United Church of Gainesville
GAME PLAN: RESILIENCE
September 24, 2023 – 10 a.m.
Our live stream begins at 10:00 a.m. Click here to join.
“Resilience is something you do, more than something you have.” ~Al Siebert
WELCOME – Rev. Sandy Reimer
PRELUDE – Phillip Herr-Klepacki
CALL TO WORSHIP
You shall be free indeed
when your days are not without a care
nor your nights without a want and a grief,
but rather when these things girdle your life
and yet you rise above them, unbound. ~ Kahlil Gibran
OPENING SONG – “Can’t Help but Wonder Where I’m Bound” – Larry Reimer, Alan Hill, Rolf Larsen, and Allan March
I have wandered through this land.
Just a-doin’ the best I can
Tryin’ to find what I was meant to do.
And the faces that I see,
Look as worried as can be
And it looks like they’re a-wondrin’ too.
Chorus
Well I can’t help but wonder where I’m bound,
Where I’m bound
I can’t help but wonder where I’m bound.
It’s a long and dusty road,
It’s a hard and heavy load,
And the folks I meet ain’t always kind.
Some are bad and some are good,
Some have done the best they could
Some have tried to ease my troubled mind.
Chorus
When I get to feel this way
Then it’s really hard to pray
And I feel all tangled up inside.
But I’ve lived it long enough
Not to give up when it’s tough
There’s a hope in me which cannot be denied.
Chorus
RESPONSIVE READING – John Engels – Psalm 90 (Stephen Mitchell)
Leader – God of many names, through all generations, you have been
our strength and our home.
People – A thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it passes.
Leader – Fill us now with your wisdom.
People – Shine through us all our lives.
Leader – Let our hearts grow transparent in the radiance of your love.
People – Show us how precious each day is.
Leader – Teach us to be fully here.
People – Let the work of our hands prosper, for our little while.
All – God of many names, be our strength and our home.
TIME WITH THE CHILDREN – Jenny Hill
PRAYER
BIRTHDAYS
INTERLUDE and OFFERING
Your gifts support all facets of the UCG community. You can also give online: bit.ly/ucgplate.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PRAYER CONCERNS – Rev. Sandy Reimer
RESPONSE – “Ubi Caritas”– Phillip will play the song once, and then we will sing it twice.
Ubi caritas – et amor – Ubi caritas – Deus ibi est.
Where there is charity and love, God is there.
READINGS – John Engels
Building resilience takes commitment and focus. It is not a trait, but rather a skill that we can enhance with patience and practice. We can seek support, find ways to cope and focus on what we can control. It is easy to feel overwhelmed at times, yet even when the situation seems dire or unsolvable, taking realistic steps, however small those steps may be, can improve our resilience.
~Kendra Cherry
We are stronger, gentler, and more resilient than any of us imagines.
~Mark Nepo
SPECIAL MUSIC – “I Am Resilient” (written for Katy Perry) – Elena Frenock
I know there’s gotta be rain if I want the rainbows,
And I know the higher I climb, the harder the wind blows.
Yeah, I’ve gone to sleep night after night, punching a pillow,
But do you know the darker the night, the brighter the stars glow?
‘Cause I’m resilient . . . won’t let the concrete hold me back,
I am resilient . . . You’re gonna watch this flower grow right through the cracks . . .
SCRIPTURE – from Isaiah, Chapters 43 and 44
The God who created you, calls to you saying: Do not be afraid, for I am with you. From the distant east and the farthest west, I will bring you home.
Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago.
Watch for the new thing that is already beginning. I will make a road
through the wilderness and give you streams of water there and
rivers that flow into the desert to give you the strength that you need.
SERMON – “Game Plan: Bring Resilience Off the Bench” – Rev Sandy
Reimer
Persist Reframe Recharge
CLOSING SONG – “Waiting” (John Burroughs, adapted from Tallis’ Canon)
Solo, Salina Briseno; Flute, Cindy Martin; Piano, Philip Herr-Klepacki
Solo: Serene, I hold my hands and wait, for what avails this eager face.
I stand amid eternal ways, and what is mine shall know Thy face.
Interlude – flute and piano
Please join Salina in singing the second verse.
The stars come nightly to the sky, the tidal waves unto the seas.
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high, can keep my soul away from Thee.
BENEDICTION – Blessed are you in whom the light shines,
in whom the brightness blazes, your heart a chapel, an altar,
where in the deepest night can be seen the fire
that shines forth in you – in unaccountable faith, in stubborn hope,
in love that illuminates every broken thing. Blessed are you.
~ Jan Richardson
“ALLELUIA”
POSTLUDE
Here are our UCG friends celebrating a birthday this week!
| Luke | Engels | 09/24 |
| Jane | Day | 09/25 |
| Myth | Coates | 09/26 |
| Kathy | Berg | 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 |
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Today at UCG
9:45 a.m. Child Care
10:00 a.m. Worship – “Game Plan: Bring Resilience Off the Bench”
– Rev. Sandy Reimer
10:15 a.m. United Tribes
11:00 a.m. Fellowship, Beverages, and Cake
Puzzle Exchange
Young Adult Lunch
11:15 a.m. Sunday Seminar
MST & YU
11:30 a.m. ID Drive
What’s it Like?- John Jopling shares what it is like to be blind.
7:30 p.m. Transition Team Listening Session via Zoom
In celebration of our recently installed solar panels, the Creation Care and Climate Justice committee invites you to join them for cake in the courtyard this morning during coffee time.
Sunday Seminar – Chris Reimer, former vice president for communications for the PGA, will be interviewed by UCG member Skip Everitt on the headline-grabbing upset in the golf world over pros leaving the PGA for the Saudi Arabian LIV tour. Chris will talk about what’s going on inside this bizarre world of golf and the implications of Saudi money flowing into US sports. Chris grew up in UCG and he now has his own golf public relations company. In Reimer Hall or on Zoom at 11:15 a.m. Meeting ID: 829 6457 0385, Passcode: 1624.
The Racial Justice Committee is sponsoring a Community ID drive at UCG today from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the courtyard. Even if you do not have an urgent need for the ID, getting an HRC Community ID and using it when interacting with city and county offices is a way to show your support for an inclusive community by helping to destigmatize the ID.
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.
Transition Listening Session today at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom – Please join us for the last of three listening sessions on Zoom. We value all opinions – even if you’re new to UCG, don’t attend often, or haven’t returned to your pre-pandemic levels of involvement.
Are you interested in joining UCG? – We will be welcoming new members on Sunday, October 15 and invite you to join us at UCG 101, our new members orientation on Tuesday, October 3 at 5:30 p.m. in Reimer Hall. Contact the office if you would like to attend (352 378-3500). Child care is provided.
Learn about local climate change and what we can do at the Climate Summit on September 30, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., cosponsored by the Creation Care and Climate (C3J) Task Force of UCG and the Alachua NAACP Environmental Climate Justice Committee (ECJC). Register at https://bit.ly/CSRSVP23.
Blessing of the Animals, next Sunday, October 1, 4 p.m. – Bring your furry babies and scaly siblings, and anyone else who plays nicely with others, for a brief outside service of blessing with Rev. Talia Raymond.
There’s still time to register for the Men’s Retreat “Masking and Unmasking: Living into Our Authentic Selves,” November 3-5, 2023, at Camp Weed in Live Oak, Florida. The cost per person is $155, which includes 2 nights of lodging in shared rooms, all meals from Saturday breakfast through Sunday breakfast, and all programming. The optional Friday dinner is an additional $15/person ($170 total). If you prefer a room to yourself, add $85. If you cannot make the full weekend, Saturday-only registration is $70. Scholarships are available if the cost is a barrier. To sign up, or if you have questions, please contact Tim Martin (tamartin@ufl.edu) or Chad McGinnis (chad.a.mcginnis@gmail.com). Registration deadline is October 15.
Calling All Artists! We want you to exhibit your creations at our annual UCG Art Show on Sunday, November 12. You can sell your work, just show it, or both. We call it, “Show & Tell . . . and Sell” and welcome all ages, all kinds of creativity, and all skill levels! Applications are available online at https://bit.ly/artsapp23 or in the Foyer.
Food4Kids is our outreach program that provides weekly bags of food for food-insecure students at Rawlings Elementary. We have been feeding kids in the community for over 13 years, and last year we had 200 students to feed! We received a three-year grant from the county (this is the last year), but these funds only cover about 80 children. The balance of our funding has traditionally come from the UCG congregation, and with rising food costs and more students in our program, we need you more than ever. A donation of $270 will help to provide seven modest meals, snacks, and fruit for one child for a whole year, however, any donation amount is gratefully appreciated and 100% of your donations go to help feed a child every week. You can donate by check to UCG with Food4Kids in the subject line, or at https://bit.ly/food4k23. Thank you!
In light of the fall and Christmas schedule and to allow more time for consideration, we will continue with a single 10 a.m. service through January 2024. A preliminary report will be presented at the October 15 congregational meeting, and a decision on the worship schedule will be made at the January 28, 2024 congregational meeting
Next Sunday, October 1
Food First Sunday
9:45 a.m. Child Care
10:00 a.m. Worship – Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan
10:15 a.m. United Tribes
11:00 a.m. Fellowship and Beverages
11:15 a.m. Sunday Seminar
MST & YU
12:30 p.m. Kairos
4:00 p.m. Blessing of the Animals – Rev. Talia Raymond
September 22 Covid Update
September 22 COVID Update – The weekly number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alachua County appears to be leveling off as the level of COVID virus in the wastewater is decreasing. Nonetheless, nationwide hospital admission rates and deaths from COVID continue to increase. Under these circumstances, it is very important for people over age 65 and people with compromised immunity to get one of the updated mRNA vaccines that are now available in doctor’s offices and pharmacies.
In the sanctuary N-95 or KN-95 masks are strongly encouraged for people at risk for serious illness from COVID, for people who live with someone at increased risk, and for people who have any respiratory tract symptoms