Spirituality of Gratitude

The Spirituality of Gratitude

The Spirituality of Gratitude

 

GATHERING BELL
Please take your seats and silently center yourselves for worship.

OPENING CHIME

ANNOUNCEMENTS Pat Mohr, Worship Leader

PRELUDE Thanksgiving Song by Mary Chapin Carpenter

* CONGREGATIONAL COVENANT
Love is the doctrine of this congregation,
The quest for truth is its sacrament,
And service is its prayer.
To dwell together in peace,
To seek knowledge in freedom,
To serve others in community,
Thus do we covenant with one another.

WELCOME

CHALICE LIGHTING Jennifer Mobley

MUSICAL MEDITATION We Shall Be Known by MaMuse, performed by Tapestry

MOMENT FOR ALL AGES

OPENING WORDS

CANDLES OF COMMUNITY
If you have a significant personal joy, sorrow or concern you would like to share, please phone or email the administrator by noon Friday. You may also share your joy or concern personally. We will have 7 candles (representing our seven principles) in a basket on the table in the foyer. When you arrive, take a candle and light it when invited to do so.  Because of time constraints, we ask you to be brief.

SILENT MEDITATION

SHARING OUR ABUNDANCE
Half of our cash collection each Sunday this month goes to Meals on Wheels, which delivers hot nutritious meals to elderly, frail, and home-bound individuals. If contributing by check, please write “Share the Plate” on the memo line.

OFFERTORY Sonata for Euphonium and Piano, II. Andante mosso – by Elaine Fine

SERMON The Spirituality of Gratitude Rev. Stephen Robinson

CLOSING MUSIC HYMN #349 We Gather Together

* CLOSING WORDS

* EXTINGUISHING THE CHALICE  

* CONGREGATIONAL BENEDICTION
Laminated copies are in the seat backs.
May the blessings of truth be upon us; May the power of love direct us;
And may the peace of this community sustain us, till we meet again.

Musicians: Anna Hamilton & Elizabeth Harris (Tapestry), and David Roof (euphonium)

* Please Stand

The nursery is available before and during the service for children ages 0-3
************************************************************
Next Sunday at the UUCC
9:30 am Forum Topic: “What is good parenting?”
11:00 am Sermon Topic: “Hope for a New Beginning,” by Rev. Stephen Robinson

Welcome Visitors
If you would like more information about our faith, you can find it in this order of service, as well as in our foyer. After the service, please feel free to speak with members of our Membership Committee, who have red “Ask Me” ribbons attached to their name tags. We will visit outside near the patio.  Visitors are encouraged to please complete a visitor’s card in the back of the chairs and place it in the collection plate later in the service. An email address is appreciated.

Membership at the UUCC
Have you been attending the UUCC for a while and considering making the congregation a larger part of your life? If you are interested in joining or have questions about membership, please contact membership@uucolumbia.org.

Submission Deadline for 11/25 eblast and 11/28 Order of Service is Monday Morning, November 22
The UUCC office will be closed on November 25 & 26. The 11/25 eblast and the 11/28 Order of Service will be published on Wednesday, November 24. Therefore, submissions must be received by early Monday morning, November 22.

View the Order of Service on Your Phone!
We have an exciting new option rolling out! You will now be able to access our weekly Order of Service on our website through scanning a QR code with your phone, visiting bit.ly/UUCC-OOS, or finding it as the last dropdown under Worship on our website. I hope you will help make this a success so we can save paper, time and have less things that need to be touched each Sunday. The same link will work every Sunday.

Families Helping Families Starts Today
Look for our holiday tree in the social hall.  These gifts sponsor two in-need families through the Palmetto Project.  The families they serve are referred by social service organizations as having special needs beyond their staff’s ability to help. Find out more at FHFMidlands.org.  People are encouraged to team up to cover the costs of the larger requests. Select tag and buy gift and wrap it.  Attach tag to outside of gift. Return the wrapped gift with a gift receipt and the tag attached by Noon on Sunday, December 5. Questions?  Contact socialaction@uucolumbia.org. To make a monetary donation, please make online or check payments to UUCC with FHF in the memo line by November 28.

November is Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) “Guest at Your Table” Month
This year, unlike 2020 when our UUSC month was done via Zoom, we will be able to gather in-person to learn from our own members as they share about the current projects of UUSC. Our continued generous giving to UUSC is our way of showing gratitude for UUSC’s annual intergenerational program to raise support for and awareness about key human rights issues. You can also check their website https://www.uusc.org/resources/congregations/guest-at-your-table/ to learn of all that they do on behalf of Social Justice in our world. Your UUSC “Guest at your Table” offerings can be made during services at offering time using the envelope provided at your seat, online on our website at the DONATE bar, or by sending a check to the church office at 2701 Heyward Street. Please make checks payable to UUCC and indicate UUSC-GAYT on the memo line.

UUCC Choir Rehearsals Move to Hybrid Scheduling on Sundays
You are invited to sing! The UUCC Adult Choir will continue rehearsing on Zoom Thursdays, 6:00-6:45pm. In-person rehearsals will resume with a varied schedule for the remainder of 2021.  All in-person rehearsals will require social distancing and masks.  Join us Sundays from 9:15-10:15am outside on the UUCC patio for in-person rehearsals. All are welcome and no experience is necessary. Contact Anna Hamilton to be added to the UUCC Choir e-mail list for detailed information and access to virtual rehearsal links: music@uucolumbia.org.

“Pandemic Art 2020-2021” on Social Hall Gallery Wall
This exhibit by UUCC members and friends highlights and honors the effort to continue a creative practice during the time of upheaval and social isolation. The buyer should make payment directly to the artist rather than through UUCC.

UUCC Book Club, Today, 6:30pm
Phil Turner will facilitate a discussion of The Poet of Tolstoy Park, by Sonny Brewer. There will not be a meeting in December. The UUCC Book Club is open to all members and friends.  Contact Phil Turner if you have questions or would like more information: philturner2009@gmail.com

Marilyn Miss Inurnment Service, Saturday, November 27, 11am
Join us for a brief inurnment service for Marilyn Miss in the UUCC memorial garden.

Social Action Meeting, November 28
The Social Action Committee will meet in person 15 minutes after the end of the UUCC service in the Sanctuary observing indoor Covid protocols.  We will stream the event as well.  Questions?  Contact Kevin McKinney or Connie Quirk at socialaction@uucolumbia.org.

Ladies LUUnch BUUnch, December 7, noon
We had 16 attendees enjoying another outdoor gathering on the patio.  We brought our own lunches and filled 3 tables under the shade of the trees. We are hoping to repeat this successful event on December 7 at noon, weather permitting. If the forecast is not agreeable, we will have a backup plan of reservations at Arabesque on Devine Street. We are allowed a private dining room there so should feel reasonably safe. Watch for more information in the weekly events (eblast) and Order of Service. Please mark your calendar and email Linda McLeod at kitchen@uucolumbia.org to count you in so we know how many to plan on. You won’t want to miss out on this good time together.

Visitor Orientation, Sunday, December 12, Please RSVP
We will meet in the Sanctuary approximately 15 minutes after the end of the service. Come, meet our minister and hear more about Unitarian Universalism and the UUCC. If you are new to the UUCC, or have not participated for a while and have questions, this session is for you. This class is designed to help familiarize you with the principles of Unitarian Universalism and answer any questions you may have. We would love to meet you.  Orientation lasts approximately 50 minutes. Snacks and conversation can be enjoyed afterwards on the patio (weather permitting). For more information and to RSVP, contact Keitha at membership@uucolumbia.org.

Virtual Story Circle, 10-11am Wednesdays
Story Circle will continue on Wednesdays from 10:00-11:00 a.m. All welcome. Questions? Call Barbara Bates Smith at 828-421-7685.

UUCC Men’s Breakfast Group, 2nd Thursday, 9am
The UUCC men’s breakfast group will meet at a local restaurant or a member’s home at 9:00 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month. If you are interested, please contact Phil Turner for more information:  philturner2009@gmail.com

Sunday Flowers Program
Would you like to share your flowers for our Sunday service in recognition of a birthday, anniversary, or a special memory?  Our Sunday flowers program has changed so you will now provide your own floral arrangement. Just let us know the date you would like to place flowers in the sanctuary by sending an email to the Worship Committee at worshipchair@uucolumbia.org. Please include your name, phone number, and the date you would like to bring your flowers. You will be contacted to confirm the date and details.

November Share the Plate Recipient: Meals on Wheels
Half of our cash collection in November goes to Meals on Wheels, which delivers hot nutritious meals to elderly, frail, and home-bound individuals. Meals are delivered with a smile by a caring volunteer five days a week. Individuals receiving Meals on Wheels are primarily the elderly in our community who cannot maintain an adequate, healthy diet, either because of transportation or financial constraints. South Carolina ranked #8 in the nation for seniors with food insecurity. The representative will be Anne Shissias on November 28. If sending a check please write “Share the Plate” in the memo line or you can give by either going to our website, uucolumbia.org, and clicking on the ‘donate’ bar at the top of the page, or entering “abundant.co/uucc/give” in your browser.  Please be sure to select “Share the Plate.”

UUCC Accepts Contributions Electronically
You may give by either going to our website, uucolumbia.org, and clicking on abundant.co/uucc/give. If you should have any questions or need help, please contact our Administrator, Andrea Dudick, at uucc@uucolumbia.org or 803-799-0845, between the hours of 6am-Noon, Monday-Friday. Thank you for your generosity.

Please Donate to the Winter Shelter
The Social Action Committee is again soliciting donations of lightly used clothing – especially hats, gloves and coats – shoes, current magazines and unused personal-sized toiletries for the Inclement Weather Center, the “winter shelter” for Columbia’s homeless.  You may place your donations in the container in the Social Hall. The shelter, managed by Transitions, is open from November 1 to April 1 when the temperature falls below 40F.  Last season, over 100 adults used the facility each night it was open. Please contact Tom Clements (email Tom, cell 803-240-7268) with any questions.

Harvest Hope Food Donations Needed
Now that we are back to in-person Sunday services we can again support the good work that Harvest Hope is doing to feed hungry people in the Midlands. Please bring your donations, such as any canned food items; rice; pasta; disposable baby diapers. Do NOT bring expired food, opened items, glass containers, or fresh produce. The Harvest Hope grocery cart can be found under the windows in the social hall.

UUCC RENTALS:

Virtual Buddhist Insight Meditation, Mondays, 7:00-8:15pm
The Buddhist Insight Meditation Community of Columbia, a UUCC rental, which had met in the Library, now meets on Zoom, Mondays from 7:00-8:15pm. All are welcome. Please contact Jessica Kross, email Jessica for access information.

 

SOCIAL ACTION EVENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY:

 

Transitions Volunteers Wanted
Transitions continues to need volunteers to serve meals and other opportunities. Because of social distancing, they request that you sign up for a shift rather than show up. Contact Transitions.org or 803-708-4861 for further information or go to https://transitionssc.org/

THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM
Grateful for the religious pluralism that enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. We covenant to affirm and promote:

  • The inherent worth and dignity of every person
  • Justice, equity, and compassion in human relationships
  • Acceptance of one another & encouragement of spiritual growth in our congregations
  • A free and responsible search for truth and meaning
  • The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large
  • The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
  • Respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part

 

The Mission of our Congregation is:

  •  to nurture and respect each other in our spiritual growth and pursuit of meaning,
  • to create a welcoming and engaging environment through which we work for positive change in our community and the world.

2701 Heyward Street
Columbia, SC 29205
(803) 799-0845
Webpage: http://www.uucolumbia.org
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/uucolumbia

Church Staff

Board of Trustees

President: Pat Mohr
President-Elect: Deb Matherly
Secretary: Beth Ann Rocheleau
Past President: Rev. Rod Brown, ex officio
Treasurer: Ginny Verne
Finance: Linda Brennison, ex officio
Members at Large: Jean Capalbo, Caroline Eastman, Emilio-Perez-Jorge, Tiffany Rushton, Jonathan White

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