This morning our worship service will premiere at 10am.
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Welcome, including an invitation to the live chat and information about Food4Kids – Rev. Andy Bachmann

Pastoral Prayer – Rev. Talia Raymond

Time for Children, with Jackie Davis and Jessica Elkins, featuring “Sometimes People March” by Tessa Allen, read by Jessica Elkins

United Tribes  Activity Time

Singing Together – “Here I Am, Lord”

A Reading, from the poetry of Kathleen Norris, read by Rev. Talia Raymond 

“Little Girls in Church” 

I. 

I’ve made friends
with a five-year-old
Presbyterian. She tugs at her lace collar,
I sympathized. We’re both bored.
I give a pencil:
she draws the moon,
grass, stars and
I name them for her,
printing in large letters.
The church bulliten begins to fill.
Carefully, she prints her name
on it, KATHY, and hands it back.

Just last week
in New York City, the Orthodox liturgy
was typically intimate,
casual. An old woman greeted the icons
one by one
and fell asleep
during the Great Litany
People went in and out,
to smoke cigarettes and chat on the steps.

A girl with long brown braids
was lead to the icons
by her mother. They kissed each one,
and the girl made a confession
to the youngest priest. I longed to hear it,
to know her name.

II. 

I worry for the girls.
I once had braids
and wore lace that made me suffer.
I had not yet done the things that would need forgiving.

Church was for singing, and so I sang.
I received a Bible, stars
for all the verses;
I turned and ran.

The music brought me back
from time to time,
singing hymns
in the great breathing body
of a congregation.
And once again in Paris, as
I stepped into Notre Dame
to get out of the rain,
the organist began to play:
I stood rooted to the spot,
I looked up, and believed.

It didn’t last.
Dear girls, my friends,
may you find great love
within you, starlike
and wild, as wide as grass,
solemn as the moon.
I will pray for you. if I can.

A reading from the Hebrew Bible 
1 Samuel 3:1-20, shared by Josh and Fiona Hammond 

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house for ever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever.’

Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ He said, ‘Here I am.’ Eli said, ‘What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.’ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.’

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

Sermon – “Here I Am, For You Called Me,” Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan 

Alleluia 

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

Lucas	Burger	01/17
Katherine	Robinson	01/18
Katie	White	01/18
Irma	McLaughlin	01/19
Attie	Ali Hamm	01/19
Nancy	Baumann	01/19
Anja Eva	Julian	01/20
Karin	Polifko	01/20
Vivienne	Larson	01/21
Sandi	Chance	01/22
Suzanne	Newman	01/22
Andrew	Bittikoffer	01/24
Flo	Turcotte	01/24

Sunday Schedule

Sunday Seminar at 11:15am – Mental Health — The year 2020 has been unrelenting misery for many people. Leif Stringer will help UCGers deal with the stresses and strains that the year has brought. Leif is a certified Nonviolent Communication Trainer and Relationship Counselor living in Gainesville, and is sure to help us deal more effectively with the world we have been facing.  Join here.  Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385, Passcode: 1624

Please  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, but with no set agenda other than hoping to see your faces and have a chance to touch base. Join here. Meeting ID: 875 0792 2974 Passcode: 1624

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The church office will be “closed” on Monday, January 18 in honor of the MLK, Jr. holiday. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, January 19.

Next Sunday, January 24 – Winter Congregational Meeting – At 11:15am, the Board of Business will present the budget report in addition to updates on other COVID-related finances. Watch for credentials to join in this week’s E-vents and next Sunday’s bulletin. To help us facilitate voting, if more than one voting member plan to be sitting together at the Zoom meeting please reach out to Rebecca Beachy in advance. Please attend this important meeting!

Spring Small Group Registration Rolling Out on ShelbyNext!  You will need to have your ShelbyNext credentials handy when registering for our Spring Small Groups in February. If you need your ShelbyNext login information, contact the front office. If you are a regular visitor and enjoy participating in our small groups, please contact the front office to create a ShelbyNext account. Watch for more information on how to register for small groups in the February Newsletter and upcoming weekly emails.

Submissions for our Spring Small Groups Booklet o’ Offerings will begin on January 17th! Please consider offering a group through UCG. It can be just about anything! From nature hikes to car tutorials, to Bible studies to volunteer work opportunities. Help us stay connected through a small group opportunity! Submit your Small Group ideas here. The deadline for submissions is January 31.

Food 4 Kids Fundraiser – As we start our 2021 F4Ks fundraiser we hope that there will be an 11th year. The UCG team is sending home 160 bags weekly for the Rawlings children and that number continues to grow. It costs $9.91 to feed a child each week. $200 will feed a child for the rest of this year, but of course, whatever you can give will help to make a difference in the life of a child. All of your donation will be used to feed the children. Please send your donation to UCG and note F4Ks on your check or click here and scroll through the drop down fund menu to donate now. If you need more information, contact Reisa George. Thank you for all that you have always done.

Lenten Booklet Submissions – Hello friends! It’s time again to gather writings, art, and reflections for the 2021 Lenten booklet. Our theme this year is “Elemental.” Please send any of your favorite writings, original pieces, visual art, or photography to Taylor Williams at gutsandglorygnv@gmail.com. The deadline is Monday, February 1st. **Please send any art as a jpg file, and 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.

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.