This Sunday, we will be celebrating our incredible children and high school graduates during our worship service. Our United Tribes children and teachers will share songs, prayer, and a story with us, and we will mark milestones in their faith journey. Mira Lemstrom, Mae McGinnis, and Fiona Hammond will be joined by the Hogtown Pickers to provide our special music. Then, we will hear from our high school graduates who will share their learnings and gifts with us. We will delight in their journey, and we will celebrate with cake after worship! Right after that, we will welcome all back into the Sanctuary for our Spring Congregational Meeting at 11:30 a.m. But before all that (!), come join the sabbatical send-off celebration for Rev. Talia Raymond in Reimer Hall at 8:30 a.m.
Please see more information below about these and more happenings in the vibrant life of UCG.
Sunday, May 18
9:45 a.m. Childcare
10 a.m. Worship Service – Children’s Sabbath and Graduate Sunday
Coffee Church
Friendship Group
11:00 a.m. Fellowship, beverages and cake!
11:30 a.m. Spring Congregational Meeting
3 p.m. Celebration of Life for Jeff Shapiro
Sabbatical Send-Off Celebration for Rev. Talia – Join us for a potluck breakfast this Sunday, May 18 before the service from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Stop by for a few minutes or stay awhile! There will be a slideshow of some of the sights/activities Talia has planned during her time away. Stop by to decorate a bookmark with a message of love, provide a book recommendation, or a suggestion of a must-see location in France or England! If you feel so moved, you can also make a financial donation to symbolically purchase her a cup of coffee at a cafe or an admission ticket to a museum.
Coffee Church will be held in Reimer Hall at 10 a.m. as an alternative space to the Sanctuary. The service will be livestreamed on the big screen TV and coffee and tea will be available. Join us if you want to eat and drink and be together in a less-crowded room for the service.
The Spring Congregational Meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m. following the Children’s Sabbath and Graduate Sunday service. The agenda, zoom link, and additional info is available here.
A service of celebration, full of music and love to honor the life of Jeff Shapiro will be held at 3 p.m. in the Sanctuary with reception to follow in Reimer Hall. If you are unable to attend the memorial service and/or reception, you are welcome to bring an offering of finger food to the kitchen earlier in the day.
Let’s Connect
Email Alert! – We are having some technical difficulties getting a church email up and functional for our interim minister, Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper. Until the issue is resolved please email Donna at RevDSchaper@gmail.com. As soon as the church email is functioning we will let you know. Apologies to all those who have been waiting on a reply. She can’t access your communication so please send it again to the gmail address if it’s time-sensitive or important.
In the News: UCG was recently featured in a WUFT news story about the Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) organization co-chaired by Ellen Siegel of Temple Shir Shalom and our own Helen Warren. Watch the clip here.
The Annual Report for the past church year 2024-2025 is available here for your review. It lists the work of the staff, boards and committees for the past year, and also those committees currently in existence and the members who participate on them. It’s quite a reference guide! In an effort to keep printing costs down and save trees, we are encouraging people to access the digital version or refer to the copy in the office as needed. If necessary, the office can prepare a paper copy for you by emailing your request to darm@ucgainesville.org.
The west wing bathrooms are complete. A big thank you to the construction team and all who worked on color choices and decorating. Check out the lovely results next time you are on campus. Please note that the office bathrooms will no longer be accessible around the clock and the exterior door will be locked after hours.
UCG Directory – The Board of Membership encourages members to wear their name tags and upload a photo of themselves in our ShelbyNext online directory. This helps us put a face to a name and get to know one another. It is also helpful when individuals sign up for boards/committees, small groups, etc. To view your profile, go to https://bit.ly/UCGSNLog.
Women’s and Men’s Lunch Groups
Friday, May 16 at noon – All are welcome
The Women’s Lunch Group will meet in Reimer Hall this week.
The Men’s Lunch Group will meet in the west wing and on Zoom. Meeting ID: 836 8128 8738 Passcode: 1965.
For those who cannot meet during the day on weekdays, we have two small groups: Good Men Drinking Beer and Wonderful Women Drinking Wine. These are social groups and non-drinkers are welcome. Click here to register.
9:45 a.m. Puzzler’s Exchange
10 a.m. Worship Service – Board of Parish Ministry
Coffee Church
11:00 a.m. Fellowship and beverages
11:30 a.m. Sunday Seminar – “Buckle up with Paul Licata, PhD
Let’s Stay Connected!
Read our May newsletter! Deadline for the June newsletter is Tuesday, May 20.
Submit Your E-vents and Bulletin Announcements – Please email E-vents and bulletin announcements to Shanna Swiers to have them included in our newsletter, bulletin, and emails.
Tuesdays and Thursdays – 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wednesdays and Fridays – 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sundays – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.