Welcome to Sunday Worship
The United Church of Gainesville – June 28, 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, Prayers, Special Music
Welcome – Dar Mikula
Prayers of the People – Talia Raymond
Special Music – “Heavenly Day”, by Patty Griffin. Performed by Elizabeth and Bryan Clark.
Oh, heavenly day
All the clouds blew away
Got no trouble today with anyone
The smile on your face, I live only to see
It’s enough for me, baby, it’s enough for me
Oh, heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day
Tomorrow may rain with sorrow
Here’s a little time we can borrow
Forget all our troubles in these moments so few
Oh because right now the only thing
That all that we really have to do
Is have ourselves, a heavenly day
Lay here and watch the trees sway
Oh, can’t see no other way, no way, no way
Heavenly day, heavenly day, heavenly day
No one at my shoulder bringing me fears
Got no clouds up above me bringing me tears
Got nothing to tell you I got nothing much to say
Only I’m glad to be here with you
On this heavenly Day
All the troubles gone away for awhile anyway
Heavenly Day, Heavenly Day….Oh Heavenly Day
Time with Children – “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jen Hill. Read by Meaghan Bonaghan and Jaxon Bonaghan
Join us for Children’s Activity Time!
Reading – “Last Night As I Was Sleeping” by Antonio Machado, translated by Robert Bly, Offered by Barbara Beynon
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.
Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.
Scripture – Psalm 23 (The New Revised Standard Version and Opening to You: Zen Inspired Translations of the Psalms by Norman Fischer) – read by Larry and Sandy Reimer.
Sermon and Closing Prayer – “Goodness and Kindness Will Follow,” by Dar Mikula
Dar’s recommendations for further exploration:
- Wizard of Oz, 75th Anniversary Edition – available from Alachua County Library.
- White Privilege: Let’s Talk – A Resource for Transformational Dialogue, United Church of Christ
- For more information about Rev. Debra Hepburn, click here
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Here are the UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week.
Happy Birthday!
Lisa Ingram 06/28
Heather Hammond 06/29
Shelby Havens 06/29
Charlotte Ribe 07/01
Zachary Baldwin 07/02
Leveda Brown 07/02
Jill Fameree 07/02
Luken Clifford 07/04
Geoff Dahl 07/04
Michelle Einmo 07/04
Yvette Silvey 07/04
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Two Sunday Seminars Offered Today!
Sunday Seminar at 11:15am – Helen Warren, UCG member, will host a follow up to the seminar on Climate Emergency, done May 10. The local Climate Emergency group is offering a workshop for individuals to follow up with local action. Sue Blythe of ‘We, the World’ invites you to join Gainesville’s Interfaith Climate Group and Elders Climate Action/Florida in an ongoing inter-generational community-wide climate emergency conversation. We support UF/IFAS Extension’s Sustainable Floridians conversation-to-action program, making Action Plans for the International Day of Peace in September. Join here
Sunday Seminar at 12:30pm – Holy Zoom: A Sacred Meeting of Minds & Souls – 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.
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United Tribes Parents, please take a few minutes to review our United Tribes Zoom Activity Survey. We want to make our virtual experience for your child(ren) to be engaging, fun, and full of familiar friends during the summer and beyond.
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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: https://www.shelbygiving.com/App/Giving/ucg Thank you for your support.
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Ray Meeks’ Birthday – This is Ray Meeks’ fourth birthday since being released from death row. He is now at the Wakulla Correctional Institution. 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. Ray loves to get letters. If you write to him address it to Douglas Raymond Meeks #046346, 110 Melaleuca Drive, Crawfordville, FL 32327. It is very important that his name and inmate number be exactly as shown. Thanks for your continued care and prayers for Ray over the years. You have blessed him beyond words.
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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. Office staff will be off this Friday, July 3, for the July 4th holiday. If you have an emergency, please call or email Talia Raymond.
