United Church of Gainesville
Sunday, March 23, 2025 – 10 a.m.
Board of Parish Ministry
Finding the Spirit Through the Lens of Art
Our livestream begins here at 10 a.m.
“Inside you is an artist you don’t know about.” – Rumi
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS – Hannah Norton
PRELUDE – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
CALL TO WORSHIP – from Practice Any Art by Kurt Vonnegut, led by Jane Emmeree
One: Practice any art.
All: Music, singing, dancing.
One: Acting, drawing, painting.
All: Sculpting, poetry, fiction or essays.
One: No matter how well or how badly, and not to get money or fame.
All: Practice art to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you,
And to make your soul grow.
HYMN – “My Life Flows on in Endless Song” #476 UCC hymnal, verses 1 and 3
My life flows on in endless song;
above earth’s lamentation,
I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing:
It finds an echo in my soul –
how can I keep from singing?
When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,
and hear their death knells ringing;
When friends rejoice both far and near,
how can I keep from singing?
In prison cell and dungeon vile
our thoughts to them are winging;
When friends by shame are undefiled,
how can I keep from singing?
TIME WITH CHILDREN – Building an Orchestra of Hope by Carmen Oliver, read by Cathy Myers
BIRTHDAYS
INTERLUDE
OFFERING AND SPECIAL MUSIC – “Blame It On the Ukelele” offered by the Ukelele Group: Julie Abrams-Bernier, Les and Mary Caraher, Mary Fukuyama, Tricia Gregory, Sue Hartman, Shelby Havens, Sally Kimberly, Gail Miller, Cecily Paige, and Bob Poston
Your gifts support all facets of the UCG community. You can also give online: bit.ly/ucgplate.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Mary Crummer
MEDITATIVE MUSIC – Shirell Hix and Mark Burlingame
READING – from The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron, read by Pam Smith
“In filling the well [of creativity], think magic. Think delight…”
SERMONS – HOW SPIRIT AND ART CAME TOGETHER
Brandon Telg: “That Open Door Moment”
Christine Engels: “Spirit, Surprise, and Art”
Mark Burlingame: “It is All Music”
PRAYER – Pam Smith
CLOSING SONG – “Song of the Soul” #64 UCG Songbook
Love of my life I am crying
I am not dying, I am dancing
Dancing along in the madness
There is no sadness
Only a song of the soul
Chorus:
And we’ll sing this song
Why don’t you sing along
And we can sing for a long, long time
Why don’t you sing this song
Why don’t you sing along
And we can sing for a long, long time
What do you do for a living
Are you forgiving, giving shelter
Follow your heart, love will find you
Truth will unbind you
Seek out a song of the soul
Chorus
Come to your life like a warrior
Nothing will bore you, you can be happy
Let in the light, it will heal you
And you can feel you
Sing out a song of the soul
Chorus
BENEDICTION – Hannah Norton
ALLELUIA
Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week:
Oak TudeenMarch 24
Amanda DeMouey
March 25
Sarah Fitzpatrick
Sara Jennings
March 26
Eliot Mathis
Sebastian Seubert
March 27
Elizabeth Husband
Ned Stewart
March 28
Leo Heil
Lauren Hemmerich
Jerry Hill
March 29
Cynthia Lawrence
Kelly Perez
Larry Turner
Helen Warren
9:45 a.m. Childcare – children’s wing
Puzzlers’ Exchange – courtyard
10 a.m. Worship Service – Board of Parish Ministry
11 a.m. Fellowship and Beverages – courtyard
Congregational Life Team table – courtyard
11:30 a.m. Sunday Seminar – Reimer Hall
11:45 a.m. Youth United and Middle School Together – offsite
2 p.m. “Why is the UCG Sanctuary the Way It Is?” – Reimer Hall
Calling all puzzle lovers – Stop by the Puzzlers’ Table in front of Seminar B. Take home some puzzles, a great substitute for TV watching, and good for your brain! You can bring puzzles to swap, or not; we have plenty to share.
Members of the Congregational Life Team will be in the courtyard after the service today to listen to feedback and answer questions about the behavioral covenant draft. Look for the brightly colored tablecloth!
Sunday Seminar – “Dream Magic – Unlocking the Mysteries” with Larry and Sandy Reimer today in Reimer Hall. Utilizing methods developed by Jeremy Taylor, who did intensive study and thousands of case histories on dreams, the Reimers will open up the world of dreams. We’ll learn how to remember and interpret dreams, the universal symbolism of dreaming, and how to change your life using dreams. In-person and on Zoom. Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385 Passcode: 1624.
Youth United and Middle School Together: Spring Break Social – Meet in the courtyard at 11:45 a.m. for lunch and a field trip to the Butterfly Rainforest.
UCG hosts the National Faith and Climate Forum at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 27 in Reimer Hall. The forum’s webcast will feature an opening message from Georgia’s Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock. This hybrid event will also include local speakers and roundtable discussions about issues affecting Alachua County. The event is co-sponsored by Temple Shir Shalom, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville, and The CLEO Institute. Join us! A free lunch is available with registration at https://nationalfaithandclimateforum.org.
A memorial service and reception will be held on Saturday, March 29, at 1 p.m. for beloved UCG member Glenn Acomb. As a caring community, we come together to support Glenn’s family and friends by attending the service and bringing food for the reception. Finger foods only, please – those that do not require utensils or sitting down. If you cannot attend but could drop off your gift of food in the UCG kitchen on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, that would be appreciated.
UCG Directory – The Board of Membership encourages members to wear their name tags and upload a photo of themselves in our ShelbyNext online directory. This helps us put a face to a name and get to know one another. It is also helpful when individuals sign up for boards/committees, small groups, etc. To view your profile, go to https://bit.ly/UCGSNLog.
Lent has begun! For a full list of all the activities happening at UCG leading up to Easter Sunday, pick up a flyer in the foyer or the office.
Lenten Devotional Booklets are available in the office or the church foyer or access the digital version at bit.ly/lentdevo25.
Work continues to progress on the remodeling of the west side bathrooms. Please continue to use the office bathrooms for now. Exterior access is available from the breezeway between the chapel and courtyard, next to the water fountain. Note also that our west side parking lot may have limited spaces available.
Next Sunday, March 30
8:45 a.m. Childcare – children’s wing
9 a.m. Coffee and Conversation with Rev. Donna Schaper
10 a.m. Worship Service – Rev. Donna Schaper
11 a.m. Fellowship and Beverages
11:30 a.m. Called Congregational Meeting
Youth United/Middle School Together
2 p.m. OWL training
Exciting News! – The Interim Minister Search Committee is pleased to announce that we have selected a candidate to present to the congregation: Rev. Donna Schaper. On Sunday, March 30, Rev. Schaper will have a meet-and-greet with the congregation at 9 a.m. before the service and will offer the morning’s sermon during worship. We will then hold a special congregational meeting at 11:30 a.m. to discuss and vote on calling her as UCG’s first interim minister. We look forward to seeing you there! Childcare will be provided. To learn more about Rev. Schaper see this slideshow or watch this video.
Looking Ahead
Racial Justice Committee are collaborating with the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project (ACCRP) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on a series of lectures about black history in Alachua County, The Other Book: Black History in Alachua County. Each lecture will be held in a different location to contribute to experiential learning. The last lecture will be on Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Cotton Club. The program will look at “Civil Rights to the Present” with Dr. Rik Stevenson and local elected officials.
UCG Supper Club: The last supper club of the year will take place on Saturday, April 12 at Jim White and Lisa McElwee-White’s home on Kanapaha Prairie. Rather than being assigned a recipe, you will be assigned a category (appetizer, salad, side or dessert) and can bring whatever you wish. We also request that you bring your place settings and your own beverage so we only need to collect money to reimburse Jim for the meat he will barbecue (no charge for vegetarians). Please contact Anne or Kimberly if you would like to participate. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, March 30.
Join UCG’s Open and Affirming Committee at the next “Open and Affirming Sunday Social.” Come get to know members of UCG in a fun and inclusive environment, hosted by ONA. We meet up on the Second Sunday of the month. The next Sunday Social will be on April 13 at 6 p.m. in Reimer Hall. We will be writing letters to our elected officials about current policies impacting LGBTQ+ in Florida. We will have all the information and materials needed. Please contact Brandon Telg at brantelg@gmail.com with any questions.
Save the Date and Call for Artwork!
Our Annual Noodles and Doodles Fundraiser is coming on Sunday, April 27 at 5:30 p.m. This art sale and pasta dinner fundraiser supports our Youth United as they prepare for their summer work tour. This year, they are headed to Washington, DC to volunteer at World Pride 2025 and serve at various non-profits throughout the city. If you have artwork that you have made or that you would simply like to re-home, we are accepting donations! Please leave it in the office for Tami by Wednesday, April 23. We appreciate your support of this fun event and of our youth!
About Us
The United Church of Gainesville was organized in 1965 and is freely affiliated with the United Church of Christ, a denomination born of the merger of the former Congregational-Christian and the Evangelical and Reformed Churches in 1957.
This church is independent in spirit and congregational in organization, welcoming into its fellowship persons embodying a wide range of religious convictions. We honor the Timucua, Seminole, and all other Native people who lived on this land and cared for it long before us. The church values the human diversity each individual brings to the congregation, including racial identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, and religious background. Membership in the church is based solely upon a person’s acceptance of the Compact of the United Church of Gainesville:
“We join as a spiritual community in this compact:
To worship God, however known,
To welcome into our church those of differing
understanding and theological opinion,
To learn from our religious heritage, yet to
grow by seeking new dimensions of truth.
To follow, even imperfectly, the way of Jesus
in personal involvement with each other,
And, strengthened by this bond, to act in
Christian concern for the welfare of all people.”
