Each year, following the Spring Congregational Meeting and the installation of new officers and some Board Chairs, we hold a Leadership Summit for our congregational leaders as a combination of on-boarding and visioning. This year, we’ll be aided in our efforts by the Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed, a congregational coach with expertise in leading through transition…
DetailsThis spring, we applied to welcome interns from the UF Applied Learning Program for the Summer term. The ALP is often undergraduates’ first internship experience, and it offers them the opportunity to learn about a community organization or skills related to their fields of study. We have interns working on two different projects: “Communication for…
DetailsLast Sunday’s service, led by members of the Board of Parish Ministry, featured so many wonderful elements including: special music and beloved hymns, the classic children’s book When I Was Young in the Mountains, and a sermon by our very own Rev. Daniel Webster. It was a fitting and moving (pun intended) end to our…
DetailsMy friends, it is with great joy that I begin my term as moderator and look with you to the year ahead. We are a church in transition, to be sure, as we explore our core identity, our ministerial and staffing structure, different financial models and a potential capital campaign, and the changing needs of…
DetailsRay Meeks had already been on death row for 8 years when I met him in 1980. He was 27. He stayed on Death Row until 2017 when his sentenced was commuted to life in prison. This June he’ll turn 70. He has had quadruple heart bypass surgery. He has degenerative disc disease and uses…
DetailsIt seems like just yesterday that I gave this report – and indeed it was – at the Congregational Meeting, so if you were present there you can just skip this because nothing exciting has happened in the last 24 hours! If you were there, thank you so much for all the support you are…
DetailsJoin us this month for our Seminars each Sunday at 11:15 a.m. in Reimer Hall or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385 Passcode: 1624. See the offerings below. June 4 – “Navigating Climate Challenges: Reflecting on Gainesville’s Past, Present, and Future” – Dr. Dan Zhu, Gainesville’s first Chief Climate Officer, will discuss climate change in Gainesville. She will…
DetailsFor 2023 the Congregation approved an operating budget totaling $966,677. Revenue to support this amount comes from giving and income. Our giving represents a little over 90% of the budget either through our pledges or from weekly offerings received during church services. Through the first third of our year, our giving is just over one-third…
DetailsC.A.M.P. UCG for children entering Rising K-6th Grade will be July 24-28, 2023! Our theme is “All God’s Critters: Flying Animals Edition.” There will be special guests, a water slide day, yummy snacks, spiritual exploration, and a visit from some flying animals! Rates: $30 per child (8:30 a.m.-12 p.m.), $50 family cap for children in…
DetailsThe last supper club of the season will be on Sunday, May 21 at 6:30 pm. Once again, Jim and Lisa McElwee-White are welcoming the entire group to their lovely home on Kanapaha Prairie and Barbecue King, Jim White, will be firing up his smoker to prepare pork. All of the sides will be vegetarian…
DetailsThe nearly 30-students in grades 6-9 who have spent the last nine months in Our Whole Lives (OWL) classes finished with a wonderful overnight on April 28-29. Many thanks to all our parents and facilitators, especially Jeremy Archer, Gade Duerkson, Tami Herchel, Bromleigh McCleneghan, Angel McGee, Talia Raymond and Ezra Stone for taking this journey…
DetailsApril was a full month for the children of UCG, especially in United Tribes. On Easter Sunday, they enjoyed an epic Egg Hunt, as well as many games and activities leftover from the Spring Fling and donated by the University of Florida. Check out the photos on display in the UCG kitchen! Tribes sessions in…
Details