United Church of Gainesville
Sunday, March 30, 2025 – 10 a.m.
Rev. Talia Raymond
Through the Lens
Our livestream begins here at 10 a.m.
“There is always a cage somewhere searching for a bird.” – Kafka
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS – Rev. Talia Raymond
PRELUDE – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
CALL TO WORSHIP – adapted from enfleshed
One: The Spirit of God that breathes us into life, whispers: Come home.
ALL: We come home to the open arms of Love.
One: We come as we are.
ALL: We come with joy.
One: We come hungry for nourishment.
ALL: We come beaten down and burnt out.
One: We come eager to find our place in the whole.
ALL: We come bringing all of who we are:
One: our grief and our anger, our regrets and our longings.
ALL: We give thanks, for the Spirit’s welcome is eternal.
OPENING SONG – “Enter, Rejoice, and Come In” #73 UCC Hymnal
TIME WITH CHILDREN AND BIRTHDAYS – Rev. Talia Raymond
INTERLUDE – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Rev. Ellen Ribe
MEDITATIVE MUSIC – Offered by Nan Ryan, hand pan
READING FROM SCRIPTURE – Psalm 32, read by Hannah Norton
SPECIAL MUSIC AND OFFERING – “On the Turning Away” by Pink Floyd, offered by Rev. Andy Bachmann, Amanda Garrigues, vocals and guitar and John Maze, bass.
Your gifts support all facets of the UCG community. You can also give online: bit.ly/ucgplate.
READING FROM SCRIPTURE – Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
SERMON – “Belonging Without Bondage” – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
HYMN – “Go, My Children, with My Blessing” #82 UCC Hymnal
BENEDICTION – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
ALLELUIA
Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week:
Mary Crummer
John King
Linda Myrick
Mike Yanke
Erick Smith
Adelyn Ansley
John Bollinger
Alexander Rascan
Bruce Stevens
Wilfred Vermerris
April 3
Darin Shearer
April 4
Anna Lena Frenchmann
Margaret Reynolds
Taylor Stein
April 5
Tesslyn Dahl
Judy Munselle
Today at UCG
8:45 a.m. Childcare – children’s wing
9 a.m. Coffee and Conversation with Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
– Reimer Hall
10 a.m. Worship Service – Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
11 a.m. Fellowship and Beverages – courtyard
11:30 a.m. Called Congregational Meeting – Sanctuary
12 p.m. Work Tour 2025 family meeting – west wing
2 p.m. OWL training – west wing
This morning, we welcome Rev. Donna Schaper, candidate for Interim Minister at UCG. Rev. Schaper will offer the morning’s sermon, “Belonging Without Bondage.” After the service we will hold a special congregational meeting at 11:30 a.m. to discuss and vote on calling Rev. Schaper as UCG’s first interim minister. Please join us if you are able; we need a combined quorum of 180 attendees. Here is the agenda and zoom meeting link. Meeting ID: 876 8843 8627; Passcode: 148096.
UCG Supper Club – The last supper club of the season 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 Casella or Kimberly McCollough if you would like to participate. The deadline to sign up is today!
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.
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.
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, April 6
No Programming in Gainesville
All-Church Retreat at Warren Willis Camp and Conference Center, 4990 Picciola Rd., Fruitland Park.
Join us for worship at 9:30 a.m. at the camp.
*No worship service or livestream at UCG*
Instead, choose a service you missed and watch it on our YouTube Channel.
Note: Food First Sunday will be April 13 due to retreat.
4 p.m. Gospel Sing-Along (small group) – Reimer Hall
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.”
