Pray what you can, not what you can’t. That’s where we start. In our lifetimes we may experience many kinds of prayer – childhood prayers of thanks and good night, traditional prayers from scripture and from church liturgy, responsive prayers …
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With a Lenten theme of “Unplugged,” it just makes sense to discuss some slow food spirituality—slowing down…reconsidering food. Because, as Wendell Berry points out in more than one of his essays, “Eating is not just fueling up, it is an …
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March 17th is an important day for my family – 4 years ago today, a judge declared that Aiyana was our daughter and that we were officially a forever family. I remember lots of moments from that day – the …
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This first Sunday of Lent, Andy Bachmann kicks off our new theme, “Unplugged.” Traditionally, these forty days and nights are OUR symbolic journey into the wilderness, meant to be a time of preparation for Easter Sunday. But what if we …
Continue readingOur worship theme, the Broad Way, has been very wonderful, hasn’t it? I want to say thanks to Wilfred Vermerris for his inspired bulletin cover, and to all the musicians, preachers, readers, and participants in each and every week of …
Continue readingWe continue our theme, “The Broad Way” with Andy Bachmann preaching about that Narrow Gate that Jesus says we’re supposed to try to squeeze through. Special music from Adam Hill and the musical, “Dear Evan Hansen” as well as a …
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The story of Noah and the flood is one of the most widely known and best loved stories of the bible. There is the sweet part of this story that we are all so familiar with. We decorate children’s rooms …
Continue readingAndy Bachmann, FRESH back from some continuing education with poet and philosopher David Whyte wraps up our theme of, “Healing a Fractured World” with his sermon, “Ears Primed for an Alleluia.” Special offered by Noah Kaufman, doing a Justin Townes …
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A week ago Friday, 17 UCG youth and adults loaded into three vehicles and headed out on the annual “Mystery Trip.” That means that only the adults knew anything about the weekend plans, the youth were heading out on trust …
Continue readingLast Sunday we examined the challenging legacy of what has been termed our nation’s original sin—slavery–and its various surviving scourges of racism in modern life. Working toward racial reconciliation and reparation is certainly one visceral example of our worship theme—healing …
Continue readingIn November of 2018, members of the United Church of Gainesville partnered with members of the NAACP to travel to Montgomery Alabama, to experience The Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (also known as the Lynching …
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Most ministers have their special fav of all the great days we get to celebrate in the church and this day is one of mine. I am pretty enthusiastic about all of them, really, but I am a particular fan …
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