This morning our worship service will premiere at 10am.
Please click here to begin.

Welcome – Rev. Talia Raymond

Prayer Response – Tane DeKrey, piano, Jackie Davis, bass, and Mary Fukuyama, flute

Ubi caritas et amor. Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.
Where charity and love are, God is there.

Time with Children – We Are Water Protectors written by Carole Lindstrom, Illustrated by Michaela Goade

United Tribes Virtch Church & Activity Time

Special Music – Up to the Mountain (MLK Song) by Patty Griffin. Offered by Elizabeth Clark and Michael McCoy, guitar

Reading –  from Blue Pastures by Mary Oliver
Thousands of small fish are moving along in the shallows: a flock, a flight under the weight of water, dipping and rising, loose-spined; their fins, rowing, are minute and precise; they are energy-packets; six would fit into a thimble, all gauze and glaze, and all translucent – the pipeline of appetite clear in each body. Thousands and thousands – throng of rainbows, a pod, an enormous pack, yet they swing along as a single rainbow, one wing, one thing, one traveler. Their mouths are open, fierce colanders scooping in the diatoms. They turn to the right, the left. They dash and hover… It is summer, the long twilight. I stare and stare into the water. I say to myself, which one am I?

Sermon – “Jonah and the Tides of Grace,” Talia Raymond

Alleluia

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

Sunday Schedule

Winter Congregational Meeting – Please join us this morning, January 24th at 11:15am – The Board of Business will present the budget report in addition to updates on other COVID-related finances. Join Zoom Meeting here. Meeting ID: 961 1610 1980 Passcode: 520901. Please attend this important meeting!

No Sunday Seminar or Congregational Coffee Hour

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Food 4 Kids Fundraiser – Donations are running behind as we continue our 2021 F4Ks fundraiser. Please help us reach our goal so we can have an 11th year of providing meals for kids with food insecurity. 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.

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.

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.

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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.