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TWO services ~ 8:45 a.m. in the chapel and 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary or online
We welcome Glenn Priest as our guest organist/choir director.
8:45 a.m. ~ With sunlight streaming/shining through the stain glass window showing the beauty of creation, we gather to worship. Pastor Wes will preach on Psalm 51.
11:00 a.m. ~ Pastor Wes will preach on 51. The Choir will sing, “The World is Filled with Awe”. The SURE (Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity) House meeting will be after worship in Syster Hall.
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To my dear church family
If there were words stronger than “thank you” I would certainly use them to express all that I hold in my heart for the blessings that you have shared with me and my family as we have faced our recent flood.
When it first occurred, I said that we had lost everything. But that is not true. Yes, we lost all our furniture, car, appliances, food, clothing and LOTS of photos. BUT we did not lose faith, hope, and optimism for a brighter future. And we did not lose the extraordinary church family that has been such a blessing to me throughout the years. Your prayers, offers of support and the huge outpouring of love in the form of gift cards, cash and donations has been overwhelming! Your unbelievable generosity has helped us get started on the rebuilding process. With your support, we have purchased drywall, replaced tools, built up our supply of food and replaced essential items that we would not have been able to do. I will continue to use your gifts judiciously as we make our house habitable again. I can honestly now say—”My house is YOUR house” as your gifts are incorporated into the very walls! My prayer is that you know how deeply I have been honored and humbled by your unceasing love.
Hugs and love,
Deb Hays
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 Beginning on September 1, you are invited to read the Gospels in 50-ish days.
And….
There is still time to join this adventure!! Please see Pastor Wes.
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Tuesday and Wednesday Bible Study Continue this Week
On Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom we are discussing Reading the Gospels in 50-ish Days. If you are curious and want to know more, please join the zoom next week.
On Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. sessions are talking about the passage for the coming Sunday. Both are wonderful opportunities to grow in faith in September.
Our Sacred Conversations on Race will begin meeting on Wednesdays in September at 3 p.m. Here are the days and topics: September 11: The History Behind Racial Stereotyping – TED Talk by Dr Erika Hall September 25: We Are Not All That Different: Race and Culture Identity – TED Talk by Seconde Nimenya
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 Church Clean up day will be September 14 at 8:30 a.m. Bring a bottle of water, gardening gloves and tools and help us tame the weeds that have sprung up on campus over the last few weeks. Many hands make light the work.
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 SURE (Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity) House meeting will be September 15 following the 11 a.m. worship. This is a sacred conversation for us to listen and learn about what is on each other’s hearts. We will receive updates on Affording Housing, Restorative Justice in school, and future issue work. A light lunch will be served during this holy time.
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Drumming as a Spiritual Practice meets the first and third Tuesday in the Chapel. Our next meeting is on Tues 9/17 at 3:00pm. New drummers are welcome; drums are provided.
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The Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet on Wednesday, September 18 from 2-3:30 pm in the Oasis Center. We meet on the third Wednesday of the month.
For more information, text or call Lindsey Huddleston.
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 The Green Team is excited to sponsor a showing of the movie, “Kiss the Ground,” on Thursday, September 19 at 7:00 p.m. in Syster Hall. The movie offers a hopeful message about regenerating the earth. How we treat the soil can be the basis for combatting climate change and degradation from pollution. Please join us for this inspiring film, featuring Woody Harrelson as narrator and environmental activist. We offer a showing of this film as part of the activities celebrating the Season of Creation in the month of September.
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The Missions Team invites all of you to a special coffee hour on September 22nd to see a presentation from CenterPlace Health. This vital service in our community has open doors for all folks in need without regard to race, creed, age, housing status, citizenship status, sexual orientation or ability to pay. CenterPlace Health has operated successfully for the past 6 years, managing to expand both their range of services and their service area. With seven locations throughout Sarasota County plus mobile and pop-up sites, they are now negotiating with the Senior Friendship Center to provide services to seniors, the new “working poor.” This is in addition to multilingual services for women, children, behavioral health, dental care and more. CenterPlace Health relies on a combination of federal funds, private grants, and charitable contributions. When Florida refused to accept over $600,000 in Medicaid funds, their patient load forecast increased substantially. Come join us to learn more about how we can live our Covenants by supporting these vitally needed services.
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September 26, 2024 9:30 am in Syster Hall, we welcome the Butterfly Gardening for Our Local Butterflies presented by Karen Rosenbeck. After providing some basic butterfly and gardening information, Karen will focus on native and non-native plants to help entice 16 local butterflies to your garden. Karen Rosenbeck is an avid amateur naturalist with a fascination for butterflies and butterfly gardening. After retirement as a Quality Management RN with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and moving to Sarasota from Connecticut in 2010, Karen joined the Sarasota County Butterfly Club. Karen presided as President for several terms and is currently a senior Board Member, the Newsletter Editor and Webmaster. Please call the church to RSVP.
Important note from Alleyne Kess: “If you happen to be at church this next week and stroll around near the labyrinth in back, take a look at the butterfly garden to your right! You will see a gushing overgrowth of lantana, red salvia and new growth on our Simpson Stopper! If you stay a few minutes, you may spy a few zebra long wing butterflies(the state butterfly), a white peacock butterfly, a gulf fritillary(orange), and this weekend we spied an Atala butterfly, which are rare now in our region! Don’t miss our ceramic additions and the cairn in honor of Greg Chestnut, our former choir director, now retired.”
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Our Racial Justice Mission Group and Green Team are sponsoring: Dr. Lyla June Johnston on September 27-28. She is a scientist, public speaker, poet, hip-hop artist, and acoustic singer-songwriter of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne), and European lineages whose wide-ranging work focuses on Indigenous values, hidden histories, and their relevance to today’s climate crisis. She completed degrees in environmental anthropology, indigenous studies, and American Indian education. At the heart of her teaching lies the Diné concept of Hózhó, a belief system that incorporates moral values such as beauty, harmony, goodness, relatedness, well-being, balance, and order. Lyla will help us reframe our worldview by sharing her extensive research into Indigenous spirituality and practices, her global consultations with Indigenous people, and her research into sustainable food production and land management. There is also a lineup of local panelists and speakers to accompany her. The topics are wide-ranging—from climate change and environmental racism to recovery and restoration, from intergenerational and interethnic trauma to healing, resilience, and community organizing. Click here to register.
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Tuesday, October 8, 11:30 am in Syster Hall
 The Women’s Association and the Green Team have assembled a panel of experts on our water quality and conservation –
Is our water safe to drink? How can we make it cleaner? How can we make it last? A panel discussion with: Dr. Abbey Tyrna, Executive Director of Suncoast Waterkeepers; Michael D’Imperio, Univ. of Florida Extension Agent for Water Resources; Dr. Dave Tomasko, Executive Director of Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
Here are the facts. 97.3% of the earth’s water is saltwater found in the Ocean. The remaining 2.7% is freshwater, but of this 2.7% only 30.1% is ground water, that is, water we can access to drink. The other 68.7% is in glaciers and ice sheets. That means only .8127% of the water on the entire planet is freshwater. That’s less than 1%, and, of course, we do not have access to all of that for drinking. That should give us pause.
Join three experts of diverse areas of study in a conversation about our water. From how our planet’s water got here and shaped our world, to the characteristics of saltwater and freshwater, to why the twain do not meet. We admire water’s beauty and its bounty. We thirst for it. And we also fear its power, its quick ability to destroy, and its rapid warming. Without it, shall we be like sand through the hourglass with our time running out?
All are welcome. Luncheon costs $15. Sign up after either Sunday service or call the church office at 941-953-7044.
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Lord, listen to your children praying.
Lord send Your Spirit in this place.
Lord, listen to your children praying.
Send us love, send us power, send us grace.
 Prayer Circle ~ Thank you to Jane Delgado-Semidei, we have re-established our Prayer Circle ~ a group of members who will pray for you each day. There are prayer cards in the pews OR you can also find the prayer request on our website.
Please click here to send a prayer to the prayer circle.
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Wednesday, September 11
Wednesday Bible Study, 11 a.m., Oasis and Zoom
Sacred Conversations on Race, 3 p.m., Oasis and Zoom
Music and Fine Arts Team, 6 p.m.
Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m., Chapel
Thursday, September 12
Finance meeting, 3 p.m., Zoom
Sunday, September 15 ~ Glenn Priest, Guest Organist
Early Service, 8:45 a.m., Chapel
Service at 11:00 a.m., Sanctuary and Online
SURE House Meeting, after worship, Syster Hall
Monday, September 16
Tech Team, 3:30 p.m., Oasis Center and Zoom
Gospel Conversation, 6:30 p.m., Zoom
Tuesday, September 17
Mission Team, 1 p.m., Oasis and Zoom
Church Council, 6:30 p.m., Zoom
Wednesday, September 18
Wednesday Bible Study, 11 a.m., Oasis and Zoom
Choir Rehearsal, 7 p.m., Chapel
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O God, we woke up this morning with our mind drifting back to where we were 23 years ago. We pray for all who died on this day in the Towers, PA, and Pentagon. We pray for first responders who died and those who bare scars emotionally and physically. We pray for the ways we continue to turn to violence as our first and only response. God of grace and God of glory, let Your love create in each of us a renewed heart and Spirit.
