Welcome to Worship
The United Church of Gainesville – September 26, 2021

Join us here for a live chat and premiere of Sunday Worship beginning at 11:15am. 

Return, Reunite, Reimagine

“Today also my complaint is bitter…oh, that I knew where I might find him…”
-Job 23:2-3
PRELUDE MUSIC – Phillip Herr-KlepackiWELCOME – Rev. Talia Raymond

*CALL TO WORSHIP

One:   Our return is not the one we first imagined.
Many: We are not all here. We have lost too many. Things are different now. 
One:  We long to reconnect: with one another, with our truest selves, with the Sacred.
Many: In this space, there is room for all of our grief, our joy, our questions, and our knowings.  
One:  Let us reimagine: turn again, unite again, find new ways to love as God’s people.
Many: Let us reject that which no longer serves us, reorienting ourselves always towards love.*OPENING SONG – “Seek and You Shall Find”  #60, UCG Songbook

Chorus: Seek and you shall find, Knock and the door will open,
Ask and it shall be given, And the love comes tumblin’ down

Vs.1: We’re seeking a special spirit (x3), And the love comes tumblin’ down

Chorus

Vs. 2: We’re seeking a path of justice (x3), And the love comes tumblin’ down

Chorus

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan

READING – From “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel

“Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love- but sometimes it was so hard to love. Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with anger, desolation and weariness, I was afraid it would sink to the very bottom of the Pacific and I would not be able to lift it back up.
At such moments I tried to elevate myself. I would touch the turban I had made with the remnants of my shirt and I would say aloud, “THIS IS GOD’S HAT!”
I would pat my pants and say aloud, “THIS IS GOD’S ATTIRE!”
I would point to Richard Parker and say aloud, “THIS IS GOD’S CAT!”
I would point to the lifeboat and say aloud, “THIS IS GOD’S ARK!”
I would spread my hands wide and say aloud, “THESE ARE GOD’S WIDE ACRES!”
I would point at the sky and say aloud, “THIS IS GOD’S EAR!”
And in this way I would remind myself of creation and of my place in it.
But God’s hat was always unravelling. God’s pants were falling apart. God’s cat was a constant danger. God’s ark was a jail. God’s wide acres were slowly killing me. God’s ear didn’t seem to be listening.
Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out. It was a hell beyond expression. I thank God it always passed. A school of fish appeared around the net or a knot cried out to be reknotted. Or I thought of my family, of how they were spared this terrible agony. The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on loving.”

SPECIAL MUSIC – “Sing About Love” by Chumbawamba, offered by Mary Caraher, Sue Hartman, Susan Kirkland

SCRIPTURE –  Selections from the Book of Job, chapters 23-24

SERMON – “Rethink, Reject, Reorient” – Rev. Talia Raymond

CLOSING HYMN – “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In” offered by The UCG Strutters

Oh when the Saints go marchin’ in, Oh when the Saints go marchin’ in,
Oh Lord, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marchin’ in.

Repeat with:
Vs. 2: Oh when the band begins to play…
Vs. 3: Oh when the light begins to shine…
Vs. 4: Oh when the dream begins to live…
Vs. 5: Oh when the Saints for marchin’ in…

BENEDICTION

ALLELUIA

Here are the UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week.

Happy Birthday!

Tennyson

Coates

09/26

Kathy

Berg

09/27

Eden

Ivines

09/27

Maggie

Wise

09/27

Jaxon

Bonnaghan

09/27

Jennifer

Larson

09/28

Terrie

Mullin

09/28

Evelyn

Ragsdale

09/28

Kari

Shattuck

09/28

Eliza

McGinnis

09/28

Glenn

Acomb

09/30

Lew

Fabrick

09/30

Sara

Ivines

09/30

Carol

James

10/01

Susan

Kirkland

10/01

Kate

Boisseau

10/01

Sunday Seminar 

Sunday Seminar at 10:15am on Zoom – Sweetwater Branch Greenway: An Opportunity to Connect Downtown Gainesville – With Greg Young, President of the Matheson History Museum.  Long before the Timucuan people populated this region of Florida, Sweetwater Branch Creek was flowing through what is today, downtown Gainesville. Once six miles long, this spring-fed creek ran through Paynes Prairie, into the Alachua Sink, to seep finally into the Florida aquifer. Sadly, today, much of the creek is covered in concrete, polluted by street water runoff, and filled with trash. As we look forward to the 2020’s, we could help reclaim this iconic body of water so it can become a cultural resource, an ecological gem and a vital connector route through the center of Gainesville. Please join Greg Young, President of the Matheson History Museum, as he explores the opportunities for community members to engage in the city’s planning for the future of the Sweetwater Branch Creek. Join here. Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385, Passcode: 1624. 
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Announcements

United Tribes Registration – If you plan on having any of your children attend church at any point this school year, please take a moment to complete this online registration.  You are not making any commitment now. You are simply helping us to plan best for our children. Please take two minutes to get this done right now! Thanks!

UCG Family Promise needs your help with providing for families experiencing homelessness in our community by offering catered meals each weeknight of our weeklong “hostings.” Your continued financial support will allow us to continue our catering until it is safe to gather again for on-site hostings.  Donations can be made by sending a check to UCG with “Family Promise” noted in the memo line or by donations made to UCG’s online giving page here. Use the drop down menu to choose Family Promise. Thank you for your generosity!

Looking Ahead to Next Sunday – October 3

  • Welcoming New Members
  • World Communion Day
  • Fall Congregational Meeting at 11am on Zoom
  • Food First non-perishable food collection for Gainesville Community Ministry’s food bank
September 25 Covid Update
According to the Florida Department of Health, last week the number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alachua County decreased from 361 to 212 per 100,000 per week, still remaining above the threshold of 100 for the red zone (high risk of transmission).
Your help is needed on Sunday mornings.  We are still looking for volunteers willing to assist with setup and greeting congregants at the 9:15AM outdoor Sunday service. There’s some moderate lifting involved if you want to come at 8:30AM and help with chairs or no lifting involved if you can come about 25 minutes early and help at the greeting table. To sign up please click here, email Dar Mikula, or call (352) 378-3500.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!

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