"Liminal Spaces are Holy Spaces" SUNDAY, MAY 06, 2018 There is a space between [our] imagination and [our] attainment that may only be traversed by [our] longing. Khalil Gibran from Sand and Foam
ORDER OF SERVICE May 06, 2018 Opening Music Welcome, Welcome! by Clif Hardin Welcome, welcome! Welcome, welcome! Gaudeaumus hodie. Welcome, welcome! Welcome, welcome! Let us all rejoice today. Bring your sorrows, and tomorrows. Let all hearts now gather near. Laughter, grieving, all receiving; ev ryone has honor here. Welcome, welcome! Welcome, welcome! Gaudeaumus hodie. Welcome, welcome! Welcome, welcome! Love in all you do, we pray. Star and moon may show your way, and the sun that shines this day. Mind and soul must one obey. May your light guide you alway. Welcome, welcome... Opening Words Eve Stevens and Jay Leach, Ministers +*Opening Song 1000 [Teal Hymnal] Morning Has Come
*Chalice Lighting Words +*Chorus by Jim Scott Gather the spirit, harvest the power. Our sep rate fires will kindle one flame. Witness the mystery of this hour. Our trials in this light appear all the same. Gather in peace, gather in thanks. Gather in sympathy now and then. Gather in hope, compassion and strength. Gather to celebrate once again. A Litany of Welcoming Jay: Today we formally recognize Rev. Eve Stevens as a new minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte. Congregation: Eve, we have awaited this day with great anticipation and hope. With joy, we welcome you to your new congregation. Eve: I accept your welcome with gratitude. I, too, have awaited this day with anticipation and hope and am honored to be here as a minister in my new congregation. Jay: The relationship between minister and congregation is one of sacred trust. This covenant of faith links our past and our future as we pause in this moment to mark our journey together at its beginning.
Congregation: Eve, we gladly enter into this covenant of trust with you. We honor your calling as a professional minister. We welcome the full engagement of your gifts here with us. We open our individual and collective lives to your leadership as we aspire toward out ambitious Vision together. Eve: I gladly enter into this covenant of trust with you. I bring here the clarity and depth of my calling as a professional minister. I recognize already your many gifts as a congregation. I open myself to you and all we will experience as we aspire toward our ambitious Vision together. Jay: Let us say together the Vision of this congregation: All: We are a loving, liberating religious community inspiring spiritual, societal, and environmental transformation in the larger community, in our congregation, and in the personal lives of children, youth, and adults. *+Song 318 [Gray Hymnal] We Would Be One Reading from Adam s Return by Richard Rohr Musical Interlude Finlandia by Jean Sibelius Sermon Liminal Spaces are Holy Spaces
Reflection in Silence Musical Interlude For All That Is Our Life by Patrick L. Rickey Welcome Concerns of the Congregation Musical Offering Home by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden Hold on to me as we go, as we roll down this unfamiliar road. And although this wave is stirring us along, just know you re not alone, cause I m gonna make this place your home. Settle down, it ll all by clear. Don t pay no mind to the demons; they fill you with fear. Trouble, it might drag you down. You get lost, you can always be found. Just know you re not alone, cause I m gonna make this place your home. Meditation and Aspiration Offering Words Music Climbing Jacob s Ladder African American Spiritual, arranged by Clif Hardin
*Closing Song Guide My Feet Traditional, Spiritual Guide my feet while I run this race [3 times] Hold my hand while I run this race [3 times] Stand by me while I run this race [3 times] Search my heart while I run this race [3 times] *An Affirmation of Our Faith We are a loving, liberating religious community inspiring spiritual, societal, and environmental transformation in the larger community, in our congregation, and in the personal lives of children, youth, and adults. Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Music May the Light Around Us Guide Our Footsteps words by Kathleen McTigue, music by David A. Zabriskie May the light around us guide our footsteps and hold us fast to the best and most righteous that we seek. May the darkness around us nurture our dreams, and give us rest so that we may give ourselves to the work of our world.
Service Notes Thank you to the pledging members of this congregation whose generosity makes our Sunday services possible. John Herrick, Jay Leach and Eve Stevens contributed to the planning of this service. The Adult Choir sings under the direction of John Herrick and Donna Fisher and is accompanied by John Herrick on piano, Dave Lauderbaugh on guitar and Fred Hutchinson on percussion. John Herrick plays the piano, flute and organ. Ben Schomp and Doug Swaim assist with A/V for today s services. Large print copies of the Order of Service and personal hearing assistance devices are available on the table at the entrance to the Sanctuary. The flowers in the niche are in celebration of our new minister, Rev. Eve Stevens Images The images projected in today s service are: 1. Public domain image 2. Sahurs Meadows in Morning Sun, Alfred Sisley (1894) 3. Heavy Between Light, Wassily Kandinsky (1935) 4. Morning Glories, Amanda Petronella Austin (1881) 5. Public domain image 7. Abstract Head: Morning, Alexi Von Jawlensky (1927) 8. Western Flame, Marsden Hartley (1920) 9. Interior, Brondums Annex, Anna Ancher (1918) 10. Pete Johnson 11. Public domain image 12. House With Flowering Tree, Lorenzo Palmer Latimer (date unknown) 13. Delaware Shore Near Beverly, George Robert Bonfield (date unknown) 14. Sunset Marshlands, Arthur Hoebur (date unknown) 17. Public domain image