou has bought us, thine we are. Hymn Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us * Vs. 2,3, 4* UMH 381 Breakthrough Prayer Carolyn Bolton God, breakthrough in new and miraculous ways at Stout Memorial United Methodist Church. Make us a faithful voice in our community, a people who love deeply, listen humbly, and grow daily in Your strength and love. Lead us where only You can. Amen. Old Testament Reading I Samuel 16:1-13 Carolyn Bolton Vacation Bible School Promo Kim Mommessin The Young at Heart Joys and Concerns Morning Prayer & 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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, and the power,and the glory for ever. Amen. Anthem The Hands of Love Chancel Choir Words and music by Joseph M. Martin incorporating “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” Gospel Lesson John 9:1-41 Sermon “I was Blind, but Now I See” Pastor Helen Offertory Bonnie Leonhart Thank you for continuing to support the ministries of Stout Memorial. Those joining us online can take time to give as well. Giving can be done on our website at www.stoutmemorial.org/give. Doxology Old 100th UMH 95 (During Lent, it is musically suggested that we refrain from singing “Alleluias”) Prayer of Dedication Good Shepherd, you walk beside us through valleys and over mountaintops, guiding us with grace and guarding us with love. In your presence, we lack nothing that truly matters. Even in a world clouded by shadows, your light shines through—inviting us to live as children of the day. Receive these gifts, O God, as signs of our desire to walk in your ways . Amen. Benediction Postlude Let There Be Peace on Earth Bonnie Leonhart Congregational Appreciation Flowers placed on the altar this morning are given to the glory of God by Vicki Mueller and sons in honor of her mother, and their grandmother, Mary Ellen Wilson. If you would like to help place flowers on the Altar, consider a donation to the flower fund. The altar guild would like to invite you to sponsor the altar flowers. Each vase costs $25. When you sponsor the altar flowers, you may do so in memory or in honor of someone or a special event or anniversary. Go to stoutmemorial.org/altarflowers for more information. The Stout Memorial Altar Flower ministry needs smiling faces to deliver Sunday flowers. Presenting flowers helps to create smiles. Our Mission: We exist to see all people find Hope, Healing, and Wholeness through Jesus Christ. I think Psalm 23 is less about the benefits and more about the relationship. Certainly, there is quite a catalog of what this relationship brings, and I’m not trying to diminish the results of a relationship with God. But I hear the call to engage, to connect with God, and see what God has in store for us. This is, on the one hand, a very personal accounting – the Lord is MY shepherd, I shall not want. He makes ME, He leads ME, he restores ME. On the other hand, the psalms are designed for corporate worship. What if, argues one biblical scholar, the “I” was the community as a whole, the body of Christ? That is the “I “that shall not be in want. We are not to seek personal gain, but to enter into relationships that share the blessings of belonging.