United Church of Gainesville
Sunday, October 13, 2024 – 10 a.m.
Soul Food
Our livestream begins here at 10 a.m.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
An Invitation to Men’s Retreat – Jeremy Archer
Candidate’s Corner – Doris Harvey PRELUDE – offered by Phillip Herr-Klepacki, Director of Music MinistryCALL TO WORSHIP One: Gracious God, we gather this morning in this Sanctuary which,
through love, is our home away from home.
ALL: We come to add our human voices to the chorus of praise raised by all creation!
One: We come as we are: distracted and weary, hopeful and open,
ALL: knowing that you accept us and are ever mindful of our cares and joys.
One: Still in us now the many voices that clamor for attention, that we might center ourselves upon this time and this place.
ALL: Speak to us in word and melody and quiet,
that we may be renewed in our faith and strengthened for service. Amen.
TIME WITH CHILDREN AND BIRTHDAYS – Rev. Talia RaymondINTERLUDE AN INVITATION FROM OUR ENLISTMENT TEAM – Ron Hix
SPECIAL MUSIC – “Higher Place” by Tom Petty – offered by Maggie Clifford
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Rev. Ellen Ribe
MEDITATIVE MUSIC – offered by Mark Burlingame, hand pan, and Shirell Hix, native flute
READING – from the banned book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – read by Diego Frenock
“And I thought about how many people have loved those songs. And how many people got through a lot of bad times because of those songs. And how many people enjoyed good times with those songs. And how much those songs really mean. I think it would be great to have written one of those songs. I bet if I wrote one of them, I would be very proud. I hope the people who wrote those songs are happy. I hope they feel it’s enough. I really do because they’ve made me happy. And I’m only one person.”
SPECIAL MUSIC AND OFFERING – “Wildflowers” by Tom Petty – offered by Maggie Clifford
Your gifts support all facets of the UCG community. You can also give online: bit.ly/ucgplate.
READING FROM THE HEBREW BIBLE – Psalm 150
SERMON – “Praying Twice” – Rev. Talia Raymond
CLOSING HYMN – “God’s Eye Is on the Sparrow” verses 1 and 3
BENEDICTION
ALLELUIA
POSTLUDE
The new banner on display at the altar is by Joon Thomas, with the Sanskrit words for faith, hope, and love – Bhakti, Asha, Prema – भक्ति, आशा, प्रेम – are intertwined in a circle around the image of a lamp. Devanagary Sanskrit calligraphy by Joon Thomas.
Flowers this week are offered by Doris Harvey.
Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week:
Doug Kiker
Lois McNamara
Helda MonteroOctober 15
Ty RobertsonOctober 16
Jhett Hill
Ella Grace Johnson
Scott DeMoueyOctober 18
Abby Land
Lola Yousey
October 19
Bennett Grant
Today at UCG
11 a.m. Fellowship and Beverages
Visitor’s Coffee
Candidate’s Corner
11:15 a.m. Board of Membership
11:30 a.m. Sunday Seminar
2 p.m. OWL Program
4:30 p.m. Congregational Life Team
6 p.m. Open and Affirming Sunday Social
Sacred Sound Symphony
Open and Affirming Committee (ONA) will be selling the new and exciting Pride Shirts! They are available in the courtyard before and after service for $15-20.
Visitor’s Coffee is today after service. We will hold a welcome and reception for new members during and after service on New Member Sunday, October 20. Please contact the office if you are interested in joining United Church of Gainesville.Today’s Sunday Seminar is Understanding the Amendments on the November Ballot, by the Justice League. The following 6 items will be part of the seminar:
• Women’s Choice/Abortion
• Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
• Hunting and Fishing Rights (opposed by Sierra Club)
• Partisan School Boards
• Campaign Money
• Property Tax Exemptions
Seminar is available via Zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82964570385?pwd=bElZUDZ3U2tLREpiNXdYTTNJQ0FqZz09 Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385 Passcode: 1624
A few of our small groups still have availability or don’t require registration. Visit bit.ly/OpenSGFall24 to see the offerings and register. Please contact the church office with any questions.
UCG Men’s Retreat 2024 theme is “The Book of Our Lives.” Join us for a weekend of meaningful connection, spiritual exploration, and fun from November 8-10 at beautiful Camp Weed in Live Oak. Men’s retreat is open to all in the wider UCG community who identify as men, including members, friends, and guests. Please contact Jeremy Archer at bdjarcher@gmail.com with any questions, or if you have never tried this event and would like to hear more about what it is like. You can register by emailing Jeremy, or by signing up in the courtyard during Sundays through mid-October. Schedule and more information available at bit.ly/UCGMensRetreat24. We hope to see you there! Scholarships are available, so please do not let cost be a barrier if you would like to attend. (Donations to the scholarship fund are gladly accepted.)United Church of Gainesville (UCG) has just kicked off our annual Enlistment Campaign with the theme: Soul Food! Enlistment is the annual period during which we ask you to consider the church’s needs and the level of financial support you are able to offer. Nearly 88% of United Church of Gainesville’s income comes from pledged gifts from members and friends. We invite you to consider the many ways that UCG feeds your soul, and to thoughtfully consider a pledge to support the church’s 2025 budget. Even if your pantry is bare this year and you are able to pledge zero dollars at this time, we would like you to submit a pledge card by Thanksgiving so you can be included. As of Friday, October 11, $54,710 has been pledged – that is 6.4 percent of our goal of $850,000. To pledge, you can visit the web portal at https://bit.ly/UCGpledge2025, turn in a physical pledge card, or email Catherine Cake at catherinec@ucgainesville.org.
New Member Sunday
10 a.m. Worship Service – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan
Friendship Group
10:15 a.m. Kids United
11 a.m. Fellowship and Beverages
New Member Reception
11:30 a.m. Sunday Seminar – Your Memoir, Why You Should Write It
Small Group: What is it Like to Learn You are Becoming
Disabled?
Youth United
Middle School Together
2 p.m. OWL Program
5 p.m. Small Group: Flying Pig Parade 101
6 p.m. New Member Potluck
Looking Ahead
The blessing of the animals has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 27 at 4 p.m. Please mark your calendars and bring your fur babies, scaly babies, and everything in between to be blessed in the courtyard.
Calling All Artists! We want you to exhibit your creations at our annual United Church of Gainesville Art Show on Sunday, November 10. You can sell your work, show it, or both. We call it “Show & Tell . . . and Sell” and welcome all ages, all kinds of creativity, and all skill levels! Spaces are limited – the deadline for application is Friday, October 25. Applications are available online at bit.ly/artsapp24 or in the church office.Calling All Singers! Join your fellow vocalists as we prepare for United Church of Gainesville’s 33rd Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols to be held on December 8. This service combines the readings of the Christmas story with beautiful carols and music that enrich the meaning of the Advent season. Rehearsals begin with our Kick-off Listening Party, Wednesday October 30, at 7 p.m. No vocal experience necessary. Contact our Director of Music Ministries, Phillip Herr-Klepacki with any questions at phillip.klepacki@gmail.com.
Labyrinth Walk – A favorite tradition for many at United Church of Gainesville is walking the labyrinth during particularly sacred times in the church year. Labyrinths look a bit like mazes, but they are not meant to trick the user; there is only one way in, one way to move forward. Walking the labyrinth allows individuals the opportunity to place one foot in front of the other, without needing to focus on anything but the next step. With that path laid out, the mind and spirit can reflect and remember, discern and pray.
Our labyrinth will be laid out around the celebration of All Saints Day, a time for remembering and honoring all those who have died, and whose physical presence we miss.
The labyrinth will be in our Sanctuary from Sunday, October 27 through Thursday, October 31. Hours for the labyrinth will be 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday Tuesday and Thursday October 28, 29, and 31, and 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Wednesday October 30.
2024 Advent Devotional Booklet Submissions Now Open – We are gathering writings and visual art for the 2024 Advent devotional booklet. This year’s theme is “A Thrill of Hope.” You can contribute one of your favorite writings (poems, sermon excerpts, songs, hymns, etc.) or an original piece of your own. Please submit text as an attached Word document or straight to the body of your email. We also accept visual art, please submit in jpg format. Send submissions to Ligia Ortega. The final deadline for submissions is Friday, November 1. Thank you for contributing!
Capital Campaign Feasibility Study Update: One of the important findings of this spring’s Capital Campaign Feasibility Study was that congregants needed to learn more about the projects on the “Essential Repairs and Improvements” list, what they entailed, why they were necessary, and so on. As part of the effort to address this need, the UCG Capital Campaign Visioning Committee and the Buildings and Grounds Committee are assembling a series of short videos to describe projects on the “Essential Repairs and Improvements” list. Three new videos have been added:
in addition to the first five videos about water supply, the beam that separates Reimer Hall from the west wing, west bathrooms and HVAC. The videos will be available on this YouTube playlist. Please send any questions or comments about the projects, and about the effectiveness of these videos, to either Tim Martin or Erick Smith.
UCG Emergency Volunteer Phone Tree – If you are not already on the call recipient list of the UCG Emergency Volunteer Phone Tree and you would like a call from the UCG Phone Tree about any hurricane warnings issued for the Gainesville area, please contact the front office to add your name to the list.