Welcome and Announcements – Talia Raymond

Pastoral Prayer –  Talia Raymond

Time for Children – Bromleigh McCleneghan

United Tribes Virtch Church and Activity Time

Singing Together – Such Perfect Love, My Shepherd Shows #248, sung to St. Columba – led by Tané DeKrey and Catherine Cake

Such perfect love my Shepherd shows,
whose goodness fails me never,
Whose hand all things I need bestows
and watches me forever.

Where streams of living water flow,
my loving Shepherd leads me,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
with food from heaven feeds me.

I do not fear death’s shadowed vale
when you are here beside me;
Your rod and staff and strength prevail
to comfort and to guide me.

And so through all the length of days,
your goodness fails me never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing your praise
within your house forever.

First Reading – from Marian Wright Edelman’s essay “Standing Up for Children,”  offered by Andy Bachmann

“Benjamin Mays, president of Morehouse College and mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr., and thousands of other black youths, including me, once said: The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have to no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim, is a sin.”

Second Reading – Exodus 17:1-7 – Andy Bachmann

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

Sermon –  “Streams of Living Water” – Bromleigh McCleneghan

Singing Together – “Like A Tree Planted by the Water,” led by Larry Reimer and Bromleigh McCleneghan

Blessed are those whose hearts are open,
Delighting in the way things are.
Like a tree planted by the water,
We are planted right here.

Chorus: I’m planted right here.
I’m planted right here.
Like a tree planted by the water,
I’m planted right here.

Roots digging deep in the soil,
Branches reaching for the sun,
Like a tree planted by the water,
I’m planted right here.

Chorus

UCG’s my family tree,
Rooted in love and care.
Like a tree planted by the water
I’m planted right here.

Words by Larry Reimer

Alelluia

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

Michael	Chance	02/07
Madeline	Davidson	02/08
Stuart	Huggard	02/08
Lacy	Palmer	02/08
Laura	Maxwell	02/08
Jasmine	Angelini-Knoll	02/09
Stacy	Scott	02/10
Julie	Flanegan	02/11
Mariam	Sow	02/11
Rick	Johnson	02/12
Barbara	Loesch	02/12
Kandy	Penner	02/12
Betsy	Stechmiller	02/12
Deborah	Hill	02/13
Olivia	Mickle	02/13

Sunday Schedule

Sunday Seminar at 11:15am – Join Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe, a member of UCG, who will speak about a program he supports that advocates a guaranteed income at the local, state and federal level.  Guaranteed income, he believes, is the most direct and effective path out of poverty.  That is why he is working with a local nonprofit, Community Spring, to develop a plan for a guaranteed income pilot in Gainesville. It is his hope to enlist a coalition that can put together the funding, identify a group of families to participate, and track the outcomes so we can better understand how this approach could help reduce poverty in our own community. Join here.  Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385, Passcode: 1624

Please also join us at 12:30pm for Congregational Coffee Hour. Bromleigh will be available on our Zoom account to talk and share. She’ll be prepared to talk about the online worship experience, or whatever else is on your mind! Join here. Meeting ID: 875 0792 2974 Passcode: 1624 

Announcements

Spring Small Groups Registration has begun and runs through Sunday, February 21! For our Spring offerings, we are utilizing the ShelbyNext platform for all our sign-ups and ongoing communications.  Click here for a slideshow on how to access ShelbyNext. If you need assistance getting your login credentials, please contact the front office.  Now click here for a slideshow on how to register for small groups or click here to view our step by step written instructions. Also, Shanna will be available on a live Zoom meeting on Monday, February 8 from 11:00am – 1:00pm to help with any ShelbyNext questions you may have. Join Zoom meeting here. Meeting ID; 212 046 6883  Passcode; 1624.

The CIA Committee invites you to another “drive-by” donation event!  Valentine Gift Bags to brighten the lives of the those experiencing homelessness in Gainesville will be accepted from 11am-1pm on Sunday, February 14. Volunteers will transfer your donations to colorful handmade drawstring cloth bags which will be delivered to our neighbors at Grace Marketplace and St. Francis House. Here is a list of suggested items to include in the bags. Thank you for your generosity!

Lenten Contemplative Prayer – Wednesday evenings, February 24, March 3, 10, 17 and 24 – from 6 to 7pm .  Sandy Reimer will lead this group via Zoom from the UCG Sanctuary. Contemplative Prayer provides the opportunity for silence, meditation, a reading from the Psalms, as well as reflection and prayers.  Following the UCG of Lenten worship theme of Elemental, there are several elemental themes in the Book of Psalms:  lament, wisdom, comfort, gratitude and hope – all elemental parts of our journey this year through COVID.  We will focus a Psalm from one of these themes each week. Please see the Adult Small Groups brochure for more details – and please register through Adult Small Group by February 17.  Participants are asked to “attend” at least 3 of the 5 sessions.  Note that registration deadline for this group is ONE WEEK BEFORE the deadline for other small groups.

Lenten Booklet Submissions – We still need your your writings and reflections for the 2021 Lenten booklet. Our theme this year is “Elemental.” Please send any of your favorite writings or original pieces, to Taylor Williams at gutsandglorygnv@gmail.com. The deadline is Monday, February 8th. Please embed your writing in the email if possible, or as a Word doc attachment for easy copy and pasting into the booklet. Thank you in advance for your contributions.

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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 due to Covid-19, we are still available by phone or email from 9am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.