The United Church of Gainesville – September 13, 2020

If you would like to watch the service as a playlist, please click here and you will be directed to our YouTube page. If you prefer, you may click on the individual links below at your own pace.

Welcome and Special Music

Welcome – Dar Mikula

Special Music – “Let It Be,” Words and Music by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Offered by Arwynn Collins.

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken-hearted people
Living in this world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on til tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, “Let It Be”…

Welcome to United Tribes – A Message from Keri

Children’s Story – “The Invisible Web,” by Patricia Karst. Read by Keri Trosper

Join us at United Tribes Activity Time at 10am!

Prayers and Reading

Prayers of the People – Talia Raymond

Special Reading and Visual – “Untitled” by Mary De La Valette, Offered by Deborah Hill, Connie Caldwell, and Julie Anspach from their gardens.

I do not have to go to sacred places
in far off lands. The ground
I stand on is holy. Here,
in this little garden I tend
my pilgrimage ends.
The wild honeybees,
the hummingbird moths,
the flickering fireflies at dusk
are a microcosm of the universe.
Each seed that grows, each spot
of soil, is full of miracles. and I toil
and sweat and watch and wonder
and am full of love,
living in place in this place,
for truth and beauty dwell here.

Sermon and Closing Blessing

Scripture 1 Corinthians 13: 12-13 (New International Version)

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror: then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.”

“Variation on a Theme by Rilke” by Denise Levertov

A certain day became a presence
to me, and there it was, confronting me –
a sky, air, light: a being. And before
it started to descend from the height
of noon, it leaned over and struck
my shoulders as if with the flat of a sword,
granting me honor and a task.
The day’s blow rang out, metallic –
or was it I, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self
saying and singing what it knew: I can.

Sermon – “These Three Remain,” by Dar Mikula

Closing Blessing – Adapted from John O’Donahue. Read by the 2019 Discernment Team: Clark Durant, Karen Johnson, Dick Elkins, and John Engels.

For a long time, these dreams and beginnings have been quietly forming, waiting until we were ready, before they emerged.
Now is the time to open our hearts, to see the gifts we have been given and to awaken to the miracle of our lives.
May we learn to see ourselves with the same delight and expectation with which God sees us in every moment.
May we bless our lives for all that we have learned, for all that we have loved, for all that has brought us to this time and this place.
May we recognize the presence, the power, and the light of our souls.
May we experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.
As clay anchors a tree in light and in wind, may our outer lives grow from the peace that unfolds within us.
Though our destinations are not yet clear, may we trust the promise of our dreams and our intentions.
May we envision the grace of new beginnings that are at one with our life’s desires.
May we have courage to see the new horizons that beckon us and to waste our hearts no more on fear.
May all that is unlived in us blossom into a future graced with love.
And may this time today be a cloak of love wrapped around each of us to bring us safely home.
So may we come safely home this day wrapped in a cloak of love for the days to come.

Here are the UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week.
Happy Birthday!

 

Sunday Seminars Today!

Sunday Seminar, September 13, at 11:15AM – “Three Year Plan” with Tim Martin, Chair of the Congregation-Ministry Review Board, and Dar Mikula, Coordinator of Communications and Special Projects. For decades, UCG has used the Three Year Plan process to distill the hopes and dreams of our congregation into a concrete plan for action, connection, and spiritual growth. Our newly-minted Three Year Plan was written by the Congregation-Ministry Review board, with input from the congregation through the all-church survey, the Sunday Chalk Talk service, and several other community feedback events. Come to this seminar to see a summary of our next Three Year Plan. You will see some familiar themes in the plan, along with some very new approaches to achieving our goals. Join here! If the link does not work, you can enter this Meeting ID:829 6457 0385.

Sunday Seminar, September 13, at 12:30pm – Holy Zoom. Dar Mikula will be available on our Zoom account to talk and share. She’ll be prepared to talk about the online worship experience, but with no set agenda other than hoping to see your faces and have a chance to touch base. Join here.

Important Announcements

Supplemental Time and Talent fair! Our church community thrives due to the selfless commitment by those who serve on a UCG Board or Committee. Pledging your time and talents to one of these groups is an exciting opportunity to strengthen UCG’s foundation of lay leadership, deepen your connections within our community and grow spiritually through service. These Supplemental Fall Time and Talent videos, available here, will introduce you to the UCG Boards and Committees who are recruiting for additional members to join the work of their important ministries. The sign-up deadline is Sunday, September 20th, to ensure everyone can participate in the All Board Kick-off on Sunday, September 27th. The new members will officially join the boards and committees at the October 4th Congregational Meeting. If you have any questions, please contact Donn Smith-Lopez.

Do you serve on a board or committee? If so, we’re excited to see you at All-Board Kickoff on Sunday, September 27th from 4pm – 6pm. Although we aren’t able to gather in person this year, Council Exec has plans to flex our Zoom muscles and deliver an engaging virtual event! Register today. Questions? Contact Rebecca Beachy.

Wednesday, September 16 is the deadline to submit items for the Welcome Basket for Bromleigh and Her Family – In anticipation of the arrival of Bromleigh and her family to Gainesville, you are invited to add something to a welcome basket for their family. Fiona (13), Calliope (10), and Henrietta (5) Hammond are the children. The younger two go by Callie and Hattie. Josh Hammond is her husband. In the past, members have provided gift certificates, welcome notes, tips and tidbits on the best things in Alachua County, or even little gifts to make our new minister and their family feel welcome. If you would like to add something to our welcome basket for Bromleigh and her family, please place it in the box in Seminar A on Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 10-3, or email Shannas@ucgainesville.org if these times do not work.

Small Groups Registration is Underway – Small Groups are alive and well! We currently have 18 offerings for various groups, ranging from sports and pastimes such as surfing, drumming, uke-playing, and book-reading to serious discussions with COVID-19 survivors about the state of our current knowledge and ramifications of surviving the disease. Registration runs September 6 – 20 and you can click here to register. Groups will likely take place in the virtual space of Zoom meetings. We invite all to join. HOWEVER.. are you lacking in Zoom knowledge, skills, equipment, or courage? You can find help and solace at UCG. Just contact Jeff Shapiro, and we can arrange practice sessions and/or phone conversations about your participation in Zoom-space.

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If you are a regular supporter through our collected offering, please consider making your donation now.  Our budgeted (anticipated) amount of Plate Income for 2020 is $40,000, so we rely on the weekly passing of the plate. To GIVE, click here to make a one-time donation to UCG -or- to set up a recurring donation via your bank account or credit card click here.  Thank you for your support.

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Please note: While the Church Office remains closed, we are still available by phone or email from 9am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.