Sunday, June 8, 2025 – 10 a.m.
Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.” – Roy T. Bennett
Our livestream begins here at 10 a.m.
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
PRELUDE – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
CALL TO WORSHIP – words by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, led by Rev. Chad McGinnis
One: Words matter. Language matters. Languages matter.
MANY: Still, gibberish and jumble and confusion abound.
One: Please, thank you, and I’m sorry can be said in every language.
MANY: Today let us imagine an understanding beyond Babel, a Pentecost of Possibility, a poetry of playfulness.
One: Instead of being burnt out, let’s get lit.
MANY: Instead of incoherence, let there be meaning.
Instead of separation, let there be connection.
Instead of towers, a grand circling of all the circles.
Instead of babble, let there be brilliance.
ALL: May we learn to understand each other’s languages
before it is too late. Amen.
OPENING HYMN – God of Grace and God of Glory #436 UCC Hymnal
TIME WITH CHILDREN – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
BIRTHDAYS – Rev. Chad McGinnis
INTERLUDE AND OFFERING – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
Your gifts support all facets of the UCG community. You can also give online: bit.ly/ucgplate.
Meditative Quote – from University of Florida News, May 28, 2025, read by Denise Follenius
“A study finds that seagrass ecosystems along Florida’s northern Gulf Coast have remained largely healthy and stable for thousands of years – unlike nearly 30 percent of the world’s seagrass meadows, which have vanished since 1879. These ecosystems anchor sediment, reduce erosion and trap nutrient-rich biomass, creating a haven where sea turtles, manatees, fish and countless other species feed and find shelter.”
SONG – One Ohana #50 UCG Songbook
Here in the garden of creation,
Here is the home of life and love,
Circled ‘round by endless blessings,
Earth below and sky above.
Chorus:
All of creation, one ohana,
All of creation sings in you;
Many the voices, one great music,
Part of me and part of you.
We are a part of all creation,
There is a mystery all around.
All the creatures, all that grows here,
Light and darkness, every sound.
Chorus
Hiding within the seed in winter,
Rising anew in every spring,
Dancing through the hill and forests,
God is alive in everything.
Chorus
If you would know and love your Maker,
If you would learn the Sacred Way,
Treasure every plant and creature,
Treasure each other every day.
Chorus
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Rev. Ellen Ribe
MEDITATIVE MUSIC – Mark Burlingame, Shirell Hix, and Penta Rose
SCRIPTURE – Genesis 11: 1-9, read by Barb Gibbs
SPECIAL MUSIC – “Chimes of Freedom Flashing” from Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom”, offered by Art Crummer, vocals and guitar, and Ellen Ribe, bass
Far between the sundown’s finish and midnight’s broken toll
we ducked inside a doorway, thunder crashing.
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
seeming-to-be the chimes of freedom flashing.
Flashing for the warriors, whose strength is not to fight
flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
and for each and every underdog soldier in the night
…and we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Through the city’s melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
with faces hidden as the walls were tightening.
The echo of the wedding bells, before the blowing rain,
dissolved into the tolling bells of lightning.
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake,
tolling for the luckless, the abandoned and forsaked,
tolling for the outcasts, burning constantly at stake
…and we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Through the mad, mystic hammering and the wild ripping hail
the sky cracked its poems in naked wonder.
The clanging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder.
Striking for the deaf and blind, tolling for the mute,
for-the mistreated, mate-less mother, the mistitled prostitute,
for each unharmful gentle soul, misplaced inside a jail
…and we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
Starry eyed and laughing I recall when we were caught,
trapped by no track of hours, hanged, suspended.
We listen one last time and we watch with one last look,
spellbound and swallowed, till the tolling ended.
Tolling for the aching ones, whose wounds cannot be nursed,
for the countless confused, accused, misused, strung out ones and worse,
and for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
…and we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing
AUDIO CLIP – Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative
SERMON – “Babbling Towards Meaning” – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
Acts 2: 1-21
CLOSING SONG – We Shall Overcome #570 UCC Hymnal
BENEDICTION – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
ALLELUIA
POSTLUDE – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
Thank you to Doris Harvey for providing the flowers for the Worship Center this morning.
Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week:
June 8
Cindy Martin
Peter Prugh
June 9
Colleen Anderson
Susan Johnson
Meryl Klein
Brian Martin
David Martin
June 10
Eva Fabrick
****************ANNOUNCEMENTS******************
Today at UCG
8:45 a.m. Childcare – children’s wing
9 a.m. Ministerial Mornings with Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper – Reimer Hall
10 a.m. Worship Service – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
Coffee Church – Reimer Hall
11 a.m. Fellowship and beverages – courtyard
11:30 a.m. Virtual Meeting with Rev. Cameron Trimble – Reimer Hall
5 p.m. ONA Sunday Social (offsite)
Leadership Summit – Reimer Hall
6 p.m. Sacred Sound Symphony – Sanctuary
Ministerial Mornings with Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper resume today at 9 a.m. in Reimer Hall. Join us for coffee and conversation. Childcare will be provided. If you missed it this morning, come join us next week!
Coffee Church will be held in Reimer Hall at 10 a.m. as an alternative space to the Sanctuary. The service will be livestreamed on the big screen TV and coffee and tea will be available. Join us if you want to eat and drink and be together in a less-crowded room for the service.
Convergence Update – Rev. Cameron Trimble, who came to UCG in January for a Saturday workshop and Sunday seminar/sermon, will offer a virtual meeting in Reimer Hall at 11:30 a.m. today or on Zoom.
Join UCG’s Open and Affirming Committee at our “Open and Affirming Sunday Social” today at 5 p.m. We will gather at Anne Casella’s (2245 NW 24th Ave.) for a potluck pool party. Great food and fun – don’t miss out! Families welcome! Come get to know members of UCG in a fun and inclusive environment, hosted by ONA.
Space Cadets – Our effort to clear out spaces on our campus is picking up speed. We will start on Friday, June 13, at 10 a.m., for an hour or two, and continue every Friday through the summer (or until we’re done, whichever comes first!) We will tackle all the closets and corners where stuff is stuffed, to organize and update them. If you plan to participate, please contact Phoebe Papadi.
PROTEST! Join members of The Justice League at a demonstration on Saturday, June 14 at 9 a.m. at Cora Roberson Park, 600 SW 6th St. The march from Bo Diddley Plaza has been cancelled but the demonstration is still happening. Our interim minister, Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, will be speaking briefly at the rally.
The Racial Justice Committee is selling advance tickets to “Gospel Meets Jazz”, an event on Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m. featuring music by Lanard Perry and his band, with light refreshments. This event is a fundraiser for the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project. Advance tickets are $35 ($45 at the door). Please support this great organization and have a wonderful evening out enjoying gospel and jazz! Tickets are available at www.gospelmeetsjazz.com or from members of the Racial Justice Committee during coffee time in June.
There will be a free showing of the movie, “How to Become a Man in 127 Easy Steps” on Friday, June 27 at 7 p.m. We will be showing the film in the Sanctuary and then afterwards serving popcorn and drinks in Reimer Hall. This is a joint venture between Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and our Open and Affirming (ONA) committee. The PFLAG showed it at the Hippodrome as a fund-raiser recently and sold out of tickets. However, many trans people could not afford the tickets, so PFLAG worked with the actor who owns the film to sponsor this free showing. Open to the public.
Resilience for Immigrants – The Justice League is collecting supplies for the Rural Women’s Health Project. They advocate to help women with infants and small children whose partners have been detained or deported by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Please bring donations to Seminar C during office hours or on Sundays. Financial donations are also appreciated at www.rwhp.org. Supplies needed: dry beans (pinto and black), rice, maseca flour (tortilla flour available at Publix), diapers (size 1 – 5), and formula.
Critter Camp is coming! July 28 – August 1 is our annual C.A.M.P. UCG! This year we are doing a rain forest theme! To sign your child(ren) up or for more information about Critter Camp click here.
UCG Directory – The Board of Membership encourages members to wear their name tags and upload a photo of themselves in our ShelbyNext online directory. This helps us put a face to a name and get to know one another. It is also helpful when individuals sign up for boards/committees, small groups, etc. To view your profile, go to https://bit.ly/UCGSNLog.
Next Sunday, June 15
8:45 a.m. Childcare
9 a.m. Ministerial Mornings with Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
10 a.m. Worship Service – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
Coffee Church
11 a.m. Fellowship and beverages
11:15 a.m. Lively Arts Committee meeting
Board of Membership meeting
Please participate in our church assessment. Your input is important!
The Convergence Congregational Vitality Assessment will measure the difference our church is making in people’s lives and dream how we can enlarge our impact in our community and in the world. We need your help to do this by responding to this survey of our gifts, passions and needs as a congregation called to our shared mission and ministry. Each member of your household (teens included) should complete this congregational survey so that each person’s unique perspective is known. Please respond by July 18. You can take part online or paper survey forms are available in the Church Office. It doesn’t matter where – just take part!
The survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UCGParticipant
Let’s Stay Connected
Read our June newsletter!
Submit Your E-vents and Bulletin Announcements – Please email E-vents and bulletin announcements to Shanna Swiers to have them included in our newsletter, bulletin, and emails.
The deadline for submissions to the July newsletter is
Tuesday, June 17.
Church Office Schedule for June 2025
Mondays and Saturdays – Closed
Tuesdays and Thursdays – 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wednesdays and Fridays – 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sundays – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
