OPENING SONG – “One Ohana” (One Great Family)

Here in the garden of creation,
Here is the home of life and love,
Circled ‘round by endless blessings,
Earth below and sky above.

Chorus: All of creation, one ohana,
All of creation sings in you;
Many the voices, one great music,
Part of me and part of you.

We are a part of all creation,
There is a mystery all around.
All the creatures, all that grows here,
Light and darkness, every sound.
Chorus

Hiding within the seed in winter,
Rising anew in every spring,
Dancing through the hill and forests,
God is alive in everything.
Chorus

If you would know and love your Maker,
If you would learn the Sacred Way,
Treasure every plant and creature,
Treasure each other every day.
Chorus

TIME WITH CHILDREN AND BIRTHDAYS – Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

INTERLUDE 

READING – from Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
“Some people are born in the mountains, while others are born by the sea. Some people are happy to live in the place they were born, while others must make a journey to reach the climate in which they can flourish and grow. Between the ocean and the mountains is a wild forest. That is where I want to make my home.”

RESPONSE – “The Rose”
Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor that leaves the heart to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need;
I say love, it is a flower; and you, its only seed.
It’s the heart, afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.
It’s the dream, afraid of waking that never takes the chance.
It’s the one who won’t be taken who cannot seem to give;
And the soul, afraid of dying that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember, in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed that with the sun’s love, in the spring, becomes the Rose.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan

MEDITATIVE MUSIC – offered by Nan Ryan, handpan

READING FROM SCRIPTURE – Selections from Genesis 1 and 2

SERMON – “This is We” – Rev. Talia Raymond

SPECIAL MUSIC AND OFFERING – “This is Me” by Pasek and Paul, arranged by Mac Huff – offered by the UCG Choir, Jasmine Angelini-Knoll and Arwynn Collins, soloists

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

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 HYMN – “Help Us Accept Each Other”

BENEDICTION

ALLELUIA

POSTLUDE

Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week:

September 30
Glenn Acomb
Lew Fabrick

October 1
Carol James
Susan Kirkland
Kate Boisseau

October 3
Bethany Highsmith
Rolf Larsen

October 4
Aaron Gitzendanner
Ana White

October 5
Carlos Hernandez
Lisa Langford
Stephanie Wohlgemuth
Lisa Wolcott

****************ANNOUNCEMENTS******************
Today at UCG
Pride Sunday

10 a.m.        Worship Service – Rev. Talia Raymond
                    Friendship Group
11 a.m.        Fellowship and Beverages
11:30 a.m.   Pride Potluck
2 p.m.         Our Whole Lives (OWL) Training

Friendship Group will be meeting today at 10 a.m. in Seminar B to sort and pack the donations for the CIA TREE project.

We invite you to support the Gainesville Area AIDS Project (GAAP) and their TREE program (The Replenishment of Everyday Essentials) today. Please bring donations to seminar B today. Thank you for your support of our local income-challenged residents living with HIV/AIDS.

Open and Affirming Committee will host a Pride Brunch after worship in Reimer Hall today. Join us for food, fun and fellowship! We are excited to welcome two storytellers who will share their personal stories of Pride during our seminar time: Carolina Cordero and Elizabeth Husband. Due to the personal nature of these stories, we will not offer a live stream of this time. We hope you will join us in person. Brunch will be served right after worship and enjoyed during the storytelling time, and then dessert will be served as we continue conversations and community around our tables.

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 through today! 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!

Next Sunday, October 6
 Food First Sunday

10 a.m.        Worship Service – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan
11 a.m.        Fellowship and Beverages
11:30 a.m.   Pride Potluck
2 p.m.         Our Whole Lives (OWL) Training

Food First Sunday is October 6. Thank you for your generous commitment to stocking the Food Pantry at Gainesville Community Ministries with monthly donations. To date in 2024 we have generously provided 1.3 tons of food – 2,523 pounds!

We will have the blessing of the animals on October 6 at 4 p.m. Please bring your fur babies, scaly babies, and everything in between to be blessed in the courtyard.

Claim Your Lost Items! In cleaning out spaces on campus, we have found several items that are not needed, but could be of value to their original owners, who are unknown to us. We will display them in the courtyard on Sunday, October 6, for you to take a look and reclaim them. If you no longer want them, we will be happy to take them as a donation. If you think you have an item in the Sound Room, feel free to stop by and take a look, and take your property home.

Looking Ahead

If you are considering United Church of Gainesville (UCG) membership, the next UCG 101 is Tuesday, October 1, 5:30 p.m. in Reimer Hall. This is a time to learn about the church and connect with other members over light refreshments. Please contact the office to RSVP or sign up on the bulletin board by the office on Sundays. Please let us know if you need childcare. The next Visitor’s Coffee is after the October 13 service. We will hold a welcome and reception for new members during and after service on New Member Sunday, October 20.

The next Kids’ Night Out is Friday October 11 from 5:30-9 p.m. at United Church of Gainesville. Infants through 5th Grade are invited for a night of “Things that go Bump in the Night” with activities, crafts and food. Cost is $20 for the first child, and $15 for each additional child. Please RSVP by noon Thursday October 10 by sending an email to juliac@ucgainesville.org. If you have any questions about volunteering for the event, please contact Kathryn Rabb at kaking0812@gmail.com.

UCG Men’s Retreat 2024 theme is “The Book of Our Lives.” Join us for a weekend of meaningful connection, spiritual exploration, and fun from November 8-10 at beautiful Camp Weed in Live Oak. Men’s retreat is open to all in the wider UCG community who identify as men, including members, friends, and guests. Please contact Jeremy Archer at bdjarcher@gmail.com with any questions, or if you have never tried this event and would like to hear more about what it is like. You can register through the small group signup, by emailing Jeremy, or by signing up in the courtyard during Sundays from late September through mid-October. Schedule and more information available at bit.ly/UCGMensRetreat24. We hope to see you there! Scholarships are available, so please do not let cost be a barrier if you would like to attend. (Donations to the scholarship fund are gladly accepted.)

Calling All Artists! We want you to exhibit your creations at our annual United Church of Gainesville Art Show on Sunday, November 10. You can sell your work, show it, or both. We call it “Show & Tell . . . and Sell” and welcome all ages, all kinds of creativity, and all skill levels! Spaces are limited – the deadline for application is Friday, October 25. Applications are available online at bit.ly/artsapp24 or in the church office.

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.