United Church of Gainesville
“PRIDE Sunday!”
Sunday, October 22, 2023 – 10:00 a.m.

Our live stream begins at 10:00 a.m. Click here to join.

“When you become the image of your own imagination, it’s the most powerful thing you could ever do.” — RuPaul

WELCOME — Rev. Talia Raymond

A MOMENT FOR ENLISTMENT — Jackie Davis and Mary Fukuyama

PRELUDE – Phillip Herr-Klepacki

CALL TO WORSHIP — from enfleshed

One: Strange One. Fabulous One. Fluid and ever becoming One.

ALL: Do not allow us to make our ideas of you into an idol.

One: You are as close to us as our own breath and yet, your essence transcends all that we can imagine.

ALL: You are mother, father, and parent. You are sister, brother, and sibling.

One: You are drag queen, and trans man, and gender-fluid – incapable of limiting your vast expressions of beauty.

ALL: Embodied in us, your creation, we recognize our flesh in all its forms is made holy in You. With thanksgiving, we celebrate your glorious manifestations.

One: Blessed are our bodies. Blessed is our love. Blessed are we when we celebrate that which the world turns away. Fill our hearts with a pride rooted in resistance to all that seeks to destroy.

ALL: May we delight in the ways you have created us: diverse, unique, surprising, and beautiful. Thanks be to God!

OPENING SONG – “Here We Are” – #27 in the UCG Songbook

TIME WITH OUR CHILDREN and BIRTHDAYS — “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish” by Lil Miss Hot Mess, illustrated by Olga de Dios Ruiz

INTERLUDE and OFFERTORY 
Your gifts support all facets of the UCG community. You can also give online: bit.ly/ucgplate.

READING from “A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation” by Jacoby Ballard, offered by Ezra Stone and Jasmine Angelini-Knoll

RESPONSE — “Help Us Accept Each Other” – verses 1-2

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE — Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan and Members of the Open & Affirming Committee

RESPONSE — “Help Us Accept Each Other” – verses 3-4 (above)

SCRIPTURE READING — Genesis 37

SPECIAL MUSIC — “Not My Father’s Son” – from the musical Kinky Boots by Cyndi Lauper – shared by Kelly T. Kelly

SERMON — “Joseph and Their Fabulous Coat” — Rev. Talia Raymond

LITANY OF COMMITMENT

One: We are an Open and Affirming community of faith!

ALL: Varied in gender, sexuality, expression, color and age, ethnicity, and ability, we are a widening circle, open to all, a rainbow company, affirming the splendor of our humanity.

One: Together, we serve one another and the world.

All: Encouraged and challenged, we endeavor to live in harmony and demand justice.

One: As an Open and Affirming body, we intend:

All: To welcome one another, equally and out loud!

One: As an Open and Affirming body, we pray:

All: Spirit of empowering pride, fill us with peace and solidarity in our conviction; that we may abound in love, advocating for and living the joy we proclaim!

CLOSING SONG — “Raise You Up/Just Be” – from Kinky Boots by Cyndi Lauper – shared by Kelly T. Kelly, Alexa Evermore Iglesias, Padam Iglesias, Peach’s Rosé, and the UCG Choir

BENEDICTION

ALLELUIA

We warmly welcome our special guests: Kelly T. Kelly, Alexa Evermore Iglesias, Padam Iglesias, and Peach’s Rosé. These talented queens are fresh from their performance in Kinky Boots at Gainesville Playhouse. We are delighted that they are celebrating Pride Sunday with us at UCG! They will be performing after the service and seminar at UCG’s first Drag Brunch! This family-friendly event will be tremendous fun, so please plan to stay. There is a culture of tipping Drag Queens during their performance and while it is not required today, if you are so moved by their joy and talent, please feel free to show your gratitude.

Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week

Gloria

Burger

10/22

Gade

Duerksen

10/22

Jason

Vogel

10/22

Elizabeth

Frank

10/22

Lindsey

Telg

10/24

Angel

McGee

10/24

Jessica

Elkins

10/26

Lynda

Dillon

10/26

Joyce

Ellifritt

10/27

Jahzara

Winchester

10/27

Ryan

Kruse

10/28

Today at UCG
PRIDE Sunday!

10:00 a.m.     Worship – Rev. Talia Raymond
Friendship Group – West Wing
10:15 a.m.     United Tribes – Education Wing
11:00 a.m.     Fellowship and Beverages – Courtyard
                     Puzzler Exchange — Courtyard
11:15 a.m.     Sunday Seminar and Pride Drag Brunch – Reimer Hall

This is the final day for the lost and found table in the courtyard. Please look to see if anything belongs to you. Any items not claimed will be donated.

Sunday Seminar – Join us for a Pride-themed seminar with artist India Brooks, a Gainesville icon, who will teach us about drag and the drag culture in Gainesville over the decades, as well as about her movement into visual arts and teaching at UF and Santa Fe College. This conversation will allow for plenty of Q&A. In Reimer Hall or on Zoom at 11:15 a.m. Passcode: 1624

Thank you for supporting the Gainesville Area AIDS Project and their TREE program (The Replenishment of Everyday Essentials) this morning. Please drop your donations in Seminar A.

“Grace in Action” — Enlistment Campaign 2024! Your financial covenant with UCG, no matter the size, will help strengthen the church’s ministries and programs, as we seek to nurture compassionate and creative spirituality, create safe and courageous spaces for our kids, youth, and others, and contribute to building a more just and inclusive community. With inflation, the pledge goal for 2024 has increased by 5.3%. A fully funded budget, which is 90% pledged gifts from members and friends, allows us to continue to be an important presence in Gainesville, and in the lives of so many. Pledge information is confidential. To pledge,

  1. Submit your pledge on ShelbyNext or
  2. Send an email to the UCG accountant at catherinec@ucgainesville.org or
  3. Fill out a pledge card, available in the church office and foyer, and return it in person or by mail.

Calling all puzzle lovers — Stop by the puzzlers’ table in front of Seminar B on Sunday. Take home some puzzles this week, a great substitute for TV watching, and good for your brain! You can bring puzzles to swap, or not; we have plenty to share.

All-Board Kickoff — Come one, come all!  If you are a member of a board, committee, or task force at UCG, you are invited to our annual All-Board Kickoff on Sunday, October 29, 12:30-2:00 p.m. in Reimer Hall.  We will enjoy a potluck lunch together (sign up at https://bit.ly/PLabko23), learn more about how to work effectively within UCG’s organizational structure, and share our hopes and dreams for our church community. Hope to see you there!

Calling All Artists! Exhibit your creations at our annual UCG Art Show on Sunday, November 12. You can sell your work, just show it, or both. Applications are available online at https://bit.ly/artsapp23 or in the foyer.

We will continue with a single 10 a.m. service through January 2024. A decision on the worship schedule will be made at the January 28 congregational meeting.

Advent Book Submissions – We are gathering writings and visual art for the 2023 Advent devotional booklet. This year’s theme is “All I Want . . . (for Christmas.)” You can contribute one of your favorite writings (poems, sermon excerpts, songs, hymns, etc.) or an original piece of your own. Please submit all writings as an attached Word document or straight into the body of your email, for easy editing. We also accept visual art submitted in JPG format. Send submissions to gutsandglorygnv@gmail.com by Friday, November 10. Thank you!

Next Sunday, October 29
All-Board Kickoff

10:00 a.m.      Worship “The Things That Sustain Us” – Rev. Bromleigh
                       McCleneghan
10:15 a.m.      United Tribes Halloween Carnival – Costumes Welcome!
11:00 a.m.      Fellowship and Beverages
  Young Adult Lunch
11:15 a.m.      Sunday Seminar                   
11:30 a.m.      Lessons & Carols Rehearsal
12:00 p.m.     *Croquet That’s More Treat than Trick
12:30 p.m.     All-Board Kickoff

*pre-registered group

All Saints at UCG
  • On Sunday, October 29, during the 10 a.m. service, we will light candles and read the names of those who have died. You can add names to be read on a prayer card that morning. Please bring photos or other items to place on an altar on October 29 in honor of those saints – beloved ones – in your lives who have died.
  •  On Wednesday, November 1, at 7 p.m., the Board of Parish Ministry will join the ministers in offering a quiet, contemplative service of memory, grief, and hope.

The UCG Mystery Book Club is inviting up to four avid readers of murder mysteries, suspense, or thrillers to join us for 2024. The group meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at members’ homes. Beverages, wine, and tasty refreshments complement the insightful conversation. Now is a perfect time to join as the group begins developing the 2024 reading list. Contact Wilson Bell or the front office if interested.

The next Supper Club of the fall will be Friday, November 17 at 7 p.m. and features a Greek-themed menu with a pasta entrée that contains ground beef. We meet in groups of 8-10 in the homes of participants. Recipes are provided so that each group shares the same menu. Working people will be assigned easy or make-ahead recipes. Please contact Anne Casella (annecasella@gmail.com, 352-256-5960) or Kimberly McCollough (kmccollough224@gmail.com, 352-378-8371) if you would like to participate. If you can host one of the groups, please let them know. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, November 5. 

Thanks to all who recently completed the UCG Women’s Retreat Survey. Based on your input, two Women’s Retreats will be held this spring! Please save the date for one or both of these enjoyable events:

  • Women’s Overnight at Camp Weed in Live Oak, Florida on January 19-21 (with a Saturday, January 20 only option available)
  • One-day Retreat at UCG on Saturday, March 2

Registration for the Women’s Overnight will begin on Sunday, December 3.  If you have any questions or want to help before or during the retreat(s), please contact Laura Robertson at alurajuly@gmail.com or Jane Emmerée at emmeree@gmail.com.