What I Learned on My Summer Vacation
Sunday, September 15, 2024 – 10 a.m.

Our livestream begins here at 10 a.m.

”I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems
of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.”
– Rick, in Casablanca

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan

FOOD 4 KIDS UPDATE – Jess Archer

PRELUDE – offered by Phillip Herr-Klepacki, Director of Music Ministry

CALL TO WORSHIP – adapted from The Dream of a Common Language: Poems 1974-1977 by Adrienne Rich – Rev. Talia Raymond

One: My heart is moved by all I cannot save; so much has been destroyed.
ALL: Let us cast our lots with those
One: Who age after age, perversely,
ALL: With no extraordinary power,
One: Reconstitute the world.
ALL: Amen.

OPENING HYMN – “Like a Mother Who Has Borne Us” 

TIME WITH CHILDREN AND BIRTHDAYS – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan

INTERLUDE

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Rev. Talia Raymond

MEDITATIVE MUSIC – “Bless the Lord my Soul” by Jacque Berthier – offered by Laurie Alsobrook and Jean Cunningham, dulcimer, and Shirell Hix, bamboo flute

REFLECTION – “In Paris, With Love” – offered by Tami Herchel

READING – from Resistance, Rebellion, and Death by Albert Camus – read by Kaydie Vistelle

While the bullets of freedom are still whistling throughout the city, the cannons of the liberation are entering the gates of Paris amid shouts and flowers. In the most beautiful and hottest of August nights, the eternal stars over Paris mingle with the tracer bullets, the smoke of fires, and the colored rockets of a mass celebration. This unparalleled night marks the end of four years of monstrous history and of an unspeakable struggle in which France came to grips with her shame and her wrath. . .

Nothing is given to humanity, and the little they can conquer is paid for with unjust deaths. But our greatness lies elsewhere. It lies in our decision to be stronger than our condition. And if our condition is unjust, [we have] only one way of overcoming it, which is to be just [ourselves]. Our truth of this evening, which hovers overhead in this August sky, is just what consoles humanity. And our hearts are at peace, just as the hearts of our dead comrades are at peace, because we can say as victory returns, without any spirit of revenge or of spite: “We did what was necessary.”

SPECIAL MUSIC – “As Time Goes By” by Herman Hupfeld – offered by Mark Burlingame, trumpet and Phillip Herr-Klepacki, piano

READING FROM SCRIPTURE – Deuteronomy 30:11-20a

SERMON – “Americans in Paris” – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan

SPECIAL MUSIC AND OFFERING – “La Vie en Rose” by Édith Piaf – offered by Mark Burlingame, keyboard; Jackie Davis, bass; Mary Fukuyama, flute; Kali Geiger, vocal; and Patsy Murray, violin

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

PRAYER OF DEDICATION – Rev. Talia Raymond

CLOSING HYMN

BENEDICTION

ALLELUIA

POSTLUDE

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Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week:

September 15
Hillary Craven James
Susan Eichner
Chad McGinnis

September 16
Jim Archer
Rebecca Beachy
Mark Hostetler

September 18
Remy Bachmann
Sheila Ginsberg

September 19
Grant Gravlee
Dorian Terry
Elise Lee

September 20
Allan March
Melvin Smith-Lopez
Deb Dippre

September 21
Barbara Beynon
Anni Maxwell
Marc Smith
Harlynn Robinson

****************ANNOUNCEMENTS******************
Today at UCG

9 a.m.          LifeSouth Bloodmobile
9:45 a.m.     Childcare
10 a.m.        Worship Service – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan
                    Friendship Group
10:15 a.m.   Kids United
11 a.m.        Fellowship and Beverages
11:15 a.m.   Board of Membership
                    OWL Parent Information Meeting
                    Lively Arts Committee Meeting
11:30 a.m.   Sunday Seminar
                    Youth United
                    Middle School Together

UCG Blood Drive Sunday, September 15 – There is an emergency need for all blood types. Please give the gift of life. The Bloodmobile will be at UCG from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Families of Youth grades 6-9 – We will once again be offering Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education this academic year. For families interested in participating, we will be hosting an orientation meeting on Sunday, September 15 at 11:15 a.m. in the West Wing. Please look for additional details in the September newsletter and in future weekly emails.

Today’s Sunday Seminar is Legal Planning for Life – with Scott Anderson in Reimer Hall at 11:30. Stop by Reimer Hall after today’s service or join us on Zoom (Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385 Passcode: 1624.)

Open and Affirming Committee (ONA) will be selling the new and exciting Pride Shirts! They are available in the courtyard before and after service for $15.

Small Group registration is going on now through September 29! Small groups for this fall through the winter are available on ShelbyNext. Paper copies of the offerings along with a registration form are available in the foyer, front office or at https://bit.ly/sgroups24. The Small Groups committee is happy to share with you the exciting offerings this season!

UCG Supper Club – The ever-popular UCG Supper Club is a great way to meet members and share a meal and fellowship. We meet in groups of 8-10 in the homes of participants. Recipes are provided so that each group shares the same menu. The next Supper Club will be Saturday September 28 at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a salmon entree. Please contact Anne Casella or Kimberly McCollough if you would like to participate. If you are able to host one of the groups, please let them know. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, September 15.

A reminder to please wear name tags on Sundays – UCG members are encouraged to find their white name tags on the bulletin board next to the Sanctuary doors and return them after the service. If you can’t find your name tag, there is an extra name tag box in the Sanctuary foyer, a Grusher can assist you with a new name tag holder or to request a new one. If you are a new or regular visitor, we have green name tags or temporary ones available at the Board of Membership table in the Sanctuary foyer.

A reminder that the deadline for submissions for the October newsletter is tomorrow, September 16.

Next Sunday, September 22

9:45 a.m.     Childcare
                    Puzzler Exchange
10 a.m.        Worship Service – Rev. Chad McGinnis
10:15 a.m.   Kids United
11 a.m.        Fellowship and Beverages
11:15 a.m.   Racial Justice Committee Banned Book Event
11:30 a.m.   Sunday Seminar – Red, Wine and Blue with Lisa Wolcott
                    Youth United
Middle School Together
ONA Art Party
2 p.m.          Entr’Acte Benefit Concert

Calling all puzzle lovers – Stop by the Puzzlers’ Table in front of Seminar B on Sunday, September 22. 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. If you have puzzles to donate to the church at other times, please contact puzzle co-chair Marianne Schmink to arrange a time.

Banned Book Week is September 23–28. Kick off Banned Book Week on Sunday, September 22 with a Banned Books Reception in the library after the service. The Racial Justice Committee has been adding to the Banned Book Section over the past year and wants the congregation to be aware of the kinds of books that Florida school districts are banning.  All are encouraged to attend this special reception.

Open and Affirming Committee will be having an Art Party open to all on September 22 after the service with creative projects as Pride Week approaches. We will be making Pride pins, bracelets, decorating t-shirts, and applying temporary tattoos.

Area children need your help! With rising food prices and workplace uncertainties, many families are hurting. Food 4 Kids packs nutritious meals for children to take home every Friday so they have nourishing food over the weekends. The cost for each child is rising and needs are also increasing. Please come to the Food 4 Kids Benefit concert on Sunday, September 22 from 2-3:30 p.m. We will take an offering to help children get the food they need. Sponsored by UCG Entr’acte. If you’d like to volunteer, please email Nan Ryan at nanlife869@gmail.com.

Looking Ahead

We invite you to support the Gainesville Area AIDS Project (GAAP) and their TREE program (The Replenishment of Everyday Essentials) on PRIDE Sunday, September 29. Help us assist our income-challenged neighbors living with HIV/AIDS by providing essential items that cannot be purchased with food stamps/SNAP. Items include: toilet paper, bleach tablets, toothpaste, laundry detergent, disposable razors, shaving cream, shampoo, deodorant, household cleaners, dish soap, sponges, feminine products (pads & liners are preferred to tampons). Please bring donations to church on Sunday, September 29. For early donations during the week of September 22, seminar C will be open, Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thank you for your support of our local income-challenged residents living with HIV/AIDS.

Alachua County Faith Leaders Alliance – The second Alachua County Faith Leaders Alliance Interfaith Potluck in honor of International Peace Day will be September 22 at 5 p.m. at Baha’i Community, 4451 NW 19^th St. Bring a vegetarian potluck dish and your own silverware and plate and learn about and build relationships across different faiths.

UCG Boomer Single Mingle – Get to know other UCG Boomer singles! A far-out evening of fun and conversation at First Magnitude Brewing Co., 5:30 to 7:00, on Thursday, September 26.  We’ll be meeting on the garden deck area of First Magnitude. Food trucks and beverages both with & without alcohol will be available. Feel free to bring a snack to share, and feel free to invite other Boomer singles. The more the merrier! Be there or be square! First Magnitude Brewing Co. is located at 1220 SE Veitch St, Gainesville, FL 32601.

Creation Justice Climate Events – Gainesville Art Exhibit: August 27-October 19 the Gainesville Fine Arts Association (GFAA) will be hosting “HEAT,” their Biennial National juried exhibit. As part of this exhibit, they are partnering with UCG and other community groups to host climate change related events such as a Florida Friendly Landscaping event September 27 from 6-10 p.m. with free trees, Florida friendly plants for sale, tabling with information about Florida friendly landscaping, composting, and tree planting demonstration and panel discussion. They are located at 1314 S. Main Street. Climate Book Discussion Group is sponsoring Jeff Goodall, author of the book “The Heat Will Kill You First” – he will speak and do book signing on September 28 at GFAA. The book is available at The Lynx and other local bookstores. The Hawthorne Sustainability and Resilience Summit will take place on September 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a discussion “Building Sustainable Climate Justice Solutions for Our Most Vulnerable Communities” followed by results of the county’s Climate Vulnerability Study and panels on Development and Conservation, Food and Health, and Weatherization. Snacks, lunch, coffee, and beverages provided at New Generation Church, 225— SE 71st Ave., Hawthorne, FL.
Open and Affirming Committee is looking for volunteers for UCG’s art party September 22, booth at Pride on September 28, and for the Potluck Pride Brunch on September 29. Sign up at https://bit.ly/ONA0924.

Capital Campaign Feasibility Study Update: One of the important findings of this spring’s Capital Campaign Feasibility Study was that congregants needed to learn more about the projects on the “Essential Repairs and Improvements” list, what they entailed, why they were necessary, and so on. As part of the effort to address this need, the UCG Capital Campaign Visioning Committee and the Buildings and Grounds Committee are assembling a series of short videos to describe projects on the “Essential Repairs and Improvements” list. Three new videos have been added:

• Seminar rooms
• Kitchen
• Security

in addition to the first five videos about water supply, the beam that separates Reimer Hall from the west wing, west bathrooms and HVAC. The videos will be available on this YouTube playlist. Please send any questions or comments about the projects, and about the effectiveness of these videos, to either Tim Martin or Erick Smith.

UCG Emergency Volunteer Phone Tree – If you are not already on the call recipient list of the UCG Emergency Volunteer Phone Tree and you would like a call from the UCG Phone Tree about any hurricane warnings issued for the Gainesville area, please contact the front office to add your name to the list.

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