Welcome to Worship
The United Church of Gainesville – June 13, 2021
Next to Normal
This morning our worship service will live-stream at 10:00am. It is available for viewing at anytime after this. Please click here to begin. If the live-stream link is not active or working for you, you can find our service at our YouTube page here.
PRELUDE MUSIC – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
WELCOME, RINGING THE BELL, and LIGHTING THE CANDLE
*CALL TO WORSHIP
One: To everything there is a season:
A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to explore and a time to reflect
All: A time of longing for rain and a time of constant rain
A time for wearing layers and a time for air conditioning
One: A time for sewing machines and a time for seam rippers
A time to of waiting for the dough to rise, a time of waiting for
the bread to bake
All: A time to eat and to drink, a time to fast or say you’re done.
A time to celebrate and a time to mourn.
One: A time to listen, and a time to speak:
All: Holder of all things, creator of all seasons, open our hearts now to the work of this hour, as we seek your presence, and as we dwell in your love.
HYMN – Will You Come and Follow Me (The Summons)
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
Will you love the “you” you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?
Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I’ll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Rev. Talia Raymond
SPECIAL MUSIC – “Summer Light,” Offered by Mark Burlingame on the RAV drum.
READING – “Colors” by Shel Silverstein
My skin is sort of brownish
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green,
But I’m told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
But it’s silver when it’s wet.
And all the colors I am inside
Have not been invented yet.
SCRIPTURE – Acts 10:9-16
About noon the next day… Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.’ The voice said to him again, a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.
SERMON – “The Order of Things,” Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan
COMMUNION PRAYER
Please join Bromleigh and Talia in spirit as they bless the communion elements, then rise as you are able and join in singing. Receive the benediction and then, as you exit during the Alleluia, , receive the gluten-free “bread” and cup of juice from the servers. Please do not remove your mask to consume them until you are in the courtyard.
HYMN- “Gather Us In”
Here in this place new light is streaming
Now is the darkness vanished away
See in this space our fears and our dreamings
Brought here to you in the light of this day
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken
Gather us in, the blind and the lame
Call to us now and we shall awaken
We shall arise at the sound of our name
We are the young, our lives are a mystery
We are the old who yearn for your face
We have been sung throughout all of history
Called to be light to the whole human race
Gather us in, the rich and the haughty
Gather us in, the proud and the strong
Give us a heart so meek and so lowly
Give us the courage to enter the song
Here we will take the wine and the water
Here we will take the bread of new birth
Here you shall call your sons and your daughters
Call us anew to be salt for the earth
Give us to drink the wine of compassion
Give us to eat the bread that is you
Nourish us well and teach us to fashion
Lives that are holy and hearts that are true
Not in the dark of buildings confining
Not in some heaven light years away
But here in this place the new light is shining
Now is the kingdom, now is the day
Gather us in and hold us forever
Gather us in and make us your own
Gather us in, all peoples together
Fire of love in our flesh and our bones
Fire of love in our flesh and our bones
BENEDICTION
ALLELUIA
Here are the UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week.
Happy Birthday!
| Cielle | Ksstentini | 06/14 |
| Joyce | Griffiths | 06/15 |
| Janet | Haase | 06/15 |
| Sam | Harris | 06/15 |
| Ted | Runions | 06/15 |
| Joan | Stevens | 06/15 |
| Steven | Wallace | 06/15 |
| Jim | Archer | 06/16 |
| Judah | Bachmann | 06/16 |
| Renata | Serra | 06/18 |
| Jamie | Wenzell | 06/18 |
| Bill | Williams | 06/18 |
Please note: the seminar will begin at 11:30am this Sunday.
Sunday Seminar
Sunday Seminar at 11:30am – “Why Church Attendance is in Decline,” with David Hackett – Over the last few decades participation in organized religion has declined across the board. What explains this? Individualism and generational change are likely reasons. Is there an antidote? Join David, a professor of religion at UF, as he offers his insight on this situation. Join here. Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385, Passcode: 1624. Phone in: 1 301 715 8592
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Announcements
Please be gentle with us as we continue to learn how to best livestream our services. Thanks for your support!
FRIENDLY FACES NEEDED! We need your help for 30 minutes on Sunday mornings! UCG is in search of individuals or couples willing to arrive at 930AM and simply greet members and visitors before the start of the 10AM worship. Help us hand out bulletins, hang the nametag boards, and/or help people find a seat in the sanctuary. –OR– If you don’t want to come early, how about staying an extra 15 minutes after you’ve had some coffee or lemonade in the courtyard? You can help us close up the Sanctuary and put supplies away. Sign up here or email Dar Mikula for more information.
Summer Small Groups – A few folks have inquired about holding Small Groups this summer, so we decided to give it a try. If you email your submission for a small group to Jeff Shapiro, he will aggregate the responses. We will post submitted groups in the weekly “E-vents at UCG” newsletter on Tuesdays beginning next Tuesday, June 15, so folks can sign up through the ShelbyNext process. In emailing Jeff, please include 1) Your name and email address; 2) a title for your group; 3) a brief description; and 4) tentative means, dates, and/or times to get together. We will appreciate further communications to see how the idea flies!
The Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group will meet in a “hybrid” approach next Tuesday, June 15, at 7PM. Participants are welcome to come in person to the UCG Library at 7PM or join us via a Zoom link. Email Dar Mikula at denalidar@gmail.com to learn more.
Ray Meeks’ Birthday – This is Ray Meeks’ fifth birthday since being released from death row. He is now at Madison Correctional Institute,382 S.W. MCI Way Madison, FL 32340 If you write to him there address it to Douglas Raymond Meeks #046346. Every year we receive contributions for Ray at Christmas and in June for his birthday. Please Send checks made out to UCG with a memo Ray Meeks, or donate online here. Thanks for your continued care and prayers for Ray over the years. You have blessed him beyond words.
Family Promise Raffle – UCGers Phoebe Papadi and Dawn Beachy, along with other members of the Gainesville Modern Quilt Guild, designed and constructed a gorgeous Gator inspired quilt so that Family Promise of Gainesville may raffle it off in effort to raise awareness and funds for their housing programs. You may purchase tickets for the raffle here . Thanks for your support of Family Promise!
Minister Andy Bachmann is in Wisconsin for the summer at Camp Highlands. Please contact the church office to reach him or to speak to the minister handling his programs for the summer.
Please help keep our church finances healthy while you stay healthy! Please consider donating online. To GIVE, click here to make a one-time donation to UCG -or- to set up a recurring donation schedule via your bank account or credit card. Our budgeted (anticipated) amount of Plate Income for 2021 is $36,000, so we rely on the weekly passing of the plate. Here is a video on how to use Shelby Giving. Thank you for your support!
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