Ray Meeks at 70
I visited Ray on August 22 at the Madison Correctional Institution. As many of you know, Ray spent 38 years in a single cell on Death Row. He is safe from the rampant resumption of executions and is quite happy …
Continue readingDisaster Support
Over the years, UCG has collected funds for a host of disaster relief efforts in communities around the globe. On several occasions, funds have come in after donations to other organizations have been made; or were not designated for a …
Continue readingShelly Wilson Funds to Support Owl
When a minister leaves a congregation, often a love offering is collected in their name. The practice varies from church to church: when I left my last congregation, I used the gifts to help defray moving expenses and toward the …
Continue readingClimate Summit on September 30
It’s too darn hot! Learn about local climate change and what we can do at the Climate Summit on September 30, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at UCG, cosponsored by the Creation Care and Climate (C3J) Task Force of UCG …
Continue readingSunday Seminars – September 2023
During September, the UCG Sunday Seminar Committee will host an inspiring collection of Sunday Seminars: They will be available on Zoom at 11:15 a.m. Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385, Passcode: 1624. See September’s offerings below. 9/3 – Labor Day …
Continue readingMen’s Retreat – November 3-5, 2023
We invite all who identify as men to join together for a weekend of fun and fellowship at beautiful Camp Weed in Live Oak. Our theme this year will be “Masking and Unmasking: Living Into Our Authentic Selves.” We’ll consider …
Continue readingCreation Care Justice Designation
At our May congregational meeting, our Creation Care and Climate Justice Task Force presented a motion to the congregation, asking for approval to seek designation as a Creation Justice Church in the United Church of Christ. The motion, of course, …
Continue readingClergy Corner- September 2023
Here is one example of my experience of how the Holy Spirit works: As a child, I watched a lot of reruns of the BBC improv comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway? As I got a little older, as …
Continue readingClimate Summit – September 30, 2023
Learn about local climate changes and what we can do at the Climate Summit, September 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at UCG, cosponsored by the Creation Care and Climate (C3J) Task Force of UCG and the Alachua NAACP …
Continue readingCreation Care and Climate Justice Task Force Update
After our congregational vote at the May congregational meeting that affirmed our desire to adopt a Creation Care and Climate Justice statement, members of the C3J Task Force worked together to craft an application to the United Church of Christ, …
Continue readingJuly 28 COVID Update
The COVID-19 virus is still detectable in nearly all of the wastewater samples from Alachua County. The numbers of new cases and hospitalizations, although both low, have been slowly rising over the past 2 months. Waning immunity and the continued …
Continue readingModerator’s Minute – Change and Experimentation
You have no doubt noticed that our beloved UCG is embarking on two grand experiments as we seek to discern our path forward over the next several years. The first is already in place – the hiring of our three …
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