Welcome one and all to the Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church in Racine, WI. I’m the Rev. Eric Meter, the congregation’s interim minister. I’m thrilled to be with all of you on this beautiful mid-August morning. OBUUC, as the congregation is known, is a vibrant congregation.

 

 

Prelude Bach: Prélude, Cello suite Nr. 1 | Ophélie Gaillard

 

 

Chalice Lighting
We light our chalice this morning to these words by Debra Faulk:
A chalice lit in our midst is a symbol of a liberal faith;
a faith built upon the foundations of freedom, reason, and welcome
a faith sustained by acts of kindness and justice
A faith that envisions a world flourishing, with equality for all people
a faith that demands the living out of goodness
a faith that requires thoughtfulness
a faith of wholeness
This tiny flame is the symbol of the spark of all this withing each of us.
Our Chalice is lit.

 

 

Gesture of Friendship

 

 

Hymn #357 Bright Morning Stars by Chancel Choir Oakland

 

 

Message For All Ages: What Do You Do With A Problem by Kobi Yamada

Children’s Blessing
We are
We are blessed
We are blessed by being
We are blessed by being here
We are blessed by being here together.

 

Centering Words by Beverly and David Bumbaugh
Our church exists to proclaim the gospel
that each human being is infinitely precious,
that the meaning of our lives lies hidden in our interactions with each other.
We wish to be a church where we encounter each other with wonder, appreciation, and expectation,
where we call out of each other strengths, wisdom and compassion
that we never knew we had.

 

Song for the Day You Can Do This Hard Thing by Carrie Newcomer

 

 

Reflections Where Hope and Challenge Meet by Rev. Eric Meter

enough. by Lizzie Pierce

 

 

Offering
The Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church is a community of generosity and abundance.
Especially in this challenging and anxious time, your generosity is what keeps this community as vital as it is.
For more information on how to donate to OBUUC, please check the church website.
This month, offertory outreach helps support the work of the Choral Arts Society of Southeastern Wisconsin.
The Arts Society presents four concerts each year, in styles ranging from classical to gospel and more. Please join me in being as generous as you can be this morning.

 

 

Closing Song Spirit of Life

 

Benediction by Kathleen McTigue
As I extinguish our chalice now, please hold your hands
up to those on either side of you
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 the world.
Let us seek to remember the wholeness of our lives,
the weaving of light and shadow in this great and astonishing dance in which we move.
This morning’s chalice is extinguished, but our connections and faith remain.
After this postlude, our time together will continue with brief announcements as well as time to check in with one another.

 

 

Postlude I Am Willing by Holly Near