Welcome to Worship
The United Church of Gainesville
It’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Church at Home
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Good morning, friends!
If you’re unable to join us on the Prairie for our service this morning, I hope you’ll spend some time with the following service. Some old favorites from the Virtch Church archives, some readings, some new music you may not have heard before.
Prelude – (Songs selected by The UCG Pickers)
“Something to Love” by Jason Isbell
“Suzanne” by Harley Allen and Mike Lilly
Opening Prayer
The Rev. Micah Bucey is a minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City, and he just published The Book of Tiny Prayer: Daily Meditations from the Plague Year. It’s a wonderful collection. Here’s one, entitled “For those who are wondering what they have to offer”:
May you combine humility with confidence, acknowledging both that you don’t have all the answers and that you do have some of the answers, may you deeply feel how connected you are to a network of folks who are in the same situation, some with answers you need, some with needs you can answer, may you not shy away from asking for help or from offering your own gifts, and may this balance of mutual aid remind you that we can all be essential workers, if we are modest enough to listen for the ways we can best be of use and brave enough to never hide on the sidelines.
Amen.
Enlistment Update
You can check here for our frequently updated tally of pledges for 2022. We are now officially at the end of our campaign. We are so grateful for your responses, and for your willingness to give according to your ability. Thank you for your generosity in supporting the work of our church.
If you missed the chance to pledge, know that it is not too late to do so, or, if you’re concerned about our anticipated deficit, to increase your pledge. You can most easily do so by sending an email to Catherine Cake at catherinec@ucgainesville.org.
Prayers of the People
Please pray for these, and for those on your hearts:
- For those awaiting test results
- For those downsizing
- For those facing economic insecurity
- For those in treatment for chronic or terminal conditions
- For children, especially those too young to be vaccinated or for those whose parents will not allow them to be vaccinated
- For those in leadership
- For those who give so generously of themselves and their resources
Special Music – “Trees”, words by Joyce Kilmer, music by Zach Neece, performed by the Bodine Chorale at UCG, videography by Holden Martin
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Reading – Esther 4:12-17
When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.’
Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.’
Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
Meditation
Please close your eyes, get comfortable. . . Be still . . . Listen to your breath. . . Listen to the beating of your heart.
Bolded below are the words of the serenity prayer. Read each phrase, close your eyes and repeat them. Then open your eyes and read the questions. Take a few moments to respond to each, jotting down your thoughts.
God, grant me the serenity
What is the serenity I am seeking? How do I experience the connection between my faith and serenity?
To accept the things I cannot change
What are some of the givens in my life that I cannot change but that I would rather not have? How have I been dealing with these issues? How do I pause to ask for your God’s help in those situations?
The courage to change the things I can
What are my fears? When do I experience these fears? (Choose one to focus on here.) How does this fear limit my experience of life? In other words, how does this fear limit the kinds of choices I make?
And the wisdom to know the difference
What kinds of motives generally guide my decision-making? When I have a difficult decision to make, what place do I give God’s will in the process?
In the time for children, Tim Martin shares some of his expertise on trees, and reflects on adaptability. How have you adapted through these difficult months? What beautiful adaptation do you see in yourself and others?
Special Music – “What a Wonderful World” – performed by the Jazz Bandits
A Blessing:
Whether surrounded by trees, or living room walls; whether the sky is clear or full of clouds; whether you are in the moment called to be a change-maker or to dwell in serenity: know that you are powerful, know that you are a part of something great and grand and beautiful, and know that you are loved. Amen.
Here are the UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week!
Happy Birthday!
| Joyce | Orr | 11/14 |
| Star | Bradbury | 11/16 |
| Patrick | Burger | 11/17 |
| Scott | Anderson | 11/18 |
| Ramon | Littell | 11/18 |
| Sue | Littell | 11/19 |
| Jonah | Whitford | 11/19 |
No Sunday Seminar this week
Sunday Seminar next Sunday, November 21 –All-Church Read for Fall 2021, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Pulitzer Prize winner, Isabel Wilkerson – “Caste” is a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America and explains how our country’s history and lives have been shaped by a hidden caste system. “As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, a flashlight cast down the aisle, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feeling or morality It is about power–which groups have it and which do not.” RJC members Barbara Gibbs and Doris Harvey will examine the premise of the book. You will consider questions to deepen your understanding of how caste and race are not the same, but deeply embedded in our current racial, political, and social problems.
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Announcements
On Thursday, November 11, UCG dad and Pediatric Cardiologist, Jeremy Archer hosted a Zoom Q&A session to talk about the new approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11 as well as the risks of Covid in this age group. if you were unable to attend, you may click here to watch a recording of this session.
Rawlings Christmas Angel Gift Market – Thank you so much for donating to the Rawlings gift market! This year there are two options for choosing the gifts you purchase. You can link to Sign-up Genius here or you can take a Christmas angel from the tree in the foyer of the sanctuary. Drop your unwrapped gifts off at UCG in the foyer on December 5 or 12 between during either service or bring them to Seminar B between 10 and 2 on Monday, Wednesday or Friday the weeks of November 28 or December 5. You don’t need to provide bags this year – we have lots leftover from last year. Blessings to all of our Christmas Angels.
The Racial Justice Committee is sponsoring the UCG All-Church Read and would appreciate your input. Please follow this link to a very short poll that will allow us to gauge interest in the UCG All-Church Read: Caste, The Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson and our Sunday Seminar November 21 at 10:15am.
Christmas Mini-grants -The deadline to turn in requests for mini-grants is December 5. Click here to submit an application or email Shanna at to obtain one.
KAIROS requests your help. UCGer, John Jopling is in needs of assistance getting rides to and from to his orthopedic appointments this week and next week. Please sign up here if you are able to help. Thank you!
Lessons & Carols rehearsals this week: Thursday, November 18 at 7:15pm & next Sunday, November 21 at 12:15pm. Masks required.
Sunday Drive-Up Assistance Now Available – Volunteers are available to assist disabled persons from the apron in front of the UCG courtyard into the Sanctuary. Please call or text Dar Mikula (352-359-4041) directly ahead of time to make arrangements and we’ll meet you out front. A 24-hour notice is preferred but we will help you even if you wake up Sunday morning and decide to attend the worship service.
We are holding services inside the Sanctuary again and your help is needed more than ever on Sunday mornings with greeting and ushering individuals and families at the 9:15AM service AND the 11:15 service. There’s no lifting involved – just a friendly smile illuminating from behind your mask! To sign up, click here, email Dar Mikula, or call (352) 378-3500.
CMRB sends out a periodic survey which boards and committees and church leadership can use to gauge our progress with our Three Year Plan. The next survey is ready, and can be found at this link. The survey has been significantly shortened, so it should only take you a few minutes to complete. Please provide your input today!
November 13 COVID Update
According to the Florida Department of Health, last week the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alachua County increased from 39 to 65 per 100,000 per week. Alachua County is back in the middle of the orange zone (25-100).
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!