Thursday, September 3, 2026

CENTERING MUSIC

Elegy by George Thalben-Ball

Andre Courville, organ

OPENING HYMN

UMH 116 The God of Abraham Praise

SUNG INVITATION TO PRAYER

TFWS 2272 Holy Ground

OFFERTORY

8:30 a.m. His Eye Is on the Sparrow arr. Jack Schrader

Gage Blackwell, tenor & André Courville, piano

11a.m.: The Majesty and Glory of Your Name by Tom Fettke

Text by Linda Lee Johnson (Psalm 8)

Chancel Choir & André Courville, piano

SCRIPTURE

Exodus 3:1-15

SERMON

The God Who Goes First (Fire, Blood, Sea, and Bread) - First in a Series of Four

Rev. Jay Hogewood

CLOSING HYMN

TFWS 2214 Lead Me, Guide Me

Join Us Online on Our Website, YouTube, and Facebook:

https://universitymethodist.org/worship/online-worship

https://www.facebook.com/universitymethodist

https://www.youtube.com/uumcbr

• Pastoral Letter
• Habitat for Humanity
• Fall Fest
• Kids Hope
• LSU Sunday Wrap-Up

• Holy Grill
• Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Celebrates 40 Years
• Rise Against Hunger

Pastoral Letter

“I will be with you.” God said to Moses. 

“Do you believe our God is an intervening God?” I asked our church staff-team today. “I mean: in your life, do you have experiences where God has actively engaged your path?” 

I’ve had this question seared into my spirit for a few years now. Leave it to Donald Miller - mentioned him before - a memoirist from back in the day - wrote Blue Like Jazz then A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - to loop me back to important considerations on faith. He’s the guy I quoted saying, “A story is a character who wants something and has to overcome conflict to get it.” Plot. Character development. Ambition. Tension. Resolution. Every good story has most of these, he supposes. I agree. See, for example, the Bible, dear Christians…

Where I struggle to agree is in this nugget that Miller later opined: “I don’t believe an act of humankind will make things on earth perfect, and I don’t believe God will intervene before I die or before you die. I believe we will go on longing for a resolution that will not come, not within this life as we know it anyway.” It’s the bit about God intervening that gives me pause. 

I’m not blabbering here to check Miller’s orthodoxy. I don’t much care about serving as a police for doctrine or an apologist for “right faith.” As Christ-followers who identify as Wesleyan Methodists, frankly, we have better work to do - to serve the world with the love of Christ and leave the rest to God, as it were. 

What I struggle with is how to shape historic hope so often showcased in sacred scripture then turn it into the hope I find solely or at least mostly in the very truth that God does actively intervene in our lives. Even when we don’t recognize it. When we’re not even looking for it. God didn’t get stuck in Exodus in a burning bush with Moses. Does this God of ours not exercise their divine muscle to keep showing up? Even today.

This forms my faith - in what else do I truly hope? And what is your hope? That the Lord of life not only promises “I will be with you,” but actually does so. To fix? To rescue? Maybe. Occasionally? Capriciously? But I don’t know if this variety of divine intervention is what helps me sleep at night. Does intervention necessitate resolution - some fixation on everything being fixed? Or something even more daring - a God who enters all manner of human yuck and human yay, the sad and sorrowful parts of our days, the glad and cheerful parts too. Showing up through you and through me - us together in community - to share the humanity of it all. How else would the divine be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt? 

“I will be with you.” Okay, dear Lord, then bring it. 

Together, 

Jay

Rev. Jay Hogewood, Ph.D.

Senior Pastor

Habitat for Humanity

We’re looking for volunteers to help with the construction of Cortessia Stepter’s Habitat for Humanity home September 12! After years of perseverance, Cortessia is finally turning her dream of homeownership into reality and creating a stable home for her family.

No construction experience is necessary, just a willingness to lend a hand and be part of this meaningful project.



If you’re interested in volunteering, please email mark_sheri_lee@yahoo.com for more information.

Fall Fest

Fall Fest is happening on Oct. 18 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the UUMC parking lot! We’re looking for volunteers to help by passing out candy from car trunks, serving food, managing chili pots, welcoming guests at the check-in table, assisting with the cake walk, running the cotton candy and popcorn stations, and working the photo booth. Sign up here!

Kids Hope

Welcome our newest mentors: Marianne Hebert, Sharee Jones, Marian Killen, Lauren Knotts, Terri Hammatt, Greg Hamilton, Paulette Hamilton, and Suzette Bahlinger!  They will be great mentors to some lucky little kindergarteners at our partner school, McKinley Elementary.  A big thanks to them for making the commitment to stepping into the life of a precious child.

It’s not too late to sign up to join our Garden Team, Mentor a child, or take treats to the teachers on a Friday.  Please reach out if you’d like to join us this year!



All Kids Hope Volunteers: Garden Team, Mentors, Teacher Treaters, Prayer Partners, and Subs will be commissioned at both services on Sunday, September 13.  Principal, Dr. Veronica Sanders will join us at the 11a.m. service.  All volunteers are invited to a luncheon in their honor in the fellowship hall following the 11 a.m. service.  

It only takes ONE to make a difference.  Won’t you be the ONE?

Shirley Flake

Kids Hope Director

shirley@universitymethodist.org

LSU Sunday Wrap Up!

A huge thank you to all of our volunteers and church members who came out to welcome LSU students! We are so grateful for everyone who gave their time, energy, and hard work to help make this event such a wonderful success.

It was so exciting to see so many new faces and have the opportunity to connect with and welcome students into our UUMC community. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible. We had a great time reaching out to the LSU community and look forward to all that’s ahead!

Rise Against Hunger

On Sunday, September 20, University UMC Is hosting a Rise Against Hunger event during which volunteers will pack more than 10,000 meals that will be sent to countries around the globe. For those of you who have participated in RAH in the past, you know how much fun this event can be for the entire family!

The packing will take place from 4-6 p.m. We will need four to five volunteers to come earlier from 3-4 p.m. to help with offloading supplies from the RAH truck. Cleanup is immediately following packing

All of the jobs are easy and the kids have a great time while learning about how important it is to help hungry families in impoverished countries.

The event will take place in the Fellowship Hall 

To register for the event, please use the link below. 

Registration Link: Volunteer Registration

Youtube: Introduction Video 

Questions? Call Betty Backstrom at (225) 572-3348.  

Holy Grill

University UMC has been volunteering for The Holy Grill, one of several programs sponsored by the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, for decades. UUMC volunteers will next serve at The Holy Grill the week of September 8-11, Monday through Friday.

The Federation delivers food around noon to the Cadillac Street BREC Park gym (6117 Cadillac St., Baton Rouge, LA 70811) in Zion City, an area north of Airline Highway and east of the airport. Four or five volunteers a day is an optimal crew. Some folks coordinate to carpool from the church, leaving at about 11:20 a.m. and returning by about 1 p.m. Other volunteers prefer to drive directly to the facility. Holy Grill asks that volunteers arrive at the facility no later than 11:45 a.m.

Please register if you would like to serve as a volunteer for this meaningful mission outreach. In addition to serving food, we have the opportunity to connect with and learn about our community and these beloved children of God.

If you have trouble registering on your phone, try registering from your laptop or computer. For any questions, please call Melissa Nguyen at (225) 802-8901.

Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Celebrates 40 Years

The Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge is celebrating 40 years of feeding the hungry, building community, and promoting peace. UUMC is proud to be a charter member! Join us for several events during the week of September 11-17, including a Pray-for-Peace Vigil on Sunday, September 13, from 2-4 p.m. at University Presbyterian next door.

The Annual Community Prayer Breakfast will be held Thursday, September 17, from 7-9 a.m. at Boudreaux’s. Tickets are $30, with proceeds helping support this important ministry. For more information or to purchase tickets, email info@ifgbr.com. Signs with additional details will also be posted around the church.

Save The Date



Oct 2, 2026 — Wesley Foundation 90th Anniversary Alumni and Friends Celebration

Church Directory



Church members who have attended within the last year have been invited to the church directory. If you haven't received your invitation, use the link below to access your profile. If the link does not work for you or if you have any questions, please email Rev. Mary Rachel at revmaryrachel@universitymethodist.org.

If you haven't already, we'd love for you to upload a photo of yourself and your family to the directory. Pictures help us learn and remember each other’s names!

Pres. and Mrs. Rousse, LSU administration, faculty, staff, returning and incoming students, Elliot Irby and the Irby family, Martha Wright, Bill Nelson, Ann Barney, Stacy Hudson, Paul Miktus, Ann Flack, Khetia and Khetie Jean-Louis, Karl Buchholz, Alison McCrary, Mary Juneau, Beth Courtney, Darby Ralls, Ellen Wiemers, Garrett Ward, Gregg Jones, Janet Grace, Jessica Roux’s Ukrainian host family, Kristine Hawkins, Lupi Sucre, Maria and Oswaldo Linares, Mindy Piontek, Robert Blackledge, Susan Horton, Susan Pourciau, the family of Arnold Jackson, the Bickham family, Wesley Foundation leadership, Melanie Brooke Civils, and all those in our congregation who are in nursing homes or homebound.