UMCOR One Great Hour of Sharing Worship Resources

Be There.

"In their distress they cried to Yahweh, who delivered them from their woes; who sent out a word to heal them, and delivered them from destruction."
Psalm 107: 19-20

CALL TO AWARENESS

Leader	Why are we here?
People	We gather to bear witness to the love and mercy of God.
Leader	Why are we here?
People	We gather to celebrate the healing power of God, to worship the God of hope.
Leader	How do we worship?
People	We thank God for promises of hope. And as we have been loved, we act to serve others in love.
Leader	How do we serve?
People	With God’s help we are there for others, not only in this special hour but in all our hours.
Leader	With God’s help we can respond, especially to the most vulnerable.
All	We show our love for God in our responses to all who are hurting. Let us now praise the God of love, mercy, healing, and hope.

LITANY OF HOPE AND PROMISE

(Suggested use: Dedication for the gifts received in the One Great Hour of Sharing special offering)

Leader	Gracious God, you created us to love one another as we love you. We offer these gifts of money in this One Great Hour of Sharing not only as symbols of our love for others but also as concrete expressions of the humanitarian work they support. Jesus promised to be with us “to the end of the age.” We thank you for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, whose workers use these gifts to be there for us.
People	We hear his call as our own: to be there with UMCOR, to take the hearts and the hands of the church wherever people are suffering.
Leader	God, we thank you for the work of UMCOR in silent disasters—like cholera in Cameroon, where our gifts teach communities to avert cholera breakouts.
People	We hear the call of Jesus to be there.
Leader	God, we thank you for the work of UMCOR in Sudan, where shelter and seeds are signs of new beginnings in South Darfur.
People	We hear the call of Jesus to be there.
Leader	God, we thank you for the work of UMCOR in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, where families who suffered heavy losses of life and livelihood in the tsunami are able to move into their rebuilt homes and return to their farming and fishing.
People	We hear the call of Jesus to be there.
Leader	God, we thank you for the work of UMCOR with small farmers in Mexico who can earn a fair price for their coffee beans and provide for their families.
People	We hear the call of Jesus to be there.
Leader	God, we thank you for the work of UMCOR with United Methodist congregations that resettle refugees like Harrison and Onita, who celebrate the grace of God in their new home in the United States.
People	We hear the call of Jesus to be there.
Leader	God, we thank you for the work of UMCOR when workers and volunteers distribute emergency supplies to locations in the United States and around the globe—and supply hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
People	We hear the call of Jesus to be there.
Leader	God, we thank you for the work of UMCOR with its partners the United Methodist annual conferences so that when the worst hurricanes ever devastated the Gulf Coast, trained workers could mobilize to respond.
People	We hear the call of Jesus to be there.
Leader	To all these works, gracious and loving God, we dedicate our One Great Hour of Sharing offering. Thank you for your compassion that impels us to answer your call to be there with all who need our humanitarian ministry.
All	Thanks be to God! Amen!

PRAYER

Gracious and loving God, thank you for the blessings of your eternal presence. Remind us to pray through our actions toward others: to offer the cup of kindness, the responding hand when a community is overwhelmed by disaster or war, the spirit of justice and peace, and the open heart to all who are hurting. We know that in these ways we extend your love to the world. Amen.

SUGGESTED HYMNS

The One Great Hour of Sharing offering supports works of justice and peace, restoration of self-sufficiency, and alleviation of hunger and disease. These hymns remind us how our calling as Christian disciples engages us with a hurting world. Selections are from The Faith We Sing (FWS) and The United Methodist Hymnal (UMH).

As a Fire Is Meant for Burning, 2237 FWH
Canto de Esperanza (Song of Hope), 2186 FWH
Enviado Soy de Dios (Sent Out in Jesus's Name), 2184 FWH
For the Healing of the Nations, 428 UMH
Ubi Caritas (Live in Charity), 2179 FWH
Sois la Semilla (You Are the Seed), 583 UMH

LECTIONARY READINGS

BENEDICTION

Now to the God who created us to build bridges of care, we offer all these prayers and praise. Go out and act, in the spirit of a burning fire, giving glory to God’s name, to find and to be there with neighbors everywhere.

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The writer of these resources, Linda Beher, serves on the staff of the United Methodist Committee on Relief.